Sue

I got the binding sewed onto Rainbow Stairsteps which was a project from RSC2020. I was inspired by blocks from a layout by Julie and this quilt was a ton of fun to make. It involves a lot of little pieces, but used up many strings & came out as a very striking quilt.

A close-up of this month’s aqua to show the quilting. 🙂

Here they are. My final blocks for my monthly projects, so I managed to get something done on all 9 of my RSC projects. Which is a ridiculous amount, I know. I got 11 of my plus blocks done. These are for the partial top I’ve been ripping apart to re-envision. There were no aqua or light blue in the top yet, so these are all new blocks. I needed one aqua checkerboard block so got that done, also. Then the aqua row for the super fun zig-zag quilt from Diann at Little Penguin Quilts. It’s fun to dig through my scraps each month & find pieces to cut for 5″ squares. Using up odd pieces!

I made 4 of the resized Cozy Stars from the Pat Sloan QAL called Cozy Things . The secret to these blocks is making the dark pinwheel pop out of the light middles, so it’s fun to pick the fabrics out of my scraps & try to make them look cool. I get excited about this future quilt each month when I make these blocks!

In January I did all the cutting for this quilt called “Hip to be Square”, from the book “Splash of Color” by Jackie Kunkel. All the block pieces are pinned together & sorted by colors, which are primary & secondary. I decided to go ahead & do the blue blocks, even though they are probably more appropriate for the next blue month. But I wanted to sew them. The light on my design wall yellows these up, but they are B&W backgrounds. Not so many blues in the pattern: 5 full blocks & 4 half blocks for the edges.

This is a column for the Brickyard quilt inspired by Julie of Me and My Quilts. I don’t have a ton of variety in my aqua pile, so I’m only making one column in this color, then more blue later in the year. Simple but cute!

First up, a finish of an RSC2020 quilt: Sand Castles by Bonnie Hunter. It’s my first BH quilt & I like how it turned out. It started out as an L&E project, then turned into a project to work on with the month’s color last year. I love the strippy border, & used a tan ombre for the binding. It looks so subtly cool that it might be my new fav binding option. This is a gift for this Christmas. (photo taken in front of our shed, on which my hubby painted a quilt block for me!)

I got an aqua & a light blue friendship star block done this week, with thanks to Deb A. for the inspiration. I’m making 2 each month.

I know, these aren’t aqua, but I got those done last week, & there’s 16 blues to do in the pattern. They are light & dark blue combined, so I’m in the light blue wheelhouse. Only red, purple, & orange blocks left for this King-size Irish Chain quilt using the tutorial from Melissa Corry. So happy to be getting these done. The middle two seams are pressed open & that takes forever, so it’s an accomplishment to see all those blocks on my design wall!

First up was to make some of my resized Cozy Stars from the Pat Sloan QAL called Cozy Things . They look very striking & I’m getting excited about how this quilt will finally come together at the end of the year.

The last of the March projects is the Nearly Lemoyne blocks by Bonnie Hunter. The first 2 columns are March green, then the 3rd column is April aqua. Since I’m using a Free Spirit scrap box for the main fabrics, there are interesting shades in there. Then I pull the contrast from my stash. They are coming along.

I also managed to get the 5 aqua blocks made for the King-size Irish Chain quilt I’m making for a Christmas gift. It uses the tutorial from Melissa Corry. Because it’s a gift that has to be done before the RSC challenge is done, I’m also making 2 & 4 patches in other colors as L&E’s, so that I can keep it going.

I’ve been busily sewing a top this week to get to the quilter. It’s for a wedding that’s come up & since it’s coming quick, that quilt popped to the top of my to-do list. Therefore, even with L&E’s going, there’s only been this green happening. There are still a few days left in the month next week to finish my other 3 sets of green blocks. Or I will do it in April. It’s all good. So…….this is the second month of “Hip to be Square”, from the book “Splash of Color” by Jackie Kunkel. This month the pattern calls for 7 green blocks & 4 half blocks for the edges & I got these darling little blocks done. Hope your green sewing is going a little faster than mine!