Round up of 2020

 I have had a quick look back at my Round up at the end of last year to see what listed UFOs were finished in 2020. Don’t think I did too well.

One of the projects I set myself for 2020 was to tackle a Hexagon quilt passed on to me by my friend Irene when she moved house. Very pretty but faded in parts. My idea was to ask my Patchwork friend Sue to come round and help me start it. She had done something similar with an old Hexagon quilt which was badly in need of repair. Well, that never happened because Sue went on holiday during February and the early part of March, fortunately returning to the UK just before we were into Covid 19 Lockdown. We haven’t had much opportunity  to meet up and work together because of lots of restrictions, a second Lockdown and now even more restrictions with a possibility of worse to come which will be announced tomorrow. So this is definitely on the back burner for the foreseeable future. 

I had been tidying up and decided I would take out one of the UFOs I mentioned last year. I had put it away with batting and backing so thought that would be a good quilt to move forward. It’s a Crumb blocks quilt.

I also created two more flimsies this year:

                                                     The second Tall Ships flimsy

                                             A UFO that I was able to add two borders to so that I could send it as a flimsy to the Australian Quilt Drive for Bush Fire Victims.

And a Coin Quilt flimsy. I bought backing for this one so hopefully this could become a finished quilt during 2020.

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And of course I must turn my RSC string blocks into at least flimsies if not finished quilts!

And two Baby Quilts. One I’ve decided will be a Sheep Quilt from a kit I bought several years ago. Mum to Be lives in New Zealand so I think that’s appropriate. 

Looking back over RSC 2020

 I have just looked back at my end of 2019 Stocktake of ongoing RSC blocks and my intentions for 2020.

I did add to Twinkler blocks, 49 Patch blocks and Roman Stripe blocks but no Crumby Candy blocks made. 

My RSC String blocks haven’t been touched - don’t know why because I could easily make them into quilts, a couple at least. I like how Cathy K turned hers into lovely quilts and that’s what I hope to do in 2021 with mine. And I could make a quilt from my Twinkler blocks and I think the 49 Patch ones too.

However, my decision to make Ship blocks for my new RSC project for 2020 was a great success. I really persevered with these and made so many blocks I was able to make 2 flimsies from them. One was finished and gifted and I’m delighted with them both.

I

                                      Finished and gifted. Called Ships Ahoy!

                                                        Still a flimsy.

As always Cathy (Sane Crazy Crumby blog) temps me with her RSC projects and this year  I’ve made quite a lot of Ticky Tacky houses which I need to look at and decide which colours need to be added in 2021.

3 more ideas for RSC 2021 blocks: small Wonky stars, Zipper blocks ( a Cathy K idea) and Bonnie Hunter’s Easy Peesy blocks.

All looks rather a tall order but I’ll give it a go.

Linking up with Angela’s So Scrappy blog.

                      

Finally going to gift these quilts!

 Periodically I make Baby quilts for my local hospital and when I have collected a few I drop them into the Maternity Ward. In April this year I made three Angel quilts to add to two teddy bear quilts I made in May 2019. One of our Patchwork Group members had given me another one at the end of last year and I was all set to take them to the hospital. But of course in March Covid 19 struck and we were in Lockdown, followed by hospitals not allowing visitors, second Lockdown, still no visitors so my little pile of quilts languished in the cupboard. When I noticed them again last week I had a brainwave as to how I could get them to the hospital. One of my Patchwork Group group is a nurse there so I emailed her to ask if the Maternity Ward would welcome the quilts. Yes, they would but I would have to leave them at the Hospital Switchboard Office. So, that’s what I will do, perhaps on Friday. A little more space in my cupboard - great!  It’s also motivated me to make a few more.

Here’s my 5 quilts:

And Sue’s:

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.

 

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!

Ships Ahoy! Has sailed and berthed.

 I finished the first if my two Sailing Ships quilts. It’s the larger one and I’ve called it Ships Ahoy!

It measures 57” x 44” and I machine quilted it, in the ditch along the seams going down the columns and along the top and bottom of the blocks. Then I machined in the ditch around the boats.

I made a pieced backing from fabrics I had in my stash.

I decided to gift it to one of my local friends for her grandson George who is 6 years old. George thoroughly enjoyed a few days sailing with his Grandad during the summer so I though he would like this quilt. I took it round to my friend yesterday and told her to keep it for when George is able to come and stay with them again once our Lockdown restrictions allow so he can have it on his bed at Grandma and Grandad’s house. My friend was so amazed and overcome that she almost burst into tears! This morning when we woke up we discovered that she had written a beautiful Thank you card and told us to look out for a special Nature Book which was going to be delivered today. It came and it’s lovely, every day of the year has something in nature to look out for when we out walking. Perfect for us as we walk pretty much every day.

It’s so rewarding when a gifted quilt is so well received and that all the work involved in making it is so understood and appreciated. I’m really pleased I made those Sailing Ship blocks and I still have another flimsy made from them to turn into a finished quilt.

Linking up with Angela’s So Scrappy blog.

A new baby, so new quilts

 My best friend Barbara and her husband had another grandson born last Friday night. He is going to be called Seth. Unusual name, keen to know the background to their choice.

I had already made the quilt as they knew the baby was going to be a boy. I wanted to make a completely  different quilt quilt from the one I made for his big sister which was Bonnie Hunter’s Wonky Wishes. So I went back to a design I have used several times before. It’s from a book called Scrap Republic  by Emily Ciers. The pattern finishes at 30” square but I wanted the quilt to be larger so I added a double border which brings it up to 42” square, the size I prefer for a baby quilt. It’s useful to use as a play mat and then when baby is older and it’s safe to use as a cot quilt it can then be used that way too,

I needed to buy new fabric for this gift and found some lovely fabric online. I fell in love with the frog fabric so this became the outer border and backing too. The inner border and binding were made from a lovely green bubble fabric.

I have called it “Playing I Spy in Frog Pond”

A close up of some of the I Spy circles, all echo quilted with two rows of Perle thread stitches.

I like to make a Dolly quilt for baby’s older sister so I made this little quilt for three years old Georgie who is very dolly oriented. As I had made her Wonky Wishes when she was born ( and recently reminded of these blocks by Cathy in her recent post about using waste triangles), I made this little quilt, measuring 22” x 17.5”.

The green bubbles fabric was used in baby Seth’s quilt and I had some turquoise solid fabric similar to the background of the I Spy circles, so I thought that was a nice link. The white and dark blue tips of the stars were all waste triangles from a bag gifted to me by one of my Patchwork Group about 18 months ago. I had real fun making this quilt and I’m glad I decided to go with just two background colours. The star centres were all from my box of 2” squares.

Posted yesterday so hopefully the parcel with arrive today.