Hello friends, how was your week? I think it’s always fun to arrive at Saturday, when we scrap quilters can share our weekly playtime results with scraps. In May, we are working with all shades of green for the Rainbow Scrap Challenge.
It had been a couple weeks or more since I’d sewn any string blocks, so that was my primary focus for my sewing time this week. You know, scratch that sewing itch! I truly wish I could’ve had more time to sew and foregone all the doctor appointments, errands, shopping and chauffeuring as well, but yeah… no. Life doesn’t work that way. But on the bright side, I’ll be having a cataract removed in a few short weeks, I bought a couple dozen luscious perennials to plant in the courtyard, and I’ve got loads of strawberries in the freezer just waiting to be made into jams and strawberry-rhubarb compote.
The week started out with me tackling my largest string pile of all the colors - greens. It ended with 52 6.5” green string blocks. That will give me three 15-count batches of green strings to take to Quilts for Kids this morning, along with the red ones I sewed last month. The extra seven will either go into the Orphanage to wait until next year or may find their way into a green scrap quilt I’m working on for Green May.
Once the green strings were sewn, I began piecing together the first of the Rainbow Candies flimsies. My original plan was to sew all the blocks in the same orientation. However, I messed up when I sewed row 2, so I had to pay extra close attention as I sewed each subsequent row to maintain the pattern. And paying attention is not my strong suit. But I actually like it better! I think alternating the direction adds more movement to the top.
I’ll sew the other blocks into the second Rainbow Candies top this next week, sewing gods willing.
I’m sewing 48” columns from my green scraps. The column on the very left, given to me as 4-rail blocks, are about an inch short. But I have a couple more strips of those fabrics to even it out. It’s been fun planning out this green top, and the tentative plan is to make it 40x48”. But I’m toying with the idea of turning it 90 degrees making it a 48x54” quilt of green rows! We’ll just have to see what the fabrics determine!
It was a crazy-busy day yesterday (Friday), and I wasn’t able to sneak any sewing time in until almost supper time. In my sewing room as I waited for the chicken to finish baking, Alfie joined me feeling very needy for attention. So when he insisted on helping me plan out my two Halloween blocks for the month, who was I to argue?
 |
| Alfie, helping |
I’ve got to get moving along this morning. Quilts for Kids starts soon. I’m already packed up but it will take me about 25 minutes to drive to this month’s location. Later this afternoon and evening, we’ll be at my son and DIL Kim’s place where my son Ryan is cooking birria tacos. We are belatedly celebrating my granddaughter Lauren’s birthday (last month), Bruce’s belated birthday (last week) and Mother’s Day for Kim and me. The whole fam-damily will be there.
Happy Mother’s Day to those of you who celebrate. Have a great week!
13 comments:
Definitely a serendipitous mistake to put the candies the opposite way while sewing because, yes, they look great in alternating rows. Have fun at Quilts for Kids today & sew some stuff! Happy Mother's Day.
Back in April (https://cathyscrazybydesign.blogspot.com/2025/04/seeing-red.html) when you first showed the layout, I was wishing alternate rows went the other direction. My wish came true!!
Carolyn
Sometimes greens give me trouble -- hard to put yellow-green with blue-green. But your string blocks combine 'em all and they look great!
I always enjoy your string blocks, especially when they're green! Love the candy quilt, and the alternating layout. Happy Mothers Day!
Oh;))) your green strings reminds me of the "Green things" pieces we made a few years back--such fun putting them together wasn't it? ;))))
Candies look great in opposite rows i think. I hope your Mother's Day is a happy and restful one..Hugs, Julierose
Those string blocks are fabulous, Cathy! I love how all the greens play together so nicely in them. And the candy block top looks wonderful! Your "mistake" worked out perfectly. I still have my batch of those in a project box, waiting for a moment when there's nothing else to do. 😊 Enjoy your family dinner, and Happy Mother's Day, too!
do you have a recipe for the strawberry-rhubarb compote? I have about 6 quarts frozen of the berries already and still more to pick tomorrow - the rhubarb I hope to find in the stores in the next week or two and thought that sounded good to make - I do not plan to make jam this year I still have 6 jars left at least if not a couple more. Your quilts are all looking good. Sounds like you need a hand stitching project to keep in the car for waiting time at doctors offices etc.
I like the zigzag layout of the candies. Adds lots of movement to a fun quilt. I hope the birthdays/Mother's Day gathering was enjoyable.
Pat
Wow! I love the candies 🍬 zigzag if up the quilt. No sewing for a few weeks for me. We are in a cardiac unit in Colorado awaiting a triple bypass for Mr Busy. Unexpected event for sure. Be away from blogland for awhile . Happy Mother’s Day
Happy Mothers Day to you too. I went out to lunch with my daughter Nicky, and received a phone call from my son who lives in the South Island, so I've had a lovely day.
those candies look tasty enough to reach out and grab a handful - oooo, candy sounds good for breakfast!
Delightful projects in the works, Cathy!
Happy belated Mother's Day! I think I like the candies better in this orientation so it was a happy accident.
Post a Comment