Rainbow Scrappin' into 2019

It's been a great, scrappy Saturday!  I stitched together some blocks, made some plans for the coming year, and did some machine quilting on mini quilts that have languished too long.

Another year of the Rainbow Scrap Challenge is underway.  Angela, of SoScrappy, provides the rainbow inspiration and a venue to share our projects with others.  It's a great way to use up scraps, and get to know other scrappy-minded quilters.

My RSC goals for this year involve finishing some projects that were inspired in earlier RSC years.  High on my list of things to complete are the remaining blocks for my Burgoyne Surrounded quilt.  After today, I only need ten more blocks!

Today's Burgoyne Surrounded block, brought to you by the color red - the RSC color for January.

Today's red block and last month's red, Christmas-y block will round out my red BS blocks for now.

Burgoynes playing together.  There will also be nine-patch cornerstone blocks and sashing.  Eventually.

(Burgoyne pattern here)

These Sugar Bowl blocks from 2015 were my planning project today.  I've struggled with how I want to use the blocks in a quilt, but I think I've found my solution.  My plan requires 16 more Sugar Bowl blocks and some type of pieced or appliquéd center.  More to follow.

Lastly, as I've been digging around and organizing piles of stuff in my sewing room, I've come across all number of small, unfinished quilt tops.  These babies are from 2013, and were inspired by an RSC color of the month.  The scraps are from my yummy Chocolate Quilt.  These tops were already layered with backing and batting, so all I had to do was quilt them.  I finished the pink one earlier in the week and quilted the red one today.  Now I just have to stitch the binding down and I'll have two more UFOs I can scratch off the list!

For more scrappy inspiration, check out the link-up at Angela's blog.  Enjoy your stitching - especially this coming week - I think we're all going to need some fabric therapy!

More Rainbow Scrap Wrap-Up

I think the happiest thing I can say about my sewing activity this week is that I've made a big dent in cleaning off my cutting table!  As the year comes to a close, it's always nice to clean up, clear out and get organized for a new year of sewing/quilting fun.  

There are a lot of project ideas running through my head, both newFOs and UFOs, but I have not committed to a plan of attack yet.  At best, I really want to make a trial block to test out my 2014 Rainbow Scrap project.  I'd like to accomplish that in the next week, but I don't know if I'll be able to carve out the time.  I should be out braving the crowds to finish Christmas shopping right now, but the siren call of fabric is keeping me home!

I did finish a chocolate churn dash small quilt top, probably best used as a table runner.  I had hopes of machine quilting this in time to give as a Christmas gift, but that's not going to happen.  It's not as wonky as it looks - I just have a problem holding the camera straight!

Another chocolate table runner, also not finished in time for gift-giving.  Plus, I need to order more of the chocolate bar fabric for the binding (see top right corner).

All three of these table runners were inspired by bonus triangles left-over from another quilt.  I learned a valuable lesson from this exercise - leave the bonus triangles loose (don't sew them into HST blocks) until you've decided how you'll use them.  Most of these bonus triangles were already sewn into blocks before I started the table runners, and I had to rip many of them apart to piece together the fabrics I wanted to use.  

I STILL have enough bonus triangles left to make another Birds in the Air table runner!

While I was piecing all those chocolate blocks together, I used the 9 patch and snowball blocks of this quilt as leader-enders.  Once the blocks were stitched into rows, it was a quick job to assemble the final top.  This is my 4th quilt top from the 2012 Rainbow Scrap Challenge.  I'm going to add a white border to give the blocks a "floating" effect.  I was hoping the light blue fabric being auditioned in the picture would be a good way to finish the quilt, but it's not quite what I had in mind.  I may go with my new favorite border treatment:  Freeform Scrappy Border, followed by another white border.  I also thought about a border of smaller 9 patches set on point, but honestly, I'd like to finish this quilt sooner rather than later!

I was also inspired to make one more Happy Scrappy House block with a Christmas theme, but after choosing my fabrics, I decided they all needed pre-washing to avoid the dreaded running red dye.  I guess stitching that block can be my reward later today for finishing my Christmas shopping!

Today is link-up day for the Rainbow Scrap Challenge, so please visit Angela's blog to see more challenge wrap ups!

Just a Box of Scrappy Chocolates!

I have been rather obsessed with the scrappy chocolate HSTs I pulled out last week for this month's Rainbow Scrap Challenge color.  I played with several different block arrangements this week, putting together some small, decorative quilts to give as gifts.  Even though I found myself dreaming about HST quilts all week, the chocolate therapy was great!

This chocolate mash-up was inspired by a candle mat I spied on Pinterest.  My blocks were smaller, so I added a Box of Chocolates border.  I probably could've used a little more contrast in my light blocks, but everything came from scraps, so I'm happy.  I can just picture this with a chocolate-scented candle in the center!

Next I took some inspiration from Audrey's churn dash blocks.  These used up some HSTs and other chocolate scraps.  Again, the blocks are a little small - 6 inches finished - so I'm auditioning some borders.  I may have enough scraps to make two additional blocks, so this one is marinating for a bit.

Birds in the Air is one of my favorite quilt blocks, so I decided to make some chocolate birds.  There might be enough of the pink chocolate fabric left to make two more BITA blocks, so this project could be more table runner size. 

This is an interesting arrangement of just the four BITA blocks.  I could add a narrow white border and a darker outer border.  I've checked through all the chocolate and brown scraps (and pink scraps) for an appropriate border, but I don't have anything that works.  That might mean a trip to the quilt store!

And I still have a good number of chocolate HSTs to play with.  Any and all suggestions cheerfully considered!

I felt a little like Hansel & Gretel as I made this chocolate happy, scrappy house!  Or would that make me the witch?

Doesn't this week's New Orleans house look cozy?  I love the chocolate brown color with all the delicate gingerbread trim!

If you need more chocolate therapy, check out the other Rainbow Scrappers who are linking up at Angela's blog!