I've been focused on other quilting projects this month, but I still found some time to work on Rainbow Scrap Challenge blocks.
The RSC color for August was teal/aqua. I found lots of scraps and chunks to use, but I also cut into some yardage and made new scraps.
Taking inspiration from Gayle at Mangofeet and Cathy at Sane, Crazy, Crumby Quilting, I started making some Antique Tile blocks. These are great scrap busters! You can find instructions and more inspiration at Generations Quilt Patterns.
I'm still making Sugar Loaf blocks using the instructions from American Patchwork and Quilting October 2015.
I used some previously uncut Bonnie and Camille yardage for this block. It felt good to cut into some fabric that had been marinating for a long time!
Talk about fortuitous use of scraps - the outer print in this block is leftovers from a pillowcase I had just made to hold a gifted quilt. It's a neat print of tropical birds and foliage, but with a watercolor painting-like feel.
Looking through my stack of Easy Breezy blocks, I noticed there were almost no aqua/teal blocks. That was quickly remedied.
New Orleans doesn't really have a city-wide quilting guild. Instead, we have the region-wide Gulf States Quilting Association, which covers Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, and Florida (mostly just the panhandle area). The group sponsors quilt shows, quilting education, and meets quarterly in different locations throughout the Gulf Coast.
Under the Association's umbrella, different localities have their own quilting organizations. Some are large, traditional quilt guilds, others are smaller, informal gatherings. New Orleans and the surrounding area has multiple small gatherings/groups. I was recently invited to join one of these groups; they keep the membership around 20 members due to meeting place size constraints. I attended my first meeting at the end of July. I look forward to getting to know the group better!
They do lotto blocks every month. Each month, a different member chooses the lotto block and provides instructions and background fabric.
The July block was this spool pattern. I made mine retro-actively.
For August, the lotto blocks had a New Orleans twist.
The leader provided all the pre-cut fabrics instead of just the background fabric. My fabrics included illustrations of New Orleans shotgun houses and a plate of Cafe du Monde beignets. The winner of the lotto blocks will receive everyone's house blocks, plus a copy of the Jenny Lane pattern, so they can assemble the entire quilt.
We are in hurricane prep mode. The National Hurricane Center says Ida has the potential to be a Category 3 storm at landfall. Whatever happens, we're probably in for some rough weather over the next couple of days. As our governor says, we plan for the worst and hope for the best!
