So Many Pink Blocks!

My quilting time over the last week has been spread out over several different projects including one workshop and a community service sewing day for our quilt guild (photos and info about those coming soon.) I did manage to finish off my pink Terry blocks for the Rainbow Scrap Challenge. 

I was very surprised to end up with so many of these blocks in different pink fabrics, a total of 63! It turned out that one of the pink fabrics is repeated in two different blocks. Can you find them? Some of the fabrics might lean more toward purple, but that will help with the blend of colors in the quilt.

The Terry blocks were inspired by Terry Rowland's colorwash quilts, featured in her series of three YouTube videos. These scrappy little blocks will finish at 3".

I still have a couple more sets of pink blocks to finish up before the end of month (RSC Hen & Chicks + the Birthday Blocks at Laundry Basket Quilts.) Maybe I will have time to make a start on those blocks today.

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

Stash Report and Stitching Time 5/12/2024

First of all, Happy Mother's Day to all the mothers out there! I am thankful for so many things that my mother taught me, and sewing was a big one. It led to my 40+ year career making theater costumes, plus I am consumed/obsessed by quilting, the most creatively satisfying hobby ever. (at least, it is for me!)  Thanks, Mom!

The last week felt much more productive than the previous few weeks in the sewing room. I've been able to catch up on a couple of different Block of the Month projects, which are always a relief to complete. I shared my Chatsworth blocks and two sets of Sewcialites 2 blocks a few days ago (see that post HERE.) Yesterday I was able to stitch one more set of Sewcialites 2 blocks. These will finish at 6".

All of the BOM blocks, plus a set of pink Rail Fence Spinner blocks, added up to a total of 2.375 yards of fabric used. No new fabric was added to the stash last week.

2024 STASH TOTALS

Used last week:                   2.375 yards

Used year to date:             33.625 yards

Added last week:                     0.0 yards

Added year to date:             27.50 yards

Net used in 2024:            6.125 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 splitting my quilting time between all of those BOM blocks and starting the quilting on one my entries for an upcoming quilt show.

15 Minute Challenge for 2024: 

5/5 - 5/11               7 of 7 days

2024 Total        129 of 132 days

Success rate              97.7 %   

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

Pinwheeling in Pink

We have moved on to pink as our color of the month for the Rainbow Scrap Challenge, and I was able to get one set of pink blocks done this week. These are my Rail Fence Spinner blocks.

It was fun going through my pink scraps and strips for these blocks, and I'm looking forward to continuing with even more pink scraps for the rest of my RSC projects.

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

Catching Up on BOMs

There are multiple different Block of the Month (BOM) programs that I've been following so far this year, and I was very happy to get caught up on two of them this week. The first one was the Chatsworth Quilt-Along, a pattern designed by Doug Leko of Antler Quilt Design, and the quilt-along is hosted by Moda Fabrics. The quilt finishes at 74" x 88", but the book also includes other size variations and layouts. It's not too late to join the quilt-along! These are blocks #7 & 8, which will finish at 16".

Chatsworth, Block 7

Chatsworth, Block 8

Chatsworth, Blocks 7 & 8

After those were finished, I turned to my Sewcialites 2 blocks. Sewcialites 2 originally ran as a weekly block program at Fat Quarter Shop from October, 2022 until April, 2023. All of the block patterns are still available on the Fat Quarter Shop's website. Our quilt guild is doing it as a BOM, with two blocks due each month. 

The Sewcialites 2 pattern includes instructions for blocks in three different sizes: 3", 6" and 9", and I've been making blocks in all three sizes. I haven't made the 6" blocks yet this month, but I did get the others done. Here are Blocks #3 - 6, our assignment for April and May, in the 9" size.

Sewcialites 2, 9" Blocks #3 - 6

These are the same blocks in the 3" size, although they will look like the same scale in the photo.

Sewcialites 2, 3" Blocks #3 - 6

The bottom left block in the 3" set was the hardest one yet. There are 48 pieces total in that block, and the small half-square triangles finish at only 1/2" each. All of the 3" blocks are very challenging to make.

It's fun to see the different block sizes together on the design wall.

I hope to get the last of the 6" Sewcialites 2 blocks done this week. Then I would be completely caught up on this project.

Linking up with:

Midweek Makers at Quilt Fabrication

Wednesday Wait Loss at Inquiring Quilter

Needle and Thread Thursday at My Quilt Infatuation

Finished or Not Friday at Alycia Quilts

Peacock Party at Wendy's Quilts and More

Brag About Your Beauties at From Bolt to Beauty

Happy quilting everyone!

Julie in GA 

Stash Report & Stitching Time 5/5/2024

My stash report for the week doesn't include photos of any of my most recent output because the blocks were all shared in yesterday's post and have since been stashed away in a bin. Instead of pulling them out for a recap photo, I decided to lead with a couple more images from our recent visit to the AQS Show in Paducah. The Best of Show quilt seems like a good place to start.

Serenity by Molly Hamilton-McNally

I loved the way the quiltmaker used a very limited color palette to create such beautiful images. The machine quilting on it is absolutely amazing!

Our recent travels, combined with working part-time both before and after our trips, left me run down this week, fighting a cold and feeling wiped out. I enjoyed one lazy day at home while Ed was playing golf, taking it easy and quilting as much as I could handle. That was the day I was able to finish up my scrappy yellow blocks for the Rainbow Scrap Challenge, all of them shared in yesterday's post. I used a total of 2 yards of fabric for all those blocks, and no new fabric was added to the stash.

2024 STASH TOTALS

Used last week:                     2.00 yards

Used year to date:               31.25 yards

Added last week:                     0.0 yards

Added year to date:             27.50 yards

Net used in 2024:              3.75 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. Even with a busy week plus not feeling great, I still got in at least 15 minutes every day.

15 Minute Challenge for 2024: 

4/28 - 5/4               7 of 7 days

2024 Total        122 of 125 days

Success rate              97.6 %   

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

Not Quite Ready for a New Color

Even though the color of the month for the Rainbow Scrap Challenge switched over from April's yellow to pink on May 1st, I still had some sets of yellow blocks to finish off. 

Up first were my yellow 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".

Edyta Sitar of Laundry Basket Quilts is hosting a Birthday Quilt 2024 quilt-along. 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 yellow.

The yellow Rail Fence Spinners needed yellow strips cut before I could make the blocks. After that, they went together very quickly.

It was a lucky coincidence that the May block pattern for Jen's Color Challenge featured yellow. The inspiration for Jen's color choice was the Electric Yellow Lab, a type of tropical fish.

I'm done with the yellow scraps and hope to have some time this weekend to start pulling out my bits and pieces of pink.

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 4/28/2024

The end of April turned into a flurry of travel and fun. After returning from our trip to Florida just over a week ago, we decided to go to the big quilt show in Paducah this week. It's always exciting and a little overwhelming to be surrounded by so many amazing quilts and by all the people who want to see them. We left home early on Thursday and got back on Saturday afternoon, a whirlwind of a trip!

I haven't yet had a chance to go through my photos from the quilt show, but I do have some from the National Quilt Museum. My favorite there was Corona II: Solar Eclipse by Caryl Bryer Fallert-Gentry. This quilt won Best of Show at the AQS show in 1989, and it was the first totally machine-stitched quilt to win the top award at that show.

Corona II: Solar Eclipse by Caryl Bryer Fallert-Gentry

I'm sure I have seen this quilt before, but I don't remember ever seeing the beautiful pieced backing. You can read more about this amazing quilt HERE.

back of Corona II: Solar Eclipse 

Naturally I did some fabric shopping while in Paducah, although I never visited the Hancock's of Paducah store. I knew it would be crazy busy there, and I get to shop there whenever we make the drive from Georgia to Wisconsin to visit my family, usually twice a year.

My purchases included one wide backing piece (the blue-green on the right), one yard of the black/grey stripe on the left, and the rest are all fat quarters. Total fabric added is 5.5 yards.

After totaling up the usage for some sets of blocks made earlier in the month, I can count 2.375 yards of fabric used. That includes all the yellow blocks shared in yesterday's post, plus the latest group of blocks for the Chatsworth quilt-along.

Chatsworth, Blocks 3 - 6

2024 STASH TOTALS

Used last week:                   2.375 yards

Used year to date:               29.25 yards

Added last week:                   5.50 yards

Added year to date:             27.50 yards

Net used in 2024:              1.75 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 continued working on my hand applique project on our travel days, plus spent some time at the machine on the other days.

15 Minute Challenge for 2024: 

4/21 - 4/27             7 of 7 days

2024 Total        115 of 118 days

Success rate              97%       

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 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