More New Blue Donation Blocks

I worked on the UCAB‘s short front pocket over the weekend. I wanted to incorporate my Clippy Pocket hack into an actual pocket. As I worked on that complicated project, I made donation blocks as leaders and enders.

I am really happy with these blocks. They are more fun to make than the white. I have a lot of scraps, but within those scraps are a lot of strips of different lengths, so the blocks are going fast and I can, sometimes, make two at a time.

Community Sew Day

Saturday was a Community Sew Day. I made about 18 blocks, some were the blocks of the day; some were the 16 patches. I’ll show those another day.

Scrappy Community Quilt Day block 3
Scrappy Community Quilt Day block 3

These blocks can be super scrappy. I tried to stick to a common color scheme so it would be easier to put blocks together into a cohesive whole. As the day wore on the pickins got a little slim and eventually I switched to a dark color scheme. I am not as happy with those blocks as they just seem dark. They will be good for a boy quilt, so they won’t be wasted. Perhaps I can make 6 more blocks in the same colors so Peggy can make a top.

These are similar to the Mav block I made a few weeks ago. The good thing is there are no seams to match so they make a good pattern for group sewing. You need:

  • 5-4.5″ squares
  • 5 – 2.5 x 4.5″ strips
  • 2- 2.5 x 6.5″ strips

Use the image above as a guide for the layout.

Nine blocks make a quilt – at least they did for our project. The group ended up with 8 quilt tops and a few extra blocks. Some of us were talking about cutting scraps into pieces in these sizes and making them whenever we had spare time or needed leaders and enders.

The quilts are VERY scrappy.

Some New Donation Blocks

Since I started making the Color Strip and Improv donation quilts, I have not been making very many of the regular 16 patch donation blocks the guild collects.

However, they are really great for leaders and enders when I am not at home and don’t have my scrap bin handy. I forgot to bring them last Saturday to the mini-Retreat, but brought the bin Sunday and was able to churn out two blocks in between putting the new Running with Scissors Tote together.

January Donation Blocks
January Donation Blocks

I brought my bin to the Charity Sew Day yesterday and started some more, so there will be a few more for you to see later.

Finished Orange Strip Donation Quilt

Orange Strip Donation Quilt
Orange Strip Donation Quilt

The Orange Strip Donation Quilt is finished. Sue R. did the quilting and Rhonda finished the binding, so it was a real joint effort.

For once I took a photo of the back.

Orange Strip Donation Quilt back
Orange Strip Donation Quilt back

Now I have it at home and am waiting for the San Mateo County Fair to roll around.

Finished: Improv Donation Top

White Improv Top
White Improv Top

I finally finished this top to the point where I felt good about handing it in. I was rather sick of it, but I also have enough pride not to donation a too-small top.

That is all I handed in. I just provided the top and will let Peggy find backing and batting. I know I could have gotten a bigger hit on my Fabric Used spreadsheet, but I wanted to move on.

I haven’t started anything new for donation, but I will soon. It will be either blue or pink. Both drawers are overflowing. I don’t feel like I made much progress emptying the white drawer, though the White Strip Donation top and this one clearly used up fabric. Since I have more white to use, I could combine it with some of the blues. I know I have more than enough blue scraps to make more than two quilts. Combining some blues with whites will spread the use of blue and make for an interesting variation.

2019 All Donation Quilts

I feel like posting all of my donation quilts really makes me see that I have accomplished something good in the world. When I feel down, I can go and look at them. I made 14 donation tops last year. You have seen them all throughout the year, but it is nice to have them all in one place.

Total: 13 donation quilts

Ends n.7 Donation Quilt
Ends n.7 Donation Quilt

This is Ends n.7. I made it from two half yards of burgundy (with visible pink undertones) fabric and the ends of the Triple Star quilt. Finished January 2019.

Green Strips donation quilt is made from a yard of Kona Cream and 19 blocks that I made from strips found in my scrap bin. This was inspired by Alison. Finished January 2019.

The Green Thing donation top was finished in February. I used leftover pieces from the Green Strips donation top and a lot of scraps from my green scrap drawer.

Purple Strips Quilt

This may be the second in the series of strip quilts. We’ll have to see if I do anymore. I have more scraps, so it is a possibility. Tim suggested the grey as the background and I think it works well.

As I did with the Green scraps, I made an Improv donation quilt with purple scraps to further clear out that bin.

Ends n.8 - Bonnie & Camille
Ends n.8 – Bonnie & Camille

Ends n.8 (Bonnie & Camille). I made this from the edges of the back of the Stepping Stones n.2 quilt.

Spiky 16 Patch n.3

I made these blocks in 2018, but just got around to put them together in March. Frankly, they were in the way on my design wall and I needed the space.

Red Strip Donation Top- Finished
Red Strip Donation Top- Finished

My first Red Strip Donation top was delivered to Tim so he could quilt it and enter it as a triptych with the purple and green versions. He dealt with the backing.

Red Strip (Chunk) Donation Quilt
Red Strip (Chunk) Donation Quilt

This started out as a second Red Strip Donation Top, but as I didn’t have enough strips, it became the Red Chunk Donation Top. This is the second quilt I finished from the scraps in my red scrap drawer. You can obviously see that I did use some yardage.

Orange Strip Donation Top: finished
Orange Strip Donation Top: finished

I don’t have as many orange scraps as I have other colors, but I have enough. It is surprising how little fabric it really takes to make a quilt. I wonder what the least amount of fabric one can use to make a quilt – not a mug rug, but real sized quilts that can cover humans? The orange strip quilt came out really well and I am pleased with it. I definitely have an orange that I like. The consistency worked well to pull the whole piece together.

Orange & Green Donation Top
Orange & Green Donation Top

Orange & Green Donation Back
Orange & Green Donation Back

I used up the green plain blocks I cut for the background of another quilt and then didn’t use. They were laying on my sewing table bugging me and I wanted them out of my hair. I was in orange mode, so I cut some plain orange blocks and made a quick donation top.

Orange Improv Donation Top - almost finished
Orange Improv Donation Top – almost finished

I finished the Orange Improv donation top and back for Tim to quilt.

White Strip Donation Top: finished
White Strip Donation Top: finished

I finished the white strip donation quilt.

 

2019 All Donation Blocks

I always have in the back of my mind that I would like to make 30 donation blocks per month-360 in a year. This year’s achievement is 115 blocks. So far, I have made a good effort, but haven’t quite achieved that goal. 

I’ll keep trying, despite what Yoda says.

 

Community Quilt Bonanza

Cheryl agreed to help me with a few projects, so the other day I received a large-ish box from her. At first I didn’t realize it was from Cheryl as it seems like boxes are arriving at our house 3 times a day. The YM is sending stuff here, DH and I plus gifts from out of town relatives are also being sent here. It’s crazy.

Anyway.

In addition to stuff from the project on which we are working, were three community quilts.

She asked me to bring them to the meeting in January. I am happy to do so, especially since that means I will have something to show! HA!

Clearly #2 and #3 are related. Also, #1 and #2 are in the same format as the Color Group Donation Quilt I worked a few years ago. I can’t say whether she was inspired by (or even remembered or saw) that quilt. It isn’t as thought that layout is novel in Modern Quiltmaking circles.

So, these will be the first three quilt tops for the 2020 BAM Community Quilt Project. YAY!!

 

BAM Largesse

A week or so ago, we celebrated Winter at my guild. There was a short Sew Day where I worked on Frolic! Clue 2, then a potluck lunch and a swap and socializing.

In between all of this fun and excitement was fabric. We hold our Sew Days in a church hall. On the side of this room are 4-5 old pews. The room used to be the church sanctuary. Normally, we store our bags and other Sew Day paraphernalia there to keep it off the floor and reduce tripping hazards.

On the Winter Party/Sew Day at least 3 of the pews were filled with fabric. The guild had been given a  donation of fabric by a longarmer who was closing her business. She donation only about a quarter of her stash to the guild. People at the party were allowed to look through the fabric and take what they wanted. I stayed away, having plenty of fabric of my own. Plenty of the members took a few pieces or filled up grocery bags with their selections. The rest will be used for our community quilt project.

This was kind of startling in a number of different ways. Will my unused fabric end up like that? Why get rid of all of her fabric? Doesn’t she want to sew anymore or did she keep her favorite pieces? I know I will probably never know the answers to these questions. I will have to think about what I am going to do with my fabric and make sure my DH knows so it doesn’t all go to Goodwill. What happens to your fabric and supplies when you go to your next adventure?

White Improv Donation Quilt Progress

White Improv - November 2019
White Improv – November 2019

I have been making some progress on the White Improv piece. I am not working as fast as I would like.

It is looking good, I think, different than the others, but interesting in its own way.

The pieces I have in my scrap drawer are a trial, however. There are many, many pieces of great fabric in stupid lengths. They seem to always be wrong. I am making it work, though.

White Improv Progresses

White Improv Donation Top - November 2019
White Improv Donation Top – November 2019

Now that I finished the White Strip Donation Top, I can work on the White Improv Donation Top in earnest.

I spent time on it this past weekend and the slabs are getting bigger.Except for the middle, the piece is still very much in process. The strips I have are very uniform in size and I feel like the other pieces are all triangles, so this isn’t an easy piece to put together.

There is a large-ish slab in the bottom of the drawer and I don’t know if I will make a journal cover or if I will use it in this piece.

White Strip Donation Top: Finished

White Strip Donation Top: finished
White Strip Donation Top: finished

All the blocks for this quilt were made from my scrap drawer. I know I can make at least two more quilts from this one drawer. Yes, I used some yardage for the back, the border, the sashing and the cornerstones, but that is a small amount compared to the blocks, I think.

White Donation Strip Quilt Progresses

White Strip Donation Quilts - November 2019
White Strip Donation Quilts – November 2019

It is a slow process, but I am making progress. I have all the sashing cut and placed. I have also started to sew the sashing to the blocks.

It is hard to see because of the color, but I think you can make out the blocks.

 

More Raffle Prizes

Mary's Raffle Prizes
Mary’s Raffle Prizes

As I mentioned yesterday, Sew Day was Saturday. I was pleased and surprised when Mary came up to me and showed me the items she made for the raffle baskets!

Mary made some wonderful origami type bags. Enlarge the photo, because they look very intricate when closely inspected.

Cord Keeper by Mary
Cord Keeper by Mary

The little things on the bottom are cord keepers. They look like a little tube. You open up the Velcro closure and contain your folded cord with one. These are probably perfect for smaller cords like cell phones and irons and things. I don’t know that they are large enough for laptops or appliances with bulkier cords.

I have never seen a pattern for one of these and am thrilled!

I didn’t even know she was making them. I am so pleased.