Patches of Yellow

 Welcome to Treadlestitches!  

It's yellow month for the Rainbow Scrap Challenge, and there are lovely touches of yellow in nature all around us.  Like this bloom in my husband's wild flower patch.

Just a few cherry tomatoes are left in my little garden.  They are really more orange than yellow.

Of course, the trees are so dramatic.  I've never understood the term "leaf peeping".  I don't peep at the leaves, I positively gawk at them.

These trees are in the park near my house.  That path is calling me.  Later today, my dog and I will take a walk and do some leaf gawking.

Now, what about the yellow inside the house?

The last blocks for the 1930s Double Nine Patch quilt are done!  It's the fabrics in these little blocks that prompted me to save them from a vintage UFO.

This little kitty seems to be waving hello.

The animals in this print are cute.  And a little weird.  Kind of like 1930s era cartoon characters.

This print is almost modern.

And of course a leaf print.  I've got leaves on the brain today.

Now that these blocks are done, I can start setting them together and planning the quilting.

But wait, there's more!

Yellow Text Me A Quilt blocks are done, too.  And once again it's the fabrics that make sewing this so much fun.

Here's my favorite--two tractor prints!  You just can't have too many tractor prints.

The background print here reminds me of the Japanese beetles that are trying to get in the house now that the nights are colder.  Sorry, beetles, bugs are cute on fabric but NOT in real life.

Last week's little quilt is quilted and bound.  It's a variation of Ring Me, from the book No Scrap Left Behind by Amanda Jean Nyberg. 

I chose this hearts and paw prints fabric for the back, to go with the Clifford the Big Red Dog fabric on the border.  The binding is a red print.  The quilt has been washed and is ready to mail out to Jack's Basket.

Here's how I feel about finishing a quilt:

Woo hoo!  Thanks, Little Buddy!

 How are you doing this week?   Everything is so crazy right now, and that's very stressful.  We have to remember to take care of ourselves.   When I need some peace, I shut off the TV, radio, etc., open the window if it's warm enough, and just quietly sew.  Before long, I'm humming away.

I hope you're humming away too, enjoying all the things that matter most.  Have a great week!

Thanks for reading,

Sylvia@Treadlestitches

Know what else is a great stress-reliever?  Linky parties!  Come and see what everybody is making.

Linking up with:

Angela at So Scrappy

Alycia at Finished or Not Finished Friday

Sarah at Confessions of a Fabric Addict

Cynthia at Oh Scrap 

 

 

 

Small Potatoes

 Welcome to Treadlestitches!  I'm so glad you came to visit.

Yep, these are small potatoes, all right!  My grandson aka Little Buddy helped me harvest these from a galvanized tub on the back porch.  We found a few even tinier ones, and we set those out for the squirrels.  Because squirrels are always dear to a quilter's heart, aren't they?

I grow these mostly for fun, but I will clean them up and roast them in the oven with carrots and onions and maybe even sweet potatoes.

I had heard people call things "small potatoes" all my life, but I actually went and looked it up.  The expression "small potatoes"  originated in the 19th Century, and means insignificant.  That just about sums up my sewing this week.

After finishing my red blocks for the Rainbow Scrap Challenge, I had some big plans for quilting.  They did not happen.  Time was not my friend.  But I did start another baby quilt for Jack's Basket, blocks seen above.

Somehow, there is always time to start a new project!  I based this one on a quilt from this fabulous book:

No Scrap Left Behind by Amanda Jean Nyberg.  (If you love scraps, this book is for you!)

The quilt in the book is called Ring Me, and is on pages 102-106.  As you can see, my block is not exactly the same as Amanda Jean's.  I often buy books for inspiration, not just great patterns, and this one delivers.  I will probably set it differently, too, but without the book I might never have gotten started.

So far, just a few tiny blocks were cut and pressed.  Then I went to the virtual quilt show I mentioned last week (find my post on that HERE), and watched a video with quilt teacher and shop owner (and Wisconsin quilter) Judy Gauthier, author of Rainbow Quilts for Scrap Lovers (and two more books in the series). 

  I could hardly wait to get out my scraps and make this test block.

Can you believe this block is made from squares?  Judy shows you how to cut them and sew the pieces back together.  I couldn't believe this method made a block that is so easy, and actually lays flat! 

The pattern is called Blended Hexagons, and is on pages 43-49.  Judy's quilt is very modern, and absolutely beautiful.  Now I'm thinking about a whole quilt like this, but made from 1930s fabrics.  I think I might know a way to make mine without set in seams. 

The last thing I made was a pair of baby sweat pants.  They're a little too big for my youngest grandson right now, but he keeps on growing so they'll eventually fit.  It's been a long time since I made clothes of any kind, and I had to reorganize my patterns.  It is absolutely impossible, at least for me, to get the pattern pieces folded back into the pattern envelope, so I put them all in gallon sized zip lock bags with the pattern envelope on top.  Now maybe I can find what I'm looking for.

Although my sewing this week was pretty insignificant, the week was still a good one.

Some of our red raspberry canes bear twice a year, in both summer and fall.  This little berry is my bit of red for the Rainbow Scrap Challenge here at the end of the month.

 This guy makes sure no berries go to waste! 

What with one thing and another, time just keeps speeding ahead.  I can hardly believe this is the last weekend of September, and that it is already officially fall!  We are enjoying the lovely weather here, and trying to store up the sunshine for the coming winter months.  Sort of like squirrels!

 In the week ahead, I'm wishing you sunshine and sewing time, or just any time doing what you love.

Cheers for reading,

Sylvia@Treadlestitches

 

Come join us at the link up parties!

Linking up with:

Sarah at Can I Get A Whoop Whoop

Alycia at Finished or Not Finished Friday

Angela at So Scrappy (Home of the Rainbow Scrap Challenge!) 

Cynthia at Oh Scrap