Oh, Those 39Ps !

A few months ago I decided to dig into my bin of three inch nine patches (39Ps) and make some Path and Stiles blocks using the 39Ps as the block centers. I pulled out blocks in two colorways and then tried to match fabrics to make the block. 

I think it takes me longer to pick through my scraps to find fabrics that "match" than it does to make the blocks. 

I'm also using the 39Ps in two colorways as the centers for some Framed Stars. 

I'm also using 39Ps as the centers for these blocks whatever their name. (How about Framed Nine Patch).  I'm using 39Ps in a color plus neutral; however I see I have an orange and yellow one in this batch.  These will have a neutral sashing with dark squares on each end and white/neutral cornerstones so a little nine patch forms. 

This year I've been trying to get all my new starts to flimsy stage before year end. If I don't get them to flimsy stage then at least I hope to make complete blocks sets so they can go into my Some Assembly Required (SAR) box. Year end will be here before I know it so I've been trying to make a few of each of these blocks every week. 

I used to swap 39Ps quarterly for a number of years. Even though I have made 4 large quilts with them I still have a 14 quart bin of them. The grocery bag has ones with light corners. With those I've been thinking I will make a quilt similar to the Framed Nine Patch with sashing but make it the reverse of the current WIP. 

Links to quilts I've made in the past with 39Ps:

 Zig Zag Nine Patch

Jack's Chain I 

Jack's Chain II (to be hand quilted)

Sister's Choice 

One of the next quilts I plan to make is inspired by this vintage quilt. I think one of the gallon bags in the bin is filled with possible 39Ps for this quilt but I'm not sure anymore. And I'm not sure what those numbers are I jotted down in the margin. Guess when I'm ready to make the quilt I'll figure it out. 

 

More Rainbow Scrap Challenge Projects - Two Flimsies and a Finish

Strings  - A flimsy

40 x 60

These are 10 inch finished blocks. I started them a long time ago as a Rainbow Scrap Challenge Project - strings in the color of the month plus a 2 inch strip of a black polka dot.  I haven't worked on them for awhile because I ran out of strings that were long enough. Well, long strings have magically appeared again so I dug through them to make more blocks. I think I had to just make six of them and now I have a small donation quilt top. 

 And the good thing is that I have enough of that black polka dot print for backing and binding. 

 Arrowhead Puzzle (or as Bonnie Hunter calls them - Garlic Knots)

It's a flimsy!

64 x 88

 This will be another donation quilt. 

 I sure like how this top turned out. 

 Cats in the Cradle

Baby Quilt

It's a finish!

44 x 44

Its a finish! And a pretty busy one at that. I tried to tone down the busy-ness with some gray sashing but it is still pretty darned busy. 

Getting this to the finish line was my October One Monthly Goal (OMG)    at   Elm Street Quilts. 

It was also my goal #7   for   Q4 Finish-Along

 These blocks started with a bunch of 3 inch nine patches I wanted to use somehow. Sally (Objects of Design) had made some micro kittens I thought were cute so I asked her if she would share the instructions.  She did. By the way, she has a tutorial for a larger kitty on her tutorial page as well as many other cute critters. 

 Anyway, while the kitties alone were cute I think they didn't combine all that well with those nine patches and I probably should have alternated them with plain squares instead (which I may do in the future).   

 Maybe baby and parents can get a game of I Spy out of it.   I spy a kitty, basil and lettuce...

 ...a chicken...

 ...a flower, snowflakes, elephant...

 ...a fish.  

 If baby thinks the front too loud the back could always become the front. 

The back also has a rainbow clowder of cats. 

Batting was pieced (with wide zig zag stitch) and I quilted it with some spirals. 

Rainbow Scrap Challenge ScrapHappy Saturday

Jack's Chain #2

I've been slowly, slowly working on my Jack's Chain quilt.  This is my second one and in a completely different colorway from the first which was brights on navy background.  That one a wedding quilt for my grandson and is in the hope chest . It won't be needed for awhile. He's only 9. This one is a little bigger too.   

This is the width I want but it is only about half as long as I want it. 

As you can see...this takes lots and lots and lots and oodles  and oodles of little 3 inch nine patches. 

I've been using little nine patches that are on the darker side as values may go. 

I'm getting low on little nine patches now and would be willing to swap with anyone who is interested.  I'm trying to avoid a lot of duplicate patches in my quilt.  I do swap three times a year with an online group but use the little darlings almost as soon as I get them.  

If you are interested in swapping see the tab I just added to the header of this blog -

HELP WANTED! (39P swap)


Lots of scraps going into this quilt!
Other scrap projects: Scraptastic Tuesday

New linky party:
Sew, Stitch, Snap, Share

Finished

Jack's Chain

66 x 80

Hand quilted

I used lots of bright little 3 inch 9 patches. Some were swapped.  I've grown to love these little 9Ps. It's amazing what will sometimes show up in a little 1 inch square. 

I used lots of different colored threads and several size 10 quilting betweens. 

I quilted an X in the 9 patches and quilted about 1/4 inch around the inside of the triangles and in the ditch around the hexagons - all in navy thread.  I used a quilt stencil, white marking pencil and those different colored threads...

... and hand quilted in the center of those hexagons.  I'm thinking I should have stitched in the ditch around those triangles too because they kind of poof out around the edges but really don't see any sense in spending hand quilting time stitching a lot in the ditch where no one will see.  So poofy it is and poofy it stays. 

This quilt was a challenge for me in several ways. But I'm pleased with how it turned out. I was especially worried about the binding around a quilt like this but I persevered and got it done. 

This is the back.

This will go into the hope chest as a wedding quilt for my grandson. He's only 7 but he will get a quilt from me for his wedding no matter what.  I always like to plan ahead. 

And that makes 3 wedding quilts for my 3 grandkids.  They were all challenges for me and all hand quilted.  There's a Pickle Dish for Kayla (age 11) , A Double Wedding Ring for Isabelle (age 11) and a Jack's Chain for Jacob (age 7). 

Now, I need to buy a hope chest!

This was my goal #12       for the     Q1 Finish-A-long

I'll be busy with grandkids tomorrow so later in the day I will link up to:

Slow Sunday Stitching at Kathy's Quilts

Oh Scrap! at Quilting is More Fun than Housework.

Jack's Chain - Let the Stitching Begin!

After I finished "Which Way to the Chocolate" which took me months of Sundays to big stitch I got down on the floor and prepped Jack's Chain for hand quilting. 

This is another wedding quilt for the hope chest.  This one is for my grandson, Jacob, who will turn 7 on Feb 28.   Since it's a wedding quilt I am using a  stencil with four hearts,  tracing with chalk in the hexagons and stitching with different colored hand quilting threads - so far red, green, yellow.  I stitched in the ditch around the outside of the hexagons in navy blue. 

I stitched an X through the 3 inch 9 patches in navy threads.  I am also using navy thread to stitch 1/4 inside the hexagons. Most of the seams are pressed toward the hexagons so I kind of feel my way along the seam to stitch.  Since I was big stitching on "Which Way to the Chocolate" I'm finding it difficult to keep my stitches small and even while stitching on this quilt.  

I was thinking I might rip out all the stitching I've done in the triangles and stitch in the ditch around them instead because my stitching is very uneven in those triangles plus the seam line kind of poofs up between the 39P and the triangles.  But then again who wants to hand stitch in ditches where the hand stitching doesn't show?  And I keep looking at the intersection of the hearts here - the stitches don't meet up perfectly there and it bothers me.  Maybe I should just stop taking pictures, move on, and keep trying my best.  I might not be able to make a quilt at all by the time my grandson decides to get married and, heaven forbid, I might not even be alive. 

What pattern did I use? 

Jack's Chain from Quilter's Cache

Since it's Sunday and I'll be slow stitching I'm linking up to:

Slow Sunday Stitching at Kathy's Quilts

and

since there's a heck of a lot of scraps in those 39Ps I'm linking up to:

Oh Scrap!  at Quilting is More Fun than Housework.