I Copied A Quilt

I was reading my favorite blogs recently and ran across Jo's Country Junction - http://www.joscountryjunction.com/ .  Jo and her daughter Kelli have recently printed their first quilt book.  They have quilts in magazines regularly and everything they do looks great!  The new book - Country Girl Modern - includes a quilt called Rainbow Connection.  I knew I could do this one without a pattern so I got right to it.  Above is a picture of my quilt top.  I am going to buy the book when I see it, but I just couldn't wait for the book to make this quilt.  I made it totally out of my small scraps.  I have been cutting my small scraps into 2 1/2" strips, 2" strips, and 2 1/2" squares.  It was easy to pull the colors I needed for the quilt and concentrate on cutting the squares and sewing that part right then.  I didn't intend to finish it so quickly but I couldn't seem to stop!  Anyway, kudos to Jo and Kelli for a wonderful quilt design.  I wish I had thought of it! 

Flea Market Visit

Richard and I went to the Milton Flea Market today.  We weren't looking for anything in particular, we just like to go look around.  We seldom buy anything, but Richard bought a fried pie from an Amish vendor (he hated it!) and I bought a gauze dress to wear in the hot summer.  It is tie-dyed in many colors.  It is a simple design that really just hangs from the shoulders.  I can easily take a pattern from it and make many more.  I have already gone thru my fabric stash (mentally) and picked out a couple of yardages to copy the dress.

I also saw these three sewing machines.  I don't have space to collect any more machines but if I run across a Singer Featherweight I will buy it in a minute!  My friend Debbie wants one too.  None of these machines were locked up but the throatplace was missing on the back Singer.  I prefer my computerized machines.

I didn't bother checking the prices on the two treadle machines but the Kenmore was $150 and included the sewing table and chair.  I would never have paid that.

Scrappy Blocks

I was gifted a bunch of 2 1/2" squares by a friend and I wanted to use them.  I also cut up a lot of my scraps to make even more.  Now I am putting these squares together six across by six down - 36 Patches - to make 12" blocks.  I have now made 37 of these.  My idea is to use solid strips of fabric as sashing and more 2 1/2" squares at the corners for cornerstones.  I have laid out a few squares like that on my bed and took this picture.

 

I  haven't decided yet whether to leave them straight-set like the picture or put them on point, in which case I would have to worry about what to do for the setting triangles.  Maybe solids for that too.  I really like the idea of using the different color solids as sashings.  This has the potential to become a large quilt because I have lots and lots of scraps.  I keep cutting more 2 1/2" squares and my box is full of them so I have to make some more blocks.  When I was at Viking last week Pam gave me two grocery bags full of scraps from cutting out pillowcase kits and other people give me scraps also.  I have a large garbage bag full of scraps that I am trying to cut down into 2 1/2" strips, 2 1/2" squares and 2" strips.  Any strips smaller than 2" go in the strings bag.  I make blocks with those strings.  Some people make things out of the crumbs, which are the smallest of scraps.  I don't bother with those.  I don't have enough time to do the other things so I am not going to work with tiny little pieces.  Anyway, this is what I am working on right now.  I'll do a blog post when I get this quilt further along.  It's going to be very colorful!