Rainbow Scrap Challenge for June is Orange

And here they are in all their cheerful glory!

Orange never fails to cheer me up

 

Rainbow scrap challenge is Red

This months color is Red 

These are the 6' stars

After moving into the studio and (stILL)trying to organize my space

I haven't figured out a good way of storing my fabric yardage

backs have a space and fat quarters have a space

but other than pilling the yardage on shelves I've got nothin'

and it maybe, that is the answer, 

it feels unsatisfying. 

 and the 4' squares

Rainbow Scrap Challenge stars

continuing on with our Yellow scraps I give you 10 scrappy stars

made from 2 1/2 inch squares and 1 inch squares 

sewn from point to point for the star arms 

to make 6" blocks 
 

RSC-Rainbow scrap challenge is yellow for march

 Good day sunshine!

Happy Yellow scrap squares on my table

Nice and bright for this months gloomy weather

16 opposites attracting my attention this week

These 4" squares will be a nice addition to the TBA pile!

RSC the blues

Rainbow scrap challenge color for this month is Blue

that's my Blue scrap round up for this month

The stars do look better in the darker fabrics

 

Starting the new year

Starting my first "Stay at home Round Robin (SHARR)" experience!

If you want to join me, the rules are,

#1 go find a 12" block in your UFO pile to start with.

Mine is the star in the center.

You build up your quilt by adding rows to your center block by following the prompts.

The first round prompt is the "kings crown" block

or a block named for the first initial of your name.

I chose the "kings crown" there are 4 variations, (see here,

https://kathleenmcmusing.com/2025/01/2025-sahrr-first-round/ )

to choose from, I chose to make one big block around my center block instead of maybe using the
"Kings Crown" block as corners, a companion block, or a surround.

How else would you use this block in a quilt?

I'm also joining in on the "Rainbow Scrap Challenge (RSC)"

January's color was Pink, did you know Pink is not a color in the rainbow?

First set are the 9-patch stars, made with 2 1/2 squares in a 6" block.

they are a little hard to see as the contrast between the pink and white is difficult to pick up with the camera.

The second set are made with 4" alternate squares

in pink and white and white and pink

The center square is 2" and the surrounding layers

are alternating strips of 1" to 1 1/4" scraps.

Starting the new year with enthusiasm is simple

It's trying to sustain the enthusiasm throughout the rest of the year

as the mundane home and family stuff start to demand attention away from sewing, But I make the attempt every year.

Happy year of the Wood Snake everyone!

the 12 point star

At the beginning of august

 I experimented with a paper piecing block

And took the seminar my quilt guild recommended

Don't one and one make two?

Apparently not.

The stars are all the most flashy fabrics I could find

The centers were the last of the orangy yellow from my daughters quilt

And the between points is all low definition ecru

The only thing I had to buy was the buff color 

That held the whole together, I ran out at our quilt retreat

And forgot to bring it with me

I used  a lot of my scraps and as is usual, barely made a dent

But we keep trying right?

I made enough of them to make a  vEry large quilt

30 whole 12 point stars, and 17 - 4 point stars for the edges 

Now I need to find a back for the quilting

RSC Orange

 goodness I all the kerfuffle with the trees I completely forgot about my RSC! 

I did it but never posted Oopsie-Poopsie.

Here is the Orange for last month

Dark neutrals are on for this month and 

Light  neutrals are for next month

So if your black and brown bins are overflowing these are your months to use them up!

More Paper piecing and a rant about trees

So the paper piecing started with this star

The method is a 'new to me' no waste system

Where you fold your sections and  sew along the fold and not through the paper.

I like this much better as it eliminates the annoying, to me, bits of Paper piecing

The paper waste the ripping and the picking.

I can reuse the initial paper pattern over and over 

instead of spending hours picking whats left out of the back and distorting my stitches

The pattern maybe broken up into more pieces 

but the process, I feel, is more streamlined and easier for me to wrap my brain around.

So far I have 6 full stars and one half star

only 20 more to go!

And it fulfills my RSC Quota (Self inflicted, of course) with the center star! 

I still haven't decided if I want it dens-packed with stars or 

hexie rows with diamonds in between.

I have drafted and cut a pattern for the diamonds bUUT.....We'll see

*Rant incoming*

Poplar #2 and hubs taking photos for the neighbors who weren't home

In other news I have been dealing with another power outage due to tree
fall and trying, yet again, to get the city to take down the danger trees. No one was hurt by this one either, thank goodness, just 'inconvenienced' for a few days by power and cable/internet outage issues, and the neighbor across the street now has to have the roof redone because the tree hit the ridge line, which left trunk limbs on the roof and dropped the tippy top in the backyard. Oy.

and half of it still stands!

We have finally gotten to what, we think, is the correct department to do that. But it was so obscurely hidden in the Snohomish county web page it took ages to find! and it's not like the will just give you the phone number when and if you
get a human being on the phone either. the appropriately named department "Vegetation Management" was hidden at the very bottom of the Street maintenance under several sudinonomous tabs. it's like a state secret or something they don't want you to know!

They usually have a driveway and a bush on either side

Very annoying! But finally, hopefully, taken care of. Though a week after the tree-fall and initial surveyor, we have been informed we are on the "list" for tree removal. Great you got a time line on that? there is this other 80' ft tall poplar that is just as punky (I can stick my finger through the bark!) as the other two that came down, in what I can only describe as "barely enough wind to blow out a birthday candle". Waiting for the #3 to come down on it's own, is not an option. t's bigger than the other two and the only reason they haven't managed to kill someone yet, is by providence alone! 

You know the law of threes.

The power pole down the street about 800 feet

 and oopsie-poosie, does not cut it this time!  Whew!

Anyway I am going to make of myself a pest, until this is resolved, if I have to stay on hold till the next ice age or whatever it takes to get it done!

There rant over, thank you for letting me vent.

Rainbow Scrap Challenge time! Blue

June was blue 

Lots of blue-ishness going on here!

 This months color is Orange. 

I chose this color because I am sick of blue and dark grey skies.

The official RSC runner may choose something different, I need something bright right now.

For anyone interested in Following along.

I will shout out the color at the beginning of the month,

To follow along, You pick a pattern And how many blocks you want to make.

Here are some block ideas, with instructions. I use dice to choose.

Block                                             Google Doc                    PDF

Postage Stamp -Block 1                   Postage Stamp                Postage Stamp

Double Bowties -Block 2                 Double Bowties                Double Bowties

Rail Fence -Block 3                         Rail Fence                        Rail Fence

Shoofly -Block 4                             Shoofly                             Shoofly

Big O -Block 5                                Big O                                Big O

Bright Hopes -Block 6                     Bright Hopes                    Bright Hopes

Antique Tile - Block 7                      Antique Tile                      Antique Tile

Chubby Plus - Block 8                      Chubby Plus                     Chubby Plus

 Friendship Star - Block 9                 Friendship Star                 Friendship Star                    

Bears Paw - Block 10                       Bears Paw                         Bears Paw

Jacob's Ladder - Block 11                 Jacob's Ladder                  Jacob's Ladder 

Prairie Queen -Block 12                   Prairie Queen                    Prairie Queen

Opposing Corners- Block 13            Opposing Corners             Opposing Corners

Petals - Block 14                               Petals                                 Petals

Old Maid's Puzzle - Block 15            Old Maid's Puzzle            Old Maid's Puzzle

Spiral Stairs - Block 16                      Spiral Stairs                      Spiral Stairs

D4P - Block 17                                   D4P                                  D4P

Broken Sugar Bowl - Block 18         Broken Sugar Bowl           Broken Sugar Bowl

Pennsylvania - Block 19                   Pennsylvania                      Pennsylvania 

Churn Dash - Block 20                      Churn Dash                        Churn Dash

Spools - Block 21                              Spools                                  Spools

Grecian Block - Block 22                Grecian Block                        Grecian Block

Rolling Stone - Block 23                  Rolling Stone                        Rolling Stone

Friendship Star - Block 24               Friendship Star                      Friendship Star

Here is another idea for you, and the blog I got it from below,

Do a round robin quilt! you start with a 12" block for the middle, could be a panel or an old UFO

And follow along row by row, building up one border at a time.

https://kathleenmcmusing.com/2024/02/sahrr-2024-round-6/

If you want more information

this is the "owner" of the (RSC)challenge and her info

https://superscrappy.blogspot.com/p/rsc-2023.html

Oh, scrap! linky party with even more eye candy

https://quiltingismorefunthanhousework.blogspot.com/

RSC Pink

 

It's Rainbow Scrap Time!

This Months color is Pink

Now go scrap yourself silly.

RSC April

 The color for this month is yellow 

For any of you party goers who follow along

And I need to make at least 2 more to round up this months batch

CQJP, RSC Progress

 And anything else that I joined willy-nilly to throw on the pile??

Anybody?      Anybody?

SO last month I was asked if I would help making costumes for Woodinville Reperatory Theaters production of "Act a Lady" I said yes aaaannnd Cue the chaos.

It was more a case of chaos in my normal staid  boring routine

Pick up another hobby and wouldn't you know it, 

Quilt guild called and would like their Quilter back, please, we're backlogged.

a daughter called and wants to surprise a girlfriend with a "Mom" made quilt, 

taxes need doing and there is this trip coming up I need to pack for soon

and did I say there was progress? Sheesh.

Now do I mind all this chaos? No, not really.

Am I going to bitch about it? Yes, a little.

I wouldn't be m'mothers daughter if I didn't.

Here are 9 of the 12 blocks I made for the 

Rainbow scrap challenge with this months color Purple

These are so simple to throw together It's like I knew, sOmewhere down the line, this year I was going to be busy

We are now working on the left side of the Ellie

where I have decided I need to break up some of the really big patches with something that makes them look not so big

And blank

Starting at this "corner" where several patches come together and make a lump underneath 

I Appliqued this patch over the lump then went in back, made a slit in the backing, cut away all the extra fabric making the lump blessedly flat

So I could then embroider a big eye right where the lump was. 

 When you start a project, even if, you have drawn it out 

and planned your piece you can't always predict 

what you are going to have to trouble-shoot.

or just shoot.

a border of daisy lace trim makes it stand out and blend in

Don't ask me how that works, it just does 

Next a willow tree right in the middle of the big grey patch 

to break it up into a more easily handled visual 

and less intimidating blank space for me

Now on to the critters, Knew I wanted at least a bunny 

and a crow, we have a Larch willow in our backyard 

and crows like to perch on the crown of the tree 

there is almost always one there on a nice day

And our yard has a rotten rabbit problem that I have a love/hate relationship with.

They're OK when the population is kept to proper levels

but when there is a boom the little rat-finks will eat all my bulbs down to a nub, before they get a chance to store up energy for next year. 

The balance of nature is important.

Rainbow Scrap challenge 2024-Red

 A slow start to the year but it is a start

Rainbow Scrap challenge 2024-Green

 And so we enter into a new year and a new round of scrap basket clean up

This year I have chosen one block to put together

there may be more but I am fomenting other things in other areas and don't want to over extend my capabilities

ooh look at that, at almost 60 I'm thinking like a growdup!

How'd thAt happen?

And look at the birds! I finished the flimsy for 24 of the 66 bird blocks from the last years RSC 

It makes a respectable 42" x 62" flimsy

now she just needs a back

I pieced together the other 42 birds without borders

it makes a 46" x 53" flimsy

But I still think it needs a border

I am having a hard time finding one I like for it

I have two different feather fabrics which would have been perfect but I only have half a yard of each Of course.

So back to stash diving  *sigh*

RSC Orange and an update

Haven't been up to much lately

We took a vacation to visit family for the first time since the plague.

A cross country road trip from Washington to Colorado to LaCrosse and wandered slowly back, through S.Dakta and Montana looking at stuff we usually would have blown past going home.

Gotta say, I'm loving the Hyundai Ionic hybrid we bought back in January of '19. It handled hills, and 106* heat in South Dakota & Montana, like a champ! Paying $340 in gas for the entire round trip

doesn't suck either!

Home is always good to get back to.

Augusts RSC color was orange I got a lot done before we left 

I wasn't able to post them before we left 

After we got back there is the inevitable post-trip tidying that needs to be done

But here we are finally back to a semblance of normal before 

Family stuff takes over between now and October

I got nothing done for September so 

maybe I'll get a double helping done but later

I need to get some chores done first.

I found pictures of this poor old thing when it was new

I really need to make a new one! 

That said this one has had 12 years of hard use.

It's crossed the continent more than once and gone international as well so  

It may be lumpy and worn

and not the best construction but

Boy! Has it held up!

RSC Purple birds and geese

2 " Hst

I make my baby HST's with the left over  corners of the larger HST's from  the Birds 

as you can see there are a lot of them

I have found the easiest way to get them is 

after you sew the seam for the birds down the center of your square is to take another seam 1/4" toward one corner to get the smaller HST

All the bird hst squares end up being 2" 

from an original square of 2 1/2"

and the leftover hst's are 1 1/2" or so

sizes will vary depending on your level of OCD ;)

And here are some gees to round off what I have so far in the purples spools are to come later today maybe, I was busy the first half of this month with some friends in town visiting, doing the tourist guide thing and so forth

I will get back to stitching again 

eventually
 

RSC Bird beaks

 So anyone making these birds who wants to put beaks on 

I suggest you do it as you go because 

Hand embroidering Beaks and eyes on 5 to 10 of them at a time is much easier than  letting them pile up for half a year 

And having to do all 60 at once.

Beaks are buttonhole stitch, eyes are cast on in variegated vidani thread so there is a bit of variation to them