Some Rainbow Scrap Challenge Finishes

I've put the finishing touches on several Rainbow Scrap Challenge quilts recently, but did not take the time to photograph all the results.  Since we spent the long Independence Day holiday at our camp last weekend, I packed up my finished quilts so I could hang them from the balcony for photos.

I started making the 9-patch variation blocks in 2015 and put the finishing stitches in the quilt late last year.  

Diane Knott of Butterfly Threads Quilting did the long-arm quilting for me - lots of swirls to counteract all the squares and angles on the front of the quilt!  

The handprint backing fabric has been hanging around in my stash for 20 years, at least.  This seemed like a great project to use it up!  I also shopped in my stash for the binding fabric - a purple cross-hatch fabric that worked perfectly.

Another long-running Rainbow Scrap Challenge project is this sampler quilt.  Our RSC leader, Angela Feldbush, shared block instructions every week throughout 2014, resulting in lots of scrappy sampler quilts.

My finished sampler top languished in the "Needs Quilting" pile for a couple years, until I had the great idea to ask Diane Knott to long-arm quilt it for me.

I spent some binge-watching TV time hand-stitching the binding last week so I could add this quilt to the Finished pile.

I was being optimistic when I put the finished date on my label!

Windblown Wishes was a more recent Rainbow Scrap Challenge project.  My inspiration was the Windblown Wishes quilt in Diane Knott's Scrap Quilt Secrets book.  I used a different border treatment than Diane's pattern, but I think it worked out well for the RSC format.

Of course I had to ask Diane to quilt this project!  Even the quilting reflects the "windblown" idea!

I used some leftover binding fabric to make a frame for the quilt label.  

So the UFO pile has shrunk a little, but there are still plenty of projects waiting for their finishing touches.  If I can tear myself way from non-stop weather coverage on television, I might actually do some sewing today.  And since our power is still on, I'm going to go look at more Rainbow Scrap Challenge inspiration at Angela's Soscrappy blog.

(FYI, we're still waiting for Tropical Storm Barry to make his presence felt in the New Orleans area.  Forget about the sensational coverage on the Weather Channel.  We've had minimal rain, minimal wind, and little storm surge.  Conditions are a little worse closer to the coast, but still not life-threatening.)

Focus on the Finish!

Folks who read my blog blather on a regular basis know I have been trying to stay focused on finishing projects that have been in the WIP and UFO stage for too long.  I got started on this Finish Focus when the commotion made by all the stalled projects overwhelmed me every time I entered my sewing room.  

I've made good progress over the last few months, but when I sat down this week to make a list of projects to focus on for 2019, I found the list was still heavy with UFOs.  At the same time, the list of projects I want to attempt doesn't get any shorter, either.  All I can say is, "So many quilts, so little time!"

One recent project was to finish binding this large (88" x 88") quilt.  I'm happy to report the binding is finished, as is the label.  I haven't had an opportunity to do some really good photos of this quilt; maybe before year's end that will happen.

Autumn decorating season reminded me this candle mat was still unfinished, so I got busy and completed the embroidered details.  Once that was done, I stitched on the backing and pronounced it Finished!  This was a wool project started at a workshop at my LQS, Quilted Owl.  Pattern by Primitive Gatherings.

Another UFO was this knit shawl I started at least 4 years ago - probably longer, but the exact date is lost in the mists of time.  About three-quarters of the way through, I realized I needed more yarn to finish the project.  Although it was easy to obtain more yarn and the colorway matched fine, the texture of the second skein was a little different and the second side of the shawl came out a bit looser than the original.  Or maybe that's because my knitting became looser over all the years it took to complete the shawl?!

Pattern:  Nae Shawl by Anat Rodan.  Yarn:  Fino by Manos del Uruguay.  I finished the final stitches on this last night and popped it over my shoulders as Dear Son and I were binge-watching "The Last Kingdom" on Netflix.  It was the perfect amount of warmth for one of our cool, but not cold, fall evenings!

Another Finish Focus is to complete the binding for several quilts.  This Nine-Patch variation quilt started out as a Rainbow Scrap Challenge project in 2016.  The backing fabric has been in my stash for years and I thought it would make a fun back for this particular quilt.  Having a printed backing seemed to dictate using a solid for the binding, although I like to use bright prints for the bindings on these RSC quilts.  Fortunately, I found the perfect light purple cross-weave fabric in my stash - I love it when that happens!

Diane Knott of Butterfly Threads Quilting did the long-arm quilting for me.  This picture doesn't do it justice, but it's the perfect amount of swirly softness to complement all those squares.  Diane did a fabulous job and I can't wait to take some glamour shots to show off her work!

Still more Finishing:  Fun with Barb's Nine Patch swap blocks (2014).  I had seen this setting years ago in a quilt magazine (remember when we got our inspiration from quilt magazines?), clipped the picture and added it to my quilting bucket list.  Barb's Nine Patch swap was the perfect opportunity to use this setting.  Some sources call it Tonganoxie Nine Patch, but if you Google that, you'll get all kinds of variations.  Yes, the background fabric is supposed to look kinda washed-out and splotchy - it's from a Betsy Chutchian line called Rachel Remembered.  

I'm still debating whether the quilt needs a border/borders.  While I was rummaging shopping in my stash for potential border fabrics, I came across this chunk of Mark Twain-themed fabric that will be perfect for the backing.

One of my focus quilts for 2019 will be Burgoyne Surrounded - another Rainbow Scrap Challenge project that has gotten stalled.  I need 25 BS blocks for the quilt (current count: 15) and 30 nine-patch (3 inch) blocks for the setting.  I pulled scraps from my 1.5 inch strip bin and cut lots of nine-patch parts to use as leader-enders over the next couple of weeks.  Here are a few that got finished as I stitched up the Tonganoxie/Fun with Barb Nine-Patches.

My big focus for the rest of this year is going to be working on the blocks for the Gathered Harvest appliqué quilt.  This was a BOM from the Quilted Owl.  My goal was to perfect my machine appliqué skills on this project.  All the pieces are ready to be stitched for this block, so I just need some un-interrupted machine stitching time.

Sorry for the long re-cap!  It looks like I've accomplished a lot over the past few weeks, but honestly, most of these projects just needed a few hours of attention to get them Finished.  It makes me happy to see the progress, and the noise from UFOs has abated somewhat.  I think it's almost time to reward myself with a new project!

Scrappy Quilt Construction Goes Pink

Pink is the color for this month's Rainbow Scrap Challenge.  I've scoured the bins of pink strips and squares and pulled some pink scrappy chunks from various drawers.  Blocks were made and parts and pieces assembled.  I'm getting anxious to finish up a couple of scrappy projects from last year, so I jumped ahead and made some extra parts and pieces as well.

First project:  use up some 1.5 inch strips to make 49-patch blocks.  I already had one pink block from last year, and I was able to add 2 more.  I'm waiting for the end of the year before I decide what to do with these blocks.

I started making these quarter square log cabin blocks this year using reproduction fabrics.  My original plan for these blocks was to make a straight set quilt, but maybe I'll reconsider and set them on point.

One of last year's RSC projects was based on Windblown Wishes, a quilt from Diane D. Knott's book, Scrap Quilt Secrets.  I decided to do an outer border of HSTs, and planned to make the HST parts each month as part of this year's Rainbow Scrap Challenge.

Since I had the box of 2.5 inch scrappy strips out anyway (for the pink HSTs), I went ahead and finished up all the remaining colors needed to finish the border.  I'm not sure when I'll get to start assembling this, but at least the HSTs are ready to go.

This is another Rainbow Scrap 2017 project that still needs attention.  The scrappy pinwheel blocks need sashing and cornerstones; the cornerstones are more pinwheel blocks.

And now the cornerstone pinwheels are complete, so as soon as I cut the sashing, I can start assembling this RSC project!

If you love scrappy quilts, be sure to check out today's Rainbow Scrap Challenge link-up - lots of colorful inspiration!

Summer Star Scrappy SAL: Obsession

Our cable and internet service was out for a good chunk of the day today.  That's probably a good thing, as I had been obsessively watching coverage of Hurricane Harvey and feeling depressed and hopeless.   Based on past experience, my best way to fight depression and hopelessness is to sew.

I've been working on completing Diane Knott's Summer Star Scrappy Sew-Along.  I finished most of the body of the quilt last week.

All that remains to be done is sew the four long rows together to complete the star.

Diane offered different options for the quilt borders.  I decided I wanted my quilt to look like her sample: double strips of pieced squares separated by a white strip.  

Diane came up with a great way to piece the borders, making strip piecing feasible.

So, I obsessively pieced border components yesterday and today.  

Here are the blocks for the border corners.  

And a stack of pieced strips that will eventually become the borders.  The strips are sewn together into blocks containing five strips, which are then assembled to become the borders.  I'm hopeful I will be able to assemble a block here and there during the week - keep the fabric therapy going!  (BTW, there are 180 of these strips.  I definitely made a dent in my blue scraps, chunks and yardage!)

If you have been watching news from Texas and are wondering how to help, I have a few suggestions.  Last year, when the Baton Rouge area of Louisiana had catastrophic flooding, local agencies seemed to provide the fastest and most useful services.  I'm not knocking the Red Cross, but I really prefer to give my money to hyper-local groups.  This link from Texas Monthly magazine has some good ideas.  

Whenever bad things were happening, a friend of mine used to say she was going to mix up a big batch of Voodoo Vinaigrette to make things right again.  I'm definitely going to be mixing up a batch of it myself, and including lots of prayers and Hurricane-Go-Away-Vibes as well.  I hope you'll join me!

Summer Star Scrappy SAL: Assembly Progess

There was no evening stitching after work this week, so I was happy to have some blocks of sewing time this weekend.  I focused on getting more blocks assembled for Diane Knott's Summer Star Scrappy Sew Along.

By this afternoon, I finally finished piecing all the half & half blocks.

Once the half & half blocks were complete, I was ready to start assembling the individual blocks into larger sections.

The neutral 9-patch blocks get assembled into larger sections - 3 blocks by 3 blocks.

Blue 9-patches and blue and white half & half blocks were assembled for another component.

Finally, I assembled these blocks - wrong!!  The colors are flipped - the blue triangle blocks should be white and the remainder of the block should be blue!  That's what happens when Dear Husband and Dear Dogs are clamoring for your attention at the end of the afternoon!

I'm enjoying the Sew Along, even if I don't have as much stitching time as I'd like.  Diane's design is pretty ingenious, and her directions are great!  I'm looking forward to seeing more SAL projects in the weekly link-up.

No Escape from the Blues

The Rainbow Scrap Challenge focus on blue is about to come to an end.  My stash of blue strips, squares and chunks has thinned and my RSC projects have edged closer to completion.  On the other hand, working with blue fabric this month inspired me to pull out a blue and white UFO and start another blue and white scrap quilt.  I think I'll be working with blue for more than just the month of July!

One RSC project I've been working on this year is 4 patches.  These were just a simple way to use up bits and pieces of strips and squares left over from other projects.  I don't have a plan for these right now; I think I'll just hold on to them until inspiration strikes.

Another RSC project has been Windblown Wishes blocks from Diane Knott's book Scrap Quilt Secrets.  When I finish all the rainbow colors, I'll have 16 ten-inch blocks.  I think I will stop there and turn them into a wall hanging.  Unless different inspiration strikes!

Now that all the RSC projects have their blue additions, I'll be back to working on my blue & white Sawtooth Star and Uneven 9-Patch quilt (aka Big Blue Monster).  I've decided the BBM needs a border of Flying Geese blocks, and I still need to make about 40 of them.  And when that's finished, I'll be working on Diane's Summer Star Scrappy Sew Along - in my case, another blue and white scrap quilt!

Summer Star Scrappy Sew Along: The Fun Begins

Several weeks ago, Diane Knott of Butterfly Threads Quilting queried her readers about their interest in a scrappy summer sew along.  At the time, I was trying to come up with a way to further decrease my blue scrap bin and I thought Diane's idea sounded interesting.  I decided to participate and started prepping a stack of blue scrappy strips.

Diane shared the first SAL step last week:  creating nine patch blocks with a variety of scraps.  The SAL directions call for using fabrics of all colors, but I'm planning to use only blue, white and cream.  These block components were made by sewing strips together and cutting them to the requisite size.  I pulled lots of pieces from my 2 1/2 inch strip bin - some short pieces and some long pieces.  Using smaller pieces made the block component creation take a little longer, but I was happy to be using up lots of scraps!

I've pieced about half of the required 48 nine patch blocks so far.  It was hard for me to piece the nine patch blocks randomly, instead of in the traditional dark and light patterns.  I knew the fabrics would need to have some contrast, otherwise the blocks would end up looking like mush.  I may go back and cut some more strips to add a little more contrast and fabric variety to the mix.

Diane is sponsoring a weekly link-up on Sundays so participants can share their progress.  I can't wait to see what scrappy colors and fabrics other quilters will be using!

Aqua Wishes

I managed to do some serious depleting of my aqua and teal colored scraps for the Rainbow Scrap Challenge this week.  I don't have a big collection of blue-green fabrics in my stash, despite several years of stash enhancement for the RSC.  That sounds a little backwards, but you gotta have stash in order to make scraps, right?

This week's scrappy block was Windblown Wishes from Diane Knott's Scrap Quilt Secrets.  These are fun blocks to make and I look forward to having a pile of rainbow-colored Wishes at the end of the year!

In other news, I have been assembling my Quilty 365 blocks more rapidly than I thought possible.  I started assembling on Monday evening and I'm halfway through already!

I decided to set them in chronological order in sets of 30 - kind of like a calendar page.  The RSC color of the month often influenced which fabric got chosen on any given day, although apparently not often enough you'd be able to guess that month's color by looking at my blocks!

My plan is for narrow, neutral sashing between the 30 block sets.  Right now I'm auditioning 2 different gray fabrics.  The one on the right is a Riley Blake Blender and it's a bit on the taupe-y side.  The gray on the left is a Grunge fabric from Moda and definitely reads as more of a true gray.  I'm leaning more toward the Riley Blake right now...

Rainbow Scrap Challenge: Beginnings and Endings

It's the beginning of another year for the Rainbow Scrap Challenge.  The RSC has had a great deal of staying power, thanks to hostess Angela and the scrap-loving participants.  This year's challenge will continue the theme of using up scraps following a monthly color dedication. 

Since I've vowed to try to finish a flock of UFOs (or at least make progress on them) this year, I'm keeping my RSC plans on the simple side.  I'll definitely be working on finishing some RSC projects from previous years.  However, I can't stay out of the boxes of scrappy strips and squares, so there will be at least one new RSC project, too!

 

I knew I wanted to use 2 inch squares for this year's RSC project, as I have a large box full of 2 inch squares and strips (see Bonnie Hunter's Scrap Users System).  I originally thought I'd do postage stamp blocks, but I wasn't happy with lack of variety of light and dark fabrics in the stash box.  Next I tried white/light fabrics mixed with the purple squares and liked the result much better.  

Then I remembered Diane Knott had a fun pattern based on squares and HSTs in her book Scrap Quilt Secrets.  The quilt is called "Windblown Wishes".  Diane uses strip-piecing to make her 25 patch block centers, but the same look can be accomplished with scrappy squares.  I used my scrappy 2 inch strips and the Easy Angle ruler to make the HSTs.   

I was so pleased with the outcome I was ready to start making more "Windblown" blocks in other colors, so I think this project will be a keeper.

This week Angela has also invited RSC participants to share previous scrappy rainbow projects.  

I have posted about unfinished RSC projects in the past, but I've not taken a look back at completed projects.  I counted up seven quilts that were a direct result of RSC inspiration.  All but one of these quilts (the green Trip Around the World) were gifted to family or friends.

 

I also counted up six flimsies that were created as a result of the RSC.  I hope to have the Scrap Jar Star in reproduction fabrics (top left), the RSC Sampler (top right) and the Carpenter's Wheel (bottom left) quilted and complete by the end of 2017.

 

I worked on the New Orleans House Project in 2013.  The blocks have been waiting for attention since then.  One of my 2017 goals is to get these blocks moving toward a finished quilt.

 

These 4 inch Sawtooth Star blocks were an RSC project from 2015-2016.  I want to set the blocks medallion-style with an appliqued piece in the center.  The applique center has yet to be started, so this probably won't get finished any time soon. 

There are a few other RSC-inspired projects floating around in my studio, but I don't have up-to-date pictures OR plans for finishing them right now.  

As always on Saturday, it's Rainbow Scrap Challenge link-up day.  I can't wait to see all of this week's RSC inspiration!

 

Scrap Quilt Secrets Winner!

The Random Number Generator has spoken and the lucky winner of a copy of Scrap Quilt Secrets is Maureen, who said "I am going to start saving my selvages!!".  Thanks to everyone for their comments - I enjoyed hearing your thoughts on selvages and selvage quilting projects!

Orange for April

The Rainbow Scrap Challenge color for April is orange - with hints of black or brown if one desires.  The inspiration for this month's color was Monarch Butterflies and I happen to have some fabric featuring those beauties, so I'm sure I'll have to find a way to use it!

As the month is just getting started, I've only had time to start pulling orange scraps in preparation for this month's blocks.  Having a bin full of 2 1/2" strips and squares really helps shorten the prep work.

 

I try to make the time to cut my scraps into usable pieces and sort them by color.  I store them in clear plastic boxes so I can see what I've got without having to open the box.

 

I made these 9 patch blocks for last year's RSC, then decided I didn't have enough blocks for a quilt.  This year's project is to make reverse blocks: color in the center, surrounded by white.  I can pull from the strip stash to make the orange centers and the white borders.

 

I also started making these 4" Sawtooth Star blocks for last year's RSC.  I'm going to make more blocks this year and eventually they will all find their way into a quilt.  Again, I can pull from the 2 1/2" orange strips to cut the components for these stars.   

 

Since we're on the subject of scraps, I thought I'd give a shout out for a great new book focused on scrap quilts.  Scrap Quilt Secrets by Diane D, Knott has lots of inspiration for using up scraps.  Check out my blog hop post about Diane's book and leave a comment before April 5th for a chance to win a copy! 

Lots more scrappy inspiration can be found at this week's link-up for the Rainbow Scrap Challenge.