Today is the first link-up day for the 2013 Rainbow Scrap Challenge. I enjoyed this challenge a great deal last year so it was easy to plan on participating again. Although I've been admiring and thinking about making a number of different blocks/quilts for the challenge, for now I'm keeping things simple. I still have to make quilts from last year's RSC blocks, and that's a priority for the next several weeks (months?!).
Last fall I started making leader-ender spool blocks using Bonnie Hunter's Spoolin' Around block pattern. This is a great pattern for using up small scraps. I keep a stash of pre-cut blocks near the sewing machine to use as leader-enders when I am strip-piecing. I knocked out six blocks in this month's color - pink - today while working on other projects. I plan to continue make spool blocks for the rest of the year, using up scraps for each month's color.
My second Rainbow Scrap Challenge is what I call The New Orleans House Project. During last year's RSC, Sheila inspired me to make some purple house blocks using another Bonnie Hunter pattern. Making the purple house blocks reminded me that I had actually seen several purple houses in the city, and I was determined to find and photograph at least one purple house. As these things go, pretty soon I was noticing houses of different hues all over town. DH has learned to drive slowly through certain neighborhoods so I can attempt to photograph houses in any rainbow shade!
The house above is a classic New Orleans shotgun double. It's called a shotgun house because if one fired a gun through the front door, the bullet would pass unimpeded down the side hallway and exit through the back door. All the rooms of the house open off the side hallway. This house is a double because there are two residences side-by-side. I've always been fascinated with New Orleans architecture; if you are curious, check out the Preservation Resource Center's website (the link takes you to an interactive map; click on the Architectural Styles tab at the bottom).
I plan to make scrappy houses in each month's color AND find some New Orleans houses in the same color. I look forward to sharing the results!
