Monday, April 20, 2026

String Star Finish

It's a finish!
String Star
40 x 40


I started this in December 2025. Someone gave me the 12 gray floral half triangles. I decided to use them as half a string block and pulled strings from my string bin that were the colors in the gray florals.  I used a newspaper foundation.  I decided on a String Star layout. I made four all string blocks for the star center. Top was completed in January. 

I quilted it on my sewing machine with swirls of gray.

The back and binding. 

And now it is ready to give a child a hug. 

And sew on...

***
The weather has been so weird this year and I'm behind in gardening tasks. I haven't even cleaned up my asparagus patch yet and noticed I had asparagus to harvest. In fact, some was already overgrown. I had aspragus for dinner the other night and again last night. 

I like it sprinkled with olive oil and kosher salt and then roasted in a 425 degree oven for 10 minutes. Tonight with the leftovers I think I will make an asparagus fritatta.  Since hubby gets his food, a formula via G-tube, and since I don't like asparagus frozen or canned it looks like I will be giving away asparagus soon. I'm sure there is more out there for harvest today. 

***
I finished a book! It is the first book in William Kent Kruger's Cork O'Connor Mystery series - Iron Lake. I started on the second book of the series. I think there are 20+ books in the series so I will continue to read whatever is available with the Kindle Unlimited subscription.  I enjoy WWII historical fiction but need to read something a little lighter for a while.  

Sunday, April 19, 2026

"Bird Quartet" Stitching Finished

I've finished the crewel embroidery on the decorative pillow from a kit called "Bird Quartet".  I had a difficult time following some of the color symbols and stitching in the smaller areas of the birds where there were a lot of color changes and outlining and almost set it all aside unfinished. I took a short pause from this embroidery to do some big stitch hand quilting and to do some embroidery on an easier project - "An Old Irish Blessing" and then picked this project up again with renewed interest mainly because it was still taking up space in my hand sewing basket. 





Piping and zipper were included in the kit as well as pillow backing fabric. Now I just have to make a 16 inch pillow form with some muslin and small cut up batting pieces. Then I will put together the pillow cover.  I don't really need a decorative pillow so when finished it will go into the gift box of items to give away. 


 At the end of 2025 I dug into a bin of items I picked up from thrift stores over a number of years before I retired over 8 years ago. In November and December I worked on a lot of little cross stitch ornaments

In January I pulled out this crewel embroidery pillow kit that had never even been opened to work on. You can still see the 95 cent price I paid for it at the DAV (Disabled American Veterans) thrift store. Actually, I probably paid less because I usually went on senior discount day for a 10% discount. 

I have already started stitching on another kit from that bin of thrift store goodies!

And sew on...

Saturday, April 18, 2026

A Few Pink Scraps

Cheerios
10 inch finished
Made with 4.5 and 2.5 inch width scraps

Now I have 48 blocks for a 6 x 8 block layout and a 60 x 80 quilt of pink, blue and purple blocks.

I have been making blocks from scraps as a Rainbow Scrap Challenge (RSC) project since 2024. After I had a big pile of them I divided blocks into piles for several different quilts. I already finished a couple of smaller ones:




Yankee Puzzle
(aka Big Dipper or Hourglass)
9 inch

This also has been an RSC project since 2024. 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. But note that I used 4 inch instead of 3.5 inch squares.

I need 7 more blocks for a 48 inch block set.  This set has light backgrounds.  I previously made a smaller top with 2 color blocks. 

And sew on...

 

Thursday, April 16, 2026

String X - Working on It


I have all 48 of the blocks made for a String X quilt. I just need to find time to get it assembled. 



More on the blocks and quilt later when I have a flimsy.

And sew on...


***
I've been doing a lot of gardening as weather permits.  Here's some of the latest photos I took while walking around in my gardens. I love this time of year. Something new pops up every day. 
































 

Tuesday, April 14, 2026

Rays Of Sunshine - String Quilt


Rays of Sunshine
It's a flimsy!
60 x 80

I've been working with the overflowing string bins this month.  I usually do that in a month after I have a quilting marathon because I end up with a lot of quilt back trimmings. 

And I get some strings from other folks. I never have to cut strings for string quilts - strings just happen. 

When I was trying to decide what to use for the center string I noticed quite a few yellow strings in my 2 inch width scrap bin. Most were width of fabric and were given to me by others. So that is what I decided to use - yellow - rays of sunshine. I cut a few more yellow 2 inch width strips from some yellow scrap chunks. 

I use paper foundations and made 10.5 inch unfinished blocks. I save weird small cuts and triangles of scraps I receive from others or make myself to use as string block corners. I use longer and wider strings to make this type of string quilt. With shorter and skinnier strings I make other types of string quilts. More on that later. 

And sew on...

***
On April 8 I posted about state of husband John's health:
"Still trying to get my husband some treatment for his pain due to Osteoradionecrosis of the Jaw (ORNJ) and Osteomyelitis (bone infection) - one of many side effects of radiation received over 20 years ago for stage IV squamous cell carcinoma at the base of his tongue. He went to primary care physician on March 10 for swelling of face and received an antibiotic. Two weeks later he had a CT scan. Finally, he got a referral to Oral Surgeon and now that he has all the records he needs and Easter vacations are over we are waiting for a phone call from that office."

On April 9 the Oral Surgeon's office called to say there was nothing they could do for him so he needed to make an appointment with the Otolaryngologists at University of Iowa (UOI) Hospital and Clinics (state teaching and research hospital) that is a little over an hour drive from here. That is where John went in 2017 - 2018 to have the left side of his jaw replaced with his fibula (fibular free flap restoration). Of course, the doc he had then is now transitioning to a job in Arizona so he will see another doctor. And since it has been over 3 years since he has had an appt. then he will be considered a new patient and needed a referral. Ugh! So, I called in tears to the primary care physician and for a change they got right on that referral!! I heard from UOI on April 10 but there are no appointments available until April 27. The nurse I talked to told me to call once in a while until then to see if there are any cancellations so he can get an appt. sooner. 

***
I finished a book -The Nine: The True Story of a Band of Women Who Survived the Worst of Nazi Germany by Gwen Strauss. "The Nine follows the true story of the author’s great aunt Hélène Podliasky, who led a band of nine female resistance fighters as they escaped a German forced labor camp and made a ten-day journey across the front lines of WWII from Germany back to Paris."   What incredible women! 

***
Oh joy! Donna and Doris sent me boxes of lovely scraps and fabric and thread. That kept me busy sorting and measuring each piece while sitting with John. 

 

Wednesday, April 8, 2026

From Fodder To Flimsy

 


It's a flimsy!
Nine Patch
42 x 58


Fodder - n. raw material, as for artistic creation.

This month the theme in my sewing space to move things forward is "strings, crumbs and fodder".

The fodder for this quilt was a small stack of Nine Patches and some pieces for more that I was given. 

Since the Nine Patches were bright and had some novelties I decided to make a small comfort quilt with sashing. For that I needed 35 Nine Patches. After I finished up making Nine Patches with all the parts I needed 14 more Nine Patches so made them with some 2.5 inch squares in my Parts Dept. 

Then I looked for what to use for sashing possibilities. I happened to have accumulated a lot of yellow 2.5 inch strips given to me by several folks so that's what I used. I think there's enough pieces left for binding too! 
The cornerstones came from my 2.5 inch squares. 

And sew on...


***
Finished a book! The President's Wife by Anna Stuart. Historical fiction inspired by the life of Eleanor Roosevelt. I enjoyed the book. I have read several other historical fiction novels by this author that I have also enjoyed. One thing that stuck out to me was that the author is English. For example, she wrote about Eleanor knitting "jumpers" instead of sweaters. And there were more than enough references to FDR's infidelity. 

***

I signed up to get a free Iowa Lottery ticket each month and April's ticket was an $8 winner. I don't ever buy tickets - just get my free one each month. $8 is the most I have ever won. 

***

Still trying to get my husband some treatment for his pain due to Osteoradionecrosis of the Jaw (ORNJ) and Osteomyelitis (bone infection) - one of many side effects of radiation received over 20 years ago for stage IV squamous cell carcinoma at the base of his tongue. He went to primary care physician on March 10 for swelling of face and received an antibiotic. Two weeks later he had a CT scan. Finally he got a referral to Oral Surgeon and now that he has all the records he needs and Easter vacations are over we are waiting for a phone call from that office.  

***
We have been having a cold snap again along with some rain but I finally got my potatoes planted on Monday. I do see some radish, lettuce, beet and sugar snap peas have sprouted. I see it is supposed to get up to 60 today with possibility of rain this evening so I hope to make it out sometime today to work in the flower gardens. I want to get some sweet peas planted. 

***