RSC24 - week #2

This isn't green, but the pieces had worked their way to the top of a scrap bin, so I decided to use them for a quick Zipper block.  

There was enough left for a couple of Windmill blocks, so I cut those pieces before leaving home this week (to house/kid/dog sit for our daughter).  They are ready to sew while I'm here and just want some quick stitching.

Once I got my sewing machine figured out on Friday I did make 2 more green Night Vision blocks plus their bonus triangle pinwheels.  These were just a few of the random blocks I had kitted up to bring with me while I kid/dog sit.  

Late in 2023 I began making Dutchman's Puzzle blocks using some batiks I had been gifted.  I had the idea to use various shades of aqua along with whatever color is chosen each month for RSC.  This new one has joined the 2 that were made last year.  

I've been gradually adding the side triangles to these string blocks, called Rainbow Connections.  Again - not green, although there is a green string section still hanging in the closet.  Since I'm using these to enlarge an existing flimsy from crib size to twin size, I'll still need to make a few more of these.

Check out more RSC fun today . . .
https://superscrappy.blogspot.com/

Day 2 - a snow day

 The kids had a normal school day on Thursday, but it did snow off and on all day.  The unplowed streets presented a challenge when I took the kids to school in the morning and again in the afternoon when I picked them up.  We're having a snow day today.

My morning coffee buddy was Ella. She was pretty much attached at the hip all day long - and all night long in bed too.  I worked on binding a QOV for a couple hours yesterday morning, and then went to the grocery store to stock up on a few things because the weather prediction is for wind chills between -20 and -40 for the next 3 days.  Turned out to be a good decision. 

Grandpa arrived about 10 pm last night, and only had to drive in snowy conditions the last 20 miles or so, as the promised snowstorm had moved in here by early evening. This morning Ella is his buddy, curled up next to him as he reads his book.

We got maybe 5" of new snow overnight which I walked through in my tennis shoes this morning to get the snow boots Jack left in my car after school, and because I let my own snow boots in the car when I arrived on Wednesday afternoon.  Lesson learned grandma!!  The wind chill at noon was -17.

I did set up my sewing machine and little ironing board this morning.  Since I hadn't used this one in about 2 years, I'm sure glad I brought the manual with me because I couldn't remember how to wind a bobbin or thread the machine without looking in the booklet.  My first project was Vintage Delight - the first block in the Riley Blake Designs Challenge for 2024.  It's a weekly block reveal, usually for about 16 weeks.  These are 10" finished.  I'm planning to use up some 30s reproduction fabrics for the RBD Challenge this year since I have a lot of them.  

We're tucked in snug and probably won't go anywhere for a couple days. Grandpa plans to go home on Sunday as he has to attend their annual "all hands" meeting/training all of next week. 

Check-in and a finish

 Day 1 of house-sitting, kid-sitting, and dog-sitting.  Once I take the kids to school, the dog has been walked, and I make some coffee, the plan is to set up my sewing machine and do a bit of stitching.  

This quilt was finished right before Christmas and I hadn't shown it on the blog yet.  It was the 3rd version of the 2022 Saturday Sampler.  The blocks were so easy that I made them in 3 colorways.  This one used batiks in all the blocks.  This setting was the pattern used in the Saturday Sampler, with that secondary design being very dominant.  I did skip the outer border on this one.  

Two flimsies & more

The 4-Square Star Quilt of Valor is a flimsy, and I really love this one. 

The blocks and borders all came from my QOV stash.  I went scrappy for the blocks and I think I'll make this design again.  There are still a LOT of fabric options in that stash to make more.  

The second flimsy was an extra project.  Since the roads were too icy to drive to Brookings for doubleheader basketball on Saturday, I pulled this one out and finished sewing those strips together.  The pattern is the Quick Strippee from Mary Quilts.  This is a 3-yard quilt and one of my favorite fast baby or toddler quilt to make.  It's made with 3 fabrics, and that wide strip allows for a fun novelty print to be the star.  There are 2 more of these quilts kitted up.  I'm taking one of the kits with me to sew while babysitting - the kit with lots of green.    

My wildlife update - after not seeing the wild turkey flock at all for a couple of weeks, we're now seeing an even larger group.  We think our summer flock of 16 has merged with another group.

And there is a white one in the group.  We're not sure if she is albino or an escapee from a domestic turkey flock.  My husband has been tossing seed out onto the backyard since it has snowed.  

A possible squirrel - or two

I've participated in the Rainbow Scrap Challenge for several years, and it's one of my favorite online things. Every Saturday the host Angela posts a "linky party" for folks to share what they've been working on in the color of the month - or just anything they're making.  I've gotten so much inspiration from the wonderful creative things in those weekly posts.

This was the squirrel I just HAD to follow this weekend - the Loose Goose. Sylvia at Treadlestitches blog shared her 3-D Loose Goose blocks, including a link for a brief tutorial on how to make them.  The pattern was in a book by Mary Ellen Hopkins some years ago, and Sylvia had attended a lecture by Hopkins and loved these blocks from the book.  I'm sharing Sylvia's link below - and I searched Amazon and found the book can be found used.
https://treadlestitches.blogspot.com/2023/10/free-table-quilts-and-3-d-flying-geese.html

The first 5 Loose Goose blocks were quickly made.  These are adorable and so easy!  Plus they could be made in any size you wanted - so of course I made more, including 3 bigger ones.  The small ones will finish at 2" x 4", and the bigger ones will finish at 3" x 6".

And the other squirrel I followed?  

Next up was Night Vision - a pattern I had saved over a year ago.  Note - this was my practice block, and notice it doesn't look like the picture. That's because I put the dark triangles onto the wrong side of those Flying Geese.  Oops!  

A second block had to be made - correctly this time. Also note the little 4.5" pinwheels that I made with the trimmed triangles from each block. Waste not, want not.  

Laying both blocks side by side has me thinking that maybe they could work well together in the same project.  Or the wrong one could go into a separate project. 

I'm always looking for something new and fun to add to the RSC sewing, and both Loose Goose and Night Vision will be fun in 2024.  

BTW - The pattern sheet for Night Vision is my own document that I created with the designer info I got when I googled the block, plus the cutting instructions.   Info copied from one site - "The block first appeared in the Quilters Newsletter publication and Nancy Zieman used it in a block of the month program many years ago."

Design Wall Monday - Jan. 8

What's on your design wall today? 
https://smallquiltsanddollquilts.blogspot.com/

Mine is full of multiple projects, some nearly done and some in various stages of progress. The 4-Square Star is nearly a completed flimsy.  It needs an outer border. 

I had enough of this red print in the stash and have the border strips all cut and ready to sew onto the quilt - this week sometime. 

I've been setting aside some projects to take with me later this week when I go stay at my daughter's house with the kids and dog while the parents take a much needed vacation.  I need some things to work on when the kids are in school, plus I'll be there from Wednesday afternoon until the next week Friday morning.  I'll need to stay busy. 

It's a snow day in most of the southeast part of SD today. This is the beginning of a winter storm.

RSC24 - Week #1 - green

 Play with green this month (week) began with some string sewing.

My Rainbow Connection quilt needs to be larger, so I've been making a few more blocks to add to it.  I started with pulling some of the darker green strings from the green scrap bin to make a string section for one of the additional blocks. 

While those green strings were laying around, I used some of the smaller ones to make the String Bead block section.  The first one I made as an experiment used a muslin foundation, but a paper foundation is going to work better.  

So, one dark green and one medium green String Bead block were quickly assembled, along with one Small Heart block.  

Four more of the green string sections are sewn, but not assembled into blocks yet.  The rogue pink one was my practice piece.  While I was digging into that scrap bin, several green pieces were cut for the little box holding the pieces for Potato Chip blocks, and the little box for Small Heart blocks. 
 

Three more Zipper blocks were born - with some fun green fabrics found deep in the scraps just waiting to be something.  I really like these. 

And 2 more Brighten blocks were added to the ones made in 2023.   

Wow - that is a LOT of green blocks for this week!  Did I make a dent in that green scrap bin?  Not noticeably!  That bin is just fluffed up and looks as full as ever.  

On Thursday morning I took my green and cream quilt (from 2023) into The Pin Cushion to find backing, and to leave it for quilting.  

The 9" blocks from the Sewcialites 2 sew-along are layed out in a star shape.  It's about 74" square.  For some reason this quilt makes me think of leprechauns and St Patrick's Day.

Let's see how others have made a splash into 2024 with green this week . . .
https://superscrappy.blogspot.com/