Wishing Rings - A Finish!

Wishing Rings

It's a finish! 

84 x 91

620 blocks that finish at 3.5 inches.

Inspired by a c. 1825 - 1875 Church Window Hexagon variation quilt. 

I started making blocks back in January 2019. Temecula Quilt Company was having a quilt along. 

I made my blocks a different way than they did at Temecula and they were a Rainbow Scrap Challenge block for me for a couple of years. 

I finished the top back in February 2021.

I quilted it on my DSM. The quilt has a lot of seams in it and I didn't want to cross over all those flippy corners so I decided to quilt it with crazy eights somewhat following the outer ring. I didn't even try to make perfectly spaced eights because I knew that would be impossible for me to do while quilting such a big quilt on my DSM. So I just took it easy, didn't stress about it and the quilting was finished in no time. 

I pieced together a couple of pieces of muslin for the back and the binding was also muslin. A big bed quilt doesn't require anything fancy on back. 

And sew on...

Finished or Not Finished Friday at Alycia Quilts

 

Wishing Rings

Wishing Rings 

It's a flimsy! (Or a top, if you prefer)

84 x 91

The block is also called Church Window Hexagon (variation) according to some information about a vintage quilt (c. 1825-1875) in The Quilters Guild collection. 

I started making these from scraps back in January 2019. I made it a Rainbow Scrap Challenge project and made blocks each month from scraps in the color of the month. 

The blocks finish at 3.5 inches. The center is a 2 inch square and the sides and corners are 1.5 inch pieces. 

It took me a couple of years of scraps to accumulate enough blocks (620 of them) for a nice big quilt in a 24 x 26 layout. I alternated light corner blocks and dark corner blocks but other than that I sewed them together randomly. Gosh, what a lot of seams and nesting corners! I thought I would never get it all sewn together and pressed. 

I just love big quilts made with small blocks and lots of scraps. 

 My February OMG (One Monthly Goal) was to finish at least one quilt top. Here is finish #1. 

Elm Street Quilts One Monthly Goal (OMG)

What Happened to Those Orange Scraps?

 The February Rainbow Scrap Challenge (RSC) color of the month is orange.  I usually start out the month by digging through my scrap chunks (pieces greater than a 4.5 square and less than a fat quarter) to cut pieces for my blocks that have different sized pieces or are made of larger pieces. 

These Churn Dash blocks finish at 13.5 and are made of 2 inch and 5 inch pieces. 

 Double X Mosaic and Snowballs that finish at 4 inches. 

This is my second year of making these blocks inspired by a vintage quilt. 

These pieces require 2.5 and 1.5 inch parts. 

Wishing Rings that finish at 3.5.

This is another project started last year and continuing into this year. It takes a lot of them to make a big quilt. 

I cut pieces for these from scraps from the 3.5 and 1.5 scrap bins if I have them. Otherwise I cut from scrap chunks.  The center which is 2 inches unfinished and the corners which are 1.5 inch squares are usually cut from a 3.5 inch scrap.  The sides usually come from the 1.5 inch scrap bin. 

 Then since I was in the 3.5 inch scrap bin I made Broken Dishes blocks that finish at six inches. I think this may be my third year of making these blocks. Someday they will make it into a quilt. For now they are a good use of scraps. 

When I was finished with those I cut any orange 3.5 inch scraps left in the bin into 3.5 inch squares and anything less than a 3.5 inch square was sewn together into a strip. I've been making those strips for years and have quite a few of them now. At year end I will make one or maybe even two Chinese Coin type quilts...maybe called Loose Ends? or End of the Line? or...

There's my little stack of 3.5 inch squares. And while I was cleaning up scrap chunks I found a lot of pieces that were 5 inches wide so cut 5 inch squares. 

I think this week I will deal with orange 2 inch scraps. Next week you will see the results. 

Until then you may want to see how others are using their scraps: 

Rainbow Scrap Challenge ScrapHappy Saturday. 

Wishing Rings and Wedding Rings and Double X Variation in Purple

 Wedding Rings from purple  and neutral 2 inch scraps. Blocks will finish at 7.5 inches. 

 Wishing Rings that will finish at 3.5 inches.  The center and four corners are cut from 3.5 inch scraps and the four side pieces are cut from 1.5 inch scraps. 

Double X Variation blocks and Snowballs that finish at 4 inches.  I cut the 1.5 and 2.5 inch pieces from purple scrap chunks.  I had this piece of  mint green Kona yardage in my stash for quite awhile so am using it for the background.  These blocks were inspired by a vintage quilt. 

Rainbow Scrap Challenge ScrapHappy Saturday

In the Pink!

Wishing Rings that finish at 3.5 inches. 

(Blocks are also called Church Window Hexagon Variation, Buttons, Doughnuts) 

Cut and weed. Sew and weed. Cut and weed. Sew and weed. And repeat. 

 This week in between garden weeding I dug into my pink scraps and managed to complete most but not all of my Rainbow Scrap Challenge blocks. 

 Four inch Double X Variation and Snowballs inspired by a vintage quilt. 

 Wedding Rings that finish at 7.5 inches. 

(Also called Single Wedding Ring, Odd Scraps Patchwork and Crown of Thorns). 

 Six inch Sixteen Patches. 

 HRTs (2 x 4)

 3 inch Rails. 

 A couple of six inch Broken Dishes and a 12 inch 16-Patch Star. 

And a bunch of eight inch Garlic Knots (aka Arrowhead Puzzle). 

Rainbow Scrap Challenge ScrapHappy Saturday

Chunks of Blue

 I usually start a new Rainbow Scrap Challenge month with scrap chunks in the designated color.  I make blocks that require different sized pieces of a fabric so cut up chunks. 

These Double X and Snowballs require 2.5 inch pieces and 1.5 inch pieces of blue. Blocks finish at four inches and were inspired by a vintage quilt.  I had a big piece of that minty green fabric so decided it would be the background. I guess when I run out of that mint green I'm finished making blocks for this quilt. 

These cats also require different sized pieces. They finish at 5 x 9 inches. I'm using a free pattern I found online. 

These blocks finish at 3.5 inches and are also inspired by a vintage quilt. Temecula Quilt Company started a quilt along and called the blocks Church Window Hexagon Variation.  I did not really quilt along or follow the cutting instructions posted at Temecula Quilt Company. I cut the center and corners from a 3.5 inch scrap and the frame pieces from 1.5 inch scraps.    I've seen other bloggers making them and have seen the little blocks called by a variety of different names such as Buttons, Doughnuts and Wishing Rings. I even saw Wishing Doughnuts.   I like Wishing Rings. 

The finished quilt will alternate light and dark corner blocks. I seemed to make more dark corners this month. 

Rainbow Scrap Challenge ScrapHappy Saturday

 A storm with straight-line winds came through a few days ago and toppled half of a mulberry tree (actually I think it is really a bush) on to part of my flower gardens and smashed quite a few flowers like delphiniums, foxglove, iris  and roses and new seedlings of annuals like four o'clocks, cosmos, poppies, calendula, zinnias and pinks.  The tree is on the fence line between my flower garden and our field we contract out to a neighboring farmer. Lots of trees grow up wild along that fence line.  We have the mulberry all cleaned up to this point but those pieces going into the ground are supporting the weight of the big tree pieces higher up so may have to remain there until autumn when we can more easily get to the tree to cut more down. 

This is what is left of a tree that toppled on to my rhubarb patch at the end of the veggie garden.  There's another mulberry on the other side of this one that keeps cracking but has not fallen yet.  I think it is going to fall the other direction and just barely miss the above ground pool. 

If it's not trees ruining the gardens it is deer, rabbits or raccoons. Every evening at about 7:45 I see two moms and their five little deers romping through the gardens.  They mostly eat my roses and lilies and tromp on the strawberries and lettuce.   A raccoon decided my asparagus patch would be a nice spot for a latrine.  I need Mr. McGregor to keep the rabbits out of the brassicas because the barn cats sure don't. 

I'm not complaining. Life is full of glitches. And so it goes...

In other news...yesterday I celebrated 46 years of marriage to a wonderful man. Well, there wasn't actually a celebration...we said Happy Anniversary to each other and went about our days as usual but it's the thought that counts, isn't it? 

Orange Scraps

It's always exciting to find out the Rainbow Scrap Challenge color of the month.  It means I get to dig through my scrap bins and see what old friends (aka scraps) I get to work with.  This month the color is orange but I'm also catching up on my RSC aqua blocks. Last month I had lots of  scrap chunks of aqua so finished a few flimsies instead. 

At the beginning of the month I start with my scrap chunks I keep in a milk crate. Scrap chunks for me are scraps of fabric less than a fat quarter and greater than 4.5 inches.  I usually pull out the biggest pieces to make blocks that take bigger pieces and blocks that require multiple sizes of pieces. 

These cats take bigger pieces so they are usually the first things I make.  I'm using scraps of gray for the background.   And note to self...wow aqua and orange makes a nice color combo. 

New for me this year are these Double X  blocks and Snowballs inspired by a vintage quilt.  The blocks finish at four inches and I'm using a light mint green for the background because I've had a big piece of yardage around here unused for ages.   

These blocks take 2.5 and 1.5 inch pieces so I cut the scrap chunks to make these blocks and the remainder of the 2.5 and 1.5 inch pieces go into their respective scrap bins to be used later in other blocks. 

 Also inspired by a vintage quilt are these little 3.5 inch finished blocks called by a variety of names. Temecula Quilt Company is having a sew along and is the first place I saw the vintage quilt and the block they are calling Cathedral Window Hexagon Variation.  On other blogs I've seen these called Buttons and Doughnuts and Wishing Rings.   I really like the name Wishing Ring so that's what I've decided to call the block.   I cut the 2 inch center and 1.5 inch corners from a 3.5 x 5 scrap and the sides are cut from 1.5 inch scraps.     So I go through the scrap chunks and the 3.5 inch and 1.5 inch scrap bins to make these blocks. 

 I've been trying to make an equal number of light and dark corners since they will alternate in the quilt. I iron seams toward the darker color so seams will nest when sewn together.  Actually I haven't yet properly trimmed and ironed these corners yet.   I figured that's a job for a summer day on the deck with a glass of homemade wine. 

 With all the blocks that use multiple sizes of scraps out of the way I dug into the 1.5 inch scraps and made Bitcoins and Little Rails. 

 I've been making the 6 x 14 Bitcoin blocks for several years and have 61 blocks. My goal is 84.  I will set them 14 x 6 for an 84 inch square quilt. 

I've been making these Little Rails for several years too. I have no idea how many I have and no idea how big I want to make the quilt. I guess I should count and decide. 

After I make the Bitcoin and Little Rails I've been throwing any remaining scraps of that color into a shoe box to be used in a Spider Web quilt.   So, the 1.5 inch scrap bin is getting low but the Spider Web shoe box is overflowing.  

Rainbow Scrap Challenge ScrapHappy Saturday

The Green Green Scraps of Home

 Green is the Rainbow Scrap Challenge color of the month.  I usually start off a new month with the scrap chunks.  I had a lot of green chunks this year. They have been accumulating since I used them all in 2014-2015 in my 56 Shades of Envy quilt. 

 I define a chunk scrap as something bigger than a 4.5 inch square and smaller than a fat quarter.   

First I put all the fall-ish looking greens aside to be used with a couple of autumn themed UFOs. 

 I set aside all the light greens to be used in my low volume String Hearts. 

If the remaining chunks were big enough to cut pieces for a cat then I made a cat.  I've been using some gray scraps for backgrounds. 

Then, since these Double X Variation blocks use different sized pieces (1.5 and 2.5), I cut chunks that were big enough into 1.5 and 2.5 strips and made blocks.   These blocks finish at four inches and this quilt is inspired by a vintage quilt. 

I evaluated the rest of the green chunks and cut them into sizes of scraps I keep separated by size - 1.5, 2, 2.5, 3.5, 4.5 and strings. 

Then I dug into the green scraps in the 1.5 inch bin and made some little rails. I've been making these for several years so by the end of this year I'll probably have enough for a large and very scrappy quilt. 

I've also been making these Bit Coin blocks for years.  

I think I have about 58 of them and am aiming for 84 so maybe this will be the year of the Bit Coin quilt too. 

After I use a 1.5 inch strip to make the Rails and Bit Coins the remaining piece goes into the Spider Web quilt project box. 

Then I dug into the 2.5 inch green scraps and made some Garlic Knots - a new block I started this year. 

I also made some Plus blocks from 2.5 inch scraps. I made a few several years ago and then forgot about them so I'm resurrecting this as an RSC project this year. 

I keep the 30s repro scraps separate from the other scraps in the 2.5 inch scrap bin.  I had quite a few greens in there so made another Bit Coin block this time using 2.5 inch scraps instead of 1.5. 

Next up was the 3.5 inch scrap bin. 

I cut these Church Window Variation blocks from 1.5 and 3.5 scraps. 

The 3.5 inch scraps were also made into some Broken Dishes blocks...

...and some Sixteen Patch stars. 

If any remaining 3.5 inch scrap was less than a 3.5 inch square it was sewn into a strip. I've been doing this for a couple of years instead of throwing the pieces into the crumb box.  I think I'm going to have fun playing with a rainbow of scrappy strips one of these days. 

I have the 2 inch and 4.5 inch scraps left for the rest of the month. 

Rainbow Scrap Challenge ScrapHappy Saturday