Finding my way back to quilting projects ...

I can't say what happened, but not a lot has been happening around Sophie Junction in August ... I thought this signpost image–found on Susan's blog–pretty much reflects my creative state for this month.

Among the confusing elements was Angela's choice for the Rainbow Scraps Challenge this month ... it was green, but not like the green that had come before.  Unfortunately, because I had chosen a broad interpretation for my scrappy blocks, I had effectively painted myself into a corner. I did manage to make a yellow-green oak leaf block today (second from the left in the bottom row) that comes close to being distinctive enough from the green block beside it.

I didn't need any more green broken dishes stars and I decided to wait and see if a bunch more green paper pieced Briar Patch blocks makes sense, rationalizing that it might be a good thing to wait until the end of the year, or whenever it's time to lay them out and see what color blocks I need to make them play happily together. 

It's Easy To Be Green (and Scrappy)

With apologies to Kermit the Frog, in my sewing space, it IS easy to be green.

If I walk into a quilt shop without a plan, I will inevitably walk out with something green, so green fabrics are plentiful in my stash and the bin holding green scraps is usually the most full.

Last night, I made this 10 by 15-inch oak leaf block, using ten different 3 1/2-inch squares cut from green scraps and an 11th green fabric for the stem.

If you are curious, you can find my Oak Leaf block pattern, with scrappy and non-scrappy versions in multiple sizes here:

Oak Leaf Block in 6 Sizes

You can also find it linked on the Free Quilt Block Patterns Page as part of the 2013 Lotto Blocks.

Here's how it looks in the company of the Oak Leaves previously made for the Rainbow Scraps Challenge.

I think the green leaf block is really the only one made from colors you might actually see in an oak leaf ... but I love how they all look together.

Since I finished making all 21 of the scrappy green broken dishes blocks I need with the addition of March's teals, I won't be making more of these this month.

I plan to add to the growing stack of paper pieced Briar Patch blocks and, to make the most of my green scraps, to make some progress on some other green in-progress projects in May.

Snowy, Sleepy, Scrappy Saturday

It's not Spring yet ... I woke up to a gray sky and a frosting of snow ... perhaps the last before Spring?

The snow has since turned to a light rain and washed away the snow ... but the sky is still gray. The cats have joined me in the studio and settled into their morning cat naps on their perch. Seeing them in silhouette in front of the glass doors makes it obvious that Johnny Be Good is the big brother and Grace Hopper, the little sister. They are so alike in many ways ... but size is not one of them.

You can also see the result of some recent mysterious middle-of-the-night catastrophe.  I have no idea how the more desirable, tall perch broke off off from the pole base–I can only imagine that involved both cats claiming ownership before it came tumbling down.   I just came down stairs earlier this week and found it that way.

They settled in and were cat-napping away while I spotted the first bunny of spring hopping within a couple feet of the door.

The tea towel challenge quilt has been my quilting focus for most of the week, but I did make a scrappy teal oak leaf to add to my collection earlier this week.

These leaf blocks are 10 by 15 inches–one of the sizes I didn't originally include in the block pattern ... so I updated it to add the measurements for cutting the squares and rectangles needed for this size as wall as a large 16 by 24 inch leaf that could be make from charm squares.

You can download the updated block pattern here:

Oak Leaf Block Pattern in 6 Sizes

I love how these blocks, made in such unlikely colors for an oak leaf, are turning out.

This weekend, I plan to decide upon and sew borders on the tea towel quilt and play some more with teal scraps.  It's just too wet and gray to be out-and-about and just right to stay inside and put something in the crock pot to cook while I quilt. 

Do All Greens Go Together?

It's a cold gray wet weekend in Santa Fe, so I spent Saturday afternoon inside making more of the broken dishes blocks.  I only needed 4 more generically green blocks and I had quite a few green bits and pieces cut and sewn.

I decided to use the existing triangles and half-square triangle units and add aqua and teal to them. The notion of combining all those variations of "green" together reminded me of an appliqué class, taught by the late Patricia Campbell, about 10 years ago, on a cold and snowy January day in Michigan.  Along with teaching us great hand-appliqué technique, she suggested that all greens go together, and invited us to imagine what the view outside the window would be like in spring or summer, when all the different greens found in grass, leaves, stems, trees, shrubs, etc., would create a beautiful landscape.

I remembered that day and suspended disbelief as I put together my four "green" blocks. These are 8-inch blocks (finished size), each made from 16 half-square-triangle units that measure 2 1/2 inches (2 inches finished size when sewn into the block.)

And here they are mixed in with the 17 previously made blocks, which also contain a few teal fabrics, on my design wall.

What do you think?  Can all greens go together or do you have rules about which ones play nicely?

I'm linking up with Angela's Scrap Happy Sunday for the Rainbow Scraps Challenge.  Go see what others have already done with the new colors for March, Aqua and Teal. Then check everyone's  design walls on Judy's Patchwork Times for even more work in progress.

In-Progress

I've made progress on a couple of projects and started something new.  Here's my in-progress report.

12 more scrappy green blocks made. I've decided to pull out a new color each time I pick this up and keep circling around the color wheel until I have enough for a rainbow for my bed.

Backing and batting prepared for the Holiday Baskets table topper–you can see it in this post.

Another last minute holiday decorating idea took me on a thrifting adventure today, looking for interesting frames. The good news is that I found lots of them.  Here are some of them lined up at the Habitat for Humanity ReStore.

The not so good news is that in the art center that Santa Fe is, a lot of them were priced based on the thing that was being frames–too pricey for the project I have in mind.

I came home with four, half-price at the Salvation Army today.

The sweet Christmas cross stitch in the frame on top was a bonus. I thought it deserved a new life in my house at Christmas.

I'm going to start with these four and if it looks like my idea will work, I'll be on the road looking for a few more ...

...  and then there was this hat that flew off the rack into my hands.  I liked the soft gray color and think it will be a great hat for summer ... after I deconstruct and remake it into something much more casual and more me–another project for the future.

I'm joining the link lists on Lee's WIP Wednesday on Freshly Pieced, Esther's WIPS on Wednesday (WOW), and Angela's Scrap Happy Saturday.

More of the Same

On my design wall today, more of the scrappy broken-dishes blocks.

I've left the red scraps behind for the moment and am now working on making more green blocks.



I realized last night that I probably pulled out this old project and decided to make more blocks as an alternative to jumping on the bandwagon and joining Bonnie Hunter's latest mystery.

Pulling out these old blocks and playing with them on my design wall has motivated me to make another pass through my scrap bins and see how many more blocks I can make.

How Green is my ... Design Wall

I haven't made time to quilt in so long, so National Quilting Day seemed to be a good reason to dip into my scraps and get busy.

First, I cut and sewed triangles and made more scrappy stars in shades of the designated color for March, green. I want to make more, but the five star blocks on the left side are a start.

Then I pulled out my cream/tan scraps and made six inch 9-patches and two inch 4-patches and some strips to put them together into single chain and knot blocks–alternate blocks for a sampler quilt that I am now almost ready to put together.

Then I cut more green and cream scraps, combined them with some other colors and made some sample blocks for the April Block Lotto ... which I can't share until April 1.

I hope I'll find time before the end of the month to make more stars, more crumb blocks and . . . maybe make green and cream doll quilt.

Edited to add ... it's all Julie's fault.  I saw the leftover green bits on her wall and started playing with mine.  It's 11 inches square right now ... I'm not sure if it's done (mug rug?) or if it will grow into that doll quilt.

Right now, I'm thinking it could be interesting on-point with some applique setting squares and more--yes I have more leftover--4 patches.

What is on your design wall? Check out more design walls at Judy Laquidera's blog Patchwork Times.