Sunday Gear Switching

Tomorrow it is time to head back to school again.  As much as I want to jump back in again, there are still plenty of people without power, water and internet access.  I'm sure that it is going to take some time to transition back.  

 I am lucky enough to have this nice stack of 5 quilts waiting to have the bindings hand sewn down.  It is amazing what can be accomplished with 7 unscheduled days off of school.

 I wasn't quite ready to settle down yet, so I put an outer border on Leap Year.  This one is next in line for hand quilting now that the Orange Peels are finished.  The original plan was to use pearle cotton to quilt inside of each circle, but now that I look at it all together, I am thinking that diagonal lines might be fun?  Giving the effect of crossing days off the calendar.....

 Lizzie gave her seal of approval.

 She is always quick to check out every finished quilt.

Still in sewing mode, I put together the rows for the RSC16 quilt.  It was my first attempt at a row by row quilt.  It might need one more row.  The proportions seemed fine when I laid it out, but it got a little skinnier with the seam allowances gone.  

Still not wanting to call it quits, I pulled out a stack of postage stamp star blocks which had been done for a while.  They were all sorted nicely by color and pinned together with cornerstones just waiting to be webbed into a top.  I had originally planned to use grey sashing strips throughout, but as I worked, I thought it might be nice to try out some random colored strips instead.  I think it gives a nice border effect.  I'm about halfway done webbing the top now, but my sewing machine got temperamental.  Maybe I tired her out?

I'm linking up today with Slow Stitching Sunday and Oh Scrap!  Be sure to take a few minutes to visit before you get carried away with your day.  

Sunday Switching Gears

It is hard to believe that there will be school again on Monday.  It was originally a teacher inservice day, but after 7 days missed for the hurricane, getting everyone back is more important right now.

 For handwork today, I have a stack of 5 quilts waiting for the binding to be hand sewn.  These were all finished during those 7 missed days of school.  I've got the machine stitching part done, it will be nice to have handwork for the foreseeable future.

 I also got a border on Leap Year.  I pulled out fabrics for the backing, but as I am out of batting, this one can wait for a bit.  It is meant to be hand quilted.  I was originally planning to quilt with pearl cotton on the inside of each circle, but I am now thinking about diagonal lines through each block.  I'll have to think about it some more.

 Lizzie came out to help with the quilt photography of course.

 She is always the first to give her approval to finished quilts.

With that flimsy finish, I pulled out the RSC16 Row by Row Sampler to finally finish it off!  October is still missing, but I might leave it this way.  It was fatter before I sewed the rows together, it might need one more row now that I look at the proportions.

Then, because I was in a finishing mode, I pulled out one of the sets of postage stamp stars which had been an ongoing RSC project for a while.  They were pinned into rows with cornerstones already picked out in handy Ziploc bags.  I found a grey star fabric to use for the inner sashing. It was going to continue to the outer border as well, but I changed gears a bit and decided to pull random 2.5 inch strips instead.  I think that it adds a nice border effect.  I'm about halfway done with sewing all the rows together.  Hopefully that will be done before the end of the day.  

I'm linking up today with Slow Stitching Sunday and Oh Scrap! today.  Be sure to go and visit before your day gets underway.  

ScrapHappy Saturday

It is getting to the time of year when we all start to think about what we can finish up this year to make us feel better about all the new projects we will want to start next year.  November and December are finishing off months here at the Rainbow Scrap Challenge.  Hopefully so finishes are in your future.

ScrapHappy Saturday - Bright and Happy Pink

Pink is such a happy color.  Especially hot pink.  You may need to work in some other pinks to get enough contrast, but it is all about using the scraps you have after all.

Rainbow Scrap Challenge Sampler 2016 July Block

I chose a nice simple block for this month.  Hopefully that will give everyone a chance to get caught up if they need to, and in the quilt, it will give the eye a little bit of a rest.  This block has traditionally been called Indian Hatchet.  It is a simple square with two flip and sew corners.  A lot like a snowball block, but with two corners instead of four.  

 Each block will need one 3.5 inch square and two 2 inch squares.  I am using pink and green for July.

 On the back of each small square, draw a line from corner to corner.  Pencil will work just fine, I have become very fond of frixion pens because the lines disappear during ironing.

 Place one small square on each corner of the large square.  Make sure that the lines run parallel to one another.

 Sew on each drawn line.  Technically, just one needle width to the outside of each drawn line will give you enough wiggle room for the seam allowance.

 Flip open the corners and press.  Make sure that the edges of the small green square line up with the edges of the large pink square.  Trim away the triangles left underneath the main block.

In the finished quilt, these blocks will be alternated to form a simple zig zag line.
If you are making the twin sized quilt you will need 24 blocks.  For the couch sized quilt, 18 will do it.
Happy sewing!

ScrapHappy Saturday - Teal

I think that I have nothing to do today.  Anna and I are leaving for a science fair and college tour tomorrow, so I'd like to make sure that I have plenty of handwork ready for the bus trip.  First though a bit of sewing sounds like the plan.  This month's sampler block will be a split pinwheel in a 6 inch size.  I did one last year, so that tutorial is still available here.  I'll work up a new one today though, along with alternative instructions for the non specialty ruler folks.  I need to work on some pdf files as well, hopefully summer will settle down soon and give me some time to get caught up, and maybe even work ahead?
How are your aqua scraps coming along?  Misterlinky is below.  Please share with us all.

ScrapHappy Saturday - Aquamarine Seas

Welcome to the soothing seas of the Caribbean.  June will be all about blues with a tinge of green.  In recognition of the new month, Vicki has sent this hand dyed fabric gradient called Bay of Campeche for one lucky Rainbow Scrap Challenge participant.  To enter the random drawing, just leave a comment on this post.  Misterlinky is below, share your progress and plans with teal blue.

Rainbow Scrap Challenge - June Color Palette

As the end of May draws near, it is time to put away your green scraps and pull out the blue.   Don't worry if you haven't use up quite all your green yet, Our inspiration Palette for June has blues tending toward aqua along with a pop of lime green as an accent.  The Sampler block will be a split pinwheel, stay tuned for more details.  Be sure to check back on Saturday for our June fabric giveaway.  

ScrapHappy Saturday -- Ready for Summer!!!!

Today feels to me like the first day of summer vacation.  Technically, school ended Tuesday and Wednesday was post planning, but then I was presenting at a conference on Thursday and Friday I started moving classrooms.  Today there is nothing though, but me and my sewing machine.  I had so much fun with these string blocks, that I think I will start there.  What are you up to today?   Misterlinky is below, please share with us all.

ScrapHappy Saturday - Coming to the End of Green

Just two more Saturdays to play with green!  I'm in the mood for a bit of mindless messiness today to contrast with the daily cleaning and organizing which is wrapping up my school year.  I think these green strings will be the perfect choice.  Hopefully there will be plenty of time for sewing this summer.  Just two more days of school to finish off, then one day of post planning and a technology workshop.  After that it will take me a few days to swap rooms and then summer can begin for real.

ScrapHappy Saturday -- Green with Envy

May is almost halfway done and all I have to show on the sewing front is this one flying goose block.  It took about 10 minutes to make.  I did almost finish a t-shirt quilt that needs to be ready before graduation.  It just needs binding.  Life is crazy and happy around here.  Every week I keep thinking that surely things will calm down, maybe next week will be that week?
My AP kids happily took their exam on Monday.  I always make breakfast to send them off happy.  Not only did they leave happy, but most of them came back out happy which is always a good thing.  They always want to talk about the test right away, which isn't allowed of course.  They released the free response questions on Wednesday, but by then they didn't want to talk about the test anymore.  Then on Thursday and Friday, my freshman went in for their End of Course exam.  They were done super fast and ready to go back to class by the time I was supposed to see them.  They wanted to talk about the test too, which also isn't allowed.  We watched The Bee movie for decompression and they all enjoyed that.  Monday we will start working on our final projects of the year and then exams start on Thursday.
I really do think that it looks like a fairly calm weekend.  I need to go out and check on our camera traps and Ryan has a play practice.  No out of town LAX, no weekend study sessions, no out of town trips.  I wonder what I will do with myself?  Oh, wait, I do know what I will do myself.  You can be sure that fabric will be involved!

May Sampler Block

There are so many ways to make a flying goose block.  I will show you my favorite, but then give you links to other methods in case you want to try something different. 

  I like using specialty rulers because it allows both parts of the block to come from the same size strips of fabric.  to get 3.5 by 6.5 inch unfinished blocks, we will use 3.5 inch strips.

 The easy angle ruler is the same one usually used to make HST units.  It is used for the sky behind the goose.
The companion angle ruler is also used for quarter square triangles.  It is used for the goose part of the block.

 Start by folding your strips in half to get two pieces with each cut.  If you are planning to vary the placement of light and dark fabrics in the block, you can square off the end of a fabric strip and then get a pair of background triangles from the end of the strip used to cut wing triangles.

 Now that you are ready to start cutting goose triangles, you will need to switch to the companion angle ruler.  Notice that the center numbers show that you should use 3.5 inch strips and the numbers on the edges indicate that the block will finish at 6 inches.

 Now go back the easy angle ruler and cut pairs of background triangles.  These are your wing or sky pieces.

 Each block will need one goose and two wings.

Sew one wing to the right and finger press before sewing the other wing to the left.    

Remove both dog ears and press.  Make sure that you have a quarter inch seam allowance left at the top of the block.  It is really easy to loose this with an uneven seam allowance.
You will need 24 blocks for the large quilt and 18 for the small quilt.

Here is a link to perhaps the easiest method of making flying geese, the flip and sew.  It does waste fabric, but you can put the extra fabric to good use making bonus triangles if you like.  For fabric pieces of this size, it would be well worth the extra work.  you should cut one rectangle 6.5 inches and two 3.5 inch squares for each block.  

Here is a link to a no waste method that makes four blocks at a time.  You will need to cut your sky squares to 3 and 7/8 and your goose squares to 7 1/4.  There is a cutting chart here which lists many sizes of blocks.
Fons and Porter has a handy PDF of the same instructions for the same method.  Handy PDFs are always nice to save for later.  They also have a specialty ruler which allows you to cut both parts of the block from the same ruler.
Here is a link to another specialty ruler from quilt in a day.  Specialty rulers really can be useful for blocks that you make a lot.
Craftsy has a nice article with non-specialty rulers for comparison purposes.

Do you prefer a different method?  Leave a comment and I will try to add a link to this post.

ScrapHappy Saturday - Evergreen Forest

Today begins the green month.  In celebration, I am giving away this bundle of hand dyed fabric from Vicki Welsh.  In celebration of the imminent start of summer vacation you may enter the drawing by leaving a comment on this post with your favorite summer activity.  Vicki has a new website, so be sure to go and visit.  Mister linky is below.  I know the green month is just starting, but be sure to share you projects and plans.  Our sampler block this month will be a 3 by 6 flying goose.  I'll work on the tutorial for that soon.  I will be using my companion angle ruler, but I'll be sure to include links to all  some of the different ways there are to make flying geese.

ScrapHappy Saturday - Sew Happy to be Home Again

What are the odds that I would have been out of town for the first three weekends in April?  Now that the orange month is almost at its end, I am SEW happy to have a home day!  These poor little butterfly blocks have been sitting here so patiently, waiting to be sewn.  They will get their turn first and then I will see what other orange mischief I can come up with before it is time to switch colors.  AP testing starts Monday, that is the point at which regular teaching is just a faint hope for the upperclassmen.  Senior boards were Thursday and the senior prank followed on Friday, so they are truly, officially, feeling that the end is in sight.  I must say, I was a fan of this year's Christmas in April theme.  We all arrived at school on Friday morning to a giant sleigh on the front lawn with fake snow and artificial trees decorating the pavilion.  So many rolls of wrapping paper!  The kids had a holiday dance party in their pajamas and Christmas sweaters.  They did, eventually come to class, but regular lessons were not really part of the plans.  My freshmen still have two weeks until their end of course exam, so hopefully they will be a little more cooperative so that we can get some quality review time in.
Misterlinky is below, please share your orange progress.  Mine is woeful and small, so seeing all your beautiful projects is an inspiration.

ScrapHappy Saturday --

I know that I seem to keep saying the same thing every weekend this month, but I'm busy working and can't seem to find any time to sew.  Today it is a districtwide AP Biology Review Day.  Hopefully you are all busy playing with orange though?  I know that some of the m&ms for our chi square analysis will be orange.  After all the fun is done, I'll come home to enjoy your sewing until mine is back on track again.  Misterlinky is below.

Rainbow Scrap Challenge Sampler 16- Whacky Pinwheel

This month's block will need 1.5 inch strips of orange and black, dark and light orange, or orange and background.  Any two colors with decent contrast should work well.

 It is a four patch block, and each quarter will need 3.5 inch strips in each color as well as 2.5 inch strips in each color.
Here is the list:
4 - 3.5 by 1.5 inch strips in orange and black
4 - 2.5 by 1.5 inch strips in orange and black

 Start with the 2.5 inch strips.  Lay them right sides together with so that the orange is perpendicular to the black.  Imagine that you are sewing to binding strips together -- it is the same orientation.  I chose to sew this block with the orange angled to the left.  Draw a line from corner to corner along the waistband of the "pants" and then sew along the drawn line.  Never sew through the crotch -- ouch!

 Once you have sewn the strips together, open it up to make sure it is sewn correctly.

 If all is well you can trim away the triangles of fabric behind.  Repeat the same procedure for each of the four subunits.  Each one should be 3.5 inches.

 Now all you have left to sew is a simple rail fence block.  Line the three 3.5 inch strips up so that the short side of each color buts against the same color rail.

 Sew all three rails and iron the seams away from the center of the block.  Repeat for all four subunits.

Next, arrange the blocks so that the darker fabric (black for me), is facing the center of the block.  Each subunit is rotated 90 degrees around the center axis to give you the pinwheel effect.  

ScrapHappy Saturday - Oranges on Parade

I hope everyone is enjoying a great orange month so far!  I am still at a conference and have limited wifi.  I'm actually hot-spotting from my phone right now, so I will keep it brief.  Misterlinky is available for anyone who would like to share.
Quilt Swissy at Quilts and Dogs is the winner of the April bundle of hand dyed fabric from Vicki Welsh.  There will be another drawing next month, so be sure to visit again.

April Block in the Works

The April Sampler Block is done!  I fixed the measurements from the original tutorial.  All the photos are taken to write a new tutorial and I am taking my computer along to the conference.  Hopefully I will be able to write up the directions during the evenings.  I am envisioning half of these spinning one way and the other half spinning the other way so that the long pinwheels will stagger in the finished row.  

So Kurt got back last night from a business trip. He was in DC for the week.  He knew that he had to come back early so that I could go to my conference, but I guess with him gone we didn't communicate about the details.  He was pretty sure I was supposed to pick up the kids after school today.  Hard to do when I'm in Orlando!  Then he wanted to know what time I would be back.  He looked awfully puzzled when I said Saturday.  He had no idea I was staying in a hotel during the conference and not commuting.  Big sigh.  Travel is hard on everyone I guess.  I am super excited though.  One of the keynote speeches is by Sir Ken Robinson.  I am really looking forward to it.  

April is a Runaway Train

I can't believe that it is April 6 already and I have not yet put together a tutorial for the April Sampler Block!  I knew April was going to be a super busy month, and I was so much not wrong!

April's block is called a Wacky Pinwheel.  I did a tutorial for it in June of 2014.  I wanted to clean up the tutorial a bit and streamline the measurements.  Maybe I can get started as soon as I finish packing?!  I'm off for three days for a conference on brain based learning.  If you are ready to get started though, the original tutorial will at least get you started.  It is a 6 inch block.  So that means you will need 12 blocks for the large quilt and 9 for the small quilt.  Thanks for all of your patience.  May is going to be so much calmer.  I am almost sure of it.  

ScrapHappy Saturday - And so Begins the Orange

March flew by in the blink of an eye.  April promises to be even busier, so I plan to enjoy some fabric fun while I can.  Orange is the color for April, with optional hints of black or brown.  Monarch butterflies were the inspiration.  A lot of people have issues with orange.  It was something I had very little of in my stash when I started working my way through the rainbow for the first year of the Rainbow scrap challenge.  I have a nice little assortment now though, and in small doses, it adds a nice little pop of color to my quilts.
The fabric giveaway for April features hand dyed fabric from Vicki Welsh in the Sassafras Gradient.  To enter the drawing for this beautiful bundle, just leave a comment on this post with one quilting goal for the month.  First on my list this morning is to make the April Sampler block and write a tutorial.  The block is called sparkler and I'll update give links as soon as they are ready.