enJOY it

an archived personal and craft blog from Elise Blaha Cripe.

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It's hot in San Diego right now. (I get it. Nobody cares about the weather.) But our house is a tough one to cool down and so the days are verrrrrry long and verrrrry hot. Which would be handle-able except the nights are somehow longer and hotter (I'm battling 3rd trimester insomnia). It's all making for a very bizarre, cloudy headed (fairly sweaty) funk.

BUT THEN.

Wednesday night, I saw this photo and the wheels started turning. I held my breath and googled our local fabric shop and found that while they close at 5pm every other night of the week they were open until 8pm on Wednesdays. Paul put Ellerie down for bed at 7pm and I dashed out the door, rolling down the windows and enjoying the moderately cool breeze.

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Aside from a few folks in a workshop and a bunch of friendly staff, I was the only person in the fabric shop. I walked back and forth and back and forth their wall of cotton solids until I had six stacks of fabric bolts. I was looking for red, orange, yellow, green, blue and purple and then six shades of each. The shades had to fade properly and the rainbows had to fade properly. And the clock was ticking.

It was like my own craft challenge and obviously I was obsessed with it. (Where's the Kickstarter for the reality TV show were we just watch people put things in color order? Because I'd back that.)

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Walking out of that store with a beautiful stack of rainbow fabric was just the kick I needed.

It's going to be a super simple quilt. 10×10 squares of 60 different colors. It should come together really quickly working with just blocks like that. And by quickly I mean, hopefully I'll see you back here Monday with a rainbow quilt (or at least a rainbow quilt top). And a giveaway too. I have enough fabric for four quilts and I'm crazy, but only crazy enough to make one.

 

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27 responses to “beating the blues with all the other colors.”

  1. Leah Noble Avatar

    ♥♥♥♥ 🙂

    Like

  2. Angela Avatar
    Angela

    Love this!!! How much of each color did you end up purchasing?

    Like

  3. Tee Avatar
    Tee

    I’m sure the quilt will be fantastic but even simply seeing the fabrics makes me so happy this morning. Party on.

    Like

  4. Ktber Avatar
    Ktber

    Wow! I made an August, 3rd trimester rainbow-of-squares quilt for my 1st baby of batiks, and man has the leftover stash come through again and again over the years since (he’s almost six.) The hard work (the color-finding and sequencing) are done and you can pull on it for making awesome little accessories to toddler/preschool life that carry the meaning and memories of the baby days into later years and siblings (older or younger). I guess that could be true of any leftovers from a baby quilt but working with a spectrum like that is my favorite–so satisfying–and seems to stay fresher for some reason. Have fun! PS mine are 3 and 5 now and it feels easy again!

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  5. ryan.ann Avatar
    ryan.ann

    beautiful 🙂

    Like

  6. Jodi Avatar

    i can hardly wait to see it finished!

    Like

  7. Anna Avatar

    We haven’t even seen the finished quilt yet and I still have never wanted to win a giveaway more. Happy quilting this weekend!

    Like

  8. Marisa Avatar
    Marisa

    Yay! You’ve inspired me. I was given a bunch of rainbow-colored scraps and they’ve just been sitting in my stash basket. I’m going to make a quilt for my daughter’s new rainbow-themed room. Thank you!

    Like

  9. Margaret Avatar

    I cannot wait to see the final results! Roy G Biv for president!

    Like

  10. Jennie Avatar
    Jennie

    Now THIS could be my first quilt attempt. LOVE IT!

    Like

  11. Leigh Avatar
    Leigh

    Gorgeous!!!!

    Like

  12. Elise Avatar

    1/3 yard each! 🙂

    Like

  13. michelle t Avatar
    michelle t

    I’m sorry you’re having a tough time. With summer birthday babies, I get it. Love how your mind works. Can’t wait to see. Take care of yourself. Michelle t

    Like

  14. Zoe Avatar
    Zoe

    How wonderful! I have also gone wandering around the fabric store when I’m restless or moody. I can’t wait to see how it turns out!

    Like

  15. Wendy G. Avatar
    Wendy G.

    Fabulous! Anxiously awaiting the results…

    Like

  16. Kate Avatar

    This whole thing just makes me smile! Love the story, love the motivation, love the idea! Enjoy the weekend. Can’t wait to see your progress. 🙂

    Like

  17. Kristina B Avatar

    My mom is a knitter and I demanded (at the age of 10?) a RAINBOW AFGHAN!!! She eyerolled but knitted away and it went with me, either out in the daylight or under my fitted sheet, until I was married. You work will not be in vain 🙂

    Like

  18. Courtney Avatar
    Courtney

    Oh my gosh I would LOVE fabric for a rainbow quilt. I will be checking back for sure!!!

    Like

  19. Janice Avatar
    Janice

    This is going to be gorgeous! Don’t you just love it when the stars align like that?

    Like

  20. Sara Avatar
    Sara

    Hi Elise! (I can’t wait to see how this quilt turns out!) I have an unrelated question, though, about fitbit. I just got one and love it – you’ve totally inspired me. I really like the neutral color of one of your wristbands – it looks beige? – but I can’t find that kind of color anywhere. Can I ask: where did you get it?

    Like

  21. Meghan Avatar
    Meghan

    i love your quilts, especially this rainbow one! You should totally sell your quilts!

    Like

  22. Susan Avatar

    That’s going to be beautiful! It already is just looking at the colors.
    I remember all too well third trimester insomnia. Mine was so bad my doc gave me a scrip for Ambien. It was absolutely miserable. Then of course when the baby was born the insomnia slowly went away but I still had to stay up for the baby!!
    Good luck. And I hope that what wave cools off soon. We talk about weather in the Midwest all the time. 🙂

    Like

  23. Natasha Renstead Avatar
    Natasha Renstead

    Awesome!! I made a a similar style baby quilt for a friend of mine who had a baby boy recently. You might like to have a look at it here:
    https://instagram.com/p/5q1hONggBi/?taken-by=onethousandlayers
    I’ve also got a pinky/orangey one on the go as well…but not for anyone in particular at this stage 🙂

    Like

  24. Kathleen Avatar

    That really looks awesome! Can’t wait to see the finished product!

    Like

  25. Serafina Avatar
    Serafina

    I’m headed to the fabric store first thing tomorrow morning not only to pick up binding for the quilt I otherwise finished yesterday but also to pick up fabric for a rainbow quilt!

    Like

  26. Rosemary Costello Avatar

    this is an amazingly simple and complicated quilt at once. Thanks for showing us how!!
    Not so daunting to attempt for the first time round!

    Like

  27. Benedicte Avatar

    And you’ve just kicked my butt to get started on a quilt for baby 2 !! Thanks to you I made my very first quilt ever for our baby boy’s birth a little over 2 years ago (following your quilt tutorial), now baby 2 is coming in March and I really want him/her to have his/her very own quilt too. YAY. It’s fun being twice pregnant at the same time (ish) as you. Hope you’ll get some sleep! xx

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