In the Red ... Scraps

We are still playing with our red scraps for the January Rainbow Scrap Challenge, and today is the linky party over at Angela’s So Scrappy blog. Let me show you what I worked on this week.

First, I made three of these great blocks. Each block consists of 4 quadrants, each a 9-patch made of 2.5” (unfinished) squares. So, the finished block is 36 patches. At this stage, they measure 12.5” each. I have no idea what they’re called, but I first saw and fell in love with them on Jennifer C’s blog HERE.

I think these will offer some interesting setting possibilities down the road.

Last year in the RSC, I made 6.5” crumb blocks. This year I’m joining them together in fours, separated by a 1.5” black strip. I only needed to make two red crumb blocks this year to finish up these three 13.5” Crumbcake blocks.

There are a few crumbs left, but I left them to provide some variety for next year. However,  I did piece these little 1.5x2.5” bitcoins. I think everyone else probably did them 1.5x3.5”, but my scraps warranted this size. I have no idea what I’ll do with this 4.5x12.5” block yet, but as always, the scraps find a home.

Moving on, it was time for strings. I am overrun with strings, and so I'm resorting to a tried and true favorite, single-color string blocks. This time around, they measure 9.5” unfinished, and I had enough red strings to make six blocks.

In truth, I made seven of them, but I trimmed one wrong (8.5”), so it is now residing in the Parts Department.

I also finished quilting the red Scottie Dog donation quilt, which was a finished I talked about in my last post.  It’s made with red cracker blocks of scottie dog fabric. You can see it at the link there, or click in my newly-revised quilt pages above (just below the blog header). It’s my first finish of the year. BUT..... But Saguaro Sunset is hot on its heels!

So, this is where SS ended up as of yesterday afternoon. Two of the four cacti in the final row are pieced and sewn - they are on the bottom right.

The last two cacti (the bottom left two) are in various stages of piecing. I hope to finish these this weekend so I can finish up and layer the quilt in the next week. Besides the pieces pinned up on the board, this is all I have left to work with of the light yellow fabric (below). I’m having to use more of the plain yellow than I’d have wanted, but needs must. If I’ve got some pieces left over to fix some of those plain yellow areas, I’ll do it. Stay tuned.

And here are the strips that will be used for a final deep, bright contrasting border.

But before I get back to the cacti, I’ve got to finish quilting a Jelly Roll Race quilt for Cousin Kim. What surprised both Kim and me was that I had the PERFECT backing in my stash. It was a duvet cover that I’d bought at the thrift store last summer for $5. Being a duvet cover (2-sided), it yielded two huge floral backings - similar but slightly different. They are very bright and Monet-like, and the colors matched up with the jelly roll that Kim used like they’d been made for each other. Total serendipity! Pictures to come.

Have a great week, friends.