The July Report

 We are well and truly into the dog days of summer!  

That means not only is the weather hot and steamy, but it's also Doggie Daycare time!

This year it's just our son David's dog, Jozy (rear).  He's from the same litter as our dog, McKenzie, so it's a family reunion of sorts.  David has a month-long job assignment in California every summer, so he brings Jozy to stay with us.

I missed David's visit/Jozy's arrival, as I was in Florida with my mom.  She wound up in the hospital over July 4th weekend with a nasty case of bronchitis (thank goodness, not Covid!).  I stayed with her after the hospitalization to make sure she was following doctor's orders and to get her to all her follow-up appointments.  

Of course I packed some stitching projects to work on, but I got distracted by Mom's library.  

She has saved copies of lots of the good ol' books we both enjoyed back in the day.  I got caught up in re-reading some favorites.  Indeed, I've embarked on a bit of a Georgette Heyer binge.  Yay for summertime reading!

Before I left for Florida, I had started playing with an idea for a July mini quilt.  I guess this will become an August mini quilt!

This Rainbow Scrap Challenge project got finished up during July.  Diane Knott of Butterfly Threads did the quilting and I hand-stitched the binding, label, and hanging sleeve.  It's been shipped off to it's intended recipient with the less-than-original name "Scraphappy Stars". 

Another July finish: I love how the fan quilting (again, Butterfly Threads Quilting) looks in this quilt!  I made this quilt top several years ago and never proceeded to the quilting stage.  In February, a visiting friend fell in love with the un-quilted top, so I finished the quilt and gave it to her.  I'm glad the quilt found a happy home!

I was also able to finish a Sugar Loaf block for this month's Rainbow Scrap Challenge color:  dark blue.  I already have two blue blocks in light blues and bright blues, so I figured one more blue block was plenty.  

And since the Sugar Loaf blocks make scraps in just the right sizes, I made two Easy Breezy blocks.  

And now I'm off to watch the dogs frolic in their wading pool!  Stay cool, stay hydrated, stay safe, and have a fun August!

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.)

Good-bye 2017, Hello 2018!

It's a windy and chilly New Year's Day here in the Crescent City.  The temperature is hovering in the upper 20s (-2º C), but at least the sun is shining!  Dear Hubby and I are recuperating from a rather whirlwind trip to the mountains of North Carolina to see family and friends.  All in all, the perfect day to take stock of what's happening in my quilting studio and make plans for the coming year.

For the past several years, I've made a list of quilting priorities - based on WIPs and UFOs - for the coming year.  I keep the list pinned to a bulletin board in my studio and refer to it when I need to stay focused.

Last year, I joined in with Meredithe's 17UFOsin2017 project, which was a challenge to at least move 17 UFOs a little farther toward the "complete" category.  

I tweaked my notecard list and compiled 17 projects to work on during 2017.  (Many thanks to Kyle for the fancy stationery!)  The new list helped intensify my focus on UFOs and I managed to finish many of my projects and move some others along.  Unfortunately, there were still several projects that went untouched for the entire year!

Of course, one never knows when inspiration will strike, so several projects were begun in 2017 that weren't on any list!

Diane Knott's Scrappy Star Sew-Along called my name during the summer of 2017.

Inspired by Cathy and Gayle, I was also bitten by the Burgoyne Surrounded bug - as part of the Rainbow Scrap Challenge.  If you find yourself being tugged toward Burgoyne - here is a link to the great free pattern by Becky of Quilted Twins.

Flamingo hexies also crept into my 2017 quilting world.

Then there are all of the quilts still hanging out on my Quilting Bucket List.  

I've had this pattern by Edyta Sitar for years.  Will 2018 be the year I tackle it?

Or how about a Double Wedding Ring style quilt, like this one by Diane Knott?

I still haven't decided on my final list of quilting priorities for 2018, but I'm sure whatever piques my imagination will be colorful, challenging and great fabric therapy!

Thinkin' About RSC 2018: A Quarter Log Cabin Tutorial

As the year comes to a close, I find myself looking back at the year's quilting projects and also looking ahead and planning my quilty priorities for the coming year.  I'll save the year-end wrap-up for another post, because for the past few days I have been playing with scraps for a 2018 Rainbow Scrap Challenge project.

I find that some of my favorite RSC projects have involved fairly simple piecing - something that can be completed in just an hour or so of fabric play time.  It's very satisfying to be able to complete a block while I'm waiting for Dear Hubby to come home from work, or even on my lunch break - working from home has its perks!

With that in mind, I thought I might like to make a version of the "cross" quilts that have been popular for the last few years.  After looking at lots of quilts online and on Instagram, I chose the cover quilt from Modern Log Cabin Quilting as my inspiration.

After reading through the author's instructions, I knew I would need to make modifications in order to utilize my scraps.  I also decided to use reproduction/traditional fabric scraps, so I guess my version won't really be "modern".  No worries, the pattern is actually based on our age-old favorite, the log cabin block.

I grabbed some red and green scraps (c'mon - it's Christmas!) and a variety of background fabrics, and started measuring and cutting.  Since many of my scraps are already cut into 2.5 inch strips and squares, I used that as my starting point.

Each cross block requires:

4 - 2.5 inch squares of the focus (dark) fabric

4 - 2.5 inch squares of background (light) fabric

4 - 2.5 inch x 4.5 inch rectangles of focus (dark) fabric

4 - 2.5 inch x 4.5 inch rectangles of background (light) fabric

4 - 2.5 inch x 6.5 inch rectangles of background (light) fabric

Start with 4 2.5 inch squares of the focus (dark) and background (light) fabrics.  Stitch one dark and one light square together and press the seam toward the darker fabric.

Next up, add the dark 2.5 inch by 4.5 inch rectangles to each set of squares, keeping the dark fabric square on the right (see above).  Press the seams to the dark side.

Now add the 2.5 inch by 4.5 inch light rectangle as illustrated.  Press the seam to the outside.

The final rectangle (2.5 inches by 6.5 inches) is added to the top of the block. 

This time, press the seam toward the inside of the block - this will allow the quarter log units to align smoothly (nestle) when stitched together.

The completed quarter log units should look like this.

Arrange the quarter log units into a cross shape.  Stitch two units together to make the left half of the cross, then the other two units for the right half of the cross.  Finally, stitch the right and left sides together with one long seam down the middle.  I pressed the final seam open instead of to one side or the other.  

Finished block!

The finished blocks measure 12 inches.  Since I never seem to be able to make small quilts, I figure I'll aim for at least a twin bed sized quilt: possibly 6 x7 blocks.  These are kind of like potato chips - once you get started, you just want to keep making them!  I've already picked out more red and green scraps for the next round of blocks.

More scrappy inspiration to be found at Angela's Soscrappy blog this morning.  

A Scrappy Finish

As I mentioned earlier this month, I don't need much in the way of brown scrappy blocks for my Rainbow Scrap Challenge projects.  That being said, I did find two great brown print 100% cotton men's shirts at an estate sale last weekend. 

I love paisley fabrics and I have an even greater appreciation for them after learning more about the fabric style during Barbara Brackman's Stars in a Time Warp series.

This shirt not only has a great paisley design, it also has a fancy machine ground - the very small background dots - known as picotage.

Once I get the shirts "deboned", I'll use some of the fabric for my collection of 4" Sawtooth Star blocks.

 

Despite my lack of brown scrappy blocks, I have finished a Rainbow Scrap project from a few years ago.  

 

I started this scrappy, green Trip Around the World quilt in April of 2013.  I was determined to bust through a huge stash of green scraps and old (ugly!) yardage.  At the time, bloggers everywhere seemed to be making scrappy Trips using Bonnie Hunter's process.  I jumped in with enthusiasm! 

 

After finishing the top, I pieced together the backing using more fabrics in my stash.  I then handed it off to Cindy Braiwick, my LAQ, to work her magic.  She used a wonderful leafy frond design for the body of the quilt.

 

In the border, she quilted frogs, turtles, alligators and lily pads! 

 

I even found a piece of yardage in my stash to use for the bias binding.  The quilt will live on one of the beds at our camp, where the color green and the wildlife in the borders will fit in perfectly!

If you have been on the fence about making a scrappy Trip Around the World quilt, I highly recommend it.  It's a great scrap buster and Bonnie Hunter's technique is fun and easy.  I'm definitely thinking of making another one, this time in an attempt to bust through more blue scraps.

There's lots more scrappy inspiration at this week's link-up for the Rainbow Scrap Challenge!

 

 

Binding up a Rainbow Scrap Challenge Project

I'm looking forward to some time in "my" easy chair today while I hand stitch the binding for one of last year's Rainbow Scrap Challenge projects.  

I'm going to wait for the full reveal until after the binding is stitched down.  I gave this to my local longarm quilter, Cindy Braiwick, to quilt for me.  She has an amazing ability to take my ideas for quilting and turn them into wonderful designs and textures.  I found the perfect binding fabric maturing in my stash (Kaffe Fassett's Roman Glass), so no excuses about needing a trip to the fabric store!

I haven't made time for hand stitching for a couple of weeks, so I'm cheerfully linking up with Kathy's Slow Sunday Stitching in honor of St. Patrick's Day!  

Sunshine on a Cloudy Day

The local weather forecasters have been busy telling us about all the gloomy weather we should expect this weekend. So much so that we have postponed plans for a bike ride and opted for some flea marketing (indoor) instead. Fortunately, this month's scrappy color is yellow, so I've got plenty of sunshine to keep me happy!

Today's blocks, brought to you by the color yellow and the ever-popular Granny Square. I am really enjoying basking in all this wonderful yellow!

As I have been working on these challenge blocks, I have been thinking of possible recipients for the finished quilts. I have come up with several ideas, and now the personalities of those friends/family members are starting to influence the quilt blocks! I am very excited to eventually be able to share some colorful quilts with special people. How about you - are you thinking of sharing your rainbow quilt(s) with anyone special? How is that affecting your quilt as you go forward?

Don't forget to visit Soscrappy's blog to see all kinds of sunshine today!

Rainbow Scrap Challenge Goes Mobile!

It's Saturday, so that means It's time for more Rainbow Scrap Challenge blocks. I thought I'd challenge myself a little further today and see if I could publish an entry using my iPad. I'll give feedback on the process in another post.

The challenge color for May is yellow. I have developed an affection for the color yellow over the years. It's not a color I can wear, and I think that hindered my appreciation of yellow for a long time. But how can you not enjoy the color yellow? Just thinking of the color invokes images of warm sun, baby chicks, lemon meringue pie - sunflowers!

I snapped a picture of my yellow 16-patches using my iPad. That was pretty slick and the camera doesn't take bad pictures. I probably should have done some photo editing before using the picture in this post - there's limited photo editing allowed through the blogging app I'm using.

There's more yellow-hued inspiration at Socrappy's blog, so please stop by and check out this week's links.