Church Window Hexagon Variation

 Temecula Quilt Company is having a Church Window Hexagon Variation Sew Along.  Finished blocks are 3.5 inches.  

The quilt is inspired by this vintage one c. 1825-1875 from the Quilter's Guild Collection.  It just so happens that I had previously bookmarked that quilt as one I would like to make. So with Temecula Quilt Company's prompting I am now making my version of that vintage quilt.  I've added it to my Rainbow Scrap Challenge projects and will make them each month in the color of the month.  That's why I have made red blocks for January and yellow for February.    I'm not following the cutting instructions found at Temecula but instead I am using 3.5 and 1.5 inch scraps to make mine as follows: 

 For this example I am cutting for 3 blocks with multicolored centers and corners and light sides and 3 blocks with light centers and corners and multicolored sides. 

So to begin with I gathered 3 different multicolored 3.5 inch scraps and 3 different light 3.5 inch scraps.  Scraps must be at least 3.5 x 5 inches. 

I cut one 2 inch and two 1.5 inch pieces from the 3.5 inch scraps. 

So as not to confuse I removed the fly fabric from the top of the stack because I want to fussy cut the fly for the center.  

 I cut a 2 inch square and a 1.5 inch square from the 2 inch piece. Those 1.5 inch squares will go into the postage stamp scrap box because they are extras.  I cut the two 1.5 inch pieces into 1.5 inch squares.  There's a tiny bit of waste but you know my waste goes into the compost pile or on garden paths so it's really not waste to me. 

So now we have our block centers and corners. We still need some sides. 

 I cut the sides from 1.5 inch scraps that are at least twelve inches long. 

The light centers and corners need multicolored sides and the multicolored need light sides so I gathered three multicolor and three light scraps. 

From each strip cut two 2 inch pieces and 2 four inch pieces.  (Yes, my scraps sometimes get pretty hairy).  

 Now that all pieces are cut the centers/corners and sides can be paired up and put in a baggie so they are ready for the next time I feel like sewing them together. 

That fussy cut fly is now paired up with some multicolored pansies. 

And that's another new start for 2019!

Promises

I promised myself I would not let this year's "New Starts" go into a box and sit idle for years. I promised myself to at least work on the quilt a little each month if not a little each week. 

Minnie's Stars started January 3, 2019. 

I kept my promise this month. 

It would really help if I would always cut the angles correctly on a stack of those blue pieces. 

-24 F here right now at 7:00 a.m.  

It's definitely quilt wearing weather. 

It's a Finish! All My Ducks Are in a Row

 All My Ducks in a Row

40 x 60

It's a finish ready for giving or gifting. 

No clothesline photo again today.  Today's low -27 and right now it is -1. Tomorrow the high is predicted to be -16 and the low -32.  I'm glad I'm retired and don't have to go outside. 

 This quilt used up the bits and pieces of duck themed fabrics left over after I made the quilt I finished yesterday.  Plus I had various sized pieces of other duck fabrics from I Spy swaps I have participated in over the years.   I didn't have quite enough centers so made a few HSTs from the duck fabric scraps to use.  I made some ten inch Happy Blocks and some off center ten inch Framed Squares and combined them to make the quilt top back in May 2018.  

Last year was my first full year of retirement and I tried to use miscellaneous bits and pieces to make quilt tops and this year I hope to concentrate on getting them all quilted and donated or gifted. I've been trying to finish 2 of these smaller ones per week. 

 I quilted in some waves and bubbles. 

I used flannel on the back and bound it in orange. 

This was my goal #19

for

Q1 Finish-Along

It's a Finish! Duck, Duck, Goose

 Duck, Duck, Goose

45 x 54

It's a finish ready for giving or gifting. 

(No clothesline photos today. I draw the line at going out when it's below zero). 

Last year while digging through some boxes I found a remnant of blue and yellow fabric with ducks. I continued digging and I also found some fabric in my stash with pale yellow ducks on a pale pink background.  I think the game Duck Duck Goose went through my mind about that time and that prompted me to pick up some pink, yellow and blue scraps to make some Flying Geese.  The mind works in mysterious ways.  I finished the top last May. 

I used a soft yellow cotton sheet on the back and quilted it with simple straight lines.

This was my goal #20

for

Q1 Finish-Along

Strips and Strings; Spider Webs and Hearts

 I've been using 1.5 inch strips to continue work on an old Spider Web UFO. 

I've been using low volume (well, mostly low volume) strings to make Hearts. 

Strips, Strings, Scraps! Oh, my! 

Oh Scrap! at Quilting is More Fun than Housework

A Kitty Litter of Sally Cats

A Kitty Litter of Sally Cats

(A group of Sally Cats is called a Kitty Litter)

A Sally Cat is a micro breed of cat measuring three inches square. You may see them in any color of the rainbow and find them hanging out in Nine Patches living their nine lives. As you can see some are sweet and some end up in prison stripes; some are slightly dotty and some are snowflakes; some are tattooed all over and some are plain and simple.  By nature they are quarrelsome, have an aggressive and determined spirit and are feisty (aka scrappy).

I saw Sally's micro Sally Cat and asked her for breeding advice because I thought I might breed some to live in my oodles of  Nine Patches. She obliged.   Sally freely offers breeding advice for a  little larger variety of cat that I have seen popping up in red all over blogland.  The original Sally Cats that started it all live in a beautiful quilt. 

Rainbow Scrap Challenge ScrapHappy Saturday

Can't wait to see what color I'll be breeding next month! 

It's a Flimsy! Log Cabins in the Woods

 Log Cabins in the Woods

It's a flimsy!

45 x 63

 Wonky log cabin blocks with little 3 inch "cabins" in the center. 

 This is the second quilt top this size that I've made from the brown and green strings.  (The other is  wonky quarter log cabin blocks with lizard, chameleon, frog centers). 

 I still have some green and brown strings left but not enough for another quilt so I've resorted them into other string piles now. 

 The light green strings are now in the low volume string box. I'm making string heart blocks with them. 

 The really small pieces will go into making crumb leaves. If the piece is longer than 6 inches it will go into the bright string box for another string WIP. 

These longer and wider strings will go into the bright strings box to be used in other stringy WIPs. 

I've mentioned previously that most of my strings come from quilt back trimmings. At the beginning of the string sorting I saved out the long strings wider than 2.5 inches to cut for scrappy bindings. 

And now I have an empty box. 

And there are some tiny green and brown snippets in the trash which will go on the flower garden paths or into the compost pile come Spring.

Now on to the next pile of strings and to the
Peacock Party at Wendy's Quilts and More

It's a Finish!

Framed Squares

36 x 54

Ready for giving or gifting!

This was the January 2017 Block Lotto block of the month. 

 I decided to give the blocks a try using some bits and pieces of Princess Castle fabrics I think I had leftover from making pillowcases for the granddaughters when they were younger. I also had a variety of different pink solids in the chunk scrap crate as well as  some purple solids. 

I quilted in some free motion four petaled flowers. I didn't have any pink thread so used purple and it may be a bit overwhelming. I guess I will just think pink sky and castles in purple flower gardens. 

The flowers blend in on the back! 

This was my goal #21

for

Q1 Finish-Along

It's a Finish! Sports Happy

Sport Themed Happy Blocks

40 x 60

Ready for giving or gifting. 

 I love novelty fabrics. Years and years ago when the grandkids were little I participated in a lot of novelty swaps so I could have a variety of novelties to use in I Spy quilts for them and my grandnieces and grandnephews.  I've used lots of the swapped squares but still have lots to be used.  Most squares are either 6.5 inches or 4 inches. Last year I decided to go through a lot of those squares and sort them into some themed groups and then make some kiddo sized quilts.  Last year I made a bunch of tops and this year I hope to quilt a bunch of tops and send the finished quilts out into the world. Maybe that will free up a little space in my sewing room. 

Happy Blocks are always a fun way to showcase novelties and use chunks of scraps. They are also versatile in that any size center and framing strips can be used to make a block any size you need.  In this case I used some 6.5 inch sport themed centers and 2.5 inch sides. 

I quilted it with some spirals. A kind soul sent me the sport themed backing fabric. The green binding was leftover from binding I made for a wheelchair quilt earlier in the month. 

This was my goal #7

for

Q1 Finish-Along

Still Working on Gallimaufry

Since last year I've been making little four inch blocks with fourteen pieces for a quilt I call Gallimaufry.  I just finished this bunch today.   

I have them in many different colors but I need lots and lots and lots more.  I'm aiming for a twin sized or bigger quilt. 

I was inspired by this c. 1890 quilt I spied at Rocky Mountain quilts. 

 I see it has now been sold to someone who must like it as much as I do. 

I liked the quilt because so many secondary patterns show up as well as a chain and it's full of scrappy goodness. 

I have lots of little 1.5 inch HST pieces cut and ready to go to work. I just need to cut some white scraps into HSTs and match them up with these. 1.5 inch HSTs (1 inch finished) is the first step to making Gallimaufry blocks. 

Those colorful little HST pieces were cut at the same time I cut pieces for the Vintage Thingamajigs. 

 I think I've explained this before but I use the Easy Angle ruler to cut HSTs and I use the Companion Angle to cut Quarter Square Triangle (QST) and Flying Geese (FG) pieces.   I needed the QST pieces for Vintage Thingamajigs but didn't need any HST pieces.  Rather than waste the beginning and end of the strip I used to cut QSTs I cut HSTs from the beginning and end of the strip knowing that I would need them for my Gallimaufry quilt.   

(Note that the pic is cutting for a completely different quilt and cut from 2 inch strips but concept is the same. From that strip I need FG pieces for my Sunflower quilt and don't need any HSTs but I'm saving the beginning and ending HSTs to make little pinwheels later on.) 

It's a Flimsy! Kaleidoscope of Butterflies

Kaleidoscope of Butterflies

64 x 80

It's a flimsy! 

 A group of butterflies is officially called a kaleidoscope, although they are sometimes referred to as a swarm. Groups of caterpillars are called an army.

 Actually the butterflies are waste triangles against a sky of blue tone on tone scraps.  It's been overcast (and very cold) outside so the colors look darker than they really are. 

Now to find a backing and quilt in some flowers for the butterflies. 

Moving it Forward Monday at Em's Scrapbag

Monday Making at Love Laugh Quilt