Orange Blocks for September

When I was pulling out all of  the orange blocks I've made for the Rainbow Scrap Challenge this month, I made the happy discovery that my Scrappy Trips blocks are the same size as the Ribbon Stars that have been joined into groups of four. They make a good-looking combination!

The rest of my orange blocks are made from my collection of 30's fabrics. The pinwheels and nine-patch blocks don't fit together quite as neatly as the other blocks, but it's a pretty group of pastel blocks.

I'm anxious to find out what our RSC color will be for October. I just checked Angela's page for the 2017 RSC, and it shows that we will be using pink for October. That leaves darks (brown, black) for November, and December is assembly/finishing time. Now is also a good time to start thinking about a new RSC project or two for 2018!

I am linking up with the Rainbow Scrap Challenge on Saturday and at Oh Scrap! over at Quilting is more fun than Housework on Sunday. Be sure to check out all of the wonderful projects that everyone is sharing! 

Julie in GA

Blogger's Quilt Festival 2017

It's time once again for the Blogger's Quilt Festival over at Amy's Creative Side. There is an amazing variety of quilt styles on display, and I can't wait to spend more time checking out all the gorgeous creations!

My entry for this year is the Star Cluster baby quilt that I made for our great-niece Flora. 

Star Cluster baby quilt for Flora

My inspiration was the quilt Interlocking Stars, shared in 2015 by Sarah at Confessions of a Fabric Addict. Her starting point was a pattern called Star Cluster by Judy Martin. Judy's pattern is for a block that finishes at either 12" or 16". Sarah super-sized the pattern into a 64" single-block quilt. I went half-way in between the two--the center of my quilt finished at 32", and the border brought the finished size up to 37.5" square.

Star Cluster by Judy Martin

12 or 16" block

Interlocking Stars by Sarah Craig

I had such a good time making the first Star Cluster quilt, that I ended up making two more for other new babies. I varied the piecing for the centers of the stars and also changed up the borders for each quilt.

Star Cluster baby quilt for Charlotte

Star Cluster baby quilt for Fritz

I am linking up to the Fall 2017 Blogger's Quilt Festival at Amy's Creative Side. Check it out for tons of amazing quilting creativity!


Julie in GA

Stash Report Sunday 9/24/17

This was a good week for the stash reduction campaign. First of all, there was no fabric added for the week! I am counting 5 yards as having been used. There was 7/8 yard for the remaining Ribbon Star blocks that I showed yesterday. I also used just over 4 yards for the top and back of a little quilt which I hope to get quilted up next week. Here is a photo of the back.

The front of this quilt is Wonky Log Cabin blocks from the same fabrics you see in the back plus a couple others. Very bright and cheerful!

2017 STASH TOTALS

Used last week:              5.000 yards

Used year to date:        70.375 yards

Added last week:                0.0 yards
Added year to date:          8.25 yards

Net used year to date: 62.125 yards

I am continuing to join Kate at Life in Pieces in tracking how many days each week I manage to get in at least 15 minutes of quilting time. I have been doing very well at finding some time to quilt every single day, frequently working on two or three different projects each day.

15 Minute Challenge:  
9/17 - 9/23                7 of 7 days
2017 Total          259 of 266 days

Check out more stash reports at quiltpaintcreate, and add your own report so we can keep the linky going. 

Julie in GA

RSC Ribbon Stars Layouts

I finished making the last of my Ribbon Star blocks for the Rainbow Scrap Challenge yesterday and have been playing with some possible layouts for my blocks. I made star blocks in green, blue, yellow and orange, with at least 20 blocks of each color, plus a few extras. My blocks measure 7.5", so an 8 x 10 setting would finish at 60" x 75". The photos do not show all of the blocks.

Choice #1--groups of 4 (showing 6 x 8 blocks, would be 8 x 10)

Choice #2--vertical columns (there would be 2 columns of each color)

Choice #3--this one might require more blocks. It would end up 9 x 9 blocks, finishing at 67.5" square, a rather awkward size. Another option would be to use the number of blocks shown here (6 x 6) and make two baby quilts at 45" square.

I'm having a hard time deciding which option I prefer. Let me know what you think--your comments are always helpful and very much appreciated!

Thanks to those of you who were interested in adopting my multicolor orphan blocks. The winner of the adoption drawing was comment #7 by GranChris. Congratulations to her!

I am linking up with the Rainbow Scrap Challenge on Saturday and at Oh Scrap! over at Quilting is more fun than Housework on Sunday. Be sure to check out all of the wonderful projects that everyone is sharing! 

Julie in GA

Design Wall Monday 9/18/17

I don't have anything new on my design wall to share, but I do have something on my cutting table.  I was cleaning up the scraps from my orange blocks for the Rainbow Scrap Challenge, and laid out a scrappy pumpkin shape. This might have to become a mini wall quilt sometime soon!

I'm linking up to Design Wall Monday at Small Quilts and Doll Quilts, Monday Making at Love Laugh Quilt, and Moving It Forward at Em's Scrapbag. Check out all of them for tons of amazing quilting inspiration! 

Julie in GA

Stash Report Sunday 9/17/17

It seems like I should have more usage to report for last week after several days off from work. The majority of my time was spent putting together the sections of my Ring Cycles quilt. I am waiting to report the fabric used on that when I get the quilt top together. I did make good progress on a couple of Rainbow Scrap Challenge projects, using over two yards, mostly on orange blocks. You can see my orange Ribbon Star blocks in YESTERDAY'S POST. Here is a batch of pinwheels made from my collection of 30's reproductions. 

I came very close to ordering some sale fabrics from Hancock's this week, but stayed strong and deleted the sale emails. No fabric added for the week!

2017 STASH TOTALS

Used last week:              2.125 yards

Used year to date:         65.375 yards

Added last week:                 0.0 yards
Added year to date:            8.25 yards

Net used year to date:  57.125 yards

I am continuing to join Kate at Life in Pieces in tracking how many days each week I manage to get in at least 15 minutes of quilting time. I am back on track with finding some time to quilt every single day.

15 Minute Challenge:  
9/10 - 9/16                7 of 7 days
2017 Total          252 of 259 days

Check out more stash reports at quiltpaintcreate, and add your own report so we can keep the linky going. 

Julie in GA

Orange Ribbon Stars and Orphan Blocks

I finally had a productive week on my Rainbow Scrap Challenge blocks. I finished 20 orange Ribbon Star blocks. This will be the last group of blocks I make for this project because I have run out of white-on-white scraps. I have a couple pieces of WOW yardage, but don't want to keep repeating them in future blocks, and I certainly don't need to buy new WOW fabrics right now.

I have about a dozen more Ribbon Star blocks in other colors to finish making, then I will have enough for a good-sized throw quilt. It will have stars in orange, yellow, green and blue. I can't wait to finish the last batch of blocks and look at the colors up on the wall together!

I'm sure many of you remember these blocks that I was making in the spring when our RSC assignment was multicolor scraps? They have been sitting in a box ever since, and I know that I really don't want to finish putting them together. Good news--they could be yours! I am participating in Cyndi's Orphan Adoption event and offering these blocks up for adoption. If you would like to win them, go to THIS POST and leave me a comment there. I will be drawing a name on Wednesday, Sept. 20. You can see other "orphans" being offered for adoption at Quilting is more fun than Housework.

I am linking up with the Rainbow Scrap Challenge on Saturday and at Oh Scrap! over at Quilting is more fun than Housework on Sunday. I'm also a late addition to Scraptastic Tuesday at she can quilt. Be sure to check out all of the wonderful projects that everyone is sharing! 

Julie in GA

Fall 2017 Orphan Adoption

We all have them squirreled away in our quilting spaces--UFO projects that will never be finished, fabrics that we wonder why we bought them, orphan blocks and leftover pieces from past quilts. These orphans and UFOs are taking up valuable space, and in some cases they lead to unnecessary guilt every time we unearth them from whatever box or bin they are hidden in.

Fortunately, it is time for the Fall 2017 Quilty Orphan Adoption Event! Twice a year, Cyndi at Quilting is more fun than Housework hosts this event to help quilters clear out some of the old projects that they will never finish. It's the perfect opportunity to pass your orphan blocks/projects along to someone else who will love and finish them!

The orphan that I am offering for adoption is a fairly recent project, but one that I just don't have enough interest in finishing. I started making these blocks in April as part of the Rainbow Scrap Challenge when our assignment was to work with multi-colored fabrics. I had three shoe boxes of leftover 2" strips from making watercolor quilts in the late 1990s, and I decided to use them in my own variation of the pattern "Tranquil Treasures" by Evelyn Sloppy. You can see the progression below as I added each round of blocks.

The final photo is partially cut off around the edges because I was shooting through a doorway. However, I think you can see enough to get a good idea of how this quilt will look. I had plenty of positive feedback from the RSC quilters, but I'm just not interested in completing this quilt. I hope someone out there likes it enough to finish it, preferably to donate it to a good cause.

This photo will give you a closer look at the variety of fabrics in the blocks. I will warn the purists who only use fabrics from quilt shops--most of the fabrics in these blocks date back to the late 1990's, and the majority of them came from Joann Fabrics. I don't want anyone to be disappointed with what they receive.

The winner of this adoption will get 83 blocks that measure 8" square (7.5" finished) plus enough half and quarter blocks to finish the outside edges. I will also include a diagram of how these blocks are meant to go together. When all the blocks are joined together, they will make a quilt top that should measure about 63.5" x 84.75".

If you prefer to have the original pattern, you will need to find a copy of Evelyn Sloppy's book Strips and Strings - 16 Sparkling Quilts. I believe it is still available from Martingale as an e-book. However, you should know that my blocks are a different size than the original pattern.

I will ship to the winner anywhere in the U.S. Leave me a comment to let me know if you would like to adopt this orphan project. Please be sure to include your email address so I can contact the winner. I will choose a random winner next Wednesday, Sept. 20th. Get your comment in by noon EDT that day. Be sure to check out the rest of the quilty orphans over at Quilting is more fun than Housework. 


Julie in GA

Design Wall Monday/Storm Watch

The majority of my quilting time for the past several weeks has been spent on my Ring Cycles quilt. You can read more about it in earlier posts HERE and HERE. I finished making all the different units for this quilt at the end of August, and I have been slowly getting those units joined together. Every single seam is only 3" long, needs to be pinned at both ends to match up points, and has to be backstitched at each end. No chain piecing possible at this stage! Here is one corner of my quilt top, about a quarter of the whole quilt.

Ring Cycles, pattern by Lessa Siegele, available on Craftsy

I am setting up my post in advance in case we lose power overnight, although that seems more likely later tomorrow. The current forecast looks like we will have tropical storm winds and rain for Monday into Tuesday. No work for at least one day, probably two. I'm hoping the power doesn't go out so I can spend some time quilting. Ed is supposed to have jury duty on Tuesday, but that is very uncertain. We hope that the storm diminishes before it reaches the Atlanta area. Keep us in your thoughts!

I'm linking up to Design Wall Monday at Small Quilts and Doll Quilts, Monday Making at Love Laugh Quilt, and Moving It Forward at Em's Scrapbag. Check out all of them for tons of amazing quilting inspiration! 

Julie in GA

Stash Report and Orange Scraps

The stash numbers are not changing in either direction this week--nothing used and nothing added. I have been slowly joining units together on my Ring Cycles quilt, and I am also working on some orange Ribbon Star blocks for the Rainbow Scrap Challenge, but nothing has been completed yet. I have been very tempted by recent sale emails from Hancock's of Paducah, but have managed to resist ordering anything yet. It was very difficult to stay strong through all the Labor Day sales last week!

2017 STASH TOTALS

Used last week:              0.00 yards

Used year to date:        63.25 yards

Added last week:              0.0 yards
Added year to date:        8.25 yards

Net used year to date:  55.0 yards

Here are some of the orange bits and pieces that will become Ribbon Star blocks. At the top is a stack of 3" strips. Below that are groups of HSTs, some ready to be stitched and others already completed. The squares on the right end will become the block centers. I hope to make 16-20 orange Ribbon Star blocks by the end of the month.

I am continuing to join Kate at Life in Pieces in tracking how many days each week I manage to get in at least 15 minutes of quilting time. I missed one day of stitching last week, but plan to get back on track for the rest of the month.

15 Minute Challenge:  
9/3 - 9/9                   6 of 7 days
2017 Total          245 of 252 days

Check out more stash reports at quiltpaintcreate, and add your own report so we can keep the linky going. I am also linking up with the Rainbow Scrap Challenge and at Oh Scrap! over at Quilting is more fun than Housework

Julie in GA

Stash Report Sunday 9/3/17

It looks like I missed my stash report post again last week, probably because there wasn't anything to report. I have finished making all the different units for my Ring Cycles quilt, but haven't figured out how much fabric I have used on it. 

I did use a little fabric on some small projects. I made a Braves oven mitt for my baseball-loving husband, replaced the waistband on a pair of pajama pants, and made one orange Scrappy Trips block for the Rainbow Scrap Challenge. Total used: .75 yards. No fabric added!

2017 STASH TOTALS

Used last week:              0.75 yards

Used year to date:        63.25 yards

Added last week:              0.0 yards
Added year to date:        8.25 yards

Net used year to date:  55.0 yards

I am continuing to join Kate at Life in Pieces in tracking how many days each week I manage to get in at least 15 minutes of quilting time. I'm back to stitching every single day and hope to continue that way through rest of the month.

15 Minute Challenge:  
8/20 - 9/2              14 of 14 days

2017 Total          239 of 245 days

Check out more stash reports at quiltpaintcreate, and add your own report so we can keep the linky going. 

Julie in GA

Orange Scrappy Trips

I've been MIA over at the Rainbow Scrap Challenge for the past few weeks due to a combination of busy work schedule and nothing to share for our August color assignment of light neutrals. I did discover an inspiration piece that may become a future neutral quilt design.

I included two photos because the colors varied so much with and without the flash. I love the different textures in the colored bands. The source of my inspiration--a Kleenex box!

As we head into September, our RSC color changes over to orange. When I pulled out my 3" orange strips for the Scrappy Trips blocks, I was disappointed by the very limited selection of fabrics. Then I made the happy discovery that I had already made three Scrappy Trips blocks in orange. After searching through photo files and old blog posts, I determined that these were made in April of 2016. It turns out that I only need to make one more block for this month.

I am linking up with the Rainbow Scrap Challenge on Saturday and at Oh Scrap! over at Quilting is more fun than Housework on Sunday. Be sure to check out all of the wonderful projects that everyone is sharing! 

Julie in GA