Happy Scrappy Stars

Welcome to Treadlestitches!

This week, I'm winding up all my projects for Hands2Help, the annual charity quilt drive hosted and organized by Sarah at Confessions of a Fabric Addict.  The deadline is the week of May 31st, which is coming up fast.

This little quilt is for Little Lambs, and will go with a baby going into foster care.  I have been out of some important supplies, like basting spray and my favorite needles, which arrived to squeals of joy.  I love getting packages in the mail, don't you?  Even when I know what's in them!

The pattern is a simple Friendship Star, made from scraps, which finishes at 6 in.  The sashing is 1 in. finished, and is a light fabric with a star print.

It was so much fun putting these stars together.  Here's a robot under the sea.

The back is this bright alphabet print.
Once I got it finished, I started to wonder if maybe I shouldn't have put so much white fabric into a quilt meant for a baby.  But I guess if the foster parents are concerned about stains etc., they can just flip it over.  Problem solved!  Let's not worry about stuff.

The stars for this quilt came from my stash of 2.5 in. squares, triangles, and hsts.  I am working on organizing my stuff better, which I think is a natural response to lots of time off during a pandemic.  I still have to work on the reproduction scraps and other sizes of squares and triangles.  But now when I'm making a quilt from bright fabrics, I can pull out this box to get me started.

The triangles are tucked in the back.  Ooh, seeing these makes me itch to get sewing.

First things first.  This top will be my last quilt for Hands2Help this year.  It will go to Quilty Hugs for Happy Chemo, and I hope it brings a little hug from me.

Most of these blocks were made by wonderful ladies in my quilt group.  I won them in block swaps, and then couldn't figure out how best to set them, etc. so they were in my orphan block "collection".

They are orphans no more.  I will focus on quilting this 48 in. x 48 in. top this week, and get it ready to mail out.  I hope they have someone who likes purple.  I love it, myself, it's one of my favorite colors.

We had a birthday party yesterday!  Little Buddy turned 4!  It was our usual babysitting day, so we gave him his presents when he first got here.  The cake and ice cream had to wait til after lunch.  No guests, of course, but he didn't seem to mind.  As you can see, he is still into dinosaurs.

Baby Buddy didn't know what the fuss was about, but he was happy anyway.

Later, Little Buddy became a T Rex on the back porch (that's Grandpa weeding in the background).

All around us, the natural world is coming back to life after the long winter.  In these uncertain times, I appreciate the joy of spring even more.
Some of the rhubarb is ready to cut today.  A pie is definitely in our future!
I hope there are good things in your future, too.
Thanks for reading,
Sylvia@Treadlestitches

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

Piecing It All Together

Welcome to Treadlestitches!  

Spring has finally come to Wisconsin.  My seedlings are doing well, and now that May seems to be settling down into warmer weather, I'll be planting them in our little garden soon.   These are zucchini, cherry tomatoes, cucumbers, and peppers.

Has this ever happened to you?  The project I was using for leaders and enders just took over and demanded to be made right then and there.

Last week, I started working on an old UFO of 4 patch blocks from 1930s fabrics and solid colors.  Now it's a twin-sized top, with a simple border of print squares.

Here's one of the weirdest squares in the border--a donkey (or burro?).  I think he's kind of cute.

I wanted this quilt to be similar to scrap quilts made in the 1930s, and alternate unpieced blocks were common then.  The alternate block is a very pale yellow solid from the stash. I tried using white, but it just seemed too stark.
After playing with the blocks on the floor for a couple of hours, I decided on the diagonal rows of color.  Kind of like a rainbow.  But this layout left out some of the blocks, especially the dark green ones.

So I made the rest of the blocks into a small top.  This is my nod to the Rainbow Scrap Challenge color of the month, which is dark green.  All the fabrics are vintage, so I don't think it would be a good donation quilt, since it would likely get a lot of wear and tear.  The fabrics are good quality, and might be fine, but I don't want to take a chance.  I'll quilt it up and use it around here.

We might need a few baby quilts.  Three of my grandsons were here yesterday, including this guy, my Baby Buddy.  Quilts are great for laying on the floor to play with babies.

The weather was beautiful yesterday (in the 70s!) so we were able to take a walk in the park.  BTW, check out Little Buddy's haircut.  His mom has always cut the boys' hair herself, even when there wasn't a pandemic.

Big Buddy would rather bike than walk.  He's taking a break here from math lessons.  Grandpa is tutoring him, more power to him.  It's all Greek to me.  (Little Buddy is not having any success trying to push his big brother's bike.)

Here's what ended up being leaders and enders for the 4 patch quilts.  This is my homework from April--three light blue house blocks for the RSC, and April's diary block.

I love making these house blocks!

This one has cats on the roof and the door, and clowns in the windows.

I've used lots of cat prints in other houses.  This time, it's the dogs' turn.

Scottie dogs live here, and there are bunnies at the door.

Lastly, my April diary quilt block is finally done.  April was a hard month.  Like lots of people all around the world, we couldn't be with any of our family the whole month, including Easter.  But pieced into this block are some of the bright spots.  Our library started a curbside service, I made masks and finished quilts, and every Sunday like usual I talked to my Mom on the phone (those are the yellow bars).  Life goes on.  It's different, but we can do it.

While I was sewing with the vintage fabrics this week, I listened to a Glenn Miller CD and sort of put myself in mind of the 1930s and 1940s.  Women like my grandmothers and great-grandmothers had hard times then, living through the Great Depression and World War II.  They got through it with hard work and common sense.
We can do that, too.

Stay safe, everyone, and thanks for reading.
Cheers,
Sylvia@Treadlestitches

Linking up with:
Alycia at Finished or Not Finished Friday
Angela at So Scrappy
Sarah at Can I Get A Whoop Whoop
Cynthia at Oh Scrap

New and Old

Welcome to Treadlestitches!
Here's something new--Little Buddy is back!  We're babysitting three of our grandchildren while our daughter works.  This isn't really a new situation, since we've done this for years, but it's new since the virus and the birth of the new baby.  We're choosing to do this because our daughter and her family need us, but we are still being very careful of our health, only going out for essential items like groceries and wearing our masks when we go out to help protect others.

At the moment, our daughter is only working one day a week, but that may change soon.  In the meantime, it gives us a chance to get used to taking care of a new baby again.  I am so NOT used to it that I didn't even get any pictures of the littlest guy.  These two have school online when they're here, too (yes, even the three year old!) so that's been very new and "interesting".

Here's something old!  It's a UFO, finally turned into a top.  These blocks have been languishing in a basket for literally years.  Once it's quilted by our amazing quilt group volunteers, it will be donated to someone who needs it.

The pattern is Scrappy Mountain Majesties, one of the free patterns from Bonnie Hunter's Quiltville.  Click HERE to go directly to the instructions.  My blocks are larger than the ones in the pattern.  At one point I believe there were directions for using a bigger square and making this size, which finishes at 7.5" x 9.5".  (Unless I dreamed it, I don't know.)  At any rate, it's a fun block to make and a dramatic quilt.

I even included a few novelty prints--cats and bees!

There are 8 rows of 8 blocks each, but because they are rectangles, the quilt is rectangular as well.  I kind of regret a few of the fabric choices, especially where there is a lack of contrast, but I am not stressing out about it.

While making the top, I finished making my tumbler quilt rows as leaders and enders.  That's them in the basket, pinned into little sausage rolls.  It will be fun to lay them out and start putting them together.  But now what do I use for leaders and enders?

Maybe this UFO will work!  These vintage 4 patch blocks are what I call a Double UFO.  I bought the squares years ago, already cut.  I just love packets of scraps like that.  They were 1930s and 1940s prints, with stacks of solid colors.  Somebody got ready to make a quilt, and then never got around to it.  I can definitely relate!  I trimmed up what I had, added solids as necessary, and made the blocks above.  And then I let it sit.  So two of us had started this quilt, and stalled out (thus, Double UFO).  Now I've got a plan, and this time maybe I'll keep on through to finish it.  I will need to make more blocks, though.

The Rainbow Scrap Challenge color for the month is dark green, so I'm sewing these first.

They may not look very dark, but they are much darker than the light green row.

More stuff from the basement!  Over the years I have collected lots of unfinished block sets.  I had some sort of crazy idea of finishing ALL of them as their original makers intended. (Hilarious!)  I am finally forced to admit that this is not going to happen, even if I live to be as old as Methuselah.  I love the fabrics in these blocks, and I know they'll be more useful to me in a different form.

So I cut them into 5 in. squares.

Lots of the squares are made from scraps the original quilter sewed together to make a large enough piece.  I think this adds a little character.  Working class chic.  Waste not, want not.

I did the same thing to another set of blocks.  These huge squares were sewn together (badly!) by hand, and some of the fabrics were very poor quality.

So I sliced them up with the rotary cutter into another pile of 5 in. squares, and got rid of the bad ones.  Now they'll be easy to work with.  I'll be going through my charm square books to find some fun patterns.

The last new thing this week is this mask.  I'm trying out patterns for this style of face mask.  The first one I made was just too small (more of an A cup than a B cup).  This one fits better.  I found this yarn in my basement stash.  I remember buying it because it was on sale.  (Could that be how I ended up with so much stuff?)  It's 100 polyester, is very soft, and is similar to a cut up T shirt.  It makes good ties for a mask, but I only have it in green.
If you are local, and want some, I would be more than happy to share.

Yesterday the neighborhood elementary school had a parade of teacher's cars, which happened to come right down our street.  The teachers held signs and waved at the kids, who came out in their yards with signs thanking them.  It was a lovely celebration of the end of the school year.
We are all in this together.  We will figure it out.
Stay safe this week.  Thanks for reading.
Cheers,
Sylvia@Treadlestitches

Linking up with:
Sarah at Can I Get A Whoop Whoop
Alycia at Finished or Not Finished Friday
Angela at So Scrappy

Trash and Treasures

Welcome to Treadlestitches!

It's spring in Wisconsin.  The robins have been back for at least a month, and this plump fellow likes to perch on a tree in our backyard just about every morning. 

With spring comes spring cleaning.  I've had more time for it this year, with less babysitting, so I am taking it more seriously.

Do you have one of these?  It's a yarn monster!

For the last 2 weeks, I've been cleaning out my basement stash, sorting out what to keep, what to sell or give away, and what to toss.  Above is a nest of yarn ends, from the bottom of a box.  It was easy to decide to throw the yarn monster out.  Other decisions were tougher.

In a box of embroidered linens, I found these vintage dish towels.

Most of these date to before World War II.  Cute little figures are outlined on towels made from flour sacks.

See the little bear on the upper corner of this sack?  All the little bear embroideries are done on these Sunnyfield flour bags.  I wonder if the maker thought the lettering would wash out.  Although the companies confidently promised this would happen, it often didn't.
At one time, I thought I might cut the embroidered bears, ducks, etc. out of the towels and make them into quilt blocks.  I could still do that.  For now, I've washed them all and stacked them in the pantry.

As I was sorting through things, I happened to set some little embroidered blocks next to these tiny scraps.  Hmm.  I loved both of them.  Could I put them together?

Well, yes I could!

On the back you can see the pinked edges of the little scraps.  The small size, pinked edges, and multiple colorways of each print make me believe these were swatches, sent by fabric companies to stores and seamstresses to assist in ordering yardage.

The blocks are rectangles, 5 in. x 6 in. before being sewn together.  The embroideries are kittens, puppies, one chick and one rabbit.  I bought them on Ebay many years ago.  The seller lived in the next town over, and actually delivered them to my door.  She didn't know anything about who made them.

I used a vintage bunny print for the border, also reclaimed from the basement stash.

Right now, I am debating how to quilt it.  I know it won't be a donation quilt.  Embroidery doesn't fare well with the frequent washings donated children's quilts need.  I may use it on the wall in our extra room.  It measures about 30 in. x 36 in.
There is still lots to do in the basement, but I was sidetracked this week by a different kind of project.

The United Way is sponsoring MaskUPMKE, an effort to assemble face masks for local use.  (Click HERE for more information.)  Each volunteer takes home a box like this.

Here's what's in the box--rolls of mask material, perforated for each mask, and latex-free rubber bands.  We assemble the masks in our homes, and return the box with the completed masks.

Here's what they look like.  The first one you make is yours, to wear as you work.
It's not official PPE, and not very pretty, but if it helps at all I'm glad to do it.

Here's what the box looked like this morning before I taped it up and dropped it off.  There are 692 masks in here.   If you live in the area and are interesting in helping out, they are taking volunteers at least through next week.  They deliver and retrieve the boxes from your car trunk to minimize exposure to the virus.

More treasures of spring--the rhubarb is up, and looking very healthy after all our rain this week.

And the tulips are blooming!
All of these are good reasons to keep going, and keep hoping.  Times are tough now, but there are better days ahead.
Stay safe this week!
Cheers for reading,
Sylvia@Treadlestitches

Linking up with:
Sarah at Can I Get A Whoop Whoop
Angela at So Scrappy
Alycia at Finished or Not Finished Friday
Cynthia at Oh Scrap