Hot Wheels! Beep Beep!

Welcome to Treadlestitches!

 It's another cold and snowy morning here, so indoor photos will have to do, I'm sorry to say.  Just another little quilt this week, this time it's the Windmill block, made from Hot Wheels prints.

If you've been to this blog before, you know how I LOVE scraps.  Digging into a new-to-me scrap bag is as exciting as opening a treasure chest.  The scrap bag in question came from a man who had managed a fabric shop and was now retired.  He donated many tops to our quilt guild, plus fabrics and scraps.  

The pieces in this particular bag were cut into 2.5 in. x 4.5 in. rectangles.  I didn't even know there was such a thing as Hot Wheels fabric, but there were lots of them in the bag, in six different prints!  So of course there had to be a Hot Wheels quilt.

Orange novelty prints can be hard to find, so I was really glad to discover these rectangles.  There were also pieces cut from the same print in light blue.  The race car background fabric was one I found in an antique mall.  I didn't quite have enough of it for the whole quilt, so I filled in with other car-related prints.

This one is my favorite.  Dare to be rad! it says.  I wonder how old this fabric is.  I'm not sure kids want to be "rad" anymore lol.

Here's the back, more race cars!  Also from the antique mall.  As you can see, I quilted it in a 2 in. square grid.  The quilt will be donated locally.  I guess it qualifies as using my blue scraps for the Rainbow Scrap Challenge color of the month, which is blue.  I'm starting to realize I use blue in almost everything.  Does that make it a neutral?

Five blue Sisters Choice blocks for the RSC!  These blocks are 10 in. finished.  I'm planning to make a twin sized top with them at the end of the year.  Maybe I'll even do the math!  At least 10 is easy to work with.

New Project!  These blocks are fun to make, and use up lots of my blue scraps.  The centers are 5 in. squares and the other pieces are cut from 5 in. strips.  No waste!  You cut one way for blocks leaning left and another way for ones leaning right.

The pattern comes from this book, Dessert Roll Quilts, by Pam and Nicky Lintott, and is called Highland Fling.

Last Saturday's quilt show was wonderful!  I took lots of photos of the show quilts, but of course I can't share them here without the makers' permission.  I did have permission to show these antique quilts from the Wisconsin Quilt History Group booth.  Aren't they wonderful?   Notice how one of the small doll quilts seems to be made of orphan blocks.

I spent Saturday afternoon at our quilt guild's booth, talking to people and answering questions. When I volunteer at a booth, I like to bring some handwork to do.  This project was started before I was born.  How do I know that?

This is the template the pieces were cut from, part of a postcard mailed in 1940.  The fabrics back that date up.  This pattern has a lot of names, like Hummingbird and Periwinkle, but the original quilter wrote Snow Ball on a paper template, so that's what I'm calling it.  I think I'll make it into something small, like a table runner.  Or a doll quilt!

We are more than halfway through February!  Can you believe it?  I need to get on with the blocks I'm making for Many Hands and Many Hearts.  Just an easy Split 4 Patch, using novelty prints and solids.  Click HERE for details.

My youngest grandsons weren't here much this week, since their Mom was off work, so no kid photos.  How about one of Lizzy?

She curled up with me this week while I battled a rotten cold.  And of course we shared a quilt!

Have a lovely week, and thanks for reading!

Cheers,

Sylvia@Treadlestitches

Linking up with:

Alycia at Finished or Not Finished Friday

Angela at So Scrappy

Cynthia at Oh Scrap

Last Call for Green

 Welcome to Treadlestitches!

Hard to believe, but it's the last Saturday in January, the last green week for the Rainbow Scrap Challenge.  No finishes this week, but lots of green cutting and sewing, and I spent some time organizing as well.

It's not really an RSC quilt, but here's a green and beige project I'm working on for the charity committee at my guild.  I started with a stack of 5 in. squares cut by the charity committee ladies, and a suggestion to make a Split 4 Patch.  It's a Disappearing 4 Patch variation.  I've been following this YouTube video by Teresa Downunder.

There are lots of ways to put the blocks together.  I've only got 20 or so done so far, but I'm using them for leaders and enders until I get further along.  I always like to try fun new methods for making blocks.

I always have to have at least one RSC project that shows off my novelty prints.  This one is often called Stretched Star, and is very simple, just white 2.5 in. cut squares as flippy corners on 5 in. cut squares.  Which doesn't explain why I messed up the tiger block!  I found that square after the other blocks were done, and tried to do it quickly without looking at the others.  Oops!  The corners underneath were already cut off when I realized I goofed, so poor tiger will have to go sideways.

Oh dear, he does not look happy lol.

I hate to say this is my last RSC project for the year, that's tempting fate, but at least it's the last one this month.  I'm making snowball blocks (seems appropriate with this weather) with 5 in. squares in my reproduction scraps.  Repro quilts were my first love back in the day, and I still have loads of fabric.  I found a pattern online, but when I made the sample (first on the left) it looked nothing like I wanted.  The squares for the corners were cut 2.5 in., so I cut the next try from 2 in. squares (the one in the middle).  Still not it.  Lastly, I cut the corners 1.5 in. square, and that was what I was looking for, more of an octagon shape.

Half the centers will be dark and half will be light.  I will put them together like this.  I'm planning to sew them into sets of 4 to make it easier to manage, as it will be a larger quilt.  (Darn those flippy corners!  They keep wanting to flip up even after being pressed!)

These light ones have green corners, and some of the prints have tiny green flowers or green lines.  Just keeping with the theme!

The ones with green centers aren't done yet, here's what I have so far.

My major inspiration for reproduction quilts has always been vintage/antique quilts themselves.  I saw this antique late 19th century quilt at the Museum of Quilts & Fiber Arts (Cedarburg, Wisconsin) last March, with my friend Joey, and it stayed on my mind.  The corners are tiny red squares, and we could see they were appliqued down by hand.  I love the way it looks, but that's just too much work for me.  So flippy corners it is.   

I was also inspired by Vridian's Blog (click HERE), her early 1800s blocks are gorgeous! 

One more "quilt" to show:

My grandson "Buddy" made this at school yesterday from Perler beads.  He gave it to me on the way home, and said it looks like the "blankets" I make, and I could put it in my sewing room.  It's a tiny treasure, and I love it.  I might have teared up when he wasn't looking.

The snow is slowly melting, but it isn't gone yet.  Recess at school has been great fun for the kids, especially Buddy.

Our Little Guy has been building train tracks all through the living room.  He's quite the engineer.  Behind him, Snicklefritz the cat likes to look out at the snow.

And on the windowsill is this gorgeous Amaryllis my mom sent us for Christmas!  Flowers blooming in winter seem like a miracle, even indoors.  Thanks, Mom!

So how has your week been?  I hope you're staying warm if it's winter where you live.  And to everyone, have a great week, with at least some time for the things you love to do.

Cheers for reading,

Sylvia@Treadlestitches

Linking up with:

Angela at So Scrappy

Alycia at Finished or Not Finished Friday

Sarah at Can I Get A Whoop Whoop

Cynthia at Oh Scrap