RSC Strippy Flimsy

 Having sorted through some of my stash fabrics I found a pretty lemon background fabric with flower 💐 sprigs. I wanted to combine it with yet more RSC Wonky Stars blocks and the economy blocks I had in my stash. Initially I had thought I would make a Coin style top but when I started to try that out I didn’t like it so I decided to cut the flower sprigs fabric into WOF strips.

Then I made strips from the Wonky Stars and one strip from the economy blocks. I also made some piano key style strips by adding them to telephone directory strips for foundation. Then I had fun arranging the strips, adding two deep yellow ones with small white dots strips at the top and bottom to make the top longer.

However, I didn’t think it looked finished and it still needed more length so I used a new piece of lemon solid fabric just added to my stash to make a border, narrower at the sides and wider at the top and bottom.

This looks much better and is a better size, measuring 44” wide and 45” long.

Hoping to make a backing and getting the top machine quilted tomorrow. I’ll do my usual Perle hand quilting round the Wonky Stars. 

Linking up with Angela’s RSC So Scrappy blog.

Inspiration from Cathy K for my latest RSC finished quilt

 Thanks to Cathy K (Crazy by Design blog) for her Creatures from the Deep Orphan block quilts. They all intrigue me and I look at them all intently, trying to pick up tips and ideas.

I had intended to make a green one from some RSC leftover blocks but it all looked rather dull and I didn’t have a lot of green scraps either so decided to inject a bit more colour by using some yellow blocks too.

I love the finished quilt, measuring 42” square.

I always admire pieced backings, a great way to use those larger scraps and avoid adding to the scrap bag.

However, I got too carried away, using far too many leftover blocks and ending up with a backing too similar to the front of the quilt. So much so I confused myself big time. I loaded the quilt “sandwich” onto my ironing board and started smoothing and pinning only to find the backing was far too short all the way round. What???? After a few rude words, which brought my husband into the Utility Room to see what was going on, I discovered I had confused myself and had muddled the front and the backing. 

Eventually sorted out and I’m pleased with the result. No more complicated over-clever backings for me!

This is the backing

I’ve also done a little trimming of RSC Wonky Stars and using some HSTs to make economy blocks for another variation of a Green and Yellow RSC Finish. So, a good week’s sewing. 

Linking with Angela’s RSC So Scrappy blog. 

Improv Green scraps RSC now a flimsy!

 Last week I made the centre panel for my Improv Green Scraps flimsy.

I had decided I needed to make each of the three panels symmetrical- that’s me, can’t seem to be free and easy like Cathy K!

Anyway I made lots of 9 Patches from 2” green strips of fabric, adding a little yellow to some of them to connect with the yellow sashing round the centre of the elephants/ string blocks. Have a few left over which I’ve got an idea for. Oh dear, squirrel alert!

As I thought, last week I made two mirror image panels for the top and bottom panels,  using up some scraps completely which is great.

It’s now a flimsy and I’m pleased with it. Just enough pops of yellow to lift the green.

My intention is to make a pieced backing, using up more bits and pieces. That’s for next week.

The story of the little Pink RSC scraps quilt continues!

I loved this little Pink quilt, happy to use up some scraps, already made Wonky stars, borders added from the few pink pieces I had and even using the trimmings from basting the quilt to use for the binding.

Having offered it to my neighbour for any baby girl she knew of (No) I kept it. Earlier this week I had a visit from my Pastoral Care lady from church. She updated me on her family - her daughter who lives in Australia, her wedding which they attended and her granddaughter Florence now 3 months old. And their daughter’s family’s trip back to the UK for Easter. After she left I thought of that little Pink Quilt. I made an embroidered label “ Welcome to the World, Florence” and will gift it tomorrow at church, Easter Sunday. I’m thrilled  - something told me to keep it and here’s the reason.

Happy journey back to Australia, little quilt.

Another follow up to last week’s post was Helen’s visit with Etta on Monday.

I gifted the Twinkler Star quilt to Etta and her reaction when she took it out of the gift bag and spread it out on the carpet was simply amazing! She shrieked, lay full length on it, exclaimed at different squares in the blocks, found some scraps of fabrics in her baby quilt and got us all playing I Spy! As my husband said after they left “You couldn’t have wished for a better reaction “. True. John took a couple of super photos of Etta lying on the quilt with a grin from ear to ear. I’m not putting one here because I’m not happy to put photos of children into my blog.

Then upstairs for Helen to choose a Playmat quilt for her friend’s one year old son. I had two piles of quilts for her to choose from: definite ideas for Playmats (including the one I made especially last week) and others I felt were girly or Project Linus quilts. Helen dithered between the new Playmat - although she didn’t know I had made it especially- and another with lots of green fabrics because her friend likes green. Etta chose for her - the new Novelty fabrics Playmat.

Here are the quilts ready for Project Linus donations:

And in a pile:

So, I feel this has been a successful week for sewing and gifting. I’ve finished lots of scraps, used some of my blocks from RSC blocks stashes and felt happy about the destination of three of my quilts. Nice feeling. Onwards and upwards - my school house motto!

Joining with Angela’s RSC So scrappy blog.

2 finishes and developing green scraps/blocks top

 Two finishes this week. I finished the playmat, bound with a lovely red and white striped binding.

Measures 42“ square.

Now I have to see if Helen chooses it tomorrow. The rest of the quilts I’ve sorted out will go to Project Linus as soon as I can arrange that.

Next I finished the pretty pink quilt. I used a lot of my pink scraps, a few Wonky star blocks and even managed to use the trimmings of the quilt sandwich to bind it. I had only one narrow strip left which has gone into my strips bag.

It finished quite small, 33” wide and 35”” long but it’s so cute! I’m  keeping this ready for the need of a baby girl quilt.

 I also made progress with the green centre I started last week making use of some 3.5” squares from my stash of that size squares.

Today I added extra sides until it measured 41” wide and 19” long. This will be the centre strip of the quilt. 

I am trying to use up collections of blocks from my various stashes and I remembered  I had some 

4 patches made from 1.5” squares so I picked out the ones with green squares and turned them into Economy blocks for the one set of borders.

I’ve started to make some 9 Patch blocks from 2” strips and these will form one row of each of the top and bottom sections of the top. I got the idea of making such a quilt from Cathy on her Crazy by Design blog with her Improv Creature Quilts but I’m not able to be “free” enough. I found it  had to be symmetrical so what I put as a border on the left I had to do the same on the right! The top and bottom parts will probably be mirror images of each other. That depends on what I make for one row from the various bundles of blocks I find in my stash. It’s evolving. Good fun and I’m using my maths skills too.

Linking with Angela’s So Scrappy RSC blog.

Using up scraps and stash

 I have been busy in my sewing room this week, trying to use up scraps and stash.

I used my newly invented ironing board method to sandwich the playmat I am working on. It worked brilliantly! Completely flat at the first smoothing and pinning so this is a winner. As I’ve decided I’m only making small quilts from now on I will continue with this method,

I worked hard on the playmat and yesterday I sewed on the binding, using new fabric I bought online. I thought a red and white stripe would show off all the different novelty squares and I’m pleased with the result. I watched TV last night and hand sewed a lot of the binding which I should finish today.

I hand quilted around a few more stars on the Pink Scrappy quilt and I love how it’s coming along. A neighbour popped in and saw it and loved it! I think I’ll ask her if she knows of a new new baby girl she could gift it to.

As it’s green for RSC this month I got out all my green scraps - hardly any. I cut a few more strips to make some Strippy blocks, then saw Cathy’s post yesterday (Crazy by Design) which gave me an idea for a centre section for a Green Scrappy quilt.

Here’s my start:

I’ll be adding some yellow to mine to bulk out the green scraps and use some more of my stash of Wonky stars. I’m loosing count of how many quilts I’ve added those to! Probably make some 4 patches with green and yellow and see if I can work those in. It will be like a puzzle to work out as I go along.

I’ve also been leader and ender sewing some 8 patch rectangles I had put in piles by my machine ( an idea of Cathy’s, Sane Crazy Crumby Patchwork blog ). Hope to show a few finishes next week.

Joining with Angela’s So Scrappy RSC blog.

Busy with RSC Projects

 I finished the Roman Stripes Coin Quilt. What a performance that was - I made so many mistakes putting it together. I had cut the backing and batting to the right size - or so I thought! Gaily trimmed the edges and started to machine the binding onto the quilt. When I got to the third side I realised the binding would nowhere near cover the binding and batting on quite a long stretch on that side, so I had to undo all the binding and trim the wonky border and its opposite side which meant those two side were reduced by 1”.

Then I sewed the binding all round the quilt and hand stitched the back. It means the quilt is 40” wide and 38” long but I don’t think it’s obvious. I’ve put it in the Project Linus pile anyway.  It’s nice and colourful and has a lovely Rose and Hubble white spots on a pretty blue background for the backing.

Since I have not been well I am finding sandwiching my quilts very difficult. I used to lay them on the floor in my sewing room and scrabble about on my hands and knees doing the job which always took ages and many times I found wrinkles I had to deal with. One of the Patchwork Groups I belonged to didn’t reopen after Covid lockdowns and that was useful for the sandwiching quilts job. We used to meet in a Village Hall and had big tables to lay out the quilts. Other members would help with the job. I don’t have a table large enough at home to lay out the quilt tops to sandwich. I’ve decided not to make quilts larger than baby sized ones. A couple of Patchwork friends sandwich theirs by hanging them over the bannisters. I’ve tried this method but can’t get it to work. During the week I had an idea - why not do the job on my ironing board? I started at the top of last week’s pink flimsy, gradually flattening and pinning as I worked my way down the quilt. It worked really well and I’m going to try that method again in a minute as I have a colourful playmat to sandwich.

I machine quilted the pink quilt using a new method (for me) on the rabbit centre of the Medallion Quilt. I looked up how to cross hatch on YouTube and found an excellent video which was easy to follow. I am pleased with the result.

  

I am now hand quilting round each star in the border, using a pink variegated Perle thread. It’s looking good.

I have said several times that I am going to take some Project Linus quilts to the new coordinator but something has cropped up, I’ve been poorly, another appointment has occurred, etc so they are still in the cupboard. There is always a reason these things happen because a couple of days ago I had a watsap message from our relative Helen, who asked if I had a finished quilt that she could gift to a friend’s baby boy for his First birthday which he could use as a playmat. I think I have a couple in that Project Linus pile but I’ve also put together a colourful top using novelty fabrics, cutting them at 6.5”. I love it!

A quick photo of some of the blocks:

Off to cut batting for the playmat and see if my new ironing board method of sandwiching a quilt works again!🤞

Pain stopped play

 In the UK cricket is very popular, played in the summer when there can be stoppages for rain showers.

The phrase for that is “Rain stopped play”. Well in my case of trying to sew the phrase should be “Pain stopped play”. I have been suffering since early December with terrible pain in my neck, right shoulder and the ball of my shoulder. I have very strong pain killers from my GP and have had an MRI and X-rays of the area which have shown some age degeneration and rotor cuff problems. As a result I have not been able to do much sewing, all far too painful. So my pink RSC didn’t do too well and there’s hardly any green except 2 string blocks.

I took a photo of the remains of my pink scraps:

I had hoped to sandwich the little baby quilt I made from pink scraps and Wonky stars blocks which I really enjoyed putting together. I had to make 8 more Wonky stars as I didn’t have enough finished pink ones in my stash from last year.

It finishes at 34” wide by 36” long., the most I could get out of my pink scraps. I had a look at some of the other RSC block stashes but didn’t think any would make a suitable extra border but thought they would spoil what I have so far, so a small baby quilt it will be be - eventually.  My shoulder is far too painful to sandwich  this one ready to quilt although that was what I had hoped to do this morning.

I did manage to machine quilt and add the binding on the Coin style quilt I made from RSC Roman striped blocks and am in the process of hand sewing the binding down. Again my shoulder is too painful for that too.

When I went into town to have some blood tests at the surgery I managed to go to our Sewing and Knitting shop to spend a voucher and bought some FQs, most of them pink because my pink stash is so depleted. A few green too because I don’t have much green left either.

So not too much to report on the sewing front.