that's the ticket....

I have some other sewing responsibilities that I'm working on, so only a few 9 patches to show for right now.

I'm not sure how I'm doing it, but I think I'm achieving the eclectic AND bohemian look...

I think it has more to do with how the fabrics are combined, rather than what fabrics are chosen.

I'm thinking that I'd like to combine my RSC18 9 patches into 2 baby quilts when they're all done. I have 2 cribs for the babies that we care for- one up and one down, so 2 should be just the ticket!

make sure you go see what everyone else is doing.

purple: she is such a fickle color...

I would have said that I didn't have many purples in my stash...

I would have been wrong. I counted 81 unique purples (not all are pictured; some of them there was only one square)

 

but purple? she's so fickle... it seems as if she more often than not, can't decide if she wants to be brown, pink, red or blue...

I've pieced my 9 patch kona solids for the month- 12 blocks in lupine, nightfall, thistle, morning glory, berry, cerise, regal, plum and ??? as ever, kona indigo is the background.

 

I have a few other projects I'm working on, but happy to spend some time in the sewing room playing with my fabric.  see what everyone else has been creating here.

pretty purples, pleasing as punch...

I've been busy trying to get 2 new dresses sewn for my girls this week, so not as much time piecing on the purples to show for this week....

 

somewhere I saw that one of the RSC quilters was making a 5X5 block, with the low volume plus in the middle. ( I made a low volume plus quilt last year, too, and really love it...) my suitcase of 3"squares is not getting any less stuffed with colorful squares, so I decided to add this block to my RSC17 line up.

for RSC15 one of my projects was to use my 2½" strips to make a zig-zag quilt. I've since changed my mind, and plan to make a pinwheel quilt instead. (free pattern here)

 

 

I plan on piecing this quilt on-point, and making the setting triangles with some of my neutral (low volume!) 2½" strips. if there are any little parts left over, I might make a lap size zig-zag quilt after all...

 

it's been a long month, and I'm all done with my purple RSC17 sewing (is that a first, or what?!) so I'm looking forward to see what the new color is for February...

 

be sure to stop by angela's at soscrappy to see what everyone else has been sewing on this week!



And they're off!

I got a bit of a slow start on RSC17 this year, but I think I'm finally ready... purple is the color of the month, and I've had a pleasant infusion of purple scraps the last couple months, so I'm happy to work with some new fabrics...

a new project for me this year will be some modified 16 patches, using my 3" squares. ( I can't remember where I saw another RSCer doing these blocks. if I figure it out, or if you give me a shout-out, I'll be happy to link back to you!)

 

there is only 1 (or maybe 2?) repeat in the above purples, I believe. I plan to make as many blocks as necessary each month to use *almost* all my different squares in each color of the month. the low volumes will continue to be scrappy. (they're left over from previous RSC years that I pieced a low volume plus quilt, as well as many 9 patches and 16 patches...)

(sorry for the sideways picture...) I'll continue to piece my crumb blocks (6½" unfinished) and add them to the pile from RSC16.  I particularly enjoy piecing the crumb blocks- and they make a pretty cool looking quilt when they're done, too! I've made several crumb quilts, using wildly different layouts and they're some of my favorites!

 

my other projects for RSC17:

• complete the RSC16 column-along
• piece 16 patches in Kona solids (COM) and grey
• finish piecing the RSC16 tops: pinwheels, 16 patches, granny squares, 4 patches, ect...

 

and a big SHOUT-OUT and HAPPY WELCOME to you if you're new to RSC17! we're glad to have you! this is my 4th year participating in RSC, and I've loved having the camaraderie, direction and accountability for the monthly sewing. I get lots done- and I'm happy to share all the quilts with my family and MCC.

 

also: don't let the RAINBOWY-NESS throw you off! we don't all make quilts that are ALWAYS IN RAINBOW ORDER! I know that can get a bit tiring sometimes.... it's just so nice to have ONE COLOR to focus on each month, and have a nice, colorful and scrappy pile of blocks at the end of the year. RSC has worked really well for me, and I hope it will for you, too!

 

click back to angie's  blog to see more beautiful quilts, and get LOTS of inspiration!

 

 

Just in time...

a few evenings this week were pleasantly passed in the sewing room. I finished up my purples, just in time to check Angela's blog to see that the COM for April is orange.

 

orange is very meager in my stash, but I recently added about 4 FQ's in anticipation of this month's color. I'm excited to play with some new fabric!

the block for this months Column-Along was the butterfly. he just wasn't singing to me, and I knew that I would never embroider antennas on him to make it look more like a butterfly, so I reverted to the trusty old 16 patches.

lots of purples with some dots of yellows. I love it! (oh, I almost forgot! can you see the BH mystery quilt, Allietare, on the chair? it's all pieced and sewn together; just needs the borders.)

and for those who want to know, here are the Kona purple and yellows that I used in these blocks: regal, amethyst, midnight, bright periwinkle, crocus, mulberry and thistle. buttercup, maize and canary were the yellows.

pickin' through the purples...

it's amazing how many different purples there are- light, dark, medium. bluey-purple, red-y purple... we probably don't realize it too much until we line them all up side by side.

 

I pieced 21 crumb blocks this week (only 16 of them are shown). I'm almost done with my purples for the month- just need to sew my column-along into the rows, and then I'm ready for the next color.

Purple is such a CHEERY color!

bits of sewing time snuck in here and there in the last couple weeks... it's nice to play with the purples; brown was a muddy color for the muddy month of February!

 I got my 9 blocks done for my plus quilt- this is promising to be a really cool quilt when it's done!



4 more granny squares, with 9 (!) more waiting in the queue...

chocolate and sunshine- what could be better!

thanks for your input on what setting squares to use for my S4P- I took a tally, and blue won! good choice, gals, and that's what I'm going to go with! I have ¾ of the blocks trimmed up, hopefully I can finish the rest this week...

 

click on over to Angela's, and see the rest of the purpley cheeriness!

It's time: let's get these quilts together!

after sewing and sewing all these squares together, I decided to start sewing some stuff together (even though technically, I'm a month early for that...) I wanted to see some progress, and not just piles of blocks...

these 16 patches are left over from last year- if i remember, i had just stalled on what to do with them.

last week i decided: why not potholders? my old ones were pretty grimy after using them in the summer kitchen when making applesauce, and what better way to use and enjoy my favorite fabrics than in the kitchen?

let's face it: i spend more time in the kitchen than in the sewing room most days, so i can still get my fabric fix! i cut into some of my all time favorite fabrics for the backings- and I'm so glad i did!

 

another RSC project i worked on this week was my 9 patch blocks.  after sewing and sewing all year long, i was very surprised to count that i had 189+ of the 9 patches! i knew i wanted to do something interesting, and non-traditional in the setting, so after playing around for awhile, i settled on the layout below.

 



 

 

i really like this layout- and there are so many blocks left over! i'll let the little girls lay out another quilt, and we'll give that to my friend for quilting and send it off to one of the MCC auctions.

 

thanks for stopping by- click on over to angela's to see what everyone else is working on. and if you have a minute, scroll down one more post, and tell me what you think of my red stars Christmas quilt- I'm looking for some input and advice!

QAL with Wedding Dress Blue: and all from stash, too!

Deanna (over at Wedding Dress Blue) is one of my favorite bloggers (check out her tutorial tab!) is hosting a QAL. remember how I said I'm a crazy lady? of course I decided to join and quilt along!

 

I think it started in April, and I had just the colors, and recipient, in mind for my quilt. January, February and March colors for RSC15 were blue, purple and yellow. can you believe that I still had lots (and lots!) of my 3" squares left over?

 

I decided to make a quilt for our Tuesday morning garden helper, Eileen. we have a small CSA, with 30+ members this year, and one way that we're able to "keep up" with all the work here on the farm is with the faithful help of our work shares. in exchange for a full CSA share, they work each week for 4 hours. we give them enough veggies to eat for the week, plus many extras to can and freeze. it's a win/win situation all around. Eileen has been with us for 3 years now, and we are so grateful for her dedication and hard work. (plus, she's been with us long enough, that when something is lost or misplaced, she knows where to look for it. I'm telling you: she's fabulous!)

 

anyway- her favorite color is purple, and yellow was an obvious complementary color to add, along with blue. I've used muslin as the background (so 1980's, and what a nightmare!) and it's coming along nicely. after looking at the picture, I realize that it's a bit more yellow than I would like, but I think I can fix that by adding more purple in the borders to tone it down.

 

it's been a relaxing and easy quilt to work on an evening here or there, and I can't wait 'til it's finished- I think she'll love it!

 

 

what a colorful riot of blocks!

we're halfway done with RSC15 (can you believe it?!) and I have quite the pile of blocks. with no further ado:

 

9 patches (monochromatic) with Kona white and black. 

strippy scraps- not sure what i'll do with these, but I'm sure an idea will strike!

16 patches- possibly my mostest favorite so far! I have 112+ of these guys (and I even got the green, purple and aqua ones ironed!) I'm thinking that I'd like to make 2 quilts out of these- either for the guest room beds, OR one for a tablecloth for family holiday dinners, and the other as a tablecloth for my table at Farmer's Market...

4 patches: I'm not loving this stack, but there are oodles of possibilities.

the dreaded D4P. some are from last year, and a goodly amound from this year. my friend did a D4P with a very simple setting, and it's a great looking quilt. i'll probably end up doing the same.

crumb blocks (6" finished): this is what started all this rainbow goodness for me- I was piecing these blocks sporadically, but when I stumbled onto RSC14, it was all over, and I haven't looked back yet!  

here is the stacks of blocks for my zigzag quilts. I plan on making two: one horizontal, and one vertical. I'm excited aobout these 2 quilts, and can't wiat to see how they turn out! (there is a picture in this post of a small sneak preview of the layout...)

 

and last (but not least) a recent re-stashing of neutrals for my RSC15 projects. it takes lots and lots of neutrals to keep these projects rolling- more than I would have ever thought, actually. recently, one of our LQS had a 40% off sale as part of their grand re-opening.

clearly, it would have been irresponsible NOT to go and save all that money!

ha!

with nothing "pressing" going on...

haha! did you get the pun in the title? nothing "pressing". ha! even though these blocks are pieced, they are not pressed or starched. i'll save that for another day... it was a busy week, with lots going on- potatoes and onions to plant, mulch to lay... the list goes on and on.

 

however- Dave worked 2-11 every day this week, so instead of working out in the fields or gardens until dark, I worked until dinner time. that left me with a  few evening hours to sew.

I already had the squares cut out, so it was very soothing and peaceful to just sit at the machine and repetitiously sew and sew.

some of these fabrics I've had for many years- dresses for my daughters (my oldest daughter is 25 now!), dresses, aprons and doll clothes from my youngest daughters, shorts, shirts and jackets for my 3 boys (24, 24 and 22).

 

perhaps the biggest reason I love making scrappy quilts, and working with my saved scraps is because of the fond memories it brings from when my older children were little. those were busy days... but the happy memories that the fabrics brings back just adds another layer of meaning and sentimentality to my scrappy quilts.

 

 

another week of sewing...

despite the fact that the weather has truly broken, and spring is here, I was able to sew in the sewing room for 2 evenings this week. sometimes (usually?) it's not always a matter of time (in the evenings) it's just that I'm too tired to go upstairs and sew!

 

we worked outside all day yesterday, and were able to plant onions, kale and the collard greens. the high tunnel is ready for tomatoes on Tuesday, and we also planted 5lb. of sugar snap peas.

 

today we're going adventuring: down to Harrisburg to the MCC relief sale. can't wiat! there are always hundreds of quilts- lots to inspire! and the best part? Quilter's Attic. think yard sale- but only quilting stuff- fabric, books, thread, orphan blocks and projects, magazines, you name it! and (another) best part? fabric is only $2/yd. wowzers....

 

I made- and caught up- with all my D4P. (3" blocks started) I pieced 24 blocks this week, but only 12 are shown. phew- I'm glad this is done for this month.

my sawtooth stars with crumb centers are finished for this years rainbow sampler. I made the aqua blocks a few months ago- I thought I saw a sneak peek on someone's blog that aqua would be the COM for March.

 

13 (6½") crumb blocks (plus the 2 in the center of the sawtooth stars)

 

 

and now the "keeping it real" part of my blog post for this week: ^ see above^ . this is the basket/organizing part of my sewing room. the shorter baskets and shelf are about chest high, the higher baskets on the right are about 5½ feet tall. it would have been lovely if I had cleared off the shelves, and made it look neater and less visually overwhelming. (and less like a bomb went off!) but- I was too tired/lazy.

 

each basket holds a specific kind/style of fabric- red, orange/yellow, green, blue, purple/aqua, neutrals, black/brown/grey. then there is Christmas, vintage, FQs, flannel and (some of my) pre-cuts. there are also drawers for WIPs, orphan blocks, the girls' craft and school stuff, notions and a drawer for Scraps to Wraps (S2W), our church sewing ministry.

 

the second drawer from the left, on the top, is my RSC15 drawer. it's getting a bit stuffed. someone asked about my drawer last week. one of these days i'll do a post with (neat) pictures of my sewing room. I really do have a nice, big and light room to sew in, and I'm really blessed!

 

go here Saturday morning to see more purple pretties!



enjoying these last sewing moments...

the weather if finally starting to break- for good, this time! even though we had an inch of snow Easter Sunday, spring is here to stay! we've had 2" of rain these last few days, and as soon as the soil dries out, we'll be plowing, tilling and planting. that, of course, means less sewing time for me.

 

but that's ok- I'm looking forward to working outside in the fresh air again. (and if I'm not too tired, I can sew for a bit in the evenings to wind down...)

 

I pieced 30+ 16 patch blocks this week. just slow, easy and mindless stitching as I'm watching Netflix. I like that I have several colors to work with- it would get a bit boring sewing the same colors over and over and over.

 

I had about 8 WOF purples- and got them made into the 4½" squares for the zig zag quilt. I put several of the colors out- someone had asked about that last week: so there you go! there are blue zig zags, too, but I didn't dig too deeply dwon in the RSC15 drawer. (and it's really starting to fill up, too! I might have to start ANOTHER RSC15 drawer!)

 

 

here, also, are the RSC15 scrappy 9 patches. (last year I did the 9 patches a bit differently) but I still had lots and lots (and lots!) of 3" squares left, so I'm having another go at it this year, but only a little bit different.

 

keep on sewing- and click on over to angela's to see more RSC15 projects!

 

PS: don't forget to add some of your RSC15 projects to instagram, with the hash tag #rainbowscrapchallenge15



purple progress!

it seems every month when the RSC color changes, I pull out all my scraps, crumbs, squares, chunks and strips and say to myself "oh good- I don't have very much of color XXX."

usually I'm wrong! purple is no exception.... while it's certainly true that I don't have much purple in my stash,  I have a bit more than I thought!

I spent one night this week going through my purple drawer, pulling out anything less than ½ yard. I made 2½" strips, 3" blocks, and the rest went into my crumb jar.

I made 25 scrappy (and mostly  monochromatic) 9 patch blocks- using Kona white, and a scrappy black center.

I was also able to make 30 4 patches. there are of course many repeats of fabrics in all these blocks, but I do make an effort to make sure there are no 2 blocks alike.

Blogger was/is being more cooperative this week than it was last week, so if you'd like to see my yellow blocks from last month, go here. and you can go here to see everyone else's pretty purples.