A Pinwheel of Placemats

 My local quilt shop's yearly collection of placemats for Meals on Wheels is wrapping up this week. I hadn't made nearly as many as in the past, so it was time this month to make a quick batch. 

If you read my last post, you'll know that I struggled a bit with one I made last month based on the Loving Garden pattern by Bethanne Nemesh White Arbor Quilting. I needed to prove to myself that I could quickly make another without any challenges. So I did. 

I chose a gray background for this one with candy pinks and greens. (That little floral print is from the '80s or '90s.) To speed things up, I quilted with a stipple (a pale turquoise that read as mint green) and discovered that my treadle really likes stippling with a 100/16 needle. Who knew? I made a minor trimming mistake, so it's a bit off-kilter, but that's okay. I think it's fun. 

The backing was a gift from Mari The Academic Quilter more years ago than I dare to admit. The aqua green in the print is just right with the binding. Thanks, Mari. It's the gift that keeps on giving.

During a recent trip to our local library, I came across a pile of quilt magazines in the exchange bin. After flipping through them, I snagged a couple with patterns that intrigued me. I don't usually use magazine patterns, but anyway, one is going to be my next quilt. The other had a placemat. It's Stretched Nine Patch by Connie Kauffman in the November 2014 issue of Quilting World (Quilting for the Holidays). I have some fat quarters of Australian Aboriginal prints that didn't work out for a quilt a few years ago, and I thought they'd work well for placemats.

I mixed them with some scraps and used one striking one for the back. I used orange for the stipple this time.

The next placemat was a variation of a free pattern I came across online: Square Scramble by Kate Colleran for American Patchwork and Quilting. I used a different Australian fabric this time along with scraps. 

I used a blue variegated thread for stippling.

I chose to make the next placemat from the four blocks of the Confetti pattern by Rachel Hauser (LaBour). I used a floral background and pulled scraps in some of the colors. To keep the placemat the required size, I needed to trim some off at the top and bottom and add a bit of background to the sides. This placemat was surprisingly time consuming, and although I like the pattern for a quilt, I would have been better off just doing improv piecing. 

I had plenty of the floral print (wideback cut-off) for the back. I used white thread for the stippling.

Time was running out, but I really wanted to make another placemat. I found a wideback cut-off and pieced a scrap strip in complementary colors. 

There was plenty of fabric for the back. 

I stippled with off-white thread. This was the fastest placemat yet, so of course I had to make just one more with another wideback cut-off, this time stippled in white.

Together with three placemats I made since last spring's collection, I had an even ten to donate this year, fewer than usual, but that's okay. I've learned a few things that will make it easier to make them quickly for the next round. And for sure I'll make more of those whole cloth ones with the colorful strip. So satisfying. Here they all are again.

These are all about 14 by 18 inches, pieced on my Singer Featherweight and quilted on my Singer 115 Treadle.

I still enjoy making throw quilts to donate, but placemats are quickly becoming a favorite project. I've struggled with world-weariness this year, and it's sometimes hard to get going on something big--but these give me a creative outlet in a short amount of time. Here are some of my thoughts on making placemats:

1. Someone asked me if people still use placemats. Based on the fact that these are requested for a program makes me think that they are appreciated (even though my own placemats are folded dishtowels), so I think they are worthwhile to brighten someone's day.

2.They are a great way to use up bits of fabric. I had everything I needed for them at home.

3. They are a good way to try out a pattern, if I wish, instead of making a whole quilt.

4. I found that I like using leftover cuts from widebacks for background or backing and coordinating with scraps.

5. If a pattern takes long, I've enjoyed it, but I'm not very likely to repeat it--I prefer something fast.

6. I usually try to make placemats "food friendly," staying away from really light fabrics (but not always).

7. I try to vary patterns and colors to appeal to a wide range of tastes/preferences.

8. I've done various kinds of quilting but am quickly choosing stippling most because it's easy and (you know I'm going to say this) fast.

9. I cut my binding before I start quilting so I can sew it on right after I finish quilting. It keeps the momentum going. I still enjoy sewing the binding down by hand in the evening.

10. Leftover thread works great for quilting these placemats. It helps me use up thread that isn't plentiful enough for a whole quilt--although there is an element of suspense in playing thread chicken.

I brought my batch of placemats to the local store collecting them yesterday and bought the background fabric for a quilt. (I say "bought," but I actually had enough dollars in their rewards program to "pay" for it. That was a surprise to me as I hadn't bought much lately. I feel kind of bad that I walked out without them making any money on my purchase.) I'm already starting another project that is great for this season of my life--blocks for Many Hands and Many Hearts requested by Cynthia at Quilting is more fun than Housework. You can find the directions for the block drive here. I've started sorting and cutting my batiks. 

Another local fabric store is requesting donations of dog and cat comfort mats for shelter animals. The mats will be used in the shelter and then go to their new home to help with their transition when they are adopted, so that will be my next project.

And THEN I will start the quilt I found in the free magazine at the library. Woohoo. It's good to have a plan for a manageable bit of sanity-saving sewing. 

I'm linking up today with Yvonne at Quilting Jetgirl for Favorite Finish, and on Sunday with Cynthia at Quilting is more fun than Housework for Oh Scrap. 

In these hard, heart-breaking, maddening times, keep sewing for your sanity; keep sewing for humanity. Sewing is resistance and restoration. 

(Just a reminder: I'm not affiliated with any company, so when I mention products, services, or stores, I'm just documenting what I used or liked, not officially promoting anything. )

Loving Garden at Midnight Placemat

Squeaking in here with my favorite (only) finish for February. Probably one of my favorite placemats ever, but it was not without some dithering, head-scratching, messing up, and almost tears. But let's admire it first, and then I'll tell you about it.

This placemat started with a free pattern I saw on Bethanne Nemesh's White Arbor Quilting Instagram account around Valentine's Day. (She is an accomplished artist and quilter who you might know for her awesome, unique patterns for temperature quilt blocks among other amazing things.) As a distraction from recovery from hip surgery, she had made a nine-block quilt called Loving Garden with her gorgeous quilting, and then she wrote up a free pattern for just one block along with pictured suggestions for several layouts of multiple blocks to make a whole quilt. I was immediately taken with the pattern--and it was perfect as I only needed one block for my placemat. (The pattern is now available on her shop site for a nominal fee.)

First, I gathered up a bunch of possible fabrics. I wanted the colors to be light and airy, so I pulled all of my pinks, light blues/aquas, and yellow greens. 

I tried lots of combinations and narrowed my choices for the pinks and greens, but no matter how I laid them out, I just wasn't happy with the aqua. There just didn't seem to be enough of a contrast between it and the greens. (This is where the dithering part of the project came in.) Then sometime (maybe the middle of the night?) I thought, why not dark blue for the background? I would make a Loving Garden at Midnight block instead. And yes, I had the perfect tiny print, leftover from my miniature-making days in the 1980s. I laid it out and knew it was just what I wanted for contrast with the pinks and greens. And really practical, too, since it was for a placemat. (Can you imagine what that aqua would have looked like with spaghetti sauce or some other food spill on it?)

I got started sewing the heart blocks and the stem parts.

Oh, and time out to admire my sewing setup for this little project. My layout table was the ottoman in my living room.

And my pressing station was my couch. Nothing like sitting on the floor to work with fabric and press blocks. But the weather was frigid and the living room was the warmest place to work, so why not? (Ooh, looks like that ironing board needs a new cover.)

OK, back to the placemat. I dithered some more about the light greens. I was pretty limited in the range of fabrics I had without buying more. I thought I was really committed to the vine print you see second from the bottom. I tried it one way.

And then another.

And then, finally tossed it aside for a different green,

which meant I also had to change some of the stem greens around to balance the colors and values. But I finally got to an arrangement that I liked. 

After all of that, there was a bit of a problem. There were some discrepancies in the pattern that caused the head scratching I mentioned at the beginning of this post. Some of the pieces didn't quite fit. There were some size errors in the cutting instructions and graphics labels. I caught some early on, but did have to recut the last narrow sashing around the leaves. Not a big deal, but it could have been more of a problem if I had cut out fabric for multiple blocks. Anyway, after the head scratching was over, I had a block I was very pleased with. 

The next morning, I decided that I needed to contact Bethanne about the discrepancies. Before I got a chance to write her, I got an email from her with a correction for one of them. I decided to double check my measurements and the cutting instructions and drew them out on graph paper, and then I wrote her to let her know about the others. I felt kind of bad because I knew the pattern was a gift, and wasn't meant to be a formal full-fledged quilt pattern.  Bethanne was very gracious about it and said she would incorporate my corrections. I know that there are sometimes errors in quilt patterns. It just happens. 

I added three pieces of background to finish my placemat--a strip across the top, and two wide ones along the side--to get it to the size I wanted (about 14 by 18 inches after quilting). I had a piece of old fabric that worked perfectly for the backing, and since it was also dark blue, I decided to just do stipple quilting in dark blue as it wouldn't really show much. 

I used green thread to free motion quilt the leaves and stem, which turned out just OK as I haven't done a lot of free motion quilting besides stippling in quite awhile. Then, because I am an admirer of Bethanne's quilting, I thought I'd try some fancy free motion in the heart shapes. Oh, boy. Here's where the almost tears comes in. It was a disaster. So much so that I don't even have photos. There was a lot of picking out of stitches. And then, more disaster. When I  pulled a thread, it cut a couple threads of the fabric and made a tiny hole!!! Waahhh! (almost). Luckily, I have some experience with holes as I used to quilt/repair fragile antique tops for a woman who rescued them. I tucked some really thin fusible web through the hole and pressed it. Then I needed to figure out a way to quilt it to make sure it stayed secure. I abandoned the freemotion for walking foot plaid and made sure that multiple quilt lines crossed the fragile area. I'm happy to say it worked (even though burying thread ends was te.di.ous). Here is a close-up.

The problem area was near the V at the top of the heart. 

Oh, and one more thing I messed up on: When I cut the mottled navy fabric for binding, I cut it at 2 5/8" instead of my more usual, 2 1/2", thinking I'd make the binding just a bit wider. Then when I sewed it on, I used a 1/4" seam instead of the generous 3/8" I was planning, so now the back of the binding is super wide. Oh well. 

So that's the story of a more adventurous placemat than I had planned. I did tell Bethanne that I would write about my experience. I felt that I needed to do that because I wanted to share my enthusiasm for the pattern but also be upfront in my experience to ensure that if others use it, it will be reliable for making a quilt. In case you have downloaded the pattern, do check to make sure you have the corrected version. Here are things to note:

1. The large heart squares are cut at 3 1/2 inches.

2. The larger background squares on the stem section are cut at 3 inches.

3. The narrow background spacers along the largest leaves are cut at 1 by 8 1/2 inches and 1 by 9 inches.

  

I'm still enthusiastic about the design and think I may make another block--or maybe a whole quilt. Little did I know that I would make multiple mistakes moving forward in finishing the placemat. Quilting is always an adventure in one way or another. We all make mistakes and they are almost always fixable in one way or another. 

I'm linking up with Yvonne at Quilting Jetgirl for Favorite Finish February and with Cynthia at Quilting is more fun than Housework for Oh Scrap.

Keep quilting; keep being kind to yourself about your mistakes. It's all part of quilting life. 

(Just a reminder: I'm not affiliated with any company, so when I mention products, services, or stores, I'm just documenting what I used or liked, not officially promoting anything. )

Community Quilt Blocks

 If you read my last post, you'll know that I took a break from my January quilting to make some blocks.

These are for Many Hands and Many Hearts. Cynthia at Quilting is more fun than Housework does block drives throughout the year (a new block design every three months). The blocks are used to make quilts for various programs in Oregon. There are several ways to support the program. (You can read more here.)

I have enjoyed donating to block drives over the years because it is a wonderful way to work in community with other quilters--even if we don't know each other. The blocks for the current drive are cool and warm 4-patches surrounded by black with white or white with black prints. You can see the directions here.

I thought I had a lot of black and white prints to choose from, but when I laid them out, some looked too dingy, so I narrowed them down to what you see here.

Picking out the cools and warms was fun but messy!

I was tempted to keep going and make a whole quilt top, but I want to emphasize the community aspect of the quilt while keeping the cost of postage down, so I will send just these. Maybe I'll use the pattern in another donation quilt for closer to home sometime.

Here are my blocks:

I'm linking this to Cynthia's Oh Scrap post on Quilting is more fun than Housework.

Be sure to check out other scrap projects there and get inspired to do some community quilting.

January Finish

Having thrown 2025 into the dumpster and hoping for a better 2026, I made myself three sort-of goals to get out of my funk. One was to make a quilt for donation. Another was to make blocks to contribute to the quilting community, and a third was to ramp up my placemat making. January turned out to be a dumpster fire along with a deep freeze, but I did finish a quilt (yesterday) and I made eight blocks for donation to a community quilt. This was more grief sewing than joyful, but it did feel satisfying to try to do good and to make some pretty things (do you understand what I'm saying here?) to bring some measure of joy and comfort to others. 

I hope you stick with me here. I got so involved in sewing, I forgot to take many pictures.

I knew that my preoccupation with heavy thoughts would not allow me to do anything requiring a lot of complex planning, so I chose an online pattern by Purl Soho for a quilt: Tiny Tiles. Simple design and easy sewing. The directions are VERY detailed so not much thought on my part. For the past few years, I have been collecting rich, chocolate brown fabrics. Browns don't seem to be real popular among quilters. In fact, a quilt store owner told me that in an "of course" tone of voice. But I persisted and now have a nice collection. I was determined to make a modernish quilt that combined brown with another favorite color of mine: turquoise.

My first task was to find a background fabric at a nearby store. White with a bit of gray. Yup, found it. (A change of mind about the size of the quilt left me a bit short on background fabric, but I was able to fix that as our grandmas did--I made a few of the blocks with a vertical seam down the middle. Can you see one here?)

After I sorted out my browns and turquoises, I decided to add some yellow green for a bit of sparkle. There are 120 blocks in the pattern with 480 small squares for sew and flip corners. To get the ratio of colors I wanted, I followed the suggestion in the comment section of the pattern to make half of the small squares in the dominant color (brown), 2/3 of the remaining squares in the secondary color (turquoise) and the rest in the sparkle color (yellow green).

To make the placement random, the pattern called for putting the squares in a bag and pulling them out without looking to make ten blocks at a time. 

To keep the mess down and ensure a good distribution of fabrics and color, I cut enough for 1/4 of the quilt at a time. Sewing was easy. But about halfway through, I needed a break to keep from getting bored, so I took an afternoon to make some blocks for a community quilt collection. (You can read about them in my next post.) 

After I put the blocks up on the design wall, I made just a few minor flips of blocks to keep long sides of triangles of the same fabric from touching each other, but I didn't make any other changes. Random is (almost) random.

I bought the backing for the quilt at one of my favorite fabric stores, challenging myself to find a clearance fabric (my way of saving money for donation quilts). When I got home, I realized that it was actually leftover Halloween stock--see the pumpkins in the selvedge? I never would have known. 

I followed the pattern guide for the quilting. It's much looser than my usual quilting, but I like how it added a diagonal element to the quilt. I did add some quilting in the end because there were 5-inch sections with no quilting, and that was a little too loose for me. I quilted around the colored tile in each section and the corresponding triangles along the edges. Quilt swinging (slinging? wrangling?) was a bit of a workout, but it didn't take long. 

This is truer in color.

I used excess backing to make the binding. I don't usually do that, but I had enough, and I like how it turned out.

I don't usually quilt my initials and date so clearly, but I had some leftover turquoise thread and put it to good use.

All in all, this was a good project to get me going again--not joyful, but satisfying, and the perfect way to spend a difficult month. I do like quilt making in January. I'm not a winter outdoors person, but I love seeing the snowy landscape and the winter light reflecting off of it in our house even on cloudy days. And sewing/treadling keeps me warm.

So here are the stats:

Pattern: Tiny Tiles by Purl Soho

Fabrics: A variety of mostly new collected, and some scraps

Dimensions: 120 5-inch (finished) blocks, set 10 by 12.

    Size after piecing: 50 1/2 by 60 1/2 inches

    Size after quilting: 50 by 60 inches

    Size after washing: 48 by 57 1/2 inches

Washed and cozy

Binding: Cut 2 1/2 inches, folded and machine sewn with 3/8" seam. Hand stitched to back.

Batting: Hobbs 80/20

Thread: Superior Masterpiece in Granite for piecing; King Tut in Temple for quilting; Treasure in Old Lace for hand quilting. 

Machines: Singer Featherweight for piecing; Singer 115 treadle with walking foot for quilting.

This quilt will be donated to a postpartum therapy program to bring comfort and a cozy hug for someone during sessions.

So I am on my way to meeting goals for a better quilting year (Don't forget to check out my next post for more.) I will continue to seek moments of joy, but failing that, I will still keep trying to resist cruelty by bringing comfort to others. Quilting is resistance and love. We need as much of that as we can get these days.

Keep doing good, keep making pretty things, keep quilting.

I'm linking up with Yvonne for January Favorite Finish at Quilting Jetgirl.