August Utility Mats and More

This is the set of five utility mats for August.

One for the cedar chest (16" x  38")

Two for the fireplace hearth (each 13" x 18")

Two for the end tables (16" x 16" each)

I bought this fabric in April 2015

when I stopped at Hancock's of Paducah

after delivering my book manuscript

and all of the book quilts to AQS.

(while originally intended to be a quilt back,

after this length of time I decided it was

more important to USE the fabric instead of 

continuing to wait for the "perfect" quilt top)

From the Cinco de Mayo line 

designed by Greta Lynn for Kanvas.

Quilted with Glide thread in Dijon

using rows of liberated fans.

Bound with Moda's Bella cheddar solid.

July's red-white-blue has been put away

and August's back-to-school has been put out.

(schools here start August 9th)

Center-right of the mantel

with a Curious George lunch box

just out of view.

Center-left of the mantel

with a colorful globe just out of view.

Left end of the hearth.

Right end of the hearth.

One end table's wood bowl.

R-E-S-P-E-C-T on one rocking chair.

Happy Happy Joy Joy (aka HHJJ) on the other rocker.

For the Birds on the back of my recliner

with The Spotted Winkel waiting 

to be put on the back of the couch.

The Eclectic Goose on one side chair 

with Scrappy Kites on the other.

* * *

vacation photo from one week ago

And last but certainly not least . . .

HAPPY FIFTH BIRTHDAY to our

getting-too-grown-up-way-too-fast Little Man!

Quiltdivajulie

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“You are all the colors in one, at full brightness.”

Theodore Finch

NOT a Mystery - Update

Note:  Some of you may have seen this post 

over the weekend on the AHIQ Group Blog 

or on Sujata's Basket of Scraps blog - 

but I'm sharing it here as well 

so it becomes part of my own blog record.

This is the quilt from Unconventional and Unexpected

that Sujata suggested for the U and U quilt along.

I knew from the beginning that I would not

be making mine in the style of the original,

so I've been waiting to see which direction

my version would take.

In the meantime, I ran across this vintage beauty

photographed by Ann Champion and shared on Flickr.

And my brain immediately leaped to a quilt design

I've made twice before.

This version named Happy Happy Joy Joy, 

or HHJJ for short, was made 

during the 2016 Rainbow Scrap Challenge.

And this version, named Girly Girl,

 was made shortly thereafter

to celebrate our great niece's birth.

In HHJJ, I used strings to fill in the side triangles.

In Girly Girl, I used half square triangles.

So with the design method settled,

I moved on to my waiting fabric pulls.

I had pulled these scrappy pieces

shortly after Bonnie Hunter introduced

her 2018 Good Fortune mystery quilt.

I never planned to make her mystery quilt

but I was drawn to the colors and her inspiration.

Double click to see greater detail

This photo was taken by our DIL in the Forbidden City 

during one of her Asian business trips.

It captures Bonnie's inspirational color palette perfectly.

(I even used this photo as my desktop wallpaper 

back when I was working at the law firm)

I also had this fabric pull set aside

for the current AHIQ Red challenge.

Once I started looking, the overlap between the two

was obvious and they quickly became one project

that suits both the UandU QAL 

and the AHIQ Red challenge.

With the intensity of my colors,

it was clear the low volume prints

needed an upgrade.

This long-stashed Marblehead was my choice.

  

I pulled these four fabrics from the stash

to use for the quilt's pieced back.

Initially I was not going to add the narrow strips

along the sides of the center insert.

But when I cut one WOF strip of a well-aged red batik

and laid it alongside the first pieced center segment 

you can see the results -- Those rich red 1" strips 

simply HAD to be part of this quilt.

I'm planning a layout 5 blocks wide x 7 blocks long

for a top that will measure 50" x 70" 

8 blocks made, 27 more to go.

And when I trim the center strips to 4.5" wide,

these marvelous lengths are the cutaways.

I already have a plan to use them 

in another small quilt!

Hooray for the UandUQAL 

and the AHIQ Red challenge

and for shopping my stash to create this project.

Quiltdivajulie

-----------------------------

"You have to leave the city of your comfort and go into the wilderness of your intuition.  What you'll discover will be wonderful.  What you'll discover is yourself."

Alan Alda

RSC Quilts at the Show

Over the weekend,

eight of my quilts were at the annual

Davies Manor Quilt and Fiber Arts Show.

Fruit Loops

hung against the backs of

RESPECT and The Eclectic Goose.

Inside the frame, from left to right,

The Eclectic Goose

RESPECT and

To Have and To Hold

with the left edge of

Umbrellas Unfurled.

Turning to the right,

Umbrellas Unfurled

No Ugly Flowers

(back side of Arrowheads)

and Happy Happy Joy Joy.

Arrowheads hung against the backs

of HHJJ and No Ugly Flowers.

If I hang Arrowheads at home,

I think I'll hang it this way.

(landscape vs. portrait orientation)

In addition to this sign up sheet,

we had information flyers

for the Rainbow Scrap Challenge.

There were more quilts this year 

and fewer vendors.

The new lights also made

a BIG difference. 

(the older/antique quilts 

were on display at the Manor House

and a couple of the cabins)

* * *

Thank you 

to the dedicated volunteers who 

organize and stage this annual event.

It is so much fun to see what others are doing

and connect with other local quilt makers.

Quiltdivajulie

Mid-Year RSC Check-In Post

Angela asked us to post today about our RSC 2015 progress,

so here is my mid-year update.

I started this year with three long-term projects in mind.

One of them, No Ugly Flowers, is currently away being quilted.

The Stroop Effect (above) and Just Wing It (below) 

are on temporary hiatus.

I want to finish both of them before the end of this year,

but not by working on them one month at a time.

* * *

There have been lots of other smaller projects, too.

To see my photo album for RSC 2015, CLICK HERE

* * *

I also started this year with all of the completed

pieces and parts for six projects from RSC 2014.

Three of them are ready for quilting:

Arrowheads

RESPECT

and

The Eclectic Goose

A fourth - Umbrellas Unfurled - is currently on the design wall

with a flimsy reveal planned for Saturday (if all goes well).

That leaves two more to be turned into quilt tops before year-end:

Happy Happy Joy Joy

and

Fruit Loops

* * *

Have I reminded y'all lately that 

I am really the happiest 

when I'm making scrappy quilts?

* * *

Linking up with the Rainbow Scrap Challenge.

CLICK HERE to check in on the others.

Quiltdivajulie

Scrappy Saturday - Let the ORANGE Begin

From this rather unassuming pile of scraps . . . 

came this WOF x 46" made-fabric strata

(SO happy to finally have a great way to use those gloriously random 2.5" strips)

AND

this group of smallish scraps

that may or may not end up being used.

* * *

Over the next week, I'll finish stitching the small scraps together

and begin making pieces and parts for my September RSC projects:

Umbrellas Unfurled (wedges)

The Eclectic Goose 

Fruit Loops

Snowballs and Nine Patches

Happy Happy Joy Joy

and

Arrowheads.

But more on that next week!

* * *

Linking up with the Rainbow Scrap Challenge.

Click HERE to see what orange-y things are going on elsewhere!

Quiltdivajulie

Scrappy Saturday - Catching Up

Houston - Market 2010

Since I'm a month behind --
working with both yellow AND red --

it seemed highly appropriate to share this quilt!

An original free-pieced design created in 2008, 

my Flying Monkeys quilt appeared in
Tonya's 2010 book -- Word Play Quilts.

In the photo, Tonya is holding my quilt

in the 2010 Martingdale booth
at the Houston Quilt Market.

(custom quilted by Chris Ballard)

* * *

I have sewn enough red strips and strings together

to cut the 8 wacky wedges for Umbrellas Unfurled.

I pieced and cut four 8.5" squares.

I'll use these to die cut my red snowballs.

I also have four 8.5" yellow squares for the snowball project.

Here are the scrappy red and yellow center strips

for making two more sets of Happy Happy Joy Joy blocks.

(using the X Marks the Block tutorial)

One seam at a time . . .

* * *

Linking up with the others at 

the Rainbow Scrap Challenge.

Click here to see what they're up to this week!

Quiltdivajulie

Scrappy Saturday - Green (week 4)

After being really sick for over a week now,

I finally made it back into the studio this afternoon.

I managed to cut the wedges for Umbrellas Unfurled . . .

and piece three more of these 9.5" blocks.

(X Marks the Block - tutorial here)

* * *

Then I did some playing.

Horizontal rows . . .

Vertical rows . . .

3/4 squares (more or less) . . .

another 3/4 square variation  . . . 

and this not-organized-by-color variation.

* * *

It's a very good thing there's a fifth Saturday in this month!

* * *

Linking up with the Rainbow Scrap Challenge.

Click here to see what the others have been up to this week.

Quiltdivajulie