Monday, December 27, 2021

I'm On A Mission...

...to complete projects and reduce my stash, especially my scraps.

Before I talk about that here are a couple of projects that don't fit in that category.

One of my quilting friends asked me to finish up a couple of knitted ponchos she had started a few years ago. For one I just needed to finish a couple of rows and stitch it together. The other needed completely redone. The yarn is bulky and knit on large needles so it didn't take long to redo it. On the last sew day I passed the completed ponchos to her cousin who lives almost next door to her. However, the recipient has been out of town so I haven't heard from her. I hope she is happy with the work I did.

I didn't think to take a photo of the finished ponchos, but the pattern shows how they went together.

Next, I started work on a baby quilt for my young neighbors who are expecting their first baby at the end of January. They are big - BIG - Disney fans so, of course, I need to make a Mickey Mouse quilt.
It took a few tries before I decided on how to arrange the Friendship Star blocks, which finish at four inches. I tried six-inch blocks but decided that was too big.

The top is finished, but the piece of fabric I have for the back, shown on the right, is just a smidge too small. I have been pondering how to make it bigger. I hope to figure that out and get it quilted this next week. I will bind it with the blue batik used on the front.

Then I saw a cute idea for using Christmas cards. Really, any greeting card would work, but I had been thinking of a way to use Christmas cards. They are just too pretty to throw away.



A YouTube video to make these Pillow Boxes from Sew Very Easy can be found here. There is a template in the links below the video that can be printed. I enlarged the template to 125% to make it bigger. I also used double-sided scrapbooking tape instead of glue. I made these five in less than two hours. I found that a package of Olfa rotary blades would fit if the top part is folded down. I think a gift card would fit nicely, too.

On to finishes and stash busting.

I finished the Disappearing Rail Fence scrappy quilt.

I decided to try, again, to do a machine sewn binding. I used a big zig-zag stitch.

I'm not crazy about how it looks, but it is acceptable. I haven't decided if I will keep this one, pass it on to someone or donate it. Speaking of donating I need sources to donate to. Any suggestions? I am in north-central Illinois and would appreciate the names of specific places.

I have two large shopping bags in my sewing room. They are were FULL to overflowing with fabric scraps.


I generated a lot of these scraps, but my quilt friends have also added to it a lot. Every time we are together some of them hand me baggies full of scraps they have saved for me. Quilters are so generous!

While I do appreciate their donations I have decided that I just will not use them all so I am going through and getting rid of the tiniest ones. And, it's taking much longer than I anticipated.

I'm sorting. 
And pressing.
And, trimming.
I am sorting out the HSTs and pieced units. 
I decided that 2-inch, 2 1/2-inch, and 3 1/2-inch are the sizes I want. After I decided on a pattern I discovered I need 4-inch squares also.

As of today I have this much left in one bag, less than half full. The other bag is empty.
I am getting a lot of this work done during phone conversations with Son.

EDIT: It has taken me a couple of days to write this post. As of this morning, my bag looks like this.
It's empty. Woohoo! But...
I am not quite finished. I still have this pile to finish up. That should happen today, hopefully.
In between all that I am piecing HSTs and squares together.
Then 4-patches.
Then 8-patches.
Then 16-patches and pinwheels.
The pattern is 16 Patch and Pinwheels by Mary Johnson. 
My blocks are smaller since I am using 2-inch squares.
I will work on these long enough to get them to the 8-patch and HSTs stage. Then it will be a good project to take to sew days if we get to continue. We meet at a local library that is also in a school. We have to follow the guidelines the school follows. They only recently were allowed to have groups up to 15, masked. That may change again with the Omicron variant increasing. 
We'll see.

To see what other quilters are up to go to Small Quilts and Doll Quilts.

Stay safe and well.
Happy quilting!

2 comments:

Bonnie said...

Scraps are a never ending problem and a blessing. I just finished making a bunch of string blocks. Eventually, I'll trim them up and make them into a top. I'm not sure of specifics for donating scraps to. You might check with your ASPCA or other the local Animal Control Shelter. They may have people who make beds for pups and cats. You might also check with an elementary school art teacher. Explain the size of the scraps and see if she or he is interested in some. No doubt, they don't want the tons we all produce but it's worth an ask. Check some of the donation boxes to see if the organization also takes scraps. I don't think the big ones do but I know others do. Hope this is a help to get you started.

A Left-Handed Quilter said...

I like the idea of checking with your local Animal Shelter - they may have a use for dog beds and you might be able to fill those with scraps of fabric and batting. I also LOVE your scrap project! It reminds me that I have a similar one around here somewhere - LOL - ;))