Putting the Pieces Together

 Welcome to Treadlestitches!

My little buddies are helping me today.  They are really good helpers, for the most part!  Baby Buddy is playing with his train while sitting on the Two Step baby quilt I pieced in December and just got finished.

The pattern is from Amanda Jean Nyberg, and is included in the book Scrap School:  12 All-New Designs From Amazing Quilters.  Jo of the Jo's Country Junction blog was making the big quilt, and it looked so cute it made me want to jump in, too.  Jo finished hers recently, you can see it HERE.

The baby size isn't in the book, so I had to do a little math to decide how many pieces to cut, but that part was easy.  Then I did a little more math to make sure I had roughly the same amount of all the colors.  

Do you buy fabric on vacation?  (Is it really a vacation if there isn't any fabric?)  I bought this piece on a sale table in a quilt shop in Boulder, Colorado back before the pandemic.  I love looking at all the children's winter clothes.  Much more fun than getting the kids bundled up to go outside!

It's teal/aqua month at the Rainbow Scrap Challenge.  I persuaded Little Buddy to hold up my aqua crayon for a photo, but he just couldn't stop moving.  That blur in front is his hand.  He's wearing a crown they made at school for the 100th day.  In the background, that furry cushion is Mr. Biddy the cat, curled up sleeping.

I'm really grateful to Angela for the Rainbow Scrap Challenge.  It's definitely expanded my use of color.  Isn't it interesting how many shades and hues there are?  The blocks above were both made from the same aqua solid, each with a different multicolor print.

I'm using up scraps of solid fabrics as well as the multicolor prints.  I ran out of light aqua, so the next two blocks are made of a darker teal, and more of the colorful prints.  The print on the right is a hint to something we did this week.

You guessed it--we worked a puzzle.  But not just any puzzle.  This one is The Quilts of Gee's Bend.  Even though it was 1000 pieces, it was actually easier than most, because we could work on one or two quilts at a time. 

Little Buddy put the last pieces in after school on Wednesday (he's really good at puzzles).  The end was kind of suspenseful.  I bought the puzzle at Goodwill, and you don't always know if all the pieces are there, but thankfully they were.

I love how the names of the maker and the name she gave the quilt were printed on the puzzle.  After we were done, I got out my Quilts of Gee's Bend book, and found a few of the same quilts in it.

 If' you're unfamiliar with Gee's Bend, these quilts were/are made by African American quilters in an isolated part of Alabama.  They have been embraced by the art world for their unusual variations on traditional quilt patterns, and many quilts have been acquired by museums.  What I love best is reading the women's own words about their love of quilting and how it fit into their lives.  The poverty and racism they suffered is heart-breaking, but their creativity is inspiring.

What's inspiring you today?  I can't wait to get my dose of inspiration from the weekly linky parties. 

Stay warm, and have a good week!

Cheers,

Sylvia@Treadlestitches

Linking up with:

Alycia at Finished or Not Finished Friday

Angela at So Scrappy, home of the Rainbow Scrap Challenge

Cynthia at Oh Scrap