Grapefruit Pizzazz

I have a quilt finish, and it was totally unplanned, but it grabbed me and would. not. let. go. This kind of quilt happening is a DrEAMi. Drop Everything And Make it. And this one is a true DrEAMi, because that is exactly what I did, despite having a few other projects I should have been doing.

What a pleasant surprise to see how well it goes with the impatiens and greenery!

It all started when I opened a drawer I go into on a daily basis, as that is where I stash the laptop and iPhone charging cords to keep them out of the way of Miss Bella's sharp little teeth. I was looking for something, no clue now what, but a small pile of rectangles caught my eye and I pulled them out. One had half a dozen turquoise and green rectangles, and the other about the same amount of bright pink and orange rectangles. Oh yeah...

Still Waters

I made this two years ago for a dear teacher of Brady's. You can read the post here. When I made that quilt, I'd cut a few extra rectangles because I loved it, and thought it would make a great donation or comfort quilt. I also thought how terrific it would look in hot colours, like pink and orange, a combo I really like, which surprises me because the above photo is totally moi. So I cut a few more hot colours. Years ago I had made Brianne a hot pink and orange quilt and loved it. So did baby Brady, who would gaze at it while nursing, since it was draped over the back of the couch where Brianne would sit. 

So. I saw the stack of pinks and oranges and they sort of called, no they actually mesmerized me. Well, orange IS this month's colour for the RSC, so I guess I wasn't that much off topic. Ha!

Yes, I had a wallhanging quilt to make for my latest pattern release. Yes, I had a makeup bag to make for Bernie of Needle & Foot, which, ✅ did get done...

even though I will admit here that before starting her bag, I dove into my oranges and pinks scraps sorting boxes and started playing, cutting a few more 5" x 9.5" rectangles. I told myself I'd just play a little bit; really, truly, cross my heart etc., I would leave this hot pink and orange quilt alone and I’d start my new pattern wallhanging right after I finished Bernie’s makeup bag...

I spy Xena, aka zee-zee. Decided to purposely let her photobomb.

Uh yeah. Not only did I suddenly have a quilt top, but I made another two makeup bags (both listed in my Etsy shop, SandraJaneQuilts) between the bag for Bernie's sister and the top.

Note the blue band, a happy mistake! More of this style are in my future.

I did not realize, but Bernie it was who pointed it out, that this fabric is ASL signs! That is why she asked me to make her one for her sister, who is a deaf interpreter.

Made with leftovers from 'Judy's Bloom' by Benartex

Whaaaat is happening?!

Forget monkey pox.  I had squirrel fever. FOUR unplanned projects??

I told myself, "Sandra, you have been totally sidetracked, but you are going to finish what you started, because, PHD." I have not been good at finishing UFOs this year, but I have finished everything I have started. So, into the backing vault I went, found a hunk of Cranston Prints floral my aunt had given me a few years ago, pieced it, and loaded it onto Avril. Would the orange Exquisite polyester thread I'd sewed the quilt top with on my trusty Featherweight Tilley work to quilt it?

You bet it did. Not one break, large meander, beautiful tension, awww yeah!

Quilt complete!

Don't you want to take a bite out of it?! I couldn't get sweet juicy jelly-type candies out of my head while making this. What are those frosted with sugar fruit slice jelly candies called? Those were what was in the back of my mind all the while.

The quilt uses up a fair bit of scraps, and that, my friends, makes me happy. All the string placemats I've made this year, and you can barely tell I've sewed a pair of strings together. Also, old fabrics, new ones, all sing joyfully together here, a different tune than the 'Still Waters' tune but still joy-filled.

Here is that backing. You can see the tiny orange flowers better in the shot below.

I had the perfect binding too, one from years ago from Fabricland. Sadly I did not have enough, but no fear, I had a chunk of a rainbow one, and another chunk of orange and purple that I happened to spy in another scrap box of floral chunks and strings. You can see all three below. They work just fine together.

Where is the quilt going? I don't know! For now, once I launder it, it will sit with another one who is also currently being fostered by me, lol, waiting for its forever home.

This squirrel has a voracious appetite, so if you allow it to bite you, all you need is rectangles that are 5" x 9.5". Sew them in pairs, alternating them as you see. The blocks finish at 9". My quilt is five blocks by six, a nice throw quilt.

I'll be linking this up on Saturday with my own DrEAMi party!

Quilt Stats:

Pattern: simple rectangles that I first saw on Jasmine's Quilt Kisses blog

Size: 45" x 54"
Fabric: scraps

Backing: Cranston Prints

Batting: Fairfield polyester 
Quilted: on Avril: 31 692 stitches

Threads: pieced on my 1947 Featherweight, Tilley, and quilted with Exquisite polyester on Avril

Linking up

AlyciaQuilts

My Quilt Infatuation

mmmquilts (right here!) for DrEAMi