Rainbow Quilt Tops and Cookies

Welcome to Treadlestitches!  Guess who's treadling today:

 It's Santa!  From the drawing on the postcard, it looks like he's making teddy bears.  He'd better hurry, it's almost Christmas Eve!

Here's a message I can really get behind:  Life is short.  Buy the fabric!  The pouch is a birthday gift from my youngest daughter.  I posed it on a Rainbow Scrap Challenge quilt top I finished this week.  (Does a top count as a finish?  Probably not.)

It's 10 degrees below zero this morning, so no outside photos today!  The blocks in this quilt are the ones I've been making all year from multi-color fabrics and solids.  I had to make a few extras to bring it up to this size, a small twin/lap.

Snicklefritz is learning to pose, but I have to be fast snapping the picture before he's off and running after toys or even his own tail.

This is my last RSC project for 2022, split nine patch blocks.  After dithering for literally weeks, I finally landed on this layout.  I'm calling it Rainbow Streak of Lightning.  I still need to sew the borders on, so definitely Not Finished.

It was so much fun making these blocks!  Just a little bit of everything.

The end of the year is coming up NEXT WEEKEND!  I'd really like to have these two projects quilted and bound by then.  We'll see how that works out.

In the meantime, we'll be celebrating.  Our cookie baking last Saturday was a big success.

Our Buddy had a great time making Christmas cookies with his cousins, and even eating a few, judging from the crumbs on his shirt.

Mr. H. loved playing with Snicklefritz.  

Little Guy needed some help from his Mama.

Miss E. made sure all the ingredients were tested and delicious.

Snicklefritz has some growing to do to catch up with his ears!  He slept for hours after everybody went home.  (So did I!)

No kids to babysit today, so I'm going to run some errands (it should warm up to -4 pretty soon) and wrap presents.  Tomorrow evening the family will be here, as long as the weather doesn't get any worse.

Merry Christmas to all who celebrate.  Stay warm and safe, everyone!

Thanks for reading,

Sylvia@Treadlestitches

Linking up with:

Alycia at Finished or Not Finished Friday

Angela at So Scrappy

 

 

 

Sunflowers, Rainbow Blocks, and a Tale of Two Quilt Tops

 Welcome to Treadlestitches!

I'm back from a quilt history retreat, and getting settled into fall quilting.

Since the very beginning of the Russian invasion of Ukraine, the sunflower has been the Ukrainian symbol of resistance and democracy.  Blocks and quilts made in the blue and yellow of the Ukrainian flag are being sent overseas by hundreds of American quilters.  We're showing our support, and providing some measure of physical comfort to refugees and to Ukrainians still living in harm's way.  (By the way, the section above was photographed before the quilting was finished.)

Recently, our quilt group met at the library to put donated blocks together.  I couldn't stay to help (due to a very cute 2 year old at home), but the ladies fixed me up with blocks, sashing and cornerstones, border, and backing, which I brought home to work on.
 

I couldn't get to it right away, and then I had an issue with the machine while quilting it, leading to extensive ripping and possibly extensive grumbling, but it's all done now, and will soon be on its way.  Along with my hopes for an end to this terrible war.

In more mundane sewing, I've got the extra Split Nine Patch blocks done.  Next I'll be trying out my idea for setting them.  I think I'm going to end up with a twin sized quilt if my math is right.  (Ha!  Any odds on how far off I'll be?)

Thank goodness I've got this guy to help me! 

Hey!  Where did he go?  Is there somebody hiding under that old quilt top?  (He ran away giggling, so now I can tell you about this month's antique quilts.)

On the last Saturday of each month in 2022, I'm showcasing some of my antique quilts.  This week it's A Tale of Two Quilt Tops.  Judging from the fabrics, both of them were made in the 1930s era.

First up is this orange and green basket quilt.  I bought it at a flea market several years ago.
 

The blocks are made of an orange solid base, orange basket "feet", two solid green background pieces, and scrap triangles.  The blocks are set on point with solid green setting squares and triangles.  The scalloped border alternates orange and green solid pieces.  As you can probably tell from the photo, the border does not fit very well.

Although most of the fabric in the print triangles dates from the 1930s, there are some pieces from an earlier time, such as this maroon floral, which was popular in the 1880s.  There are also some cadet blues (a light blue with white figures) and some indigo prints mixed in.  The quilter may have been using a few leftover pieces from a relative's scrap bag, or from her own if she was quilting for a long time.

The blocks were hand pieced, and set together by machine, which is very common.  The fraying on the tiny seams tells me the top itself was washed in the washing machine, which is not a great idea, since it can ravel out the seam allowances.

Now for the second quilt top, a Bow Tie.  It's from the same time period, but in a simpler design.  I think it came from an antique store. (?)

Most bow tie blocks have the center square matching the print pieces.  In this top, the centers are the same as the solid color pieces, so they look like solid color bow ties on a print background.

There are a few novelty prints in this top!  Can you see the toys in the pink print?

This is my favorite block.

 Check out the print--it's the Scarecrow and the Tin Man from the Wizard of Oz!  I think the fabric was probably inspired by the books, not by the movie.

These blocks were also pieced by hand, but set together by machine.  Thankfully, this one has not been machine washed.

 I bought both of these tops very cheaply, to study the fabrics as I was learning about antique quilts.  I have enjoyed having them.

People often ask me if I plan to quilt any of my vintage tops.  Being so far behind on quilts I've made myself, it doesn't usually occur to me.  But if I was going to quilt them, only the Bow Tie would be suitable.  It's in good shape, has adequate seam allowances, and isn't anything rare or of historical interest.  I would take off the bottom row (since these blocks are made of 1960s fabrics), and add a border before doing some simple quilting.

The poor basket quilt would never be worth the effort to quilt.  Honestly, the blocks are badly pieced with tiny seam allowances that have also frayed.  No two blocks appear to be exactly the same size, and all that extra green fabric would not quilt well.  The border ripples like the ocean and is faded in the middle.  No matter, I still love it!  And I'm thinking seriously about drafting the pattern and making my own version.

 Collecting antique quilt tops actually makes me feel better about all the quilt tops I've made that are yet to be finished.  If despite my best efforts, I don't finish all of them, maybe there will be somebody someday who would like them anyway.  Even if they aren't perfect!

Have a good week, and Happy Halloween on Monday!

Thanks for reading,

Sylvia@Treadlestitches

Linking up with:

Alycia at Finshed or Not Finished Friday

Angela at So Scrappy

Cynthia at Oh Scrap 

 

 

 

Switch Plate Quilt and Rainbow Blocks

 Welcome to Treadlestitches!

I have a finish for Finished or Not Friday!  It's just a little one, a baby quilt to donate, that measures approximately 36 in. x 42 in.

It's made from 72 Switch Plate blocks, set 6 across and 12 down.  I am so inspired by all the quilters who blog and share what they're making.  When Cynthia from the Oh Scrap blog started making these little blocks, I could not resist dragging out my scraps and sewing some, too.  (Click HERE for her first post on it, back in April.)  From there, it just got out of hand.  (Are you making some, too?)

I love rectangular quilt blocks.  The pieces can be cut from two sizes of the strips in my "parts department".  In this case, they're cut from either 1.5 in. or 3.5 in. strips.

Mine are slightly different from Cynthia's.  I used a light fabric for the centers.  When I started it, I was just trying to use up the light 1.5 in. strips.

 (This photo is after washing, when the quilt got That Crinkly Look.)

My first grade Buddy and I arranged the blocks on the floor back in July.  That's when I got the weird idea to think of the design as card catalog drawers, instead of switch plates.  

Back in the 1970s when I was first working in libraries, the computer age was barely beginning.  The card catalog was the only way to find books, and we spent enormous amounts of time creating, updating, and filing cards.  I am VERY thankful those days are over, and we have much better access to materials in modern times.  Now, as a retired school librarian, I can let myself feel a little nostalgia for the old days.

If the blocks are pretending to be catalog drawers, of course they had to be set horizontally. The light strip is like a label for the drawer, telling what's inside.

We grouped the blocks by label, and then I arranged them alphabetically.  (No surprise, I'm a big believer in alphabetical order.)  We have alphabets, bears, bugs, butterflies, dots (4 different kinds), donuts, feathers, paw prints, roses, and squiggles.

It's a pretty silly idea, really, but it was fun.  I used up a lot of small scraps, and the quilt will be colorful and cozy for its new owner.

 The border is the last of my dark blue Dr. Seuss fabric. 

I had this cute print in my stash to use for the back.

In other news, I've been trying to figure out exactly what I'm going to do with my Rainbow Scrap Challenge blocks.  You might think I would have had time to make a plan, being as we all worked on these ALL YEAR LONG, but no, as usual I waited til the last color (green) was named.

I finally decided I need 3 more of each color of the Split Nine Patch blocks.  When you factor in 8 colors, that's 24 more blocks to make.  I sewed the extra green ones first, of course!

I also made red ones, 

and orange ones.  I tried to use at least a few fabrics that were different from the first group of blocks.  It was easier because I have had a great year of buying cute second hand fabric (more on that another time).

Meanwhile, these stacks of blocks keep piling up as I use them for leaders and enders.  (I put the green blocks on top in honor of the RSC color of the month.)  I'm not sure it's possible to ever catch up with my UFOs.  Shoot, I'm not even sure I want to!  I'm planning on quilting for a long time yet.

But it's a good idea to take snack breaks! My little guys are very fond of an after-school snack together.  

Can you tell they helped me decorate for fall?  Our Buddy is very excited about reptiles right now.  Lizards and snakes are everywhere.  Thank goodness they are just plastic.  Aren't they???

In spite of the crazy weather, including a tornado warning on Wednesday, we had a good week.  I hope you've had a good week, too.

Cheers for reading,

Sylvia@Treadlestitches

Linking up with:

Alycia at Finished or Not Finished Friday

Angela at SoScrappy

Cynthia at Oh Scrap 

Sailing On Into the Blue

 Welcome to Treadlestitches!

Up, up, and away!  This cute panel was on the free table at my quilt guild's meeting a few months ago.  I finished the top, but it was lingering in the closet until I finally got it quilted this week.

Nothing too complicated here, just borders around the center.  Lots of panels are not printed straight on the fabric, and this one was no exception.  I liked that it had plenty of white around the design so I could cut it straight before adding the borders without wrecking the design.

As it turns out, I had some hot air balloon fabric on hand to add to the panel.  The inner border is a very light blue with smaller balloons, and the corners of the outer border are cut from a slightly darker blue with larger balloons.  I'm really hitting the theme hard.

Even on the back!  A kind person in my quilt group put literally yards of this adorable Hoffman fabric in the basket the group gave me.

In a nod to last month's Rainbow Scrap Challenge color, I bound the little quilt with an orange print.  It will be donated to Jack's Basket.

Since it's light blue, I'm counting it as a start to the RSC color for September.

Here are 4 light blue split nine patch blocks to join the rest I've been making all year.  Now for the hard part--I have to do some math to figure out how many more blocks I need, and if I'm making two baby quilts or one twin quilt.  Size will of course dictate where the quilt or quilts are donated.  What would you do?

All the blue squares in these blocks came from my 3.5 in. box, they were already cut and waiting for a project.  Here we have sharks, caterpillars, and the Bat Mobile.

These fabrics are VERY light blue.  There are trucks, lighthouses, and a scrap of one of the balloon fabrics from the baby quilt.

The blue squares in this block have kites, fire trucks, and flowers (with a bug peeking in).

It's fun to look at the fabrics and remember the quilts these scraps came from.  The prints this time are bunnies, butterflies, and Fischer Price toys.  The bunny fabric was left over from my littlest grandson's quilt, made before he was born.

Here he is now, at two and a half.  His brother had a day off school yesterday, and we went to the library for new books.  Our library is wonderful, with so many fun things for kids to do, including this puppet theater.

Did you notice the boys' weird hair?  Their Daddy gives them haircuts, and for a joke he only cut half of each of their hair the other night.  The kids loved it, but we got some strange looks at the library.

Our Buddy didn't have school yesterday, so their Dad left their hair like this, and fixed it after work.  (He would not have sent Buddy to school like this.)  Sorry about the tongue hanging out, he was being a goofy kid.

The weather here has been beautiful.  My Little Guy and I go to the park as much as we can.  In this photo, he is studying a leaf he picked up.

Here in the U.S. it's Labor Day Weekend, which traditionally marks the end of summer.  We should have a few more warm weeks here before fall and winter arrive.  I plan to make the most of them.

Have a lovely weekend, and a happy week ahead.  Quilting makes a good day even better!

Cheers for reading,

Sylvia@Treadlestitches

Linking up with:

Alycia at Finished or Not Finished Friday

Angela at So Scrappy

Cynthia at Oh Scrap

Frederique at Patchwork and Quilts