Wednesday, January 30, 2019

Cold, with something sunny

Hi all, and welcome to a very, very cold Wednesday.  I need another layer today, how about you?  It's actually not too bad here, but our friends and family in Wisconsin are really freezing.  One year when our kids were small (so at least 20 years ago) the actual temperature-- not the wind chill-- fell to about 20 below zero.  We hung blankets over the windows and everything because the furnace could not keep up.  It's a fond memory now, because we snuggled under quilts and played games and drank hot chocolate and such, but back then it was really pretty scary (for the adults, at least). 

Here's a somewhat commemorative block that I made just for the cold this week:


I call this a "polar vortex" block.  It's actually only 3 inches square and is going into my temperature quilt for the day my new granddaughter was born.  As you can tell, it was quite chilly that day, though the baby did not seem to care.  By the way, I am happy to report that she is absolutely adorable and a very happy tiny girl so far, not that we expected anything else.

There has not been a lot of other stitching going on the last few days, both because of the new little one and because I have a very big project due February 15 and I've had to be working on that.  I did figure out what I'm going to do with the little 4-patches I've been making, though.  I decided to put them together into these blocks:


This is a Sunny Lanes block, which is a Nancy Page block from sometime in the 1920s-1940s.  You can see that I decided to go with a green solid as an accent for the four patches.  I like how it turned out!  The green is Kona Cabbage, which is one of my favorite Kona colors because it's so nice and fresh.

Sunny Lanes doesn't look like a very exciting block until you start to put some of them together, which is when the magic happens.  Here are two of the secondary designs formed by multiple blocks:

Radiating squares

Stars and stripes

There are a lot of other designs that you can make with these blocks, including diagonal stripes, depending on how you turn them, so I think these will be fun to play with and will make a lovely quilt once it's done.


The blocks finish at 8 inches square, so I'll need at least 56 blocks for a decent sized quilt, depending on what I want for a border.  I don't seem to have made a dent in the 1-1/2 inch squares yet, though, so it's a safe bet that there are more than enough in the bin for at least one quilt.  We all know they're multiplying in there, too, so I'm pretty sure I'm safe.

Other than the shivering, that's about it from here! I'm hoping to have a spring-like top finished this week and I'll show it off if there is a chance for me to take it outside and get a few pictures.  Hope all of you stay warm and safe in the cold. Think warm thoughts! 

Sharing at Let's Bee Social and Oh Scrap!

19 comments:

Jo said...

It's a lovely design and the green really brightens it up. I'll send you some heat.. We are still at 42 deg Celsius. Better than the 48-50 we were having last week.

karenbbsnow said...

Love that shade of green. Great pattern for all those little scraps.

Alison V. said...

I don't know if I've ever used Kona Cabbabge, but now I might have to! This looks like a fun scrappy project and hopefully it'll help make a dent in your scraps!

Tish Stemple said...

Those bright colors in your Spring Lanes blocks sure do make me feel warmer today. A great reminder that the gray and cold only last for a small period of time. The teeny tiny polar vortex block will be a great reminder in your quilt of a special day <3

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

I had to laugh at your first paragraph as my daughter lives in WI and I heard from her last night and then again this morning - last night they were hanging some of my quilts over the living room windows to help keep the draft down - it is -21 their this morning they live a little north of Madison and this morning son in law couldn't get the truck started for going to work - it was too cold!
I bet you are glad you are not there anymore - I grew up in WI next to Lake Michigan - it was too cold!!

Alycia~Quiltygirl said...

That is a *cool* block for the baby day ;-) Stay warm and put quilts on and read a book?? Its not bad here - but we sure could use some of the snow ;-)

SandyPA said...

I really like that Sunny Lanes block! Great idea! Sandy at sewhigh.blogspot.com

Cheryl's Teapots2Quilting said...

Great patterns that block makes. We turned up the heater on Monday, so that it would have an easier time keeping up. So far so good. My sewing room is the warmest, since I keep plugging in the iron, and using all the lights while I iron and cut fabric.

Laura said...

Love your four patch project! The green is a pretty choice and pulls it all together!

BarefootThunder said...

The block is fabulous, green is my favorite color. Thank you for telling us the name. I'm going to have to hunt for some. The designs look like hugs and kisses to me 💚

piecefulwendy said...

We're at -27 this morning, but the windchill is better than yesterday (027 as opposed to -51). Sunday we're supposed to have temps up to 45. Crazy. Those Sunny Lanes blocks are so pretty; makes me think of a fresh spring day with lots of sunshine and warm temps!

Home Sewn By Us said...

Hi Mari! Like Wendy, we've turned the corner on those cold temps. It's warmed up to -8 with a windchill of -30 now. Woot woot! Almost out of the dangerous zone. Congrats on your new granddaughter. I hope momma is doing well, and I know she'll be keeping sweet baby girl nice and warm. That 3" block is so darn cute and just perfect to commemorate her birth. I hope you get to hold her soon and get some sweet, sweet kisses. Our great-niece will be four weeks old tomorrow. I'm picking out the fabrics for a Cinderella quilt for her - only her fourth quilt so far. I've restrained myself. HAHA! ~smile~ Roseanne

The Joyful Quilter said...

Wow!! You weren't kidding. The blocks went from interesting to AMAZING!!!

JanineMarie said...

Your polar vortex block perfectly shows how the weather has been. I like the block; the weather, not so much. I can just imagine holding your sweet little granddaughter in this weather—babies are such good little furnaces. Your other quilt blocks sing Spring! It will be fun to see what layout you go with. Keep those quilts handy (loved your story about hanging them for warmth), but it looks like we’ll all be able to throw them off on the weekend, and then maybe you can get your outdoor photos.

Mary R. said...

Sunny Lanes is a really cheerful fun quilt and the green is a beautiful choice. Congratulations on the new baby!

LIttle Penguin Quilts said...

I love the Sunny Lanes blocks, and especially with the Kona Cabbage! They will make a beautiful quilt!

Cynthia Brunz Designs said...

What a fun block! I am looking forward to seeing the layout design you end up with. Thanks for sharing with Oh Scrap!

Bonnie said...

Nice blocks. I like the variety you can get when you start laying out Sunny Lanes. Yep, Kona Cabbage is very fresh looking.

Preeti said...

Love the grassy green. Of course you are thinking of spring :-)