Paula B Quilts

Friday, July 22, 2016

RSC16 week 30

SUMMER DOLDRUMS

Because it has been too hot to do anything outside this week I have had plenty of time for sewing. Then why haven't I got very much done? I think the heat has been making me sleepy and I'm taking naps all the time. That and the usual life stuff getting in the way.

I am happy to report both Modern HST Sampler finishes for July, done in happy watermelon colors. Last week I asked for your advice on background colors, either black or light pink floral to relieve too much white in the Turnstile block. Most of you preferred the black as being more modern, but it wasn't quite right. A couple of you suggested purple (why not? ). Good advice and this is the result.

Thanks to all of you who helped me to decide.

During the week there were too many online sales and I gave in to some, blame it on the heat again.

My stock of solids and batiks has now nicely filled out and my charge card balance as well. If a quilter has to have fabric there is NOTHING that can stop us, right?

Today I'm proud to say that I finished the Introspection block after only three major rippings. I even took my photos before I realized some of the HSTs were going the wrong way. I fixed that, took more photos and twice found some of the chevrons aimed wrong. Alter much grinding of teeth and backbreaking labor, here is the final product.

Another gorgeous William Morris Jewels was so perfect for the rosy print HSTs that I also added it to the center square. Thanks, Barbara Brackman, for your talented repro designs.

This long final week of July will give me time to do an improv block and bind the two Pinwheel quilts. I hope you all find time for doing quilting and having fun.

I'm linking up this week with

Rainbow Scrap Challenge at

soscrappy

Modern HST Sampler at

Blossom Heart Quilts

Tuesday, July 19, 2016

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

Sunday, July 17, 2016

Oh Scrap, July 17

MY FAVORITE SCRAP PROJECT

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

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.

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

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.

JOIN IN THE FUN AT

Oh Scrap at quiltingisbetterthanhousework.blogspot.com

Rainbow Scrap Challenge at soscrappy

Modern HST Sampler at Blossom Heart Quilts

Friday, July 15, 2016

RSC16 week 29

EVERTHING'S COMING UP ROSY

This was a productive week for me, trying to get my commitments done. My OMG goal for July is to finish my pair of Pinwheel Quilts, which were just flimsies about 42 inches square. As of today I can report I have finished the quilting and have only the dreaded binding left. My arms got a workout doing those twisting rows and straight ones were easier.

Here is my progress on the Modern HST Sampler called Turnstile. It consists of many smaller HSTs and lots of white, too much for my liking. I'm torn between two different background colors and could use your input. It is a modern series, but lately I've been using more foliage for the greens.

Number One is modern:

I know the black is a strong contrast, but it makes a statement ( what it says is whatever you think, like Wake Up!, or just Yuck, I hate it! )

Number Two is definitely traditional:

The light is not great but it is a pink floral on white. It's stretching my limit of what is modern, but it would blend better with other blocks.

My ROSY Twinkler is one I'm very happy with summer at its best. I just love it.

I'm joining another project, Melody Larson's Focus on Fusing, which is just starting and I'm waiting for a fabric order to arrive so I can get going on learning her methods.

Do check out what others are doing. I link up with RSC16 at

soscrappy and Sew Cute Tuesday at

Blossom Heart Quilts

Friday, July 8, 2016

RSC16 week 28

GOOD ENOUGH TO EAT

With the hot weather upon us, using these watermelon colors seems to be keeping me cool, at least in my mind. The luscious colors are really dripping with cool.

Each month I seem to be starting off with my sailboats because, truthfully, they are the fastest to make. This is one where I found the HSTs already made from some other project, so it almost felt like cheating. On the other hand I don't have a Parts Deptartment full of orphan blocks, like Magpie Sue's.

I really had a good time making this 16-patch block. My scrap box of rose, pink and lime is not very full this month, so I dithered around until I came across a bunch of polka dot pink charm squares. I've never been fond of them, but for this block they made it so playful I could not resist. I think it's now my favorite 16-patch.

These dots also remind me of watermelon seeds, the little white ones. I even found some wonky green melons.

This week I also entered the OMG July Monthly goal at Red Letter Quilts, which is to quilt and bind my two Pinwheel Row quilts. So that is my major undertaking for now. I'm using my walking foot to do a mix of straight and wavy lines (It's not always clear which is which.)

For my Twinkler star I found some gorgeous flowers like the full blown rose, so that will be my focal point.

My wish for all of you dear friends is a fun and satisfying week, whatever that includes.

I'm linking up this week with

Rainbow Scrap Challenge at soscrappy

Sew Cute Tuesday at Blossom Heart Quilts

One Monthly Goal at Red Letter Quilts

Brave Quilter at Pink Doxies
Have a look at all the interesting things that are going on there.

OMG for July

This is a pair of Pinwheel Row quilts which have been WIPs for a long time. I made some progress on getting backings made and getting them pinned ready for quilting.

My OMG goal is to have them both machine quilted and bound by the end of July, so I don't quit so close to the finish. They are about 45 inches square and started with a giveaway of 92 HSTs left over from a project by Summer at Easy Quilter. I turned them into six inch pinwheels and had enough to make two quilts. The rest of the rows were just added as I had the fabric and thought up some uses, with lots of pinwheels jelly roll strips from stash.

Quilt number One:

Quilt number Two:

I'm making this goal for myself and for Project Linus which will be the recipient of these kids quilts.

Saturday, July 2, 2016

Brave Quilter Challenge, June

I took this challenge to learn how to appliqué circles which represent balloons. I completed the Balloon quilt for the Rainbow Scrap Challenge 15. Here is the completed flimsie, December 2015

For the back I have yardage of a lovely turquoise shade and I want to have balloons being set free and ascending up, up and away.

I've never really done appliqué and have been afraid to try it, but the backing is sitting there waiting. This month I read on some blogs about Lara Bucella!s brand new book Crafted Appliqué. I don't do hand stitching any more and this seemed like an answer to prayer.

At the same time I read about the Brave Quiter challenge for June at Pink Doxies and decided to enter to give me an incentive to complete this quilt back. I ordered the book from Amazon and bought Mod Podge for fabric and some foam brushes at Hobby Lobby. Yesterday I found a scrap of fabric to work with. Here is my layout.

It was easy to apply the Mod Podge and smooth it out. After drying, I cut out the circles of various sizes to test my luck with different stitches.

The results are very unimpressive. But I did try the single stitch, the worst one, and the satin stitch possibly passable with practice. I think the chicken tracks, or whatever they are, turned out the best. It was the easiest to turn and hid glitches better. The glue held the circles in place, however the edges came loose in a few places. I pressed them again as recommended and that was an improvement. No fabric was scorched in this test.

So I completed my goal to see if I could do the appliqué and that was a great incentive. Big thanks to you, Julie.

Friday, July 1, 2016

RSC16 week 27

EASING INTO JULY

I must have had some subliminal message, because my slab block done this week is a combination of the colors for June and July.

Perhaps I should switch this block category from slab block to improv block because the way I work them has become a more lengthy and thoughtful process. My limits are the 8.5 inch size and the RSC16 colors, but I sort of work on developing a theme for each one. Here I started with the large flower, which quickly shifted off center. To balance it I added the pink building with some flowers and more floral fabrics. The top left piece was cut from a piece of ruby chard stalks to represent tree branches. Now I think of it as a little neighborhood flower shop.

Here is the group of six improv blocks for RSC16 so far.

The main project for this week was to get my pair of Pinwheel quilts pinned and ready to quilt. I went to Hobby Lobby and bought 45 inches of 90-inch Warm and White, my favorite batting for light weight and it does not require close quilting, a limit of 10 inches. I bought it at 40% off, of course, and cut it in two. So each 45-inch square came to about four dollars. After trimming the fabric even, there was enough overhang for backing and flimsies. Here are the two similar quilts ready to go under my walking foot.

I want to thank my friend Janice for help with the pinning. I had a fun time today with my granddaughter Sarah and her friend Ilena from France, who helped with the photos and were the highlight of my day.

I'm working on a challenge project for Brave Quilters which will be turned in by the deadline this weekend. I wish all of you a happy weekend and fun quilting. I link up with RSC16 at

soscrappy and Sew Cute Tuesday at

Blossom Heart Quilts

Tuesday, June 28, 2016

Blossom Heart Quilts, June 28

COOL STREAM

It's summer already and half way through the Modern HST Sampler blocks. In fact, the block's title is Rock Pools, so I reversed the suggested color scheme and made all the light backgrounds dark and the small dark highlights became light and bright in my watery version. To me it speaks of cool water in a shady creek with the bubbling sound of the ripples over the rocks. What better place to spend a hot summer day!

I also just complete my slab block for June, which is done in teas and lime also, the Rainbow Scrap Challenge colors for the month. I spent a lot of time thinking about it as it grew into an image reminding me of a neighborhood flower shop.

Here's hoping all of you will have a good week full of stitching fun. I link up with Blossom Heart Quilts and Rainbow Scrap Challenge .

Friday, June 24, 2016

RSC16 week 26

HALF WAY AND A BLAST FROM THE PAST

It's summer already and half way through the year for many quilt projects, but for Rainbow Scrap Challenge it's less than that for block making. Some of you friends have amazed me with the amount of work you've accomplished. I'm not in that category, but it's not a race, is it?

My latest block for the Modern HST Sampler at Blossom Heart Quilts is done in the teals and lime. In fact, the block's title is Rock Pools, so I reversed the suggested color scheme and made all the light backgrounds dark and the small dark highlights became light and bright in my watery version. To me it speaks of cool water in a shady creek with the bubbling sound of the ripples over the rocks. What better place to spend a hot summer day!

I've also made significant progress on my pair of Pinwheel Row quilts. I finished the back of this one using strips and remainders from the front fabrics. Here they are folded in half lengthwise.

The second one will be ready to show next week and I also have the batting purchased, after a fun visit to Hobby Lobby.

While sorting through some very old quilt projects I was surprised to find four blocks done with curved piecing. I recognize my fabrics from 20 years ago, but I have no memory of making these blocks. I had no idea I had even attempted curves. Guess I was fearless way back when.

I arranged these pieces until I decided this was the best format. I'm calling it Spinning Curves and will have to let it percolate in my brain awhile to see what comes next.

I'm looking forward to July, but not for the heat. I have a week to go to work on my Brave Quilter challenge for June, run by Pink Doxies, and finish my slab block. By the way, did you notice that all my photos this week include teal and lime?

Have a fun week and check out Rainbow Scrap Challenge at soscrappy and Sew Cute Tuesday at Blossom Heart Quilts

Friday, June 17, 2016

RSC16 week 25

A COLORFUL WEEK

This has been a week of fun times and colorful projects. The highlight of my week was a visit from my family nearby. My granddaughter Sarah has a high school student visiting from France for a month. They came over so I could meet Ilena, a lovely girl who speaks English quite well. Sarah is in her third year of studying French. They have been laughing and enjoying each other. Here are Ilena with long hair and Sarah beside her. They will be celebrating their July birthdays together.

I showed them my latest Project Linus quilt idea and they got right down on the floor and laid out all the charm squares, then stacked up the rows so I can use them as leaders and enders. I've done two rows so far of ten planned. The packs are Riley Blake Solids and Northcott Colorworks Concepts.

My Rainbow Scrap Challenge Twinkler block was again challenging but satisfying. I found some great teal pieces including, appropriately, the starry sky one.

If that is not enough color, look at what came from Connecting Threads recently. I'm trying to add more solids to my stash. This stack of 17 fat quarters was under $15, just what I "needed".

The fabric in the foreground is the dress I was wearing that day. That's why I am the Rainbow Gal around here.

I hope you all have fun this week working on your projects. See what others are doing at Rainbow Scrap Challenge at soscrappy and Modern HST Sampler at Blossom Heart Quilts

Friday, June 10, 2016

RSC16 week 24

OCEAN MEMORIES

I grew up in Rhode Island where salt water was the defining element of summer. When I was just a toddler my father took me into the shallow bay waters where I loved spashing and paddling around him. Later on I went to the ocean beaches near my relatives' homes. I learned how to dive through the breakers and float on the calm surface father out. I took my share of tumbles of course, but I would spend hours in the water. No sunning on the sand for me. I went sailing on my uncle's 30 to 40-foot boats, the happiest place on earth for me.

When I moved to the West Coast after college I loved the beauty of the long deserted beaches, tall cliffs and tide pools teeming with sea creatures. Collecting shells and driftwood was a new hobby.

So this month's Rainbow Scrap Challenge colors bring to mind all those happy moments. Here is my fleet of 6-inch one-masted sloop blocks like Uncle Charlie's succession of them.

The Modern HST Sampler block this week makes me think of warm Florida waters and beach umbrellas.

Here is my 16-patch block for the month, aqua and lime tones like cool drinks at a seaside restaurant.

Don't know how the fox got in there so close to the henhouse, probably while we were watching the fireworks.

Recently I've ordered some very fun charm packs and lovely solids, which will make a very easy leader/ender Project Linus quilt.

That looks like enough color for this week. I hope all of you have a good time playing with your colors this week. I link up with RSC16 at soscrappy and Sew Cute Tuesday at Blossom Heart Quilts

Tuesday, June 7, 2016

Blossom Heart Quilts, June 7

ROWS AND CIRCLES

Blossom Heart Quilts,Rainbow Scrap Challenge,Pinwheel Row quilts

When searching through my quilt photos I found two Project Linus quilts for kids which have circles on the fleece backing. The first one has bright colored circles, a fun addition to the I Spy theme on the front.

The second one has a fleece backing of sports balls, soccer, footblall, baseball and basketball. It goes well with the boy themed charm squares on the front.

These next two quilts have been really fun to do. Two of my major WIPs have now become flimsies except for white borders. These are my Pinwheel Row quilts 1 and 2. The first one was pretty much done a while back, using HSTs from a giveaway to make the larger pinwheel blocks. I used two rows of them and added other rows and strips of little pinwheels. The bottom row consists of yo-yoes and a strip of round gear shapes, lots of circles there.

I boxed up all the leftovers and forgot about them until last week. Ahah! Maybe I could add a good bit more to make a second one of the same size, about 42 x 42 inches. When I unpacked the box I was really surprised to find two more complete pinwheel rows plus two extra blocks and other strip groups already done. There were also plenty more of the small pinwheel strips. In less than an hour I had the second top completely laid out. Another half hour and it was all pieced, using every pinwheel block and strip. This quilt also has circles in a medium teal blue strip among the little pinwheels.

Now I don't know which one I prefer, maybe the second. Both of them just happened as I went along and the pieces fell into place. I'm planning to make more row quilts from now on.

I hope to see what fun things all of you are doing this month. Join me for Rainbow Scrap Challenge at

soscrappy and Sew Cute Tuesday at Blossom Heart Quilts

Saturday, June 4, 2016

Brave Quilter, June

I want to learn to fuse and stitch appliqué. I am linking up with http://www.pinkdoxies.com/ to try to reach my goal. I hope to fuse and stitch down appliquéd circles as balloons on the backing of my Balloon Blocks quilt for the June challenge.

Friday, June 3, 2016

RSC16 week 23

JUNE IS BUSTIN' OUT ALL OVER

On Wednesday. June 1, the first peonies, luscious pink, bloomed. The first day lilies also opened. Our garden is also filled with white daisies everywhere. A beautiful start for my Wisconsin June.

I'm really excited about the color scheme of turquoise with lime green accents. So my first block for the month is sailing along on a sweet breeze.

However, two of my major WIPs have now become flimsies except for white borders. These are my Pinwheel Row quilts 1 and 2. The first one was pretty much done a while back, using HSTs from a giveaway to make the larger pinwheel blocks. I used two rows of them and added other rows and strips of little pinwheels.

Now I don't know which one I prefer, maybe the second. Both of them just happened as I went along and the pieces fell into place. I'm planning to make more row quilts from now on.

I hope to see what fun things all of you are doing this month. Join me for Rainbow Scrap Challenge at

soscrappy and Sew Cute Tuesday at Blossom Heart Quilts