Welcome to Treadlestitches!
Good morning and Happy Saturday! I've been making red Bow Tie blocks this week, using up some red scraps with the Rainbow Scrap Challenge. These blocks are fun and easy to make, and they'll look good set side by side in the quilts I will (eventually!) make from them.
But wait, there's more! It's easy to get carried away. Red is such a good color, and there are so many great novelty fabrics in red.
This is my favorite block. These adorable little ninjas always make me smile, especially since the fabric was given to me by a friend. (Thanks, Debbie!)
BTW, quilters, I'm wondering how many blocks other people make for the RSC. Are you planning specific quilts, or stockpiling blocks for lots of quilts, or something in between? I love seeing what other quilters are doing, I think that's one of the big benefits of the internet.
This week my Leader and Ender blocks have also been red! Our guild's wonderful charity committee cuts up kits for us to sew. I picked this one up at the last meeting. It's made from 1930s reproduction fabrics in great colors. Not all of the blocks are red of course, I just chose to do these first. The pattern has literally 20 names in Brackman's Encyclopedia of Pieced Quilt Patterns, but the most common are Monkey Wrench and Churn Dash.
Before I let myself get carried away with the red scraps, I finished up last month's yellow blocks. They're so scrappy it's hard to see the Sisters Choice pattern in some of them.
This one is my favorite, with Elmo peeking out of the middle square.
On Wednesday, I delivered this pile of quilts from our guild for the Milwaukee Child Advocacy Center. There were 20 finished quilts and 11 tops. The lady who organizes it takes 250 quilts to the center every other month, so a drop in the bucket, but I know it helps. I am so proud of all the charity work our group does. We're not a large group (around 50 members), and we have already donated nearly 100 quilts this year, plus lots of other sewn items.
Our grandson Buddy had a program at school this week, and we went to see it. I am shocked at how grown up he looks. The years just keep zipping by.
When Buddy and Little Guy were here after school the other day, it suddenly got very quiet. Hubby and I went on high alert, but they were just sitting on the couch. They don't have phones, those are calculators! They were amusing themselves adding and subtracting big numbers.
Hubby and I were remembering when we first saw a calculator. We were in college! Technology has changed so fast in just my lifetime.
Speaking of which, I need to go and buy a new computer today. I've done my research, made my choice, and am just waiting for the store to open. My old computer has served me well since 2013, but Windows 8.1 is a dinosaur in 2025, so time to upgrade.
Have a good week, everyone! And Happy Passover and Easter in advance to all who celebrate.
Thanks for reading,
Sylvia@Treadlestitches
Linking up with these awesome linky parties:
So many fun blocks! I love the bow tie block and hope to make a bow tie quilt soon-ish. :)
ReplyDeleteThanks, Pat! Bowties are such a classic. And they look good in any size.
DeleteWe must be about the same age - because calculators became a "thing" when I was in college too. LOL Those red bowties are delightful, and would make a great quilt in just the red and all those cute backgrounds. Your guild is busy with the wonderful donation quilts.
ReplyDeleteThanks, Sara! Red and white is another one of those perfect quilt combinations. Someday I'm going to make one!
DeleteI am very fond of the bow tie block. I usually try to make at least 2 per week of each color. I do not usually have a plan before hand. Lots of times I just start to lay them out sort of Roy G. Biv (rainbow) order. But we usually have pink and sometimes 2 shades of blues and green. If I need more of a specific color I add one or two at the end. I’m just sewing the scraps I have.
ReplyDeleteThanks for telling me how you work! I think I might need to slow down a little. There are whole groups of blocks from last year that I haven't gotten to yet.
DeleteYour bowtie blocks are so fun, Sylvia! The little ninjas are definitely adorable. I do like making more than one block each year - gives me something different to work on from week to week. And eventually they all turn into quilts. Your buddies are really looking grown up these days!
ReplyDeleteThanks, Diann! I really love reading your blog and seeing the projects from start to finish. And you use up your scraps, too!
DeleteLove your blocks. Answer to your question: I have 8 RSC projects going & they are monthly blocks toward a planned quilt. Sometimes I take a quilt I want to make & plan it in rainbow so I can work on it all year & sometimes I pick a block I like it & plan how many I need of each color. My goal is to end up with a quilt & not a pile of blocks!
ReplyDeleteThanks, Sue! Your way of working seems very sensible. I feel like I need to focus a bit more. I still have a bin full of blocks from last year.
DeleteI always enjoy seeing your progress with the RSC blocks. I make blocks for one project. . .maybe I will get it done the following year and then again. . .maybe not! LOLThis year, I'm making four blocks. I might need more when the year ends but I'll figure that out when we get there!
ReplyDeleteThat sounds like a good way to do it. We can always make more blocks if we need them!
DeleteBow ties - churn dashes - you are having too much fun!!!
ReplyDeleteYou know it lol!
Delete"I love seeing what other quilters are doing, I think that's one of the big benefits of the internet." And so do I. I`m happy that I found your blog and get a lot of inspiration.
ReplyDeleteIn the last two weeks I worked with my flanells, because the box was more than full. Old shirts, also from children, two nightgowns, parts of winter bedsheets, winter bedclothes, .....
It is not so easy to sew little pieces together, because the material is thicker. So I remembered the "yellow brick road", you cut in 3,5x3,5, 3,5x6,5 and 3,5x9,5. You can also use two different 5x6,5.
I take the fabrics which go well together and cut as much as I can get out of the material. Then I sew them together to 9,5 blocks. They were laid out on the bed, always turning them so that no fabric touches the same fabric. Very easy. Try it!
Have a happy easter with your family!
Angela from Xanten /Germany