AMQG: Year Long Quilt-a-long - Block 12

Its the last block of the Austin Modern Quilt Guild quilt-a-long! This block is choose your own adventure. Anything you want. Repeat something we've done so far. Make up your own block. Or... give one of these blocks a try!

Wavy Seams Block

Dare to curve? Check out the Wavy Seams Block, courtesy of Kathy Mack at Pink Chalk Studio. I love Kathy Mack's blog AND her online shop, Pink Chalk Fabrics! Her blog has some great categories: quilting, sewing tips, embroidery, photography 101, craftiness, and inspiration.


Wavy Seams Block by Pink Chalk Studio

Wonky Bento Box Block

Got lots of scraps? Try a Wonky Bento Box Block, courtesy of John Cary at Quilt Dad. Quilt Dad writes for the Fat Quarterly. This Wonky Bento Box block is part of a Old Red Barn Quilt-a-long he hosted back in 2009.


Wonky Bento Box Block by Quilt Dad

The Sky's the Limit!

And if you still don't know what to make, have you seen Quilting Bee Blocks? Oh my goodness... quilt block heaven!

Or you could check out the 2011 Summer Sampler Quilt Along... More gorgeous blocks.

Hope you had fun with the AMQG quilt-a-long! And don't forget to bring your finished block to the October meeting!

My third charity quilt

I'm on a charity quilt roll this summer! One, two, and now three! This a twin sized quilt (about 72x90 inches) which I made for Modern Day Quilts' Central Texas Wildfire quilt drive. The front was made from Kona Grey and small fat quarter pieces that the Quilt Haus donated to the Austin Modern Quilt Guild. On the back I used an extra long twin sheet and leftover scraps from the front.





Since this is a charity quilt and I wanted to get it finished quickly, I quilted in wide, straight, vertical, horizontal, and diagonal lines. I love how the quilting is prominent in the back.

For binding I found a green, 1960s flowered fabric at Hancock Fabrics. In the Puppy Dog charity quilt, I machine-sewed the binding to the back. This time, I started off machine sewing the binding to the back and then did a heavy zig-zag stitch to the front, suggested by Heather from Fiberosity. Can I saw it looks awesome? It totally goes with the industrial look of the grey on the front! Last, but not least, I added a rainylakechick designs label to the back!




Chauncey approves!



If you would like to make one of these quilts for the quilt drive, I wrote a tutorial! If you use the tutorial, please let me know via a comment here. I'd love to see photos of your creations.

nerd alert!

One of my Austin Modern Quilt Guild friends made this awesome quilt.



a-squared plus b-squared equals c-squared.

Yes, the Pythagorean Theorem!

My second charity quilt

After all the fun I had auctioning off my my first charity quilt, when I returned home from vacation I was excited to make another charity quilt! The Quilt Haus in New Braunfels, Texas has been very generous to the Austin Modern Quilt Guild and given us lots of fabric to be used for Project Linus quilts. In February I chose some blue puppy dog fabric from the donation pile. It took me till September to make something. This is what I came up with....



I really like the back more than the front! There wasn't enough blue fabric from the donation pile to create an entire top, so I added some red and green colors. I experimented with different shapes and just added stuff as I came up with it. When it came time to the back, I had very little blue fabric left, so I went into my stash and used a green solid along with some adorable hedgehogs!



Since this was a charity quilt and I wanted to get it done quickly, instead of hand sewing the binding to the back, I just used my machine. I tried to stitch-in-the-ditch from the front onto the back, but there are times when my binding didn't catch. I had to go back over a few spots. Its not terrible looking and it gives the quilt more of an organic look. However, I'd rather it look better next time. So I'm going to give the glue method a try! I'll let you know how it goes.



Please forgive the terrible lighting in these photos, even though Calibos won't! I took them in my backyard at high noon, with the light coming through the trees. I was hurrying to get the photos taken during my lunch break, so I could bring the quilt to the AMQG monthly meeting that night. I knew Heather from Modern Day Quilts was going to be there, where she was collecting quilts for the Central Texas Wildfire quilt drive. And yes... there is still time to donate twin-sized quilts to the quilt drive!

My first charity quilt

I made a charity quilt! Its the first quilt I've made, where the recipient might not be a family member nor a close friend.





The quilt was constructed from a layer cake of Hideaway fabric. I added some Alexander Henry lemon fabric to the back. The pattern is In a Jiffy, which I got at the Moda Bake Shop. The quilt top was super easy to put together! But I wanted the size to be slightly larger than a lap quilt, so I added two white borders. It was perfect! The Hideaway fabric was so summery and the white borders really set off the bright colors.



Each year my father's family church holds a picnic and auction to raise money for the church grounds and 100 year old building. The church is located in Karlstad, Minnesota on a dirt road in the country. If you are frequent IKEA shopper, you might be familiar with the Karlstad sofa series. Yes, as you could guess, the Karlstad in Minnesota is named after the Karlstad in Sweden.

The church no longer has a congregation, so all of the painting, roofing, structural maintenance, and mowing is paid for by donations and the annual picnic and auction. My dad and his sisters always go to the annual picnic. I was fortunate to be visiting Minnesota the weekend of the picnic and was able to attend this year!



The day started with a service in the church. Young & old sang songs.



Even Chauncey came along! But he wasn't welcome near the food, so we kept him back, next to a tree. Adeline was super sweet to visit him and say hello. Even Adeline's sister was happy to see the dog.



My grandmother's sisters also were there! They posed with the little girls for a photo opportunity.



Its time for the auction to begin! This was the best part!! My aunt Linda donated this rather creepy figurine. It was so hideous, its no wonder that it only sold for $5.



My quilt being auctioned off! It was fun to see people bidding on it... It went for $150, bought by my cousin! Her oldest daughter is pretty excited! Her younger daughter was pretty over-whelmed from the day and needed a nap break with her auntie Donnalee.



Last but not least on the auction... Pinecones! The little girls felt terrible that they didn't have anything to donate to the church auction, so they collected pinecones! And they sold for fifty bucks a bag. Not bad, ladies!



I had such a good time at the auction and with family, that I am really excited to make more charity quilts. I'll definitely have one for the 2012 Karlstad picnic. And I'm working on making a couple for Austin-area recipients too.

Fires in Austin - call for quilts

copyright Deanna Roy

After months of extreme heat and zero rain, the city of Austin and surrounding areas have fallen victim to wildfires. In three short days, more than 700 families have lost their homes. Tens of thousands of acres have been destroyed. And the fires continue on. Above is an image of the Austin skyline, with the smoke from the Bastrop fire.

If you quilt, sew, crochet, or knit, now is the time to donate a blanket! If you are looking for a donation place, Project Linus is always great. Also consider the quilt drive being spear-headed by Modern Day Quilts!

I've already got one quilt to donate. Can you help out?