Saturday, March 4, 2023

How Is It March Already?

 Welcome to Treadlestitches!

It's not spring here yet, and the grass is still brown, but the sun is shining and the temperature is above freezing, so that counts as great weather for early March in Wisconsin.  

Now why would I have all these green scraps out on my cutting desk?  It must be green month at the Rainbow Scrap Challenge!  Not sure why I haven't always had lots of green scraps, but I've been looking for them at sales the last couple of years, and this is the result.  It will be fun to cut them up for my RSC blocks this month.

These little house blocks are made from charm squares, and are lightning fast to sew--just one seam!  It's hard to wait til the end of the year to start putting them into small quilts.

I'm still working on the pink Uneven Nine Patch blocks, but I made time for one green one.  Each block is made from 4 charm squares, so no waste, and I'm using up some of my squares.  (Click HERE for the brief instructions I posted last week.)

Speaking of pink, I still have pink projects to finish!  This little flannel quilt just needs to be bound.  It will go to Jack's Basket, an organization celebrating babies with Down's syndrome.  Don't you just love that cat print?

Does this happen to anybody else?  I can't seem to decide on all my RSC blocks for the year in January.  So if I add a new project and want all the colors represented, I have to make blocks in the colors from the previous month(s).  This time it was only February when I added the Uneven Nine Patches, so only one month to play catch up.  Now that the dark blue blocks are done, I'm back on track.  At least for now.

I had a lovely visit with my friend Joey this week.  She has a shop in Mineral Point, Wisconsin called Against the Grain (Click HERE for some info about the shop.)  We enjoyed the antique quilt exhibit at the Wisconsin Museum of Quilts & Fiber Arts, ate lunch out, talked for hours, and even got some fabric cut.  While she was here, she did a BIG favor for me.

I've been wanting to let go of some of my vintage fabrics, etc.  Since she sells these in her shop, she was interested in them, so I pulled out stuff I had already sorted before she came.  Then I went through my printed feed sacks.  I pared them down by HALF.  Now all of them fit in my old metal trunk.

I can actually see and enjoy what I have!  I kept plenty of pieces to use in quilts, and all of this makes me happy.  You might even say it sparks joy.

And Joey, bless her, took ALL the stuff I had out to get rid of.  She'll sort it out, and donate anything she doesn't want.  We filled up her trunk and most of her back seat with boxes and bags.  I feel so much lighter with this stuff gone.  Hurray!

But wait, there's more!  Joey is also a fabulous long arm quilter.  She custom quilted THREE quilts for me, and they are WONDERFUL.  You'll have to wait til next week to see them unfolded.  BTW, Snicklefritz the cat was quickly shooed away after this photo!

It's been a busy week with my little boys, although I didn't manage to get any decent pictures.  My first grade Buddy was laughing when I picked him up at school on Friday.  He told me his teacher had read a book to the class called Weird But True Gross Things.  I won't repeat the disgusting things he remembered from the book and shared with us.  His poor mother was covering her ears and begging him to stop.  Why do boys love this stuff?

I hope you have a lovely week, and time to spend with family and friends.

Cheers for reading,

Sylvia@Treadlestitches

Linking up with:

Alycia at Finished or Not Finished Friday

Sarah at Can I Get A Whoop Whoop

Angela at So Scrappy










18 comments:

  1. What a fun post! Can’t wait to see those finished quilts. And you absolutely have the cutest kid/novelty fabrics. Yes, I admit it to the world - I’m totally jealous. But when you work with others’ scraps as I do, the challenge is to make do with what comes your way. It’s fun, keeps things out of the landfill, and stretches one’s creative bones, LOL. Thank you, as always, for your sweet posts and abundant inspiration!

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    1. Thanks, Cathy! I love what you do with scraps! And keeping things out of the landfill while helping others is a great mission. Have a lovely week!

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  2. WAIT!! What is this ONE SEAM house block, Sylvia?!?! I really NEED to know about this for my Guild's 2023 Neighborhood Challenge. SPILL!! Congratulations on lightening your load of antique linens and getting back the quilts that were quilted for you. We'll all be looking forward to the reveal!!

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    1. Hi, Joyful! I got this idea from Judy Gauthier's book, Quilts for Scrap Lovers. Take a charm square, fold it in half lengthwise right sides together, and sew across the top with a quarter inch seam. Turn right side out, poke out the point, and press! Then sew them side by side, and top stitch or applique them down to a strip of fabric. Easy peasy!

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  3. It's always so fun to get out the scraps in the new month's colors! I'm looking forward to that myself. Your day with your friend sounds lovely, and I'm so glad for you that she was interested in fabric that you were ready to get rid of! Sounds like it will all go to a good home. Oh yes, little boys and gross things - I remember those days well!

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    1. New month, new scrap color is part of what keeps me going! Aren't we lucky to have the RSC? Have a good week!

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  4. fun choices for the rsc - great job destashing - I just can't part with anything it seems

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    1. Thanks, Maggie! I might do better if I would just stop buying stuff!

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  5. Sounds like you and Joey had a lovely time. The blue Uneven Nine Patches blocks look so pretty together.

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    1. Obrigada, Ivani! I love making them so much, it's hard to stop!

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  6. What a terrific way to lighten the load! Sounds like a win all the way around. We all can embrace more joy into our lives can't we? What a terrific display of green to play with this month!--TerryK@OnGoingProjects

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    1. Thanks, Terry! The RSC has really helped me enjoy all the colors, and get out of my color rut. It is so kind of Angela to host it for us.

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  7. I love your green fabric. The green bugs are so cute, and yes, I love the pink cats too, along with the rubber ducky on the right. You always have fun fabric! When I do add a new RSC block, I don't do the colours of the months I missed. It just continues through the new year. You must have had a lot of stuff to fill up her trunk and back seat. Good for you for donating instead of trashing. Looking forward to seeing the finished quilts. ;^)

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    1. Oh, I had so much stuff it was overwhelming! Don't get me wrong, I still have a lot (maybe too much) but I feel like I can breathe a little easier now. Great idea about continuing RSC projects into the next year.

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  8. So happy to hear your vintage fabrics found a home. I have been raring down a bunch of my stuff. what I cherish, my family does not. Thanks for sharing this fun post with Oh Scrap!

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    1. Hi, Cynthia! My kids won't want all this quilting stuff after I'm gone. And for some reason, I can't sew fast enough to use it up!

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  9. Oh what a feeling! I can practically see you walking on air. Was it because you unloaded so much? Or was it just such a fun day spent with a friend? Probably both! Can't wait to see the quilted quilts and that little Snicklefritz is adorable!

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