As I worked on the latest Diamond Quilt, I realized that my quilting had become that dreaded four-letter word, WORK. I've been feeling a bit worn out, and it occurred to me that I needed a break from the kind of quilts I have been making lately, so instead of making four patch diamonds and selecting fabrics for the medium sized blocks, I am taking a side trip.
Way back in 2007 I got back into quilting by making custom kitty quilts.
I used a technique I developed to make efficient use of fabric. I made 200 custom quilts for cats all over the world. You can read about them here. The cat in the photo above is Monty Q from Mary-land.
When I stopped making the kitty quilts (the cats called them "Gizzy Quilts"), I had a lot of the component blocks left over. I call them "chunks".
In 2012 I used the blocks to make a pair of donation quilts.
Those used up a lot of blocks, but I still had a lot left over.
I need a lightweight quilt to use in summer to keep me from getting chilly in those not-so-hot to use the air conditioner nights, but when I've got the fan going. So I am going to use my leftover Gizzy quilt blocks to make myself a quilt. I figure I need 224 6-1/2" blocks. (14 blocks x 16 blocks)
I think I've got at least 100 in this stack of already made 6" chunks. So that means I need about 112 more, and for those I'll sew a 2-1/2" chunk to a 4-1/2" chunk.
I've got a whole bunch paired up.
Each of these stacks is 14 blocks, so I'm well on my way.
Nothing like a bit of mindless easy sewing to relax.
8 comments:
Poppy Q still sleeps on her Gizzy quilt every day. It does have a towel on it to protect it from the fur, but it makes me smile each time I remake her bed.
I love mindless sewing. I meet a couple of times a month with a group to sew and mindless is the only way to go for those times. My go-to is string blocks. They make great donation quilts.
Mindless sewing is great for meditation and relaxation. I feel the need to stick to making small projects so I can clear my mind.
I loves my gizzy quilt, plus I have Derby's quilt too. A way our world is made smaller by things we love. Purrs to you and Millie from me and mum!
Gizzy (which auto correct thinks should be fizzy....maybe your new quilt should be named fizzy??) quilts are how I found your's and Millie's blogs :) I have fond memories reading about the fun places the Gizzy quilts were going to and the wonderful people and cats who received them. Hope your summer quilt provides just the right amount of R&R -relaxation and rejuvenation ;-)
The sewing might be easier, with no bias and not too many seams to match,but you still have given those match up chunks a lot of thought to put them together. I once asked a friend when they would stop hosting people in their lodge and he replied" When we do not like meeting people" . Everything has its own place, and a break from the harder stuff is a grand idea.
Good idea now and again to switch direction. Your Gizzy quilt look to be a good project and such a great way to use those scraps.
Louis has taken up ownership of Monty's Gizzy quilt. Delilah is not very happy about this.
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