A Pieceful Week

Welcome to Treadlestitches!

Here's what I've been sewing on my Singer treadle this week--spiky stars.

Two of these are not like the others!  

While making the pink spiky stars for the Rainbow Scrap Challenge, I ended up making two more in patriotic fabrics for Covered in Love's July-August block drive.  (Read more about that HERE.)  So with the 4 from last year and 8 more from this year, I made an even dozen.  Maybe this will make up for forgetting to mail any last year.  Little Buddy and I took them to the post office Friday morning, and sent them on their way to Texas.

These blocks are also easy to make with strips.  All the pieces in this 12 in. finished block are cut from 4.5 in. strips.  The triangles are cut using the Tri-Recs rulers.

My pink stars are made of 1800s reproduction fabrics.  I am normally not a big fan of pink, but I absolutely adore the double pink prints popular at the end of the 19th Century.

For backgrounds, I used white or off-white scraps and strips, mixing and matching as needed.

These still need to be quilted by the block, which is the way I'm finishing this quilt.  Heck, the dark blue spiky stars from LAST month still need to be quilted.  The blocks are waiting until I get the dinosaur quilt finished, and I haven't been working on it much this week.

We're right in the heart of flea market season now.  I took a few photos at the latest one in Elkhorn.  It's amazing how many people use antique quilts as tablecloths or backgrounds for their booths.  Such great eye candy.

Gorgeous 1930s quilts, with scads of handwork.

These tops were only $50 each.  Beautiful, but I managed to resist their charms.

I didn't buy any quilts, but I did come home with a mystery.  And it even happens to be pieced with double pink!
I have been studying antique quilts for years, but I don't think I've ever seen this particular block.  It looks like some kind of basket.  It also looks like it might be hard to piece.
If you've seen it before, could you let me know in the comments?  (By the way, I've turned the photo so I could see the block more clearly.  The upside down legs in the background do look a little weird.)

Even though I have lots of quilting that needs to be done, this just seemed to be a good week to cut and piece, and I thoroughly enjoyed it.
And in the end, that's what it's all about.

I'm wishing you joy and peace (or piece!) in the week ahead.

Thank you for reading this post!
Sincerely,
Sylvia@Treadlestitches

Linking up with:
Sarah at Confessions of a Fabric Addict (Can I Get A Whoop Whoop)
Myra at Busy Hands Quilts 
Angela at So Scrappy (Home of the Rainbow Scrap Challenge)
Cynthia at Quilting is More Fun Than Housework (Oh Scrap)

 

Red, White, and Blue--and Pink!

Welcome to Treadlestitches!  I hope you're enjoying your weekend.  I know I am!

Look what I found!  I was taking advantage of the time off from babysitting to do some straightening up in the sewing room, and found 4 star blocks I made for Covered In Love last year and never sent.
Covered in Love is "a quilting charity that provides comfort quilts for families of people who have passed away in the hospital".  Kat of Kat and Cat quilts has block drives every two months or so, and then Kat and other volunteers make quilts from the blocks.  I must have made these blocks in July or August last year.
I'm embarrassed to have never sent the blocks, but good news!  Kat is running the same block drive for July and August this year.  The theme is Red White and Blue stars, and you can read all about it HERE.  You can make any star block you like, that ends up measuring 12 in. finished.

I'll definitely send in the 4 blocks from last year, but it seemed like a good time to make some more.  I love to get out the patriotic fabrics on the 4th of July.  I have a total of 8 blocks done, with 2 more cut to piece later today.  Monday morning Little Buddy and I will go to the post office and actually mail them off.

One of the nice things about making these particular stars is how easy they are to sew, and how all the pieces can be cut from 3.5 in. strips.  I use the Easy Angle and Companion Angle rulers to cut the triangles.  All the fabrics are from my scrap bins.

The Rainbow Scrap Challenge color of the month is pink.  Honestly, it's never been my favorite color, but I'm trying to warm up to it.  This is one of our peonies about a month ago--the blooms are all gone now.

I didn't get as far as sewing any of the pink blocks yet, but I did pull out pink strips that will work for the zigzag quilt.  There are some good novelty prints in here--boots, Matryoshka dolls, sheep riding bicycles, etc.  I get a lot of these fabrics second hand, and it's great to do something with them.

With all the rain we've had lately, we really haven't had to water the garden much.  The rain barrel is full! Little Buddy really loves to fill his watering can and "help" me when we do give the veggies and flowers a little drink.

Have a lovely weekend, and a happy week ahead.
Cheers for reading,
Sylvia@Treadlestitches

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