Sumner Brickwork Quilt

This is an idea that I had one evening while sitting in the auditorium at Sumner for an orchestra concert.  I was looking at the wall above the door to the stage, and it dawned on me that the brickwork strongly resembled a quilt!  (See the picture below.)

The orchestra was raising money for a trip by raffling off baskets of donated goods, and I wondered if they would like to have a quilt, made to look like the brickwork, donated for a silent auction or a raffle.  (By the way, the orchestra teacher, Michelle Sweeten, was a member of our quilt group in the summer of 2011, and we had talked briefly at that time of finding a way to raise money for the orchestra via our quilts.)  The idea has taken on a life of its own, almost, as I've spoken to various people about it.  Since that time, I have used graph paper to sketch the quilt pattern, I've talked to Mary Conrad, librarian and historian, about the design and history of the building, I've talked to an I.B. art student who is working with quilts, and I've talked to some friends & others who are interested in being a part of this project.  I've also purchased fabric to make a prototype of the quilt I have in mind.  This may be the project for the quilt "club" for summer, 2012!  Stay tuned for more information!

An update!

I haven't done much since my last post, but I have done a few things.  One, I've finished the quilts for my grandsons, so now each of my six grandchildren has a quilt I made, and my daughter Janelle and my daughter-in-law have quilts I made.
At the beginning of 2011, I committed myself to making "Blocks of the Month" from two different patterns.  One is an Amish BOM, using black and five bright colors (red, blue, purple, green, and yellow).  The other is called "Black & White Delight," and it can be done either with black-on-white, white-on-black, and six bright colors OR with black-on-white, white-on-black, and ONE bright color.  I decided to make it for my daughter Melyssa, asked her which way she wanted it, and agreed to make it with hot pink.

This is the "Black & White Delight" quilt, ready for quilting.  Isn't it striking?

Some months I was able to get both blocks done in a timely way, but other months I got behind.  However, by Dec. 31, 2011, I had finished the blocks for all 12 months for both!  AND I got the Black & White Delight ready to take to the quilter!
I have the fabric I will use to pull the Amish BOM quilt together, but probably won't get that done before Spring Break.  I just hope I can do it then!
In the meantime, I have started a "Block-of-the-Month" group for 2012.  There are 12 people involved, and each person is providing the pieces for a pinwheel block for one month.  The pattern is the same for each month, but the pieces will be seasonal, to the degree the person providing them chooses.  I chose the pattern, made three sample blocks (see pictures), and recruited members.  Those who are participating then chose the month they wanted, and I now have collected "baggies" of fabric pieces for 10 of the 12 months!

This is the pinwheel from the Black & White Delight BOM pattern, and it is the pattern we are using.  This option uses two fabrics for the pinwheel, with a third fabric for the "background."  

This block was made from the same pattern, using four different fabrics in the pinwheel:  two for the rectangle pieces and two for the squares.  Again, a different fabric was used for the "background."

For this block, I used eight different fabrics for the pinwheel, with a dark green for the "background."

Each member will choose the fabrics for his/her month, and also choose whether to use two, four, or eight different fabrics.  They will then cut four 3 1/2 inch squares and four 3 1/2 inch X 6 1/2 inch rectangles for each of the twelve participants.  It will be up to each participant, then, to add four 3 1/2 inch squares and four 3 1/2 inch X 6 1/2 inch rectangles of background fabric to complete each block.  Some are using all white or black; others are using a combination of white on black and black on white.  I personally have decided to use fabrics that coordinate with the fabrics for the month, so that each month's block will be completely different.  Below is a picture of the square I have made for January.

Of course, when I decided on my fabrics for my month (July), I decided to use one fabric for all four squares and four other fabrics for the rectangles.  When I told my sister Linda that I had decided to veer from the three options I had originally suggested, she asked, "Why am I not surprised?"  I wonder what she meant by that?  I have added a picture of those fabric pieces, although I have NOT made the July block yet!

I'll add comments & photos through the year, as I make the blocks for each month and put the quilt together.  Maybe YOU would like to join a "Block of the Month" group next year!

Two down, ? to go?

I stayed up last night until the laptop bag was FINISHED!  I like it, but I'm glad it's done!  I doubt that I would agree to make one for someone else -- it was pretty labor-intensive.  There are pictures, and they probably don't need any captions!

This morning I got busy and sewed the binding on my Sudoku quilt.  This was quick and easy, and I'm posting a couple of pictures of that

I tried to rotate this picture, but couldn't!  Tip your head to the left, and you'll get the idea!

So this afternoon I should get my quilts for Den and Graysen back from the quilter in Arkansas, and then I'll have THREE ready to put binding on:  Becca's robot quilt, and the two for the boys.  It must be time to start another project!

Two steps forward?

I finished one donation quilt, using the quilt-as-you-go technique Connie taught us in July.  It was quite simple, and it made me happy to see how nicely it worked!  This quilt (table-topper) will be raffled off at an event in McPherson, KS -- Women & Children Combatting Cancer.  I have four more to finish now.

I have two quilts waiting for binding:  Becca's robot quilt and my Sudoku quilt.  So what do I do?  Of course -- I started another project!
After receiving my new MacBook Air from USD 500 last Wednesday, I decided I wanted to make a quilted bag for it.  I don't want to buy a pattern, and I don't think I need one, but I decided to start by making a "quilt-as-you-go" piece to work with, rather than going out and buying pre-quilted fabric!
The pictures show the progress I've made so far (by Weds., Aug. 31).

These are the fabrics I decided to use:  the turquoise background with starbursts will be predominant, with the strips of flowers on beige and navy and tone-on-tone beige interspersed.  The brown with typed letters will be the backing.

This is the quilted piece I ended up with.  I sewed two strips together (watching carefully the order, etc.), and then I sewed those together as I quilted to the batting and backing.  Notice, it ended up being strip sets of seven, repeated in a way that made the turquoise four of the seven strips.  I'm pleased with the overall appearance of the "quilt."

This shows the quilted piece and the backing.  I will also use some of the backing fabric to make pockets inside the bag for the charger & cord, flash drive(s), and writing/marking utensils.  The quilted piece will make up the bag, with enough to make an individual compartment for the laptop.

Now all I need to do is figure out the gussets (sides) of the bag.  I want it to be quilted also, so I may have to quilt a little more.  Then I have to figure out the best way to join the gussets to the bag and the strap to the gussets.  I plan to use binding on the seams inside the bag so that there will be no raw edges on my finished bag.  More later -- hopefully it will be finished by Friday!

Janelle's first quilt

This is the quilt top that Janelle made for her good friend Megan, who is having a boy this fall!  Janelle made this on Day ONE of our quilting retreat, and I think she did an awesome job, considering it was her FIRST! She made some "design decisions" that guaranteed it would be a "one-of-a-kind" quilt -- hope Megan like it!

This shot shows the backing that Janelle chose for her quilt.  If you could see it up close, you would recognize heavy construction equipment on a bright blue background.

Janelle made this fairly quickly, but I think she got a little frustrated!  Hopefully, her first effort won't be her last!

Progress!

I got a call Thursday from Cathy, saying my Robot Quilt (for Becca) is ready to be picked up!  So Friday (after a GRUELING first day of school!), I went to pick it up.  I looks great -- now all I have to do is add the binding!  I'll be working on that soon -- probably on some of the evenings I am home taking care of Destiny & Jocelyn while Melyssa is in class.
I also picked up Michael's first quilt, and it looks very nice!  Cathy was impressed with the fact that he made it, and she is also looking forward to seeing his future projects.  When Michael and I talked today, we discussed the fact that his next "lesson" will need to be about adding binding to a quilt.  We'll have to arrange an after-school time to work on that!
While I was there, I chose thread for my Mary Engelbreit/Sudoku quilt.  I'm very anxious to see that one completed, since it will be the ONE quilt from the summer that I will keep for myself!  It's also one that I figured out on my own, so it's more "original" than anything I've done before.
I did journey up to the 3rd floor on Thursday to see CJ's work.  She has completed the quilt tops for both of her daughters, and I really like the variety of styles she came up with.  (I'm sorry I didn't take pictures to post, but you can go to Michael's blog quillsandquilting.blogspot.com.)  She is working on "free-motion" quilting, and that looks AWESOME!!!  I was especially impressed with how deliberate she is about practicing and working the leaf into her stipple design.  These quilts will be special treasures for her girls!

Scrappy Friendship Quilt(s)

This is the "Barn Raising" pattern, in mostly greens & browns, with a little red added for fun.  This quilt will be about 40" X 40" when finished.

This pattern is "Streak of Lightning," the the quilt will be about 30" X 40."  The dominant color is blue, in various shades.

This is a "Diamond" pattern, and I'm not sure I have it laid out the way I meant it to be!  There are reds and pinks, and it will be 30" X 30" when finished.

This design is called "Fields and Furrows," and I used mostly purples and pinks.  This quilt will be 25" X 30," so it will probably be about the right size for a table topper.

This is the "Pinwheel" design, and it is primarily green, with a purple center.  The finished quilt will be 30" X 30."

These quilts are the result of my annual "Sisters' Quilting Retreat," which took place this year in McPherson, KS.  Each of us brought (approx.) 200 squares:  100 light and 100 dark, 6-inch squares.  These were all laid out on two tables, and then we each chose 100 light and 100 dark squares, not necessarily the ones we had brought.  A light square was paired with a dark square, and they were sewn together on the diagonal and then cut apart, pressed, and squared to 5 1/2" squares.  After doing all this, the fun began!
We had talked about making quilts to donate to charities/causes we have interest in, so each of us will do that on our own.  Instead of making one HUGE quilt, I decided to make several smaller ones.  I will keep one as a memento of the retreat, and I will give the others away as I have occasion to do so.  I've already designated Janelle's WACCC group (Women & Children Combat Cancer) to receive one, and I will also donate one to Mount Hope Sanctuary in McPherson.
I'm going to try something Connie introduced us to at  the retreat -- "quilt as you go."  I have purchased batting and adhesive, so when I have sewn the squares into rows, I will begin adding the rows, one at a time, to the batting/backing layers.  I'll have to write about that process another time!