Back Home Again

I've said it before, I'll say it again--it is GREAT to be back home.  In celebration, I even finished this quilt.  Okay, it isn't any of the MANY quilts I'm supposedly working on, and it's only 36 in. or so square, but a finish is a finish.

I was inspired by one of the Tiny Tuesday blocks from the Rainbow Scrap Challenge.  The block is called Nine Patch and Rails, and you can find a link to the tiny block HERE, at Life on the Hill blog, by Libby.

My blocks are not tiny at all!  They're 9 inches square.  I used lots of novelty prints from my 3.5 in. strip box.  (Check out the monkeys here, and the smiling tacos in the second photo!)

Here's the back, a cute and snuggly flannel.

Close up time!  Aren't these lady bugs fun?
I haven't had a finish for a while, so I am making a big deal out of this little quilt.

But this stack really is a big deal!  Members of my local quilt group, Ties That Bind, made all these little quilts for Jack's Basket.  My quilt is joining the pile.
Earlier this year, as part of the Hands 2 Help Comfort Challenge, (put on by Sarah at her blog Confessions of a Fabric Addict), I made some quilts for Jack's Basket, and showed them at my local group.  Other quilters wanted to help too, so we started making and collecting more quilts.
You may already have heard of Jack's Basket, a wonderful 501 c 3 charity.  The donated quilts go in baskets that are given to families upon the birth of a child with Down's Syndrome.  It's a way of welcoming the babies and connecting the parents with resources and other parents who are also raising kids with Downs.   Find out more about Jack's Basket HERE.
I'm filling up a big box with these little quilts.  If we have more donated after that, I'll fill up another box.

More stuff done!  In spite of having a very busy week, I got my 3 light blue crumb blocks pieced for the Rainbow Scrap Challenge.

I think I like this one best.  Dinosaurs, caterpillars, bubbles, and more.

I really love making the crumb centers for these blocks.  For the longest time, I've just been throwing crumb-sized pieces in a basket, and sorting through them when I needed a certain color.

But not anymore!  You are looking at my new improved crumb box.  Each color of "crumbs" is sorted into its own zip bag, so I can easily pull them out and get to work.  I have found that I like making crumbs in one color, rather than a mix.
This is progress for me.  For the longest time I really just couldn't do crumbs at all, they were just too random for me.  Using the same color for any one square seems to dial down the randomness, and makes me feel better.  I envy all of you who can just go for it.  I'm still working on it.

Here's what else I'm working on--pickle relish!  This was a small batch, and I'm not kidding.  Only 2 and a half pints.  Since I still have all the ingredients, I'm going to have another go at it this weekend.  I like having it on hand.  A couple of tablespoons really perk up a tuna salad, chicken salad, or potato salad.

Aren't these awesome socks?  Don't tell my granddaughter, she's getting these as part of her birthday gifts.  The ones on the left have sparkly hearts!

May your heart sparkle this week, with whatever gives you joy.
Thanks for reading,
Sylvia@Treadlestitches

Linking up with
Sarah at Confessions of a Fabric Addict
Angela at So Scrappy
Finished or Not Friday's New Home at Alycia Quilts
Cynthia at Oh Scrap 

Bits and Pieces

Welcome to the blog!  Do you have one of these?  This is my "bits" basket, a place for scraps too small to go in my strip drawers or boxes of cut squares.

These are some of the bits I pulled out to make aqua blocks, for the Rainbow Scrap Challenge color of the month.  I make them like slab blocks or crumb blocks.  (The cute monsters scrap didn't make the cut.  Sorry, monsters, just not enough aqua.)

I already had two projects going for the RSC, but this just sort of happened, as things do, so I'm rolling with it.  I will need to go back and make a few more blocks in the colors for January, February, and March.  Not a problem, there are lots of bits and pieces.

I didn't realize until I took this picture, but this block features a lion's butt, complete with tail.  Just a little secret to find in the eventual finished quilt.

Flowers may not be blooming outside yet, but the orchid in the windowsill is going crazy.  Little Buddy and I have been enjoying watching the buds open.  He thinks they should hurry up.

The color reminds me of the fabrics in this little quilt I finished this week for Jack's Basket, as part of the Hands 2 Help Comfort Quilt Challenge.
It's a Trip Around the World quilt, made in pink and green.  The squares are charm square size, 5 in. x 5 in.  I used up some of my 5 in. squares and strips, which I was saving just for this purpose. 
The charity requests quilts made 36 in. square, which has been kind of a fun challenge for me.

I always think of these quilt patterns sort of like recipes.
Here's the recipe for this one.

Trip Around the World Baby Quilt
finished size:  36 in. x 36 in.
All squares are cut 5 in. x 5 in.
When I make this pattern, I lay the squares out as I go, and then sew them into rows.  As you can see from the photo, the colors go in rounds.
Round one: the center.  1 square
Round 2: 4 squares.  (I used a lighter fabric to contrast with the surrounding squares.)
Round 3:  8 squares
Round 4:  12 squares
Round 5:  12 squares
Round 6:  8 squares
Round 7:  the corners.  4 squares.  I cut mine from the same cupcake fabric I used for the center.

This is a total of 49 squares, set 7 x 7.  These squares finish at 4.5 in.
7 x 4.5=31.5 in. square
To make the quilt finish at 36 in. square, we need to add borders cut at 2.75 in. (two and three-quarters).  After sewing, they will measure 2.25 in.
Here's the math on the total.
31.5 + 2.25 +2.25=36  (or, 8 x 4.5=36)

Can you see the cute cupcake fabric in the center?  I only had a few squares of this, bought second hand on a sale table.

Simple quilting goes very fast on these little quilts, and then they're ready to mail off.  I hope this one will be cheerful and sweet for a new baby.
More Jack's Basket quilts are in the works!  I'm going to fill up a box before I send them.

At long, long last, the redwork quilt is finished!  I had the hand quilting done as my February OMG, and just this week finished hand sewing down the binding.  I don't know why I just never wanted to pick it up and put in those last stitches, but I finally got up the gumption and did it.  I'm keeping this one.  It's sort of a "new" antique, made from old blocks.

My life tends to be really busy.  Little bits and pieces of sewing time make me happy, and make everything run more smoothly.

This week, I'm wishing you joy in all you do.
Cheers,
Sylvia@Treadlestitches

Linking up with:
Angela at Soscrappy
Sarah at Confessions of a Fabric Addict
Myra at Busy Hands Quilts
Cynthia at Oh Scrap
Hands 2 Help Check In 

OMG Housing Projects

Thank goodness for the OMG-One Monthly Goal-at Elm Street Quilts.  I thought I might be going out on a limb here (heh heh) when setting the goal for March, but it has worked out in spite of everything.

The Goal--Figure out what to do with 77 cute house blocks I made in 2017 for the Rainbow Scrap Challenge.  All blocks will be used in some way, and NONE will go into the orphan block bin.  The projects don't have to be finished, but (and I quote)  "every single one of these blocks will have an assigned home by the end of March, including a plan for the quilting."

 The Results
Quilt #1:

This top used 42 of the blocks, surrounded by bright (sometimes crazy bright) 2 in. finished strips.  It measures roughly 60 in. x 70 in.
I'm not going to add a border, but I will probably bind with a solid color (purple?) just to give it a visible edge.  I'm going to do some simple machine quilting, and I have a backing already picked out.  When it's done, it will go to Quilty Hugs for Happy Chemo, as part of this year's Hands 2 Help Comfort Quilt Challenge.  (Click HERE for more information.)

Quilts #2 and #3:

These are finished!  I haven't had a finish in a long time, so I'm very happy today.  Both of these are 36 in. square quilts for Jack's Basket, another of the charities supported by this years Hands 2 Help.

I blogged about the pink quilt a couple of weeks ago when I finished the top.  (Click HERE to go there for the pattern for the set.  It will work for any 6 in. finished block to make a 36 in. square quilt.)

Here's the back.  I only had a yard of the pink baby print, and you really need the back to be at least slightly bigger than the front.  So I added a strip of the butterfly print I used in the border.

The second little quilt uses blocks in primary colors, with a border of hot air balloon print.

And I did the same thing as the first quilt on the back of it.  The backing looks like clouds in the sky, so the balloons fit right in.

Okay, time for some math.  Quilt #1=42 blocks, Quilt #2=16 blocks, Quilt #3=16 blocks.  That adds up to 74 blocks.  So there are 3 leftovers.  But none of them are going in the dreaded orphan bin!

These 3 are going to be potholders.  I am trying to get rid of the terrible old potholders in my kitchen drawer, and these will help--as soon as I get them quilted.  I've got batting cut here, but I may rethink it, I've got another wacky idea.  If it works out, I'll let you know!

So that has been my quilting journey through March.  Having a goal in mind really does help get things done.  Who knew?

This week, I'm wishing you the joy of springtime and hope for good days ahead.
Cheers for reading,
 Sylvia@Treadlestitches

Linking up with:
Elm Street Quilts One Monthly Goal
Confessions of a Fabric Addict (Can I Get A Whoop Whoop)
So scrappy Scrap Happy Saturday
Oh Scrap 

Wearing of the Green

Welcome to the blog!  We're thinking green this week, with St. Patrick's Day coming up, especially since the color of the month for the Rainbow Scrap Challenge is green.  Above is my little buddy in his dinosaur raincoat, growling for the camera.  He seems to think he needs his tongue to stick out when pretending to be a dinosaur.  Don't be scared, if he catches you he won't eat you.  He should be called the Tickle-o-saurus.

More green.  My two zigzag rows for one of my RSC quilts are done,  a study in bright green craziness.

We've got cows, Halloween, minions, dragons, numbers, diaper pins, ants, and lots and lots of dots!  I didn't think I had very much green, but I cut up everything I could find.  It's like Mulligan stew, only quilting.
Now that's done, I can get on with my One Monthly Goal of working with my house blocks.
I had a total of 77 of these blocks when I started, made year before last for the Rainbow Scrap Challenge.  I used 42 of them to make blocks with wild colors, like this (warning, photo is a repeat from last week).

Those 42 blocks are done now, waiting for me to set them together or quilt them separately, maybe starting tomorrow.
What about the rest of the blocks?
I'm participating in the Hands 2 Help Comfort Quilt Challenge of 2019, hosted by Sarah at the blog Confessions of a Fabric Addict.  Maybe these little house blocks could make quilts for Jack's Basket, a group helping welcome babies with Down's Syndrome, and providing support for parents and family members.
So, I made this top.

I used all of the pink blocks, plus some green and turquoise  and purple, and some of the lighter blocks.

It was hard to get a good picture.  I finally taped it to my kitchen cabinet.

The sashing is made from a paws print, just because kids love animals.  The butterfly print in the corner stones and border is for hope.

Winnie the Pooh is just for love.

Jack's Basket requests quilts that are 36 in. square, so I figured out how to fit my house blocks into that size.  This will work with any 6 in. finished blocks, or even with 6 in. finished squares cut from a cute print.

Here's the pattern.
1.  Make 16 blocks that finish 6 in. square.
2.  Cut 24 sashing rectangles, 2.5 in. x 6.5 in.
3.  Cut 9 squares, 2.5 in., for cornerstones.
4.  Cut 4 width of fabric strips 3.5 in. wide for the borders.
I used the same fabric for cornerstones as for the borders, just to tie this scrappy quilt together, but they could easily be different.  You'll need about half a yard for the border/cornerstones, and less than that for the sashing.

The math works like this:
4 squares per row=24 in. finished
3 sashing strips per row=6 in. finished
2 borders, one one each side=6 in. finshed
Total=36 in.
I could picture a little quilt like this made with stars, or hearts, or nine patches, etc.

That uses up some more of my house blocks.  Nineteen left!

I'm wishing a happy St. Patrick's Day tomorrow for all who celebrate, and good quilting time for us all.
Cheers,
Sylvia@Treadlestitches

Linking up with:
Angela, at Soscrappy (home of the Rainbow Scrap Challenge)
Myra, at Busy Hands Quilts
Cynthia at Oh Scrap