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Saturday, March 18, 2023

At Least it’s Green Inside!

Although we’ve had a few days of promising spring weather (sunshine!), the forecast for next week is calling for more rain and snow.  Out in the garden, nothing is budding yet and there’s no sign whatsoever of my earliest crop,  rhubarb. The only green I’m seeing is inside my sewing studio as I work to beat back the green, green growth of scraps in my stash! Green is the March color of the month for the Rainbow Scrap Challenge (RSC).

My first green project of the week was to sew up 9 Split Nines blocks.


I had three more blocks left over from stitching them in RSC2021 that were residing in the block orphanage. After introducing them to their new friends, there were an even dozen. Hopefully they will all find homes in one of at least two quilts I plan to make with this year’s blocks.


Then it was time to start on my green string blocks. Originally I had planned to sew 56 blocks, at 6” finished size, to make a quilt 42x48”. But then I remembered a chunk of fabric I had been given with whimsical multi-colored horses on a green background. There was enough of that to cut out 10 blocks, so I only needed to sew 46 string blocks. Here’s a close-up od that fabric.


And here are the quilt blocks all posing together on the design board.


The top will be sewn together in the next week, and can hopefully be pin basted and quilted too. I did baste a couple more community quilt tops during the week, as well as the Rainbow Bear Paws quilt. Then I went ahead and got that one bound for my only finish of the week.

Yes, many half-square triangles were harmed in the making of this quilt. But I’m not even apologetic about it. It’s a Quilt for Kids quilt, and as far as I know, the Quilt Police don’t recruit kids! I quilted it with a basic stipple, and inserted a blue stripe down the middle of the backing to make it fit.

Rainbow Bear Paws finished at 40x50”.

Today, my friend Ruby and I are attending the World Wide Quilting Day at the Sandy (UT) Senior Citizens Center. I’ve never been to a senior center before, but I guess there’s a first time for everything. And truth be told, at 69, I guess I am a senior. But I do prefer to hang around with young people, or at least the young at heart. Given that we are having a pot luck luncheon, a Jelly Roll Race quilt session and a Give-and-Take fabric table, these ladies (and maybe gentlemen?) sound like they may be a fun group after all!

12 comments:

  1. Love what you've done with your split 9Ps! My friends are all in their 70s and 80s, still very young at heart. I think quilting helps us stay that way.

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  2. Love your green strings, and that horse print on green is really fun mixed in with them! The Bearpaw quilt turned out just great - the different sizes of the blocks make it so interesting. Have a fun day!

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  3. this is my second year for my rhubarb plant and I have seen small leafs off and on all winter - right now I have three leafs on it but I just covered it back up with pine needles yesterday in preparation of the extreme cold tonight and tomorrow - 23 degrees for part of the nights - I do wonder if it will take hold good this year - I had to move its location in the garden as it was too much in the hot sun last summer so I moved it to a more shady location last fall - I was pleased to see it come back.

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  4. The cute horse fabric gave the string quilt a whole new look and it's wonderful. Great choice!

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  5. Do you have spring bulbs in your gardens? Crocuses are in bloom here. The daffodils and tulips are getting bigger each day though it will be weeks and weeks until they flower. The bits of yellow-green make the blue-green strings pop. And I do like those bear paws (let's just say they had a manicure).

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  6. Live the quirky horses fabric interspersed with the green string blocks. Very dramatic contrast. Bear Paws finish is great.

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  7. Great progress! the string blocks with the horses are adorable! beautiful finish on the best claw quilt

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  8. Rhubarb can be hard to get established but once it is, as long as you give it a good feeding of sheep or cow 'poo' once in awhile it will grow forever.
    Bear Paws is great - love the backing you chose!

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  9. what great projects you've got going! i like how you made the strings with the darker green in the center and paired with the horses...very creative!

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  10. The green strings and horses look great. Do tell us how you and your friend got on with those scary senior citizens.

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  11. Beautiful blocks, love them all. The green horse fabric fits perfect together with the string blocks, clever idea! Your 9-split-9 blocks looks so pretty and spring-ish. Congrats on finishing the bear paw quilt, love it! My late Mom used to make the best rhubarb porridge. Sadly rhubarb doesn't grow here, too hot and humid, I think.

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  12. Your Scrappy Bear Paws turned out so bright & cheerful. Sure to make a kid happy. Love what you're doing with the Strips & Horses!

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