Make A Rainbow

Hello, Friday!  Spring is definitely coming, even to this part of Wisconsin, and we are enjoying a lovely sunshiny day.
I have a small finish this week, a Rainbow baby quilt.  It was so much fun to make from my 2.5 in. scrap strips.  It will go to a child facing abuse or homelessness.  I hope it will be cheerful and comforting.

The blocks are 6 in. square (finished) and very easy to do.  Once they were done, I added the first border, made of 6 in. strips in the same color as the blocks.

Check out the outside border--zebras and rainbows.  Even better than unicorns IMHO.

The backing is left over from the Split Nine Patch I finished last month.

Want to make a rainbow quilt like this?  Here's how.
1.  For each block, cut one 2.5 in. square and four 2.5 in. x 4.5 in. rectangles.  For this block, I made all the pieces the same color.
2.  Piece the blocks according to this tutorial.  WARNING:  Make sure the SQUARE is on top of the rectangle when you sew the first (partial) seam.  If you do it right, you won't have any seams to match within the blocks when you set them together.  FYI, the tutorial shows all the pieces of the block in different colors, not all the same as in the rainbow quilt.
3.  Here's how many blocks of each color to piece:
Red:  6
Orange:  3
Yellow:  4
Green:  5
Light Blue:  5
Dark Blue:  4
Purple:  3
This makes 30 total blocks, to be set 5 across and 6 down.
4.  Set the blocks together following the photo.
5.  To make the first border, cut the following 2.5 in. x 6.5 in. rectangles:
Red:  8
Orange:  2
Yellow:  2
Green:  3
Light Blue:  3
Dark Blue:  2
Purple:  2
You will also need four 2.5 in. squares for the corners.  Cut 2 red, 1 light blue, and 1 green.
Place each rectangle next to an outside square of the same color.  Place the squares in the corners, matching the color of the square to the color of the strips.  Sew the borders, then add them to the quilt.
6.  The last border is cut 3.5 in. wide.  You could use any cute print you like.

The quilt finishes at approximately 40 in. x 46 in.
If you make one of these, could you let me know?  I'd love to see what you do with it.

In other news, I've made a few blocks this week for ongoing projects.

The block with the solid/blue print in the center is a Simplified Hunter's Star for Covered in Love.  I'm hoping to have a few more done before I send them off to Kat.  The other blocks are for our quilt group's blocks of the month.

I'm not quite done here, but I will be before Easter.  I'm making enough of these dish cloths (we always called them dish rags at home) to give to the four families I will see at Easter.  I'm on 11 of 12, and I think knitting is helping my arthritis a bit.

It's in the 40s today, but I know spring is coming our way.

My tulips have sent up their leaves.  No stems yet, but they'll be popping up soon.

See these little red knobs sticking out of the ground?  These are rhubarb stems!  The rhubarb is alive and well, and there are good fresh pies in our future.

For all who celebrate, I wish you a blessed Good Friday, and a very Happy Easter.
Cheers,
Sylvia@Treadlestitches
Linking up today with Crazy Mom Quilts and Busy Hands Quilts.