Back To Some Scrap Piecing: Uneven Shoofly

Uneven Shoofly Blocks

10 inch finished

Made with older florals and shirtings/plaids

(Blocks that remind me of ones my grandmother used to make from old clothes)

This is an old Rainbow Scrap Challenge (RSC) project. I've had the pieces for most of these blocks cut out for awhile have never gotten around to sewing pieces together until yesterday.  My goal is 48 blocks and I think I am more than halfway there so I'm hoping to complete this block set in October. I'm trying to finish up a lot of old RSC block sets before year end. 

And sew on...

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After a beautiful couple of days where I could get out and do a little gardening, we have rain again in the forecast for a couple of days. I'm glad it is not heavy rain. My husband has doctor appt. in Iowa City an hour drive away. 

 

Red Scraps

ZigZag Blocks

8 inch

Made with 2.5 inch width scraps

Uneven Shoofly

10 inch

Made with 4.5 inch scraps

Combining florals with shirtings, plaids, homespuns

Greek Key

9 inch

Made with 1.5 inch width red scraps and constant yellow background. The whole quilt will be just red and yellow.

Potato Chip

6 inch

Made with 1.5 inch width scraps

Also catching up with blue and green blocks I cut but didn't get sewn together.

Potato Chip blocks are a Courthouse Steps variation which is a Log Cabin variation. 

And speaking of Potato Chips...

I thought I would make a small quilt that is just one big Potato Chip block. I will add rounds in the Rainbow Scrap Challenge (RSC) color of the month. Made with 2 x 3.5 rectangles. 

And sew on...

RSC ScrapHappy Saturday

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Spring has Sprung!

We had several inches of snow, high winds and freezing temps a few days ago. Yesterday all the snow had melted and I was greeted outside my back door with patches of crocus in the lawn. 

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A couple of weeks ago my husband's face swelled up and he was in a lot of pain. (He has osteoradionecrosis from radiation received for cancer many years ago). On Tuesday March 10 I took him to the doc and he put him on an antibiotic. Some of the side effects of the antibiotic are some of the same symptoms causing his distress. He has finished the antibiotic and is supposed to call the doc on Tuesday to find out next steps. The swelling has gone down; however, he is in a lot of pain and can barely speak. He thinks he may have a broken jaw.   His jaw broke on the other side several years ago due to the osteoradionecrosis and surgeons took his fibula and made him a new jaw bone.  I sure hope he does not have a broken jaw. The hospital is an hour away and his stay was about 10 days. The surgery was over 14 hours.  One good thing is that he has a G-tube and so at least he is still getting nutrition he needs. 

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Finished a book! The Two Wives of Cuddy Ranse by Anna Housego. Historical fiction. This is the second book I have read by Anna Housego. Both books are inspired by her ancestors and real events. This book is based on her fourth great grandfather a convict who was transported to Australia. His first wife was a free woman who followed him to Australia and the second wife was his very young convict housekeeper. I wish I could write stories like Anna Housego about my ancestors. (Dream on!)

 

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I guess Amazon Prime has a new TV series called Scarpetta based on medical examiner Kay Scarpetta in the Patricia Cornwell novels. I've read quite a few of the Patricia Cornwell books; however, I have not watched the new show. It has not received good reviews. BUT I might have to watch because I guess my brother Kerry is an extra. He's been having fun since retirement playing an extra in several movies. He sent me this clip from Season 1 Episode 4.  He's the guy with the mustache in black on the right. 

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Today is my 74th birthday.

More Green Scraps

NOT Disappearing Four Patch

9 inches

Made with solid and shirting scraps

I like the look of Disappearing Four Patch (D4P) blocks but I don't like to make a Four Patch, cut it apart, rearrange pieces and then sew pieces back together again So I just cut pieces and make the end result. 

This is the last day for the Rainbow Scrap Challenge (RSC) color green. I am anxious to see what new color of scraps I will be sewing with in March.

Uneven Shoofly

10 inch

Made with floral and shirting scraps.

(Just like grandma used to make!)

Streak of Lightning

6 inches

Made with 2 inch squares.

Streaks will be black/white fabrics.

Another Streak of Lightning

9 inch blocks

Made with 2 x 3.5 rectangles

This one takes an A and B block.

Wonky Log Cabin Duckworth Style

6 inch

One color blocks made from scraps will have centers in a complementary color.

New start because this month the theme in my sewing space to move UFOs forward has been "log cabins and variations".  I have a lot more green scraps to sew into Wonky Log blocks but this is all I have managed to make so far.

And sew on...

RSC ScrapHappy Saturday

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Finished a book! When the World Fell Silent by Donna Jones Alward. "Historical fiction novel set during the 1917 Halifax Explosion, exploring loss, resilience and hope through the lives of two women."  I had never heard of the Halifax Explosion so I found it interesting at the end of the book to read the author's notes about some facts of the Halifax Explosion.  I liked the book because I like books about bravery and survival and I like historical fiction. I did find the book rather slow moving.

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Happy 17th birthday to my grandson Jacob! I witnessed his birth and can't believe 17 years have passed already. 

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February weather here in Iowa has been weird. We have 60 degree temps one day and below freezing the next. And the ground is very dry so we could use some precipitation but I sure don't want that four feet of snow they have out East. 

More Blue Scraps

Crossroads

7 x 9

Last week I was working with scraps from the 3.5 inch width box. I pulled out just a couple of blues to make some Crossroads blocks.  Then I closed up my 3.5 inch width box of scraps and opened up the box of 4.5 inch width scraps. I found a few blues in there too that I could use to make a few blocks. I made these blocks last year and last September I assembled a child sized top with them. Now I only need a few more blocks for an adult sized comfort quilt and I will be able to cross this block off my RSC project list. 

Cheerios

10 inch

Made with 4.5 and 2.5 inch scraps.

I have been making Cheerio blocks for awhile now too. So far I have assembled a couple of small comfort quilts tops and now I need a few more blocks in blues, purples and pinks for a larger comfort quilt. I pulled out all of the blues, purples and pinks from the 4.5 inch width scraps and squares that I need to finish blocks for the larger top and will make the pink and purple blocks when the RSC colors are called. Then I will be able to cross another RSC block off the list.

1. Red and Yellow Cheerio top.

2. Green Cheerio top.

Buckeye Beauty

8 inch

Also made with 4.5 and 2.5 inch width scraps.

I was also making these last year. I need to take count.

Uneven Shoofly

10 inch blocks

Also made with 4.5 and 2.5 inch with scraps.

I am using scrap chunks to make these. I have a lot of small floral chunks as well as small chunks of thrift store shirts, homespuns, plaids, stripes I'm going to use. This combination of florals and shirts reminds me of my grandmother's quilts made of old clothes. 

While I was in the 4.5 inch width scrap box I pulled out all the smaller pieces in all colors. I cut a big pile of 4.5 inch width squares and anything left of the piece that would yield a 1.5 x 4.5 inch rectangle I cut for another round for my Pie Birds quilt.   I needed 120 rectangles and when I didn't meet that goal using the 4.5 inch with small scraps I dug into my 1.5 inch width scraps to cut the rest of the rectangles to meet my goal.

Then since I was in my 1.5 inch width scraps I went ahead and cut 120 1.5 x 5.5 inch rectangles for my final round for Pie Birds.

Slivers

Then I had some really small scraps (slivers) left over from processing pieces in the 3.5 and 4.5 inch width boxes. I sewed them all together to be used at some future time in a column or row quilt. 

And sew on...

Rainbow Scrap Challenge (RSC) ScrapHappy Saturday

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Finished a book! All The Light We Cannot See by Anthony Doerr. A WWII historical fiction, I loved the lyrical prose style of writing as well as the story.

 

Shirtings, Homespuns, Plaids and Then Some

 

I have some yardage of a few different homespuns. I thought I would combine those with some Civil War reproduction scraps and make 12 inch The Dandy Quilt blocks. I really like this block and have made several quilts with it over the years. 

30s repro swapped blocks

30s repro #2

The Dandy Garden

56 Shades of Envy

For a Dandy Veteran

Funny thing...while searching my blog for Dandy Quilts I saw that I had made quite a few blocks with scraps in the Rainbow Scrap Challenge (RSC) colors of the month in 2022 and never did anything with them. Not sure where I put them. Hmmmm...

Uneven Shoofly

10 inch blocks

Shirts, homespun and plaid scraps combined with florals.

I have a big box of thrift store shirt scraps, homespun and plaids. I decided to make a couple of different quilts with the biggest scraps then after that I will decide on quilts to make with the smallest scraps. Moving forwarded I will probably make these as an RSC project with the floral in the color of the month. I have set aside some floral scrap chunks for these. Then I will combine with any shirtings,etc that are big enough to yield pieces for four HSTs and four 2.5 x 4.5 rectangles.

What looks like Disappearing Four Patch but made without making a Four Patch and cutting it apart. 

9 inch blocks

Shirts,etc combined with solid scraps.

I will probably make these as RSC project with either solid or shirt,etc scrap being the color of the month. Using 3.5 inch scraps to make these blocks.

This is the time of year when I assess all my scraps and decide how to use some of them in the new year. 

And sew on...

RSC ScrapHappy Saturday