Charm Saturday and Feelin' Thrifty

 Welcome to Treadlestitches!  Thanks for stopping by!

Another Saturday, another quilt top!  I'm getting a few of them together before donating them to the Children's Advocacy Center, which helps kids who have been removed from their homes due to abuse or neglect.  The tops will then be quilted and given to the children to keep.

For this top, I'm using blocks I made during last year's Rainbow Scrap Challenge, the ones with the white corners.  I added colorful 5 in. squares, plus white print squares (the white squares have a very subtle butterfly print).  The design makes white stars across the top.

I did not come up with this design.  The original is a free Moda pattern called Charm Saturday (click HERE for the free pdf).  My quilt doesn't exactly follow this pattern, which has dark stars instead of white.  I took my inspiration from the variation done by Quilted Forest (Click HERE for the You Tube video).  The Quilted Forest version made light stars, and that's what made me see I could use these blocks.  My stars slant to the left, and I used just one light instead of several.  So I made a variation of a variation!  Quilters have been doing this forever.

I was really happy to use up so many of these leftover blocks from last year, and to add in some of my favorite home-cut charm squares, like the red print with Ninja children.  (Thanks, Debbie!)  The border is a bright-colored puzzle print.  We love working jigsaw puzzles around here.

Here's one of the reasons I'm feelin' thrifty this week:  the name of this block is Thrifty.  I'm making 5 each month.  My favorite is the one with the owl in the center.

Another reason to feel thrifty--I finally made cushions for my kitchen chairs.  The family has been complaining about these ladderback chairs for literally decades, but I love them.  They are solid oak, made in America, and I stained them myself after they arrived from the factory.  My kids call them "the Pilgrim chairs", possibly referring to the Pilgrims' penchant for denying themselves comfort.

When I finally decided to add new cushions I had to decide what fabric to use.  I wanted a heavier fabric, and didn't think I had enough on hand.  Good thing I checked!  I found this gingham in my basement.  It was heavier than quilting cotton, and there were 7 yards of it.  Then I remembered buying it at the museum sale several years ago.  For ONE DOLLAR!  Woo hoo, now I'm feeling thrifty for real!  The cushion covers are envelope style, so I can whisk them off and wash them whenever we have a spill.

Using up scraps always makes me feel thrifty.  This wonderful batch was dropped off yesterday by the Amazing Colleen.  The pieces are leftovers from guild stash, and will be used for more charity quilts.  Little Lizzy had to check them out first.

The new influx of scraps prompted me to do a better job organizing.  The larger scraps went into the bundles in the bushel basket, and the smaller pieces in these bags by color.  When each color is called for the RSC, I can pull out the bag and cut the blocks from these scraps.  We all know scraps show up whenever, so I can sort new ones by color and add them to the bags all year.  Maybe this will finally get the sewing room scraps under control?  We'll see.

Using fabric on hand and scraps, donated or purchased, does make me feel thrifty, but I also spend money on fabric and supplies without guilt.  Quiltmaking is good for my mental health, and that's worth it! 

Now I've got Feelin' Groovy in my head for the rest of the day.

Snicky got mail this week!  It's a postcard from the vet, reminding him about his appointment.  I showed it to him, but he didn't seem impressed.  It made me laugh, though.  Our vets' office is awesome.

I've got to get ready for my grandson Little Guy's birthday party today.  He's five years old!  It was a very happy day when he was born.  And all the days since!  Happy Birthday Little Guy!

I hope you have a lovely week, with lots of time for the things you love to do.

Thanks for reading,

Sylvia@Treadlestitches

Check out these great linky parties:

Alycia at Finished or Not Finished Friday

Angela at So Scrappy, Home of the Rainbow Scrap Challenge

Cynthia at Oh Scrap

Bright and Sunny

Welcome to Treadlestitches!  And welcome to March!

It's also the first week of yellow month for the Rainbow Scrap Challenge. 

I "accidentally" featured yellow this week in a top I made for a local charity, not knowing it would be March's color.

 

Little Lizzy, the Quilter's Cat Trainee at my house, is examining the top.  Her skills are still a work in progress, but she is very willing to learn.  And play, of course!

This is the third time I have made a quilt in this pattern. It comes from the book above, S is for Scraps by Gayle Bong.  The example in the book has a bright yellow solid in the same places I do, plus the border.  

This is the block:  6 scrap squares, plus a yellow rectangle.  The popsicle fabric is the border.  The blocks are turned back and forth, the same way as a Rail Fence quilt. 

 I just love a design that chains across the quilt!  As you can see, most of the squares are my faves, bright novelty prints.

I made 35 blocks, so I needed 210 squares. All the squares came from this drawer, with the exception of a few purples and yellows for variety.  This is the photo AFTER I made the blocks.  Maybe I need to find another project for these?

When I found out what the new color for March would be, I started cutting pieces from my yellow Big Scraps for my RSC blocks.  I don't have much yellow sadly, although I like it, and it really brightens up a scrap quilt.  I still need to cut background pieces for most of the blocks.

The Bright Hopes blocks only need a light center square and four rectangles, so I started them first.  The light centers came from the 2.5 in. square drawer.  Some of the rectangles came from the Big Scraps, others from my box of 2.5 in. x 4.5 in. pieces.

With far less variety than I had with blue, I'm just mixing everything in together.

If you're making blocks for the Many Hands and Many Hearts block drive, don't forget to mail them in!  The drive ended yesterday, which is when I finally made it to the post office.  I sent a small batch, just ran out of time to make more.  I especially like to participate when the drive asks for novelty prints, since I have lots.  Many Hands and Many Hearts is organized by Cynthia of the Quilting is More Fun Than Housework blog.

The dragon block is my favorite!  Thanks to my friend Joey for sending me this awesome scrap!

Our cats are getting along better every day.  Both of them are excited by the birds outside.  I couldn't believe they posed like this, I had to run and get my phone/camera.

Temps in the 40s and even low 50s this week are almost making me believe in spring, even though I know we are usually in for more snow in March and April.  But spring is definitely coming sooner or later, and that's something to look forward to.

Have a lovely week, whatever the weather!

Thanks for reading,

Sylvia@Treadlestitches

Linking up with:

Alycia at Finished or Not Finished Friday

Angela at So Scrappy

Cynthia at Oh Scrap