Saturday, August 25, 2018

Citrusy delights

(For anyone who is interested, the monthly scrap giveaway is at the end of this post!)

A while ago, someone asked me what my favorite food is.  I was stymied! I like so many different things, but then it came to me-- the one food I really love and will eat any time, any place, in any form.  It's any kind of citrus fruit-- lemons, limes, grapefruit, and oranges, oranges, oranges!

I love oranges, but I haven't felt the same about orange fabric.  Much of it is pretty, but I just haven't used it very much. So for the RSC this month I didn't have a whole lot of scraps to work with, but I did manage to cut up enough to move the projects along.  I admit that I cut into a couple of fat quarters to get some more variety, too.

First up is the stars, which I've been calling "galaxy stars," though that's not the "real" name of this block:


I got six stars, more than I expected.  I now have 34 or 35 stars and I'm running out of the blue fabrics.  Since my whole purpose was to use up those dark blues, I think it will be time to finish these stars up very soon.  Not sure of a layout or anything, but I know it will be sparkly!

Next up are the hollow 9-patches.  This month I eked out eight orange 9-patches:


Since I only had a few reds last month, I also scrounged up enough for a couple of browns:


Brown is one of the colors that I seldom use, so there are very few scraps, so I'm somewhat impressed that I managed two blocks!

Finally, I also made the patchwork scrap stars in orange:


Those are certainly festive, aren't they? Blue always looks great with orange, and the bright green is a happy contrast.  I'm really looking forward to putting this top together in just a short while.

That's the roundup of my orange projects!  I feel like I'm right on track to have a couple of really nice quilts by the end of the year.  This year's projects have been pretty simple to finish up each month, and I've really appreciated the low stress.  And I'm sure when I finally get these quilts together I'll appreciate it all the more!

Which brings us to the scrap giveaway for this month.  As you know, I'm cleaning out the scrap bins each month and giving away everything that's left after this month's projects.  This has been fantastic for me and I hope it has for you too!  It's helping me so much to be rid of those old fabrics. Here is this month's package:


Because there was so little orange (many of those pieces are small), I also cleaned out the brown bin, which also did not have a lot in it.  Together, though, they make a decent-sized bunch of fabrics for a giveaway.  I've also included a handful of 2-inch squares and one of 1-1/2 inch squares, too.

This giveaway is now closed. Thanks to all!

To have a chance to get this package of fabric delivered to your door, at no cost to you, all you have to do is leave a comment on this post.  Really!  (Sorry that I can only ship to the US and Canada!)  Just to make it interesting, tell me what you're really looking forward to about fall.  I am really looking ahead to some cooler temperatures, and maybe some drier weather, too.  Leave a comment and I will use the random number generator to pick a winner on Monday afternoon. 

I think I need to go eat an orange or something right now!  Hope you are all having a lovely end to the summer.  School starts next week-- wahoo!

Sharing at soscrappy for RSC18.

36 comments:

Mimi said...

Since I love summer and dislike winter, the fall season is like a last hurrah for me - plus its a pretty time.

PaulaB quilts said...

Those citrus on the blue are a standout! Love the orange block with the stars also. Have a fun week!.

Charlotta said...

I don’t eat many oranges, but the color orange is one of my very favorites and I’d love your scraps! I’m really looking forward to fall, as I am every year for cooler temps as well, but also because I’m going to two quilt retreats this fall! Yippee! I’m going to get so much done and have so much fun! Lucky me!

Unknown said...

I am inspired by your 3 simple blocks to use up your scraps. I, too, am looking forward to the cooler (and hopefully drier) fall weather. Rain is a great reason to stay inside and sew, but I am tired of what I call "Cat in the Hat" weather. Thanks for sharing your bright, beautiful blocks.

Julie in GA said...

All of your scrappy projects look great in orange! I especially love the Galaxy Stars with the dark blue backgrounds.
I'm looking forward to the cooler weather--this Wisconsin native can't handle the heat of Georgia!

Shonnie said...

I'm with Julie - love the galaxy stars! I've been away all summer, helping an elderly relative who can't live alone anymore, and I'm looking forward to going home!

piecefulwendy said...

I had to smile when I read that you like to eat oranges but aren't so much into orange color. I'm just the opposite. I love orange, but don't really like to eat them. The funny thing is, I didn't always like orange. It just happened one day. Painting our son's bedroom (orange, blue, dark blue) may have been what turned the corner. Anyway, your giveaways are always so generous! I have plenty of orange fabric, so no need to include me in the giveaway, but someone else is going to be very happy! Love all of your blocks, by the way!

Louise said...

Your blocks looks great, as usual. I'm so looking forward to seeing your star quilt all together! My favorite part of fall is that the boating world goes sort of dormant, so things are more peaceful for us on the weekends :)

Karen - Quilts...etc. said...

orange is not my favorite color and I rarely eat oranges - I like them but they are messy! I love your blocks

Darlene's Dabbles said...

As well, I have very little orange and brown in my stash. Fall means I can find more time for quilting. Summers are super busy with gardening and company

Vicki in MN said...

So fun to see the progression of your quilts each month. Orange is a favorite color for me when making quilts/table runners. Think fall-orange is all around! I am looking forward to less humidity!

works4me said...

I love all your blocks. You did orange proud.
My favourite thing about Fall is Halloween. I wish it could last all year long. Wait, around our place it does.:)
Thanks for the chance to win.

Quilter Kathy said...

Great job using up the scraps this month!The leftovers look promising too :)
I am soooo looking forward to a break in the temperatures, being able to be outside more and enjoying the beautiful colours of the fall!

MissPat said...

I'm looking forward to cooler fall temperatures so I can tackle some of the outdoor projects I put off because of the heat. But with 90° predicted for next week, I guess that's not happening yet.
Pat

Bernie Kringel said...

Those stars might be my favorite project you have going on right now. When you get time, it would be fun to see the together in some sort of layout. That is going to be a great scrappy quilt. Like you I love citrus and in November when the mandarins are ripe we all go wild at our house. There are a couple of really good mandarin farms nearby so we get them locally. YUM.
I am overflowing with scraps so please choose someone else if my name is picked. Your giveaways this year have been so much fun.

JoanG said...

I love those stars on the deep blue. I'm another one who doesn't use oranges or Browns much in my quilts, so I'd love to win your scraps in those colors to broaden my palette. Thanks for the chance.

Charlene S said...

Cooler weather for sure and pumpkin spice muffins for breakfast. September and October birthdays to celebrate with family.

LIttle Penguin Quilts said...

I love all of your star blocks, Mari! The galaxy stars with the dark blue backgrounds really show off the pretty star color. The patchwork stars are fun, too - I might need to try those! Do you have a tutorial for them?

Kathy E. said...

I am like you in that I LOVE oranges, but rarely go to the orange side for fabric. It's funny that my mom adored the color orange and even drove an orange car for awhile! Her wardrobe was filled with this happy color! I look forward to the humidity level going down in the fall. My hair doesn't play well with humidity, so most summer days are bad hair days! Yikes!

Frédérique - Quilting Patchwork Appliqué said...

I love all your orange blocks (brown too!). Can't be part of the givaway, but what I love about fall is watching the tree leaves changing color, eating roasted chestnuts, and I guess that's all as I prefer summer ;))

Donna J said...

Your quilt blocks are beautiful. I'm a fan of both colors, orange and brown. Seems from the posts everyone is a fan of summer. I'm the odd one out. I used to like summer...but we have a seasonal business. Summers are extremely busy for us, not much time to sew or anything else. So I look forward to fall, late fall, for some peace and quiet, and time to sew.

theresa said...

Every year my husband and I go to southern California to visit and we bring back oranges, lemons and grapefruit half a car load then eat and share till they are gone. Ten years ago I would never put orange in my quilts something change along the way now I have to have some orange in most of my quilts it seems to add a little pop of brightness to the quilts.

Unknown said...

I love your projects! I get inspired to get off my backside and finish my UFO's. I love all the colors of fall when the trees in our mountains put on their spectacularly wonderful color show. What am I really looking forward to this fall? A quilt retreat in the mountains with 17 of my quilting friends for a week. Thank you for all the inspiration that you give me.

Katie Z. said...

Your blocks are lovely. Enjoy the sight of those empty scrap bins!

Chopin - A Passionate Quilter said...

Your Galaxy Stars are pretty! I need to get with it!!!! I forgot that this is the last Saturday! I have been fixated on York Lodge Stars - and thought I had one more Saturday! DUH

Ramona Johnson said...

I grew up in Southern California eating the freshest navel oranges you could find. Yum yum. I love the fall colors and watching the leaves turn into bright oranges, yellows and reds is my favorite time of year. And the accompanying cooler weather isn’t bad either. Love your galaxy stars.

Mindy Sebastian said...

Summer is not lasting long enough, but I am excited to get back into a routine with school starting next month. And I love all things pumpkin!

ebwhite said...

Oh, I love orange. I sneak a bit into many of my quilts or baby blankets. For Fall, the cooler weather will definitely help my disposition.

Cherie in St Louis said...

I'm looking forward to the trees changing color, crunchy leaves underfoot and cooler weather!! And I hope we have a long spell of fall weather before winter sets in :)

Quilting Nan said...

I'm a summer time lover, but do enjoy the changing seasons. The leaves turning to beautiful golds, orange, and reds would have to be the best part for me. Oh, and my mans homemade Butternut Squash soup in front of a roaring fire.

The Joyful Quilter said...

Awesome ORANGE blocks and oh how I would LOVE to win those remaining scraps!!!

Stoney said...

I look forward to fall foods like homemade carrot cake, baked raisin pudding and pumpkin pie. I'm on a diet right now so food is my fascination....

jbettyb said...

I have3 been working on using up my scraps in something like your hollow nine-patch blocks. Orange is also one of the colours I don't use often, so it is a stretch to find enough variety. I very much like your brown nine-patches and also the galaxy stars.

Sara said...

The star blocks are awesome! I didn’t have much orange either, but managed to get 3 sampler blocks made. Good for you in cleaning out the scraps. I should be doing the same thing.

Kate said...

You ended up with some very pretty orange blocks out of your limited scrap pile.

Preeti said...

Love the color and the fruit. And I love the bright blocks you have made - they definitely brighten the muggy days we are having. School already? I am looking forward to the long weekend.