Saturday, May 11, 2019

Orange Scraps and a Splot



Welcome to the blog!  Isn't orange a gorgeous color?  It's the color of the month for the Rainbow Scrap Challenge, one of my favorite internet quilt-alongs.  I'm making some crumb blocks here...
and trying them out as centers for Sawtooth Square blocks.  What do you think?  I got this idea from Victoria Findlay Wolfe's book 15 Minutes of Play.
Speaking of great books, have you seen this one?  It's Quilting With a Modern Slant, by Rachel May.  It's not exactly new (2014), but it is absolutely packed with ideas, photos, and stuff to actually read!  I don't really consider myself a modern quilter (hello, tubs of reproduction fabric in my basement!) but I am loving this book.

When not reading this week, I made this.  It's homemade play dough!  It was fast and easy to make, very colorful, and nice and soft.  Plus cheap!  Click HERE for the recipe.
Here's my Little Buddy, playing with it for the first time.  It's been raining nearly all week, so we enjoyed having something different to do.
My finish for the week is my wild house quilt, quilted and bound and ready to mail away for the Hands 2 Help Challenge 2019.  It will go to Quilty Hugs for Happy Chemo.  It started as a Rainbow Scrap quilt.
It's definitely a happy quilt!
My inspiration was this book:  The Big Orange Splot, by Daniel Pinkwater.  I'm a retired children's librarian, and I've always loved Pinkwater's wackiness.
The story starts with a neat street of houses that all look the same.  Then a seagull drops a jar of paint on Mr. Plumbean's house and makes a big orange splot.
Mr. Plumbean's answer to the problem--more paint!  He leaves the splot, and adds all sorts of wild colors and drawings.  As he says in the story, "My house is me, and I am it.  My house is where I like to be, and it looks like all my dreams."
One by one, his neighbors come over to ask him to put his house back the way it was.  And one by one, the neighbors go home and paint their own houses...
until the whole street looks like this.
I think of this quilt like Mr. Plumbean's neighborhood, with all the houses bright and different.
I hope the quilt will provide some comfort and distraction for someone enduring chemo.  Maybe it's kind of childlike, but I think a free spirited adult would enjoy it as well.


I'm wishing a childlike joy for us all this week.  Now I'm going to go scarf down the last chocolate cupcake!
Cheers,
Sylvia@Treadlestitches

Linking up with:
Angela at Soscrappy
Myra at Busy Hands Quilts
Sarah at Confessions of a Fabric Addict
Cynthia at Oh Scrap








28 comments:

  1. I love this colorful house quilt. And thanks for sharing the children's book. I've reserved it at my library because I want to see more of that crazy house with the orange splot on the roof! I have to say that if I were a patient with cancer, your quilt would not only cheer me up and comfort me, it would give me all those lovely houses to which I could turn my daydreams: a lovely escape for a little while.

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    1. Thank you very much, Juliana! I hope you enjoy the book. Chemo can be very tough. If this quilt helps at all, it will be more than worthwhile.

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  2. This free spirited adult enjoyed your houses. What a perfect Quilty Hug!

    I like sewing up crumbs too. It's fun to dream up different blocks to make with them..


    I used to make play dough when the kids and grandkids were little. Those were the days!

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    1. Thanks, Cathy! Little Buddy is probably my last grandchild, so I'm trying to treasure every day.

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  3. Your house quilt is just wonderful! I love that it was inspired by a chikdren's book!

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    1. Thanks, Diann! One of the things I loved best about being a children's librarian was getting to know all kinds of kids' books. And then I got to share them with kids!

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  4. I love how a book inspired you to make this quilt. Maybe a copy of the book should accompany the quilt!?!?

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    1. That's a very nice idea, Susie H.! I'll find out if I can do that.

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  5. Your house quilt is wonderful! I'm sure it will give someone cheer and encouragement.

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  6. I love your house quilt - so nice and bright and I haven't seen one quite like that before

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  7. Your house quilt is delightful, it should lighten someone's day. Even someone who's never read the books should be inspired

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    1. Thanks, Marly! It's not one of Mr. Pinkwater's best known books.

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  8. Your house quilt is definitely the most colorful one I’ve ever seen. We all need a splot now and then.

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    1. Hi, PaulaB! Your comment made me laugh out loud! I agree, we all need a splot now and then!

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  9. Thanks for sharing the inspiration for your Wild Houses quilt!! Great story. AWESOME quilt, Sylvia!

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    1. Thanks, Joyful! I hope the recipient enjoys it as much as I enjoyed making it.

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  10. I love this story! Librarians are some of my most favorite people. I used to own a small publishing company and we sold our reference books primarily to public libaries. They are the BEST customers!

    And now I want to live in Mr. Plumbean's neighborhood. Fabulous quilt, Sylvia :)

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    1. Thanks, Louise! I would love to live in Mr. Plumbean's neighborhood too! And none of us would worry about making the property values go down with out wild paint jobs.

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  11. One of my children's favorite books, and one of my favorite quilts!

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    1. Hi, Patricia! It's nice to meet another Pinkwater fan!

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  12. Sylvie, your house quilt is amazing! I love that you shared your inspiration. Thanks for sharing with Oh Scrap!

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  13. What a cute story! And, it goes great with that amazing quilt!

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  14. This quilt makes me smile! Great job! I know this will be a great distraction for a sick child,

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Thanks for reading! Post a comment--I want to know what you think!