Sixteen Patches (Top 1 of 3)

It's a top!

Sixteen Patch and Stars

40 x 56

This month I've been working on emptying boxes. I have a lot of them full of this and that cluttering up my little sewing space. I had a small box of Sixteen Patches and Four Patches made of random 2.5 inch squares. Most came from other folks and have accumulated over time.  I decided to see how many Sixteen Patches I could make with the Four Patches.   Then I decided to make them into three different comfort quilts for kids.  I sketched out my three different quilt ideas and was short 2 Sixteen Patches so made a couple from my 2.5 inch squares. 

This little quilt alternates the Sixteen Patches with Sawtooth Stars. I have a bin of 4 inch finished orphan blocks (again, most given to me by others over time) and found enough scrappy little Windmill (Four Patch Rail?) blocks to use for the Star centers. Someone gave me a bolt of orange fabric so that made a nice background for the Stars. 

I dug into my box of 2.5 inch width scraps for the Star points. I cut the orange Flying Geese bodies from orange using an Easy Angle Companion ruler and cut the Flying Geese wings from 2.5 inch width scraps long enough to cut 8 triangles with the Easy Angle ruler. 

So, this is top #1 of 3. I hope to complete the two other tops this week but no guarantees...I'm still in gardening mode and have a lot to do outside. I love flowers as much as I love scraps!

Stay tuned!

And sew on...

Monday Musings at Brenda's Songbird Designs

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I finished a book! - Blood Hollow by William Kent Kruger. It is book 4 of 22 of the Cork O'Connor Mystery series.   After reading a WWII non fiction and a WWII historical fiction book (mentioned in previous blog posts) I needed a little lighter reading.   

 

Singing The Blues - Verse 3

Sixteen Patch

6 inch blocks

I now have 99 out of a goal of 120 blocks or 130 blocks if there's enough scraps for that many. 

I started making these last year (or was it year before?) to use up a lot of 2 inch width strips as well as a little pile of chunks of green.  So I've been making them a few each month with scraps in the color of the month alternating with greens. 

The Rainbow Scrap Challenge (RSC) color for February is blue. I have a lot of  blue scraps to use this month. 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 scraps in a bin of 2 inch width scraps. 

Going where the scraps take me!

 Easy Breezy

6 inch finished

Using 2 inch width scraps in RSC color and one other plus neutral scraps. 

Bonnie Hunter Tutorial

And sew on...

RSC ScrapHappy Saturday

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

I received a box of treasure yesterday from Sherron. It was full of some of some orphan blocks and fabric. I have to say most of the orphan blocks are hand appliqued and very beautiful. Won't they make some gorgeous comfort quilts! 

Florals and Plaids Sixteen Patch

Sixteen Patch

10 inch finished blocks

in vintage florals and plaids.

For the last couple of weeks I've been working on these Sixteen Patch blocks as leaders/enders. I have more blocks made but the blocks in this post are the only ones I have ironed.

My target is 48 blocks for a 6 x 8 layout - 60 x 80 inches.

Plaids and florals in a quilt always reminds me of my grandmother's quilts. She used old dresses and shirts to make her quilts. 

And I always find a quilt made with the simple Sixteen Patch very comforting. 

And sew on...

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CELEBRATE! (my word of the year)

Dec. 23 - Finished a book! Dire by Jeff Carson. The 8th book in the David Wolf mystery thriller series. 

Merry Christmas! 

It's A Finish! Sixteen Patch and Sawtooth Stars

It's a finish!

Sixteen Patch and Stars

60 x 84

Inspired by the Abraham Lincoln Museum quilt. 

Full of homespuns and old shirts. 

I started making blocks in 2018 and finished the top in April 2021.

I quilted it on my DSM with horizontal and vertical lines. 

The backing is a homespun fabric too. And I had enough for the binding. 

I think this one will go to a neighboring farmer with many hospitalizations who finally received a diagnosis of Myasthenia Gravis or to my sister's long time (50 years) friend with cognitive problems who is moving into assisted living.

And sew on...

 

Two Finishes

Two Little Comfort Quilts

Two little finishes! 

Each 40 x 60 inches

I made the blocks for both quilts last year and tucked the block sets away in my SAR (Some Assembly Required) box until this month. 

I didn't think I'd be able to take photos this morning. I woke up to howling winds, freezing temperatures and a new dusting of snow on the ground but when I noticed a break in the winds I rushed out with the camera and was able to snap a few photos before the winds picked up again. 

1. Sixteen Patch

It is made of '30s reproduction prints of little animals and kids at play mixed with shirts and other plaids. The blocks finish at 10 inches and are made of 3 inch squares.   I quilted it on my DSM with swirls. The binding is a  gray/blue check. 

2. Happy Blocks

I used some of the same '30s fabrics for the 6.5 inch centers and bordered them with 2.5 inch solids. I made 24 blocks and bordered four in each of six colors - red, orange, yellow, green, blue, violet. Then I arranged them in rainbow order.  The blocks finish at 10 inches. 

I also quilted it on my DSM with swirls. The binding is a multicolor stripe. 

The backs.

I mentioned a light dusting of snow fell last night. My little patches of crocus survived last week's snow. I'm hoping they will survive this one too and stay in bloom a little longer. 

And sew on...

Finished or Not Finished Friday at Alycia Quilts

Peacock Party at Wendy's Quilts and More

 

From SAR to TBQ

This month I declared 1930s as my theme to move stuff in my sewing room forward. 

I started with the "low hanging fruit" - complete block sets for small quilts in my SAR (Some Assembly Required) bins.  

I have now assembled 5 tops and moved them to the TBQ (To be Quilted) pile.   I hope to find backings for them and get them quilted before month end.   I made the block sets last year with 1930s reproduction prints (or similar prints) that have animals and children playing. 

1. Happy Blocks

2. Snowball and Nine Patch

3. Sixteen Patch

4. Weave ???

Not sure of the name of this block. They are six inch finished blocks. They have 4.5 x 6.5 inch centers with 1.5 x 6.5 inch sides.  I've made several of these and varied what is used as the 4.5 x 6.5 inch center. In this case the center is a four patch  made of 2.5 x 3.5 rectangles.   I really wanted to use yellow for the sides of the blocks but didn't have enough so I used a piece of orange that was big enough to do the job. 

5. Log Cabin 

And oh joy! Look what I found in the law near the clothesline today! Crocus! They would probably be open if there was some sunshine.  And I think I have heard robins sing; however, I have not yet spotted one.  

And sew on...

Finished or Not Finished Friday at Alycia Quilts

Peacock Party at Wendy's Quilts and More

 

Sixteen Patch Finish!

Sixteen Patch

It's a finish!

40 x 60

I finished the top just a short time ago. The homespuns and plaids came from one quilty friend and the solid scraps came from another.  

I've been trying to quilt up some of the smaller sized tops (normally around 40x60) I have around here so I can get them donated. I decided to pin baste and quilt two at a time and at least one of them has to be a UFO before I can quilt one made this year. Yesterday's quilt was the UFO. 

For the binding I used quilt back trimmings from the Friendship Star quilts I recently finished. 

I quilted it very simply on my DSM with horizontal and vertical lines. The backing, as you can see,, is a striped fabric that has been around for awhile. This seemed  to be the perfect backing for this quilt. 

And sew on...

 

A Sixteen Patch Top

Sixteen Patch Top

40 x 60

It will be a donation quilt when finished. 

I didn't take my usual clothesline photo because I don't want to brave the ice outside on the back steps or the icicles hanging on the clothesline. 

Someone recently sent me some plaid and homespun fabrics. Someone else recently sent me some scraps with some solids. 

I was looking for something easy to make - something that would not require much thinking - so decided to make some strip pieced Sixteen Patch blocks from some of the fabrics I was given. I decided on ten inch blocks made of 3 inch strips for a kiddo sized donation quilt. 

Today I will make some Four Patches from the strip ends and see if I can whip up another top.

Finished or Not Finished Friday at Alycia Quilts

Peacock Party at Wendy's Quilts and More

 

Sixteen Patch Stars Top

Sixteen Patch Stars

It's a top!

42  x 56

It's made with scraps and 4 inch novelty squares. In the past I participated in several I Spy type swaps and even though I have made lots of I Spy type quilts I still have a small drawer of 4 inch squares. 

I moved the stars around in each block and for the center of each star I found a square with the block color on a white background.  For the star points I used 3.5 inch white squares cut on the diagonal. Then I just sewed them on wonky style. 

When completed it will be donated. 

Monday Making at Love Laugh Quilt

 

Motley Mix

Back on March 24 I received several bags of scraps. I thought it would be fun to see how many donation quilts I could make from those scraps, I first sorted them into various piles. One of those piles was a 14 quart bin of warm colored scraps. I made a Streak of Lightning top and an Uneven Nine Patch top and then I still had some bits and pieces of scraps in that 14 quart bin of warm. So I made a lot of different blocks from the leftover warm scraps and now I only have warm scraps left for some slabs and crumb blocks.  

First I made some Bear Paws that finish at 6 inches. I will make these as I go along when I have 4. 5and 2.5 inch scraps.  They are going into the Parts Department and when I have a lot of them I will make some quilts. 

More Bear Paws. For some of these I added in some 4.5 inch squares from the Parts Department.

Sixteen Patch Stars

I had some 4 inch squares left in the 14 quarts of warm. I also have a little drawer of 4 inch novelty squares from previous I Spy type swaps. So the warm squares got together with the novelty squares and a few Sixteen Patch Stars were born. I previously made four blocks from green scraps so if I make a purple and a blue block I should have enough for another nice donation quilt top. 

With 2.5 and 2 inch scraps I was able to add a few Indian Hatchet blocks that finish at 4 inches to my collection. A vintage quilt was the inspiration for these blocks. 

Also with 2.5 inch squares I was able to make some small Chips (Economy Blocks) to add to my collection. And whenever any project leaves me with 2.5 inch scraps I make Nine Patches for the Parts Department. At year end those will be made into quilts.

Whenever I have 3.5 inch scraps leftover I combine them with low volume scraps to make Four Patches or Uneven Nine Patches. More for the Parts Department!

I started making 3 inch project leftovers into Hollow Nine Patches. The Parts Department is growing!

I love blocks made from 1.5 inch scraps. I have a whole 14 quart bin of little 3 inch Nine Patches so I added in some more. And I started making some Rail Fence and Bit Coin blocks that will be new Rainbow Scrap Challenge (RSC) projects. I like to have projects going for all sizes of scraps so I can make blocks with project leftovers instead of throwing leftovers in boxes and bags to sort later. 

Two inch scraps get made into Four Patches. 

And I added a couple more blocks to the RSC line up. 

Some of the rest of the scraps in that 14 quart bin of warm got cut into squares for the Parts Department and if there was less than a square I made a little strip for a future Chinese Coins quilt. My box of these little strips is overflowing so I should probably make a quilt now...or maybe later. 

Since the Rainbow Scrap Challenge color this month is red and I definitely used some red scraps I will link up with RSC ScrapHappy Saturday where all kinds of scrappy things are happening.