It's a Finish! Birds in the Air

Birds in the Air

71 x 71

Hand quilted with perle #8 and #12

 I started this back in 2014. I had won some hand dyed scraps from Vicki Welsh. 

 Around that same time I had picked up a copy of McCall's Quilting Vintage Quilts and saw a pattern for this Birds in the Air variation inspired by vintage blue and white quilt. 

 I had a couple of different dark blue Kona fabrics in my stash and thought they would be a great background for those hand dyes 

 I sorted the scraps by color to determine how many scraps I had in each color which then determined the layout and how many blocks of each color I needed.   I finished the top in November 2017. 

I used perle #12 in a variety of different colors to stitch inside the colored triangles. In the dark blue spaces between I used perle #12. In most dark blue spaces I quilted concentric triangles. 

And here's the back. 

It's a weird size but makes a good couch or recliner quilt.

It's usually pretty cold in this drafty old house. 

Slow Sunday Stitching at Kathy's Quilts

Oh Scrap! at Quilting is More Fun than Housework 


This was my goal #2
for
Q1 Finish-Along

It's a Finish! Pansy Patch

Pansy Patch

84 x 84

machine quilted

I was inspired by a picture of a Tula Pink quilt called Chipper.  It's a basic 12 inch Birds in the Air block set on point.  Although she has a free pattern you can use if you are so inclined I made the blocks my own way plus made my quilt a bit larger. 

I found it a great way to use some of the larger print pansy fabrics I've had in my stash for quite some time. 

I quilted it on my DSM with horizontal and diagonal lines basically stitching a quarter inch inside the triangles that are the color of the outside triangles (if that makes sense?)  I had some variegated Coat's and Clark's machine quilting threads on hand but wasn't sure if I had enough of either so I used a purple variegated on the front and...

...an aqua, pink, yellow, purple variegated thread in the bobbin. 

I found just enough fabric for the backing stashed in my butterfly fabric box.  In fact the quilt width just fit inside those dotted lines on each selvage. And I had just enough of a purple solid for the binding. 

The quilt looks like it could be reversible. 

This one is for my bed now.  I'll bet it feels great in the morning to wake up surrounded by pansies.  (Or to see it at the foot of the bed since I don't have a/c so don't really use quilts in the summer). 

This was my goal #4

for

Q3 Finish-Along

Purple 2.5 Edition

Lady of the Lake

10 inch block

This week I worked with the purple 2.5 inch scraps.  I have a box of all different colors of strips of scraps 2.5 inches long.  They get in there various ways - I use other than scraps in a project that requires a 2.5 cut of fabric or I get to the end of a piece of fabric and all that's left is 2.5 inches and maybe a little string.  Anyway...I used up most of the purple in the 2.5 inch box because I actually have very little purple in my stash. 

I'm making Lady of the Lake blocks this year. Two of them will be made in light/dark RSC (Rainbow Scrap Challenge) color of the month and two of them will be color of the month plus a color analogous on the  color wheel- this time blue.  6.5 inch centers will be cut from chunk pieces (yes, I have a scrap chunk crate). 

I tried out this block last year when the color of the month was orange. I used yellow for analogous color.  Here's how some of the blocks look together so far. Yes, I like them. So, I will continue this year making Lady of the Lake blocks. 

Also last year when color of the month was orange I made a 12 inch ship block.  I belonged to a "birthday club" where members make a requested birthday girl's block of choice and sent it to birthday girl in her birthday month.    This ship block was birthday girl's choice. I found it easy to make and cute AND I have a piece of ship fabric perfect for backing what will be this baby sized quilt. I'm using a variety of blue backgrounds...may even add gray...don't know yet. 

Each month I'm going to see if I can move toward finishing any UFOs with scraps from the color of the month.  I won some six inch Split Nine Patch blocks last year from Block Lotto.  They were made in purple, gray and white tone on tones.   So I made a couple of blocks from scraps but actually had to cut some purple 2.5 inch pieces because these are made with tone on tones and most of my remaining purple scraps after making the above were NOT tone on tone. 

So now I think that brings me to 54 blocks and that will make a baby sized quilt.  I have a piece of purple to use as a border. 

Another Block Lotto win last year was six inch Birds in the Air blocks.  These blocks are made in tone on tone purples and blues with white.   So, since I made some new 2.5 inch scraps from making the above blocks I immediately used them to make six birds in the air blocks. I'm going to make a big quilt from these and will probably use blue tone on tones to make more blocks for this quilt. So watch for same blocks in RSC blue month. Otherwise you won't see these blocks again for ScrapHappy Saturday. Merely trying to move a UFO forward this month. 

Sprouts 

6 x 13

I made the three sprouts on the left. The two on the right were made last year from my purple scraps. It's kind of fun to compare scraps from year to year.  I actually don't know where I'm going with these blocks so maybe I should figure that out now since these are rolling over from last year and I have different numbers of blocks in each scrappy color. 

Now I'm down to some miscellaneous blocks and parts. 

I made two eight inch Depression blocks. I've been making these for several years. I guess I should count the stack. I like big quilts so sometimes it takes awhile to get there when you make a few blocks each month from scraps.  But what's the hurry? 

The second row of blocks goes into the four inch parts department. Gosh, I have a big bag of 4 inch parts. I've been throwing things into there for years.   And the bottom row is a strip of wonky HSTs leftover from Lady of the Lake.  Usually I throw wonkies into the crumb pile but I decided to make a strip from them. I have "made strips" in various colors and sizes so will now add to them with hst strips.  Use to be determined later. 

Speaking of strips...I made one with the ends of some purple scraps. 

I also have been making triangles following the tutorial on Molly Flanders. I have a LOT of these. I guess I need to figure out the diagonal measurement of the quilt I want to make and then figure out how many of these things it takes sewn together to make that measurement. 

And that's the Purple 2.5 Scrap Edition. 

Got Scraps? 

Join us each ScrapHappy Saturday

 (a Rainbow Scrap Challenge link)

Block Lotto

Do you know about Block Lotto?

Sophie of Sophie Junction is the creative lady behind it all. 

This month's block is a six inch violet block - one of her old favorites. 

I've made 9 blocks which means I have 9 chances to win a set of 48 blocks. 

I also made 11 violet blocks for my Old MacDonald Mystery Sampler Quilt Along. 

So far the sampler has Birds in the Air blocks, Snail Trail blocks and now Violet blocks. Since it's a mystery only a little of the layout (not like above which is just random) gets revealed each month.   So far we have a little sky and a little ground cover. What will be next? 

Oh, and did I mention that sometimes you can win a set of blocks? I was one of several lucky winners of 50 Birds in the Air blocks in January.  So far I've received 47 and have decided on a layout...but first I have to make more.  Another quilt to add to the UFO list!  And believe it or not I already have a Birds in the Air UFO - birds of a different color (hand dyed solids) and background (navy).  Mind you, I'm not complaining.  

Maybe I'll win some violets. You don't win if you don't play!

Where Did Those Blue 2.5 Inch Scraps Go?

The color of the month for the Rainbow Scrap Challenge is blue.  I'm still trying to clear out my 2.5 inch blue strips of scraps. 

This week I made some triangle units for a pyramid quilt.  I actually did cut some fabric for these - 3 2.5 inch strips of neutral fabric is all.   I then looked for any scraps that might be enough for at least one triangle and I sew all the blue 2.5 inch pieces into a strip about the width of the neutral strip.  Then I follow the directions on the Molly Flanders blog to make the units.   In just a few minutes you have a bunch of triangle units.  At the end of the year the units will be sewn together. 

When I sew the blue pieces together I get some split blue triangle parts like you see in the fourth row.  So nothing gets wasted. 

I participated in a floral themed Chunky Churn Dash swap last year and I still need quite a few blocks to complete a lap quilt.  So I picked out some floral themed blue 2.5 scraps and picked through my 1.5 scrap bin for some neutral/blues/purples (RSC highlight color) to make a few Chunky Churns.  Then I found pieces enough for dark/light/dark rail fence pieces.   

Other blue scraps went into six inch Twinklers and some miscellaneous 4 inch blocks.  Then when all was said and done I sewed all the 2.5 inch scraps that were less than 2.5 inch square into one big long strip. I'll decide what to do with that later...Chinese Coins?...a border?...combined with those 4 inch kitchen sink blocks?...

I used some scraps to make 8 six inch January Block Lotto Birds in the Air blocks. 

And still in my 2.5 inch scraps...I made six more Birds in the Air blocks for the Old MacDonald Mystery Sampler - a Block Lotto mystery.  I thought I wasn't going to make any more mystery quilts or samplers (other than finishing the UFO samplers I have in my midst) but this Old MacDonald sampler sounds rather intriguing. 

Ok...so, my 2.5 inch scraps are about gone. I saved out the tone on tones to make some little butterfly blocks and I saved out 3 long strips to make an actual block but other than that...I'm about finished this month with the 2.5 inch scraps.  Next week...4.5 inch blue scraps are on the agenda...and maybe some crumbs or...

Got Scraps?

Use up the blue ones this month and join us with your progress each ScrapHappy Saturday. 

Almost 50 Shades of Envy (or Spewing Green Chunks)

I added a few more 12 inch green Dandy blocks  this week to my pile. I have several  chunks (less than a FQ on most of them) of green I'm trying to use up. 

I figured if I end up with 50 or more blocks I would call the quilt Fifty Shades of Envy.  That's probably a lot better than calling it Spewing Green Chunks. 

(Wouldn't it have been nice if I had those two tree fabrics turned right side up for the photo shoot? They are hardly recognizable as trees. )

 Lucky me...I won a few of Vicki's  hand-dyed "scraps" when she was hosting the HSTeria Sewalong so I used up her green scraps  (plus some navy Kona)  and made more half blocks for my Birds in the Air quilt I previously blogged about on July 25. 

Got Scraps?

This month's RSC color is green (light and bright). But any green will do. 

Use up those scraps and show us what you've made each ScrapHappy Saturday. 

HSTeria is About Over

Vicki Welsh from Field Trips in Fiber has been hosting a HSTeria Quilt Along.  This is the last week. 

We've been sewing along on several projects that use HSTs. 

Last week I added some HSTs to some four patches and made some 14 inch Bear Foot blocks.  I made 5 more blocks this week which brings me to a total of 13.  I can't decide what size quilt to make so not sure how many more I need.  

Vicki was picking a random winner each week from those who linked up with a HST project. The prize was a bunch of her beautiful hand dyed "scraps". 

The McCall's Quilting Vintage Quilts Spring 2014 magazine had a Birds in the Air quilt I wanted to make some day so I thought I would use Vicki's "scraps" and start making it now. 

I need 40 of these HSTs within HST blocks.  Don't Vicki's scraps look gorgeous against the Navy Kona? 

Thanks, Vicki!

Got HSTs? 

It's the last week of HSTeria and Vicki says she has a grand prize! 

She also has some beautiful hand-dyed fabrics.