Blues and Purples

Bit by bit, I've been catching up on my Rainbow Scrap Challenge blues and making my purple projects. This whole summer has been bit by bit, but it is adding up. 

I have lots of blue scraps--enough to be overwhelming. So I'm glad that we could focus on just the brights and darks for June. I'm sure some lighter blues sneaked in there, but that's okay because when I get to the light blues there will probably be some decidedly darker ones. It's all relative, right?

I started, as usual, with the string-pieced placemats. I made two blue ones and then decided that I had enough strings to make a third one. Because some of my scraps were fairly big, I pieced all the backs, too. My purple scrap collection is smaller, so I eked out one placemat with those strings. Here they are all together, and then we'll take a quick look at each front and back.

As usual, all of the placemats are 14 by 18 inches, made quilt-as-you-go with pieced batting scraps. They will all be headed to Meals on Wheels in next spring's collection. I am always surprised by how well these motley scraps turn out. I mostly prefer bluish purples, but the grayish and even the reddist ones worked out fine. And I am really enjoying making the backs of these placemats. 

The rest of the scraps filled up more adding machine tape. I think the blues filled about 17 1/2 feet and the purples about 13 feet.

I added 17 Bear Paws with my solid fabrics this month, 8 with blue and 9 with purple. 

The other thing I did was finish the last 10 blocks of my 90 blocks for the 52 weeks of scrappy triangles. 

As you are reading this, I have sewn the blocks into a top, basted it, picked my quilting thread, and (I hope) started the quilting. Woohoo!! (When it's all done, it will get its own post.)

During the summer, we spend an evening a week picnicking on the lawn at MSU for carillon concerts. Lately, I've been taking my hand sewing along. It's so relaxing taking slow stitches while listening to a wide variety of music from guest carillonneurs. This past week the program included Queen's Bohemian Rhapsody and Ralph Vaughn Williams' King's Weston. Something for everyone! Here's how things looked from my chair.

Summer bliss. 

And just three more photos for your viewing pleasure. We've been frequently traveling to my dad's home this summer, taking the back roads to avoid highway congestion and construction and just enjoying watching the landscape change as the crops grow. We drive through a little intersection each time that has this little old schoolhouse with a two-sided quilt. I missed taking photos when the daylilies were all in bloom, but this view is pretty, too, I think.

And because July has been a purple month for RSC (not my garden, but a simple pleasure on a walk)...

I'm linking up this week with Angela at So Scrappy for ScrapHappy Saturday and with Cynthia at Quilting is more fun than Housework for Oh Scrap. 

I hope you are enjoying bits of summer sewing (if you are in my hemisphere; if you are farther south, have fun with cozier winter sewing) and the simple joys of music, nature and country byways.