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