Weekly update: RSC, round robin, briefcase (again) and NYB

Chinese Puzzle is my 2018 Rainbow Scrap Challenge block.  This is 12.5" (unf). 

I'm participating in a round robin in our quilt guild.  This is month #3.  T. B. said, "Anything goes!" I added the blue flowers. (The flowers were extras from this project and this one.)

The New York Beauty quilt is at the flimsy stage.  This is my entry in the 2018 guild challenge. The theme is "quilt your initials" with one initial being the block name and two initials being the colors.  My initials are NEBH so I chose three of the four. A list of color names was provided. There weren't many choices for N or H (no nickel or hematite, which could've worked up well  (light gray and dark gray)). I could drive myself crazy with choices (nine-patch / hole in the barn door / Eddystone light / birds in the air; black/brown; emerald/ecru). I went with my very first impression: New York Beauty in Eggplant and Blue.

The blocks are 6" fin. With borders, it's 34 x 34.   The challenge reveal is in March so I have six weeks to get it quilted.



Last Monday I posted a picture of the quilt blocks I laboriously hand-sewed to the front panel of a repurposed briefcase. I commented then that I wasn't wild about them because they were more whimsical/cute than I wanted.

I took them off and contemplated a new applique made from something from the orphan blocks box.  Nothing on hand was suitable, but one block gave me an idea.  Here's the result.

It took about a half hour to make the batik block. It took about two-and-a-half hours to hand-sew it to the briefcase.  I also made a foam wrap-around "cushion" for the strap.

Both this briefcase and the NYB challenge were my OMG projects for January. Mid-month and they're done!

Monday linkups:
Scrap Happy Saturday
Monday Making
Oh Scrap!
Design Wall Monday   

P.S.  Here is Miss C. (18 mos. old) with the I Spy quilt I made for her. (More here.)