Surprisingly Pink

I always say I'm not a fan of pink.  It is definitely not my favorite color.  Yet there is a surprising amount of pink in my house, and somehow I keep finding myself sewing pink quilts.

The orchid above, that is blooming its little heart out right now, sits happily in my windowsill garden.  I didn't buy it, or even request it as a gift.  A young man who wanted to be my daughter's boyfriend gave it to her, and she left it here with me years ago.  Its pretty blooms brighten up the living room.

My zigzag row for the Rainbow Scrap Challenge is busy brightening up the dining room.

It's 64 in. long, and hard to photograph in one shot.

I'm only making one pink row.  When I finally did the math, I realized I'd have enough rows for 2 twin sized quilts by the time we're done.  So one will have pink, and one won't.  These fabrics have been fun to sew with.  (Bunnies!  Cowboy boots!  Goofy!)

This is the biggest pink surprise this week.  A friend of mine dyed the fabric for this kit, and ended up cutting it for the elderly lady who bought it.  After a few fits and starts, the older lady set it aside, and subsequently passed away.  My friend brought it to a meeting last Saturday, and since she was giving it away, I decided to take it.

ALL the blocks in this quilt are pink!  There is a light pale pink, and a darker fuschia pink.  The pinks are paired with 3 shades of green.
Some of the blocks had serious placement errors, but no worries, I have a seam ripper (see?).  There were also issues with seam allowance, both too wide and too narrow.  (I think this is the single most common reason projects don't work out, by the way.)

I've been working on the kit off and on all week, and have most of the blocks done. Of course, I'm changing from the original pattern (as I almost always do). The original quilt was square.  Mine will be a rectangle, with more blocks.  This is the layout I've been thinking of using.
There is enough of the two lighter greens for the cornerstone blocks, and loads of dark green for a good border, but the rest of the fabrics are about gone.  I will need another solid, preferably a hand-dyed fabric or one that looks hand-dyed, for the sashing.  Or I could use white.  What do you think?  Maybe a pale yellow?
It's supposed to be a spring quilt.  Let's hope I get it done by the next time I meet with my friend.

Around here, it's the height of summer, and I love it.  This is our average daily raspberry haul last week.  The red is ending, but we had a lovely cobbler and I made a batch of jam yesterday.  The black raspberries have been amazing, and we got more than twice this many this morning.

Here's what happens to lots of the berries--Little Buddy eats them!  He's a good picker, too, so he's entitled to a share.
Summer only comes around once a year.  We're making the most of it.

I'm wishing quilty happiness for you, whatever the season.
Cheers for reading,
Sylvia@Treadlestitches

Linking up with:

Myra at Busy Hands Quilts--Friday Finished or Not 
Angela at So Scrappy (Home of the Rainbow Scrap Challenge)
Cynthia at Quilting is More Fun Than Housework--Oh Scrap