Green Scraps Chapter III

Happy Geese

10 inch blocks

Inspired by a picture of a quilt in a Connecting Threads catalog, I made a few blocks last October to see how I liked making them and to see if I thought they might be a good Rainbow Scrap Challenge (RSC) project. And here we are.   I'm thinking 48 blocks might make for a nice sized quilt. I'm using some very light green florals for the backgrounds for all of these blocks. 

All of the blocks I've made this week used mostly 2.5 inch green scraps. 

In Chapter I  I used mostly 1.5 inch green scraps. 

In Chapter II  I used mostly 4.5 and 4 inch scraps. 

Twilight Flock

6 inch blocks

Twilight Flock

From From the Cover (Quilter's Newsletter Magazine Editors and Contributors)

I did a few sample blocks with scrap I had laying near the sewing machine last December and then decided it would be another good RSC project to use dark scraps plus blacks. 

Happy Blocks

8.5 inch blocks

5 inch centers and 2.5 inch sides. 

Someone sent me some Happy Block border pieces for 5 inch centers. There was quite a mix of prints so I divided them up into different piles for different quilts and I will add to the borders. 

For this one I used the rainbow colored prints and I'm going to use 5 inch tone on tone (TOT) or solid 5 inch squares looking first for squares in my 5 inch squares box.   I will need 20 blocks for this donation quilt. 

This one will be florals in the RSC color of the month and will be a larger sized donation quilt so I'm thinking 30 blocks for this one. 

For this one I cut some prints with small critters for the centers and the sides will be in the RSC color of the month.  I might make two little donation quilts like this with 20 blocks each. 

Monkey Wrench

5 inch blocks

For a couple of years one of my RSC projects was Monkey Wrench blocks in three different sizes - 5 inch, 7.5 inch and 10 inch.  At the end of last year I started putting the blocks together into tops. I made four tops with the 7.5 inch blocks and then looked at the 5 inch blocks. When I counted them I had 203 blocks.   I remembered a big  Little Monkey Wrench quilt I made back in 2015 and decided to make another.   In order to do that I need 288 blocks so I made a few more from my green scraps and will keep making blocks each month until I reach 288. 

Monkey Wrench 

5 inch blocks

Nine Patch

6 inch block

And now I have 220 Monkey Wrench blocks and need only 68 more! 

And sew on...

RSC ScrapHappy Saturday

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CELEBRATE! (My word of the year)

Jan. 19 - I paid the last of hubby's 2023 medical bills ! That's definitely a cause for celebration. And I'm hoping he hardly has any medical bills for 2024.  I did catch an error on the part of the hospital - they overcharged me $1,000+ on one bill and it took me forever and many many phone calls and letters to straighten that out. But, thank goodness, they have finally seen the error of their ways and I don't have that headache anymore.

 

A Monkey Wrench Finish

Monkey Wrench

42 x 42

It's a finish!

For a couple of years I made Monkey Wrench blocks in three different sizes as one of my Rainbow Scrap Challenge (RSC) projects. Toward the end of last year I started putting blocks together into donation quilts but got a little sidetracked when my hubby became ill.  So far I have completed 4 tops from the 7.5 inch (finished) Monkey Wrench blocks. This is one of the smallest and the first to be finished from that group. 

I used some of the lighter blue and gray blocks for this one. Then I added borders to make it a little larger. I added HSTs in the corners to make the borders look similar to Monkey Wrench block. 

The back has some glow in the dark sheep - the last of a fun piece of fabric from a friend. And the binding is a blue and white plaidish fabric. 

And sew on...

Finished or Not Finished Friday at Alycia Quilts

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CELEBRATE! (my word of the year)

Jan. 18 - Quilty Hugs. I shipped 5 donation quilts to Ann. She is a coordinator for both Wrap-A-Smile  and Quilts Beyond Borders.   I let her decide which program needs them the most.   When I went to link up to Quilts Beyond Borders I saw a few of my previously donated quilts in yesterday's blog post. And now I know which groups of children will be receiving one of my quilty hugs! 

 

Stars Like Spaghetti - Clue #1

Alycia who blogs at Alycia Quilts has started another patriotic mystery called Stars Like Spaghetti. 

She released Clue #1 yesterday and I have my blocks finished. 

7 - 12.5 inch Wonky Log Cabin blocks. 

And now I'm ready for Clue #2.

I don't participate in many mysteries anymore but I never miss one of Alycia's!  I am especially loving this one because she said it is perfect for scraps. 

And sew on...

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CELEBRATE! (my word of the year)

Jan. 17 - The EXCELLENT customer service provided by the ladies at the infusion pharmacy where I get my husband's enteral feeding supplies. They also set my mind at ease about a couple of things too. 

 

It's A Top! Fish Net

It's a top!

Fish Net

40 x 56

You may or may not remember that last year I was given some fishy looking fabrics from a friend and I had a few of my own to add to the pile. Well, I made three different tops last year and cut pieces for two more tops. I started with the largest pieces with the largest fish and have worked my way through to the smaller fish and smaller pieces. 

For this one the fishy pieces were cut at 4.5 x 8.5. Then I added sides to those pieces that were cut 2.5 x 8.5. Then I put them together in a fish net (basket weave) layout.   I had that brown fabric that looked a little like a fish net and actually had just enough of it so I guess it was meant to be.  And it fits the theme in my sewing space this month to move UFOs forward - "Browns and Blues". 

And sew on...

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CELEBRATE! (my word of the year)

Jan. 16 - I received a box of brown and green scraps from a friend!

 

It's A Finish! Orphan Fred

It's a finish! 

Orphan Fred

42 x 60

There's a lot of orphan blocks in this one from here, there and everywhere - old swapped blocks, test blocks, blocks from others. 

Last year I put together a lot of orphan block tops using various layouts - medallions, alternate blocks, sashings, row quilts, kitchen sink. For this sampler type quilt I added a column of 6 inch blocks to add to the width instead of adding borders. 

I quilted it very simply on my DSM with vertical lines. 

The back is a brown batik and for the binding I used a small chunk of a brown fabric. 

"Browns and Blues" is the theme this month in my sewing space to move UFOs forward so that is how Orphan Fred made it to the top of the quilting pile. 

Quilt #3 toward my donation quilt goal of "44 (or more) in '24"

And sew on...

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Celebrate! (my word for the year)

Jan. 14 - Cardinals playing in the snow. While doing the dishes yesterday I watched three cardinals playing in the snow. They really stand out against the very deep white snow. I could only get a pic of two of them together and not all three. 

I guess Cardinals don't mind cold temps or snow. 

We evidently have 22 inchds of snow on the ground here but it is a lot deeper in snow drifts.  And the current temperature is -16 with a wind chill of -38. 

This is from before the snow got deep! 

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CELEBRATE!

January 15 - A sky full of twinkling stars at 2:30 a.m.

I was having a difficult time sleeping last night. Two years ago today, January 15, my granddaughter passed away. That has been on my mind lately. I do think of her every day several times a day remembering all the good times but it seems like this time of year I remember the day she was found in her bed permanently asleep with no good answer as to cause of death other than "probable cardiac arrhythmia".  January of 2022 is when my husband's brothers Pete and Marty and my sister's husband Tom passed away.  I miss a lot of family members but am thankful I have memories.

So, anyway, missing everyone and remembering everyone in the middle of the night I tried to read a book for awhile. Then I got up to get a drink of water. I looked out the kitchen window and the sky was full of stars. Lots of twinkling stars. One might have been a planet or a satellite but I am not all that  knowledgeable about things in the sky. I just know the sky was clear and full of twinkling stars. After I went back to bed I watched them from the window and remembered Kayla and Pete and Marty and Tom and a few other people until I fell asleep. And when I woke up this morning the twinkling stars were gone but the memories are still here. 

 

Green Scraps Chapter II

Wonky Windmills

8 inch

Last week I dug into the green scrap bag and worked with all of the 1.5 inch scraps I found. This week I worked with the 4.5 inch green scraps I found. I started making Wonky Windmills last year. I'm using gray scraps as the background for these blocks. I'm using a stack and slash method to make the Wonky Windmills from 4.5 x 5 inch scraps. I'll make them from scraps all this year and toward year end I'll see how many blocks I have and how many donation quilts I can make. 

Flowers

8 inch

The green scraps I used in these came from a little box of floral scraps I've been using to make these Flower blocks. I'm aiming for a twin sized donation quilt. I've also been making these since last year. 

Kaleidoscope Blocks

8 inches

I made the two red Kaleidoscope blocks last year from scraps I had laying around my cutting mat. That was to remind me to add this block to the Rainbow Scrap Challenge (RSC) roundup.  The green 4.5 inch scraps came out of the green scrap bag.  I'm using yellow scraps for the alternate and corner pieces in all blocks. Again these blocks will go into a donation quilt. 

Claudia's Scrapbuster

9.5 inch

These blocks are made with 4 inch, 2 inch and 2.5 inch pieces. I started making them last October to use a baggie of 4 inch squares as well as a little box of 4 inch width scraps that I seem to have accumulated mostly because I never really have made many blocks that use 4 inch pieces. I usually have a block going for most every size scrap I encounter. 

The tutorial for the block is found at Create With Claudia. 

I'm just going to make blocks each month in the RSC color of the month until that baggie and box of 4 inch scraps is used up and then decide what to do with the blocks.  For now it's all about using scraps and making blocks and enjoying the process! 

And sew on....

RSC ScrapHappy Saturday

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CELEBRATE!! (my word of the year)

Jan. 12 - Tyler Daniel, 8 lb. 3 oz., was born to my niece Katrina and her husband! They live in a distant  and warmer land called California so I just have pictures of Tyler to cuddle. 

Jan. 13 - Today is my oldest son's 50th birthday! (And I thought I was 50 until I realized mom and son can't both be the same age). 

 

Bramble Blooms: Border Progress

The next prompt for the Bramble Blooms Quilt Along is "Add a border with repeat applique motifs to your centerpiece, with quarter-triangle style cornerstone blocks."

So far I have added 6.5 inch borders around to my 22 x 24 center. 

Now I'm ready for some applique. I'm going to try to work on that a little bit today. I'm not going to reveal what my "repeat applique motif" will be until I actually know I'm not out of my mind thinking of what I have in mind.   But I can give you a clue to the color...remember our first step to this series of 3 improv quilts was to pull three piles of fabrics? Well, I said all three of my quilts will have a base of orange and lime green because I have a box of small chunks of oranges and lime greens left over from anotehr quilt.   Then I will add different color accents to the three quilts. Well, this first quilt has purple accents.  So which color of those pulled for this quilt has not made an appearance yet? 

And sew on...

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Celebrating: (word of the year)

Jan. 11 - Remember the other day when I said I won 27 FQs in a random drawing (Stashbusters UFO Challenge)? They arrived! Some are already designated for project boxes!