In The Pink! Economy Block Finish

It's a finish!

Economy Blocks

42 x 48

I started it in 2023 to use up some  four inch finished Four Patches I had in the Parts Department as well as some scrap chunks of mostly pink and blue florals.  I used two four inch squares of the florals cut on the diagonals for the Four Patch corners to make a six inch finished block. 

I quilted it on my sewing machine with horizontal and vertical lines. 

Here's the back. The binding is a pink floral.

And sew on...

***

A little quilting marathon will be going on here in March . Soon I will have boxes of comfort quilts to send off to two of my favorite charities that provide quilts for kids  - Wrap-A-Smile  (WAS)  and      Quilts Beyond Borders.  (QBB).

Wrap-A-Smile (WAS) partners with Rotaplast International.

 Rotaplast International, Inc. is committed to helping children and families worldwide by eliminating the burden of cleft lip and/or palate, burn scarring, and other deformities.

Quilts Beyond Border (QBB) quilts go to many different initiatives...foster care, refugees, Indian reservations, orphanages, women's recovery centers...you will just have to go read the QBB blog because I can't remember them all. 

***

One day when we had some very nice weather I put together a couple of Adirondak Rockers for one of my newest gardens close to the house. Of course the directions were all pictures and some directions/pictures were a little difficult to decipher so a few choice cuss words were uttered. 

There are two old rusty swing sets without swings in this area. I used the swing sets as trellises for some roses and have planted a lot of fragrant perennials and bulbs around here. I call it "John's Garden" because I made the area for my husband to go sit and enjoy the birds and bees and flowers and stop and smell the roses.  The rockers are sitting on cardboard that I put down to keep the weeds out. I'm going to pull that out and plant a ground cover like sweet alyssum. My husband is frail and on oxygen so can't walk far.

I also put together another bench for the "Perky Goth/Moonlight Garden" I started a couple of years ago. I cleared the area overgrown with mostly elderberry, wild grape and honeysuckle so I could plant pink, black and white flowers in memory of my perky goth granddaughter Kayla who died unexpectedly four years ago. This garden is quite a walk from the house and a greater part of it is shady so it has been quite an ongoing journey figuring out what pink, white and black plants I can put in the garden. 

I put up a fence at the bottom end of the garden to hopefully make the deer that come up through the wooded area take a detour around this garden.  I put the bench in a sunny area and soon I hope to sow some poppy and bachelor button seeds and maybe a few others around the bench. Our last frost date is around May 15 but some things can be sown before that date. The ground is very dry but rain is predicted Thursday-Saturday so maybe I will sow seeds after that. 

***

I am thankful for friends who keep me sewing. In the last week or so I received a bolt of yellow fabric from Liz, some backings and bindings from Ann and a lot of fat quarters from Teresa. Oh the makes I can make!

An Economy Block Top

 

It's a top!

Economy Blocks

42x 48

I started making these  blocks some time ago to use up some mostly pink and blue floral pieces that have come my way.  Those were used as the side pieces that were 4 inch squares cut on diagonal. 

The center Four Patches were made of scraps from the 2.5 inch width box. 

And sew on...

***

Yesterday the neighbor to the south texted my husband to say that a mountain lion had been spotted between our property and the archery range about half mile further south. All of our properties have wooded areas. Mountain Lions are a rare sighting in Iowa. While I was out working in the gardens yesterday every little noise made me jump! 

Singing The Blues Verse I

Cheerios

10 inch blocks

Made from 4.5 inch and 2.5 inch width scraps

The Rainbow Scrap Challenge (RSC) color for February is blue. I have a lot of  blue scraps to use this month so got started right away making blocks. I actually use scraps to make my RSC blocks and usually have blocks going for any width size scrap I come across. I have a few folks who share their scraps with me and when I receive them I usually sort them by width size if smaller scraps that are less than a fat quarter. If larger than a fat quarter they are sorted by color and put with yardage of same color.   This week I worked mostly with the 4.5 inch width scraps and 2.5 inch width scraps.  I make blocks based on length of scrap - some blocks like the Cheerios take 4 - 4.5 inch blue squares.  If I can't make Cheerios from the scrap I will see if it is long enough to get 4 - 3.5 inch cuts for a Crossroads block. If I can't make a Crossroads block I will see if it is long enough to cut into 4 - 2.5 inch pieces for an 8 patch block. And so on...

Going where the scraps take me!

Cheerios

10 inch blocks

I now have 63 blocks. I'm making them the rest of the year with scraps in the RSC color of the month and at year end I will see how many I have. It takes 48 blocks for a 60 x 80 inch comfort quilt and 24 blocks for a 40 x 60 comfort quilt. So I already have enough for a quilt or two! 

Posies

8 inch

I now have 52 and my target is 63 blocks.

I have set aside a little box of floral scrap chunks to make these. I cut a 4.5 inch width strip or strips from the blue florals and 2.5 inch width strip or strips from the floral background to make these blocks.

Only 11 more blocks to my goal!! 

Crossroads

7 x 9

I now have 26 blocks and my target is 64. 

Made with 4 3.5 x 4.5 rectangles and 1.5 inch sashings of brown with red centers. 

8 Patch

8 inch blocks

I now have 27 blocks and my goal is 63 blocks.  35 blocks would be enough for a kiddo quilt 40 x 60 but I'm going for a larger comfort quilt 56 x 72.

I cut these from either 4.5 inch width scraps or 2.5 inch width scraps.

Floral Wonky Windmills

8 inch blocks

I now have 29 of desired 63 blocks.

All have gray scrap backgrounds.

Each Wonky Windmill takes two 4.5 x 5 inch rectangles each of gray and of blue scraps.

I've been making these blocks for awhile and last year made a kiddo sized top and divided the rest of the blocks into piles for two other 56 x 72 quilts - 1. florals; 2. geometrics, etc. 

Wonky Windmills

for the Geometric, etc. quilt

I now have 27 out of desired 63. 

Floral Happy Blocks

8.5 inch

This completes 37 blocks toward my goal of 63. 

5 inch center, 2.5 inch width frame.

Economy Blocks

6 inch

39 blocks. Goal = 70

I set aside some pastel florals - mostly pinks and blues - to make these blocks. Center Four Patch made of 2.5 inch scraps. Corners made of 4 inch squares cut on diagonal.

And that brings me to the little box of 4 inch width scraps I'll be working with next. 

And sew on...

RSC ScrapHappy Saturday

***

REMEMBER, TREASURE, GROW, READ (my words of the year)

Remember 

Sow a few seeds and you will end up with a glorious flower patch.

Sew a few scraps and you will end up with a glorious quilt patch. 

Another sign for my garden from hubby - 

 

In The Pink

Four Patch Economy Block

2.5 inch scraps in the Four Patches

4 inch corners cut on diagonal for sides

6 inch finished

I now have 28 blocks. Target is 70. 

I think I will move my goal out to 120 or 130 blocks for a twin sized quilt instead of a kiddo sized quilt.  I have this little box of fabric chunks for the sides and bag of 2.5 inch scraps for the Four Patches set aside and have been adding to it as I come across suitable scraps.  

Floral Happy Blocks

8.5 finished

5 inch centers

2.5 inch sides

Target is 63 blocks and I now have 32.

And sew on...

Rainbow Scrap Challenge ScrapHappy Saturday

***

REMEMBER, TREASURE, GROW, READ (my words of the year)

Finished Forest of Lost Souls by Dean Koontz. 

"A fearless woman, raised in the forest, fights against a group of powerful men in a novel about good versus evil, the enduring nature of myth and the power of love by #1 New York Times bestselling author Dean Koontz."  - DeanKoontz.com

It's A Top! SIS (Square in Square) #3 of 4

Square in Square (SIS) in Stars

It's a top!

60 x 78

For a couple of years one of my Rainbow Scrap Challenge (RSC) projects was Square in Square (SIS) blocks (aka Little Chips and Economy Blocks). I used 2.5 inch scraps for the centers and a black and white 2.5 inch squares cut on the diagonals for the sides and ended up with a 3 inch finished block. Well, after a couple of years of making those I ended up with a little over 300 SIS blocks.   So I divided the blocks up into a few piles and decided I could make 4 different quilts with them - four for kiddos and one for an adult. 

SIS #1 is finished and used SIS blocks alternating with squares. 

SIS #2 is a top and used SIS blocks as centers for I Spy Happy Blocks.

For the first SIS quilt I used mostly geometrics, plaids, stripes, polka dots. For the second SIS I used mostly the SIS blocks with novelties. For this one I used mostly floral and solid SIS blocks. 

I turned the SIS blocks into six inch Stars with black/white points and backgrounds a similar color to the center. 

There's twenty-one pieces (and lots and lots of scraps) in those little six inch Stars and that made for a lot of little points to match up in this top. Whew...glad that job is finished!

And sew on...

Finished or Not Finished Friday at Alycia Quilts

Peacock Party at Wendy's Quilts and More

 

It's a Top!

It's a top!

42 x 60

SIS (Square in Square) #2 of 4

Happy SIS?

I Spy SIS?

For a couple of years one of my Rainbow Scrap Challenge (RSC) projects was Square in Square (SIS) blocks (aka Little Chips and Economy Blocks). I used 2.5 inch scraps for the centers and a black and white 2.5 inch squares cut on the diagonals for the sides and ended up with a 3 inch finished block. Well, after a couple of years of making those I ended up with a little over 300 SIS blocks.   So I divided the blocks up into a few piles and decided I could make 4 different quilts with them - four for kiddos and one for an adult. 

SIS #1 is finished and used SIS blocks alternating with squares. 

For this quilt I picked out mostly the I Spy type SIS blocks and then used them as the centers of Happy Blocks. 

I added the borders and made the Happy Blocks each month with scraps in the RSC color of the month. 

And sew on...

RSC ScrapHappy Saturday

 

SIS #1 of 4 - Square in Square (SIS) and Square

It's a finish!

42 x 54

SIS #1 of 4

or

Square in Square (SIS) and Square

For a couple of years one of my Rainbow Scrap Challenge (RSC) projects was Square in Square (SIS) blocks (aka Little Chips and Economy Blocks). I used 2.5 inch scraps for the centers and a black and white 2.5 inch squares cut on the diagonals for the sides and ended up with a 3 inch finished block. Well, after a couple of years of making those I ended up with a little over 300 SIS blocks.   So I divided the blocks up into a few piles and decided I could make 4 different quilts with them - four for kiddos and one for an adult. 

For this quilt I alternated the 3.5 inch (unfinished) SIS blocks with 3.5 inch squares. I have a bin of different sized squares that are the result of scrap processing. The SIS blocks and squares I used in this one are mostly solids, geometrics, plaids, stripes and dots. I sewed blocks together randomly. 

I quilted it on the diagonals through the squares. 

The backing is a green stripe and the binding is a green dot. 

I finished this and another small quilt a couple of weeks ago but didn't get around to getting them washed up for their glamour shots before hubby went into hospital.  Laundry is not a speedy process around here. You know me...this old fashioned girl's washer is two big tubs with a wringer in between. In good weather my dryer is a clothesline, the wind and/or sunshine and in bad weather it is sometimes a couple of drying racks and sometimes (not often) a very old dryer.  SIS finally got cleaned up and had glamour shots yesterday. 

And sew on...

Finished or Not Finished Friday at Alycia Quilts

Peacock Party at Wendy's Quilts And More

 

Blue Stuff

This month my personal theme is "brown stuff". I took a little break from "brown stuff" to work on the Rainbow Scrap Challenge (RSC) color blue. Well, actually the RSC color is blue and green pastel; however, I have dark and bright blue scraps I did not get around to using in January when that was the RSC color so I chose to use them now. 

You may or may not know that a couple years ago I made over 300 little 3 inch Economy or Square in Square (SIS) blocks. Last week I turned some of the blue/black SIS into Stars.  This week I added 2 inch borders to some blue/black SIS to make 6 inch Happy Blocks. 

Most of the SIS I used last week were florals and this week I tried to use mostly I Spy. 

Then I turned some 3 inch Broken Dishes blocks into 7.5 inch Squared Away blocks. 

And then I turned what was left of the 2 inch width scraps used in the making of the I Spy Happy Blocks and Squared Away blocks into 3 inch Bow Ties for my collection of over 600 Bow Ties. 

And sew on...

RSC ScrapHappy Saturday

 

Turning Economy Blocks Into Stars

A few years ago I made over 300 three inch Economy Blocks from scraps as a Rainbow Scrap Challenge (RSC) project. Now I'm making several different quilts using those Economy Blocks. 

For this quilt I used mostly the floral Economy Blocks and I'm using more scraps to turn them into Stars.  

RSC ScrapHappy Saturday

 

Economizing

Economy Block Top #1

Economy Blocks and Squares

42 x 54

In January 2021 I started making 3 inch finished Economy Blocks (aka Little Chips) from 2.5 inch scraps in the Rainbow Scrap Challenge (RSC) color of the month with b/w corners.  I think this was the last project that came out of a now emptied 2.5 inch scrap bin. 

Earlier this year I finally counted up the blocks and had well over 300 of them but they looked rather dreary all together in one quilt so I divided them up to be made into three different comfort quilts. 

This top alternates Economy Blocks with squares I pulled out of the 3.5 inch scrap squares bin. I tried to keep both the Econo Blocks and Squares to geometric shapes, plaids, dots, stripes and solids. 

I just randomly sewed Econos and Squares together. 

Economy Blocks for the other two quilt tops are being made into larger blocks as a RSC project. This month the RSC color is orange so I made a  few Stars with orange backgrounds that finish at 6 inches. 

So far I have Stars with pink, purple, orange and green backgrounds.  I forget how many Econo Blocks I counted out for this quilt.

The third quilt will use Econo Blocks as the centers of 6 inch Happy Blocks (3.5 inch economy block centers and 2 inch borders). Here are this month's with orange borders. 

For this one I tried to use mostly Econo Blocks that would be fun for an I Spy game. 

And sew on...

Finished Or Not Finished Friday at Alycia Quilts

Peacock Party at Wendy's Quilts and More

RSC ScrapHappy Saturday