Catching up: Playing w Purple

For the month of February over at SoScrappy has been the colour of the month: Lavender/Purple.

I had to choose new RSC2018 blocks or projects and I have chosen two. The very talented Cynthia Brunz and her loyal followers shared this Migrating Geese technique all over Instagram and I just had to try it. Two of the first ones complete in purple and a second in red-violet. I now need to make these in blue!

At some point in the month of January I received an on-look inside the cover of Judy Gauthier book and fell into an trance as I watched these "circles" form in my mind. I had to execute at least two to get the flavor of the block. And while I could have proceeded with 'stealing' the pattern on line, I hope some karma will be on my side when I say that I actually bought the book from my LQS. While the author uses 4.5" pieces I chose to dial it back and use 2.5" pieces from my own scrap user system and my easy angle ruler rather than the "draw a line diagonally across the back of one square". I LOVE these blocks and think they will be an excellent RCS2018 block. As time permits I will go back to do some blues.

To see what other scrap-inclined-quilters might be up to this week, check out the linky-party over here at SoScrappy.


love and hugs
Kathy

Purple Wishing Rings

Let me just say this, I LOVE these purple Wishing Rings. What an effective use of simple piecing to create a great block. Thank you to Mari (The Academic Quilter) and Angela (So Scrappy) for providing the instructions and inspiration for a new sampler quilt: Squared Away.

this happy stick person fabric was painted by Cathy Tomm

It never hurts to put a batik in for full staturated colour

While this fabric looked purple in the stack, it is looking very brown in this light.

All six to date, 10.5" blocks and I have updated my RSC2018 spreadsheet. 

Now back to my regularly scheduled program. 

Today I am headed to the University of Alberta Design Lab to attend a colour and embroider class put on my our guild, Edmonton and District Quilters Guild. Our guest instructor is Jeltje van Essen of Devanter Netherlands. She owns 100 Roses Quilt Shoppe in Devanter and has the rights to use the artwork of Anton Pieck as the basis for her teaching and quilt making. I will have more to show next weekend, but for now, my supplies are packed and I am out the door as soon as this posts.

Head on over to SoScrappy see other wonderful purple happenings from quilters around this globe.
hugs
Kathy

De-Stashing begets a Lozenge Quilt

De-stashing the studio...we all need to do it. And mine is way over due.

I pulled out a bin of some assorted "over 10 year old" fabrics. How do I know they are at least 10 years old? Well, I recognize some from quilts made prior to 2005 and some from 2000 or earlier. I needed a plan. I hand examined each piece. If it was of questionable quality, I tossed it. Poly Cotton...Gone. I did not look back. If it was a phat quarter or smaller it cut it up into 3.5" x 6.5" bricks, and from there 3.5, 2.5 and 2 inch squares. If it didn't qualify for those it went into the string bin. Love that Scrap User System. Notice the language of that...scrap USER not scrap SAVER.

If it was larger than a phat quarter I took off a couple of 3.5" strips and sub-cut that into bricks. And didn't that feel good. This was a place to use the odd and unusual pieces. So in this quilt you will find old 1980's chintz, PEI lobster, and screaming hot buffalo wings. This is the quilt that when the grandchildren need a picnic quilt in the garden, I will give them this one instead of a ratty old orange tarp

Next up...Lozenge Quilt. I know that Bonnie Hunter had that as the L/E for 2014. I also remember her saying it is not a race!! And so while I was at it, and I needed a break from cutting, I hauled out the 2" bin and started marking light neutral-ish squares with a drawn diagonal line for a sewing guide. Shown here is about half the quilt.

The thing I learned as I went along though, and I want to share this with anyone that doesn't see this before I did, was not put dark corners on dark bricks. I lost some definition of that pretty little pinwheel that got created where the blocks meet.

Behold the completed Lozenge 2017

I free styled the long arm quilting with simple loops and leaves.

Binding is on, and the quilt is ready for picnic duty at a moment's notice.
love and hugs
Kathy