Personal Projects

I seemed to have hit a productive streak back in July and August, finishing so many quilts during that period. Today, I am excited to share the last one from that batch. This quilt was part of a Block of the Month project at one of my guilds, and at first, I was unsure about joining. Even though there was no pressure and many members chose not to participate, I felt an internal push to join. So, without being fully convinced, I decided to go for it.

Don’t get me wrong – there was nothing wrong with the project, the design, or the blocks. The issue was more about me knowing that I never have enough time to sew everything I want to. Adding more to my to-do list, especially projects I am not 100% excited about, is not always the best idea.

There were nine blocks in total, but I ended up dropping out after block six. From the start, I knew this quilt was not one I planned to keep – I already have plenty scattered throughout my home. To make it, I used fabrics from my (admittedly quite small) stash, aiming for my usual bright and bold colours, and I am really pleased with how it turned out. I joined the six blocks with white sashing, which created the effect of “floating blocks.” To complete it, I added a border of squares made from leftover scraps of the main fabrics and used the rest for a multi-coloured binding.

The finished quilt ended up being a bit larger than the Charm Pack Quilt but still small enough to work as a children’s quilt, so I donated it to the Meadow Rose Society as well. It felt great to complete all these quilts, clear them out of the house, and donate them to those who could benefit from them more.

The next quilt in line was one made from a Charm Pack. I usually do not buy precuts, as I never know what to do with them. But I could not resist this one when I saw it at a quilt show – it was just so pretty. The fabric line is “Bee Vintage” by Lori Holt for Riley Blake Fabrics. With its charming mix of vintage florals and cheerful hues, it was perfect for a special project.

Now, what to do with it? I searched online for charm pack quilt ideas and found one that I really liked on Sew Me, a blog written by Sarah in Northern Ireland. You can find the pattern here.

It was very easy to put together, and I completed the top in just an afternoon. I quilted it fairly soon afterwards and once again used the curving stitch to create a binding that was done entirely by machine.

This little quilt finishes at approximately 38″ x 42″, so I decided to donate it to a different charity, the Meadow Rose Society. This organization provides basic needs to children under four for families experiencing financial crisis, and I thought this small quilt would help keep a child warm and cozy.

After completing the Jelly Roll Quilts, another donation quilt was waiting to be finished. This was my ‘leaders and enders’ project, inspired by my friend Renate’s idea of alternating light and dark fabrics to create this pattern. Sewing time was limited over the past year, so finishing this top took a little longer than expected. But once it was finally done, I quilted it right away, and it has since been donated to the Ann Davis Transition Society. And, of course, I have already started on the next one!

Whenever I post one of these quilts, people ask about the pattern. There actually is no official pattern – the large squares are simply 4 inches, seam allowances included. From this starting size, you cut them in half to create rectangles and into quarters for smaller squares. I have written a bit more on how to put it together in this post.

You might remember that I won the “Left, Right, Centre” game at last year’s guild Christmas party and ended up with a hotchpotch of 120 jelly roll strips in every colour and pattern imaginable. It only took me a day or two to decide what to do with them – since they were all so mismatched, a Jelly Roll Race quilt felt like the perfect solution. I had never made one before, but I knew of the pattern, and plenty of instructions are available online.

I actually finished two of the tops right away – they were done before New Year’s! The third one, however, had to wait until summer, but as soon as I wrapped that up, I quilted all three of them. I also finally found a method for binding quilts entirely by machine that works well for donation quilts. For my own quilts, though, I’m still a bit picky and will probably always take the time to stitch the binding down by hand – I’m just not fond of the flat look that machine binding tends to create. My trick is to use a decorative stitch instead of a straight one. There’s a lovely curved stitch on my machine that meanders over the binding edge, making any irregularities on the back less obvious.

All three quilts have been donated to a local charity, the Ann Davis Transition Society. One of our guilds regularly provides them with quilts, and I know from past deliveries that they try to give as many quilts as possible to the children who come seeking shelter with their mothers. Supporting this effort means a lot to me.