Rainbow scrap challenge - 3 tops completed

I have been unemployed for nine months, so staying home with plenty of sewing time is not new for me. Having said that I still have UFO's!  I found these four patches I made for Rainbow Scrap challenge which last year I turned into chain blocks. 

The project stalled previously because I ran out of the red spot I was using for sashing.  But now they are together I think the scrappy look rocks! So first quilt made was nearly a full rainbow.  Avoided purple because I was sticking to the recommended size by my prefered charity - plus its more likely to appeal to a teenage boy without purple?  Well thats what my teen says.

 

Second quilt top made using the leftover blues and greens.  I love this colour combination, again hoping it appeals to a teenage boy.  Piecing is easy at home.  Pinning a quilt is not, I need to work out a strategy to overcome this hurdle otherwise I am going to have a houseful of tops instead of finished quilts!

Lucky last a pink, purple and pale blue quilt top, in a different layout. 
I have struggled at times this week - making more blocks didn't fuel my creative outlet and going for a walk only temporarily helped.  It was the realisation that we could/would be self isolating for months and months and months that was doing my head in.  I spent a day in the garden and I feel way more positive.  I think quiet joy of gardening and planting seeds knowing that they take weeks and weeks to develop into edible vegetables gave me some perspective. 
Stay home, stay safe.

Happy quilting Sue.

Green four patches and other RSC blocks

I made a resolution that in 2020 I would return to Rainbow Scrap Challenge - I really missed it last year!  Januarys colour is green.

To kick things off I have continued making four patches from 2.5" scraps in all shades of green.

Then I started making four patches of Half Squared Triangles in coordinated fabrics.  This got a bit tricky so I used similar toned fabrics to make up the numbers. I was hoping to make these the sails of sail boat blocks.  I have loads of brown scraps and thought I could use them as boat hulls.

Then I went looking for the previously made 4 patches that I had  made into Irish chain (??) blocks...not sure of name? And realised I had nearly enough to start making a charity quilt, if I could find some more white sashing fabric in my stash.  The bonus with this layout is all the single 2.5"squares that I cannot find a mate for, get to be cornerstones!  

After a marathon day sewing I thought I  was winning the war on reducing my scraps.  And then Mum decided to gift me some fabric (scraps of course) to "help" me out, LOL!  I spent another marathon day cutting it up into useable squares.  I am kitting up quilts for a charity sewing day and this will help....so long as all of it gets used up!

I started making these mini Dresden blocks a few years ago as part of my RSC, but only made seven.  The last block was orange and it turns out I cut them too small to use.  I lost interest then, but this year decided to resurrect this as my hand sewing project.  I loved making the leaves and berries in my Warm Regards quilt last year, so have appliqued cherries in the centre of each Dresden.  This has been a fun way to use my reproduction fabric scraps.  We will see how far I get this year.

Happy quilting Sue.

2019 finishes - the quilty year that was in images!

Four patches and kids tops galore!

I started making four patches as part of Rainbow Scrap Challenge many years ago.  And I am still making them, it just took me until June to get back on track this year!

The problem is you think you have oodles of blocks and then when you lay them out, at 4" finished they don't go far enough for a quilt!  So after racking my brain and cruising images on the internet, I came up with a plan to make them stretch a little bit further..

Which resulted in lots of sewing of sashing onto blue four patches. Which turned into this rainbow!  Blue is Junes colour but I do have way more blue scraps then any other colour.  As I am loving this look and love the simplicity of  using my 2.5" scraps and sewing four patches, I am just going to continue sewing.  No reason to try and make this into a top anytime soon, just enjoying the process!

While I was on a sashing roll I got together these purple and pink novelty four patches.  These blocks (and fabric) were mainly given to me last year from my friends at our Robe retreats.  There has been quite a few kids charity quilts made and donated by me since then but not necessarily from the fabrics they gave me.  Which is silly because it was all pre cut! 

Sew I have been working my way through the bag, sorting blocks into sizes and colours.  Sewing up small squares into blocks and then laying out on my lounge room floor (aka design wall).  The second top missed out on sashing because I thought all that lovely colour needed to shine undiluted!

I am happy with these two purple n pink tops, just need to consider borders and find some suitable backing fabric.  I have already pinned two kids quilts this week, so I am back to having a "to be quilted" pile, only one month after clearing the decks!  

Happy quilting Sue.

Warrnambool 4 patch flimsy finishes

I finally got a border on this kids charity quilt.  Lots of colours would work, but I just felt Orange rarely gets centre stage and needed a chance to shine! ; )

The blue I brought to border this very blue quilt came from a quilt shop.  It felt stiff but I figured a good wash would fix that, so I washed it and it still felt like cardboard. :(  

I pieced all the Vivid Grid blocks into a top but decided this was a good size as is (using guidelines from Very Snuggly quilts) and the upper limit of size I like to quilt myself (approx 50 "square).  I am happy with this top, but dont love the cream background.  Wish I had thought to make a blue background with red and yellow crosses...next time! This is fast becoming a favorite pattern.

I have been making the backings for all three quilt tops (that I made on retreat), using a great fish print I brought from Spotlight when we were at Warrnambool - it was such a bargain I brought the rest of the bolt.  Because all three quilts just needed 10" extra added to the width of the fish fabric, I used the crunchy blue as the side strip on the back.  That got rid of it and I made a promise to myself to never buy fabric that feels remotely hard again!  

Happy quilting Sue.

Rainbow Scrap Challenge Star Quilt finished!

A collection of scraps, sewn together into blocks each month in nominated Rainbow Scrap Challenge colours - whats not to love about this beauty!

Yeah another finish in time for our exhibition at the end of May! 

This quilt measures 56 x 56" and is made up of 8" star blocks.  I cut up my accumulated scraps using my Go Cutter 2.5" square and half square triangle dies.  This is one of the blocks that I made with that combination of pieces.  Because you can get a triangle out of most scraps, I have ended up with a LOT of these star blocks.

This year I havent sewn a single new block for RSC, which makes me sad.  However I did make this top in January, during the heat of summer and it has been waiting to be quilted ever since.

In the end I gave it to my long arm quilting friend Vicki Jenkin because I knew I was running out of time to quilt it myself.  And I was very aware that lots of the intersections were very lumpy from so many seams...sorry Vicki!

So while I have been finishing minis quilts and sewing hanging sleeves ready for our show, Vicki has finished this quilt for me, using a much loved all over pattern called Asti (like the bubbly wine I guess!) in a turquoise thread, which just makes the fun rainbow of colours come alive. I am really pleased with this quilt!

Happy quilting Sue.

RSC cot quilt finished

Sew I finally got the quilting and binding done on this cot sized quilt. It all came out of my stash, apart from the cute dot border fabric I brought on sale at Periwinkle Patchwork when we were on summer holidays.

 

I just quilted diagonal lines in the bocks and stippled in the border.  This quilted used up some of the Rainbow Scrappy challenge star blocks and four patches that I have been making for the last few years.  

Somehow for no apparent reason I have not made a single RSC block this year.  When I think it through its because I dont have any neutrals cut.  I do have a small collection of stash left (that is not reproduction fabric) but the majority of the neutrals are very cream/.tan and I was enjoying the white neutrals in this quilt with the clearer colours.  However scrap reduction must continue, so cutting some more 2.5 inch strips in neutrals is getting bumped up the to do list priority, so I can reduce my scraps and make some more charity quilts.

Happy quilting Sue.

Rainbow stars assembled - two flimsy finishes

Its hot now and it was hot when I was on holidays and I needed to sew!  Rummaging around in my stash (which is kept all over the house) looking for my Rainbow Scrappy Challenge blocks, which I haven't worked on in months! :(  For January, red was the designated colour and I could not get motivated - which is odd as I love red!

But all of these beautiful colours are calling me - and there are so many 8" star blocks I figure I am done with making more of these  and should just put them together.  Easier said then done, as I have more of one colour then others.  Which makes a diagonal layout a better choice then rows and I am thrilled with the finished size 56" x 56" which is a row longer then I expected - just enough of the bright colours to keep this beauty sparkling!

WOW I am in LOVE with this quilt!  Yep need to make another one!  Perhaps I am not done with these star blocks at all!

OK perhaps that pattern is just not going to work for me again right NOW as I have used all the good colours up like, orange and lime green ;(

So I pull out all the pink (because for some reason I have a whole lotta pink) stars and then decide its time to put my RSC four patches to work also.  I really tried to make a chain block work in between the stars but I didn't have enough of one colour.

So I went with this layout in yellow and aqua/pale blue.  

A perfect border print found during my day trip to Warrnambool at Periwinkle Patchwork finishes off this cute cot quilt.  

Happy quilting Sue.