Thursday 12 February 2015

pretty (scrappy) in pink –- a work in progress

Deb, who blogs at A Simple Life Quilts, and I were email-chatting the other day about quilts in progress. I mentioned that I had a pink and purple row-by-row quilt in progress and should pull it out, given that the colour for the Rainbow Scrap Challenge for this month is pink.

This is the story:

Last year, I wanted to learn curved piecing in my quilting class; at the time pink was the colour of the month. I chose to make scrappy pink blocks (hey, why not try something a little more complicated when you're learning a new technique? LOL) So I made these blocks based on an idea in Scrap Republic by Emily Cier. Each of those Drunkard's Path blocks is 4.5”.
curved piecing completed
I laid them out in a traditional style Drunkard’s Path meander but I didn’t like it so I turned them into circles (as the photo above suggested).
circle blocks completed
I realised I didn't like making four-inch curved blocks enough to make a whole quilt so what was I to do? Make a row-by-row quilt, of course.

Some of my classmates and I went on to do foundation piecing: it  was still February so guess what colour I used for my foundation piecing?

Here are the four blocks I’ve made so far:
first four foundation blocks 10 Feb 2015

I still have two more to make; they will have the same fabric in the centre. Then I’m not sure whether or how I will sash them.

At home during February, I thought I would use some more of my pink scraps in a new-to-me piecing style: tumbler blocks – here are the first five joined
first column of tumblers joined

and here they are on my design wall (at the old house) in the layout I had chosen:
2014 pink tumblers

Since then I’ve realised I need to go wider with only five rows of blocks (hence the five joined together above).

Kate, who blogs at Kate’s Quilting (and other arty stuff), and I shared a couple of emails about scrappy quilts generating more scraps and that was certainly true of my Drunkard’s Path blocks – there were a lot of scraps left over. So what would I do with them? Turn them into improv crumb piecing, of course!
first pink blocks first purple
They’ll go on the back of the pink and purple row-by-row quilt; I can’t help sneaking a bit of ‘modern’ piecing into the backs of my quilts (look here for an example). Because most of them go to older people in palliative care units, we tend to be fairly traditional in our quilt making – but I always put a signature panel in the back of mine which tends to be a bit modern looking! This probably won’t be so much a panel as scattered; like this one (Icy Improv Pods by Elizabeth Hartmann of Oh! Fransson) or this one (though not as detailed as this which is Faraway Fields by fellow-Australian, Jules, of Procrasticraft).

So, this row-by-row is the project I’m adding to during this month of pink; and also in the month we have purple in the Rainbow Scrap Challenge.

I’ll be linking this post to Scraptastic Tuesday at Mrs Sew and Sow, WiP Wednesday over at Freshly Pieced blog, Needle and Thread Thursday at My Quilt Infatuation and the Rainbow Scrap Challenge (RSC) at So Scrappy blog as they go live this week.
WIP Wednesday at Freshly Pieced Scraptastic Tuesday
Needle and Thread Thursday
RSC 15
Are you joining any of these linky parties this week?


19 comments:

  1. These all look great! I love the scrappy background on your Drunkards Path blocks! Really well done!

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  2. Those look great!!! Do you every make quilts for others?

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  3. So many good ideas bubbling along! I thought of you-check out the Accuquilt pattern called Starstruck Throw....right up your alley!

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  4. Your pink and purple circle blocks are so bright and fun. All your scrappy projects are looking great!

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  5. Those foundational blocks are amazing! Love the colors in them. Every time I do the Drunkard's Path block I end up feeling like I'm drunk and I don't drink. It's not my favorite pattern to do and yet every quilt I see with the block in it turns out lovely.

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  6. I love the scrappy Dresdens. A row by row was a great idea.

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  7. You have a lot of yummy projects on the go! I really love your improv crumb piecing, and what you have planned for them too! {nothing like a lovely surprise on the back of a quilt!} Linda

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  8. I love all your curved blocks. You certainly are productive. Very nice improv blocks. They look so neat.
    valspierssews@gmail.com

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  9. Oh my goodness, I feel accomplished if I get a blog post written and comment on a few others, never mind linking up to all those things! I do love what you did with both your curved blocks and the foundation pieced ones as well. Do I understand correctly that all these pinks are going in one quilt together?

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  10. So much scrappy fun! I love seeing what everyone chooses to make for this challenge. I love your ideas.

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  11. Too bad you don't like making those DP blocks...I love them! I don't mind curves but don't like foundation piecing although I see such gorgeous blocks as a result. And crumbs are always good and so versatile.

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  12. Oh my goodness, I can see why you didn't want to make more of those curved string blocks. I can't imagine the bias edges and seams you must have struggled with. they look great though and will be sure to add fun to your row by row.

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  13. A whole lot of pink scrappy fun going on!

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  14. I love, love, LOVE your beautiful blocks!

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  15. so inventive! i can't wait to see your row quilt all together.

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  16. What great scrappy projects. I would love for you to link up your scrap projects with Oh Scrap! There is a new link party every Sunday.

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  17. love all your projects in pink. isnt it fun to play in the scraps? the tumbler is nice too. I just got a mini tumbler template and may need to play now. :-)

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  18. Lovely blocks. I love pink:)

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