Little Green Things

Indian Hatchet Blocks that finish at 4 inches. If the RSC color is primary then I add corners that are in secondary colors and vice versa. These were inspired by a vintage quilt. 

These are big Chips that start with 5 inch centers and...

...these are little Chips that start with 2.5 inch centers. For both sets of Chips I try to use jewel tones and I'm also using up a small pile of black and white fabrics. 

 I haven't trimmed the dog ears yet but these are the Hourglasses made from the scraps of some of the above blocks. 

That's it for green for now. I did set aside some scraps for a table topper but haven't made it yet. I will work on it the next time the RSC (Rainbow Scrap Challenge) color is green. There's usually a month for dark green and a month for light green but I used all greens this month. 

Rainbow Scrap Challenge ScrapHappy Saturday

Tulipa Errata

Tulipa Errata

76 x 76

It's a finish!

Pattern was from the book Material Obsessions 2 by Kathy Doughty called Now and Then. 

I call my quilt Tulipa Errata because the pattern had errors. It gave incorrect cutting instructions for those triangles and center block where I appliqued the string tulips and I didn't know there were errors until I went to assemble all of the parts. I read and reread the pattern. Measured and remeasured the parts and decided I had cut everything and constructed everything according to the pattern. Then I went searching for errata. I couldn't find the publisher STC-Craft's web page. Finally I found contact information for Kathy Doughty and sent her an email and received a response with corrections. (See August 2019 post for original email and response.) At my stage in the process those corrections did not do me any good. I had to improvise and ended up adding coping strips here and there in order to bring my center square and triangles up to the correct size so I could finish assembling the quilt. 

I used 1.5 inch scrap strips in '30s reproduction fabrics to make the tulips. I wish I had used strings of different widths or made fabric instead. 

I used 2.5 inch scraps to make some of the sections in the borders. 

I hand quilted it with a variety of pink and red perle cotton #8.

Most of the quilting was crosshatch but in the triangles with the tulips I added some hand stitched petals here and there. 

For the backing I used some old pink Fancy Nancy fabric I've had around since the granddaughters were little Fancy Nancies. It just seemed appropriate since it looks like Fancy Nancy and others are celebrating Spring.  For the binding I used some of the longer pieces I found in the box of 2.5 inch wide '30s reproduction scraps. 

Well, this quilt is not for me. There is just too much pink in it. But I'm sure a special person will come along one of these days that will need it. So into the gift pile it goes. 

Peacock Party at Wendy's Quilts and More

Finished or Not Finished Friday at Alycia Quilts

Pea Soup Is Finished!

Pea Soup

64 x 80

It's a finish!

This is one of the tops I made last year from a box of 4.5 inch blocks accumulated over the years. 

I only used mostly green blocks to make the top. Most of the 4.5 inch blocks were Four Patches or HSTs. 

I combined the 4.5 inch blocks and some 4.5 inch squares and made a variety of 8 inch (finished) blocks. 

I then made 8 inch (finished) Hourglass blocks from a bag of green scrap chunks to use as an alternate block. 

I finished the top back in April 2020. 

I quilted it with diagonal, horizontal and vertical lines on my DSM in light green thread I had on hand. 

The binding is a dark green stripe. I was going to go with green scrappy but couldn't decide which greens to use and the green stripe was about the only green I had that would make it around the quilt so I went with that. 

The backing is a light green, very soft and silky and gently used sheet. 

Ready for giving or gifting!

 

Mystery A12-Dakota Inspired

Alycia, who makes and quilts so many gorgeous quilts for Quilts of Valor (QOV), is hosting another mystery.  Here's clues 1 and 2. My quilt will be scrappy.  I have almost run out of patriotic prints but I do have a variety of red paisley fabrics to use along with some stars.  

This is clue #3.  I used more stars and paisley prints and a red tone on tone. 

I'm looking forward to a new clue on Wednesday. It's not too late to join in the fun. 

Mystery A12 - Dakota Inspired at Alycia Quilts

 

And Then There Were Forty-Eight

I just finished the last five Plus Postage blocks. Now I have forty-eight ten inch (finished) blocks. 

Now this complete block set is ready for the "Some Assembly Required" box of complete block sets that need to be assembled into tops. 

The Plus Postage pattern can be found in the April 2016 edition of American Patchwork and Quilting and is designed by Susan Ache. I didn't follow the instructions. (I looked at the pictures). Susan Ache's version uses strip piecing and only two fabrics per block. I used quite a variety of 1.5 inch squares (postage stamps cut from scraps) and sewed those together one square at a time. 

Oh Scrap! at Quilting is More Fun Than Housework

 

3.5 Plus 2

X and + blocks

I've been using scrap chunks this year to make most of my Rainbow Scrap Challenge (RSC) blocks. This week these blocks all use a combination of 3.5 and 2 inch pieces. 

Buckeye Beauty Blocks

I've been combining the RSC color of the month with odds and ends of shirts and multicolored black pieces. 

Propellers 

I've been combining the RSC color of the month with some odds and ends of gray for the background, red scraps for the ends of the + and black scraps for the centers. 

Antique Tiles

It's a fun challenge to try to combine three different greens from the scrap chunks to make these blocks. 

Rainbow Scrap Challenge ScrapHappy Saturday

 

Little Quilts and Big Churn Dashes

Two finishes! 

Each 40.5 x 60

The Churn Dash blocks finish at 13.5 inches.

I used a wide variety of scrap chunks. 

These blocks are quick and easy to make so I think for awhile I'll make this my new quilt block for kid sized donation quilts. 

Last year I just made blocks with no layout in mind and I had not given any thought as to whether or not the blocks would play nicely together.  In December of last year I divided the blocks into two piles -- one kind of hot and the other kind of cold - and assembled the tops. 

I pieced the backs with some backing leftovers and some pieces of large bright plaids. 

For several months I've been so afraid to free motion quilt (FMQ) anything because my sewing machine would need to go in for maintenance almost every single time I did FMQ. Well, these were the first two I quilted on my new machine and I was in heaven instead of on pins and needles. 

I quilted spirals. 

 These will be donated to Quilts Beyond Borders (QBB) - a charity providing quilts to children in underserved areas of the world. A visit to the QBB blog will give you a glimpse of some colorful quilts as well as describe some of the charities that received quilts. 

In the last year I have mostly worked on twin sized quilts for donation and gifts using up swapped blocks and moving forward UFOs but I hope to get back to some of these smaller quilts this year. I have a lot of orphan blocks and pieces in the Parts Department. 

Oh, I almost forgot to mention that the Fat Quarter Shop sponsors a Fat Quarter Challenge. Send in a quilt for an entry to the monthly drawing for a $25 gift certificate. 

I received my second shot of covid vaccine Wednesday and slept all day yesterday under a pile of quilts because I had the same side effects as I did after the first dose - chills and fatigue and a sore arm. Today is a new day!!

Finished or Not Finished Friday at Alycia Quilts

Peacock Party at Wendy's Quilts

Not Just Because

I was doing a bit of blog reading one day and came across Nann's (With Strings Attached) blog post about some Sawtooth Stars she made "just because".   I love Sawtooth Stars and haven't made any in awhile although I have had two different ideas for Sawtooth Stars in the back of my mind for quite some time.   BUT I have a UFO started in 2018 according to my UFO list that was inspired by The Lincoln Museum Quilt.   A lot of times when inspired I will make a couple of blocks just to remind myself I want to use a certain set of fabrics to make a certain quilt. In this case I made two Sawtooth Stars and two Sixteen Patches and the fabrics I want to use up are old shirts and a small pile of homespun fabrics. 

So I recently made 16 more Sawtooth Stars not just because but because I want to move this UFO forward. 

Now I just need to make 15 more Sixteen Patch blocks and maybe by month end this set of blocks will be complete and ready for the Some Assembly Required box. 

You know...back in the day when I used to make clothes I would have really been bothered by unmatched plaids but that doesn't bother me at all today. 

Then one day I wandered into Gretchen's Little Corner and saw that she was making Split Nine Patch blocks. Well, how about that! I won a bunch of Split Nine Patches back in August 2016 and haven't done a thing with them. I think I counted 54 blocks and it's a good thing I put the directions for making the blocks in with them because I could not remember what was going on here. We were supposed to use either dark gray or dark purple on one side and white on the other. And then two squares on both sides were to be medium grays or purples. 

So anyway...Gretchen linked to a post at Quilting Twin that had a layout for Split Nine Patches that formed a star. I loved it. And that's what had me digging out my Split Nines. But my Split Nine blocks don't really seem like they look as nice in a Star layout, darn it. 

Guess I'll use this layout. A kind of secondary pattern is formed with the medium fabrics in the light and dark sections although the definition of medium is all over the place as far as value. But I think that will be okay. 

 So not just because but because I feel like moving this UFO forward I've been cutting pieces for more blocks on quilting breaks. Hopefully I can find enough purples and grays in the scrap bags. Make do!

Roots

 Happy St. Patrick's Day!