In Praise of Dark Blue Scraps

There's a new page on the calendar and a new color for the Rainbow Scrap Challenge.  This month's challenge is to use the dark blue and dark neutral scraps in the bin.  I have a never-ending stash of blue scraps, so it was short work to pull some strips for a 49-patch block.

With this block completed, I now have 24 of these seven inch beauties.  

I think this may be my favorite block arrangement so far!  I love the effect the white squares create.  A large quilt in this style, made in rainbow colors, would be wonderful.  Unfortunately, I don't want to make any more seven inch blocks, so this will be the extent of this project.  Maybe I'll tackle a larger version - with larger blocks - at some point in the future.

These sailboat blocks were a souvenir from the Pensacola Quilter's Guild Show of 1993.  They sat around in a drawer until 2016, when I decided to assemble them as part of the blue Rainbow Scrap Challenge month.  All the assembly fabrics came from my scrap stash.  

After the sailboats were assembled, they languished some more because I couldn't decide how to quilt them.  Finally I decided to just "get 'er done" and added batting and backing and started hand quilting.  The quilting isn't fancy, but it holds the layers together and was good practice.  

The backing is scraps of lobster fabric from another quilt.  I even added a hanging sleeve!

There was an affectionate voice in my head reminding me to add a label - and so I did!

I'm adding my blue scraps to the RSC link-up - always fun and always inspirational!

Summer Stitching

Today was the first time I've touched my sewing machine in about two weeks!  I felt kinda rusty, so I started out with simple 49-patch blocks.  Since the month just started, there's a new color for the Rainbow Scrap Challenge - orange.  

I pulled out the box of 1.5 inch strips and pulled enough strips for two 49-patch blocks.

I've been using Bonnie Hunter's Trip Around the World technique to make these blocks.

Throwing in last year's 49-patch - now there are three.  When dark blue comes up as an RSC color, I'll have three blocks in each rainbow color.  Then it will be time to assemble these somehow or other.

Even though I've neglected my sewing machine, I've still been plying my needle.  These sailboat blocks were souvenirs from a quilt show many years ago (1993!).  I finally assembled them about 2 years ago as part of an RSC project, then let them languish because I couldn't decide how to quilt them.

I few weeks ago I figured there was no time like the present to get the batting and backing together and baste the layers for hand quilting.  I still didn't know what I was going to do for quilting design, but I figured I could at least start by quilting around all the blocks.  I just kept adding quilting here and there and before long it was getting done.  I'm still not completely finished, but the end is in sight.

Need more orange scrap inspiration?  Check out the weekly Rainbow Scrap Challenge link-up!

Red Hot July Scraps

The Rainbow Scrap Challenge proceedeth, and the color for this month's scrapping is declared to be red.  Perfect for these record-setting hot July days!

A quick excavation in the box of 1.5 inch strips produced enough scraps for two 49 patch blocks.  I started making these blocks in 2017, using random 2 inch scrap pieces.  When the 2 inch squares were exhausted, I started using Trip Around the World style piecing to make these blocks.  

The design wall was empty, so I pinned up all the 49 patch blocks to date.  I've been aiming for 3 blocks in every rainbow color, so I need more orange and blue blocks.  There's a 3rd pink block, but I noticed the sizing was off, so it may have to get re-done.

That's the extent of my red-hot scrappy stitching so far this month.  For more scrappy inspiration, check out the Rainbow Scrap Challenge link-up for today!

Scrappy Fabric Therapy

Today was one of those Saturdays when I was in serious need of some fabric therapy.  I did a lot of traveling for work this week, and that left me too tired to do much of anything in the evenings.  Happily, I was able to spend most of today sewing, and getting lots of good things accomplished!

I'm still plugging along on some Rainbow Scrap Challenge projects.  This month's color is teal (and similar variations), so I pulled some 1.5 inch strips and pieced two 49-patch blocks.

I'm still not sure what size quilt project I'll ultimately make with these.  They're only 7 inches, so I'll either need to make a lot more, or stop soon and make a small quilt.

Last year's block was made with random 1.5 inch squares; the Trip Around the World/strip method is much easier!

I've been feeling the need to finish up a number of languishing projects - so most of my current stitching focus has been on moving things along.

One of last year's Rainbow Scrap Challenge projects was making Windblown Wishes blocks from Diane D. Knott's Scrap Quilt Secrets book.  After I assembled my blocks, I took a little detour from Diane's pattern when it came to the borders.  I decided to make a half-square triangle border, again using rainbow colors.  

Today I added a narrow all-white border and stitched all the HSTs together for the next border.  If I'm lucky, I'll get to sew the borders to the top tomorrow.  I think I'll add a wider white border after the HSTs to finish things up.

I haven't been blogging much over the past several weeks, so I was surprised to discover Blogger had disabled the emailed comments feature.  I've switched to moderating all comments, so at least I'll get an email notification when comments are posted.  I do enjoy all the sharing that takes place via blogging comments, so I hope this helps keep the conversation alive!

*Edit:  moderated comments are not getting sent via email, either. 

There's more Rainbow Scrap Challenge inspiration at the weekly RSC link-up, so please stop by and see what other quilters are up to!

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!

Start with Some Gold Scraps

The first Saturday in April means it's time to focus on Rainbow Scrap Challenge projects.  This month's challenge is to use scraps in shades of yellow and gold.  Not all my current RSC projects need yellow or gold, but I'll have fun digging through the scrap bins anyway.

I started with the 49-patch blocks - a project I started last year.  I had one yellow block already made, so I added another yellow block and a gold block.  Since my Rainbow Scrap projects tend to focus on bright colors, the gold scraps are usually neglected.  I was happy to use a few of them for this block.  Maybe I should make another gold block just so this one doesn't feel like the odd man out!

I also pulled some chunks from the repro fabric bin and made these quarter square log cabin blocks.  I did some math ahead of time when I started making these blocks, so I know I need at least 5 of each RSC color in order to get a decent-sized quilt at the end of the year.

From the "You Never Know What Will Happen" department:  I volunteered to attend a work-related event this morning (you know - making brownie points by working on a Saturday 😇) and met a group of quilters by happy accident!  The quilters were utilizing another meeting room down the hall from where my work event was taking place.  I happened to walk past their room, and of course, when I saw sewing machines being set up I had to investigate.  Turns out they meet there every month, bring a pot-luck lunch and spend all day sewing.  When they found out I was also a quilter, they invited me to join them next month.  I'll be looking forward to that, for sure!

For more scrappy yellow and gold inspiration, check out the Rainbow Scrap Challenge link-up.

Scrappy Building Blocks

It's a new month and a new color for the Rainbow Scrap Challenge.  This month we are challenged to use our light green and lime green scraps.  I have plenty of scraps in that fit the description, so I got to work!

I had enough 1.5" strips to make two 49-patch blocks.  I'll keep making these 7 inch blocks for the rest of the year - maybe I'll have enough for a quilt at the end of the year!

A few more scraps made some HSTs to go in the border I'm planning for the Windblown Wishes quilt.

I made this light green Burgoyne Surrounded block last year.  I looked through the scrap stash and nothing in the lime green family jumped out at me, so I'll wait until we do dark green scraps to create another green Burgoyne block.

All of these pinwheel blocks were an RSC project last year.  I finished assembling them into 9-patches earlier this week.  Next up:  sashing and cornerstones (more pinwheel blocks!).  

For more scrappy inspiration, check out the linky party for the RSC 2018!

Purple is for Mardi Gras!

This month's Rainbow Scrap Challenge color is purple.  Yay!  My favorite color and perfect for February, as Mardi Gras is February 13th and New Orleans Mardi Gras colors are purple, green and gold!

I dug around in the 1.5 inch strip bin and found enough purple strips to make some 49-patch blocks.  I guess I could call these Trip Around the World blocks, or Postage Stamp blocks - but to me they are just humble one-patch blocks.

Inspired by a photo of a table runner on Diane Knott's Instagram feed, I pulled some green blocks and started dreaming about Mardi Gras decorations of my own.  I don't think I'll have time to make a table runner this month, but it's fun to think about!

We're at our camp this weekend.  Our hot water heater at home is dead, and the plumber can't replace it until Monday.  The weather forecast calls for clouds and rain - perfect weather for hand-stitching quilt bindings.  And at least I can take a hot shower!

Linking up with the RSC Saturday linky - lots of scrappy purple inspiration!

A Week of Scraps

A lot of scrappy stitching happened this week.  Not all of it was Rainbow Scrap Challenge related, but scraps got used and goals were reached.

The RSC color for January is light blue.  I pulled several 1.5 inch strips to make a 49-patch block using Bonnie Hunter's Scrappy Trip Around the World technique.  

I also stitched up 2 quarter log cabin blocks using repro light blue fabrics.  

Best of all, I finished stitching all the string blocks needed for my memory quilt version of the Spring Clean Quilt.  I needed to make 144 blocks for this version of a string star.  Earlier this week, I decided I was tired of the stringy mess on the sewing table and pushed myself to finish stitching the remaining blocks.  If you've ever stitched a long-term string project, you know how messy all those strings and bits can get!  As soon as I finished the blocks, I tidied up and snapped a picture of my milestone.  Now I need to assemble the blocks, but that won't come until a little later this year - there are other projects clamoring for the space on the design wall.

I haven't had a chance to look at this week's Rainbow Scrap Challenge link-up yet, so I'm looking forward to seeing what everyone was stitching up this week!

Rainbow Scrap 2018 Kick-Off

So it looks like much of my Rainbow Scrap Challenge activity this year will involve pushing ongoing projects toward the finish line.  I plan to continue working on some previously started RSC blocks, but I'll also add at least one new project.

From the Wrapping Things Up Department:  assembling last year's Windblown Wishes blocks into a flimsy.  I'll be adding sashing and rainbow-hued cornerstones, followed by at least one fabric-only (not pieced) border.  The pattern can be found in Diane Knott's Scrap Quilt Secrets book.

Another ongoing RSC project will be to make more of these 49-patch blocks.  I started making them last year with random, 1.5 inch squares.  When I had used up all the squares, I started using Bonnie Hunter's Scrappy Trip Around the World technique for piecing the blocks - as evidenced by the pink block.  These finish at 7 inches, so I'll just keep making them until I decide I have enough for a wall hanging or small quilt.

Another carryover project from last year:  scrappy pinwheels.  The plan is to assemble the pinwheels into 9-patch blocks, with a neutral background.  I guess I'll try to assemble a few blocks each month as an RSC activity.  I haven't done any math on this project, so I may wind up needing more pinwheels...time will tell.

One more ongoing project:  scrappy selvage blocks.   I'm still not sure how I want to use these blocks, but I plan to continue working on them this year.

I plan to keep making Burgoyne Surrounded blocks in 2018, also.  I picked out these scrappy chunks for a light blue block, but haven't gotten the parts and pieces cut yet.

Last, but not least, I've added a quarter log cabin block to my Rainbow Scrap Challenge repertoire.  I only chose 2 light blue scrappy fabrics for this month; I figure I'll use lots more darker blue scraps when we get to that monthly color choice.

Wow.  Now that I've put all that in writing, it sounds like a lot of work, fabric therapy!  I think there's plenty here to keep me happily stitching for the coming year.

For more scrappy inspiration, be sure to check out the weekly Rainbow Scrap Challenge link-up page.

Disappearing Pink Scraps

The color for this month's Rainbow Scrap Challenge is pink.  I didn't find a lot of pink scraps in my stash, but I managed to use them in creative ways (I think).  I'm not finished working on my round of RSC projects, but the scraps have decreased to the point where I may have to make some new ones!

I completed two Windblown Wishes blocks this afternoon.  Pink wraps up all the blocks I plan to make for this quilt, so the next step is getting a flimsy assembled.  Maybe that will happen by the end of the year?

All kinds of random scraps got turned into pinwheel blocks.  I've accumulated quite a stack of pinwheel blocks, but I'm going to keep making them through the end of this year's RSC.  I do have a plan for them, but I'm not ready to start assembling them yet.

The scant amount of pink scraps led me to try strip piecing a pink 49-patch block.  I used Bonnie Hunter's Scrappy Trip Around the World piecing technique, but modified it for my needs.  I think this might be my favorite 49-patch block so far!  Since these are only 7" blocks, I'll be making more of them for next year's RSC.

For more pink scrappy fun, check out today's link-up at Angela's Soscrappy blog.

Done With Orange Fun

How quickly we've arrived at the end of the Rainbow Scrap Challenge month of orange scrappy stitching!  I've definitely made a dent in my orange scraps, especially the scraps in the bin of 2 inch strips and squares.

I had a big stack of 2 inch squares in the bin, so I trimmed them down to 1.5 inches and made a 49-patch block.  I'll only have 8 of these blocks at the end of the year, so I think this project will carry over for at least another year.  The next round of blocks will use the same design, but I'm going to resort to using scrappy strips instead of individual squares.

I also had enough orange scrappy pieces to make some 4-patch blocks.  For now, these are for the "parts department", as Cathy calls it.  On the other hand, I was intrigued by a quilt in the latest issue of Quiltmania (121) called Four Patch Trip Around the World.  Unfortunately, there isn't a picture of the quilt on their website, so you'll have to get your hands on a copy of the magazine to see what I'm talking about.  No affiliation with Quiltmania, other than it being my favorite quilting magazine!

I enjoyed reading everyone's responses last week about their favorite pumpkin spice-flavored treats.  Since I had pumpkin spice on the brain, I did a search to look for treats that were new and different to me.  I had a huge fit of the giggles when I discovered this unexpected pumpkin spice product.  Go ahead & click on it - it's part of a Pinterest board I set up just to catalog pumpkin spice products!

My (Scrappy) Dreams Come True on Blue Bayou

Whenever the Rainbow Scrap Challenge focuses on the color blue, I seem to spend the month humming songs with "blue" in the title.  This gives me a great excuse share Youtube videos like this one:

"Blue Bayou" was a big hit for Roy Orbison, but I love this version with Linda Ronstadt and the Muppets, circa 1980!

OK, now that we've had our musical interlude, I'll start the quilting part of our program. 😎

Here's a blue 49-patch block, made with all scrappy 1 1/2 inch pieces.  This did a pretty good job of cleaning out all the smallish blue scraps.

Since we've gone half-way through the year, I decided to contemplate all the previous blocks together.  Once I finish the RSC colors for the year, I'll have to decide if I want to keep making theses scrappy blocks piece by piece or resort to strip piecing.  Since the blocks only measure 7 inches when finished, I'll need quite a few more blocks to make a quilt. 

Blue selvage blocks were also completed.

And all the selvage blocks were duly contemplated.  The individual selvage blocks measure 4 inches finished, so this is another project that will need many more blocks to reach a respectable size.  I'm thinking this might become part of a large selvage sampler project (i.e. make more selvage blocks in different styles/patterns next year).

A few more house blocks got wonky borders.  

Here are all the Happy, Scrappy Houses so far (I jumped ahead and did some pink wonky borders, too).  Once all the wonky borders are added, I'll be making some appliquéd words to mix in with the houses.  Maybe this will get finished by the end of the year?

Last - but not least - a scrappy blue Burgoyne Surrounded block.  That blue fabric with dragonflies has been hanging around in the stash for over 10 years.  I keep trying to use it up, but the scraps never seem to diminish!  

All the Burgoyne blocks are trying to play nicely with each other.  I love the colorful funkiness going on here!  Check out Cathy's finished Burgoyne top or the original pattern from Becky - I think they'll bring a smile to your face!

Now that I've brought all my RSC documentation up to date, I'm off to do some more stitching.  There are still more RSC projects to work on, as well as Diane Knott's Summer Scrappy Sew Along.  In between, I'll be playing with all the dogs (aka the Swirling Dog Mass) and humming more songs with "blue" in the title!