Plethora - the Flimsy

When I pulled out pinks to make 

my RSC blocks for July

I realized I needed only four more

to have enough for my quilt top.

One thing led to another 

and suddenly I had a 52" x 64" flimsy.

Here is one of July's pink blocks . . . 

And here is the other

along with one of the two gold blocks

I chose to fill out my twenty.

Here is the other gold block.

I chose purple for the final color -

you can see those blocks in the upper right

and lower left corners of the top.

(blocks created using Wombat Quilt's tutorial)

I'll make a scrappy back using these two low volume prints.

Plethora has always been intended as a hospice quilt -

the soothing backgrounds and neutral backing/

binding should suit that function well.

* * *

So that is pretty much it for me for RSC 19.

I'll share Plethora again after it is quilted/finished.

To see what the rest of the RSC gang is working on

click over to Angela's blog.

* * *

And a huge THANK YOU for your

enthusiastic responses to Sea of HSTs.

So many wonderful comments!

Quiltdivajulie

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"Our life is frittered away by detail . . .  
Simplify, simplify."
Henry David Thoreau

Plethora - RSC June Blues

Here are my two double plus blocks for June

featuring the  RSC color BLUE.

Here's a detail photo of one block.

And here's a detail block of the second one.

And speaking of BLUE . . . 

DH and I finally made it to Crosstown Concourse

to see the BLUE quilt exhibit.

These are just a few photos of the 24" x 24" quilts

unified by the exhibit's theme of blue.

So many different interpretations . . .

And so many stitches and hours of work.

(you can see my April Showers barn quilt in this photo)

The maker's names and quilt names are located

under the lower right corner of each quilt

on small clear labels -- not the easiest to read

but designed not to detract from the overall exhibit.

Some of the quilts were dimensional 

(like the one in the second row here)

while others were made with wood, paper, and paint but

most were created with fabric and thread.

The exhibit runs through July 

for those in the greater Memphis area.

* * *

Linking this post with the Rainbow Scrap Challenge.

Quiltdivajulie

All Caught Up - RSC19

Two double plus blocks for January.

Two double plus blocks for February.

Two double plus blocks for March.

Two double plus blocks for April.

And two double plus blocks for May.

(made using a tutorial by Wombat Quilts - click here)

* * *

Linking with The Rainbow Scrap Challenge.

I wonder what color we'll play with in June?

Quiltdivajulie

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"Welcome each day with the joy and wonder of a child."
from (photographer) Katrinamayer.com

New Plan for the Rest of RSC 19

With Mosaic finished, I needed to come up

with a new project to finish out RSC19.

I've settled on the double plus block

shared by Wombat Quilts.

I'll use this month to get caught up using 

these reds (January), yellows (February),

greens (March), and aquas (April).

And I'll use these text fabrics

 as the scrappy background fabrics.

These are the first two blocks . . .

. . .  and these will be the second two.

(after I replace that darkest gray)

* * *

Linking up with The Rainbow Scrap Challenge.

Quiltdivajulie

Mosaic - The Quilt

After three months of making block parts for Mosaic,

(click on the link above to read the project's back story)

I decided I didn't want to continue this project

to the point of making a full sized quilt.

So I took the 120 completed block parts,

turned them into 30 full blocks,

and laid them out on the design wall.

And then, within less than 24 hours,

I had a completely finished quilt.

(definitely a studio speed record for me)

I quilted Mosaic using my favorite mix 

of liberated swirls and flowers.

And to work with the variety of colors

I used Affinity Rainbow variegated thread.

I am over-the-moon-elated with the results.

I chose the darkest of the Bella blues

used in the quilt for the binding.

This happy scrappy saturated wall quilt 

makes me ridiculously happy!

26.5" x 31.5" 

* * *

Linking this post with

the Rainbow Scrap Challenge.

Quiltdivajulie

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"The world is changed by your example not your opinion."
Paul Coelho

Mosaic Blocks in Green

Green has been the RSC color of the month for March.

Early in the month I sorted out eight QSTs

for each of my forty blocks.

And then I got sick . . . 

This past week I was finally able to sew my blocks together.

The plate above holds 320 pairs of tiny "ears" 

that were trimmed from the HST corners.

I did not trim these the first month.

After seeing the results 

I changed my plan and decided trimming 

 made for a neater back with less bulk in the seams.

The HSTs were then chain stitched into pairs . . .

. . . and those pairs were sewn into blocks.

I'm especially pleased that this month's blocks

pressed even flatter than last month's.

I really like the way the multiple greens

dance and play with the background blues.

I wasn't too sure about that very light green text print

but it adds a bit of sparkle to the mix

and it does in fact read as pale green.

The March greens now join January's reds . . . 

. . . and February's yellows in the project box.

I wonder what color we'll be playing with in April?

* * *

Linking up with The Rainbow Scrap Challenge.

Quiltdivajulie

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"It's no wonder that truth is stranger than fiction.
Fiction has to make sense."
Mark Twain

February's RSC Blocks Complete

Little by little,

I worked on the forty Mosaic blocks

throughout the month of February.

After sewing all the HSTs together

and giving them a good press,

I trimmed away the extra corner bits.

The 3" blocks lay so much flatter

with those tiny pieces removed.

Here are all forty of the February yellow blocks.

I really like the way the different background blues

create a subtle sense of movement.

And because I never actually put all of January's red blocks

up on the design wall last month, here they are.  

(you can read my introductory post for this project HERE)

* * *

I'm also happy to share that the third antibiotic

seems to be working - my fever has been gone 

for just over 24 hours now.

It will take a while to get my stamina back,

but at least things are moving in the right direction.

* * *

Linking up with The Rainbow Scrap Challenge.

Quiltdivajulie

Red Mosaic Blocks for January

And then there were forty quarter-blocks

featuring a wide variety of reds.

Earlier this month when Mosaic was introduced,

I calculated I would need to make

 32 quarter-blocks per month.

That was before I realized that 

those 3" blocks would finish at 2.5" 

which then meant that the 

four-part block would finish at 5" 

instead of 6 inches.

My revised plan now calls for a layout 

with eighteen 2.5" blocks across 

by twenty-two 2.5" blocks long

for a total of 396 2.5" blocks.

Those 396 quarter-blocks will yield 99 5" blocks

which will be laid out 9 across x 11 long

for a top measuring 45" x 55"

So instead of die cutting 

2,560 quarter square triangles,

I 'll need 3,168 QSTs.

I wonder which focal color 

Angela will choose for February . . . 

* * *

Linking up with The Rainbow Scrap Challenge.

Quiltdivajulie

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"Learning is not a race for information, it's a walk of discovery."
Anonymous

RSC 19 - My Project Begins

Cathy and Gayle have been making blocks

inspired by these vintage beauties for a while now.

Cathy calls hers Vintage Thingamajigs.

Gayle calls hers Potato Chips.

Last July I decided I would join them and

use these blocks as my RSC 2019 project.

I'm calling my version Mosaic.

(I didn't start any new projects during RSC18

so I could finish up those from previous years -

you can read about my 2014-2018 RSC projects 

by following the links on my RSC page HERE)

I drew a diagram (left) 

to work things out in my own head

and used one of Gayle's photos (right)

to remind myself which layout I plan to use.

(these can be square set like Cathy's or set as above)

I ordered this die to improve my overall accuracy

and to reduce the number of corners to be trimmed.

A single charm square or smaller scrap

on one side of the die yields 4 QSTs 

which is good for the accent triangles.

A rectangle cut 4" x 8" 

yields 8 QSTs which is great for

the focal color (January's is red)

and for the backgrounds.

I'll be using these Moda Bella blues

for my backgrounds.

(the inspiration blocks used muslin)

I've pulled this gathering of fabrics

from the resource boxes to cut QSTs.

I'll have to pull and cut more later in the year,

but these will definitely get me started.

Here are my first four 3" blocks.

Since I want to make a quilt 48" x 60"

I'll need 320 3" blocks to create

a layout 16 wide x 20 long.

That means I need to make 32 little blocks a month.

And for those who love numbers,

each 3" block has 8 QSTs which means 

the quilt top will contain 2,560 QSTs!

Here's a look at the back side of the blocks.

And since I want the layout to be super scrappy,

I'll wait until all of the 3" blocks are pieced

before combining groups of 4 to create 6" blocks.

(the layout then will be 8 wide x 10 long)

 Only 28 more 3" blocks to piece 

for the month of January . . . 

* * *

Linking up with The Rainbow Scrap Challenge.

Quiltdivajulie

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Instead of wondering "Why?" or "What if?" or "Why can't?" or "Why didn't?" -- how about just opening yourself up to the wonders around you?
(from DailyPositiveInspirations.com)