Charity Quilting

A couple more scrappy charity quilts. This one was pieced by Julie. 

This one was pieced by Janet for Annapolis Quilts for Kids.  

If you want to contribute but don't have the time or skills, you can support the national Quilts for Kids by shopping through Amazon Smile. I don't earn anything from this link. This link lets your purchases support Quilts for Kids through Amazon. I don't add affiliate links to my charity quit posts on purpose. I donate my time, my machine, my thread, and my skill to the cause. 

My personal goal is to quilt at least one quilt per week throughout the year. To that end, check out the EpochConverter for 2022 to see how I'm stacking up.

2022 Charity Quilt Count: 66

Machine Knitting

I've been trying to make a shawl with the LK150 knitting machine. I'm not having much success. 

That isn't entirely true. I'm having some success. I managed to make the first half of the shawl before I dropped a bunch of stitches. 

Then, I managed to make the first half of the shawl again. Again I dropped a bunch of stitches. This is completely operator error. Knitting machines take a level of attention I am still learning. 

Then, I managed to complete the shawl, wrong. This was entirely my fault for misunderstanding the directions. Both sides should be the same size and that didn't happen. I'll have to try this again. I've learned so much! I'm going to try again. And again. I will get it. 

Tools and supplies (affiliate links):

Fiskars 7 Inch Softgrip Student Scissors (snipping yarn)
5 Pieces 5 Different Size Bent Latch Hook Crochet Needle Hook
addi Express Hook

Silver Reed LK150

Knitting Claw Weights

Charity Quilting

A fun little quilt made by another member of Annapolis Quilts for Kids. 

Wonky, scrappy nine-patch. This is such a fun little quilt. Pieced by another member of Annapolis Quilts for Kids. 

If you want to contribute but don't have the time or skills, you can support the national Quilts for Kids by shopping through Amazon Smile. I don't earn anything from this link. This link lets your purchases support Quilts for Kids through Amazon. I don't add affiliate links to my charity quit posts on purpose. I donate my time, my machine, my thread, and my skill to the cause. 

My personal goal is to quilt at least one quilt per week throughout the year. To that end, check out the EpochConverter for 2022 to see how I'm stacking up.

2022 Charity Quilt Count: 64

Charity Quilting

Another beautifully scrappy top pieced by Mary for Annapolis Quilts for Kids. 

Mary also pieced this fun soccer-themed top. I love that striped border!

I quilted it with the fun soccer edge-to-edge design. It's great when I have the perfect design to work with a quilt. That grass green thread is pretty great, too. 

If you want to contribute but don't have the time or skills, you can support the national Quilts for Kids by shopping through Amazon Smile. I don't earn anything from this link. This link lets your purchases support Quilts for Kids through Amazon. I don't add affiliate links to my charity quit posts on purpose. I donate my time, my machine, my thread, and my skill to the cause. 

My personal goal is to quilt at least one quilt per week throughout the year. To that end, check out the EpochConverter for 2022 to see how I'm stacking up.

2022 Charity Quilt Count: 62

Charity Quilting

This fun little quilt was pieced by Julie for Annapolis Quilts for Kids. 

This is one I pieced using the Creative Grids Scrap Crazy 6 Templates Quilt Ruler 4pc Set. You can learn about that in this blog post from July 2022. 

If you want to contribute but don't have the time or skills, you can support the national Quilts for Kids by shopping through Amazon Smile. I don't earn anything from this link. This link lets your purchases support Quilts for Kids through Amazon. I don't add affiliate links to my charity quit posts on purpose. I donate my time, my machine, my thread, and my skill to the cause. 

My personal goal is to quilt at least one quilt per week throughout the year. To that end, check out the EpochConverter for 2022 to see how I'm stacking up.

2022 Charity Quilt Count: 60

Christmas Quilt

A friend asked me to quilt up this fun little half-square triangle quilt. 

The quilt is just a few inches wider than a piece of quilting cotton so we pieced the backing with a coordinating green. I used a edge-to-edge quilting design with swirls, bells, and holly leaves. I like how it works with the background white fabric. Quilted with white So Fine and Omni threads from Superior Threads. 

Trimmed and ready for binding. Half-square-triangle blocks are a snap if you have cutting tools that work for you. My favorite are the Easy Angle Rulers (links below). 

Tools and supplies (affiliate links):
Creative Grids 6.5" x 24.5" Rectangle
Creative Grids 6.5" Square Ruler
Creative Grids 4.5" x 12.5" Rectangle Quilting Ruler
Fiskars Rotary Cutter
Fiskars Rotary Cutter replacement blades
Fiskars Self Healing Rotary Cutting Mat
BLACK+DECKER Classic Steam Iron
Grabbit Magnetic Pin Cushion
Fiskars 8-inch scissors
Juki TL-2010Q
Fiskars 14x14 Inch Self Healing Rotating Cutting Mat

6.5" Easy Angle Ruler

4.5" Easy Angle Ruler
Companion Angle Ruler

Machine Knitting

Sometimes things don't go as planned. I was nearing the cast off of this machine knit hat and managed to drop all the stitches. That just means I got to knit it again. It wasn't the right size anyway. 

I cast on again and managed to finish the hat. I'm still trying to figure out the perfect tension and stitch counts to reliably make a beanie appropriate for my noggin. I'm hoping to figure it out so I can make some more charity hats. I should use my Knitter's Handy Book of Patterns to get it sorted out. 

Tools and supplies (affiliate links):

Fiskars 7 Inch Softgrip Student Scissors (snipping yarn)
5 Pieces 5 Different Size Bent Latch Hook Crochet Needle Hook
addi Express Hook

Silver Reed LK150

Knitting Claw Weights

The Knitter's Handy Book of Patterns

Charity Quilting

This is one of the tops I pieced using the Scrap Crazy Templates by Creative Grids. 

I quilted it with blue thread and this great koi fish pantograph. So much fun to pull an element from the fabrics into the quilting. 

This is the other Scrap Crazy Template quilt I pieced. This one is quilted with a star pantograph. 

If you want to contribute but don't have the time or skills, you can support the national Quilts for Kids by shopping through Amazon Smile. I don't earn anything from this link. This link lets your purchases support Quilts for Kids through Amazon. I don't add affiliate links to my charity quit posts on purpose. I donate my time, my machine, my thread, and my skill to the cause. 

My personal goal is to quilt at least one quilt per week throughout the year. To that end, check out the EpochConverter for 2022 to see how I'm stacking up.

2022 Charity Quilt Count: 58

Scrap Crazy Templates

I also have the Creative Grids Scrap Crazy Templates to make an 8" block. I pulled out the leftover blues from charity quilt backings. 

I made some selections. 

I modified those selections before I finished cutting. 

I made sixteen 8" blocks and sewed them into four 16" blocks. 

This is the result. 

I added a 3.5" border to bring the size up to 38" by 38", perfect for a charity quilt. This was actually the second quilt I made with these templates. 

I also made this one, which has a different feel because of the fabrics used. I'm sure I will use these templates again. So easy to make great quilts by carefully choosing fabric placement. Or, cut the pieces from a bunch of scraps and really go scrappy. 

Tools and supplies (affiliate links):
Creative Grids 6.5" x 24.5" Rectangle
Creative Grids 6.5" Square Ruler
Creative Grids 4.5" x 12.5" Rectangle Quilting Ruler
Fiskars Rotary Cutter
Fiskars Rotary Cutter replacement blades
Fiskars Self Healing Rotary Cutting Mat
BLACK+DECKER Classic Steam Iron
Grabbit Magnetic Pin Cushion
Fiskars 8-inch scissors
Juki TL-2010Q
Fiskars 14x14 Inch Self Healing Rotating Cutting Mat

Creative Grids Scrap Crazy 6 Templates Quilt Ruler 4pc Set

Creative Grids Scrap Crazy Templates Quilt Ruler for 8" blocks

Machine Knitting

I came across a video on YouTube that explained how to make a simple beanie on the LK150. Since I'm in the learning stages with the flat bed knitting machine I thought it would be a great way to learn some new tricks, or apply what I know to a practical project. 

I used almost all of the weights for this one. The crown decreases are made manually so it is a little slow going. Still faster than my hand knitting. 

When it came off the machine I knew it was going to be too large for my little melon. 

I finished it by hand and I am so happy with the result. 

Here is an inside view of that seam. I was pleasantly surprised by how neatly this finished even on the inside. It is nearly invisible on the outside.

Overall this was a great project and I'm sure there will be more beanies in my future. 

Tools and supplies (affiliate links):

Fiskars 7 Inch Softgrip Student Scissors (snipping yarn)
5 Pieces 5 Different Size Bent Latch Hook Crochet Needle Hook
addi Express Hook

Silver Reed LK150

Knitting Claw Weights

The Knitter's Handy Book of Patterns

Scrap Crazy Templates

I've had this set of Creative Grids templates for years and years. I think I experimented with a single block but hadn't used them to make a quilt. This is the Scrap Crazy 6" set that lets you make a 6" finished block using some fun shapes. I grabbed this stack of fabrics and got cutting. 

I narrowed my selections to four prints. These fabrics were left over from quilt backings from charity quilts. I carefully selected my colors so the B piece would be the darkest. 

The blocks make up quickly. 

I placed them to get this fun pinwheel. 

I added a dark 1" border and a light 3" border to finish up the top. 

I really liked how simple it was to cut my scraps into strips and cut the individual shapes. The top was cut and pieced quickly. This is just one of many potential layouts. I'm excited to use these templates again and charity quilts is a great way to play with the different layouts. 

Tools and supplies (affiliate links):
Creative Grids 6.5" x 24.5" Rectangle
Creative Grids 6.5" Square Ruler
Creative Grids 4.5" x 12.5" Rectangle Quilting Ruler
Fiskars Rotary Cutter
Fiskars Rotary Cutter replacement blades
Fiskars Self Healing Rotary Cutting Mat
BLACK+DECKER Classic Steam Iron
Grabbit Magnetic Pin Cushion
Fiskars 8-inch scissors
Juki TL-2010Q
Fiskars 14x14 Inch Self Healing Rotating Cutting Mat

Creative Grids Scrap Crazy 6 Templates Quilt Ruler 4pc Set

Charity Quilting

This little sailboat makes this string quilt a delight. 

Pieced by Mary for Annapolis Quilts for Kids. 

Pieced by Julie. 

If you want to contribute but don't have the time or skills, you can support the national Quilts for Kids by shopping through Amazon Smile. I don't earn anything from this link. This link lets your purchases support Quilts for Kids through Amazon. I don't add affiliate links to my charity quit posts on purpose. I donate my time, my machine, my thread, and my skill to the cause. 

My personal goal is to quilt at least one quilt per week throughout the year. To that end, check out the EpochConverter for 2022 to see how I'm stacking up.

2022 Charity Quilt Count: 56

Charity Quilting

This one was pieced by Julie for Annapolis Quilts for Kids. 

A great panel quilt pieced by another member of Annapolis Quilts for Kids. 

If you want to contribute but don't have the time or skills, you can support the national Quilts for Kids by shopping through Amazon Smile. I don't earn anything from this link. This link lets your purchases support Quilts for Kids through Amazon. I don't add affiliate links to my charity quit posts on purpose. I donate my time, my machine, my thread, and my skill to the cause. 

My personal goal is to quilt at least one quilt per week throughout the year. To that end, check out the EpochConverter for 2022 to see how I'm stacking up.

2022 Charity Quilt Count: 54