Impatience

OK - I have to admit that I couldn’t wait to work on the Apple Basket mini quilt.  After kitting up 3 pillowcases for the grandkids, I decided to spend just a few minutes starting this little project. Those few minutes stretched into a bit longer. And the 5.5” basket blocks are done. Next steps in to make 24 flying geese that finish at 1.5” by 2.5”. That will have to wait for another day however.

What is on your design wall this Monday?  https://smallquiltsanddollquilts.blogspot.com/

A new mini quilt project

The parts and pieces of a new Kim Diehl Simple Whatnots project are all cut and ready to sew. This may be what I work on as soon as I get a couple of other items on my goal list completed.  I love having these little design boards.  This one is 14” square, but I have a bigger one too. They are so handy. 

A brand new bag

I've just finished another Sew Together bag - number 13.  This one was completely made from the scrap bins and leftovers from other projects.  For example, the end panels of the bag were from a recent backing used on a quilt. 

The inside of this one makes me think of lemonade with that bright yellow print.  The green binding strips were leftover binding already cut and ready to use. How handy was that? 

That yellow and lime green are just perfect to go with the cocktail print.  I have enough of the cocktail print left to make several more bags, or to use in some other way.  It's left from a 60 degree runner I made a couple of summers ago.  It was so cute I bought way more than I knew I needed for the runner. 

The first dozen of these bags . . . were in a wide variety of fabrics and colors.  Some were sold, some were gifted.  I am using 2 of them, and have one left to sell - plus this new one.  And now I've pulled together enough fabrics and zippers to get a good start on a second dozen.  Just call me crazy!!

Reunion Signature quilt is finished

My husband's family has a BIG family reunion every few years and the most recent one was in 2018.  There were about 150 people attending, and we had them sign quilt blocks that I made for that purpose.  Couples and singles signed a block, and their children went onto a separate block.

I finally got these put together, had it quilted, and the binding was finished this week.  I still need to add a label but haven't decided how I want that to look yet.  

Saturday Sampler progress

We're 4 months into the current Saturday Sampler program and I'm still caught up. Yay!!  The big (24") blocks were an extra option but I'm glad I'm adding those. This month's big block has a kind of lavender center Ohio Star surrounded by green pinwheels. 

Each month we make 2 blocks from the pattern but with different colors.  Those colors so far are all kind of "dusty" shades, which isn't my favorite, and all batiks, which I really love.  The light backgrounds I've been using are also batiks but different ones in each block.  This will be very pretty together, even though I prefer brighter colors. 

The other colorway we could choose was 30's fabrics - which I love - and from what I've seen, those blocks are looking so cheerful.  But it's good to step outside of my comfort zone occasionally.  It's easier to give away a quilt when I haven't fallen in love with it. 

The view from my desk . . .

The view through the window that my desk faces has changed a bit this morning - no hungry birds, but some wet snow has been falling all morning.  However, my view is about to change because I just sent off the contract revisions (90+ pages worth) that were my noon deadline today.  Now I'm going to go sew for awhile.  Yay!!

Visitors make my morning . . .

A big blue jay has been hanging out the past couple of days at the bird feeder just outside my home office window.  Yesterday the little birds disappeared immediately when he showed up. But I'm watching this morning and the little birds are back and taking turns at the feeder . . . with the blue jay and with a cardinal and two red headed woodpeckers. 

This is the most activity I've ever seen at this feeder, from any birds except the house finches and a few goldfinches.