Design Wall Monday

Hmmm - a new week beginning, but the ending of a month, brings all kinds of contemplation and reflection on projects for me.  Looking forward to a new month and a new week makes me want to start some new projects.  

This little kit is for a mini quilt - 13" square approximately.  I have 2 of the metal hangers and it's fun to switch them out for seasons and holidays.  I think this will be a quick one to make.  

Finishing the other 4 blocks for this month's Saturday Sampler needs to be a priority for this week.  I don't want to fall behind.  This first one went together better than I expected.  Those narrow strips separating the quarters can be tricky to line up.

The puffy bag is close to being done.  Both of the outside sections are done, the handles and lining are cut.  This shouldn't take too long to finish.

There is another baby quilt to bind this week too.  No chance of getting bored around here because I always have a bunch of projects in the works.

I'm linking up today with:

https://smallquiltsanddollquilts.blogspot.com/ 

https://songbirddesigns.blog  

RSC25 - Week #25

Some weeks are productive in the sewing room, and some weeks are not.  This has mostly been a non-productive week.  Between grandsons being here and more genealogy research, I just didn't spend much time sewing.  And that is perfectly OK.

I did get another doll quilt made this week.  It has orange in it.  The layout idea was stolen from Kat at Scrapbox Quilts blog.  Mine used up a stack of 3.5" squares that had been cut from leftover backing, mixed with squares of solids, also left over from previous projects.  

This week might not have been very productive, but the month of June definitely has been quite productive.  Lots of orange blocks happened.  I'm ready for a new color, but must say that orange is very energizing.  Some of these block sets are nearing that stage of "enough" for a quilt top.

The Buckeye Beauty blocks are getting very close to enough for a fairly large quilt.  We'll see how many there are after this month, and maybe this one will become a flimsy by the end of the summer.  

Another quilt top has been born however - using the 9.5" string blocks that were made for RSC over the past year and a half.  These are pieced on a muslin foundation.  I had sewn them into rows and then hung up those rows in the closet.  Why didn't I finish it then?  I have no clue, but it's all assembled finally.

And the Triple Triangle string blocks have gotten more attention too.  I'll need more blocks to continue this layout, so we'll see what colors the next couple of months will bring.  

The BIG finish this week was binding a 98" square quilt.  This was the 2024 Saturday Sampler BOM project from the local quilt shop.  My 6' husband couldn't hold it up any higher, and the grass was wet so there isn't a good photo.  And he was holding it upside down.  LOL  This wasn't an RSC project - but it does have a whole rainbow of colors in it.  This is destined to  become a wedding gift.  

Go check out more fun RSC projects, because there is a LOT of inspiration out there in the RSC blog posts.

https://superscrappy.blogspot.com/

Blockheads, golf camp and swim meets

Thursday morning I cut the parts for this week's Blockheads blocks.  There are 2 versions suggested again this week. 

There are a LOT of pieces in this week's block pattern but the result is worth that extra effort.  It's called Dew Drops by Chelsi Stratton.  Only 1 of the 2 blocks has been sewn so far, but maybe I'll get started on the second one this morning while I have an hour or so. 

The only real difference in my 2 versions will be different red/white/blue scraps that I'm using.  There have been some very interesting variations posted in the Facebook group with unique color placement that changes the whole look of the block.  I'm sticking with the original layout.

Grandpa's golf camp continues.  The boys are 14 and 12, and started golf when they were in First Tee programs at about 6.  It's something they do sometimes as a family.  I think grandpa is enjoying this even more than the boys, but it is really nice just having them hanging out for a few days.  So far I'm just the cook and clean-up staff.  LOL  I am headed to watch their sister swim at a meet this afternoon.  

Many of the blogs I follow have been showing their beautiful gardens.  Since I don't garden anymore - other than a couple of flower pots - I thought I'd share my front porch flowers.  These are silk and have solar lights hiding in among them.  Since it's always in the shade, the silk versions don't get wet or have sun shining directly on them.  I can enjoy the colors when I'm sitting out there reading, without any extra work.  

A few blocks for Quilt of Valor

With only an hour to sew yesterday morning, I pulled out some strip sets that were already sewn together for QOV blocks.

There are 24 of these now, including these 7 made yesterday.

Once a month, on the last Wednesday, a group of retired staff (from the school district I taught) gathers for coffee and lunch.  The group includes teachers, librarians, and office staff.  I look forward to that lunch group every month!!

Following lunch yesterday I went grocery shopping to stock up as we have 2 grandsons staying for a few days of "golf camp" with grandpa.  I even baked a pumpkin pie from scratch, using an old (WW2 era) recipe I found in a book.  Because sugar was rationed during WW2, this recipe used honey instead of sugar.  Not bad!! You can taste the honey. 

A string block flimsy

Tuesday was an "office day" in the morning.  I spent a lot of time cleaning off my cluttered desk, reorganizing a lot of paperwork and shredding more old work docs.  I didn't allow myself any sewing time until I had some of this done.  But the afternoon yielded plenty of sewing time and I can check off a couple of tasks. 

I'm on a roll - another quilt top is done and hanging in the closet waiting to be quilted. The blocks themselves were a Rainbow Scrap Challenge project mostly done last year, with a few final blocks made in 2025.  These string blocks were pieced on muslin and are 9" finished.  It is a good lap quilt size of 45 x 54. Or it would be a good kid size.  

Once I finished that quilt top it was time to work on this month's row for Saturday Sampler.  The pieces are cut, and block #1 (of 5) is started.  

A doll quilt and UFO progress

Baby steps . . . each little bit of progress is good, right?

I had given a long arm friend a quilt top and backing that I thought was all ready to go.  But she texted me yesterday morning with this photo, to let me know the backing was too small.  I had given her the wrong backing for that quilt.  Darn!!  Luckily she only lives about 5 miles from me, so I drove out and traded projects, giving her the "next" one on my list.  

The doll quilt turned out very cute using those leftover squares from a backing.  I have a lot of solids, so it was easy to choose some of the same colors from that paint splatter print.  The red teddy bear will be wrapped in this one for donation.

One more of the UFO block sets hanging in the closet is closer to being a finished top.  There were 31 of these string blocks (9.5" square), with about half of them already sewn into rows.  Now all the rows are assembled, and maybe today I'll get the top all finished.  The leftover string block went into my orphan block box.  

Design Wall Monday - June 23

We survived the  wind and 100 degree temps over the weekend.  My husband didn't even play golf, so you know it was miserable out there.  Friday evening we went to grandson Jack's baseball game where we could set up our lawn chairs under big shade trees along the 3rd baseline.  But we skipped going to his big sister's fastpitch tournament on Saturday and Sunday.  It was just too hot for us old folks.  

Yesterday I pulled out a pile of 3.5" squares of a paint splatter print.  It was a leftover backing that I had cut into a big stack of squares.  Paired up with squares cut from the collection of solids it will make a very cute doll quilt.  I got the layout idea after seeing it on Kat's blog - Scrapbox Quilts on Saturday.   Like always, inspiration from another quilter.  This will use up quite a few scraps even though it's a small project. 

Last week I got 1 side of the puffy bag all sewn, so this week I'll keep working at the second side.  I am using an old polyester batting cut into little pieces to stuff those puffs.  

After a whole week of mostly sewing on small projects like bags and RSC blocks, it's time to focus on some bigger things again.  The 5th row of the Saturday Sampler is getting it's turn this week.  Today I plan to cut the pieces for it.  

I'm already thinking about sewing goals for July, and was thinking it's time to use the Indigo Way blocks to make something.  This was a Bonnie Hunter mystery introduced back in winter of 2023-24 I think.  I made blocks but not enough for a full sized quilt.  However, maybe it's enough to make a Quilt of Valor.  It's time to just do it!!

And while looking at UFOs, I think this string quilt needs some attention too.  It's been hanging in the closet, in rows for far too long.   

I'm linking up today with:

https://smallquiltsanddollquilts.blogspot.com/ 

https://songbirddesigns.blog