Rainbows in the pines

 Hi everyone, and happy week before Christmas! Are you feeling very merry? Thanks for all of the great holiday stories on the blog hop on my last post! I really enjoyed putting my feet up and reading about your families. After the year that we have had, no one could blame us for just sitting around eating cookies, drinking something warm, and telling happy stories for the next couple of weeks, could they?

Down in the sewing room, I have finished another repurposed project, just in time for a some nice photos in the snow. Yahoo! Here is the Rainbow Pines quilt top:

In the actual pines!

If you recall, the strings started as a Rainbow Scrap Challenge project, and like many others, it never got finished. So I repurposed these string sections into some colorful pine trees, using Bonnie Hunter's Pine Tree Point pattern, which you can get in her shop  HERE. 

This pattern was super-easy, though that might be because I had already made the string parts and only had to cut them to the right size. I also had to depart from Bonnie's pattern a little bit because I wanted to use up all the string bits that I already had pieced, so I used the extra parts that I cut off the tree sections to make the colorful borders.I think they're pretty striking, and it used the scraps! A win all around, I think.

I also decided to use up a bunch of neutral strings for the border, which I think makes the whole thing. I pulled out every unloved bit of neutral and white that I could find and used them here, and I even included a couple yellows, grays, and pinks. I think the borders just sparkle. I always forget how great strings can be, but then I do a project like this and I change my mind. It seems like strings will be extra labor intensive, but they're actually quite soothing to piece together. And did you notice my string corners?

I am so happy that I decided to repurpose a number of projects this year, because then I have empty project boxes, much less guilt, and happy quilt tops like this one. Altogether a lot better than projects just sitting around unloved, don't you think? And this way I can start a new RSC project in January without guilt, too!

 I don't think you can see it in the pictures, but on the land behind this quilt top were these fun visitors:

 

A deer family! I didn't see them until I had already taken a few photos, but they completely ignored me. They must be colorblind, because this top was really striking in the snow.

 

This fun quilt top is my last finish for 2020. It's time to clean out the sewing machines, replace the rotary cutter blades, and rake out the scraps on the sewing room floor, and then settle in for some rest and recharging. It will be a quiet holiday for us this year, and if you are heartbroken and missing family this year, know that you are not alone. Whatever your situation, I wish you all a chance to relax and de-stress, a joyous holiday in whatever form you celebrate, and a new year filled with peace and joy. 

 

See you next week for a year-end roundup, and maybe a few more pretty pictures before we (finally) welcome 2021.