Saturday, February 20, 2021

Math Genius???

Welcome to Treadlestitches!  

Guess what's in this box--that's right, it's a quilt!

 

 Sometimes, when I'm cleaning up scraps, I cut up pieces for a baby quilt and stash them away in a box, waiting for when I have time to sew.  It's like a little present for myself.

Quilts for Scrap Lovers: 16 Projects • Start with Simple Squares 

The pattern for the quilt in the box came from this book:  Quilts for Scrap Lovers, by Judy Gauthier.  There are LOTS of good patterns in this book.  The one I chose is called Mathematical Genius.  If you've read my blog before, that might strike you as ironic.  My struggles with math are not a secret!

One recent Sunday, I just couldn't wait to start this any longer.  I shooed away the dog and cat, turned on All Creatures Great and Small on PBS, and started laying the quilt out on the floor.  The pattern is kind of like a Plus quilt, but all the pluses have to fit together.

Without the book, I would have been lost.  It doesn't seem complicated until you start actually placing the squares.  (Did you notice the yellow parrot fabric?  I keep using it everywhere this year!)  I must admit, I lost track of the TV show, and had to rewind and watch it later.

This quilt pattern turned out to be a good place to use multi-colored fabric, like the Pete the Cat and Snoopy/Joe Cool prints above.

Keeping everything straight when moving from the "design floor" to the sewing room required a little thinking.  First, I took a photo of the layout on my phone.  Then I pinned the squares into rows and stacked them back in the box.  As I sewed, I would take a pinned row out of the box, sew all the squares together (checking the photo on my phone as needed), and then drape that row over the ironing board as shown above.  If any squares were in the wrong place, it would be easy to tell.

Now it's a top!  Adding the bright red border made it a slightly large baby quilt at 40 in. x 48 in.  Today's job will be basting and quilting it, to get it ready to be donated.

In other news, more yellow!

Four patch stars, and log cabins.

 

 More half square triangles, that I still have no specific plan for.

My favorite blocks this week are the Happy Blocks.  I used a yellow square in the center of each one, and surrounded it with a color picked up from the square.

So, lots of piecing but not much actual quilting.  Piecing for 20-30 minutes a day gives me a good start to the weekday morning, before my Baby Buddy gets here.

Speaking of Baby Buddy, here he is, in the middle of getting into everything.  He is so fast!  We have to batten down the hatches when he arrives.

This was the only picture I got of my Little Buddy this week where he WASN'T growling like a T. Rex.  Here he's watching a video on my phone about (of course) dinosaurs.

 My heart goes out to all the people in Texas and Oklahoma (including my family members) who have been hit by the disastrous weather.  It's so easy to take infrastructure like water and electricity for granted, and so tough to manage without it.  I'm hoping warmer weather will help start getting things back on track.

My guess is when things get a little more settled, there will be a need for quilts to help people who have lost so much.  The quilting community always responds to disasters, and I know we will do so again.  In the meantime, click HERE for a list from CNN of places to donate money to help people in Texas.  If I find a similar list for Oklahoma, I will post it.

Good luck to everyone in the week ahead.  Stay warm, stay safe, and let's keep sewing!

Thanks for reading,

Sylvia@Treadlestitches

Linking up with:

Angela at So Scrappy
Cynthia at Oh Scrap

 

 











 

 

24 comments:

  1. Love your plus quilt and the yellow blocks all look great

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  2. I love your plus quilt made of all the fun novelty fabrics, Sylvia! That is a fun design to make - a bit like putting together a puzzle. Your yellow blocks are happy and so are the happy blocks, lol! I bet you get your exercise keeping up with your little buddies!

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    1. Hi, Diann! Keeping up with the buddies is challenging, but doesn't really use up many calories. I can't wait until warmer weather when we can get outside more.

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  3. A great design to use up novelty prints. I like your idea of pre-cutting and then ready to sew when you are.

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    1. Thanks, Karen! It saves time to cut two or more quilts at the same time of course, especially baby quilts. Plus it's so much fun to open up the kit and just start sewing!

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  4. Love your scrappy Plus Block quilt. The red border frames it perfectly. I know what I would do with your yellow HSTs, lol. Hope your family is well and that the weather is warms up. ;^)

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    1. Thanks, Chantal! I'm really enjoying seeing your hsts from week to week. Mine probably won't end up being as creative.

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  5. everything looks great = the plus quilt looks difficult

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    1. Thanks, maggie! The layout takes some time and thought, but the sewing is very easy. I think it would be easier to make another one now that I've done it once.

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  6. You got a lots done this week. Love the little quilt with all those fun fabrics. Good yellow blocks for the RSC.

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    1. Hi, Cathy! I'm having fun using up all my favorite yellows, plus all kinds of crazy novelties.

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  7. SEW much YELLOW, an adorable busy baby, and a really cute Plus top ready to be layered and quilted... What a week, Sylvia!!

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    1. Thanks, Joyful! This was a good week, in spite of the weather. Hope it was good for you too.

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  8. Very fun plus quilt! some little one is really going to enjoy that one. Was always interested in that book, you've given me a new reason to get it!

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    1. Hi, Vivian! I do like the book a lot. The author lives in Wisconsin, and once gave a presentation at my guild.

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  9. The plus quilt looks like fun with all of the bright, happy fabrics. Baby Buddy has a great smile.

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    1. Thanks, KatieQ! The grandkids really brighten up my day.

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  10. A number of years ago the Plus Quilt was in a quilt magazine that I got. Hubby, recently retired said, "Hey I want to make that quilt!" He changed the strips he used from 2 1/2" to 3 1/2" and made it queen sized for his brother who had just retired too. That was a chore sewing that in our 5th wheel travel trailer that we had moved into!

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    1. Wow, I am impressed! I can't imagine laying out a queen sized quilt in a 5th wheel! He must be amazing.

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  11. I love the idea of giving yourself a gift in a box! We should all reward ourselves periodically. We work hard! I just requested that book from my local library. Sounds like a winner!

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    1. Hi, Susie! Hope you like the book. Libraries are the best!

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  12. That is an adorable baby quilt - and with all those fun prints.. the kid is sure to be entertained!!

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    1. Thanks, Alycia! I love all those crazy prints, and I hope the kid who gets it loves them too.

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