Saturday, May 31, 2014

The Scrappy Rambler

I recently joined the Fort Collins Modern Quilt Guild. It is so fun to get together once a month with inspiring gals who love to quilt as much as I do.  One of the things we're about to start is a roaming quilt bee. Everyone begins with a starter block that is passed around to all the participating members.  Each person adds to the quilt and then it is passed on again. It is similar to a "round robin" except that the additions to each quilt are not limited to borders.

I was so excited, I couldn't wait to sew my block.


The center piece is a label from a pair of pajama pants I acquired in either high school or college.  I still have the pants, and the little bag (I use it as a tiny pillowcase).  I saved the label because I loved the fun, retro look of it.  Sometimes (often) I will save things for years until I find the perfect use for them (my husband loves this, no he does not).


I framed it in a churn dash because I like to mix in old quilt block patterns that have been around for ages with fun, modern fabric.

Now, I figured my starter block was finished so I just let it be until it could begin its travels.

However, I kept thinking about how much I liked the little label because it reminded me of how women of yesteryear would sew with old flour sacks.  How thrifty! How fun!  Flour generally does not come in flour sacks anymore, but there is a Colorado brand that I saw on the shelves whenever I was grocery shopping with Michael. (He does the grocery shopping because he is full of awesomeness.)  I would always hint that we should buy that flour because I was coveting the bag.  He likes to bake with whole wheat flour so we never really needed that much white flour.  When my friend, Anna, had a cookie party last Christmas, imagine my happiness when Michael suggested we buy the Blue Bird flour to bake the cookies.  Yay!


I've been hanging on to that blue bird of happiness, waiting for the ideal project.  It seemed like the perfect fit to match with my old pants label.


I also included a block that I'd picked up at a fabric swap a long time ago that was made by Tara, another member of the Modern Quilt Guild.  Now my starter block is ready to begin its journey.  I've named the quilt "The Scrappy Rambler" and I'm very excited to see how it will grow.  I'll keep you posted on the progress.


Mr. Paws says, "Are you finished? You sure have a lot to say."


3 comments:

  1. Replies
    1. It looks like you get the first crack at this quilt. I can't wait to see your fun additions.

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  2. It will be so fun to see what everyone comes up with. This is all so exciting.

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