Basket Weave Top

It's a top!

Basket Weave

39 x 45.5

In a previous blog post I mentioned that I met my goal for the only block I was making from scraps in my 4 inch width scrap box. Most of the scraps in there have been given to me over time. When I receive a box of scraps I take my little six inch ruler and measure the width of scraps and put them into the appropriate scrap box. Larger scraps I call chunks are sorted and stored by color. I try to use smaller scraps as I receive them in one of the many blocks I have going but with my husband John's health problems off and on I sometimes don't have enough time to sew all the scraps as I receive them. 

Well, now that you see my 4 inch width scrap box overfloweth I decided to see what could be made with the contents and hopefully soon just end up storing a baggie of 4 inch squares. 

I pulled out all of the blue scraps in the 4 inch width scrap box and made a Four Patch top. 

After that I still had some blue 4 inch width scraps. I found enough pieces I could cut into 4 x 7 rectangles to make some Basket Weave blocks. 

I was recently gifted a bolt of orange fabric and since orange is the complement of blue I decided to use orange 2 x 7 strips for the sides of my Basket Weave blocks. 

And sew on...

Finished Or Not Finished Friday at Alycia Quilts

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I finished a book - Remember Us by Robert Edsel with Brett Witter. Oh my goodness this was a good book! I highly recommend it.  It is a WWII non-fiction.

Summary from the Robert M Edsel website: 

"Remember Us is a compelling ensemble narrative that chronicles the lives of twelve central characters over a six-year span including Lieutenant Colonel Robert Cole, the first member of the 101st Airborne to receive the Medal of Honor; Sergeant Jeff Wiggins of the 960th Quartermaster Company, who escaped the poverty and racism of Alabama only to face a new indignity: digging graves in wartime Europe; and Frieda van Schäik, a teenager who falls in love with an American soldier. 

"In this rich, dramatic, and suspenseful story, both the horrors of war and the transcendent power of gratitude are captured, showcasing the extraordinary measures the Dutch have taken to thank their liberators. Drawing on never-before-seen letters, diaries, and other historical records, Edsel shows the painful price of freedom, on the battlefields and inside American homes.  

"Remember Us is exactly the book we need—a reminder that grief is universal, that humanity knows no national or racial boundaries, and that we all want to be remembered, somehow, someway, by somebody.  "

***

In the flower gardens some different types of Aquilegia (Columbine) are blooming as well as different types of Alliums. 

And sow on... 

Four Patch Flimsy

It's a top!

Four Patch 

42 x 56

In a previous blog post I mentioned that I met my goal for the only block I was making from scraps in my 4 inch width scrap box. Most of the scraps in there have been given to me over time. When I receive a box of scraps I take my little six inch ruler and measure the width of scraps and put them into the appropriate scrap box. Larger scraps I call chunks are sorted and stored by color. I try to use smaller scraps as I receive them in one of the many blocks I have going but with my husband John's health problems off and on I sometimes don't have enough time to sew all the scraps as I receive them. 

Well, now that you see my 4 inch width scrap box overfloweth I decided to see what could be made with the contents and hopefully soon just end up storing a baggie of 4 inch squares. 

So, first I pulled out the blue scraps in the box. I had some sets of blue two 4 inch squares and longer pieces that would yield two squares enough for Four Patches for a small comfort quilt. Then I had to decide on an alternate color for the blocks. I didn't have enough of anything in the scrap box. 

I was recently gifted a bolt of orange fabric and since orange is the complement of blue I decided to use orange to complete my Four Patches. 

And orange is such a happy color too!

Now on to the next project to come out of the 4 inch width scrap box! I am still really in gardening mode so not getting much sewing done except when it is a rainy day so it may take me awhile to empty out that box but that is my goal.

And sew on...

***

Thank you, everyone, for the positive thoughts, prayers and best wishes. I think they are working. John seems a little perkier each day but still fighting off that jaw bone infection and pain and hoping to get that surgery to repair his jaw some day soon. 

***

These Iris are beautiful but grow like weeds. I separated them one year and threw them on a compost pile and they grew out of the compost. I now have little patches of them everywhere. They look nice in a vase too. 

 

Green Wonky Log Cabins

Green Wonky Log Cabin blocks

(I've also seen Wonky Log Cabin blocks in one colorway called Duckworth quilts)

6 inch

I need to take count of how many blocks I have now and how many I need for a quilt. 

I'm using the smallest of green scraps and ones with straight sides. If they are triangle shaped they go into the crumb pile.  Between the red centers and the greens I'm trying to include a lot of novelty scraps to make it a kind of I Spy quilt. 

And sew on...

Monday Musings at Brenda's Songbird Designs

***

I was one of the winners of the Stay At Home Round Robin 2026 (SAHRR 2026) random drawing. I won 2 charm packs of my choosing as well as a $50 gift certificate from Fat Quarter Shop.  I can never decide on what fabrics to buy so settled for a yard each of colors of the rainbow as well as 3 yards of muslin I can use with my 30s and civil war reproduction fabrics. And for the charm packs...well, I do love roses and hearts!

I finished two of the three tops I made for the SAHRR 2026.

I am very thankful to the hostesses of the SAHRR. I have participated for several years. I am also thankful for all of the sponsors especially the Fat Quarter Shop! 

And my two SAHRR 2026 finishes as well as 20 other quilts will be dropped off today to be shipped via UPS to the coordinator of Wrap-A-Smile.

Wrap-A-Smile partners with   Rotaplast International, Inc.

"Rotaplast International, Inc. is committed to helping children and families worldwide by eliminating the burden of cleft lip and/or palate, burn scarring, and other deformities. Working with local professionals, Rotarians, and other organizations, Rotaplast sends multidisciplinary medical teams to provide freely reconstructive surgery, ancillary treatment, and training for the comprehensive care of these children." Wrap-A-Smile provides each child undergoing surgery with a quilt. 

Just an FYI - I ship through Pirate Ship for significant cost savings. 

 

Orange Scraps

Yankee Puzzle

9 inch

I have been trying to use up a small box of 4 inch width scraps and squares. One of the blocks I have been making using those scraps is Yankee Puzzle using the tutorial at Suzy's Scraps. Note that I am using 4 inch squares and not 3.5 inch squares used in the tutorial.

I started making these last year and made one small comfort quilt top consisting of blocks with two colors. This set consists of color plus neutral. I will make a larger comfort quilt with this set consisting of 48 blocks. 

After I made the two orange blocks I noticed I only needed 5 more blocks to reach my goal of 48 blocks so I dug into my 4 inch width scrap bin and found pieces for the 5 blocks. 

Goal of 48 blocks met!!!

I still have a box of 4 inch width scraps. I think this month I will try to make a plan to use these and maybe empty the box. More on that later. 

Uneven Nine Patch'

7 inch

Made with 3.5 inch width scraps and multicolor 1.5 inch sashing. 

Buckeye Beauty

6 inch

Made with scraps found in the 3.5 and 2 inch width scrap bins plus black.

NOT Disappearing Four Patch (ND4P)

9 inch

I like the look of the Disappearing Four Patch block; however, I don't like the method of making a Four Patch and then cutting it up to make another block. I just cut for the end result. 

I made these with orange scraps in the 3.5 inch width scrap bin and some solid scraps. After I made them I realized I have been making these with plaid scraps and solids in order to use up plaid scraps. So now I guess this is a new start. Instead of just solids I will use blenders and tone on tones (TOTs) with the scraps in the Rainbow Scrap Challenge (RSC) color of the month. 

And here's the ones made with plaid scraps. 

I added an orange round to my Giant Potato Chip quilt. It is now a 12.5 inch square. 

Orange Hollow Nine Patch

9 inch

Made with 3.5 inch squares

Pink Potato Chip

6 inch

Made with 1.5 x 2.5 inch rectangles

And sew on...

RSC ScrapHappy Saturday

***

My husband has a fractured jaw - the result of osteoradionecrosis (bone necrosis due to radiation for cancer at base of tongue). Fractured jaw is infected (osteomyelitis). They put him on an antibiotic best for bone infection as well as a chlorhexidine mouth rinse hoping to help fight the infection. He was scheduled for a presurgical evaluation and consult with ENT on May 8 at the University of Iowa Hospital and Clinics hoping to get surgery scheduled to fix the jaw. BUT on May 6 they called and cancelled the May 8 appts. and moved them out to June 12. They said they hoped to clear up the osteomyelitis a little more before surgery. Evidently antibiotics work more slowly on bone infections and so they said the May 8 appt. was "too soon". The June 12 appt. will be about six weeks out from when they started him on the antibiotic.  And so we are again playing a waiting game. 

***

Oh, the weather was beautiful yesterday. Finally a day I haven't needed to wear a coat. We are past the last frost date of April 30 but the night time temps have been dipping into the 30s and daytime temps in the 40s-50s. Today it is supposed to reach temps in the 70s. Yesterday I worked outside most of the day and I think I will again today. 

Wonky Stars

Wonky Stars

I've also seen them called No Point Stars and Hollow Stars,

10.5 inch finished

The plan is to use the scraps long enough in the 4 inch width scrap box and then use scrap chunks. I will just make and make and make until I am tired of making them and then divide them up into stacks for comfort quilts. 

I have a few other plans to empty out the 4 inch width scrap box. More on that later.

And sew on...

***

John has a visit with presurgical clinic on Friday May 8 and after that one with the ENT doctor. We are hoping he is eligible for surgery to repair the fractured jaw and they will then set a date.   Also while we were in Iowa City at the University of Iowa Hospital and Clinics John had a growth removed from his nose and near his ear. Results just came back today that the nose was "squamous cell carcinoma". So now we also have to probably fit in Mohs surgery to take care of that.  It appears I might as well get used to driving an hour away to Iowa City. Thank goodness it is mostly interstate. 

***

We came home from John's hospital stay to a lot of surprise packages of fabric and scraps. Both of us had fun looking at the contents of each box. Thanks to Lorri and Teresa, Elle (2 packages) and Sherron. I hope I didn't forget to mention anyone. The last few weeks have been a blur. Yesterday I received a surprise package from Sandi, a friend of Sherron's. I am thankful!!! Sewing is one way I deal with all the latest frustration and stress. 

***

I finished three books - 

Boundary Waters and Purgatory Ridge by William Kent Kruger; books 2 and 3 in the Cork O'Connor series. "The Cork O’Connor series is a 21-book mystery saga following former Minnesota sheriff Cork O’Connor as he investigates crimes intertwined with Ojibwe culture and small-town life."

Life and Death and Giants by Ron Rindo. It was not my usual type of reading but I liked the book. "Life, and Death, and Giants is a moving story of faith, family, buried secrets, and everyday miracles."

***

I am trying to get some gardening done. We are now past the last frost date so I can plant a lot of seeds in the veg and flower gardens. It has really been cool weather and the soil temps are still around 55 degrees so I will wait a bit to plant some seeds. In the meanwhile there is always weeding. I do have lettuce and other greens, beets, onions, sugar snap peas, potatoes and broccoli growing in the veg garden. I have my hoses hooked up and need to repair one of them that has cracked open in a spot. It is so nice to see flowers pop up each day. It is a joy to be outside. 

Rail Fence Flimsy

It's a flimsy!

Rail Fence

40 x 56

Pink was the Rainbow Scrap Challenge (RSC) color of the month for April.  I noticed I had accumulated a lot of pink 1.5 inch strips - most were given to me. I decided to make rail fence blocks combining pink with other colors of strips in the 1.5 inch width scrap box. 

I didn't have to cut any strips. And I cleared quite a bit out of the 1.5 inch scrap box. Maybe I will have it emptied by year end. 

I tried to arrange blocks on the diagonal by color. 

I had this top finished before hubby unexpectedly went into the hospital on the 20th for a week. Now I notice it is time to move on to orange scraps - that is the RSC color for May. 

And sew on...

RSC ScrapHappy Saturday

***

While I was an hour away from home with hubby in the hospital I called my son to ask him to help me harden off the tomato plants I had started from seed. I was in the process and asked him to set the tomatoes out on the deck out of wind and direct sun for two hours each day and to make sure they were watered but not overwatered. 

Well, this is what I found when I came home. I guess my son does not have a very green thumb. So I guess this year for the first time in 25 or so years I will buy my tomato plants. And so it goes...

But I walked out to the gardens yesterday and did find some jewels. 

Iris

Shooting Star

Camassia 

Tree peony

Trillium

Another Tree Peony

I have had this Magnolia tree for over 20 years. I have never seen it bloom until this year. Oh joy! 

Black tulips in the new Perky Goth/Moonlight garden in memory of my granddaughter, Kayla. Looks like some critter ran through the patch. 

Tulip

Lilies of the Valley. Every time I walk by them I am reminded of my Father-in-law. He told me that was his favorite flower. 

Bleeding Heart. For years I have been meaning to take cuttings of this. Maybe this will be the year. 

And sow on...