The Last Pink Quilt for April

Welcome to Treadlestitches!  Thanks for stopping by!

Here's my last pink quilt for the Rainbow Scrap Challenge color of the month of April.  It was fun to scrounge around in my scraps to find 5 in. squares for the centers and 2 in. (cut) strips for the outsides of these Happy Blocks.  You could say it made me happy!

Some of these scraps have been waiting a long time for their chance to shine.  For example, check out Betty Boop playing the guitar.  I don't even remember where that fabric came from.

One of the squares came from scraps left from the Princess quilt I showed last week.  It's the fabric that keeps on giving.

I ran out of good bright pink for borders a couple of weeks ago, but I had a half yard of this wild floral.  The binding is the last of a pink polka dot.

Our guild's Stash Coordinator, the lovely Joy, brought this light floral piece to our last meeting, and I snapped it up for the back of this quilt.  There are only two small strips left of it, which are now filed in the parts department.

I'm happy to donate this little quilt to the Children's Advocacy Center for a child to keep.

So, what's In Progress this week?

 

I'm sewing 20 of last year's RSC Thrifty blocks together with sashing pieced from 3 in. finished squares.  It's a new idea for me, I'm liking it so far.

Also, orange scraps need to be tamed into blocks for the RSC May color of the month.  I love orange, so I'm psyched!

What's the weather like where you live?  Here, we are moving into spring, going back and forth from 40 degrees F to 80F and back.  At least, we haven't had any tornado warnings this week.  The dandelions are springing up all over the park.

I've put out some small quilts with spring colors.  I've shown these before.  Both of them were projects started and abandoned by unknown quilters that I enjoyed finishing.

Snicky and Lizzy are so excited when we open the windows.  Bird watching is their favorite thing.  Don't worry, the window screens keep them inside and the birds safe.

I hope you are keeping safe too, inside or outside!  Have a lovely week, and happy quilting!

Thanks for reading,

Sylvia@Treadlestitches

Linking up with these wonderful hostesses:

Alycia at Finished or Not Finished Friday

Angela at So Scrappy

Cynthia at Oh Scrap

 

Happy Blocks with Black Prints, and More Color Block Stars

 Welcome to Treadlestitches!  Thanks for stopping by!

What's that hanging on the clothesline?  It's another Happy Blocks quilt top!

Last week Angela, our Rainbow Scrap Challenge fearless leader, challenged us to use black, brown, or neutral scraps to make quilt blocks in October.   I admit, I don't use black fabrics much.  Most of my quilts are made for kids, and I want them to be colorful, cheerful, and fun.

But I do have lots of fun black prints, mostly given to me or bought as part of a box of scraps.

What if I cut them into squares, and surrounded them with bright solid fabrics?  

Eureka!  Happy blocks!  All 30 blocks have different centers.  I can't believe I had so many different prints.  

Bugs, a T. Rex, fireworks, happy faces, lots of dogs, and even an astronaut cat made their way into this quilt.

Once I started I couldn't stop.  I made all the blocks last Saturday, set them into rows on Sunday and Monday, and added the borders on Tuesday.  The blocks are 8 in. finished, and the top is 46 in. x 58 in.  When finished it will be donated to the Children's Advocacy Center in Milwaukee, to be given to a child in foster care.  

The border is also a black print, of books and book worms.

So thanks to Angela for the idea to use these cute prints. 

And thanks to Cynthia at the Quilting is More Fun Than Housework blog for the current block drive to benefit Many Hands and Many Hearts.  It's called Color Block Stars, and you can click HERE for directions and information.  I'm making the calmer ones for the block drive, and keeping the wilder ones to make a quilt to donate locally.

This week I made red blocks, first a "calmer" one:

and then a wild one, full of novelty prints:

Next was orange, calm first:

Then wild:

I'm mostly making these blocks from the squares in my 3.5 in. drawer, and I knew I'd have trouble finding very many orange novelty prints.  But I was surprised to have the same trouble with red.  I may have to do a little shopping.  (But only a little!) 

The weather has been beautiful lately.  My youngest grandsons and I have been hanging out at the playground in the park after school when time and their sports activities permit.  Little Guy posed for me on the rope bridge.

Buddy had just jumped down from crossing the top of the monkey bars.  They're both just a touch theatrical.

And a little goofy!

There are still some summer flowers here, but they will be gone soon now that it's October.  Soon we'll be ready for pumpkins and falling leaves, cold mornings and rainy days.  But for now we'll enjoy the end of summer while it lasts.  I don't want to miss a minute.

Take care this week, whatever the season or weather.  I hope you can take time for all the things you love.  Like quilting!

Thanks for reading,

Sylvia@Treadlestitches

Linking up with:

Alycia at Finished or Not Finished Friday

Angela at So Scrappy

Cynthia at Oh Scrap