A Top Full of Snowballs

It's a top!

Snowball Nine Patch

54 x 72

I actually started making blocks as a Rainbow Scrap Challenge (RSC) project back in 2023.  It was one of my projects to use 3.5 inch width strips and squares. Since I've been working on emptying a box of those scraps I decided to finish up blocks for this quilt and assemble the top. 

I made a similar quilt back in 2018. After I had finished it my daughter came by, saw it, loved it, and asked if she could have it. So I gave it to her. I think she still loves on it and a few other quilts. 

I'm glad I found that old post about my 2018 quilt because whenever I get around to it I think I will quilt this one the same way. 

The box of 3.5 inch width strip pieces and squares in June 2026. 

Most of the contents were given to me over the year by other folks. When I receive scraps I take my little six inch ruler and measure the width of them and put them in a box of scraps with others of that width. I usually have several RSC projects going for each box. 

This is the fourth top made from scraps in that box of 3.5 inch width strips and squares. 

From the scraps in that box so far...

1. Streak of Lightning top (blue/gray/neutrals)

2. Hollow Nine Patch top

3. Small Uneven Nine Patch top

4. This one - Snowball Nine Patch

And sew on...

Finished Or Not Finished Friday at Alycia Quilts

***

I don't know what the Monarch found interesting on the Moonflower leaf. 

It finally found the Milkweed. Maybe some eggs will be laid? I think peak egg laying season here in zone 5 is May-July. 

Milkweed grows wild here and this year there has been a lot of it. I leave it here and there as long as it is not going to compete with my roses. Milkweed has a nasty habit of falling over on top of things when there is a storm.   

***

Finished a book! Mandarin Road by Ann Bennett. I've read a couple of her WWII historical fiction books and enjoyed them so decided to try this Vietnam War historical fiction. Not only was it historical fiction - it was a bit of a mystery and love story too.  

Uneven Nine Patch Top

It's a top!

Uneven Nine Patch

42 x 49

I've been trying to empty a box of 3.5 inch strips and squares. I mentioned the other day that I had made enough Uneven Nine Patch blocks from scraps in that box for two quilts.  This is the smaller of the two quilts. I mostly used the blocks with novelty and geometric prints. 

This is the third top made from scraps in that box of 3.5 inch width strips and squares. 

From the scraps in that box so far...

1. Streak of Lightning top (blue/gray/neutrals)

2. Hollow Nine Patch top

3. This one - small Uneven Nine Patch top

And sew on...

***

With a little cooler temps and lower humidity the last couple of days I've been doing lots of weeding. There is still a lot of color in the gardens. 

And sow on...

 

Snowballs - A Complete Block Set

I've been trying to empty a box of 3.5 inch width scraps and squares. One of my old Rainbow Scrap Challenge (RSC) projects has been Nine Patches of Snowballs I will alternate Nine Patch Snowballs with dark corners and Nine Path Snowballs with light corners in the final layout. My goal has been 24 blocks with light corners and 24 blocks with dark corners. I needed 11 more blocks with dark corners in order to meet my goal. So I made them and now I have a complete block set ready for assembly. 

And sew on...

***

John's mandibulectomy surgery was scheduled for August 5. Darn it all...they called today to reschedule to September 1 because Dr. is not available on August 5. Well then why did his surgery get scheduled months ago for August 5?  Now that sets everything back. After surgery he was supposed to get a heart monitor for 30 days because his echocardiogram showed moderate aortic valve stenosis.  If we had known his surgery was not until Sep. he could be wearing the heart monitor now for 30 days. Now I just have to help him stay well enough for surgery for another month.  Waiting...waiting...waiting...

I am also kind of upset because I put some gardening plans on hold. I wanted to start a lot of perennials last month so I would have them ready for planting out in September. With repotting and hardening off as part of the process I didn't figure his August surgery would allow me to sow all the perennials I wanted to and be successful. 

Well, I guess I will look on the bright side...at least he passed the presurgical evaluation and tests and is eligible for the surgery. 

 

Uneven Nine Patches - Two Complete Block Sets

I've been working on emptying a box of 3.5 inch width scraps. One of the projects I started as a Rainbow Scrap Challenge (RSC) project was Uneven Nine Patches with wild and crazy sashing.   I only needed 47 more blocks for my goal of 122 blocks for two quilts - one with 42 blocks (6x7 layout - 42 x 49 inches) and one with 80 blocks (8 x 10 layout - 56 x 70 inches) - so I spent a little time the last couple of days making those 47 blocks. 

Now I just need to divide up the blocks for two quilts and put together a couple of tops! 

And sew on...

Using Some Aqua, Turquoise, Teal, Blue-Green Scraps

Aqua, etc. is the Rainbow Scrap Challenge (RSC) color of the month. 

This week while playing with aqua, etc. scraps I added another round to my BIG Potato Chip. It is now 27.5 inches square. 

Buckeye Beauties

6 inch

I have been making these blocks for maybe a couple of years with whatever scraps I have in the RSC color of the month.   After I made these with aqua scraps I noticed I only needed a few more blocks to reach my goal of 108 blocks so...

...I made more blocks and met my goal. 108 blocks will make for a quilt layout of 9 x 12 blocks of 54 x 72 inches.   I happened to have some orange/black and pink/black little Four Patches made when those were the RSC colors this year. I just never got around to making the HSTs for the blocks. 

I don't think I'm going to assemble the top this month so I'll put the block set in my Some Assembly Required (SAR) bin. 

Streak of Lightning 

9 inch finished

A and B blocks

Courthouse Steps

7.5 inch finished

Uneven Nine Patches

7 inch finished

And sew on...

RSC ScrapHappy Saturday

***

John had his PET-C stress test yesterday afternoon. Hopefully the results will see him fit to have his mandibulectomy surgery next month.     My stress test involved the drive into unfamiliar territory over the river and through a detour to the cardiovascular facility branch in Illinois.  

I guess the pre-surgery evaluation team is concerned that the echocardiogram they ordered showed moderate aortic valve stenosis. The reason they ordered the echocardiogram was because they were concerned about the atrial fibrillation episode he had during his April hospital stay. 

***

Oh joy! 

I received a box with a beautiful bouquet of floral fabrics from Julie. I'm not sure how she could part with those! John loved looking at each piece too. 

And Sandi sent me a box of goodies too. All kinds of things from backings to batting pieces to scraps and even some roses were in there. 

I am very thankful. And my spirit has been lifted!

***

I finished the last three books (17-19) of the David Wolf mystery thriller series by Jeff Carson - Echoes Fade, Silent Country and Windburn.  

It's a Finish! Orphan Gabriel

It's a finish! 

Orphan Gabriel

54 x 78

I used 58 six inch finished orphan blocks to make this comfort quilt top back in November 2025. 

I think only three of the blocks were made by me. The rest were given to me over the years by many different folks. 

For this orphan block quilt I made Quarter Square Triangles (QSTs) for the alternate block. I had a lot of yardage of the lighter green and combined that with lots of different darker green scraps to make the QSTs. 

I quilted it on my sewing machine with diagonal lines. 

There's lots of green in this one! The backing is green too. And the binding is same fabric as backing. 

And sew on...

Finished Or Not Finished Friday at Alycia Quilts

 

It's a Finish! Orphan Elroy

It's a finish! 

Orphan Elroy

42 x 42

It started with these four orphan blocks someone gave me.  The fancy blocks never seemed to go with any of the other orphan blocks I was given so one day in August 2025 I finally decided to use them as the center of a small medallion quilt. 

I'm never good at thinking of what to add for borders on medallion quilts. Nine Patches are pretty easy! I used a constant orange fabric and different green scraps to make them.  I wanted to alternate green and orange corner Nine Patches; however, I did not have enough of the orange fabric to do that. As it is I think I had to penny piece some orange fabric to have enough squares for the Nine Patches all with green corners.

I quilted it on my sewing machine using the points in the center blocks as a guide.  I also stitched in the ditch around the green striped border. 

And I happened to have a backing fabric in about the same colors as the center medallion blocks. I used the same fabric for binding. I thought when I made the top last year I made binding for this top with the same green stripe used in the top; however, I looked in the binding box and it is not there so I guess I used it on a different quilt. So thankfully I had enough of the backing fabric to make the binding. 

And sew on...