Hollow 9-Patch Quilt Top

My new quilts for the 2025 Rainbow Scrap Challenge are still undecided, but for now I am concentrating on finishing up some of the 2024 RSC projects. For the first of my Hollow 9-Patch quilt tops, I joined the blocks into groups of four, then added sashing and cornerstones in between.

Hollow 9-Patch #1

40.5" x 53.5"

The sashing fabric is a fun black-on-white print, and the cornerstones have the whole rainbow of colors in a recent favorite fabric. I considered adding a border of that fabric, but I like the finished size of this quilt top. Instead, I will probably use that rainbow fabric for the binding.

After finishing the first top, I still had a stack of Hollow 9-Patch blocks left and have been playing with possible layouts for them. This is my current favorite.

When I first put the blocks up on the wall, they didn't have any spacing between them, and that really didn't work for me. Unfortunately, I didn't take any photos of that version. Trust me when I say that this is better. The next step will be to find fabrics for the sashing and setting triangles, then get these blocks joined together.

Be sure to check out all of the wonderful scrappy projects at the Rainbow Scrap Challenge every Saturday, and at Oh Scrap! over at Quilting is more fun than Housework on Sunday. 

Happy quilting everyone!

Julie in GA

2024 Rainbow Scrap Challenge Review

It's the first Saturday of 2025, and I haven't yet figured out a plan for my 2025 Rainbow Scrap Challenge projects. Before I worry about that, I'm going to look back at my projects for the RSC in 2024. It was my 12th year of participating in the RSC, and I have to start off by thanking Angela for continuing to host the challenge every year. I am also grateful for the encouragement and inspiration every week from the other quilters who participate in the RSC.

My RSC projects for 2024 included new projects plus a couple that carried over from previous years. That combination of new and old will also continue into 2025. For this wrap-up post, I'm going to start with the projects that were new in 2024, then work back through the older ones.

In looking back at my records from last year, I was somewhat surprised to discover that I started three new RSC projects in the very first week of the year. The first was the Birthday Quilt 2024 from Laundry Basket Quilts, a block-of-the-week series of patterns. I made my blocks using the RSC colors and alternating between light and dark backgrounds. After eight months, I decided to stop making more blocks, framed all the ones that were already made, and joined them together into a small quilt top in October.

LBQ Birthday Blocks

40" x 56"

Another sampler quilt was also started that first week of 2024. This one was the Hen & Chicks sampler, designed by our RSC hostess Angela. Each month I made four 6" blocks and four matching 3" blocks. You can see how Angela joined her blocks in this post. I decided to go with a different type of setting, and got all my blocks joined together into a top before the end of the year. 

RSC 2024 Hen & Chicks Sampler

41.5" x 55.5"

The third new project that was started in the first week of the year was Hollow 9-Patch. I used 2.5" squares to make 6" blocks in the RSC color each month. These were great to have as a leader/ender project. I ended up with about 80 blocks by November, and I have been working on getting them joined together. The blocks and sashing on the left half are stitched together, and the rest are joined into columns.

The last new RSC project for 2024 was started in February. That was the "Terry" blocks, inspired by Terry Rowland's colorwash quilts, featured in her series of three YouTube videos. These scrappy little blocks will finish at 3". I have approximately 400 blocks made, and I need to go back and make some in colors I missed, plus add more to a few of the other colors. Here are all of the pink blocks from last May.

One of my 2024 RSC projects was a carry over from 2023. I had been making Rail Fence blocks all that year, and by the end of the year I had two quilt tops (see them in this post), plus an assortment of leftover blocks. I discovered that joining four blocks together made a pinwheel-type design. That led to making many more rail fence blocks, and by the end of the year I had one quilt top and one finished baby quilt.

Rail Fence Spinners #1, quilt top

42.5" x 54.5"

Rail Fence Spinners baby quilt

39.5" x 48"

I have one quilt top from 2024 that features our color of the month from July, which was the aqua/turquoise/teal family. I was inspired by a herringbone design from a Kleenex box, and used that inspiration plus a stack of blue-green fabric scraps to make a little baby quilt. I am hoping to revisit the herringbone design this year.

Herringbone quilt top, 33" x 39.5"

One RSC project from 2023 was finished in 2024. I had taken a class in June, 2023, A Maze Zing with Candace Hassen. The original pattern produced blocks that finish at 16" x 24", but I scaled mine down a bit to 13.5" x 19.5". I made blocks using the RSC colors for several months in 2023, then finished them all off as placemats toward the end of 2024.

A Maze Zing blocks (before quilting)

My plans for the Rainbow Scrap Challenge in 2025 are still undecided, although I am determined to finish some of the many rainbow quilt tops hanging in the closet. It feels good to see that most of my 2024 RSC projects are either finished tops or very close to that point. I'll finish up the Hollow 9-Patches soon, and get back to the Terry blocks at some point. I look forward to another year of colorful, scrappy adventures!

Be sure to check out all of the wonderful scrappy projects at the Rainbow Scrap Challenge every Saturday, and at Oh Scrap! over at Quilting is more fun than Housework on Sunday. 

Happy quilting everyone!

Julie in GA

Returning to the Rainbow Scrap Challenge

September has been an unusually busy month, including two separate trips. Most of my limited quilting time has been devoted to quilt guild projects, but I finally found the time to make a set of black and grey Hollow 9-Patch blocks, one of my projects for the Rainbow Scrap Challenge.

I expect to add a set of brown blocks to the collection next month. I believe that would bring me to a total of 90 blocks. Each block will finish at 6". I will also spend October trying to catch up on the blocks that didn't get made for other RSC projects in September.

Be sure to check out all of the wonderful scrappy projects at the Rainbow Scrap Challenge every Saturday and Oh Scrap! over at Quilting is more fun than Housework on Sunday. 

Happy quilting everyone!

Julie in GA

Scrappy Orange Saturday

It has been a very busy week, but I was still able to complete a set of blocks for one of my Rainbow Scrap Challenge projects, the Hollow 9-Patches. I've been using 2.5" squares to make these blocks, which will finish at 6" each.

I've been trying to avoid repeating any fabrics in these blocks, although occasionally a duplicate slips through. Some of the fabrics are fairly new, and others are very old. It's fun revisiting them and putting together different combinations of light and dark, bright and muted.

Be sure to check out all of the wonderful scrappy projects at the Rainbow Scrap Challenge every Saturday and Oh Scrap! over at Quilting is more fun than Housework on Sunday. 

Happy quilting everyone!

Julie in GA

Stash Report and Stitching Time 7/21/2024

The quilting room saw plenty of action last week, with most of my time spent on the assembly of my version of the Lighthouse Inn Mystery by Modern Quilt Studio (read more about that project HERE.)  I haven't yet added up my fabric usage on that quilt. In between that, I was stitching Hollow 9-Patch blocks as leaders and enders, using 3/8 yard of fabric to make nine of them. I have a great collection of teal, turquoise and aqua fabrics, some of them dating back two decades or more, and I loved using them in these blocks.

2024 STASH TOTALS

Used last week:                     .375 yards

Used year to date:                47.75 yards

Added last week:                     0.0 yards

Added year to date:               43.0 yards

Net used in 2024:              4.75 yards

Kate's 15 Minutes to Stitch Challenge at Life in Pieces has us tracking how many days each week we get in at least 15 minutes of quilting time. Most of my quilting this week was spent on assembly of the Lighthouse Inn mystery, which requires careful concentration. By the end of the week, I needed a break and decided to play with a new idea, a herringbone design, which I shared in yesterday's post. I'm planning to continue with that one today.

15 Minute Challenge for 2024

7/7 - 7/13                 7 of 7 days

2024 Total          199 of 202 days

Success rate                 98.5 %   

Check out more stash reports at quiltpaintcreate and join the 15 Minutes to Stitch Challenge at Life in Pieces. Thanks so much to Donna and Kate for continuing to host these link-ups.

Happy quilting everyone!

Julie in GA

Scrappy Squares and a New Project

July is slipping by much more quickly than I would like, and my projects for the Rainbow Scrap Challenge reflect that fact. I was able to complete my set of nine Hollow 9-Patch blocks this week, using lots of squares of favorite aqua, teal and turquoise fabrics.

I also used some of my blue-green scraps to try out a new idea, a herringbone design. I like the way it's looking, but I'm going to run out of the light print before I get very far. Maybe there's enough for a baby quilt? Or I might go through the fabric stash again and try to find some other light fabrics to mix in. There's always the option to switch to solid white.

Be sure to check out all of the wonderful scrappy projects at the Rainbow Scrap Challenge every Saturday and Oh Scrap! over at Quilting is more fun than Housework on Sunday. 

Happy quilting everyone!

Julie in GA

Blue Scrappy Squares

Forward movement on my projects for the Rainbow Scrap Challenge has been a little slow, but I did manage to finish off my set of Hollow 9-Patch blocks for this month. I'm making these from 2.5" squares, and the blocks will finish at 6".

I love making these very easy blocks that are a wonderful showcase for so many different fabrics!

There's just over a week left in June, and I hope to finish up at least two more sets of blue blocks for the month. It's expected to be quite hot here all week, which helps keep me inside and quilting.

Be sure to check out all of the wonderful scrappy projects at the Rainbow Scrap Challenge every Saturday and Oh Scrap! over at Quilting is more fun than Housework on Sunday. 

Happy quilting everyone!

Julie in GA

Stash Report and Stitching Time 5/19/2024

My stash report doesn't show much movement for the past week, mostly because I've spent the majority of my quilting time trying to finish up a quilt for an upcoming quilt show. Machine quilting and finishing are not my favorite parts of the process, but having a deadline has really motivated me to stick with it.

The only fabric used for the week was 3/8 yard for the pink Hollow 9-Patch blocks made as part of the Rainbow Scrap Challenge. No new fabric was added to the stash.

2024 STASH TOTALS

Used last week:                    .375 yards

Used year to date:               34.00 yards

Added last week:                   0.00 yards

Added year to date:             27.50 yards

Net used in 2024:              6.50 yards

Kate's 15 Minutes to Stitch Challenge at Life in Pieces has us tracking how many days each week we get in at least 15 minutes of quilting time. I've been concentrating on machine quilting my quilt show entry, with some piecing squeezed in as a treat afterwards.

15 Minute Challenge for 2024: 

5/12 - 5/18               7 of 7 days

2024 Total          136 of 139 days

Success rate                97.8 %   

Check out more stash reports at quiltpaintcreate and join the 15 Minutes to Stitch Challenge at Life in Pieces. Thanks so much to Donna and Kate for continuing to host these link-ups.

Happy quilting everyone!

Julie in GA

Pretty Pink Patches

My main project for the Rainbow Scrap Challenge this week was to finish up the Hollow 9-Patch blocks in pink, our color for May. I ended up with a total of nine blocks that will finish at 6" square, and I was able to use up quite a few 2.5" squares to make them.

I've also started making my Terry blocks in pink, inspired by Terry Rowland's colorwash quilts, featured in her series of three YouTube videos. These scrappy little blocks will finish at 3", and I have 20-30 more pink blocks in the works.

Be sure to check out all of the wonderful scrappy projects at the Rainbow Scrap Challenge every Saturday and Oh Scrap! over at Quilting is more fun than Housework on Sunday. 

Happy quilting everyone!

Julie in GA

Scrappy Yellow Blocks

Quilting time has been in very short supply lately, but I was finally able to make blocks for two of my Rainbow Scrap Challenge projects, where our color of the month is yellow. I started with the Hen & Chicks blocks for the RSC 2024 Sampler Quilt.

This was my first set of yellow blocks. They will finish at 6" and 3". I had them about 75% finished when I realized that my previous blocks had been made entirely from batiks. These have the same batik background as earlier blocks, but regular quilt cottons for the rest. I went ahead and finished these off...

then turned around and made another set out of batiks. I know it doesn't really matter to anyone else, but I feel better now.

There was also enough time to finish off my set of Hollow 9-Patch blocks. These blocks will finish at 6".

Be sure to check out all of the wonderful scrappy projects at the Rainbow Scrap Challenge every Saturday and Oh Scrap! over at Quilting is more fun than Housework on Sunday. 

Happy quilting everyone!

Julie in GA

Finishing the Purple Blocks

March seemed to go by very quickly, and now it is time to wrap up my purple projects for the Rainbow Scrap Challenge. I finished off a couple sets of purple blocks this week. Up first were my Hollow 9-Patch blocks.

After that, I made the latest of the Birthday Blocks from Laundry Basket Quilts, ending up with four purple blocks for March. A new block pattern is posted every week, and I am alternating using light or dark background along with the RSC color of the month.

LBQ Birthday Blocks

There is one set of purple blocks that is not quite finished. These are my scrappy improv blocks inspired by Terry Rowland (I call them my Terry blocks.) I have these 25 little 3" blocks finished, and another 15-20 more blocks cut and waiting next to my sewing machine.

Besides all the blocks shown above, I also shared a couple other sets of blocks earlier in the month. There were the Rail Fence Spinners and the Hen and Chicks Sampler blocks. I pulled those blocks out of my RSC bin and put everything up on the design wall together in an incredible, scrappy collection of purple! 

I'm eager to find out what our color of the month will be for April and get started on some new sets of blocks!

Be sure to check out all of the wonderful scrappy projects at the Rainbow Scrap Challenge every Saturday and Oh Scrap! over at Quilting is more fun than Housework on Sunday. 

Happy quilting everyone!

Julie in GA

So Many Red Blocks!

February was the month to use our red scraps for the Rainbow Scrap Challenge, and I certainly went through plenty of red. Now it's time to put away the red scraps and make a start on my purple scraps for March. I don't have anything purple to show yet, so I'm posting a final wrap-up of all my red blocks from the past month. (Some of these have already been shared in earlier posts.)

My first red project to get done in February was the blocks for the RSC 2024 Samper, Hen and Chicks. The small blocks will finish at 3" and the larger ones are 6". I'm planning to make all my blocks for this sampler from batiks.

My next project was the Rail Fence Spinner blocks. I ended up with eight red blocks, plus one green block leftover from January. These are also 6" blocks.

I've been participating in the Project Quilting challenges at Persimon Dreams for the past couple of years. One of our challenges in February was to use "Hourglass" as our inspiration. I made a scrappy, strippy red placemat, which is also my entry in the Table Scraps Challenge at The Joyful Quilter.

Edyta Sitar of Laundry Basket Quilts is hosting a Birthday Quilt 2024 quilt along to celebrate her birthday. There is a new pattern for a 6" block posted every week. I am alternating using a dark or a light background each week, and my blocks this month all feature red.

Hollow 9-Patch blocks have been one of my leader and ender projects since the beginning of the year. I ended up with nine 6" blocks in red for February.

The last red project for the month was added to the lineup less than two weeks ago. It is the improv scrappy colorwash blocks inspired by Terry Rowland. You can read more about these in last week's post. I ended up with 36 blocks for the month. They will finish at 3".

I put most of my red blocks up on the design wall together, although the Terry blocks are not included. It makes a wonderfully crazy, scrappy jumble of red!

Be sure to check out all of the wonderful scrappy projects at the Rainbow Scrap Challenge every Saturday and Oh Scrap! over at Quilting is more fun than Housework on Sunday. 

Happy quilting everyone!

Julie in GA

Stash Report and Stitching Time 1/28/2024

It has been a very busy week in my sewing room, and I'm a little overwhelmed by the number of projects in the works. It has also been a very productive week, with two placemats being finished and one quilt top nearly assembled. There was 1 yard of fabric used for the placemats. You can see them HERE and HERE.

I've gotten rather carried away with joining quilt-alongs plus starting new projects for the Rainbow Scrap Challenge already this year. Most of these will be continuing for several months, and it is already proving to be easiest to total up the yardage for all of them near the end of the month. Here's what I've made so far. All measurements listed are for the finished sizes of the blocks.

Hen and Chicks, RSC 2024 Sampler

3" blocks + 6" blocks

Hollow 9-Patch, 6" blocks

Rail Fence Spinners, 6" blocks

Laundry Basket Quilts Birthday Blocks

6" blocks

Jen's Color Challenge, 12" blocks

SAHRR 2024

16" Liberty Legacy block

3" signature blocks

Added together, the fabric used for all of those many blocks totals about 2 yards. The Hollow 9-Patch and Rail Fence Spinners have both been used as leader/ender blocks, so I might end up making more of those before the end of the month. If so, I will just count the fabric used with next month's totals.

2024 STASH TOTALS

Used last week:                       3.0 yards

Used year to date:                 6.75 yards

Added last week:                     1.5 yards

Added year to date:                 1.5 yards

Net used in 2024:               5.25 yards

Kate's 15 Minutes to Stitch Challenge at Life in Pieces has us tracking how many days each week we get in at least 15 minutes of quilting time. The past week had seemed especially busy with different quilting projects, but I was a little shocked when I counted up 9 different quilts having been worked on over the last 7 days. It's no wonder I feel like I'm going in a million directions!

15 Minute Challenge for 2024: 

1/21 - 1/27          7 of 7 days

2024 Total        27 of 27 days

Success rate                100%

Check out more stash reports at quiltpaintcreate and join the 15 Minutes to Stitch Challenge at Life in Pieces. Thanks so much to Donna and Kate for continuing to host these link-ups.

Happy quilting everyone!

Julie in GA

Green Table Scraps Challenge and More

One of the items on this week's quilting to-do list was to finish up my entry for the January Table Scraps Challenge, hosted by The Joyful Quilter. My plan for this challenge is to continue making monthly placemats, which will later be donated to Meals on Wheels.

We start with scraps in the color of the month from the Rainbow Scrap Challenge, and this month was bright and dark green. We also had the suggested theme of "snowflakes," but I didn't include any in my placemat.

I started with a few green crumb blocks, using one for the center of the star. The other two were sliced in half to become part of the side borders. I even managed to find the dark green triangles for the star points in my box of leftover triangles.

The back is an oldie, "Nouveau" by Sentimental Studios for Moda, which I purchased for a class project around 2009. It's funny how I have no memory of where or when I bought some fabrics, but others like this one bring back very strong memories. I'm still enjoying using it all these years later.

I'll share a photo of my current RSC projects on this last Saturday of our month for green scraps. Strangely enough, almost all of them feature 6" blocks. 

Top row: Laundry Basket Quilts Birthday Blocks

2nd row: RSC Hen and Chicks Sampler

Left side: Rail Fence Spinners

Right side: Hollow 9-Patch

Bottom right: Table Scraps placemat

I might end up with a couple more of the Rail Fence or Hollow 9-Patch blocks in green since we still have several more days before the end of the month (or I might just start in on next month's color of red.)

Be sure to check out all of the wonderful scrappy projects at the Rainbow Scrap Challenge every Saturday. I'm also linking up with the Table Scraps Challenge at The Joyful Quilter and Oh Scrap! over at Quilting is more fun than Housework on Sunday. 

Happy quilting everyone!

Julie in GA