Saturday, April 15, 2023

Purple blocks in the rain

Hello everyone, from a very rainy and foggy Baltimore. I could barely see outside this morning. At least it's warm. We had record highs this week, which I can't say I enjoyed, but the sunshine felt great. Everything outside seems on the verge of growing out of control, too. So now it's the weekend, and of course the rain is here to help all those plants.

I had a very busy week, and I didn't get a chance to take pictures of my purple blocks until this morning, but I did finally get a decent shot of my four purple star blocks:
 
 
They're a little washed out from the rain and fog, but they still look pretty good.  I also made the Peace and Plenty blocks earlier this week:
 
 
Do you see those green things on the trees? I think they call those "leaves," and they are busting out everywhere. It's very exciting. Pretty soon I won't be able to see my neighbors any more, which I think all of us will like.
 
 
The star blocks were fun to make, even if a couple of them were a little fussy. I don't have a lot of purple scraps, but I managed to find a couple of combinations to go together pretty well. In the picture above, I've never been able to figure out if the fabric in the block on the right was purple or blue. It changed depending on what I put it with, so it's very nice all by itself in this block. 


These are 9-inch blocks, so some of the pieces in the blocks above were pretty small. I still liked making them, but small pieces take time. I also had a heck of a time with the outer parts of the block on the right. I really should have re-drafted it and made it a different way instead of trying to make those triangles work, but once I was committed I had to figure it out or find a different fabric. That sounded wasteful, and too much work, so I soldiered through it. It turned out okay.

 
It's a terrible picture, but the last purple thing I have to show is where I am with those danged purple 4-patches. I decided to turn them into a quilt border to use as many as possible, and I think it's going to work. I only have eight left over. Hurray! Now I just have to decide how to fill the center!

Everybody have a wonderful weekend, even if it's a bit soggy!

Sharing at soscrappy for RSC23.

11 comments:

The Joyful Quilter said...

I'm in love with those "danged" PURPLE 4-Patches, Mari, and LOVE what you decided to do with them!!! Best of luck with figuring out how to fill that lovely border you created.

LIttle Penguin Quilts said...

Your purple blocks are really pretty, Mari, and the rainy day gives them a lovely soft look! There are little green leaves popping out all over the place here in Colorado, too - so happy to see them. Those 4 patches are going to make a beautiful border. Now you just need the perfect center!

Jenny said...

That's a clever approach, four patch purple border first then fill up the centre with......? Guess we will just have to wait and see.

Kate said...

All your purple blocks turned out beautifully. I have a couple of those fabrics where it's hard to tell if it's blue or purple. They can be hard to use with anything else. I love the 4 patch border, a very fun way to use up those blocks. Looking forward to seeing what you fill that border with. Happy stitching this week.

Pat at Bell Creek Quilts said...

So many pretty shades of purple! Your sewing space is like a purple heaven!

Bernie Kringel said...

Oooooh, I love the purple and green combination Mari. That is looking great!

grammajudyb said...

It will be fun to decide what to put in the center of those dang purple 4-patches! But I know it will be fabulous’ you must surely be running out of purple scraps! You have made a great many blocks! Enjoy the rain, it could be snow! Like we had on Saturday!

Kathleen said...

In Maine, it is overwhelmingly brown.. I long for the leave you show...but very soon. Love your blocks..very vivid in the dull gray of April.

Nann said...

Green is popping up here in northeasternmost Illinois! You have a lovely array of purple. That lower right block is Eddystone Light and the edge triangles are tricky. I've resorted to making either individual HSTs or flying geese. (P.S. Feedly asked, "Is this post about gardening?" LOL.)

Nancy @ Grace and Peace Quilting said...

Cute way to photo graph all your great purple blocks, Mari!!!

piecefulwendy said...

It's trying to be green here, but just can't seem to get there. At least it's not snow! Your purple blocks are looking great! I love that border, and with 8 left over, they could be fun to use for the backing?