Tag: Doing Good

February 2026 Donation Blocks and Quilts

I have decided to combine donation blocks and quilts into one monthly post. We’ll see how that works this year.

I didn’t make any donation blocks or quilts in January, so here we are in February.

Blocks

I am collecting black and red donation blocks to make another Quarter Square donation top for the guild donation project similar to QST 16 Patch #4 Blue. I have more green squares after a couple of sessions of scrap processing. I want to make another Sidewalk quilt, but I don’t have enough of the half blocks to make a green one yet. The blocks above are being added to the pile.

Quilts

I might have posted the *bound* Blue Improv before, but I don’t see it. It was getting folded up to be donated at Sew Day and I took a quick snap of the finished piece. More scraps off to do some good.

I also finished White Strips #3 (with red) and handed it in at the meeting last weekend. It looks different than the other white strips quilts, but I like it.

More White Strips #3

White Strips #3 in progress
White Strips #3 in progress

Without putting the blocks on the wall, I added sashing to my white strips blocks. I don’t have any design wall space and just had to go for it. I have a few donation quilts I need to make and this one will help me free up some design wall space. 

As you can see, not having the design hampers my process. Somehow I missed adding top sashing to 6 blocks. 

Yes, I used red. Dangerous, I know, but all my fabric is washed. 

This is a good quilt for Valentine’s ‘month’.

White Strips #3 on the Wall

White Strips #3 in process
White Strips #3 in process

I finally dug out the white strips blocks I made last year and put them on the design wall. With the Patchwork Palooza no longer taking up valuable design wall real estate, I am able to work on this project. 

I haven’t started on sashing yet, but did decide to just make my normal strip quilt rather than another Sidewalk quilt. However, since I haven’t started the sashing yet, that could change.

I am thinking about red sashing as I have at least two bins of red fabric. I could use more by making a Sidewalk version. We’ll see. I know I don’t want to make another white on white strips quilt. 

I haven’t really decided to make 12 quilts for the guild this year. I am giving enough time to the guild. That doesn’t mean I won’t make donation quilts. It just means I don’t (yet?) have a goal.

2025 Donation Quilts

  • April Cornell Poetry Collection – finished July 2025
  • Blue Improv #2 – finished July 2025
  • Diamond Test – finished July 2025
  • Ends n.21 – finished February 2025
  • Grey Improv donation top
  • Orangeade – finished in January 2025
  • Pillowcase donation top – finished April 2025
  • Sidewalk #2: Blue Strips – finished July 2025
  • Sidewalk – finished June 2025
  • Sidewalk #3: plain

All the 2025 Sidewalk Quilts

This quilt design has exploded out of my workroom. I made quite a few this year using different techniques for the 8.5 x 4.5 inch unit.

 

This tutorial also inspired others to make this design.

Remember that I found a similar pattern from Jennifer Jones of Penelope Handmade for the Dorothy Quilt.

Another Sidewalk Quilt (#5)

Sidewalk #5 start
Sidewalk #5 start

I started another Sidewalk quilt with 4.5″ x 8.5″ panels I cut when I processing scraps a month or so ago. I haven’t made a ton of progress, but I like what I have done so far.

While the ‘panels’ are the same size as the pieced units, this top feels like it is going together much more quickly.

I finally found that someone else had created a pattern for, what I call, the Sidewalk Quilt. Jennifer Jones of Penelope Handmade has a pattern for the Dorothy Quilt, which is, essentially, the same as the Sidewalk quilt. She has a long blog post from 2023, which includes links to her YouTube Channel. She uses all solids in her examples – at least the ones I saw – and they look quite good against a white background.

Amazing 1940s Quilt

Amazing 1940s quilt
Amazing 1940s quilt

Almost immediately after finishing her quilt, my Mom took a donation quilt from the BAM selection to finish.

I didn’t really look at it until we got home and she took it out to start the binding. 

The first thing I noticed is that it smelled bad. I took it outside and hung it on a bush to air it out. That didn’t work well, so I ended up washing it (yes, in the machine on delicate and in the dryer on low). It smelled better after that. Before I washed it, I sewed around the edge so the edges wouldn’t ravel more than they already were. 

Amazing 1940s quilt-detail
Amazing 1940s quilt-detail

As I worked on the quilt, I noticed how amazing it is. It is hand pieced and hand quilted and the work is beautiful. It is also in great condition. The maker knew what she was doing.

I think I might want to make this quilt design using EPP.

October Donation Blocks

I started off the month continuing to make white strip blocks. The bin really was not organized well and I found a whole new selection of strips I could use to make blocks partway through. I was up to a total (not just the ones made in October) of 40 white strip blocks early in the month, but continued to make them. I like my scrap bins to be as empty as possible. The white bin is proving to be a challenge to empty.

Finished: Sidewalk #4

Sidewalk #4 top
Sidewalk #4 top

I finished Sidewalk #4 very quickly. I wanted to turn it in at Sew Day since the pieces were clogging up my workspace.

This is partially because my design walls are full. I have a lot going on (Country Revival/Sad Quilt, Patchwork Palooza, Four Patch Fun, 2 other Sidewalk quilts, Circle quilt). I even had to use the floor since there is no room on any design wall. Very hard on my back, but I was on a mission.

I definitely need to think about less white in the Half 16 Patch blocks. This quilt is VERY white and you don’t really get the sidewalk effect with so much white.

I have been working on some green and blue Sidewalk blocks with white and I may use a different color for the background. 

Sidewalk #4 back
Sidewalk #4 back

I was very surprised at how well this back went together. I didn’t worry about eeking every little inch out of the fabric. I got enough pieces out and cut there where I needed to. It means I have more scraps to cut up as well as a finished back.

 

Finished: Black Improv

Finished: Black Improv
Finished: Black Improv

The stripes in this piece are really striking. The rainbow stripes from Chain Link make this piece less depressing than it might be if I had excluded them.

I am pleased that I finally finished this piece. It has been on the design wall for more than a year and it is a relief to get it to the Community Quilt team.

I am pleased with the way it came out. Most of these improv quilts are hard to pass along. 

September Donation Blocks

I worked on the Black Improv a lot, which doesn’t really have blocks, so that means fewer for this post. I added a few blocks in green and white to my stash of pieces for the next Sidewalk.

I finished working on the Black Improv top quicker than expected. Since it was already out and not completely empty, I kept the Black-Grey-Brown scrap bin out and made a few blocks from brown and grey. I just wanted to lighten the box up a little bit more. I don’t have much brown and I used all the strips to make the brown strip blocks you see below. I also made a couple of grey blocks and one black strip block. I’ll save these for another rainbow strip quilt or when I get enough Black-Grey-Brown strip blocks.

Once I was done with the Black-Grey-Brown strips, I got out the white bin, which was overflowing – again- and started in on white strip blocks. I don’t know whether I’ll make a white strip quilt like the last one or make a Sidewalk quilt with a color for the background. I like the idea of a blue background.

I have numbered the black strip block as #10, but I don’t really know what number it is. I suspect it is about #41 since I made one black strip donation quilt. Still, the other blocks aren’t numbered, so here we are.

Started Sidewalk #4

Sidewalk #4 Start
Sidewalk #4 Start

I started Sidewalk #4. As you can see from the photo, I am using my design floor. The design walls are full. I can’t take Country Revival/The Sad Quilt off the large design wall until I get more sewn. 

Sidewalk is too big for the small design wall so design floor it is. Not my preference, but needs must. Too many projects on the go, so I needed to get one of them off my list.

I have been randomly sewing Half 16 Patch blocks to the white background pieces as leaders and enders, so I have a small start. I have a lot to do, however. The Community quilt team for the guild really needs backs, so that is an extra step. I know I normally do it, but was considering being lazy this time. More fabric used, however.

Black Improv Progresses

Black Improv - Sept. 2025
Black Improv – Sept. 2025

I have been working diligently on the Black Improv. Surprisingly it is getting quite large. Not king-sized or anything, but large for one of my donation quilts.

After having this piece languish for a long time, I thought it would be a chose to finish it. Even though I am not finished yet, I am having fun working on it. So many stripes!!

I am using the strips I cut for color strip blocks to make the quilt bigger and to make the piecing a little easier. I know I will make more black scraps at some point, so why not?

At the widest and tallest points in the photo above, the piece is 38w x 35l. It is getting to be the size I like giving to the Community Giving project.

Black Improv Progresses

Black Improv in process
Black Improv in process

I haven’t made much progress on this piece, but I haven’t given on it either. After I posted about the most recent Color Improv finishes, I got some nice feedback and decided to get back to this piece.

I had a couple of the strip blocks and I decided to add them to the piece so as to make it larger sooner. 

It has been a struggle, because I have the half 16 patch blocks for the next Sidewalk quilt as leaders and enders as well as the Four Patch Fun piecing. 

So much quilty goodness!!