Sunshine Guild blocks

 During the past few years I have made blocks for the Sunshine Guild in the USA. I send them to Tammy in Texas.

This year I sent some for January and February but I’m afraid I haven’t made more since. 

When I finished putting together my two Sailing Ships flimsies I had three leftover blocks. I didn’t want to put them away as Orphan blocks so I decided to increase the sizes to the 12.5” that is required. I’m pleased with the result.

I recently discovered a packet of 17 x 6” Crumb blocks which I used to make 4 more Sunshine Guild blocks.

As December’s request is for Potluck blocks I thought these fitted that description.

A few more odds and ends cleared up. Win win!

So many projects.... like juggling plates!

I always have several projects on the go ( plus those UFOs lurking in the cupboard of course) But at the moment there are more than ever that have deadlines.

Four baby quilts, two of which need to be ready by the beginning of December when twin boys are due in The Netherlands. Two more need to be ready for me to take to New Zealand at the very beginning of January. One I know is for a boy, the other the parents have chosen not to find out until baby is born. Really I need to take two for that baby, one for a boy and one for a girl.

One Dutch baby quilt is finished, the second one has the binding on and tomorrow I'll slip stitch the back at my Patchwork Group.

I have completed a flimsy for a girl quilt and I have a plan and have a bit cut out for the NZ boy one.  So, it's a matter of ploughing on with the quilts.

Then  I am knitting angels! My church has asked for a simple knitted angel (pattern and wool provided) as we are hoping to have lots and lots which will have a tag tied around the neck and will be secretly left all over our town in the run up to Christmas.  Whoever finds one can take it home and enjoy the Christmas message on its tag.  That's the idea anyway, we haven't done this before. They have to be done by 9th December. I have knitted four so far, two of which have been sewn up and are ready to be gifted. I hope to make a few more before the deadline as they are quite quick to make.

This year I have taken part in the Sunshine Guild blocks for charities. As the blocks are sent to the USA the postage is rather prohibitive so I decided to send two or three months of blocks in one packet. For what I feel is a reasonable amount of postage for me to pay I can send 10 blocks in one little packet.  So today I posted 4 "Brights" for October, 3 "Fall" blocks for November and 3 "Potluck" ones for December.
                                                        
                                                               October blocks

                                                          
                                                                   November blocks

                                                              December blocks

A very grey day here, rain too so I'm afraid the blocks all look too dark.
The centre square of each of the Potluck blocks is one of the string blocks I made a few weeks ago.
I just have one String square left now. Nice to turn those gifted scraps into finished projects straight away.

Getting ahead - February's Lotto blocks

I so enjoyed making blue and yellow Lotto blocks for the Sunshine Guild that I decided I would make some blocks using the February colour, Red.  This is a colour I rarely use (not sure why) so as a result I have almost no scraps.  I rooted through my fabrics: found two new FQs, a few assorted strips and a few 2.5" squares.  I also found a larger piece of striped fabric, the main colour being yellow with various coloured stripes.  As a few were red stripes I thought I could include that fabric.


I love making Star blocks so this time I used Bonnie Hunter's Maverick Stars free pattern and made 3 pairs of matching stars.

 

By then I only had scraps left (apart from some of the yellow striped fabric).
I made this block using strips framing a scrap square of fabric which I think I was sent in a swap years ago.

Then I used another of the black and red strips to make this one:

 

Combined the red 2.5" 4 patches with 4.5" squares.  In order to make these I had to cut into yardage, the only fabric I have in my stash that contains red - a piece depicting little red elephants which I intend to keep for backing a baby quilt - one day!

The red elephants feature again in this second block.

 

The only red scraps I have left are a few strings and a few 2" x 3" rectangles left over from making the blocks with the Chinese writing strips.

 

So, 10 Lotto blocks ready to mail to Tammy in Texas tomorrow. Knowing how few bits of red fabrics I owned I am amazed that I managed to eke them out to make so many blocks.

 

Just proving the old adage: "Necessity is the Mother of Invention" is alive and well.

 

Sunshine Guild Lotto blocks

I read about Lotto blocks on Cathy's blog (Sane, Crazy, Crumby quilting) and signed up to make some for the sunshineonlinequiltyguild.

This month they're asking for 12.5" blocks using blue and yellow fabrics.
You make matching pairs, one to be used in a charity quilt, the other going into a pile of Lotto blocks, name drawn for the winner of those blocks.

I have made 3 pairs:

Log cabin style

Chinese Coin style, two pairs

 

 And one extra

I have used quite a few scraps and chunks for these blocks which I enjoyed making.
Linking up with Angela's So Scrappy Blog.

Posting the blocks to the USA tomorrow.