Digging into Purple Strings

As quilters, many of us are pretty good at collecting scraps. Scraps actually happen as a by-product of our sewing adventures. And lots of us enjoy collecting scraps, even gathering them from others. But the Queens of Scrap Usage, a more elite (hehe) subset of scrap collectors, are those of us who participate weekly in the Rainbow Scrap Challenge. We are very adept at coming up with ideas and blocks and even whole quilts made from our collected scraps. One month and one color at a time. We visit all our friends on the color wheel at least yearly and revel in their variety. 

This month of July 2025 is set aside by Angela, the leader of the Rainbow Scrap Challenge, to pay homage to purple in all its variations. And we are all here for it. Visit our Scrappy Saturday link-up to see what I mean.

This week I got to play with my purple (lavender, violet, aubergine, lilac, amethyst, mulberry, plum, etc) strings. As usual, I set out to make string blocks that measure 6.5” size. I provide them to our Quilts for Kids Salt Lake chapter, where they are inserted into quilt kits for members to sew up into quilt tops. They are used in groups of 15, so I like to make 15, 30, or even more blocks if I can eke them out of my strings. If not, the leftover strings or blocks will wait their turn to be included next year. 

Here are the 30 purple string blocks I finished this week.

Here is each group separately if you want to see better detail. 

I actually did lots more sewing this week, mostly finishing up a couple quilt tops. I now have four quilt tops and backings ready to baste in the coming week. But first I have to get through Monday’s HOA Board meeting. Prepping for that will waste take up 2-3 hours today because I’m the treasurer. And it will only get worse as we head into budget season over the next 3 months or so. Oh, I am so dreading it. But in December my term is over and I’ll be free! And there is always sewing and music to return me to a calm state of mind! 

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Several weeks ago I mentioned a quilt-along that Kat Scribner (Scrapbox Quilts) and I will be hosting. Well, we’ve been working on it and want to give you all an update! The QAL will be called “a Quilter’s Cove Quilt-Along” and will be starting sometime in September. For now, we’re collecting ideas and patterns and links, roughing out timelines and reading up on creating linky parties. There’s so much out there, it’s actually more difficult that we realized to narrow things down and come up with a suitable framework! 

We’d love to have you participate, one and all. But you’ll have to put on your thinking caps and begin looking for a style or pattern that you would like to work with. Scrappy? Color coordinated? A pattern or a kit? A row quilt? Medallion style? Improv? Wonky or wacky? Modern? Traditionally pieced? Paper pieced? Appliquéd? Mixed methods? Size - quilt or wall hanging? So many decisions! 

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With that, I’ll leave you with a picture of “The Alfinator”, our cat Alfie, seen here questioning me why there have been no treats for him yet today. 

Feeling Purplish

How are you all faring in the heat of this summer? All I can say is thank goodness for air conditioning. We did have a couple evenings with some brief rain showers, enough so I didn’t have to go out and water the courtyard the next morning. We’re still waiting for the guy we contacted to install our drip irrigation to work down to us on his waiting list. Maybe by October? I already lost one hanging planter of flowers - I must’ve accidentally missed watering it one time, and it was pretty much toast by the next day. So it goes. 

The purple scrappiness continued in my sewing room this week, but I admit to doing my monthly goal of two blocks for my Halloween quilt before any Rainbow Scrap Challenge purple sewing. Appropriately, though, one of my Halloween blocks is purple.

I made a big misssssssnake as I cut this out and began webbing the block together. The block consists of 2.5” squares, and I cut out enough to make a 25-patch block. As I began webbing it, I realized it was only going to finish at 10” instead of 12”. Duh. So I had to stop and cut out more squares to make it a 36-patch. It changed the look of the block, giving it a 4” center instead of a 2”. But it’s fine. Looks like I could’ve pieced it better, but no more adjustments now!

The second block was fun to figure out. I’m just mostly selecting pictures of blocks I like and doing my own thing. Here it is, and it’s probably my favorite so far. 

That leaves the two final blocks for next month, and then I can begin assembly! It’s getting exciting. 

Then I started on my weathervane blocks - three of them. 

They’re true to color except the left-most one. It shows the largest area of purple being too bright when it’s actually less saturated. In real life, the three purples in that block look good together and have a more low-key blue-purple feel. 

I’m keeping it short today. It’s our anniversary (#22) today. We haven’t decided where we’ll go out to eat this evening, but I do know the morning holds a walk, some time in the garden for me, then a shower and possibly sewing this afternoon. All in all, a low-key, easy day. The best!

A Good Week

This was a good week on so many levels, but a hard one as well. Hard in that we’ve been in the middle of having the condo painted - well, the living room, entryway and master bedroom, which together encompass about half the square footage of the condo.  But it looks so clean and fresh now! Now that it’s done, we’ve been unpacking All The Things we boxed up over the last two weeks. The new blinds for the back half of the house will be installed on Monday, so I’m going to wait for that before I take pictures. Oh, and we need to rehang everything, just like when we first moved in. So I need to get my sons over here to do most of that because we have some heavy pictures and mirrors or things that need a stud finder and laser level. I’ve also been updating switchplate covers and rearranging furniture. Where’s a darn magic wand when you need one? 

And speaking of switchplates (couldn’t resist that segue), here are my switchplate blocks for July. The color of the month for the Rainbow Scrap Challenge is purple, and I got a good start this week on that color. 

These 15 switchplate blocks will finish at 3x5”.  After that I moved on to my flying geese blocks, inspired by the blocks that my friend Cathy of Sane, Crazy and Crumby made last year.  They’re a great way to use up miscellaneous black print scraps. 

One of my very favorite things to do at the start of every month is to sort through the scrap basket for the new color of the month. Last weekend as I was sorting through the purples, I found a baggie of 50-some cute novelty squares measuring 4.5”. Well, I opened the bag and out popped a SQUIRREL! It took no time to find three matching fabrics to use in large chunks or minimal yardages. I cut out the needed 4.5” squares, and in roughly an hour, had this cutie of a top up on the design board. 

Then Cousin Kim came over on Wednesday, and we spent some time sewing. I got it fully webbed vertically and the first three rows done horizontally. I looooooooove this happy little gem! 

It may get a solid border - I’ll just wait until it’s completely sewn before I make a decision. I do know that the blue will also be the backing and binding. I have 8.5 yards of it from an estate sale and will be using it to back several quilts this month and possibly into next month!

Yesterday was an interesting 4th of July. It started off hot, then at about 1pm a rain, hail and thunderstorm rolled through. Although it measured less than a quarter inch total, it was a fierce storm for about 10 minutes. Two minutes later, the sun was out, and I snapped the picture below from our front door. I can see that the wind blew one side of the bunting off the front gate (left side).  Bruce and I did go out for awhile, and when we got home an hour later, the rain picked up again. At least things were damp, and that allayed my fears of fireworks starting a brush fire in our parched area. 

I did run to the store in the morning yesterday to do some grocery shopping. They had the most beautiful (and delicious) apricots there, so I bought these to make some apricot jam today! 

I’ll leave you with pictures of Darla and Alfie snoozing away in the living room. They are very happy that the Strange Mans who were here moving furniture and painting are gone. Obviously, the whole process of supervising exhausted them. (Ha! They found excellent new hiding places for the duration). 

Darling Darla (whom I also call “Darlicious”)

Alfie (AKA “Mr. Cat”) in his best shrimp pose

Please tell me we’re not the only ones who have several nicknames for our cats! Darla is DarDar, Darlicious, Darling Darla, and Miss Kitty.  Alfie (Alfalfa) is Mr. Cat, Himself, and Al. 

On that note, I’m off to go make some jam. I also have some raspberries to make raspberry jam, so my morning is spoken for. But the afternoon will (hopefully) see me in the sewing room! Have a great week!