A Rainbow Quilt, and a Pile of Scraps

 Welcome to Treadlestitches!

It's no secret, I love rainbows, especially rainbow quilts.  A few months ago, the very talented Judy Gauthier gave a talk at my quilt guild.  Of course I went!  I'm a real "fangirl", and have all of her books.  The quilt I finished this week is from a pattern in her second book, Rainbow Quilts for Scrap Lovers.  I started making these blocks back in May.

The pattern is called "Rectangles Squared".  Here's Judy's version:

 Not a great picture, but you get the idea.  She has plain white squares as alternate blocks, and beautiful quilting throughout.

I admit, I have a hard time following a pattern exactly.  Or at all.  In this case, I made the blocks according to the directions, but I set them side by side with a plain border to make a baby quilt to donate.  Simple quilting and a green binding, and it's ready to go.

It was so much fun choosing fabrics!  There are only two colors in each block.  I decided  to make each block in a different color combination.  This only worked because I used THREE shades of blue:  light, medium, and dark, plus aqua.  It got a little complicated at times.

It's such a clever design.  All the pieces are the same size!  It really used up a ton of scraps.  And since the pieces are rectangles, they can be cut from two sizes of strips.  If I couldn't find the right color in the smaller size, I might find it in the larger one.

I got to use lots of my novelty prints, too.  Check out that robot.  I think she looks like the robot maid on the Jetsons TV show way back when.

The back is butterflies, with a strip of kites.
 

Speaking of rainbows, I got a few blocks done for the Rainbow Scrap Challenge this week.

 

These are my 16 patch blocks, done in solid colors and multi-color prints.  The Rainbow Scrap Challenge color of the month is light blue.  I'm also using other blue prints from the overflowing solid fabric scrap basket.  I'm almost done making these blocks, and the basket is still overflowing.

This block is my favorite.  Novelty prints with one-way designs are fun, but can be challenging.  At least I don't have any upside down dogs here.

Where do rainbow quilts come from?  Why, rainbow scraps, of course!

This big pile has been growing on my cutting board for a few months.  I kept shoving it aside so I could cut other things, but it's been refusing to budge lately.  There is all sorts of stuff in here--prints, solids, brights, reproductions, even parts of a shirt that somebody cut out and never made, which ended up in a scrap lot someone gave me.

I don't really have a great cutting area in my sewing room.  I'm using my husband's old desk, which I like, but it's not at the right height and can't be easily raised.  But the kitchen counter is at the perfect height, and has the added benefit of being near drinks and snacks.  I cut up that pile of scraps there off and on over Labor Day weekend.  Hubby fixed his breakfast and lunch around me and never even raised an eyebrow.

Here's most of what I ended up with.  I cut 6 sizes of strips, 5 sizes of squares, and 3 sizes of rectangles.  A lot of this was from backing cut off after quilting.

I made sure to snap this photo QUICK, while the desk was still cleaned off.  I always tell myself I won't let it pile up again, that I'll cut those scraps up as soon as they appear.  Somehow, it just doesn't happen.  (BTW, there is already a new pile getting started!)

What are our boys up to this week?

The weather has been nice and warm, even hot at times.  The guys like to have a "popsicle party" after Buddy gets home from school.  (This is Buddy's new "smile for pictures" face.  Not gonna lie, it's a little scary.)

Here's a better smile!  Buddy's latest obsession is fishing, and he asked me to take this picture.  This is a toy fish, but he was really excited about going fishing for real with his dad after school.

I'm excited about my obsession, too--I'm going to a quilt show this weekend!  So glad shows are in person again.

I hope you have a joyful week.  And if you have time for quilting, so much the better!

Thanks for reading,

Sylvia@Treadlestitches

Linking up with:

Alycia at Finished or Not Finished Friday

Angela at So Scrappy

Cynthia at Oh Scrap 

 

 

Green Frogs, Razzle Dazzle, and Rectangles

 Welcome to Treadlestitches!

Green scraps are still getting sewn up for the Rainbow Scrap Challenge color of the month.  I don't have the recommended forest or sage green, so I'm just using the greens I have.  And as you can see, most of my scraps are bright novelty prints.  (Does ZAB jump out at you from this photo?  It's part of an alphabet print.  Weird stuff happens when you cut up fabric!)

Here's the whole row, my version of Razzle Dazzle, one of my RSC projects.  (Click HERE for my first post on this pattern.)  It's actually two rows, but you need both to make the design work.

The yellow row from March was a help when I started putting the green row together.  I had kind of forgotten how I was arranging things, since I didn't make a pink row for April's color of the month.  I had to lay them out to preview what the quilt might look like.

The ends of the rows are just sliced off to make a straight edge.  No complicated math for me, thanks!

Check out this happy little frog!  He's in two of the triangles, one right side up and one upside down.  (I didn't mean to put them so close together, how did that happen?)  I have a real thing for happy frog prints.

No time for actual quilting this week, but I had a deadline for this little quilt, so at least the top got pieced.

And guess what showed up on the border!  Happy green frogs!  I'll show this quilt properly once it's quilted.

As always, when I'm piecing I need to have a leaders and enders project.  That's what the set on the left is, 72 little 4.5 in. finished blocks, clipped in sets of 10.  I sew these pieces in between the main project, which is really necessary with the Razzle Dazzle triangles.  But what do you do when you get all the leaders and enders blocks done?  

Start another project, of course!

Last Wednesday, quilt author Judy Gauthier gave a presentation at our guild.  I already had all her current books (there is a new one coming out soon!), and it really energized me to look through the books again, and put sticky notes on designs I want to try right away.

Why not try one right now, when I need a new leader and ender project?  And this block even uses the same size rectangles that were already at the machine. The quilt is called Rectangles Squared, and is in the book Rainbow Quilts for Scrap Lovers.  Very easy piecing, and looks good in bright colors.

So I'm set for piecing for a while, but Mrs. Pfaff and I really need to get busy on the quilting. 

I was out of town part of this week, and sort of discombobulated after we got back (what with laundry, etc.).  Somehow, I neglected to get any photos of the kids!  So here's one of all my grandchildren, at Easter.  (Yes, we had to wear winter coats for the Easter egg hunt, but it was worth it!)

We've put the coats away now, and should have warm spring weather the rest of the week.

I hope you have a lovely week, whatever the weather.

Cheers for reading,

Sylvia@Treadlestitches

Linking up with:

Alycia at Finished or Not Finished Friday

Angela at So Scrappy

Cynthia at Oh Scrap

 

Small Potatoes

 Welcome to Treadlestitches!  I'm so glad you came to visit.

Yep, these are small potatoes, all right!  My grandson aka Little Buddy helped me harvest these from a galvanized tub on the back porch.  We found a few even tinier ones, and we set those out for the squirrels.  Because squirrels are always dear to a quilter's heart, aren't they?

I grow these mostly for fun, but I will clean them up and roast them in the oven with carrots and onions and maybe even sweet potatoes.

I had heard people call things "small potatoes" all my life, but I actually went and looked it up.  The expression "small potatoes"  originated in the 19th Century, and means insignificant.  That just about sums up my sewing this week.

After finishing my red blocks for the Rainbow Scrap Challenge, I had some big plans for quilting.  They did not happen.  Time was not my friend.  But I did start another baby quilt for Jack's Basket, blocks seen above.

Somehow, there is always time to start a new project!  I based this one on a quilt from this fabulous book:

No Scrap Left Behind by Amanda Jean Nyberg.  (If you love scraps, this book is for you!)

The quilt in the book is called Ring Me, and is on pages 102-106.  As you can see, my block is not exactly the same as Amanda Jean's.  I often buy books for inspiration, not just great patterns, and this one delivers.  I will probably set it differently, too, but without the book I might never have gotten started.

So far, just a few tiny blocks were cut and pressed.  Then I went to the virtual quilt show I mentioned last week (find my post on that HERE), and watched a video with quilt teacher and shop owner (and Wisconsin quilter) Judy Gauthier, author of Rainbow Quilts for Scrap Lovers (and two more books in the series). 

  I could hardly wait to get out my scraps and make this test block.

Can you believe this block is made from squares?  Judy shows you how to cut them and sew the pieces back together.  I couldn't believe this method made a block that is so easy, and actually lays flat! 

The pattern is called Blended Hexagons, and is on pages 43-49.  Judy's quilt is very modern, and absolutely beautiful.  Now I'm thinking about a whole quilt like this, but made from 1930s fabrics.  I think I might know a way to make mine without set in seams. 

The last thing I made was a pair of baby sweat pants.  They're a little too big for my youngest grandson right now, but he keeps on growing so they'll eventually fit.  It's been a long time since I made clothes of any kind, and I had to reorganize my patterns.  It is absolutely impossible, at least for me, to get the pattern pieces folded back into the pattern envelope, so I put them all in gallon sized zip lock bags with the pattern envelope on top.  Now maybe I can find what I'm looking for.

Although my sewing this week was pretty insignificant, the week was still a good one.

Some of our red raspberry canes bear twice a year, in both summer and fall.  This little berry is my bit of red for the Rainbow Scrap Challenge here at the end of the month.

 This guy makes sure no berries go to waste! 

What with one thing and another, time just keeps speeding ahead.  I can hardly believe this is the last weekend of September, and that it is already officially fall!  We are enjoying the lovely weather here, and trying to store up the sunshine for the coming winter months.  Sort of like squirrels!

 In the week ahead, I'm wishing you sunshine and sewing time, or just any time doing what you love.

Cheers for reading,

Sylvia@Treadlestitches

 

Come join us at the link up parties!

Linking up with:

Sarah at Can I Get A Whoop Whoop

Alycia at Finished or Not Finished Friday

Angela at So Scrappy (Home of the Rainbow Scrap Challenge!) 

Cynthia at Oh Scrap