The end of a week

I've fallen behind in reading blogs the past few days, and also in commenting or responding to comments on my own blog.  Life happens. 

Monday I played golf.  Tuesday I had appointments.  

Wednesday morning began early as I had to make a quick trip to the clinic for a blood draw prior to my annual physical.  But just before I left we both got phone calls from friends to share some very bad news.  In the tiny rural town we lived in previously there had been a house fire, just 2 doors from our old house.  The husband and wife living there both died in the fire.  We were neighbors for 2 decades, I taught with her for many years at the same school, our kids went to school together, she gave both of my girls piano lessons.  I just had lunch with her 2 weeks ago.  It was just so shocking and so sad.  The loss of these 2 fine people will leave a big hole in the community. 

Honestly, I never set foot in my sewing room Monday, Tuesday, or Wednesday this week.  Yesterday morning was sewing time, and I worked on some binding in the evenings.  There will be a UFO finish to show off for my Rainbow Scrap Challenge post tomorrow.  

Yesterday involved making this week's Blockheads block, another 18" block.  It's called Bellissimo Star by Joanna Figueroa of Fig Tree.  The block went together nicely but there was a lot of waste left when making it.  

I used some of that waste to make a 6.5" block to use as a mug rug.  

One row was assembled for the Buckeye Beauty top, and I made several of the QOV blocks that I had kitted up for Leaders/Enders.  Today I hope to get more rows sewn with the Buckeye blocks.  

Buckeye Beauty layout

 

The Buckeye Beauty blocks are all set into 4-sies (16" finished), and are ready for a final decision about placement.  Next step is to sew these into rows, and then into a completed flimsy which will be about 64 x 80.  This was a Rainbow Scrap Challenge project this year.  

A sew-free zone

 

First of all, I need to wish a very Happy Birthday to my firstborn today!!  She's a busy working mom to 3 kids and 3 dogs, and wife to 1 husband.  Hope she has a really good day!

My house was a "sew-free" zone on Monday, and might be again today.   Yesterday I played 18 holes of golf with my husband.  He wanted to get in a practice round at the course (45-60 minutes away) his tournament will be on Friday, so we made a tee time.  It was a gorgeous day for golf - low 80s for temps and not windy.  Yay!!  

Today is a haircut and manicure day, but maybe I'll find time for a little sewing.  Tomorrow I have my annual physical, and a DAR meeting.  Seems like a really good time to take a day off from blogging.  See you Thursday - maybe. 

Design Wall Monday - July 7

 I've been on a roll lately with sewing nearly every day for at least an hour or 2, some days a lot more.  It really adds up. But today will hopefully be spent on a golf course and not in the sewing room.   

It will be a semi busy week, so I'm being more reasonable with my plans for the week.  I picked up the Scrappy Pyramids quilt from the quilter last week, so I'm hoping to get that one bound.  The binding is scrappy too, and all from the leftover binding chunks in a drawer.  I got a start yesterday hand stitching that binding down, so hopefully it will easily be finished by the end of this week.  

The other 2 projects I plan to work on this week are also UFOs that need attention.  One is another doll quilt, and the other is a Quilt of Valor.  The doll quilt just needs binding too, so that should be a quick finish as it's only about 20" square. 
 

The other UFO that needs attention . . . Indigo Way. This was a Bonnie Hunter mystery a couple of years ago.  I made some blocks at the time, but never actually put them together.  The blocks and lots of parts of blocks have been languishing in the project box.  This is my plan for using the blocks so far. The corner triangles still need to be cut.   In order to make it large enough for a Quilt of Valor I'll have to add a couple of wide outer borders.  

The Buckeye Beauty blocks all need to be sewn into sets of 4 before laying them out for final assembly.  There is a small stack yet that need to become a 4-sie.  That would bring this project one step closer to being finished. 

And of course there will be various block sewing - like always - RSC blocks, Leaders/Enders, Blockheads, more QOV blocks.  Maybe some other small things like mug rugs or placemats.  Whatever strikes my fancy, right?  There are parts already cut for more QOV blocks, and for more RSC (purple) blocks.  Kitting up block pieces makes it really quick to sew a bunch of new blocks.  

I'm linking up today with:

https://smallquiltsanddollquilts.blogspot.com/ 

https://songbirddesigns.blog  

RSC25 - Week #26

Halfway through the year already!!!  That means we're on color #7 already, and I dug right into the purples with glee this week.  Once I pulled out the purple scrap bin, a lot of cutting happened all at once.  I may have gotten carried away with purple and July is just beginning. 

The first purple blocks were the Buckeye Beauty.  I'm hoping to have enough of these blocks now to start assembling the quilt top.  I haven't counted them yet but I'm getting close I think.  I've been sewing these individual blocks into 4-sies.  By the end of July, I'm hoping to have a completed flimsy of Buckeye Beauty. 

Three purple Give It a Whirl blocks came next.  There are 3 of each color so far, meaning there are 21 of these.  They add up quickly.  

Then came some Hollow-9 blocks, and a couple of string triangles.

And finally just 1 Brighten block was added to that collection.

I'm not worried about having nothing purple to make the rest of the month however, because there are other RSC block sets hanging in the closet that need purple.  And if I were to look through the UFOs, I'm sure there is purple there too.  

There is a LOT MORE inspiration out there in the RSC blog posts.

https://superscrappy.blogspot.com/

July 4th

 Happy 4th of July!!

One of my husband's cousins had a funny post on Facebook yesterday . . .
On this date July 3rd 1776, Thomas Jefferson historically said "holy crap!! Is that due tomorrow?"  

Sorry - I just couldn't resist sharing it today.

The June row for Saturday Sampler is finished.  Some of the rows have been narrow, with lots of small (like 4") blocks.  And a couple of rows have been this size - 12" finished - with only 5 blocks in it.  We're over halfway through this program already.

Since I was in a red/white/blue mood a good share of the week I continued to play with the leftovers from Quilts of Valor.  That lead to pulling out some 6.5" orphan blocks from the bin - some are patriotic and others were just random ones.  These will be more mug rugs and the bonus - uses up more orphan blocks. 

To continue on with my focus on red/white/blue, one of the UFO projects on my July goal list is to do something with the Indigo Way blocks that have been languishing in the project box.  This was a Bonnie Hunter pattern from a couple of years ago.  If there aren't enough blocks done for a Quilt of Valor I may end up making a few more.  

Blockheads and Leaders/Enders

The Blockheads 6 program is chugging right along.  This was week #6 already, and so far I've kept up with the weekly blocks. 

Last week's Blockheads blocks were Dew Drops by Chelsi Stratton. 

This week's block is Moonbeam by Robin Pickens.  It's 18" finished, so twice as large as the previous 5 weeks' blocks.  

So far, we've made 2 blocks each previous week, except for one.  And now we've added one big block to the mix.   Because I'm doing scrappy red/white/blue these blocks are all destined to end up in a Quilt of Valor.  

Ironically about the same time yesterday morning that Moda posted the newest Blockheads block, Bonnie Hunter posted her new Leader/Ender Challenge block.  She's calling this 4-Patch Fun, and it's very similar to the Bento Box block our QOV group has used in the past.  So my brain immediately went to red/white/blue.  While I was cutting the parts for the Moonbeam block I also cut some pieces for some of these.  And I also used some other patriotic fabric scraps.  They did make perfect Leader/Ender pieces while working on the Blockheads block.  These will be very fun to make. 

July 1st finishes

 Yesterday was July 1st - and I have my first finish of the month all checked off.  I really hadn't planned to have a finish already, but it worked out quite nicely.  And I love how this looks sitting on the fireplace hearth in the family room.  

This is the mini quilt made from a Shabby Fabrics kit.  They did this series of minis in 2023 with spools.  I recently bought the July kit from the series, and OMG - it went together so easy.

It only took about a half hour to cut all the pieces, and I laid those pieces out on a design board with the plan to work on this later this week.  But . . . then I thought I would just sew those popsicle sections together.  And you know what happened next!!  Yes I just kept sewing.  This was a 2 hour project including the simple quilting I did, not counting the hour it took to hand stitch that binding down.  

There is a 2nd July finish already too, but this one really didn't have much left to do.  The Sweet Potato puffy bag!  All I had left to do was to top stitch around the top to anchor the lining and handles nicely.  It's pretty cute, and would make a fun gift for a little girl.  This is a free pattern that can be downloaded.

Goals, goals, goals

The goal list for July looks really long, but it's actually pretty reasonable.  A lot of binding is listed to help me remember what projects are already in the quilting phase, and MIGHT be ready to bind.  And some projects are actually pretty small, like working on the RSC blocks in the new color.  I've chosen a couple of new PIG projects that will be rewards for finishing something else.  

• Saturday Sampler - row 6 for July
• Blockheads blocks each week
• Binding projects IF READY
• Pyramid quilt
• Mickey Mouse Quick Strippie
• Pumpkin door hanger
• Valentine door hanger
• Quilt the Sunflower wall hanging myself
• Finish Sweet Potato Puff bag
• Rainbow Scrap Challenge - PURPLE is July color
• Buckeye Beauty blocks
• Brighten blocks
• Triple Triangle (string) blocks
• Hollow 9 blocks
• Give It a Whirl blocks
• Gameboard blocks
• Quilt of Valor blocks 
• Indigo Way
• Spools
• Misc other QOV block sets
• PIG projects for this month
• RWB mini quilt - popsicles
• Beach Bums wall hanging

Meeting my goals from June was mostly a success.  The best finish for June, besides that genealogy project, was getting that enormous Saturday Sampler quilt bound.  It's 98" square!! Most of the items on my June goal list are either finished, or saw some progress.  That makes for success in my mind. 

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