Bright Hopes - A Finish!

Bright Hopes

It's a finish!

42 x 60

The name of the six inch block is Bright Hopes.

I acquired several blocks and parts and made the top in August 2023. 

I took several close up photos this morning but none of them turned out because it is so windy. 

I quilted it on my sewing machine with horizontal and vertical lines.  The binding is white pindots on black. 

The theme this month in my sewing space is March Madness (Quilting) Marathon.  I'm going to concentrate on finishing up a lot of the small tops I have in the TBQ (to be quilted) pile.  They will then be donated to:

Fostering Crossroads

Wrap - A -Smile 

Quilts Beyond Borders. 

*******

CELEBRATE!  (my word of the year)

March 1 - I have a new rolling garden seat and I actually figured out how to put it together. The instructions weren't real clear - just a series of pictures. I've already been using it and love it.  The seat swivels and height can be adjusted. 

I had this rolling seat (below) for over 20 years. It is made of heavy duty plastic. Two years ago it cracked underneath the seat near the front wheels (maybe because I weigh a little more than I did 20 years ago?) I looked around online for another one like it but could not find one. 

Last year I finally settled on the rolling seat below.  It did not even last a year. The plastic is not as sturdy and the construction leaves too much empty space between seat and wheels so my booty crushed it I guess.  It is more cracked up underneath the seat than the one that lasted me 20 years. What a disappointment.   Well, anyway, I now have a heavy duty metal one I hope will last me 20 years. 

 

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

 

Milquetoast Is Finished!

 It's a finish!

Milquetoast

85.5 x 85.5

Hand quilted with perle #12 and #8

 The block is called Bright Hopes and finishes at 4.5. I started making blocks back in July 2019 as a way to use a small box of low volume scraps.  

The top was finished in August 2019. 

This is not really a quilt because I did not use any batting so there are not three layers. I guess you could call it a coverlet or summer quilt. I named it Milquetoast because it was quite a departure from the bright and wild quilts I normally make. 

  Big stitch hand quilting was started in March 2020.  I used low volume threads I had on hand in white, ecru, gray, light blue, yellow and pink. I stitched both vertical and horizontal lines and did no marking. 

This is quite a collection of low volume scraps accumulated over many years. The last pieces of many fabrics are in this coverlet but I still have some yardage or chunks of others. The cherries and ginghams went into several quilts. The ladybug, Christmas holly and toys, little blue roses,  and the kites came from the thrift store long ago. The pale orange and purple butterflies were some of the first pastels I ever bought to make H swapped blocks. I made several hotpads with that recipe fabric...Oh what a summer quilt full of memories!

 The backing was from the clearance bin at Hobby Lobby. I thought it looked like a summer sheet. Actually, I think it kind of makes the coverlet reversible. The threads I used for quilting match the colors in the backing.  I used the same fabric for binding. I was hoping to have enough fabric left for pillowcases but I didn't.  And so it goes. 

Slow Sunday Stitching at Kathy's Quilts

Oh Scrap! at Quilting is More Fun than Housework

It's a Flimsy! Milquetoast

 It's a flimsy!

Milquetoast

85.5 x 85.5

 The traditional block name is Bright Hopes and the blocks finish at 4.5 inches. 

There's several tutorials out there. I used the one at Red Pepper Quilts. 

 I named the quilt Milquetoast because it is quite a departure from my usual bright and wild quilts. 

 The reason I made it was because I wanted to use up a box of low volume scraps  

 Milquetoast doesn't have to be boring.  Milquetoast can be fun. 

I'm rather fond of Milquetoast. 

Finish or Not Finished Friday at Alycia Quilts

Peacock Party at Wendy's Quilts and More

Milquetoast

Traditional block is Bright Hopes. 

I've been making them from a small box of low volume scraps and now have 324 of them. 

Most of those scraps are now gone except for the white on white (WOW) fabrics because I've been using them as Garlic Knot backgrounds. 

I've been making a few each morning before I head out to weed the flower and veggie gardens and then I iron and count them when I get a big stack of blocks made.  I'm always pleasantly surprised when I take count.  I hardly ever cut all my pieces before I start a quilt...I cut some, then sew some, cut some, then sew some. 

When I first started making them I had no idea what size quilt all those scraps would make and figured out how many blocks were needed for two different sizes of quits. It just dawned on me as I was writing this post that my math was based on a four inch finished block and these blocks finish at 4.5 inches. So,  I just quickly did some calculations based on the 4.5 inch block. Good news...361 blocks will make a quilt 85.5 x 85.5. Although I don't really like square quilts they do work fine on my bed.  Now I only need 37 more blocks.  

Oh Scrap! at Quilting is More Fun than Housework

Moving it Forward Monday at Em's Scrapbag

Monday Making at Love Laugh Quilt

Milquetoast

Traditional name for this block is Bright Hopes. Doesn't seem to fit with these little blocks made of low volume scraps.  And compared to most of my quilts this one appears timid, meek, unassertive and rather bland - Milquetoast. 

And yet I like making these little four inch blocks as much as I like eating chocolates or bacon flavored chips.  I'm going to keep making as long as I have low volume scraps.  I make a few blocks every day and now like magic I  have over 100 blocks.  I think when all is said and done I might even love Milquetoast.  And if not...no use crying over spilt milque...I'll give it away.   

Some Things Old; Some Things New

 I've finished up enough blocks for a couple of quilts that are old projects. 

All of these Triangle blocks are finished now for what I call Out of the Blue that I started on January 1.   I promised myself I would not let this new start roll over into the new year of 2020 without at least reaching flimsy stage. So I've been slowly working on a few blocks each week. This is the ironed stack. 

 And this is the stack that needs ironing. There's 128 blocks total (if I remember correctly) that will make a quilt 83 x 90. I've been using blue tone on tones (TOTS) for the sides of the triangles and warm TOTS for the triangle points that form a star.  I blogged that I wasn't sure I would have enough blue TOTS for the triangles and then lo and behold I received a box in the mail from a kind and generous quilty friend that contained some. 

 Out of the Blue was inspired by a vintage quilt made by Minnie Lee Deakins and is a Quiltfolk pattern called Minnie's Stars.  Anonymous previously left me a blog comment that mentioned the block is known as Road to Florida and also lately named Smoothing Iron.  I can see how it could be called Smoothing Iron, a name I really like, but not sure about the road to Florida. 

 And now I also have enough Carolina Chain blocks made so I can begin assembly. I started these blocks last year to use up 2 inch scraps left from making Fractured Rainbows (aka Totally Demented). When I started making Fractured Rainbows I did not have a 2 inch scrap bin so I cut scrap chunks and bits into 2 inch pieces.  After that I had a 2 inch scrap bin so Carolina Chains was started.  I used blue TOT scraps left over from making those Out of the Blue blocks for the side setting triangles. 

 I figured I have finished blocks for two old projects so I deserve to start two new projects.  I have a lot of odds and ends of low volume fabrics plus I still have a lot of low volume 2 inch scraps so thought I would make some low volume Bright Hopes blocks that finish at 4.5 inches.   I was inspired by the Bright Hopes Quilt at Red Pepper Quilts. 

 These blocks are addictive, mindless and have a calming effect and who doesn't need that once in awhile? This will make a nice summer quilt I think. 

And turning up the low volume to loud...

I recently followed a link to a Strips and Squares quilt at Cluck Cluck Sew and decided to give it a try to use my 2.5 and 4.5 inch scraps instead of fat quarters as listed in the tutorial. I'm thankful for the inspiration and idea and tutorial but I'm not really following the tutorial for assembly either. I'm using up scraps.  The quilt combines Rail Fence blocks, Sixteen Patches, Happy Blocks and eight inch squares. 

But instead of eight inch squares I'm using 4.5 inch scraps to make some four patches to add to the mix. 

Oh Scrap! at Quilting is More Fun than Housework