Woven Bricks, Cat Block, and Japanese Quilts

 Welcome to Treadlestitches!

It's another finish for the Rainbow Scrap Challenge, the first one using the Bricks blocks.  I'm calling it Woven Bricks.

It took me forever to decide how to put them together, until I decided on using only 6 colors and laid them out like this.  I've arranged them as if the colors are woven through the quilt.  Going across, we have green, light blue, and dark blue, and then they repeat.  Going down, it's red, orange, yellow, red, orange.

Most of the blocks are my fun novelty prints, and with only two seams per block they were dead easy to make.

I even added in the snake fabric.  Snakes are NOT my favorite animal, but these are sort of cute.  The border of the quilt is a colorful cat print I've used a lot for these donation quilts.  I'm down to a small strip of it now, sadly.

Here's the back, the last big piece of this frog prince print.  The binding is a solid green.

I have LOTS more brick blocks, so I may have to come up with other ways to set them.

I'm still thinking about next years RSC.  I tried this cat block out this week.

I got the pattern from American Patchwork & Quilting magazine, Oct. 2023 issue.  I changed it a little, leaving out the orange collars.  The block above was not really a success, there's not enough contrast between cat shape and background, but the pattern was easy.  Plus I got to use this fabric with a Snicky-type tuxedo kitten in it.

The contrast was much better in this block.  I think it might be fun to make these all next year. 

Speaking of Snicky, if you read last week's blog you know he's been in trouble lately for crimes against sewing and quilting.  This week, he's thrown himself on the mercy of the court (actually our laps) and is on supervised release.  He's shown here claiming some newly washed fabric I got at the guild silent auction.

My friend Debbie (on the left) and I went to a fabulous exhibit at the Wisconsin Museum of Quilts & Fiber Arts.  It's called Quilts Japan:  The 16th Annual Quilt Nihon.  Click HERE for more information on the exhibit, which runs through Dec. 3, 2023.

Debbie is a quilt artist, and I'm really not, but there was plenty of eye candy for both of us!  The quilts exhibited are an amazing variety of modern and traditional styles.  I loved this one, made entirely of hexagons.

The quilt above was made from antique silk kimonos, and has lovely neat embroidery on the pieces.  Many of the quilts were also hand quilted (I think this one was, but not for sure).

This one was more modern, with different textural fabrics mixed in.  

There were also miniatures, appliqued quilts including Baltimore Album, and bright abstract quilts.

Quilt Nihon is always one of the most popular exhibits at the museum, and it's easy to see why.  If you get a chance to go, I highly recommend it.

Hope you had a good Halloween.  Our littlest grandsons sure did, in spite of the snow.  Buddy went as Luke Skywalker, and Little Guy was R2D2.  They have been so excited about it for just about the entire month of October.  Their parents made sure they wore warm clothes under their costumes.

It's fall for real here now, which means warm clothes for everyone.  Stay warm, and have a good week!

Thanks for reading,

Sylvia@Treadlestitches

Linking up with these fabulous ladies:

Alycia at Finished or Not Finished Friday

Sarah at Can I Get A Whoop Whoop

Angela at So Scrappy

Cynthia at Oh Scrap