Strings and Things

 Welcome to Treadlestitches!  Thanks for stopping by!

Look, it's an outside photo!  And the ground is almost snow-free!  Could this be Wisconsin in February?  We're having a nice little thaw.  The high today was 47 degrees F, and that dripping sound is ice and snow melting off everything.

I did not even wear a coat when I went outside to take these pictures.  I did zip up my sweatshirt, though.  And I wasn't out very long lol.

I love string quilts!  Even though I make a huge mess in the sewing room when I work on one.  These blocks were part a Rainbow Scrap Challenge project from 2024.  I'm slowly working my way through the RSC blocks.

Do you see those wild blocks above?  One month I made string blocks just from multicolor fabrics.  They might even be a little too wild for me.  I had a hard time deciding what to do with them.  In the future, I think I will mix the multicolor strips in with plainer strips for more of a balance in any given block.  I do love all those multis though.  There are so many fun fabrics in there.

Lizzy tested out the quilt before I got it bound.  It has her seal of approval for naps in the sunshine.

The back is this aqua print with aqua and purple dragonflies.  The solid lavender fabric was still on the cutting table from binding last week's bright hopes quilt, so it was an easy choice for this binding as well.  The quilt is 39 in. x 45 in., and will be donated locally.

As usual, I'm digging into my scraps to make green blocks for the RSC color of the month.  First are my Dawn Chorus blocks (above and below).  The green pieces are 2.5 in. wide, which is one of the strip widths I keep on hand in my "parts department".  I did have to cut a few more strips from the big scraps to get enough variety.

The light strips are only 1.5 in. wide, and I don't keep them in stock.  It's been helpful to have my light fabrics more accessible, including the scraps so I grab them and cut them up.  If I happen to have a full strip I can cut enough for two of the quarter sections of the block, and save the extra set for another month.

 

I got a second set of RSC blocks done ahead, which must be some kind of miracle.  These are the ones I've been calling Half Log Cabin.  It has belatedly occurred to me that this set and Dawn Chorus are both log cabin variations.  I guess I just wanted to do more log cabins this year.  Both of these are going to use up lots of 2.5 in. strips, which is a good thing.  That drawer is REALLY full.

This Wednesday I joined some of the awesome ladies from our guild to work on charity projects.  I don't know why I can't remember to take pictures at any events.  Maybe I get too wrapped up in what's going on?  Anyway, we were making book pillows, like the one above.  Last year a local group requested some of these, and our guild ended making at least 100 of them.  My friend The Amazing Colleen had a whole box of kits cut out for more, so we sewed them up.  I made this one after I got home.

When we give them away, they have a pillow form inside, and we add a book in the front pocket.  The handle is so kids can carry them around.  They are made so that the pillow form can be taken out for washing.

The book I put in the pocket is one of my grandson Buddy's favorites from when he was little.  It's the classic story of Corduroy the bear, by Don Freeman.

In Progress

I'm still working on the farm quilt as a leader/ender project (see last week's post) with 6 blocks left to go.  The small top I was working on got moved to flimsy stage (hurray!) so this set of Little Bricks blocks is next.  

The box on the left contains my Little Bricks pieces, which are rectangles 2.5 in. x 3.5 in.  I was hoping to use up a lot of these this year.  So far I have pieced 3 small tops from them, plus these blocks.  And the box is still full.  What kind of magic is this?

Valentines Day is tomorrow! Buddy and Little Guy (and their mom) came over after school yesterday and we sent them home with candy and cards and hugs.  Today their big brother stopped by after work for his.  We sent a box of treats to Kenosha for our grandkids Mr. H and Miss E.  Then we gifted each other chocolate and cupcakes.  Oh, dear, I feel a diet heading my way.

Happy Valentines Day to all who celebrate! And have a very happy weekend!  I know I will have a good day tomorrow:  I'm going to a quilt show!

Thanks for reading,

Sylvia@Treadlestitches

Linking up with:

Alycia at Finished or Not Finished Friday

Grocery Receipts, Bright Hopes, and Greek Crosses

 Welcome to Treadlestitches!  Thanks for stopping by!

Don't you love it when you accomplish something with a UFO?  This poor project was languishing in a bag for nearly 3 years.  Now at least it's a flimsy!

Snicky the cat wouldn't leave me alone to finish sewing it, so I finally had to shut him out of the sewing room.  Oh, and lock the door, because he can (and will!) open doors.

Here's the top, laid out on my design floor.

The sashings are made from tiny scraps sewn to grocery receipts.  I had to make a few extra to have enough for this design.  I'm tentatively calling it Rainbow Garden.  It's neat and orderly, like I imagine my garden will be someday.

The light pieces are 6.5 in. cut.  I chose light scraps to color coordinate with the sashing strips.  The cornerstones are solid fabric squares.  If I make something similar again, I will stay stitch the edges of the sashing.  They had a tendency to stretch.

It was fun finally putting the top together.  Angela of the So Scrappy blog was making something similar, and seeing that gave me the inspiration for the design (thanks, Angela!).

The border is even green, the Rainbow Scrap Challenge color of the month.

 

Check out the name of the fabric:  Busy Lizzy!  Lizzy aka Queen Elizabeth III is our shy cat.  I didn't buy the fabric because of the name, but it was funny to see.  The print is from the Kaffe Fassett Collective.

I bought it at this shop, Quiltagious in Mukwonago, Wisconsin.  I was there on Thursday dropping off quilts and tops for the Children's Advocacy Center.  BTW, if you live in Wisconsin you might want to stop by.  They have LOTS of beautiful fabrics including Kaffe Fassett's, with a nice sale section.  (I got the green I used in the border for $7.99/yard!)

I'm not sure exactly what will happen to the quilt next.  I may quilt it myself, or donate it as a top.  Either way, it will be donated locally.

I know I say this all the time, but I am STILL finishing up my RSC quilts from last year.  This little quilt used 30 of the Bright Hopes blocks.  I'm afraid to count how many are left, the bag is still pretty full.

It's fun to revisit these blocks one last time.  I'm so lucky to have all these kid friendly fabrics.  The striped fabric in the border has been in the multicolored stash for so many years I've forgotten where it came from.

Check out the back!  Have you ever made a quilt just to use a certain backing?  The Amazing Colleen gave me this piece, which was given to her by a scout camp that had used it for a tablecloth.  They evidently didn't use it very much, as it was in great shape.  I loved the bug print and the colors, but it was kind of narrow, especially since it had been hemmed.  It would fit a 36 in. wide quilt, so that's what I made.  I picked the blocks to go with the colors on the back.

Simple quilting, as always, this time in a 2 in. grid.

On to the green scraps!  This was my pile of small green scraps, after I removed pieces I know I will never use.  I am not good about doing this, but I have to restrain my inner packrat.  

When I was done cutting, I had strips, squares, and rectangles ready to be used.  The triangles are saved for string quilt corners and that pile of pieces on the bottom left will go in the crumbs bag. No more green scrap guilt!

For the RSC this week, I made 5 green Greek Cross blocks.

Of course there had to be a Green Bay Packer's block!

In Progress

Sometimes I get an idea for a quilt, and then try to find fabrics to make it, either in my stash or at the store.  Other times I start with the scraps and figure out what I can make with them.

This quilt in progress come from asking "What can I do with these scraps?".  The bigger pieces, like Mrs. Cow, were donated to our quilt group.  Many of the smaller ones came from a bag given to me by my friend Joey.  After thinking about this little collection for a year or so, I started working on this farm quilt this week.  The pieces on the left have lots of different animals etc. surrounded by fabric frames in several colors.  Those are done!  

Now I'm sewing the 2.5 in. (cut) squares together for the 16 patch alternate blocks.  I'll be using these blocks for leaders and enders, so it may take a while to get all the blocks ready to join together.  (Did you notice the black and white rabbit that looks like Snicky?)

So what are you cooking up with green scraps, or anything else?  I'm looking forward to finding out at the linky parties this weekend.

Have a wonderful week, everyone, and happy quilting!

Sylvia@Treadlestitches

Linking up with:

Alycia at Finished or Not Finished Friday

Angela at So Scrappy

Cynthia at Oh Scrap

Baby Charms and Blue Crumbs

 Welcome to Treadlestitches!  Thanks for stopping by!

Every January several local businesses partner with a TV station to sponsor a Community Baby Shower, which donates baby supplies etc. to families in need.  Today is the last day to drop off donations so I rushed to finish this Baby Charms quilt and got the binding on Thursday morning.

I made a quilt in this pattern in 2023 (Click HERE for that post.)  The pattern probably came from somewhere on the internet.  (If you know where it came from, please tell me and I will update.)  The white strips are cut 2.75 in. and finish at 2.25 in., which is half of what the charm squares finish (4.5 in.) so the math works out.  I don't think I would have thought of that on my own!

There are 48 charm squares in the quilt, 3 each of 16 prints.  Four of those are bunny prints!  These bunnies are dressed up and carrying Easter baskets.

These sweet little bunnies seem to be playing with a blanket.  Or a leaf?

I think these bunnies on the green background are taken from the book Guess How Much I Love You, by Sam McBratney.  I love those chubby little ducklings too.

Even the border is a bunny print!  I got this fabric at our last guild meeting.  It had been donated to our group.

The back is a solid pink from my basement stash.  It's a little darker in real life than it appears here.

Baby Charms, the Purple Princess quilt from last week, and the last two heart quilts will all be going to the Community Baby Shower drop off today.

You would not believe the mess in my sewing room when I was cutting out the Baby Charms quilt.  Piles of scraps and fabrics were everywhere.  (The cats love when I do that.  They sleep on the fabrics.)  Since everything was out, I cut two quilts, one with pink (the finished one above) and one in just blues, greens, and yellows.  I had enough of the white fabric for both quilts.  The second quilt will eventually be a leader and enders project.  It can be donated to next year's Community Baby Shower, unless it's needed somewhere else before that.

Can you believe it's already the last day of January?  Soon we'll be making blocks in a new color (green!) for the Rainbow Scrap Challenge. 

This is my last RSC set for January,  6 in. crumb blocks.  (Crumbs are small scrap pieces.)  I also use strings (skinny strips) in these.

Leftover triangles are fun to add, too.  I make these blocks free form, without any foundation.

Somehow (maybe because of those leftover triangles?) these houses just came together when I was making the crumb blocks.  Maybe I'll keep these going all year in all the RSC colors.

In Progress:

In 2023 I used my weekly grocery store receipts as foundation paper, and pieced crumbs and strips to them as one of my RSC projects.  (Above is the back.)

I'm finally doing something with these pieces!  I cut them in 6.5 in. lengths and am setting them together with 6.5 in light squares and solid cornerstones.  I was inspired by Angela at So Scrappy who is doing something similar.  (Thanks for the inspiration, Angela!)  I'm liking the project, but taking the paper off is a pain.  Plus it's such a mess!  The cats and I are tracking little pieces of paper all over the house.  (Hubby is safe, he doesn't come in the sewing room much.)

Mr. Snicklefritz REALLY needed some attention when I was sewing those pieces together.  So I stopped for some cuddles.  When he was satisfied that he was indeed the center of the universe he curled up under the ironing board and fell asleep.

I hope everything is peaceful and pieceful in your universe this week.  Happy February!

Cheers,

Sylvia@Treadlestitches

Linking up with these fun linky parties:

Alycia at Finished or Not Finished Friday

Angela at So Scrappy

Cynthia at Oh Scrap

 

Purple Princess, Thrifty #1, RSC blocks, and a Camel

 Welcome to Treadlestitches!  Thanks for stopping by!  

I hope you're keeping warm today, and don't have to go out in the snow!

I have a little finish today, that I'm calling the Purple Princess quilt.  It's my first finish for 2026 that was actually started in 2026.

This is the second quilt made from a giant pile of over 300 charm squares my friend Lorie gave me at quilt guild. This one only uses 49 squares, so I still have lots to make more quilts from.

The pattern is a simple Trip Around the World, and measures 40 in. x 40 in.  I will be donating it to our local Community Baby Shower.

I used a swag stencil I've had forever to mark the quilting in the border.  Luckily, I had the border, backing and binding fabric in the stash.  (Buying fabric comes in handy again!)

Here's the back, a soft lavender.

I've been home most of this week after being in Arizona for a funeral, so in between getting the laundry and groceries caught up I've had time to put together another top from last years Rainbow Scrap Challenge blocks.

It has been so good to have time to sew!  I set 20 of these blocks with a flowered sashing, and cornerstones and a blue border of Horton the elephant print.  I may have mentioned before how much I like Horton before.  He's a character with good character, faithful to his promise to that bird Mayzie, and standing up for the Whos when those Wickersham brothers wanted to destroy them.  An example for us all.

One last photo.  I won't be quilting this one, I'll be donating it as a top to the Children's Advocacy Center.  A volunteer will be doing the quilting, and then it will be given to a child.

Now for the RSC blocks!  This one is called Dawn Chorus.  All the pieces are cut from either 2.5 in. (the dark fabrics)  or 1.5 in. strips (the light fabrics).

The pattern for Dawn Chorus is the first quilt in this book Jelly Roll Quilts:  the Classic Collection, by Pam and Nicky Lintott.  I really like their books, they have clear patterns and lots of great ideas.

My biggest problem has been finding different light prints, but that's easier now that I've organized the light fabrics.

One more!

Because I was gone last week I have two sets of RSC blocks to show.  These are Whirlygigs, made from the fun tutorial by Preeti Harris.  (Click HERE to access it.)  This batch are my light to medium blue blocks.  Each block uses four charm squares, two light and two dark.

I also made 6 darker blue blocks.  I'm still working my plan here for the eventual quilt(s).  It is still January, though, we'll see if I can follow through all year.

We spent last weekend in Arizona to attend a family funeral.  The weather was beautiful, and such a change from winter in Wisconsin. 

We arrived early, long before we could get into the hotel, so we went to the Phoenix Zoo which is very close to the airport.  And yes, I rode a camel.

He was a younger camel, named Crockett.  The young man leading him was very knowledgeable and told me all about the camels at the zoo.

It was kind of a crazy thing to do, but nice.  Sometimes you have to do the crazy thing.

For all the people stuck in the extreme winter weather, stay warm!  I'm planning to stay home and sew all day.  For everyone, have a lovely week doing what you like to do.  Even if it's a little bit crazy.

Thanks for reading,

Sylvia@Treadlestitches

Linking up with:

Alycia at Finished or Not Finished Friday

Angela at So Scrappy