Last of the Aqua?

It's the last Rainbow Scrap Challenge Saturday for talking about aqua scrap projects.  I feel I've gone a long way toward emptying the aqua scrap bins - at least for now! 

 

As I was digging through the aqua scraps,  I found some chunks of this Natural Effects collection by Michele D'Amore.  I used the collection for the above RSC project in March of 2014 (still unquilted, BTW).  I really wanted to finish off the scraps, but I needed something that called for fairly large pieces of fabric to make the most of the designs.

 

I finally settled on a tote bag.  I wanted to keep a big piece of the multi-color floral intact, so I cut large strips for the top of the bag.  The body of the bag is made of 3 inch squares and the bottom and lining were made from a piece of Grunge (by Moda) yardage.

I used both fusible fleece and fusible interfacing on the body of the bag, then added straight line quilting to hold everything together. 

 

There was enough fabric to add a good-sized interior pocket.

 

I like long handles on my tote bags so I can sling them over my shoulder.   The finished bag measures 14.5 inches high and 16 inches wide.  This could become a go-to gift project, especially using slightly smaller dimensions.

 

I also made some aqua pinwheel blocks this week.  Here they are laid out with last month's purple blocks.  My ultimate plan is to mix up all the colors, but since I only have two colors so far, I just color-blocked them. 

I'm ready for the next round of color, but in the meantime I'll be checking everyone's Rainbow Scrap Challenge entries for today!

 

 

Modern Teal

I've stepped into a new role at work.  I'm very excited about the new responsibilities, but apprehensive about how it may affect my quilting time!  I often try to relax during the workweek by quilting for an hour or so in the evening; I hope I still have time and energy to do that going forward!

Inspired by this month's color for the Rainbow Scrap Challenge, I pulled this fabric collection (Natural Effects by Michele D'Amore for Marcus Fabrics) from my stash last weekend.  I originally thought I could use it for a miniaturized version of one of several Kaffe Fassett quilts on my wish list.  After further consideration, I changed my mind and decided on a different approach.

After consulting Pinterest for inspiration, I decided this quilt block would be a great way to show off the fabrics.  It was a great quick and easy project for this stressful first week of my new job!  Now I've got twelve blocks completed and ready for sashing.  

I'm off to the Gulf States Quilting Association Show today.  Looking forward to lots of quilt inspiration and shopping!  

Later this afternoon, I look forward to perusing the Rainbow Scrap Challenge link-ups with a nice cup of tea -- bliss!