Goldilocks and the Three Pickles

Poor Goldilocks.  What a time she's had with these pickles!

The first pickle was too small...

and the second pickle was too big...

But she kept trying and trying, and at last she found a pickle that was just right...

Here's the whole gang of pickle dishes -

(that's going to make for a lop-sided quilt...)

And here's what it would look like if I really were crazy enough to make a pickle-in-a-pickle-in-a-pickle...
 

That's pretty silly, even for me...


Linking with Linda at kokaquilts for Sew, Stitch, Snap, SHARE.  Come on along!

Big pickle, small pickle, pickle, pickle, pick!

I'm still pickled.  Or pickling.  Whichever.

Since my tiny pickle from yesterday was extremely tiny, (3"x7" unfinished, which would have ended up about 2.5" by 6" finished), I went looking for a bigger pickle, and found a likely contender at All People Quilt. 
But, I seldom seem to be able to do things the easy way, and so I decided that I wanted this big pickle to have 10 points instead of only six.  I redrafted the pattern and gave it a whirl.

There were a few problems.  I didn't think to get a picture of the vaguely cup-shaped object that I ended up with.  A few alterations were needed before it would lie flat.

I had to add a bit more width to the end triangles -

and my football shape in the center was fine for length, but a bit too chubby in the midsection.

Here are my first two pickles, side by side.

The big pickle is 8.5"x18" unfinished, so it towers over the little one.

As a matter of fact, it looks like that little pickle would fit inside the center of the big pickle...

Naw.  That's too crazy, even for me.



Linking with Quilting is more fun than Housework for Oh Scrap!  Come see what everyone's up to this week!

In a Pickle!

Ya know, Cathy is such a good bad good bad good bad ...umm... strong influence on me!  She says 'squirrel' and I commence to chasing.

Because look what happened...

I got pickled.

Now I've got some decisions to make.  Continue with paper piecing like I did with this pickle?
I'm not wild about the detritus.  I'd definitely go back to my usual freezer paper technique.

And I'm not so sure that hand piecing wouldn't be just as fast (or even possibly faster) than machine piecing.

I'm also thinking I might want to go a little bigger...

Since it's pink, I'll be linking with SoScrappy for ScrapHappy Saturday!  Come see all the fun!  There might be pickles!  And squirrels!

A Paucity of Pink

I don't have a lot of pink on hand, so pickings are slim this week for the RSC.
I made a pinwheel block, but it's so pale and anemic that I'm afraid it'll be overwhelmed by the other blocks I've been making for this quilt.  I'll have to wait and see.

My Buckeye Beauty shines a little brighter.

Every time I make one of those little cuties, I have to stifle a sudden urge to drop everything and make a bucketful of them.  I'm already knee-deep in bucketfuls of four-patch blocks, so the last thing I need is a new obsession.

Speaking of four-patch blocks, this was an unexpected journey -

A trip to Palmateer Point  gave me this little quilt center.   It was a natural little squirrel chase, what with me already playing with four-patches.  I'm thinking a blue border or two will finish this right up.

And to all those who were tempting me to carry on making blocks for my double-four-patch project? 

Yeah, it worked...



Linking with SoScrappy for ScrapHappy Saturday, and Quilting is more fun than Housework for Oh Scrap!  Come for the pink, stay for the scraps!

Four-patches and more four-patches and a big stack of squirrels

Still playing with my four patches.   The fabulous Sally T left a comment on my last four-patch post that I really took to heart.  She said she was disappointed to find that what looked like an orange double four-patch block was actually pink instead.

Orange...  Of course!

One orange block, coming right up!

And I set the two blocks on a handy hunk of purple, along with a few 1.5" squares.  You know, just for grins.

Maybe another block?  I could make a table runner...

So another pink block appeared.  And then, because one good orange deserves another -

Now I had four blocks made.

Let the games begin!

Easy is as easy does - I just set them down next to each other.

Maybe a narrow sashing?  That handy hunk of purple was still right there.

Cornerstones, anyone?

Maybe a 2" sashing instead of a 1" one?

Cornerstones?

Four-patches for cornerstones?

Or maybe a turquoise hunk?

Maybe more blocks?  These double four-patch blocks will finish at eleven inches, so I've got a possible table topper at this point, or a wall quilt.  Do I want to keep going?

The dithering is always the best part...  Maybe I should do one of each?

Oh, and that stack of squirrels I mentioned in the title?  Martingale had a book sale.  I'm always a sucker for a good sale.  Some are for me, and some might go for Christmas gifts, if I can manage to pry them out of my own hands.

At least one of those books is the kind where I want to make every single one of the quilts.

I may need to buy a day-stretcher.




Linking with Quilting is more fun than Housework for Cynthia's Oh Scrap! party.  Come see all the goodies!

Pretty in Pink

With her dark head and legs, and light fluffy coat, she looks just like one of the Shetland sheep I used to have.

 Well, except for the part about being pink...



I'll be linking my little pink delight with SoScrappy for ScrapHappy Saturday.  Come see all the pink rainbow goodness!

In the pink and playing with blocks

This week's adventures in 4-patches led to a little double-four-patch play.

Yeah, the pink was a surprise to me, too.  Not my favorite color, but since I had it close to hand for October's RSC color, the blocks just seemed to land on it.

But the setting wasn't quite what I wanted.  I did a bit of rearranging and came up with this one -

That's better.  A border or two, and I'll have a cute little doll quilt or table topper.  And another setting scratched off my Infinite Number of Four-Patch Settings list.
Now to get all those itty bits sewn together!

Linking with Quilting is more fun than Housework for Oh Scrap!  Come join the fun!