Sunshine and Shadow

 Welcome to Treadlestitches! Happy Last Day of 2022!

To me, every year is like the old quilt pattern called Sunshine and Shadow.  Both light and dark, good and bad things happen.  Remembering the sunshine when a shadow descends helps me keep going.  (The photo above is a half log cabin quilt I made years ago.)

 The Rainbow Scrap Challenge is one of the bright spots of sunshine in the year, and I always enjoy it.  This year I had 4 RSC projects  which resulted in 5 quilts.  Three of them were done earlier, but I'm down to the wire on the last two.  I really wanted  to get all my RSC quilts done before starting new ones in January.

Yesterday, I finished the 16 patch.  It's 61 in. x 69 in., sort of a lap robe or small twin.

The back is this blue plaid I had in the stash.  I bought it at a booth in an antique mall several years ago.

I quilted a 2 in. grid with the serpentine stitch on my Pfaff, and bound it with a dark blue solid.

The Split Nine Patch (that I'm calling Rainbow Streak of Lightning) did get its borders, but I don't think it will be quilted by midnight tonight.  Maybe by the end of the weekend?  It's a true twin size, at 72 in. x 81 in.

The border fabric is this green star print.  I bought a nice big piece of it at a flea market last summer.  I'm not sure why, but I usually use blue fabric for borders.  Other colors can work, too!  I need to give them a chance.

These are the other 3 RSC quilts, and I've blogged about them earlier.  The zigzag ones are called Razzle Dazzle (click HERE to read about them), and the Crayon quilt can be found HERE.  All of this year's RSC quilts will be donated to children's charities.

The end of the year is a good time to look back and take stock.  I use this little notebook to keep track all year.  When I finish making a top, I record it here.  Then when it gets quilted, I record that date as well, and check it off.

Here are the stats for this year.

Quilts finished: 27 total:  21 Baby-sized quilts, 6 medium to large

Tops made, not yet quilted: 5 total:  4 small, 1 twin (the Split Nine Patch above).

Now, that doesn't count tops finished in PREVIOUS years.  The backlog is SERIOUS.  I'm just trying not to add to it, and I actually have a plan for tackling the UFOs this coming year.

Starting tomorrow!

I hope all who celebrate had a happy holiday.  This little Snicklefritz keeps climbing in the Christmas tree and knocking down all the ornaments.  Thank goodness my hubby weighted the base so he can't tip it over.

I'm wishing more sunshine than shadow for you, and all of us, in 2023.  Happy New Year!

Thanks for reading,

Sylvia@Treadlestitches

Linking up with:

Alycia at Finished or Not Finished Friday

Angela at So Scrappy, Home of the Rainbow Scrap Challenge

Cynthia at Oh Scrap

Sarah at Can I Get A Whoop Whoop

Razzle Dazzle Done

 Welcome to Treadlestitches!

We're excited today.  My first two Rainbow Scrap Challenge quilts of 2022, the Razzle Dazzle quilts, are quilted and bound and even washed, ready to be donated. 

Here's this one minus the adorable grandson.  (Oops, I took this photo before I sewed the binding on!)

My Little Guy loved posing for these photos.  He's a good helper.

And here's the second one, this time toddler free.

The pattern came from the Quilters Newsletter, which was hands down the best quilting magazine ever.  It grew as the quilting hobby expanded, and was a wonderful resource.  Razzle Dazzle was in the November 1997 issue.  As you can see, I simplified it a LOT.  (For more details, see my first Razzle Dazzle post HERE.)

Both of the quilts were quilted simply, on my domestic (electric!) machine.  This one got diagonal and horizontal lines following the piecing.  I was using some leftover 100% cotton batting, and wanted to quilt closely to make sure the batting wouldn't shift when the quilt was used and washed.

You can see the quilting on the back, outlining each triangle.  The backing for both quilts came from yearly sales called Granny's Attic, put on by a local quilt group.  These larger prints make good backings.  This one seems to be a zoo, with areas for the different animals.

The second quilt had an 80/20 batting (80% cotton, 20% polyester), so I didn't need to quilt as closely.  This time I just quilted the diagonal lines.

 On the back, you can see diamond shapes rather than triangles.  This Madagascar print is lots of fun.  I once had a small scrap of it, and the design was completely lost when it was cut into strips.  Backing is the best place for it.  The child who receives it can enjoy these wacky animals.  I added the center strip to make it wide enough.  It's a leftover from my Positivity 2022 quilt.  And there was just enough left for the binding.

The binding on the first quilt is a blast from the past!  If you were quilting in the 1980s/1990s, you probably recognize it as a "pin dot".  Everybody had lots of pin dots, and we used them for everything.  This scrap was just the right color.

So that's two down, three to go!  How many weeks are left in the year??

 When I was piecing the other day, I needed a leader and ender project, and found these tumblers already cut from flannel.  It didn't take much time to get these together into this little top for Jack's Basket.  So now I have to find another leader and ender project!  This always happens.  It's worth it, chain piecing saves time and thread, and I end up with bonus quilt tops like this.  Not sure when I'll get around to quilting it, though.

When Little Guy and I were taking pictures of the quilts, Snicklefritz the kitten came to see what we were doing.  I tried to get some pictures of him with the quilts, but he was just a little black and white blur.  He settled down a little on Little Guy's lap.

Later he crashed out on a quilt on the couch.  Yeah, only been here 2 weeks and he's already learned the best places to sleep--laps and quilts.

There's lots to do today, especially putting up decorations and shopping.  I wish the joy of the season to all who celebrate, and the joy of quilting to everyone.

Thanks for reading,

Sylvia@Treadlestitches

Linking up with:

Alycia at Finished or Not Finished Friday

Angela at So Scrappy

Cynthia at Oh Scrap

Sarah at Confessions of a Fabric Addict 

 

In Progress

 Welcome to Treadlestitches!

Nothing is finished this week, but there's plenty that isn't.  I'm quilting the first Razzle Dazzle quilt on my electric Pfaff, and it's coming along okay.  I'd like to get all my Rainbow Scrap Challenge quilts done by the end of the year.  I admit, it may not be realistic, but it's a goal to shoot for.

Here's another RSC project in progress, the 16 patch blocks made of multicolor prints plus a solid.  I'm sewing them into rows, and then into a twin sized top.  My treadle sits under the window in my sewing room.  I can see the driveway when I sew in the morning, so I know when my daughter arrives to drop off my littlest grandson for babysitting.

Besides the quilts in progress, I am also trying to better organize the sewing room.  Here's one of the reasons why:

This is just PART of what I bought at a quilt show rummage sale in early October.

Picture a regular sized classroom at the quilt show.  Three of the walls were lined with tables and there were double tables down the center of the room.  All of these tables were piled HIGH with fabric and there were overflowing boxes underneath.  Some of the larger pieces or kits were priced separately, at around $3 to $4 per yard.  All the rest, about 90% of the fabric in the room, was priced at $10 per grocery bag full.

I filled one whole bag with flannel, mostly large pieces for backing baby quilts but some cute smaller stuff for piecing tops.  I stuffed the other bag with cotton prints, plus a heavier print for a zipper bag and four or five full feed sacks.

Adding this to my haul from the rummage sale at the quilt museum in June, some of which is seen below:

...plus stuff I picked up at flea markets and antique stores through the year made reorganizing the fabric storage absolutely necessary.

I even got this wild print at the Quilt History retreat!
 

Like many quilters, I store my fabric both by color and size.  I have bins of quarter yards, half yards, and one yard pieces, and I was able to just squish the right size new stuff into those, but the bins in the closet hold the bigger yardage, and they were ridiculously full.  Expanding into bankers boxes helped. .

This bin of light fabrics is definitely overstuffed!  I need to use some of it up soon or change to a bigger box.

Light fabrics are ALWAYS on my list to search for at sales.  I always look for backing fabric, colors I'm out of or low on, and (of course!) novelty fabric for the kid quilts.

So the fabric is better organized now and it's easier to find what I need.  I also added a Some Assembly Required box for finished block sets, and another box for projects I want to finish by the Quilt-As-You-Go method.

Now to organize what I work on!  I bought a white board, and Hubby very kindly put it up for me above my cutting table.  So far, I'm really liking it.  I can keep track of deadlines etc., and the magnets will hold paper patterns while I'm cutting the pieces.

It's not perfect (yet?) but it's a good start.  A work in progress.

Last weekend we went to see a local theater performance of The Music Man, featuring our oldest grandson. It was so much fun!  He has three more performances this weekend.  Break a leg, G!

We got some real snow this week, but only about 2 inches total.  It's been cold, so it hasn't melted yet.  The big maple tree looks weird with both leaves and snow.

A new family member joined us on Thursday!  We adopted Snicklefritz from the Humane Society.  It's amazing how someone so tiny can turn everything totally upside down.  The grandkids love him, and so do we.  Our dog is putting up with him really well, thank goodness, but I'm already tired of a kitten waking me up to play at 5:30 in the morning! 

Next week, it's Thanksgiving!  We're hosting, as usual, and I'm doing as much cooking ahead as possible.  Next stop after that is Christmas!  Just thinking about it is making me tired.  It's a good day for a nap with a furry friend.

Have a lovely week, whatever it brings.

Thanks for reading,

Sylvia@Treadlestitches

Linking up with:

Alycia at Finished or Not Finished Friday

Angela at So Scrappy

It's That Time of the Year

Welcome to Treadlestitches! 

It's that time of year--time for finishing up the Rainbow Scrap Challenge quilts started back in January.  These two Razzle Dazzle tops are Not Finished, but they're ready for quilting.  Our weird weather this week had them flying in the breeze one evening after the kids went home.

Here's Razzle Dazzle #1 back in the house.  For eight months in 2022 I made a double row in the color of the month, which was about 36 in. wide and 12 in. top to bottom.  I knew from the start I would be making two quilts, but the question was which colors would go into each.  I didn't make a pink row (not enough pink scraps!) or a dark green row (same thing, not enough dark green).

My Little Guy was a very good helper today.  He's inspecting the seams here.  Hope I pass!  Razzle Dazzle #1 has the red, aqua, yellow, and dark blue rows.

This silly cat fabric is the simple border.  I was so glad to have enough of it left.

Razzle Dazzle #2 uses the orange, light blue, green, and purple rows, and has a striped border.

Since I hadn't decided which rows would be going together, I didn't plan where the individual triangles would fall.  I was lucky enough not to have too many of the same light pieces right next to each other.  Except of course for the music note print on the left.  And any others I haven't seen yet.

These are not my first zigzag Rainbow quilts, although I haven't made any in this exact pattern before.  Gotta say, I love a zigzag, however it's made.   Now I just have to quilt them!

These Christmas placemats are all that got quilted this week.  They're a project for the quilt group.  The organizers gave us Christmas fabric and challenged us to make something with it to donate.  I believe the placemats will go to Meals On Wheels, but don't quote me on that.

When I started these, I pulled out all the Christmas fabric and scraps I had.  It looked like a holiday explosion in my sewing room.  I ended up using leftover blocks and pieces, like the string blocks and the half square triangles in this one, along with some newer fabric in strips.

Years ago, I cut out too many of these red stars.  Now they can be useful.

I made this one first.  It's kind of a plain Jane.

This one is my favorite.  There's just such a lot going on!

There's been a lot going on with our weather this week!  We've had wind, a little rain, a 70 degree day yesterday, as shown above, and a high of 41 today.  About the only thing we haven't had is snow, and we may get a little of that tomorrow.

Happy Veteran's Day!

To all our veterans, thank you for all you've done for our country.

Each month, members of our quilt group make blocks using a pattern given to us by the powerful and benevolent Nancy, Queen of Scraps.  Usually we draw names of those who participated for a winner, but this time the pre-selected winner is a local group that makes quilts for veterans and their families.  I don't know the name of this 12 in. finished block, but it was very simple to make, and I'm happy to contribute to such a worthy cause.

So what have you been sewing?  I hope you have time this week to do something you really enjoy.

I look forward every week to checking out the linky parties and being amazed at all the wonderful quilts being made.  Come join us!

Thanks for reading,

Sylvia@Treadlestitches

Linking up with:

Alycia at Finished or Not Finished Friday

Angela at SoScrappy, Home of the Rainbow Scrap Challenge

 

 

 

 
 

Old Quilts, Cheddar, and Orange Sherbet

 Welcome to Treadlestitches!

It's the end of August, and that means the end of orange month at the Rainbow Scrap Challenge.  It seems like I always leave my Razzle Dazzle project til last, but that might be because it takes the most time.  I like sewing it, and I really love picking out the light and dark prints for the triangular blocks.

I've been noticing all the orange in our house this month, especially the grandkids' toys.

On the last Saturday of the month this year, I'm featuring some of my antique quilts.  This month I dug out the ones with prominent orange fabrics.

First is this very unusual quilt.  I could not find the exact pattern in any of my reference books.  (If you recognize it, please tell me!)

The block is a hexagon, and is made up of six string pieced hexagons with a plain yellow one in the center.  The green triangles on the ends of the hexagons make the block into a star, and the white background triangles finish off the block.  In between the blocks are bright orange triangles.

The fabrics range from 1930s-1940s prints, possibly feed sacks, to the orange itself, which is probably from the 1950s or 1960s.  Our unknown quilter apparently ran out of the green for the star tips, but she still had plenty of orange, so several of the blocks have some orange star tips.  The quilting is done by machine, in a hanging diamonds grid (one set of lines is parallel to the edge, the other set of lines is on the diagonal).

My quilt collecting philosophy is showing in this quilt.  The condition of the quilt, vitally important to most collectors, is not a big issue for me.  I bought it, even though there are two holes in it, one of them large enough to put your hand through!  My purpose in buying these quilts was to enjoy them, of course, and to learn something from them.  And it always helped if the price was good!

Here's our second antique orange quilt, which probably dates to around 1900.

 This particular orange color is properly called chrome orange by quilt historians, but is known usually as cheddar from its resemblance to the color of the cheese.  The blocks are set on point.

The pattern for this block is called The Letter X.  It was one of many blocks in the Ladies Art Company Catalog (as shown below, No. 279).  Quilters back in the day could order a pattern for 15 cents, and would receive a small cardboard card with a diagram of the block, plus a set of paper templates, one for each shape.  They could even order completed quilts for any design. 

I made my own block, just to try it out.  I used blues instead of pinks, and my "cheddar" is much lighter than the antique quilt.  The unknown quilter changed the placement of the hour glass squares from the pattern, so I followed her lead.  It looks very different when not set on point.

This quilter also appears to have run out of a fabric.  Three of the blocks have pink replacing the cheddar.  It's a good reminder not to stress out when we run short.

Orange may not be as common in antique quilts as blue or red, but it adds a lot of punch!

Our Buddy started first grade this week!  My Little Guy missed his brother, but we spent more time at the playground, where lots of the equipment is orange.  Below he's trying to sell me "ice cream" disguised as wood chips.

 We made real orange sherbet this week (with NO wood chips), following this recipe.  It calls for simple ingredients like orange juice and milk.  If I don't have fresh oranges, I just skip the orange zest.

You don't need to use a blender, I just mix it up in a bowl and process it in my ice cream maker (below).  Then I freeze it in small containers, and it's ready when we need a cool refreshing snack.

If you got to the bottom of this long post, congratulations!  Can you tell I love orange month?  I do tend to ramble on about it, sorry.

Have a lovely week!  

Cheers for reading,

Sylvia@Treadlestitches

Linking up with:

Alycia at Finished or Not Finished Friday

Angela at So Scrappy

Cynthia at Oh Scrap