UFO Finish for QOV

I've finished my March goal for A Lovely Year of Finishes (#46).

A 60x80 Quilt of Valor. 

I think I explained in my original post  that I made these 24 inch crumb stars last year when red was the color for the Rainbow Scrap Challenge. 

I quilted it on my plain Jane DSM. Some of the stars are quilted with some spirals...

 ...and some are quilted with lines.

And everything else in between is quilted with loops and stars. 

And the binding is stars. 

The backing is some red, white blue guitars and skull and crossbones. 

I'm not sure how skulls and crossbones go with guitars or lightning bolts.  But it is kind of fun. 

And speaking of QOV...Kevin the Quilter is having a block drive. The blocks are really easy to make. I have my 5 blocks ready to go. These QOV quilts will go to veterans in eastern Missouri. 

I think I'll go Whoop, Whoop it up at Confessions of a Fabric Addict. 

Postage Stamps

I found this little Sunbonnet Sue block made of postage stamp sized squares (1.5 inches)  at the Q is for Quilter blog so thought I would try it with some of my brown scraps I still had sitting out from November's Rainbow Scrap Challenge.  I think I will make a girl from scraps of every color as part of the Rainbow Scrap Challenge 2014.  I am rolling over a lot of projects to next year that  I started this year with RSC 2013.  Early in the year I used a lot of crumbs each month that turned into some cute donation quilts. 

I finished a few more 49 patch postage stamp blocks to add to my collection.    I only have one low volume patch and I was thinking a bunch of those blocks with some lacy old doilies and such appliqued on top would be pretty so I may try that next. 

Brown Things

The Rainbow Scrap Challenge for 2013 is winding down for this year.  Brown is the color for this month and after that we are on our own to catch up on blocks or to assemble blocks in December. 

I used brown 2.5 inch scraps to make some Little Monkey blocks.  I think this makes 89 - 5 inch blocks for my collection. 

And here's some miscellaneous brown blocks. A 49 patch out of 1.5 inch scraps, an 8 inch Depression Block and a 6 inch heart block made from 1.5 inch scraps. 

To see what others are doing with their brown scraps visit SoScrappy's blog for the Rainbow Scrap Challenge linky party. 

Broken Dishes and Pinwheels

I actually have quite a few brown scraps. This week I dug into the 3.5 inch scrap bin and made some HSTs for Broken Dishes...

...and Pinwheels.  Next week I hope to dig into the brown crumbs, strings and 2.5 inch scraps. 

To see what others are doing with their brown scraps for the Rainbow Scrap Challenge this Scrap Happy Saturday check out the linky party at SoScrappy. 

What Can Brown Do For You?

Butterflies

Spools

Finally! After two days with more hours asleep than awake and more liquids leaving the body than entering I was able to get up and sew a little this morning.  Thank goodness. I'm rarely sick but when I am it seems to hit hard.  Those darned grandkids must have left me a few cooties after their visit last weekend. 

Anyway...brown is the Rainbow Scrap Challenge color of the month.  I made some 3 inch butterfly and 3 inch spool blocks from my brown scraps.   It's the same block...just different color placement.  That about uses up my 1.5 inch scraps.  But I have lots of brown crumbs and brown 2.5 inch scraps that I need to get used up. That won't be next week because I'm going to be visiting my brother who leaves near Nashville.  His son, my nephew, and family will be returning home from Germany where he has been stationed for several years.  A lot of family will be there to welcome them home.  It's a 9 hour trip so I need to round up 18 hours worth of hand work and/or books to read. 

For some brown scrap inspiration visit Scrap Happy Saturday at SoScrappy.   You will definitely see some things that brown can do for you! 

Brown Scrap Postage Stamps and some Yuckies

This month's Rainbow Scrap Challenge color is brown. I love brown. Most of my clothes are brown. Strangely enough...most of my quilts are not. 

I made two 49 patch postage stamp brown/cream blocks to add to my collection which now numbers 9 and finished off a black and white one left over from last month. Forgot to count how many black/white I have in total now. 

And...for the yucky prize...here are two brown scraps which are going to remain brown scraps. I attempted to make a couple of baskets from the scraps but they got too stretched out of shape and the sides don't have enough seam allowance one one side so I pitched them into the wonky block scrap file.  Maybe I'll try again later but make them in a different way than the instructions state.  I was going to embroider on chain stitch handles in brown perle #5 but, like I said...yucky. Glad I only wasted scraps on them. 

Hope to get more brown scraps used up next week. Had to take my 9 year old granddaughter shopping today and I hate shopping. Her birthday was on Halloween.  I never know what to buy anymore so shopping spree it was so she could pick out her own gifts.  I get to do it all again in 5 weeks when my other granddaughter turns 9 on Pearl Harbor Day. 

What are some other ladies doing with their brown scraps this week?  You won't find out unless you get over to the Rainbow Scrap Challenge linky party at SoScrappy.  I'll probably go visit all the blogs after dinner or tomorrow morning with coffee in hand. I promised the DGDs I'd play a few games later on. 

What's Black and White and Red All Over?

The color of the month for the Rainbow Scrap Challenge is black and/or gray.  I finished another top using my black and white strings. 

And Heartstrings Quilt Project was running a black and white challenge during September and October. 

So, I used up almost all of my black and white strings in 3 quilt tops for donation to either Wrap-a-Smile or Quilts Beyond Borders when I get them finished.  Now I will have to start on some wonky log cabin blocks to use up the smaller pieces of strings that are left over. 

How can you not feel happy when there are polka dots around? 

To check out what others are doing with their black scraps this week visit the Rainbow Scrap Challenge linky party going on at SoScrappy. 

Butterflies and Spools

Black/Gray is the color of the month for the Rainbow Scrap Challenge.  This week I added to my collection of 3 inch spools (on the right) and started on some 3  inch butterflies (on the left).  Same block. Different effect. And great use of scraps.

What are others out in blog land doing with their black scraps this week? I guess you will have to visit the Rainbow Scrap Challenge Saturday Scrap Happy linky party and find out for yourself.

Not Everything is Black and White or even Gray

During the month of September and October Heartstrings has had a black and white string quilt challenge.  The center strip can be color of choice. I previously assembled a top using green polka dots for the center string. With this one I've about used up my long strings and now have a bag of shorter strings for some wonky log cabins. I also see a few black and white crumb blocks in my future.  I do have some pink polka dot fabric that would look good as centers so maybe I can stretch one more set of 24 blocks out of what's left of the long strings with a little stash enhancement. We'll see. 

This will be a donation quilt when finished. Don't know where yet. I guess it depends on when it gets finished. I'll probably add a border to finish it off also. 

Since black is the color of the month for the Rainbow Scrap Challenge I'm joining in on that linky party. Go visit if you'd like to see how everyone else is using up black and gray scraps this week. 

Now I have to go clean my sewing room.  It's time to bring the house plants in from the deck and the table by the south window where they are supposed to go for the winter is full of crap   fabric and other sewing supplies. 

Paint It Black!

Paint it Black! Remember the 60s? 

This month's color for the Rainbow Scrap Challenge is black and/or gray.  This week I pulled 2.5 inch scraps in white and black if I thought I could get at least 4 HSTs from the scrap.  Along with some scraps from the 1.5 inch pile I made some Little Monkey blocks. I think I have 76 of them now.  And I had just enough left over HSTs for an 8 inch Depression Block.  Looks like most of these scraps were left over from ABC quilts and Halloween quilts I've made the grandkids over the years.   Ah, memories!! My grandson who is 4 just loves that eyeball fabric. He giggles every time he looks at it.  I kind of giggle along with him. I don't think my grandma, who taught me to quilt, ever would have thought she would see eyeballs in a quilt. And my 8 year old granddaughters have confiscated some eyeball fabric too. I guess it goes well with those hideous Monster High dolls. 

Check out what others are doing with black scraps this week for the Rainbow Scrap Challenge at SoScrappy. 

Sewing Blues

The color of the month for the Rainbow Scrap Challenge is baby blue.  I guess I haven't been in a pastel mood the last several years since I don't have much baby blue. But, I do have blue scraps and so here's some blue spools. I think I have close to 300, all different. I haven't decided yet when enough is enough. 

I also made some 4.5 inch HSTs with some bigger blue scraps. I'll be swapping these three times a year on a Yahoo group and I haven't decided yet whether I will sew them into Broken Dishes blocks or...

...into a 16 inch Depression Block.  Last time I made HSTs I made a Buckeye Beauty quilt.  And when I swapped 3.5 inch HSTs years ago on a different Yahoo Group I made 12 inch Depressions blocks into a quilt I really love. I think I'll probably go with the Depression blocks again. 

I made some 3 inch 9 patches using some of the same light blues as the spools.  I've been swapping these for years with a Yahoo Group of ladies also. 

Now that I've turned the 9Ps into 5 inch Sisters Choice blocks and have enough for my large quilt I was thinking about what to do with all the leftover 9Ps and the new ones I will be swapping. 

I've been thinking about a Jack's Chain quilt for a long, long time but it looked like too much of a challenge. I decided to give one "block" a try. There's a few flaws and I need to perfect my own technique for assembly but it wasn't as challenging as I thought.  I think I see a Jack's Chain quilt with scrappy cream/tan background in my distant future. 

To see what everyone else is doing with their blues visit Scrap Happy Saturday when you get the chance. It's been a lot of fun to follow along with all the projects everyone has worked on every month for the Rainbow Scrap Challenge. 

Feeling Blue But Not Looking Pale

This month's color for the Rainbow Scrap Challenge is pale, light, pastel, baby blue. Since I don't have many scraps of the pale blue variety I just dug into my 1/2 inch blue scraps and started sewing. I added 12 more 3.5 spools to my collection...

And I added another blue 49 patch. Don't ask me why 49 and not 8 or 64 or some even number.  That's just the way it is.  And, yes, I sew each little square together separately.  I even participate in postage stamp swaps and trade these little things, believe it or not.  (I think the fish is too much orange and maybe he will come out of there and swim on over into an orange block). 

And, I used some 1.5 inch blue scraps as star points on my Sister's Choice blocks. I think I only have 49 more needed to make my count of 288!!!!!   All of the points on the blocks are blue. Blocks are 5 inches. 

And I used some 2.5 inch blue scraps to finish off the amount of blue Twinkler blocks I need for a Quilt of Valor quilt. I still need to finish about 20 red blocks. 

Visit the Scrap Happy Saturday linky party at SoScrappy to see a bunch of awesome blue scrappy projects. 

Unpicking Flowers

When yellow was the color of the month for the Rainbow Scrap Challenge I didn't have many yellow scraps so I combined them with orange and red to make some crumb blocks which then, when combined with some pink, turned into bow tie blocks and then the whole thing turned into a quilt top. 

I decided to free motion quilt some five petaled  flowers on my plain Jane DSM and when I got about 3/4 of the way finished I happened to notice I had horribly (and I mean horribly) bunched up the backing and quilted over it on about 1/4 of the quilt.  It was a yucky mess so I threw it into a pile to linger which is where it's been since about June.  Since it was a crumb quilt and going to be a donation quilt I didn't want to take the time to rip it all out. I thought the whole mess would probably stay a UFO forever. 

Then I remembered I had a four hour car trip to and from my niece's wedding Labor Day weekend. So, the seam ripper and quilt went with me.  It took the whole trip there and half the trip back - 6 hours of  UNPICKING FLOWERS. 

I'm not sure I ever want to do that again.  

But anyway, now the quilt is finished (well, it's not really finished until it is washed) and I kind of like it even though  I would never list pink, yellow or orange as a favorite color. 

This quilt has a lot of fun built in...cats and gingerbread boys peeking at you...

 ...Spiderman hanging out and where else will you find taco chips and sunflowers next to each other?

And here's another kitty that wants to play and, look!....there's Spiderman again.  Who would think he would show up in a predominately pink quilt? 

This quilt will go to Wrap a Smile  - quilts for kids undergoing cleft lip/cleft palate surgery. 

I'm linking to:

Can I Get a Whoop Whoop? at Confessions of a Fabric Addict

Finish it Up Friday at Crazy Mom Quilts. 

The Little Monkeys Are Singing the Blues

This month's Rainbow Scrap Challenge color is pale blue.  I started this week with the 2.5 inch scrap bin and pulled what looked like pale blue to me at the time and some neutrals to make HSTs for these Little Monkey blocks. 

I think if you put some rowdy colors next to the pale blues they don't look so pale anymore. Obviously several of these don't have pale blue HSTs but they were in the 2.5 scrap box and blue so might as well use them up while I'm on a roll. 

With the left over HSTs that weren't wonky I made an 8 inch Depression block and a couple of pinwheels. 

For inspiration on a wide variety of scrappy blue projects visit Scrap Happy Saturday at the SoScrappy blog. 

Still Seeing Red

For this week's Rainbow Scrap Challenge (color red), I used red scraps for the background for Wonky Tall Stars - this month's Block Lotto block.   I've already made 9 blocks for the lotto. These will be used in a border for a Quilts of Valor quilt. 

And I finished some red (well, a couple of them aren't red) 3 inch spools.

I still have some larger red scraps left over and since there's still one more red Saturday in August I'll hopefully get those used up.

For ideas on what to do with your red scraps check out Scrap Happy Saturday at the SoScrappy blog. 

QOV

The color of the month for the Rainbow Scrap Challenge is red.  For this week's Scrap Happy Saturday I've made up 19 more Twinklers to add to the collection. I now have 30 blue and 29 red 6 inch Twinklers that will go toward a Quilt of Valor.   To see what others are doing with their red scraps this week visit the party going on at SoScrappy's blog. 

 

Here's an idea of how I am going to alternate the red and blue blocks.  And at top and bottom I will add some of the Tall Stars blocks we are making this month for Block Lotto.  

There is also a Big Blowout Block Drive for QOV going on at Alycia Quilts.   You get your choice of two blocks. I chose the blue/yellow block so I didn't have to use a foundation. I've been saving my foundation fabric for the Heartstrings challenge that is coming up soon - black and white string quilts with your choice of center color if you are making the entire quilt.

So far I've made 35 blocks- 7 chances at winning some fabulous prizes being offered! 35 is probably my limit but you never know...there's plenty of time to make more. Deadline is Oct 30. 

Now I think I'll be canning tomatoes and spaghetti sauce all day and may also get some green beans frozen.  And tonight the grandkids will probably beg to play some games. I don't think I'll get much sewing done. 

Seeing Red

The Rainbow Scrap Challenge color of the month is red.  I started with a bag of crumbs and ended up with four 12.5 inch red crumb blocks.  I'm not sure what I'll do with them.  One of the things I liked about Grandma's quilts when I was a little girl was that there were so many different fabrics to look at. I guess that's why I like scrappy quilts.  There's sure a lot to look at in crumb blocks. 

I was already in the middle of making some Tall Stars (6x9) since it is the block of the month at Block Lotto.  All of the red backgrounds came from my 2.5 inch strips scraps.  The stars were scraps too.

These would make a fun quilt for kids or for Quilts of Valor.

And finally, the red 2.5 inch strip scraps that didn't read solid red went into some "Little Monkeys"  The should play well in a quilt with the aqua ones I made last month.


See how everyone else out there in blog land is using up their red scraps for the Rainbow Scrap Challenge this Scrap Happy Saturday at the SoScrappy linky party.