RSC16 week 46

 CHANGE OF PLANS

When I laid out my 16-patch blocks last week, I had the idea of making a medallion quilt with a large star pieced block in the center.  This is what my friend and I were playing with, using the ten RSC16 monthly blocks plus two additional. 

 

 

At this point I had no special block for the center.  I decided to make a block from Mari at The Academic Quilter, which I showed in progress last week.  After finishing the patriotic 16 inch block I  laid it out all nicely pressed.  Later came DISASTER.  One set of star points was pointing inward instead of out.  I did not take a photo.  After much ripping and restitching  it looked like new. QUnfortunately it did not look good with the other blocks.

    My friend and I decided that I should make four more 16-patch blocks to fill in the center and then add black sashing.  Unfortunately again, I was out of 1-1/2-inch black strips.  So I worked on the extra blocks.  The blue one was resurrected from a reject.

This spring green with yellow was different from the other greens.

I love this yellow with purple accents.

I tried to spark them up by adding yellow, which unified the central ones.  Fifteen to this point with a quick pic late last night.  

This looked good, so today I finished the final block for the bottom row.

Looking at them side by side I am not sure about the black sashing.  Another friend is cutting some strips on her Accucut.  Then I will have something to compare before committing myself.  

At least I've made some progress, but that's all the quilting I've done this week.  Hope you have all had productive weeks or at least are happy with what you've been working on.  

For more ideas, check out these link sites:

Rainbow Scrap Challenge at

   soscrappy 

Oh, Scrap! at 

Quilting Is More Fun Than Housework 

   

RSC16 week 9

BROWN GOES OUT WITH A BANG!

Why has the shortest month seemed like the longest?  I think the five Saturdays have had a lot to do with it, especially being Brown Month.  

However, I've managed to come up with a colorful ending for it.

My actual production this month has been mainly two RSC 9-inch blocks and four Modern HST Sampler 12-inch blocks, finished size.

Here is the fourth block for MHSQ, Stepping Stones, finished this week.

We had the choice of how to make the six HSTs. I chose to use the Easy Eight method with two blocks left over.  It is the fastest and easiest method and has two sides on grain.  I also picked up a couple of tips that made it faster, squaring the blocks before pressing them open and sliding the ruler to cut only one side.  Cutting one instead of four sides was a real time saver.   Those tips were found in other posts and I'm sorry I don't recall where, so I cannot give them the credit they deserve.

Here are the six blocks total, involving lots of work, ripping and learning.  I guess the learning is worth the aggravation.

So for a change I have been working on some other projects.  

The first is an Easy Zippered Pouch, a tutorial at The Renegade Seamstress.  It is only 6 x 8 inches with a 7-inch zipper.  I found the zipper in my zipper stash. I'm sure everyone has one of those!  I found the scrap of brown for the outside and a fat quarter for the lining, and cut them out today, my last chance at brown.

The other project is 16-patches, which are 10.5 inches.  Two of them, the blue and the lime, resulted from not wanting to waste two experiments I was unhappy with.  

For my final brown block I wanted it bright.  No more dull colors for this rainbow gal, so here is my interpretation of brown with pizazz!

So let's look forward with excitement to March and new colors and spring. (Thanks to WENDY for supplying us with flowers from her mum's gorgeous garden in New Zealand this week.)

I link up with RSC16 at soscrappy and Sew Cute Tuesday at Blossom Heart Quilts.