One More Rainbow Quilt for 2021!

I have another rainbow quilt top assembled, probably my last one for 2021. This is Homespun!

Homespun, pattern by Modernly Morgan

64.5" x 80.5"

Out of my many projects for the Rainbow Scrap Challenge this year, this was one of my favorites. Instead of making the blocks all year long, I started this quilt at the end of March after discovering a quilt-along for the pattern. I made two sets of blocks for each assigned RSC color, one lighter and one darker. The blocks were easy to make, consisting of mostly squares and rectangles. I loved being able to include so many scrap fabrics in each block.

My other favorite thing about this quilt is the background fabric. I love the whimsical scattering of color and pattern in this Tula Pink print (Fairy Dust; the color is "Cotton Candy.")

Completing this quilt top was my One Monthly Goal (OMG) for December, and I am thrilled to have it together! This is the fourth rainbow top I have assembled from the blocks that were made as part of the Rainbow Scrap Challenge in 2021.

Linking up with:

Needle & Thread Thursday at My Quilt Infatuation

Finished or Not Friday at Alycia Quilts

Can I Get a Whoop Whoop at Confessions of a Fabric Addict

Rainbow Scrap Challenge at So Scrappy

Oh Scrap! at Quilting is more fun than Housework

One Monthly Goal at Elm Creek Quilts

Happy quilting everyone!

Julie in GA 

One Monthly Goal (OMG) for December, 2021

There are plenty of quilting goals I would like to accomplish before the end of the year. One is to get the blocks for most of my Rainbow Scrap Challenge projects joined into tops. That way I can start new RSC quilts in January with a clear conscience.

I ended up working on eight (!) different projects for the Rainbow Scrap Challenge this year, which was definitely more than I had planned. A couple of them had been started in the fall of 2020. Three of the eight need more blocks and will carry over into 2022. The tops have been completed for two quilts, the Scrap Magnet quilt and the Sew Colorful Stars. That leaves three sets of blocks waiting to be stitched up into quilt tops.

I've been working on joining together the 5" pastel Bowtie blocks, and I shared my progress on those in last week's post. At this point, the 180 Bowties have all been turned into 20 big blocks, each made up of 9 Bowtie blocks. The last step is to get those big blocks stitched together. That seems quite manageable, once I get myself to sit down and do it!

The other set of blocks I would most like to put together are for the Homespun quilt. Once the Bowtie blocks are off the main design wall, I can decide on the layout for these blocks, then start stitching them together. Here is the plan for the center of my quilt.

Homespun design by Modernly Morgan

I love the way these blocks turned out and am very eager to get this quilt top finished! In fact, that is going to be my One Monthly Goal for the link-up at Elm Street Quilts.

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. You can see what other quilters are hoping to get done this month at the One Monthly Goal link-up at Elm Street Quilts.

Happy quilting everyone!

Julie in GA 

Scrappy Rainbow Saturday--Week 41, 202

I've been absent from blogging for over a week because we made another trip back to Wisconsin, this time for a family wedding. Sometimes I am organized enough to have some blog posts prepared in advance, but that didn't happen this time. We had a great trip, both at the wedding and spending a couple days hanging out with family, including several great nieces and great nephews, ages 1 to 8. It was so much fun to see them all again!

After we got back, there was the usual day or two of laundry, grocery shopping, and getting back into the usual routine. I didn't get any quilting done until Thursday, but I have now completed the last blocks for one of my Rainbow Scrap Challenge projects, the Homespun quilt.

Homespun design by Modernly Morgan

As you can see, the tan and grey blocks are divided into half blocks. That is because my planned layout needs some half blocks, and I think I will probably use the neutral colors there. I did the same thing when I made brown and black blocks in July. You can see those blocks HERE.

I have made all the blocks I need for this quilt and am very eager to get them up on the wall and consider different arrangements. I'm hoping to get caught up on other RSC projects first, then I can reward myself with some layout playtime.

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.

Julie in GA

To-Do Tuesday 9/14/2021

Another Tuesday means it's time to update my to-do list for the week ahead and share how I did with last week's list. The Tuesday To-Do List link-up is hosted by Linda at Texas Quilt Gal.

Last week's to-do list looks good, with check marks behind every item on the list! I'm hoping for similar results in the week ahead.

To-Do List for 9/7 - 9/13

1. Bowties 365--make one Bowtie block each day  ✔done

I have made 15 orange Bowties so far this month.

2. Hearts Applique--pull orange squares, prep some blocks  ✔done

Two heart blocks are finished and more are ready to be stitched.

3. Scrap Magnet--make two orange blocks  ✔done

I finished these two blocks, plus made two Homespun blocks for the Rainbow Scrap Challenge.  

Scrap Magnet blocks

Homespun blocks

4. Volcano 9-Patch--layer and pin baste, begin quilting  ✔done

The Volcano 9-Patch quilt is completely quilted and bound! No photos to share yet.

5. Scrooge coat--make progress  ✔done

Next week's list includes a different RSC project, the 30's Kaleidoscope blocks. I'm also hoping to put together a blog post for the finished Volcano quilt.

To-Do List for 9/14 - 9/20

1. Bowties 365--make one Bowtie block each day

2. Hearts Applique--pull orange squares, prep some blocks

3. 30's Kaleidoscope--make orange blocks 

4. Volcano 9-Patch--take photos, write blog post

5. Scrooge coat--make progress

I'll report on my progress and post a new set of goals next Tuesday. I'm linking up with other To-Do Tuesday lists at Texas Quilt Gal.

Julie in GA  

Stitching and DeStashing--Week 37, 2021

My quilting time over the past week has been unusually focused and goal oriented, with very few distractions. My main project has been the machine quilting on the Volcano 9Patch quilt that I'm trying to get finished. I also made two sets of orange blocks for the Rainbow Scrap Challenge, Homespun on the left and Scrap Magnet on the right. The amount of fabric used in these blocks was 5/8 yard for the Homespun blocks, and 3/4 yard for the Scrap Magnet blocks. No new fabric was added to the stash this week.

2021 STASH TOTALS

Used last week:                          1.375 yards

Used year to date:                   145.125 yards

Added last week:                            0.0 yards

Added year to date:                   101.50 yards

Net used year to date            43.625 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. There was no problem getting in plenty of quilting time this week, prepping and stitching RSC projects, plus quilting the Volcano quilt.

15 Minute Challenge for 2021: 

9/5 - 9/11                 7 of 7 days

2021 Total          251 of 254 days

Check out more stash reports at quiltpaintcreate and join the 15 Minutes to Stitch challenge at Life in Pieces. 

Happy quilting everyone!

Julie in GA

Scrappy Rainbow Saturday--Week 37, 2021

As I was hoping, our September color for the Rainbow Scrap Challenge is orange. I've been looking forward to digging into my orange scraps and getting some more blocks made.

I've gotten into the habit of making my biggest blocks for the RSC first each month. I guess it's because it gives the most satisfaction to have these large (16 - 17") blocks up on the wall together. This month I started with the Scrap Magnet blocks. I made one with light/bright orange and one with darker and rusty orange. I am eager to make the last few blocks for this quilt and get them all joined together.

Scrap Magnet pattern by Kirsty of Bonjour Quilts

After the Scrap Magnet blocks were done, I turned to my Homespun blocks. I also made these in both light and dark orange versions. This is another project that has me really looking forward to seeing the finished quilt.

Homespun design by Modernly Morgan

They sure do make a pretty grouping 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.

Julie in GA

Scrappy Rainbow Saturday--Week 36, 2021

I've been feeling very unfocused in the quilting room this week, having a very hard time deciding what to do. One reason for that is because I finished off my August blocks for the Rainbow Scrap Challenge, but couldn't start the blocks for September because our assigned color hasn't been announced (but it has now--orange!) Our hostess, Angela, has been dealing with Covid challenges, both at home and at school, so she has plenty going on already. I hope she and the rest of her family are all healthy and safe.

Our color assignment for August was the blue-green family--teal, turquoise, aqua, etc. I finished off my Bowties for the month, ending up with a total of 40 blocks.

I also finished 8 hand appliqued heart blocks in teal and turquoise prints.

There were several bigger blocks made at the beginning of the month, so I put them all up on the wall together. All of these blocks will finish at 16" or 17".

Top left: Homespun  , top right: Sew Colorful Stars, bottom: Scrap Magnet

I decided it was time to catch up on some of the colors I had missed on my Glorified 9Patch blocks. I made the 9-patch parts in red, orange, teal/turquoise, and purple. The purples have been trimmed to their curvy shapes, and the two purple blocks at the bottom center have the background sections attached.

Now that we know we will be using our orange scraps for our RSC blocks in September, I will have plenty to keep me busy in the weeks ahead.

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.

Julie in GA

Scrappy Rainbow Saturday--Week 32, 2021

I've been getting back to a semi-regular routine of quilting time every day since we got back from our trip to Wisconsin last week. I prepped the pieces for a couple of different Rainbow Scrap Challenge projects, then started stitching up blocks. The first set to be done were the Scrap Magnet blocks. Since our RSC color for August is the whole blue-green family (aqua, teal, turquoise, etc.), I made one block in the teal/green family and one that is more turquoise/blue (at least, that's how I see them.)

Scrap Magnet pattern by Kirsty of Bonjour Quilts.

I also made a start on my Homespun blocks for the month. The first block features lighter aqua/teal fabrics, and the second has the darker shades.

Homespun design by Modernly Morgan

At one point while switching blocks on the design wall for photos, I ended up with one of each pattern up there. I decided to get a group shot of all four blocks. They are all almost the same size blocks and make a pretty grouping 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.

Julie in GA

Scrappy Rainbow Saturday--Week 31, 2021

The last day of July is the perfect time to update the progress on my many quilts for the Rainbow Scrap Challenge. I added yet another project to the line up, bringing my total for the RSC to seven! Yikes! I'm not sure I will be able to keep up with that many sets of blocks every month, but I'm going to try.

The newest project is my hand appliqued hearts, which were started so that I would have a hand stitching project to take along on a recent trip. Here are my first few blocks.

The hearts are cut from 3.5" squares, and the backgrounds are 5" squares. They will eventually get trimmed down to 4.5" when I am ready to join them together.

Most of the other RSC projects were completed earlier in the month. I had to double check my list to make sure I didn't forget anything. Our color for the month of July was dark blue, with brown or black as alternate choices.

36 Bowtie blocks, 4" finished size

30 Kaleidoscope blocks, 6" finished size

Half of these were made in April when our color was light blue, the rest were made in July.

Sew Colorful Stars blocks, 16" finished size

pattern by Fat Quarter Shop

Glorified 9-Patch blocks, 6" finished size

Homespun blocks, 16" finished size for the blue block

black and brown 1/2 blocks finish at 8" x 16"

pattern by Modernly Morgan

The four Scrap Magnet blocks were all made in April for light blue.

These blocks finish at 16.5", and the pattern is from Bonjour Quilts.

That's a whole lot of blue scraps, plus some black and brown, that got used up this month. I'm looking forward to moving on to turquoise and teal for August, my favorite colors for quilting!

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.

Julie in GA

Scrappy Rainbow Saturday--Week 28, 2021

July seems to be speeding by very quickly, and I am trying to stay on track with my Rainbow Scrap Challenge projects. It's a good thing that one project, the Scrap Magnet blocks, already got done a few months ago when we had light blue as our color.

There was one evening this week when I had a small chunk of time for quilting, but wanted to sit and sew rather than stand and cut, which is what most of my RSC projects needed. I discovered that I had some Glorified 9-Patch blocks that had been started back in April when our color of the month was light blue. I finished those blocks, then made three more in dark blues the next day.

I made some more of the Homespun blocks this week, using our alternate colors of the month, black and brown. 

Homespun design by Modernly Morgan

As you can see, the center seam on each block has not been stitched. I'm tentatively planning to use these blocks at the ends of the rows to get a staggered block setting. (FYI, the staggered setting was not my idea. It is one of the versions of the Homespun design included in the pattern.) I pulled out a few other blocks to see how they looked together. Eventually there will be a total of 18 whole blocks and 4 half blocks.

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.

Julie in GA

Scrappy Rainbow Saturday--Week 27, 2021

It's hard to believe that June is over and we are into the July 4th holiday weekend already. The new month means a new color assignment for the Rainbow Scrap Challenge. For July, we will be working with our darker blue scraps.

I have been making two Homespun blocks each month, making a lighter and a darker version of the monthly color. Light blue was our RSC color back in April, so I already have one block in that color. I made a darker blue block this week.

Homespun design by Modernly Morgan

We have the option of also working with dark neutral scraps this month. I might end up making a black and/or brown Homespun block later in July.

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.

Julie in GA

Scrappy Rainbow Saturday--Week 26, 2021

It has been a very productive week for Rainbow Scrap Challenge projects here. Our assigned color for June has been purple, and I completed my blocks on three different RSC projects. I didn't think I was going to get all of them done before the end of the month, but here they are, with several days to spare!

I made 25 Kaleidoscope blocks using 30's fabrics, including several fabrics that my sister sent me recently. The blocks will finish at 6".

I also completed 40 Bowtie blocks. These are meant to be "pastel" colors, but I didn't really have enough lighter purples, so I used what I could find. These blocks finish at 5".

The last of my RSC stitching for the week was to make my purple Sew Colorful Stars block. This block will finish at 16".

Sew Colorful Stars, pattern by Fat Quarter Shop

I couldn't resist putting all six of these blocks up on the wall together. I'm planning to make twelve blocks total, and they will have sashing in between to separate all those triangle points.

The other blocks I made in purple earlier this month were the Homespun blocks and the Scrap Magnet blocks. Lots of purple and lavender scraps have been getting used up around here! I'm ready to find out what our color for July will be. My guess is either medium-dark blue or greenish blues (aqua/teal/turquoise). 

Homespun pattern by Modernly Morgan

Scrap Magnet pattern by Kirsty at Bonjour Quilts

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.

Julie in GA