Arkansas Crossroads

Arkansas Crossroads

72 x 88

Scrappy

I used neutrals for the Xs and blue scraps for the X corners

There's some of my wild four patches and some that were swapped but I arranged them all with the darks in the middle of the 16 patch as well as the corners. 

I quilted it very simply on my DSM. I don't stitch in the ditch because I never make the ditch so quilted a line through the center of the sixteen patches as well as along both sides of the Xs using the side of the sewing machine foot and the seam as a guide. 

Binding was also scrappy blues and the backing was a flannel sheet in excellent condition I picked up at the thrift store for $2.50.   The whole quilt has been washed and dried and is sooooo soft. 

I can mark another UFO off of my list. 

Linking up today to :

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

WIPs be Gone at Quilting Readers Garden

Linking up Sunday to: 

Oh Scrap!  at Quilting is More Fun than Housework

Later on in the month I'll be linking to:

A Lovely Year of Finishes   - . This was my March goal. (#64 at the goal setting party)

2015 Finish Along.    -     This was goal  #10

Julie's March Binding Blitz 

Thirties Thursday - An Abundance of Baskets

I'm trying to finish up a lot of my UFOs this year. 

In the past years I have participated in a couple of different basket swaps - all blocks made in 30s reproduction fabrics.  The only problem is that I don't want to make any more blocks and one swap was 8 inch blocks and the other was 7 inch blocks.  I think I will add a one inch strip all around the 7 inch blocks (I spy an example of that in there). I couldn't figure out how many of each block I needed so had to lay them out on the floor.  Yes, I think I have enough with a couple to spare. 

From Now On They Are Petunias - Not Leftover Pickles or Spinning Stars

Anna Maria Horner calls these 18 inch blocks Spinning Stars.

In my last post on this block I called them Leftover Pickles because the fabrics were left overs from the Pickle Dish quilt I finished earlier this year. 

I don't think they look like Spinning Stars or Leftover Pickles.

But they do kind of look like the Petunias I had on my deck last year.  So, I will call this quilt Petunias. 

Petunias on deck last year. 

Petunias remind me of my maternal grandmother. She always had a little wheelbarrow planter full of them. 

Kaleidoscope Bits and Pieces

I've finally finished the borders for my kaleidoscope quilt. 

I wanted a border that looked like those little kaleidoscope pieces before they formed a design. (Not sure what those little pieces are actually called). 

I used only the tiniest of scraps - I didn't want to overwhelm any of the actual kaleidoscope block pieces or obscure the actual kaleidoscope block design. 

The kaleidoscope blocks themselves were made from scraps. I made three 12 inch blocks each month during the Rainbow Scrap Challenge  last year- one in the color of the month, one in the color of month plus complement and one in color of the month plus color from previous month. 

When I made the kaleidoscope blocks I also used crumbs at the corners of each block.

I must make a lot of quilts that leave me with waste triangles because I still have a small box of them even after making borders for the above mentioned queen-sized kaleidoscope quilt. 

 I'm glad all that itty-bitty, teeny-tiny crumb sewing is finished. 

Now I just have to layer, baste and decided if I'm going to machine or hand quilt.  I'm leaning toward big stitching by hand. 

Speaking of scraps...

It's Scraptastic Tuesday. 

I'm wondering what everyone else has done with their scraps. 

Sister's Choice - 35 Down, 13 to Go

 

A couple of years ago I participated in a civil war repro six inch 9 patch swap.  I ended up with thirty-five 9 patches.  I turned all of the 9 patches into 10 inch Sister's Choice blocks.  These are the last of the swapped blocks turned Sister's Choice.  So, for a throw 60 x 80 I guess I need 13 more blocks. 

Design Wall Monday at Patchwork Times

I'm on a much needed stay-at-home vacation this week. 

I see some spring cleaning, seed starting and some sewing in my days ahead! Wooohooo. I'm free to do as I darned well please when I darned well please (for a week anyway)!

And, I need to get used to this time change. 

Yellow - Version 4.5

All of the blocks I made this week are made from 4.5 inch scraps.   I had a pile of fabrics that were probably less than a fat quarter or fat eighth and cut them into 4.5 inch strips, 2.5 inch strips and 1.5 inch strips since those are the size of scraps I most often use. 

Here are my four Dresdens.  Every month my goal is to make four of them appliqued to a gray background. I will make one in all the color of the month, one in month's color plus complement, one in month's color and black/white and one in month's color plus white/black.   In addition I am using polka dot centers surrounded by gray rick rack. 

I keep forgetting to take photos of the process and some tips on how I make Dresdens...maybe next month. 

Lest you be squeamish that I include spiders in my quilts...look up the symbolism of spiders in quilts and you will see that they are a symbol of good luck. 

2 - 12 inch Broken Wheel Blocks. 

Two sixteen inch Chevron blocks.  I'll probably use these at the end of the year in donation quilts. 

Two 12 inch HST blocks.  I'll probably also use these at the end of the year in donation quilts. 

Got scraps?

Use them up and show us what you've accomplished each ScrapHappy Saturday (an RSC linky party). 

Thirties Thursday - On the Road Again

Road to Lampasas

Five more 15 inch blocks to add to the pile but I still need a few more.