Friday, June 17, 2022

Blue and green all around

 Hi all! Long time no see! I've been away for a conference in Atlanta, which was hot, sticky, and expensive, but so great to see people in person again. Everyone was so excited that it almost overwhelmed the presentations. Also, true fact: we shared the hotel with a comics convention, so there were people dressed up as various characters, including a full set of Power Rangers, interspersed with our very serious group. It was interesting! After the conference, the hubster and I may have made a couple of detours on the way home. It was fun!

Obviously, I did not take my sewing machine, and the mental break from everything was great. I came back raring to go on a bunch of things. First up in the sewing room was catching up on the Rainbow Scrap Challenge:
 
 
Yes, this is the latest update of the medallion quilt I'm making in the colors of the month, one round for each color. I love how it is turning out, even though I've made a couple of mistakes in these rounds.
 
The green round was for last month, and this is the block, if you can't tell:
 

 
This is a traditional block called Cracker, from Barbara Brackman's Encyclopedia. It was super-easy to make, but I didn't really pay attention to the column I was looking at, so I made the wrong size. There was supposed to be one more block per side, but they didn't fit. Oh, well! I think it looks just fine anyway, and I like the movement in that round.
 
 
The bright blue round is simple flying geese attached side by side to make a nice border. You can see that I needed a coping strip in there to bring the center up to the right size for the geese to fit. I think it works. The medallion is now about 44 inches square, which is right where it should be with 4 rounds to go. (I think.) Looking forward to that next round, which is also spectacular. Hope it's a great color!

I said at the top that we may have made a few small detours on our way home, and here is one place we stopped:


This is in North Carolina, and was a beautiful day. On the mountain it was about 70 degrees, at least 25 degrees cooler than down the mountain. The view is looking northeast toward Tennessee, which I'm pretty sure is actually in the photo, too. And that's me and the hubster with the sign, of course. We got talked into taking the sign picture by a lovely Ukrainian family (long in the US), who talked to us a bit about their country. They were very happy that their children and grandchildren in Ukraine had made it to Moldova and are safe. We took their picture, so of course they insisted on taking ours. It was a super-nice interaction.

So the medallion is caught up, and I may have pulled out some fabrics for some birds, too. I guess they're next! Have a wonderful weekend, everyone, and I'll let you know how they turn out!

Sharing at Finished or not Friday, the Patchwork and Quilts linkup at Quilting Patchwork Applique, and soscrappy for RSC22.

21 comments:

Danice G said...

What a colorful and gorgeous quilt! I really love that green fabric the best.

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

sounds like a nice visit with the Ukrainian couple, always nice to talk and find out how all is affecting people already living here.
I think it must have been very weird hotel stay with comic book characters running around - weird/funny that is.

Nancy @ Grace and Peace Quilting said...

What a great idea--a medallion quilt with a different color round with every RSC color! Looks great! Our DD is about to go to school in NC--it looks like that mountain is not fair from where she'll be, so we'll try and look it up.

Susie H said...

I love your idea -- a medallion quilt in the RSC colors! I may think about this next year. Did you start with an idea of how large you wanted the finished quilt to be? Do you have an idea, now that you're halfway into this, of how big it's actually going to be? My brother lives in NC. I'll have to see if Mount Mitchell is nearby!

Sara said...

I absolutely LOVE what you've done with the green and blue rounds on the quilt. The whole thing is just beautiful.

What a fun little detour. Detours are very rare on the also rare occasions that I travel with my husband. He just doesn't "vacation" well - famous words from an ex-sister-in-law. My list of places in the US that I want to visit is so long.

Laura said...

Love the colorful medallion quilt!
How fun and refreshing to take a trip with your Hubby! Good for you! :)

Home Sewn By Us said...

Hi Mari! Ahh! Just to be free to roam again . . . isn't it nice?!! School days behind you, comic convention to marvel over, and in-person colleagues. Does it get any better? Yes - just meeting the Ukraine family makes us remember how lucky we are to be here, today. Enjoy and I love the Cracker (Jack) block and the fabrics. {{Hugs}} ~smile~ Roseanne

Quiltdivajulie said...

This quilt top is coming along SO well! Must have been a week for mountains and elevations higher than our home bases … glad you could do so,e extras in addition to the conference.

Quiltpiecer said...

The medallion quilt is such a great design for the Rainbow Scrap Challenge. I love it! And such a fun and refreshing trip with hubby ... so wonderful!

Pat at Bell Creek Quilts said...

your medallion quilt looks awesome and I love how you used the RSC2022 prompts for the border! Looks like a fun quick get-a-way!

scraphappy said...

So nice to get away for a conference. The world is starting to come back -- one bit of normalcy at time. So funny that you were sharing the hotel with a comic book convention. That must have been quite a bit of entertainment. The quilt is looking great. I can't see any mistake with the cracker blocks. Even if it isn't exactly the original plan, it still looks colorful and happy.

LIttle Penguin Quilts said...

Every time you add a new round to this quilt, I love it even more! The green round with the cracker blocks is fun because the opposite corners mirror each other. The trip to Atlanta sounds like fun, and love your picture at the top of Mt. Mitchell!

Deb A said...

Love the medallion quilt is a great idea! So nice that conferences are getting back to normal and you got a fun ride home. We are driving up through there next week so I might have to check out Mt. Mitchell! Thanks.

Ivani said...

Love each new round of your RSC quilt.
Love also seeing your photo, beautiful and resting place. So, knows what? Now I have a face to go with your name.:) and this is so nice.

Cathy said...

Your medallion quilt just keeps getting better with each round! I’m glad you and DH were able to get away and enjoy some special stops on the way home. You deserve it. What a darling picture of you two!!

The Joyful Quilter said...

Beautiful quilt in progress and stunning scenery, too! You were only 3 hours from my house, Mari. Which route did you take home from there?

Linda said...

Your Rainbow quilts coming on beautifully. A real stunner.

Kathleen said...

Oh I absolutely love your quilt and the bright fabrics! Is this a pattern that can be purchased?
Kathleen - kakingsbury at verizon dot net

Sharon Kwilter said...

I love your idea of doing a medallion quilt and add the rounds in each month's color. Wonderful.

Preeti said...

Oh my goodness, Mari this is looking fabulous already. I hope the next month is the color of your choice. You two make such a cute couple :-)

piecefulwendy said...

I'm catching up on blog posts after being gone a few days. Your quilt is so cheery and fun, and I'm enjoying the progress pics! Fun to see the photo of you two!