RSC17 week 39

PEACHY

With orange ending and pink beginning, I felt like trying a new block this week.  I've seen it many times, but don't know the name, except that it is a star block.  I like the version with a central focus fabric.  I opened a brand new charm pack with lovely prints and found a floral in a peach tone.  What better time to use it than as a bridge between orange and pink.

If  anyone knows the name of the block, please let me know.  I have made it 8.5 inches unfinished.  That is one of my standardCynthia sizes so it can be combined with other blocks.  

To finish my orange blocks I made my two Geese Migration pieces.   I realized that what I've been doing with these every month is using the two blocks as a study in values.  I'm not sure what  had in mind when she first made these blocks, but they have turned out that way for me.  

Here is the light orange block.

The first fabric I choose is the solid sky triangle solid color, this one in pale orange.  Then I make the geese progressing from lightest to maximum dark.  I do the same for the 2.5 inch squares in each row.  You can see the value in tone, as well as I could make it.  For the darker block I've tried to do the same thing.

This practice in tonal values is always a challenge.  Adding prints into the mix makes it more complicated, but it's just a matter of trial and error until I step back and squint, which shows it up better.  Give that a try on these two blocks side by side.

I hope it helps others who may have a hard time getting the concept to work in their projects.

I am linking up with

Rainbow Scrap Challenge at

   soscrappy  and

Oh, Scrap! at 

Quilting Is More Fun Than Housework

Covered In Love, 9/26

Last week I finished two Project Linus quilts.

The first one is a Mile a Minute quilt, with a fleece backing.

The other one is a row quilt for a girl, in pink and purple, also with a,fleece backing.

I'm linking up with Covered In Love at 

katandcatquilts.blogspot.comCovered In Love

RSC17 week 38

NO MORE WALKING FOOT

For two weeks I have been using my walking foot for stitching, quilting and binding two quilts.  Finally they are FINISHED.  I was so happy today to reinstall my trusty 1/4-inch foot and get back to piecing again!

Here in Wisconsin we are in the middle of another heat wave, hopefully the leftover of the summer.  So the best thing to do on days like this is to get working on more piecing.   I was finally able to put together my orange Folded Box block, which sure is nice and bright. 

I think one more in pink will complete my set for the rainbow.  They are 12-inch blocks and will make a nice lap quilt. I haven't taken the whole group out to check on them, don't know if I will use sashing or not.  That will take some very pleasant planning, and I love to plan projects.

I had a lovely long chat on Messenger with Kate of Smiles with Kate.  She has the cutest Northern England accent and had just returned from a vacation getaway in Scotland.  No outside contact for an entire week.  What a lovely thought!

Since the quilt I just finished is mostly pink, I'm going to give you a peek at the backing/binding and a bit of quilting.  The finish can wait until October, when it will be collected for Project Linus.  

One  more week of orange and I have  the two Geese Migration blocks to get done and whatever else comes along.  I did attempt to enter my Summer quilt of Kaffe Fassett precuts in the Bloggers Quilt Festival.  However, my notorious difficulties with linking up caused the poor Linky to reject me over and over.  So here is the best photo of my favorite quilt on my double bed.

Happy bright and sunny orange days to all of you this week.  

I am linking up with

Rainbow Scrap Challenge at

   soscrappy  and

Oh, Scrap! at 

Quilting Is More Fun Than Housework

Bloggers Quilt Festival

Summer, my Kaffe Fassett quilt

I made this quilt for my own use, as a light weight summer quilt. I clloected many precuts of Kaffe Fassett fabrics and used the to make this Summer quilt.

Each block is about 16 inches, made up of a layer cake floral, two 5x10 inch companion pieces and a contrasting 5-inch square.  The sashing is from a jelly roll in reds.  The backing is a light blue and white floral from Connecting Threads.  It was machine quilted in red by Sue Volbrecht of Quilted Memories.

Here it is on my full size bed.  The batting is Dream light weight cotton and I bound it in red.

I'm linking up with www.amyscreativeside.com  for Bloggers Quilt Festival

http://www.amyscreativeside.com/

RSC17 week 37

A TOUCH OF ORANGE

I've been very busy this week with quilting, but not with orange.  So I'll show you my bit of orange now.   In preparation for making my orange Folded Box  I did pick out my fabric choices today. This is how they compare with my blue Folded Box.

Getting down to business, I  recently got a friend to help me pin my Mile a Minute quilt.  I used a purchased fleece blanket for backing/batting.  I took for granted that the blanket was 50x60 inches, as stated on the label.  Bad mistake.  It was a couple of inches less in both directions and was just barely large enough for the flimsy.  Lesson learned.  I stitched the perimeter to secure it, which helped, and the quilting itself went like a dream with my faithful walking foot.  But the binding was really tough to do.  So I still hate binding.  But the entire job got done this week.

This Mile a Minute method has become a favorite, especially the chain piecing of scrap to scrap.  My other favorite is a row quilt, which I've used for a number of Project Linus quilts.  With one more fleece blanket left I decided to leave the walking foot in place and finish my charming pink and purple girl's row quilt.  My friend and I measured the fleece first this time.  We had room to spare for the top, but to be sure, I trimmed both the width and length a bit.  

After a follow up dental visit today I got a tall guy in our building to hold up both quilts for photos, so this is the pinned row quilt with ample fleece on all sides. 

One sweet moment happened this weekend, when my granddaughter and her visiting exchange student from Japan came over to visit.  This charming girl was delighted when she saw the Japanese dolls on the row top. I told her about the amazing quilting that is done in Japan.  We all had a really special visit.  

As soon as I get this second fleece quilt finished I will put my quarter-inch foot back and continue with orange.  But it is so satisfying to see these Project Linus quilts finished in time for our October charity quilt collection.  

A few of the trees are starting to get fall color.  I hope that will be an encouraging sight to many of you who have been shocked and saddened by the storms.  As expressed by officials in disaster areas, Please qdo help the victims by sending money, not quilts, which may end up in waste piles.  Our postage cost alone can purchase needed supplies in bulk.  Please send your donation to a charity you trust.  

I am linking up with

Rainbow Scrap Challenge at

   soscrappy  and

Oh, Scrap! at 

Quilting Is More Fun Than Housework

RSC week 36

ORANGE AT LAST

This month the color is perfect for the season, especially the cooling days and nights.  I do sympathize with the folks in the Pacific Northwest who have been months without rain, very high temps and tragic wildfires.

So now it's back to RSC17 projects.   The first one I made is my orange crayon body.  I've been putting off doing the tips until the end.  However, after three years with Angela and the Rainbow Scrap Challenge I finally have made my first actual RAINBOW!

When I laid out the rows it was so thrilling to see my pieced strips have finally become a rainbow. Now  I am having second thoughts about the crayon pattern with the points and strips of white between each row.  

I've always loved the stained glass effect that black adds to the colors, so I could substitute black for the white strips or, on the other hand, leave off the points entirely so the quilt becomes a pure rainbow with no points to distract from that image.  However, I definitely will not try to curve the strips into a true rainbow shape.  It's the colors that count, after all.

I was fortunate to attend Quilt Expo here in Madison yesterday.  Most of our time was taken up viewing the exhibit of about 300 quilts, all done by very talented quilters.  I spent a bit of time trying out a fancy Pfaff machine, so very impressive.  But my only purchases were a pack of my favorite needles and  a fat quarter of the cutest monkey fabric ever.  Our door-to-door bus picked us up at 2:30, which was an enjoyable time there without being exhausting.  Here are my sweet monkeys:

My second RSC17 project was my two houses, which have a definite African vibe.

It's a good start to a fruitful month for me, and I  wish the same for all of you, especially those affected by stormy weather.

I am linking up with

Rainbow Scrap Challenge at

   soscrappy  and

Oh, Scrap! at 

Quilting Is More Fun Than Housework

RSC week 35

WORKING BACKWARDS

This week was another profitable scrappy quilting time for me.  It began when I found two fleece blankets to use as backing for Project Linus quilts.  They had hidden behind piles of fabric for a couple of years.  Last week I made a Mile a Minute top to be used with the silly one.  Purple penguins go with anything, so it is pinned and ready to quilt.

That left the other fleece and I determined to use it right away.  Here it is with a few of the fabrics I chose for the top. 

I think the easiest top to make is a row quilt with no seams to match.  The pieces I chose had to be, for the most part, the full width of fabric.  I also joined a chain of charms for one row and in another I used some orphan 4-patch blocks.  It's a girl quilt which will have the nice rosy fleece for backing.  

I was delayed a bit due to some dental work  but got it finished in a day.   I paired up two strips at a time and then measured the length.  I just did that until it was long enough, about 52 inches.  So this is my girl's pink, blue and purple top ready to be pinned.  

I did not have a chance to even sort through and locate my orange bits for September's challenge.  That will officially begin tomorrow and I'll be back to making my usual monthly rainbow blocks.

The weather has definitely cooled off here, such a delight.  I do pray especially for the folks in Texas who survived Katrina only to have this second devastation.  So much loss!  And so many kind people doing what they can to help.  

I'm linking up with 

Rainbow Scrap Challenge at

   soscrappy  and

Oh, Scrap! at 

Quilting Is More Fun Than Housework