Monkey Wrench Quilt Top #3

Monkey Wrench Top #3

Blues and Grays

42 x 42

FYI - 

Monkey Wrench Top #1

Monkey Wrench Top #2

7.5 inch Monkey Wrench blocks

For the last couple of years one of my Rainbow Scrap Challenge (RSC) projects has been Monkey Wrench block in three different sizes - 5 inch, 7.5 inch and 10 inch.  It's always fun to make blocks from scraps until I have a big pile of them. Then it's always fun to see how many donation/comfort quilts I can make from those piles. 

For this top I pulled out all of the blue and gray blocks and then added a border.

And sew on...and on...

I am glad I know how to sew and that quilting is one of my hobbies. Without my hobbies (gardening, sewing, reading, genealogy) I think I would have a nervous breakdown. I turn to hobbies when I need to escape, relax, and clear the mind.   For the last couple of months I've been watching my husband of 50 years (in June) waste away and they still do not know all that is wrong with him. Hopefully soon we shall have some answers and a course of treatment since I've been taking him to doctor appointments and tests for a couple of months. Wednesday we are going in for more tests that were ordered in June. The wait times are just that long.  That's not the only crap happening around here...the drain pipe in the basement that goes out to the septic tank sprung a leak (a big corroded hole) and I could not find anyone to come fix it for a couple of weeks. So, I got to clean up that crap (literally) in the very old basement since my oldest son who lives with us is still recovering from having part of his foot amputated because he has a wound that does not want to heal.  It's been hotter than Hades up until yesterday and this old farmhouse does not have a/c so that's one good thing about doctor appointments and tests - cool air. My husband used to help me in the veg gardens but has been unable to even walk to the bathroom so I've been doing his garden chores (harvesting) and mine (weeding and processing) in the veg garden and he can't even eat most of what I harvest or process now although he might get down a little end of garden vegetable soup I have planned for tomorrow. I use the immersion blender on most of the little bit he eats now. I don't have time for the flower gardens because I want to spend time looking after and being with hubby instead. I barely sleep and check several times a night to make sure he is breathing and thank God each time that he is. 

And sew on...and on...

I'm glad I have hobbies.

 

Little Old Italians

 Old Italian Quilt Blocks

3 inch finished

Yellow is the Rainbow Scrap Challenge (RSC) color of the month. I dug into my bin with 5 inch squares and pulled out all the yellows (and a few orange) ones.  Then I put them into piles of 3.  Then I matched up each pile of 3 yellows with 3 of some other color 5 inch square.   Then in each stack I alternated a yellow square with another color square.   Then I followed the tutorial at My Joyful Journey that uses charm squares to make Old Italian or (X Marks the Spot ) blocks. 

RSC ScrapHappy Saturday

Monkey Wrench Quilt Top #2

Monkey Wrench Top #2

Pinks on Point

43 x 43

FYI - Monkey Wrench Top #1

7.5 inch Monkey Wrench blocks

For the last couple of years one of my Rainbow Scrap Challenge (RSC) projects has been Monkey Wrench block in three different sizes - 5 inch, 7.5 inch and 10 inch.  It's always fun to make blocks from scraps until I have a big pile of them. Then it's always fun to see how many donation/comfort quilts I can make from those piles. 

For this top I pulled out all the pink blocks and then had to make about 5 more Monkey Wrench blocks in pink.  I did sew the blocks together randomly but tried to keep the darker ones in the middle.

The side setting triangles are a light pink polka dot. I had just enough with a few scraps to spare. 

Finished or Not Finished Friday at Alycia Quilts.

 

Four Corners - A Mystery Quilt

Four Corners

A Mystery Quilt 4 Military

Clue #1 complete- 10 A blocks and 10 B blocks

I think clue #2 will be released today and I think you have to be a member of the MysteryQuilts4Military Group to get it.  Every time Alycia-Quiltygirl hosts a mystery I think it will be my last one because I've used up most of my patriotic prints and do not want to replenish that stash at this time. BUT I always seem to manage to dig up some patriotic and some other red, white and blue scraps so I can play along. I do love a good mystery! 

My version of the mysteries are usually scrappy but yours doesn't have to be. The instructions are written for one red, one white and one blue fabric but that's not my style. 

Some of my A and B blocks. 

More of my A and B blocks.

And sew on...

 

Yellow Blocks

Yellow is the Rainbow Scrap Challenge (RSC) color of the month. 

So I dug into my yellow scrap bag and made 

10 inch Monkey Wrench Blocks...

...and 7.5 inch Monkey Wrench blocks and...

...and 5 inch Monkey Wrench blocks and...

...six inch Broken Dishes blocks and...

...four inch Broken Dishes blocks and...

9 inch 9 Patch Snowball block and 3 inch Snowballs (light corners to be combined somewhere down the road with light cornered nine patches) and...

...3x5 Switch Plates and 4 inch Windmills.  All of those blocks were additions to collections already started - some long long ago. 

Then I started something new...8 inch Wonky Windmills.  I think I'll use some gray backgrounds for these and are made stack and whack method with four rectangles 4.5 x 5 - two gray and two another color.   I thought these would be a good use for any 4.5 or 5 inch width scraps long enough to cut a couple of pieces to make a block.  Might have to invest in a few different gray backgrounds. 

Another new block...Violets.   This is an old Block Lotto pattern and I've been making them from crumbs now and then off and on for a couple of years but since I have so many other scraps crumbs has been a low priority. I do have a little pile of florals that has been accumulating for awhile. I'm thinking both the block and background will be mostly florals. I might throw in a few insect backgrounds just so there's some pollinators in the wild and crazy cottage garden. 

Ok..so these are Boo Boo Patches.  

I had a few longer 1.5 inch scraps. I was thinking I would make another 18 patch quilt consisting of 1.5 x 2.5 inch rectangles. When I quickly calculated what length of strip I needed to make the blocks I incorrectly multiplied 1.5 x 9 instead of 2.5 x 9. And then I cut my scraps to that length and I sewed a bunch of yellow and neutral strips together and when it came time to cut....well, hmmm, doesn't seem like there is enough of a strip to cut nine 2.5 inch pieces. I looked at the scribble in my notebook where I did my calculation and saw the error. Sheesh! So I decided to go with the flow and go ahead and cut 1.5 inch pieces and make the 18 patches anyway.   So...Boo Boo Patches!   

So I'll name the quilt

 Way Down Yonder in the Boo Boo Patch. 

RSC ScrapHappy Saturday

 

Oh, Yes...Another Top!

Monkey Wrench

42 x 60

It's a top!

For the last couple of years one of my Rainbow Scrap Challenge (RSC) projects has been Monkey Wrench block in three different sizes - 5 inch, 7.5 inch and 10 inch.  It's always fun to make blocks from scraps until I have a big pile of them. Then it's always fun to see how many donation/comfort quilts I can make from those piles. 

This is the first top from the 7.5 inch pile of Monkey Wrench blocks.  It looks like I may be able to get 4 more quilts out of the 7.5 inch blocks but will have to make a few more blocks to add to each pile ---some blues, some pinks for a couple of baby quilts and some of whatever for a twin sized quilt. And there's a pile of mostly blacks and I haven't quite decided as to what I'll do with those. I have a couple of ideas.

I spy a block with a couple of pieces switched around. You know I looked at the block when I took this picture thinking there was something wrong with it but couldn't quite figure out what it was. 

And sew on...

 

It's A Top!

It's a top!

40 x 60

Every month so far this year I've had a theme in my sewing room to move UFOs and scraps forward. This month's theme is "free range" meaning I'm free to do as I darned well please. (Well, we all know I'm free to do as I darned well please every month but when I set a goal/theme I kind of like to stick with it and challenge myself to do as much as I can toward that goal/theme so my self usually cracks the whip and doesn't normally let my self do as I darned well please.)

Next month my theme is "orphans" because they are kind of out of hand. I have not just my own but some from others as well as parts of this and that and a few started-but-not-finished things from others. So in preparation for next month's theme of "orphans" one of the things I've been doing this month is assessing what I have thrown into the orphanages and if I have been given blocks or parts enough for a quilt then I've made a top if there was not a lot of thinking involved.

This top is a result of a few rectangles sewn together into pairs as well as a bunch of rectangle parts. Like yesterday's tops I am not sure of the maker's intent but this nice little kiddo comfort quilt is what I came up with -- kind of a rail fence. 

I think I need to order some batting and maybe some thread.

And sew on...

 

Two Tops!

Two Tops

Each 42 x 60

These blocks were given to me a few months ago. I do not know the original intent of the maker or makers but I did have fun playing with them.   I couldn't decide if I should make one big comfort quilt or two smaller comfort quilts.  I decided on two because the blocks are so nice, bright and happy - perfect for some kiddos who could use a quilty hug.  There's even a few blocks left over for the orphanage. Next month the theme in my sewing space is "Orphans" so maybe the remaining blocks will show up in a quilt top next month. 

And sew on...

 

Transformations

Stars

6 inch finished

A couple of years ago I made over 300  three inch Square in Square (SIS) blocks as one of my Rainbow Scrap Challenge (RSC) projects.  I divided them up into piles for three different quilts - #1 Stars, #2 Happy Blocks and #3 SIS alternating with Squares. 

Yellow is the RSC color of the month so I transformed some yellow SIS into Stars. 

Happy Blocks

6 inch finished

and a couple of 

Stars

I also turned a few SIS into Happy Blocks. 

Squared Away

7.5 inch finished

And four little 3 inch finished Broken Dishes blocks were transformed into a Squared Away block. 

RSC ScrapHappy Saturday

 

It's A Top!

Scrappy Snowball in Snowballs

It's a top!

37.5 x 49.5

Gosh, this week has not been as productive as last week. You know...one of those weeks when life throws you a few lemons and you don't have quite enough sugar to make lemonade. Well, I'm hoping to have some lemonade pretty soon. I'm hoping next week maybe life will be a bowl of cherries. 

Well, despite those lemons I did get a top made this week. 

Scrappy Snowball in Snowball blocks used more of those 2 inch squares I was gifted. 

See the Snowballs formed by the 2 inch squares? 

And sew on...

Finished or Not Finished Friday at Alycia Quilts

Peacock Party at Wendy's Quilts and More

 

It's A Top!

Basket Weave

42 x 48

It's a top!

Yellow is the Rainbow Scrap Challenge (RSC) color of the month. I looked in my yellow scrap bag and saw just a few bits and pieces of this and that to use up this month.  I did have a set of Basket Weave pieces accumulated from some scrap processing in reds, yellows, browns and oranges just waiting for a fabric to weave them together and noticed a yellow striped piece of fabric shouting "me, me" so calculated how much I would need and there was a bit more than enough...surprise! surprise! 

I like what I call the Basket Weave block because you can use almost any size rectangle and that rectangle can consist of anything from squares, strings, four patches, etc.   Then you just need to figure out the length/width of rectangles for the sides.  In this case I used 3.5 x 6.5 center rectangles and 2 x 6.5 rectangles for the sides to equal a 6.5 unfinished block. 

And sew on...

RSC ScrapHappy Saturday

 

It's A Top!

It's a top!

Bright Hopes

42 x 60

I acquired 32 six inch (finished) blocks and lots of pieces.   I know this block as Bright Hopes and there are several tutorials out there for it if you care to Google it.  I've made the blocks before so didn't need a tutorial.   Since there were a lot of pieces already cut I decided to make 38 more blocks. I did need to cut some black block centers and just a few more pieces to make the 38 blocks. 

And now I have another top to add to the TBQ (To Be Quilted) mountain.

And sew on...

Finished or Not Finished Friday at Alycia Quilts