Friday, April 17, 2015

Purple reign

Hi everyone, and happy weekend to you! We are currently being blessed with great sunshine and I hope you are too.

Does it seem to anyone else that purple is suddenly everywhere? Everywhere I look, there's something purple. Clothes, jewelry, accessories, fabrics, shoes, flowers--you name it, I've been seeing it in purple. I even considered buying an eggplant before I came to my senses.

Turns out I have tons of purple fat quarters and purple scraps, so I made up another mini using mostly purples:

Outdoor photo!

When I was in school, I had an art teacher who nearly scared me away from purple forever. She had a real bee in her bonnet about mixing blue purples with red purples. I'm pretty sure I would have failed if this was one of her assignments. Amazing how something like that can affect us years later, isn't it?

I didn't have 42 different purples, which I really wanted, so I added in some pinks, but I think they look okay.  I also obsessed over the arrangement of the blocks. I must have rearranged them a dozen times. Anybody else ever do that?  This turned out a bit bigger than anticipated, about 24 by 28. Still a mini in my book.

Indoor picture!

 I don't know what's with me, but I'm really liking the minis. They're just the right size for me right now, and they don't take a million years to finish. They might end up as place mats, but they're fun.


I also made up some purple string blocks:


I'm always amazed at how great these turn out. Seems like little bitty pieces like that would turn into a mess, but they don't. I'm getting a pretty nice pile of string blocks:



Still no specific plan for these, but they're helping empty out the bins. I'm looking forward to the paper-removing party at the end, too. I still have the paper dolls to make with the purple, but I pulled out a few pieces to use for those dresses, so the bin should be very low by the end of this month.

Finally, here is a happy outdoor photo to take us all into the weekend:



Whoo-hoo!  This is the front flower bed, full of puschkinia flowers. I love these little things, even if they have jumped out of the bed and invaded the lawn. I should kill off the ones in the grass, but I just can't bring myself to--they're so pretty after a crummy winter! There's a tulip coming up there, too, and those stick-like things are the perennial geranium, which is also greening up.

Everybody have a great weekend! We will be working outside and then helping our son and daughter-in-law with some house hunting.  I'd forgotten how exhausting that can be!

Linking to Sarah at Confessions of a Fabric Addict, Angela at soscrappyhttp://superscrappy.blogspot.com, and also Finish it up Friday. Happy sewing!

20 comments:

Sheila said...

Love your sweet purple mini! Purple is one of my favorite colors. And your string blocks! I LOVE sting blocks and string quilts! You go girl!

Alison V. said...

Very cute!

Judy@Quilt Paradigm said...

LOVE purple and your mini is gorgeous! I probably spend more time with layout than I do piecing :) haha

Your string blocks are gorgeous!! They are going to make a stunning quilt no matter how you put them together!!

JanineMarie said...

When I read about your experience with the art teacher still having an effect, it brought me right back to kindergarten (!) when I was told not to draw blue flowers because "there are no blue flowers." To this day, my favorite flowers are ones that are truly blue!! So go ahead and mix those blue purples and red purples! And thanks for sharing your flowers. I saw some in a yard yesterday and wondered what they were. Thanks to you, now I know. They look so joyful spilling everywhere.

Sew Much For Free Time said...

Love the purple! Purple is the color for Cystic Fibrosis Awareness, and May is the month that we promote it. I try to wear something purple each day in May, and sometimes do my nails and hair in purple for the month, too. Maybe this hear I will make a purple quilt. Hmmm.

I was struck by the difference in your indoor and outdoor photos. The pinks really came out in the indoor one. It's a lovely mini, either way.

I am pretty sure I'd fail if someone made me sort a stack of purples in to blue purples and red purples. Its all just beautiful purple to men

! Enjoy the glorious weekend!!!

Sew Much For Free Time said...

Love the purple! Purple is the color for Cystic Fibrosis Awareness, and May is the month that we promote it. I try to wear something purple each day in May, and sometimes do my nails and hair in purple for the month, too. Maybe this hear I will make a purple quilt. Hmmm.

I was struck by the difference in your indoor and outdoor photos. The pinks really came out in the indoor one. It's a lovely mini, either way.

I am pretty sure I'd fail if someone made me sort a stack of purples in to blue purples and red purples. Its all just beautiful purple to men

! Enjoy the glorious weekend!!!

Bernie Kringel said...

Ach, I haven't even started any of the purple blocks for the row quilt. I have kept up with it this far and don't want to fall behind so I'd better get busy.
It is amazing how a little experience when we are younger sticks with us for ever. I remember certain things from elementary school so vividly, both good and bad. A good one is when I asked my four grade teacher (a Catholic nun) if she had any hair under her habit. She pulled out a strand to show me and it was bright red. I loved her for that. Of course I also remember that my first grade (nun) teacher was an ear puller (if kids were naughty she yanked on their ear!) can you imagine?!
I love the string blocks. Those will make a gorgeous quilt!
Happy house hunting! Are they looking in your town?

Scrappy quilter said...

I really like how your string blocks are turning out. They are so much fun to do.

Jennifer said...

I love your mini! great job- and no sweat about mixing those blue and red purples!

Katie Z. said...

I love the pinks mixed in with the purples!

Cathy said...

Who in the heck would say such a thing???...can't mix red purple and blue purple???

String blocks are sure a great use of scraps. I've never seen a string quilt I didn't like. I've been making some too since last year but have no clue what I'm going to do with them yet...I guess just keep making them until I run out of strings!

Quiltdivajulie said...

What a terrific post!!! So happy to see your flowers .... And the string blocks are beautiful!

PaulaB quilts said...

I saw a whole lawn of those flowers the other day in Madison, glad to know what they are. Please don't get rid of them. Your purples are a lovely mix of all the shades and that is why it works so well, so lively.

Nell's Quilts said...

What great variety in the purple fabrics. Love the string blocks - they are just so happy. The minis are so much fun to make. Quilting and binding take almost no time and the quilt is finished. Looking forward to seeing the purple dressed dolls.

PaulaB quilts said...

I'm still nervous about doing binding, so I prefer not to make small things. I am unable to do hand sewing any more, so doing it by machine is a challenge. Does anyone else fell that way?

scraphappy said...

I think blue purples and red purples and pinks all look great together. Love the string block collection. So many possible ways to use them!

LA Paylor said...

the final picture should tell us something... bright spring green with white, very crisp like a granny smith apple. The string blocks are chock full of color... gonna look terrific together. Yes I dither over arrangement. It's necessary and fun.
I'll dither over someone elses project too, in fact did at my last bee. LeeAnna

Deb@asimplelifequilts said...

Such a pretty post! Love the blocks, the flowers and especially your purple mini. Those pops of green are the perfect complement. I love all shades of purple.

Deb A said...

Your purple quilt looks great with all the shades of purple and pink in there. Your art teacher from school is proven WRONG! Good for you to mix them all in - it looks great. Yes, I move things around a lot especially on scrappy quilts before I finally say 'oh well, I'm not moving anything anymore and it will just be!'. They usually come out great despite all the worry =).

viridian said...

Love love the rainbow string blocks. They are turning out great.