Strings, Robots, Umbrellas, and Beach Balls

 Welcome to Treadlestitches!

This is a picture of a squirrel in a tree.  No, really.  Back in November, our quilt guild held a silent auction.   Among lots of other things, I won a stack of string quilt blocks made by the fabulous Laverne D.  This is what happened to them.

I just couldn't wait to work on this project!  So I took off after it like a hound dog after a squirrel.  Another fabulous guild member, whom I call Nancy, Queen of Scraps, had been showing us interesting ways to make string blocks, so I used one of her designs.  I cut the squares into rectangles, bordered two opposite sides with solid red strips (making them red was my idea), and then set them together.  

There are so many different kinds of fabric in these blocks.  This bright yellow really stands out.  You can see the very simple quilting I did to get from top to finished quilt.

For the back, I used an older print with a small flower.  There are 4 different red solids in this quilt, including the binding.

Here's how it looks after washing.  None of the reds bled, not even a little bit!  I'm keeping this one, I just love it.  And if wasn't for my quilt guild, it would never have happened.

In other news, it's aqua/teal month for the Rainbow Scrap Challenge.  This week's blocks are Split Nine Patches, made from a box of 3.5 in. squares and triangles, plus strips as needed.

Many years ago, I made a pillowcase for my oldest grandson with a border of robots.  I can't believe there are still scraps of that robot fabric in my stash!  The teal boot fabric came from my very first order with Connecting Threads online shop.

More fun stuff.  The little elephant in the light block was in the amazing basket given to me by guild members last month.  Of course the Cat in the Hat and Scooby Doo are here.  And the robots again.

Just can't get enough robots!  And a cheeky lion in the center.  On the left is the south end of a northbound dinosaur.  The odd fabric on the center right is a fish print, with very large fish.

Last one, I promise!  The color of this one is a lot lighter than the others.  I never had any yardage of the Sponge Bob fabric, just scraps from friends.  I will be sad when it's all gone.  The weird little toy  looks like Sponge Bob is surfing across the floor when you push it.  Baby Buddy thinks it's a car.

Here's a little more light aqua, and a cautionary tale.

At the end of last summer, I went clothes shopping.  Before I left the house, I unplugged the iron, turned off the radio and the computer, and switched off the lights.  Somehow, I didn't switch off the "fabric shopping" part of my brain.

It's not surprising.  I'm always looking for fabric everywhere I go, from antique malls and thrift shops to book stores and gift shops in national parks.  And clothes are actually made out of fabric.  Plus we touch them, like we touch the bolts in the quilt shops, to see how it feels and if it's good quality.
 

If you've read this blog before, you might know how I feel about novelty prints.  It borders on obsession.  So when I saw this shirt, with cute umbrellas and beach balls (each with a touch of aqua!) my resistance was quite low.  It came home with me.

I must have tried it on, but I have no memory of it.  Maybe I was blinded by the umbrellas.  The first time I wore it for real was a revelation.  It did fit--well, sort of.  The short sleeves were too short, with an annoying cuff that wouldn't stay put.  The shirt itself was not as long as I like, and the cut was very unflattering.  The buttons were ridiculously small.  And worst of all, I look terrible in this color.  What was I going to do with it?

Cue the Psycho music.

 

Wait, you might say.  What about a thrift store?  I was considering that, until I saw a picture of a huge mound of discarded clothes in the Chilean desert.  (Check it out HERE.)  Let's face it, not everybody is going to want a large greenish-blue shirt printed with umbrellas and beach balls.  It could easily end up in a landfill.

Yeah, this was the responsible thing to do.  At least it was 100% cotton.  I got large pieces from the fronts and the back, smaller ones from the sleeves, back yoke, and collar, and I'm keeping the buttons for a baby sweater.  The pile of seams etc. got thrown away.  You can expect to see this fabric in my quilts before too long.

 Meanwhile, back at the ranch house...

My younger daughter sent me this photo of her boys.  They're hanging out in Little Buddy's room, and something is very funny.  These silly guys light up my life.

I hope your life is full of light today, and all week long.  Happy quilting!

Thanks for reading this,

Sylvia@Treadlestitches

I'm linking up with some fun linky parties this weekend.  Come join us! 

Finished or Not Finished Friday, hosted by Alycia

TGIFF, hosted by Sandra 

So Scrappy, hosted by Angela 

Oh Scrap, hosted by Cynthia

 

 

Little By Little

Little by little, things get done, right?  Well, at least some things.  Many (many!) other things are waiting, but my second quilt for the Socorro Foundation is finished.  (Click HERE for information on the Socorro Foundation quilt/pillowcase drive.)

It's a very simple quilt.  I just took bright 2 in. strips out of the scrap bag, pressed them, cut them into 6.5 in logs, and sewed a 4-rail fence block.  Thirty blocks plus a 2 in. finished border makes a quilt 34 in. x 40 in., which meets the requirements.

Here's the back, another print I bought from my friend's friend.  You can see the grid quilting here, too.  The lines are 1.5 in. apart.  That should help it hold together in the wash.  I used this same fabric to back my first Socorro quilt.

See the Toucan?  That strip was cut from what was left of the animal fabric after making the first quilt.  Scraps just keep on giving.
So I got to use bright novelty prints, which I love, in that little quilt.
I got to use my black reproduction fabrics, which I also love, in these blocks for the Rainbow Scrap Quilt challenge.  The colors, as we're finishing up the year, are black and brown and gray.  I've already done my brown blocks.

Block 1 has a fancy print center that's been in the 4.5 in. squares box forever.

Block 2 has a humble gingham for its center.  Really more my style than fancy.
So now all my blocks for this quilt are done AND quilted!  I still have to cut sashing plus batting and backing for the sashing, before I can start putting it together.  And then I'll have to decide what to do about the border.

Where did all this fabric come from?  This is what got added to the stash this week.

Wednesday was guild meeting, and this month was our annual silent auction.  Each person can bring up to 3 bundles/boxes/piles of stuff, and we all have a chance to bid on them.  Highest bid at the end wins!  I won these gorgeous plaids, orange, green, and blue, each over a yard.  Woot!

I also won this collection of miscellaneous stuff.  I'm keeping the needles, pins, small scissors, and of course the feedsack scraps.  The interfacing and embroidery transfers will find a new home.
Even better than the stuff I won was getting rid of the stuff I brought!  I might have put some chocolate in the boxes I brought to spark some interest (this is always a good ploy).  The guild made over $400.

A friend found this tractor fabric at a sale, and thought of my Little Buddy, who is obsessed with tractors.  Now I'm thinking about making him a farm quilt.
Like I don't have anything else to make!  Well, we can't control when inspiration strikes, can we?

Have a wonderfully inspiring week ahead!
Cheers,
Sylvia@Treadlestitches
Linking up with:
Angela at Soscrappy
Alycia at Finished or Not Finished Friday
Sarah at Can I Get a Whoop Whoop
Cynthia at Oh Scrap