Rainbow strings

 Making rather a slow start on cleaning and decluttering and organising my sewing room. Although we are in Lockdown here in the UK and from next Wednesday our area is going even tougher into the top tier of restrictions, Tier 3, we are allowed to exercise so my husband and I walk each day (3,4,or 5 miles) and the days just seem to disappear.

However, this week I have sorted, used up and thrown away very narrow strings, making 12 QAYG string blocks which were mailed to Australia yesterday for Jan Mac  to make up into a Play mat for a baby in need. I love making these blocks, enjoying pulling out strings of every hue and design and just sewing them together. Was a bit taken aback at the cost of postage though!

So, here they are: My Rainbow finish for this week.

Joining up with Angela’s So Scrappy blog.

 

I Spy quilt for Oz Comfort Quilts

Yesterday I posted a Boy’s I Spy quilt to Jan for her Oz Comfort Quilt drive.

I had sorted out novelty scraps and different sized squares (including some Crumb Blocks from my stash) and then built them up with toning or contrasting fabrics to make 7.5” blocks.
I arranged them in a 5 x 8 layout.
I had a length of blue fabric which had a mustard, navy and white leaf pattern that wasn’t wide enough for the backing but I had a piece of blue Kona fabric which was the exact colour to make a strip down the middle of the leafy backing.

Straight machine stitching down either side of the columns and rows of blocks, and my quilt was ready to bind. I just had enough of the Kona fabric for the binding, one 2.5” wof strip left over for my Strings stash.

Here it is, bright and colourful, lots of I Spy things to look for.

Finished size is 43” x 56”.

And here’s the backing:

The Kona strip is exactly the background colour of the leafy fabric. 

I’m pleased with it, the quilt went together really quickly, mostly because I used squares that were already cut.

Jan is doing such a good job with making and collecting quilts and has now started to distribute some.

I also added 3 leftover I Spy blocks and 6 QAYG blocks that I couldn’t fit into the previous parcel I sent to Jan.

Using scrap strips for an excellent cause

I love making QAYG strip blocks so I always enjoy making these blocks for an excellent cause. I have followed Jan Mac’s blog for a few years, supporting her charity quilts.
So, another 21 QAYG blocks for her Oz Comfort Quilts for people who lost everything in the recent Bush Fires.

J

Little gifts

My New Zealand friend asked if I could make her a new bag for her to house plastic carrier bags.
Made it this afternoon using some Amy Butler fabric.  It's fully lined with a proper casing so it should be sturdy.  Based it on the Pink Penguin Drawstring bag tutorial.

Yesterday I made 2 x 10.5" square QAYG string blocks for Jan in Australia.
See her blog Sew Many quilts too little time
to find out what marvellous work she does making countless charity quilts, many of them from donated QAYG blocks.  She uses 2 sizes of blocks: 10.5" and 12.5".  I hope to make a few more in the next couple of weeks. Trying to use "man coloured strings" as I know she is always looking for blocks suitable for men's quilts.

Off to cut some small scraps up into 2.5" and 1.5" squares for my stash.

Feeling good about finishing off UFOs

I had a productive couple of hours yesterday afternoon.
I had added borders to the 4 leftover Square Dance blocks on Friday so yesterday I cut backings and sandwiched them together using odd scraps of batting.  I machine quilted diagonally across the block, eyeballing a fairly regular distance between the rows.  Trimmed them and sewed around the edges ready to send to Alison of Little Island Quilting for her on-going Soy Amado project.

I won't post these until after Christmas and New Year but they are finished! 4 more UFO blocks sorted.

I also sandwiched Mr Scarecrow so he's all ready for quilting.

I used a piece of brown Laura Ashley fabric for the backing, which has been lurking in my stash for a very long time - originally gifted to me and was a much larger piece which I have snipped away at over the years.  Still got some left.

I bought a Ditch stitch foot for my Janome so will try this out, ditch-stitching the borders.
Lovely to see these UFOs on the way to being finished.

Making blocks like crazy!

Following on from cleaning and sorting my Sewing Room I am still dealing with scraps and trying to use up "things" I have found.

I found a Square in a square block given to me by a New Zealand quilting friend as an example of this block. I decided not to add it to my Orphan blocks but to 'Use it up"!

So yesterday I created a block which will be made into a 12.5" QAYG block for Soy Amado.  I also used strings and leftover piano keys and added scraps from my recently sorted stash:

 

I made this larger than the size required because I find that QAYG takes up a bit of the size and the blocks finish a bit smaller.  I can always trim it to size after quilting.

 

I have been amassing a huge amount of part-finished Crumb blocks so I finished off 12 more of those:

 

Finally I had a splurge on String blocks using phone book paper as a base - 24 of them:

 

All made from my strips stash (recently added to !).  I think this photo illustrates beautifully the colours I use most: blue, pink and green!

 

 

Off the Back Burner

I recently sewed up a pile of QAYG blocks for Nicky's Block Drive (mrssewandsow.blogspot.co.uk) The Siblings Together Quilt Block Drive!for Siblings Together.
I ran out of batting so had to put two of the blocks to one side.

I recently had some batting delivered to my house as I am now ready to sandwich the Wee Bees April quilt and needed more batting urgently.
Before I start that big quilt I decided to get some smaller things finished so the QAYG blocks came off the Back Burner and here they are:

 

Nice and bright - just how I like it.

 

Of course I have now got the bug for making more so there are 4 more in progress.

 

I am not really procrastinating about sandwiching the bigger quilt but I haven't been well again ( this time a balance issue connected to the virus I caught 8 weeks ago!) so kneeling on the floor battling to get the quilt sandwich smooth is not for me at the moment.

 

So, in the meantime I am cleaning out a few more scraps for a useful project.

 

Happy sewing!

More finishes

I really have the QAYG blocks bug!  Makes a change from the horrid bug I have suffered from for 5 weeks:  incredibly sore throat, high temperature, aches and pains, time in bed, lost my voice for several days ( no witty comments about my husband enjoying some peace and quiet!) and then a croaky voice for weeks.  Hopefully now back to normal.

However, in between lying in bed feeling rotten I made 8 more QAYG blocks for
Nicky's Siblings Together Block Drive. They are such fun to make.  I have another two block fronts made but ran out of batting so I'm waiting until my order arrives in the post.  Hopefully these 8 blocks are now with Nicky.

 

 

 

 

As I am part of the Wee Bees Group making quilts for the same charity I decided to get on and make the 2 May blocks suggested by this month's QB Gill. She has chosen Disappearing Nine Patches, a design I have seen and put on my ever-growing List of Things to Try.  So now I have.  Loved making the blocks which are very large so we can make quilts quite quickly. These used 7.5" squares.

 

Now putting together the border on my own Siblings Together quilt. I have another SB quilt ready to sandwich and  a commission Baby Quilt to sandwich so plenty of sewing on the go!