Playing with Little Purple Scraps

The past week was one of those times that an unplanned quilt project (squirrel!) snuck into the sewing room and wouldn't let go until it was done with me, or rather, I was done with it. This is my Pretty in Purple quilt top.

Pretty in Purple, 36.5" x 48.5"

It all started with a collection of 1.5" purple squares sent to me in 2017 by Jennifer who blogs at Life's Little Adventures. Here's what she sent me way back then.

I sorted all the little squares into matching stacks, then started making 9-Patch blocks with no plan for how I would use them. Every once in a while, I would run across the box with all the pieces and make a few more blocks, but there were still lots of squares to use.

One day last weekend I was having a hard time deciding what to work on after finishing the top of another quilt (see that one HERE), and ran across the box of purple squares while doing a little cleaning up in the sewing room. It was the perfect mindless project--no cutting to do, no planning needed, just sit down and sew 9-patches.

After a couple days of making blocks, I had used up most of the pile of purple squares and had made about 100 blocks. The photo above shows the squares that were left over at the end. The blocks measure only 3.5" unfinished, so I worked up a design adding HSTs to make a bigger quilt.

This photo gives a closer view of some of the fabrics. It's so hard to get a good photo of these purples! I did discover in the process of making this quilt that most of the squares I was sent were purples that lean more towards blue, and the purples in my stash tend to be more on the reddish side. However, I think they all worked together just fine, and it sure feels good to have emptied out that box of little purple squares! 

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

Star Cluster Quilt-Along Top is Finished! (or maybe not?)

One of my favorite recent projects has been the Star Cluster quilt-along with other members of the Common Threads Quilters Guild in Newnan, GA. Several of us have been making quilts based on the quilt-along pattern from the National Quilt Museum in Paducah. This week I finished adding the last border to my quilt.

Star Cluster quilt top, approximately 45" square

I've been working completely from my stash on this project, mostly using batiks. I didn't have enough of any single fabric for the background of that outer border and ended up combining three different pieces. I thought the two viney prints were the same, but the colors sure turned out to be different, as you can see in the photo below.

This quilt is a very different style than what I usually make, which was both challenging and lots of fun for me. My husband Ed absolutely loves the way it has turned out, so much so that I'm thinking about making it even bigger. It currently measures about 45" square, and I'm thinking about making it into a throw size, 55"-60" wide x 70"-80" long. Enlarging this will involve some serious planning/designing, and I might need to buy some background fabric for any additional borders.

One challenge that hasn't been solved yet is a name for this. We've been throwing around all sorts of ideas, but none has stuck yet. Early in the process, Ed commented that it made him think of the Jetsons (do you remember that animated sitcom from the 1960's?) The original name for the pattern is Star Cluster, but I have made several baby quilts from a different design with the same name.

If you are interested in making this pattern yourself, it originated from the National Quilt Museum. It used to be available on their website, but they seem to have changed things around and moved it to their Facebook group page. I believe you will have to join their group to access it. Look under Files, then scroll down the page until you get to Quilt Along 2020. They have several other Block of the Month patterns in the files.

 

Linking up with:

Needle and 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

Brag About Your Beauties at From Bolt to Beauty

Peacock Party at Wendy's Quilts and More

Happy quilting everyone!

Julie in GA

To-Do Tuesday 4/11/2023

 It's time once again to share how I did on last Tuesday's to-do list, then figure out what I'd like to get done in the week ahead. The To-Do Tuesday link-up is hosted by Carol at Quilt Schmilt: For the Love of Fabric.

I worked on some of the quilts from last week's list, plus threw in a couple of unplanned projects. I've even been doing a little bit of cleaning up of my cutting table (badly needed!)

To-Do List for 4/4 - 4/10/2023 

1. Quilt guild BOM--add border #6   ✔done

I completed this border and am thinking about making an even bigger quilt. You can see some progress in yesterday's post, and I will share more photos later in the week.

2. Rainbow Scrap Challenge--make 1 set of purple blocks   ✔done

I made two purple 16-Patch Star blocks, shared in Saturday's post.

3. Pickle Dish--cutting, maybe some piecing   nothing done

Besides the projects on my list, I was also able to take part in a guild sewing day last week. We worked on simple baby quilts from pre-cut kits, and I managed to get this top put together. The fabrics are all flannels.

Another project that I pulled out last week was these purple 9-patch blocks. I had been sent a pile of 1.5" squares of light and purple fabrics several years ago, and occasionally I would make more 9-patches from them. I'm getting close to using up all the squares and decided it was time to figure out a plan for them. This is the start of a setting idea.

To-Do List for 4/11 - 4/17/2023

1. Flannel baby quilt--quilt and finish

2. Purple 9-Patches--finish making blocks, decide on setting plan

3. Rainbow Scrap Challenge--make another set of purple blocks

4. Continue working on clearing off cutting table 

That's the plan for the week ahead. I'll report on my progress next Tuesday, and post a new set of goals too. I'm linking up with other To-Do Tuesday lists at Quilt Schmilt.

 

Happy quilting!

Julie in GA 

Design Wall Monday 4/10/2023

Work has continued on the block-of-the-month quilt that several members of our quilt guild are making together. I finished constructing the star blocks and have started adding the background spacer pieces. The bottom border is nearly finished.

I will keep going on this border, which will bring the size of the quilt up to 45" square. This is the last border included in the original design, but I'm considering adding more borders to make it even bigger, maybe even turn it into a throw-sized quilt.

I discovered just this morning that the National Quilt Museum, the source of this BOM pattern, has changed their website. The links to the pattern that I included in earlier posts no longer work. The pattern seems to be available only from their Facebook group page (look under Files, then scroll down the page until you get to Quilt Along 2020.)

Check out what other quilters are working on this week at Design Wall Monday at Small Quilts and Doll Quilts and at Monday Musings at Songbird Designs.

Happy quilting everyone!

Julie in GA 

Stash Report and Stitching Time 4/9/2023

My stash report for the past week shows a sizable move on the fabric added side, but it's because I was one of the lucky prize winners for the 2023 Stay at Home Round Robin (SAHRR.) My prize was this beautiful 20-piece bundle of Island Batik fat quarters from the Woodcut Blossoms line. I lifted this photo off the web because the pictures I took didn't show the colors nearly as well.

Unfortunately, my usage for the week doesn't come close to matching the addition. All I can count as used is 3/8 yard for the two 16-Patch Star blocks shared in yesterday's post.

2023 STASH TOTALS

Used last week:                  .375 yards

Used year to date:             29.25 yards

Added last week:                   5.0 yards

Added year to date:              14.5 yards

Net used in 2023             14.75 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. I ended up with 6 out of 7 days for the week, with most of the other day spent researching and making reservations for a fall trip to New England. One highlight of my quilting time last week was spending one morning working on baby quilts along with other members of the Common Threads Quilt Guild in Newnan, GA. The morning just flew by as we all stitched and chatted away.

15 Minute Challenge for 2023: 

4/2 - 4/8             6 of 7 days

2023 Total        95 of 98 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

Starting on the Purple Projects

It has become my habit this year that the first project I work on each month for the Rainbow Scrap Challenge is my 16-Patch Stars blocks. I guess that's because they are the easiest blocks to make. I already have some 3.5" squares, and it's easy to cut more from my 3.5" strips. This month's color is purple, and I made two blocks yesterday.

I thought about making one block with all reddish purples and one with all bluish purples, but I'm glad I combined both in each block. They seem more interesting this way.

In preparation for the month of purple, I also dug through my box of leftover and orphan blocks. One of my discoveries was this set of three blocks from a long-ago BOM at a local quilt shop. We received a different pattern each month and used our own fabrics to make the blocks.

This is the one fabric that appears in each of the blocks. According to my records, I bought it in 2000, so that might be about the time we were making the blocks. I still have close to 3 yards of the fabric and could easily make more blocks to go with these. It's a great color combination. I need to do some digging to figure out if I have any more of this set of patterns.

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

To-Do Tuesday 4/4/2023

It's time once again to share how I did on last Tuesday's to-do list, then figure out what I'd like to get done in the week ahead. The To-Do Tuesday link-up is hosted by Carol at Quilt Schmilt: For the Love of Fabric.

Somehow I missed posting my to-do list last week, although there was certainly plenty that needed to be done around here! Here's how I did with that list over the past two weeks.

To-Do List for 3/21 - 3/27/2023

1. Ruler Quilting Challenge--keep up with the lessons   ✔done

I kept up pretty well and ended up with four finished placemats.

2. Jabberwocky--make 3 green blocks for the Rainbow Scrap Challenge  ✔done

3. Rainbow Scrap Challenge--cut greens for Rail Fence blocks and begin piecing   ✔done

4. Pickle Dish--cutting, maybe some piecing?  nothing done

I'm sticking with another short list for the week ahead.

To-Do List for 4/4 - 4/10/2023 

1. Quilt guild BOM--add border #6

2. Rainbow Scrap Challenge--pull out purple scraps, make 1 set of blocks

3. Pickle Dish--cutting, maybe some piecing (one of these weeks I'll actually make some progress on this!)

That's the plan for the week ahead. I'll report on my progress next Tuesday, and post a new set of goals too. I'm linking up with other To-Do Tuesday lists at Quilt Schmilt.

 

Happy quilting!

Julie in GA 

Design Wall Monday 4/3/2023

My main quilting project over the weekend was getting started on the star blocks for our guild's medallion-style block of the month. This project is based on a free pattern from the National Quilt Museum (scroll down the page until you get to 2020 Quilt Along.) We are currently working on border #6 of 7.

Like the flying geese in the earlier border, these stars will be randomly spaced. They will be going around all four sides; I just haven't put any blocks up on the other two sides yet.

The backgrounds are two different prints of similar colors because I don't have enough of either one for the whole border. Most of the blocks will finish at 4", and the corner blocks are 6". One or both of the background fabrics will be used to fill in the gaps between the stars, similar to the flying geese border.

Check out what other quilters are working on this week at Design Wall Monday at Small Quilts and Doll Quilts and at Monday Musings at Songbird Designs.

Happy quilting everyone!

Julie in GA 

Stash Report and Stitching Time 4/2/2023

Adding up the numbers for this week's stash report revealed that all of the fabric I used during the week was green, most of it on my Rainbow Scrap Challenge Projects. I used a total of 1.75 yards to make 42 Rail Fence blocks, a green string placemat, five green crumb blocks, and to bind 4 Sawtooth Star placemats. Here are my favorites, the scrappiest projects.

There was no new fabric added to the stash last week!

2023 STASH TOTALS

Used last week:                  1.75 yards

Used year to date:           28.875 yards

Added last week:                   0.0 yards

Added year to date:               9.5 yards

Net used in 2023          19.375 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. After spending most of the week making a mess with my green scraps, I cleared them away on Friday and switched back to the guild's BOM. There has definitely been more than 15 minutes of quilting time every day!

15 Minute Challenge for 2023: 

3/26 - 4/1            7 of 7 days

2023 Total        89 of 91 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

Green Scrappy Projects

The last week of March was catch-up time for my Rainbow Scrap Challenge projects featuring green, our color of the month. I started by making 42 Rail Fence blocks. These will finish at 3" each.

There were several of the green rectangles leftover after making these blocks, so I joined some together as the starting point for a scrappy green placemat for the 2023 ABC (Table) Scraps Challenge hosted by The Joyful Quilter. I blogged about it yesterday in this post, but will share my photo here for the RSC quilters too.

At some point during the week, I got distracted by a baggie of green crumbs and bits. Those ended up becoming five crumb blocks to add to my collection. There are some very small pieces in these blocks. The blocks measure 6.5" with seam allowances, and each one has between 20 and 35 pieces in the block.

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