Last year I didn’t participate in the Rainbow Scrap Challenge held each year by Angela of So Scrappy. I did participate in 2015 and 2016 though – it is a great way to use up scraps. This year I plan to follow along with the BOM hosted by Mari of Academic Quilter, Squared Away. I sewed along with Mari during her first quilt along, Classic Stitches, back in 2015. I had a great time and loved the clear directions Mari provided with her posts each month so I am happy to sew with her again this year! If you want to see the row quilt I made, click here.
Here is the first month’s block, Red Cross. According to Mari, the block is a Clara Stone block that dates to 1906. Traditionally, this block is made with red, but since the color this month is light blue, that’s what we made it in. I have a large piece of pale gray solid fabric (I am fairly sure it is a Moda Bella solid but I don’t know which one) I have set it aside in the hopes it will be enough to use as my background color for this year. We are making three 10″ blocks each month which will make a nice size quilt by the end of the year. 
I am happy with the look of this first batch of blocks and they came together easily. Not to say I didn’t have to rip one apart though. I had one corner section pointed the wrong way. It hung on my design wall for quite a while before I noticed it. At least it is early in the game and was a quick fix.
RSC16 Scrappy HST Quilt Top
I am also making little 5″ square crumb blocks. I want to finish this scrappy HST quilt I started in 2016. I really like it but feel it would be nice to have it a bit larger before I finish it. I am going to make a border by alternating five inch crumb blocks of all colors with the gray polka dot. I think the gray polka dot will be rectangles, not squares, to make the border more interesting. I have to look at the math on that, certainly not my strong suit as you all know!!
I don’t plan to take all year to make these crumb blocks though (by following the color schemes of RSC18). I hope to get this one finished earlier in the year.
Did you see the giveaway I am hosting on Facebook today and tomorrow? Go check it out – might be your time to win. 🙂
In other wonderful news, I just had SIX days migraine free days in a row! It was heavenly, like a gift, you know? It has been many months (probably didn’t happen at all in 2017?) since I had that long of a run. Unfortunately, I woke up last night with a zinger but I was able to sleep it off and I feel reasonable this morning. It will be a good day to take it easy and play with my scraps. Fortunately, one doesn’t need to think too hard to make crumb blocks. 🙂 Hoping you have a lovely weekend and are able to enjoy some creative time!
Linking to Finished or Not Friday at Busy Hands Quilt as well as a few others. Check the Link Ups tab at the top of the page!
Your light blue blocks are so pretty! I keep forgetting to get my blocks done; maybe I’ll work on those this afternoon. So glad you had a 6-day run migraine free! I’m sure it’s a nice reprieve from the pain. I like those little crumb blocks; so cute!
Thank you Wendy. There is still plenty of January left for you to make your Squared Away blocks. I am glad to be making this alongside you. It will be a fun project this year. 🙂
I am so glad to know that you went 6 days without a migraine. I hope that you can go a bit light today and continue to have more days migraine free. I look forward to seeing your RSC quilt grow this year.
It was like a six day mini vacation! It’s ok tho. Taking it easy today. Time for a cup of tea and then maybe some crumb blocks. Next week I will make the first block for the Aurifil BOM.
So happy you had that long migraine-free stretch. May you be blessed with many more— and soon.
Bless you!
Beth S.
Thank you Beth. You are so sweet. Hope all is well. 🙂
glad the migraine has gone, they are horrible, just horrible. I love your blue scraps. I have some small blue charm squares, I am thinking of another plus quilt in some format. Must hunt them out.
Plus quilts are one of my very favorites. I am looking forward to the new book that Cheryl and Paige wrote. It will be available soon. As for charm squares, I also have loads of those that need to be dealt with.
These are beautiful Bernie. Cute blocks and great scraps
I am sorry you are having to cope with Migraines. I hope they are gone forever
Thanks Rosemary. I love a scrappy quilt so I’m having fun.
The migraines aren’t gone, but it was a very nice reprieve.😊
Love the crumb blocks!
You always say such nice things! Your blocks turned out great and will look amazing in the quilt. I even like the background fabric! The crumb blocks are also great. Here’s hoping for a migraine-free weekend!
Bernie,
So glad about your string of good days. Here’s to another one that’s even longer!
Please define crumb blocks. I’ve never heard the term before. Obviously, they’re scrappy, but do they have certain parameters–no pieces larger than X, for example?
Hi Nancy, crumb blocks just mean sewing bits of scrap together until they get to a size useful for the project you are making. I don’t think there are a whole lot of parameters. If you google crumb block quilts you will get lots of ideas. It’s just a nice way to use up scraps without a lot of planning.
Thanks. One other thing–do you foundation piece them or just stitch ’em up?
I just stitch them. Some people choose to foundation piece but I have not seen the need. It works fine.
Thanks again, Bernie.
Really love your Red Cross blocks! That will be a beautiful quilt. Can’t wait to see what comes next!
Thank you. It is a lot of fun to participate in a QAL when you don’t really know what the quilt will look like. I am looking forward to the next blocks! Have a great weekend Candace!
Those light blue blocks are lovely. I look forward to seeing how this project unfolds. 🙂
Thanks Sarah. I haven’t played with scraps for a long while – which is quite obvious judging by the overflow of my scrap bins. This will be a fun project. Have a great weekend!
I really, really like that Red Cross block!
Your RSC16 quilt is already very pretty and will be so neat with the added crumb blocks. You inspire me!
Hi Linda! How are you? I kept working on the crumb blocks and made some purples and three or four greens. I have the itch to finish up the RSC16 project. It is going to be a fun one! Have a wonderful weekend. 🙂
Great start on your sampler blocks. The background color is nicely subtle. Love the crumb quilt. Sounds like up you’ve got a great plan for the border.
Your Squared Away blocks are so pretty, and I love how your 2016 quilt is coming together. I love making crumb blocks, but haven’t made many with diagonal seams, if you know what I mean! That gives your blocks so much more interest!
For little diagonal seams, try just laying your strips at a slant – so take a wider strip and slant it across a narrower strip and sew your 1/4 seam along that slanted strip. It gives a bit of interest to the two strips. Or, use the little triangles that you get from making flying geese. It is a fun way to use those up. 🙂
The red cross block has always been one of my favorites, I really like your rendering with the whites, grays, and blues.
Thanks Cheryl. Hoping if I am careful, I will have enough of the gray to use through the year. I haven’t made lots of the traditional blocks so I really enjoy Mari’s BOM’s because of the blocks she chooses.
I love the blue Red Cross blocks. Great news about the lack of migraine.
Your squared away blocks look great. I’m glad I wasn’t the only one to sew a cornerback on incorrectly. At least we noticed it now. Have fun playing with upyou rather quilt. I’m loving how cheerful it is.
So happy you’ve had 6 migraine free days – that’s wonderful! I love all of your scrappy projects & I’m thinking about joining in on the Squared Away QAL. It fits one of my top requirements for joining a QAL this year – scrap busting!
Let me know if you join Mari’s BOM. I want to follow along and see your blocks! Thanks for stopping by Kristie! Have a great Sunday.
Your RSC blocks are really striking!
Your blocks are lovely! I should make some of those crumb blocks too. I sure have enough small scraps to make a quilt’s worth. Thanks for linking up with Oh Scrap!
Hope you continue to see big blocks of days between migraines. They are the worst. Mine went away after I quit working and became self employed.
I quit work for the very same reason (to hopefully experience less migraine activity.) But it didn’t make any difference for me. Now I think I have a good mix of preventive prescriptions and it seems (for now anyway) to be really helping. Thanks Cynthia. 🙂
Beautiful Red Cross, Bernie. And RSC16 Scrappy HST Quilt Top looks pretty, a great use os small scraps in those HTS. Well done!
Hi Bernie
About 3 weeks ago I started to have a Migraine headache, of course no medication has helped relieve the darn thing. I have continued to sew as much as I can, focusing on the project at hand is a problem. I find that sunlight ( that I normally love ) is one of my biggest problems. So to make this a little shorter, It brings a smile to my face to hear you had a good stretch of relief.
Best Wishes
Helene
Helene, Isn’t it frustrating when it lasts such a long time? I hope by now you are feeling a bit better. I am so happy to have some much better days lately. Be well. 🙂
Migraines are awful. My Sister-in-law gets vertigo from them! I do love your quilt blocks above. I would love to join in on the RSC quilt by Mari but I just don’t love sampler quilts. Do you think there’s another way to make it not look so busy? I think that even if I made it all solids, that still would be busy. I’ve thought about a quilt in just one color plus a background, but that seems too dull. Any ideas? I’ve been assuming I should just skip this experience.
Hi Elana, I am sorry to hear about your sister-in-law. No fun there. I hope she is doing well.
I happen to really like a two color quilt. I think it gives the shapes in the blocks a turn to shine. That could be really fun. Even if you did several shades of a color (red, blue?) against white or gray? That would be striking. However, if you don’t enjoy sampler quilts, maybe it is best to wait for a different sort of Quilt Along?
Have a great day!
These look great! 🙂
I know that I have said this before about my BIL / he had excruciating migraines for ages…finally found some solution regarding the blood vessels at the back of his neck but i know that it is different for everyone and I pray and hope that you can find the way to resolve these as well
Bernie, that is WONDERFUL that you had such a long stretch with no headaches. I am a total wimp when it comes to headaches so I can’t imagine living with them so often. Your Red Cross blocks in blue are beautiful! I love the pattern and the fabrics you chose too. I really enjoy seeing what everybody works on for the RSC each month.
Me too! It is great inspiration to see what everyone is doing with their piles of scraps. Last year I didn’t do many scrappy projects and the bins are really full, overflowing actually. So it feels good to dive in and use them. Take care Janice.
What?! I didn’t comment on this the other day when I first read it? I probably had a migraine! Glad I popped back in. Love you crumb blocks. When I try to make them, they never look that good. You chose an excellent block for RSC!
Hi Karen, nice to hear from you. I am thrilled to be enjoying a period of less frequent migraine. Who knows how long this will last but for now, I’ll take it! I am building the border for my scrappy quilt now. Should be able to finish it up tomorrow. Making progress!!
I recall starting to follow you due to the wedding dresses post. You are an expert seamstress in every way.
SO it warms my heart when I hear that someone like you has to bring out the seam ripper, just sayin’ 🙂
And I am glad when you experts admit it because it encourages people like me ! 🙂 LOL I see so many quilters who say they are working on something while watching TV or Netflix and I wonder HOW? I screw up routinely watching nothing but my needle! 🙂
Glad to hear the migraines have lessened / I hope that you and your doc can find a final solution to these down the line.
Your Squared Away blocks turned out beautifully! I’m looking forward to seeing what else Mari has in store for us this year.