Sew Sunshine

For quite awhile now I have been focused on fabrics donated to me or to my church group. I get in a mindset that I need to work through the bags and piles and try to keep it as organized as possible while also producing end products. So that is the case. I have not posted much but thought I would do a montage of some of the end pieces going to the womens help center, mission, and outreach places. When I get several mixed bags of material I try to cut down the already scrappy odd cut out fabric into usable squares of precut like sizes. It takes a long time but you end up with a nice stack of variety. The first quilt above is the odd pieces that were left over from all this cutting. I love a good coin quilt don't you? A friend donated a large stack of 15 quilt tops she made from upcycled bumper pad fabrics. I finished all of them for the womens center. They are cozy with bits of minky and other fabric appliques that have texture. Some flannel some denim some mixed. My mantra...just s...

Project Quilting this round is Birthstone and my month is Alexandrite. Not my favorite at all and yet I happen to have some fabric that is not only that color but also sparkly. Hard to see but bottom L you can see the shimmer from the lamp.  I was not going to do this challenge because of time but when there is no time it seems you get more done.  I went with a tried and true hexi layout. The fabric bundle had 6 shimmery pieces and I added 2 that I happen to have that looked good.  Another kid size quilt for giving!  All the pieces have some kind of gold shimmer which adds to the jewel color I think.  I did diamond quilting which is more visible here. My photos have been limited this week because of a neck bother that won't go away. I am still able to work on stuff but only in certain positions. ugh I am linking up with Project Quilting  HERE Go check out the other entries! I also have an update on my guilds sew day charity quilt talk. The pieces I took to ...

------------------------------------------------------------------------ Recently I was asked to demo at our local guilds sew day, how to make some quilts quickly for charity. I have been making kids quilts mostly over the years at a reasonable pace, a few here and a few there. Then I got evolved in my church sewing group several years ago. That group makes bed rolls for homeless clients by using all kinds of textiles like drapery, discarded bedding sheets and blankets, canvas, fleece etc. But we also had boxes and boxes of donated cotton fabrics. Old fashioned calicos from the 80's and some kids prints. In order to work in our area freely something at to be done to empty some of the boxes. I started by cutting squares and sewing the cottons with denim squares (we also have still, boxes and boxes of donated denim jeans). Simply sewn and then layered with flannel and backed and tied. I am a quilter though and so I have made many quilts in various patterns so that I could quilt them...

Project Quilting 16.3 is all about Common Blocks. At first I was not sure what I was going to do. I wanted to stick to my idea of making P.Q. pieces for charity and so with limited time this week I was thinking ...no way! Then I remembered this little panel quilt. It actually was a yard so double what you see here. I decided to cut it narrow and then add some common blocks to fill it out.  I pulled out some colors that I had close by (with out digging in my stash) and made some blocks to add.  Friendship star was first. Easy block but every time I make one I mess it up. ha I did play a bit with the fabric placement.  Simple 9 patch.  Played with the fabrics here too. Lastly the simple 4 patch border.  And the crazy thing is it is finished on Wed. I think it is true the more you have to do in a week the more you get done. I don't want to push that thought though. I want to share this cool art exhibition my friend Jen went to see last Saturday. This piece is from ...