Sew Cute Tuesday, July 19

TURNSTILE FINALLY DONE

In my previous post at RSC16 I showed two mockup versions of Turnstile to ask for opinions whether to go for a black dotted background or light pink with flowers.  Most people liked the more modern black look, but it seemed too harsh for my taste.  My final choice, suggested by some folks, was purple, which I am happy with.

Thanks for all the input, dear friends.  And thanks to Alyce and her Modern HST Sampler for giving me this fine practice in HST designs.  

MY FAVORITE SCRAP PROJECT AND WHAT I HAVE LEARNED

First of all I have to admit that I do not have pounds and acres of scraps as some of you long time scrap collectors do.  I have lots of yardage, fat quarters and other pre-cuts  especially jelly roll strips and charms. My actual crumb collection is what you see here. It doesn't even fill a quart-size bag.

I do have larger sizes organized and ready to use or cut down, but they are not truly scraps.

One of my monthly goals this year is to make an 8.5-inch slab block using the Rainbow Scrap Challenge colors of the month.  For some reason I always do my other blocks first, like the Twinkler and the sailboat, but I keep putting this one off.  Maybe my excuse is to use the other pieces first and use the leftovers for this block.

However, an interesting thing has been happening since I learned about slab blocks from Joy at The Joyful Quilter.  They seem to fit my more architectural leaning than real scrap quilts as of old.  I love the riot of colors, but I prefer structure rather than randomness.  This has all gelled in my mind in the last few months.

These are my first four slab blocks for the year.

Obviously they are mostly rectangular and becoming more focused on a theme or fussy cut block like the flowers.

Each month I have put more time into thinking about them and not doing anything randomly.  I realize now that they have become improv blocks, if there is an actual definition of one.  To me it  does not involve a pattern, but grows organically as I play and make choices.  Playing is sometimes hard work.

Here is the improv block for May, using green, but brighter greens and bits of other colors.  I call it A Gathering Of Doves.

My June improv block started with a flower iwith hints of aqua, the main color.  It evolved by balancing that orange with a pink little building, adding floral fabrics and even a piece of Ruby chard stems as tree branches.  It became The Neighborhood Flower Shop.

Does any of this make sense to you?  I felt a need to post these thoughts and photos to illustrate the process of improv, at least in my thinking.  And it definitely does us my scraps and crumbs.  Now I need to get busy on the next Modern HST Sampler and my July improv block.

JOIN IN THE FUN AT

Oh Scrap at Quilting Is More Fun Than Housework 

Rainbow Scrap Challenge at soscrappy

Modern HST Sampler at  Blossom Heart Quilts

RSC16 week 17

A MYSTERY BLOCK AND MEMORIES

This has been a catchup week for working on my self-commitment to six monthly blocks.  For Rainbow Scrap Challenge I'm doing .a twinkle star, a 16-patch at 8 Inches, a slab block of the same size and a slightly smaller sailboat.  They are all in the RSC monthly colors.  They just seem to have somehow added themselves of their own volition.  All of a sudden there they are saying "Me next!  Don't forget about me."

This slab block got me finally caught up for January.  I do enjoy these the most because they allow me to be inventive.

In addition, I am doing a Modern HST Sampler block every other week, also in the RSC colors.  As long as I have to drag out all my orange and brown scraps, I might as well go all the way with them.  These are 12-inch blocks, however, and should be a fine sampler quilt by year end.

This block was titled Intersection, using 16 HSTs.  I did not like the pattern arrangement when done in my fabrics, so I just moved them around to get this block.  I don't know if it has a name.  If any of you know it, I would appreciate you telling me.  All you quilt history buffs and Dear Jane followers must know hundreds of them. 

 

Before he passed away a year ago, my son, Chris, and I used to take rides in the country and he especially loved old weathered barns.  When I learned there were many barn quilts to be seen in the next county, we started seeking them out with an excellent listing of all the Green County barn quilts. We only got to visit a few before winter set in, but here is a photo of one which we took with the owner's permission.

I'm now hoping that I can carry on where Chris and I left off, by interpreting some of the barns and barn quilts I've seen in person or on Pinterest.  Thank you, Julie Sefton, for your inspiring book, BUILD-A-BARN, which I bought and am using to plan a 'barn quilt' barn quilt.  Julie, Quiltdivajulie, has a blog called thefreepiecedbarnproject.blogspot.com and I highly recommend it for process not patterns.

 I hope you all have a colorful week.  I link up with RSC16 at soscrappy and Sew Cute Tuesday at Blossom Heart Quilts and WIPS BE GONE at A Qulting Reader's Garden.

RSC16 week 16

DEADLINES MET

My main goal this week was to finish my Dog Park quilt, which I last showed as a flimsy, needed for Monona Quilters charity collection on May 9. Once I switched to using the walking foot for it, I wanted to do the entire job before using my 1/4-inch foot again.  A friend helped me to get it pinned to the fleece backing on the weekend.  It was only about 45 inches square, a lot easier to handle than the 50 x 60 ones I've made in the past.  Here it is after quilting.

I bought the kids fleece blanket about a year ago and the dog fabric last fall to coordinate with it.  With the deadline looming, I quilted  and bound it in three days. The gold binding was left over from another project with just inches to spare.  

I quilted in the ditch for the strip pieces and did meandering rows in the dog area so it would not look like they were fenced in, but free to run.  It shows best on the back.

The finished quilt: 

My other goal was the Modern HST Sampler block called Pointed, which I managed to muddle through just in time to do these photos.  Of course, it is done in RSC16  April colors.

For the eight HSTs in orange I used a different method called The Eight Square Method by Honey Bear Lane on Pinterest.  You end up with straight grain on two sides and only the diagonal on the bias.  I don't want to mess around with stretchy edges and it is easy to do.  

Over all it was a very nice week with warm sunny days at last and that feeling of satisfaction from meeting my goals.  I hope you all had a good week and I'll be checking your posts on Rainbow Scrap Challenge at so scrappy tomorrow.

RSC16 week 15

SAILING IN STYLE

Time to set sail again in the April colors.  Here is my little sloop with cheerful orange sails.  I'm carrying on a family tradition.  My Norwegian uncle used to buy sailboats at a bargain and restore them to good condition.  He had a workshop with an old heavy duty Singer where he made his own new sails. Of course his were not colorful, but they did the job well when we sailed off to Newport or Block Island for a day or a week.  

SWITCHEROO

When it came time to make my April 16-patch block I took out the previous ones.  When I saw my February block with its wild orange colors and a bit of brown, I realized it was more  aptly an April block, so here is its return under a new name.

Well, that was the fastest RSC block I've ever made, but now I had to make a February one, so I really splurged on pink.

A VERY USEFUL FIND

Yesterday when I took my garbage down to the basement I got a great find without having to dive in the dumpster.  This stack of drawers was sitting waiting for me to snatch it up and find a place for it in my ever-crowded studio/bedroom space.  Fabric was slowly (actually quickly) trying to take over the room like kudzu.  I've never seen the pesky vine but it's the best analogy.  Here is the cabinet on arrival.

And here it is happily filled with fabric and making a big difference in my space.

It is now paired up with my previous dumpster reclamation, the blue stacked bins.  Now I can actually get in the room easily.  I like my Melody Johnson wall quilt sitting in front of my darker piece behind it because it makes Melody's shine even brighter.

Speaking of shining, the first tiny daffodil popped open in our garden to make me smile.  Hope you are all enjoying spring or fall wherever you live.  

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

RSC 16 week 13

UNCHARTED WATERS

This week has been a happy time for me with my piecing.  I made the latest Modern HST Sampler block, Formation.  I stayed with straight purple for the simple block, although it looks more like navy here.

So I completed the blocks for this month.  I'm trying to keep to the more modern look for this set of blocks.

The most fun I had this week was building a boat.  I had seen Gayle's tiny boat and then Sue's larger two-masted version, both so cute I had to make one.  Since I work with lots of 2.5-inch strips, I designed my own 6.5-inch boat block, in March colors of course.  It only took ten minutes to make it, using flip triangles for the boat shape and some HSTs I already had on hand.

The only problem with these little boats is that, like potato chips, you can't have just one.  So I made two more in January and February colors, but I know it won't stop there.  Sailing has been in my blood since I sailed with my Norwegian uncle in RI waters as a girl.  I love the silence except for the sound of the rushing water and also love the rough seas.  I sure do miss the ocean here in Wisconsin.

The other fun time I had was making another 16-patch block because I had not done a blue one that I liked.  The first one was just plain dull.

I tried to make this blue one as colorful as my other 16p blocks, which is trickier with blue and purple.

I was really happy with the result.  Now I have several more slab blocks to catch up, plus my Dog Park quilt and that is coming along well.

I hope each of you had a satisfying Quilty week.  I link up with RSC16 at soscrappy and Sew Cute Tuesday at Blossom Heart Quilts. Check them out to see what everyone is up to.

RSC 16 week 12

HARD WORK WITH PURPLE

The entire result of my piecing this week was only two blocks.  Life seemed to keep me away from my quilting.  One beautiful sunny afternoon I did get out to see the birds passing through.  It was my first sighting of cedar waxwings, a group of them flitting around a tree full of dried berries.  That was the best day of the week.

I did finish my purple with yellow slab block.  It is 8.5 inches, to mix in with my 16-patch blocks.  

The rest of the last couple of days was spent RIPPING AND ROARING.  I was making my third twinkler  block and had a nice selection of scraps picked out.  On the first blue one In Januarly I had cut and pieced the wrong fabric and had to rip it and replace it.  On the second one, brown and pink, I repeated the same mistake again.  I certainly did not learn that lesson.

This time I made sure I had the right fabrics for the right blocks, but I merrily stitched one set of them upside down.  Rip again times four.  Not the end. They were lined up wrong so two more ripped out.  And by this time I was so upset and anxious to finish that I ended up with at least two more rips.  

But I finally finished it as best I could just in time to get my photos taken.

I think I must have dyslexia of piecing, or whatever you call it.  I have not decided whether to continue making this block.  Maybe it's a mental block block.  I do love those twinklers, so we shall see what April brings.  Have a good week everyone and much success in your efforts.

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

RSC16 week 11

A MOUNTAIN AND A PROJECT LINUS QUILT

Despite a week busy with constant distractions, I did get a few things done.  One was pulling fabrics and then more fabrics.  I'm starting to have piles of pulled fabrics cluttering my work space.  But they are all so special!  

We received another Modern HST Sampler pattern, the Mountain.  There was a special fat quarter I knew that I wanted to use.  After looking everywhere at least twice with no luck, it finally showed up in the very bottom of a box. Hallelujah!  

The special fabric is the middle one with twinkling stars and flowers, my touch of yellow.

My other touch of yellow was this pot of mini daffodils. My son Chris bought me a pot every year, so a friend got them for me in remembrance of Chris.

Update on my zipper pouch:  A good friend came by the other day and had a tough time hunting in her huge purse.  She loved the little pouch and I gave it to her.  She quickly filled it and went away happy and better organized.

Today I looked at the calendar and realized it is only two months until our quilt group charity collection and I have nothing to donate.  So more fabrics came out.  Fortunately I have a fleece blanket with dog motifs waiting to be used.  In my stash I also found doggie fabric on green, at least a yard.  A row quilt is so easy to make, so I laid out the idea below.

When I added the border of cars the name was obvious, Dog Park.  It won't be as long as the other ones I've made, probably more of a square.  No purple, but who knows what the color will be for May?

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

Sew Cute Tuesday, March 1

MODERN HST PROGRESS

The Modern HST Sampler is a challenge I am enjoying very much.  I've completed each of the four  blocks and learned a lot about HSTs.  The method I like best is definitely the Easy Eights.  I used that for the Stepping Stones block, even though there were two extra blocks. 

As you can see, I've used the Rainbow Scrap Challenge colors of the month, blue with purple for January and brown with pink for February.  I loved the brown batiks I dug up, which blended the two colors so nicely.

My calendar is marked with the dates for each new block pattern because I'm so excited to be doing them.

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

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.

RSC16 week 8

STILL BLUE AND BROWN - AND A SURPRISE

This week I finally caught up with my RSC16 Twinkle Star blocks by finishing the blue one.  It did not get its turn in January, so better late than never.  It almost was never due to my frustration.  For the second time I cut the half triangles from the wrong fabric instead of the white!  Don't know where my brain was.  I'm happy with the scrappy pieces I found, especially the center block with the purple flowers.

Here is the first star I did in brown and pink batiks.  The center was a nice fussy cut find from a layer cake piece of batik.

For the Modern HST Sampler blocks given by Alyce at Blossom Heart Quilts, I used the RSC16 colors again.  These are 12.5-inch blocks and there are two given each month.  So I get extra chances to play with Angela's lovely color choices.

This is number three of the Modern HST Sampler blocks called Lantern.  The example showed a white center block, but I added the warm 'light' in the lantern, one of my favorite batik pieces.  I love the swirling blend of the colors.

On Monday the fourth Modern HST Sampler block will be released.  Each one is designed to be a little more challenging than the last, so I should be very comfortable with HSTs by December.

NEWS FLASH:  Just after I finished the above post, I found a package delivery outside my door from Fat Quarter Shop.  This had to be an exception to my fabric fast.  I have been looking at the Note To Self line from Henry Glass since it came out.  I love the Fruits of the Spirit named on the apples  in the design.

Here are two of the Apple color prints and a red flower piece from the line.  These were all half price on the 24-hour Flash Sale.  The Black and White Text from Ella Blue was also on sale.  Could you resist? There are a couple of others you have to wait until next week to see.

I hope all of you have a great quilting week. I link up with RSC16 at soscrappy and Modern HST Sampler at Blossom Heart Quilts.

RSC16 week 5

 PROGRESS MADE

This week has been productive in several projects.  The first is another of my quilts started long ago, now needing to be finished.  In this cold weather I have wanted an everyday quilt to use just as a throw.  Since 1980 I've been carrying around an unfinished quilt. 

When we moved from Sopkane, WA to Seattle, 300 miles away, I wanted an autograph quilt to take along.  My small quilting group made most of the blocks, using memory fabrics, including pieces from my first quilt made the year before.  I hand quilted it, but the border did not work out.  

This size was just right for my needs, so I trimmed off all the excess batting and bound it by rolling over the backing and zigzagging it on the front.  Nothing fancy, but full of memories of wonderful friends and family.  As you can see, it has RSC blue fabrics included, and it is nice and warm.

In addition to my RSC block done in week 3, I have finished the first two blocks for the Modern HST Sampler with Alyce at Blossom Star Quilts.

The first was the Candy block and the second Alyce calls Ninja, but I prefer Friendship Star.  I'm trying to use the blue and purple scheme, but choosing more modern fabrics.

Yesterday I was thrilled to receive my batik order from Hancock's of Paducah.  It looks great with the sizzling strips, so I have to find some backing, maybe more of the batik, because I bought two yards.  However , it is too lovely to be used as a backing, I think.  Probably I'll do a dark blue binding.  This photo shows the pieced squares laid on the batik, which was on sale, of course.

Looking forward to RSC16 new colors for February.  Do check it out at soscrappy.

RSC16 week 3

GROW IS MY WORD FOR 2016

It is a sort of scary word because it involves change and the unknown, but without growth there is no life and that is its essence.

My Rainbow Scrap Challenge block was very frustrating this week.  I did not like the plain purple square set on point.  Looking at the work of others, I realized I needed something more graphic as a focal point.  After about five sessions of ripping, replacing and repairing, it finally looked right and decently pieced.

I have also linked up with the Modern HST Sampler by Alyce at Blossom Heart Quilts.  It is as series of 24 lessons making 12-inch blocks increasing in difficulty.  Just what I need to get over my fear of HSTs and tricky piecing.  I've decided to do the blocks in RSC16 colors.  Here's the first one.  This should help me to grow at a gentle pace.

More projects have popped up.  One is the blocks I showed last week, made about 20 years ago.  I was very surprised to receive a nice comment from Joy, saying they were from Margaret Miller's book, Strips That Sizzle.  Then I recalled her prominence as a quilt expert in Seattle when I was quilting there. I must have done them to try her method, which is strong and dramatic.

I found 16 blocks, which look best on point, I think, and will make a nice wall hanging.

There's still another project from the past to work on and I hope to share it next week.

I link up with RSC16 at soscrappy and Monday Making at Love, Laugh, Quilt.  Check out these great Linky parties.

RSC16 week 2

MORE OLD, SOME NEW

It's so exciting to be working on the Rainbow Scrap Challenge again.  I'm enjoying using the two colors in my block.  

Because my main scrap stash has jelly roll strips, I decided to use 2.5-inch blocks.  The diagonals in white is what I wanted to emphasize like an Irish Chain.  So the block is large, 16 inches finished.  However, I'm trying to include a full range of blue along with a scattering of purple.  For the central part I used some HSTs from my stash, but I'm not satisfied with it yet.

But using up my stash has taken a blow.  My daughter was cleaning her basement and found some old quilt projects I thought were long gone.  So here is the pile of scraps after I unpinned them from an old sheet 'design wall'.

I also found these colorful blocks which I do not remember making at all.  It was over 20 years ago.  Please excuse the poor photo; it was late at night.

So one step forward and two steps back, but I'm having fun and that's what counts, along with not buying any more fabric this year, one whole week.  Hope I can keep it up.  I made a list of all my projects as a reminder not to get too overloaded.

I link up with RSC16 at superscrappy.blogspot.com and Monday Making at Love, Laugh, Quilt.  Do check out what others are doing there.