What's in the Baggies in the Bag?

This month the theme in my sewing space to move UFOs forward and use scraps is WITB? - What's in the bag, basket, bin, box? Hopefully I will be able to empty quite a few bags, baskets, bins, boxes too.

One of the recent packages of scraps I received had several different baggies of HST parts. I decided to empty the bags. 

I made 24 Pinwheels that finish at 4.5 inches with the orange and black and orange and white HSTs.  I'm going to put these with the orphan blocks for row quilts/strippies for now. They might even make a nice center medallion for a child's comfort quilt. 

One empty baggie!

I made Broken Dishes Blocks that finish at 6.5 inches. 

I have a box of mostly black and white orphan blocks so these will go there. One of these days I'll dig into the orphanages and make some orphan block quilts. 

Two empty baggies!

And I made some Broken Dishes Blocks that finish at 6 inches. These will go into the box of red, white and blue orphan blocks. 

Three empty baggies!

Normally when I make Broken Dishes blocks they go into the Broken Dishes box with other Broken Dish blocks of all sizes. 

Another baggie had little HST parts. I made them into QSTs (aka Hourglass) blocks. 

Four empty baggies! 

And the bigger baggie that held all those baggies in now empty too so...

Five empty baggies!

The little QSTs went into the box with all the other QSTs I've been making since 2021. 

There's a Lone Star in that box too. 

Someday that Lone Star will be the center of a quilt surrounded by all those QSTs and inspired by...

...this vintage quilt. 

Competition Quilt. about 1895. hand pieced cotton, silk, linen; hand quilted; machine stitched backing. Neusteter Textile Collection: Gift of Guido Goldman. 2008.406.

(Picture from Denver Art Museum)

I just love love love to infinity this quilt and decided I would make something similar but use my wonky hourglass blocks instead of HSTs. I'm not squaring up my Hourglass blocks (because I don't like to square up) so I will just make "made fabric" out of them for the borders and not worry so much about points matching up. Mine is definitely NOT going to be a competition quilt like the original. 

And sew on...

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The rain has gone for a while. The weather is beautiful again (sunny and 65 degrees here in Iowa at 2:40 pm on 11/9). I have started collecting seeds Zinnias, Tithonia, Sunflower, Datura and Four O'clocks. 

I've also been readying some areas for winter sowing some seeds probably in late November. 

And sow on...

 

In The Hoop and On The Hook

What's in the hoop?

Easy Sunday

I've been big stitch hand quilting it. 

I finished the Easy Sunday top back in August 2022.

Easy Sunday 

70 x 80

Easy Sunday is a Free Spirit free pattern.

I've been marking lines with a Hera Marker. 

I've been big stitch hand quilting with different colors of perle #8.

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What's on the crochet hook? 

A Granny Square cardigan for me.  I've finished the Granny Squares for the left front piece and have mattress stitched the rows together but still need to mattress stitch the columns. 

Free crochet cardigan pattern at Yarninspirations. 

I'm more of an earth tones person when it comes to my clothes!

I like to have several different projects going that keep these old hands moving in different ways. 

Slow Sunday Stitching at Kathy's Quilts

What's In The Box?

20 - 12 inch finished Wonky Log Cabin blocks with black/multicolor centers.

For a 48 x 60 quilt for a wee one. 

This month the theme in my sewing space to move UFOs forward and use scraps is WITB? - What's in the bag, basket, bin, box? Hopefully I will be able to empty quite a few bags, baskets, bins, boxes too.

This is the second quilt to come out of a bin of novelty and bright strings. I think I might have strings for another quilt! Stay tuned! 

What's in the Box? Novelty and bright strings. 

What came out of the box?

1. Heartstrings - 24 - 10 inch blocks.

2. Wonky Log Cabin - 20 - 12 inch blocks

 

Snowball Nine Patch Finish

It's a finish!

Snowball Nine Patch

54 x 72

I started making blocks as a Rainbow Scrap Challenge project to use 3.5 inch width scraps back in 2023.  In July of this year I had enough blocks to assemble a top. 

I free motion quilted it on my sewing machine.  I quilted it in columns and alternated going down each side of a Snowball. I was not concerned about keeping perfectly within the lines of the Snowballs - just roughly outlining them. 

Backing and binding. I pieced several backings for tops I have around this size and I think I picked the one I had not originally intended for this quilt but I guess that's okay.  I used a black and white stripe for binding since the Snowball blocks alternate black and white corners. 

And here's how the quilting around the Snowballs looks on back. 

And sew on...

Finished Or Not Finished Friday at Alycia Quilts

This is one of the quilts made from scraps in a box of 3.5 inch width strips and squares I've been trying to empty this year. 

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. Snowball Nine Patch

5. Gray Pathways

and actually I have a block set made for 

6.  Large Uneven Nine Patch

What's In The Box?

24 - ten inch finished Heartstring blocks.

For a 40 x 60 comfort quilt for a wee one. 

This month the theme in my sewing space to move UFOs forward and use scraps is WITB? - What's in the bag, basket, bin, box? Hopefully I will be able to empty quite a few bags, baskets, bins, boxes too.

 

Those Heartstring blocks came out of a bin of novelty and bright strings. The bin also holds a couple of baggies of weird sized small pieces of novelty and bright scraps that I use for Heartstring corners. 

And this is the same bin after I made the Heartstring blocks. It's not empty so I guess I'll have to make more string blocks.  I have a couple more boxes of strings and a couple of bags of light neutrals so we shall see what happens next. Hmmm... maybe a Wonky Log Cabin. Stay tuned!

And sew on...

 

A Hat, A Snack and A String Backpack

One of the 2026 group projects of the Ravelry group - For The Children of Pine Ridge and Rosebud

"For 2026 we will provide a hat for each child as well as a healthy snack.

Everything should be put in a reusable bag so as to minimize wrapping paper and excess refuse on the Reservation.

Hats can be knit, crocheted. woven, sewed, or purchased.

Do what makes your heart sing while providing care and warmth for the children of Rosebud."

I will be sending 22 crocheted hats with bags of Goldfish crackers in string backpacks. 

 

***

Earlier in the year I decided to use a bin of some old yarn stash before the mice get into it. I used to crochet hats and scarves and a few shawls back when the grandkids were younger and I dabbled in making a few socks. I actually liked crocheting hats the best - a quick and easy. I figured crochet was another way to keep my hands and fingers moving in a different way from big stitching or embroidery. 

***

I recently donated 24 quilts to the Oglala Lakota Early Head Start/ Head Start (babies to 5 yrs) program that provides childcare and education for about 300 children (babies to 5 years old) across 10 locations on the Pine Ridge Reservation. 

Through that program I found out about a Ravelry Group - For The Children of Pine Ridge and Rosebud

" Our group serves the Lakota children and their families living on the Pine Ridge and Rosebud Reservations in South Dakota. The Lakota People need everything. Items like hats, mittens, gloves, scarves, neck warmers, socks, slippers, blankets, sweaters, etc. will be gratefully accepted and appreciated. The children come in all sizes and ages from newborn through high school.

Poverty on the reservation is extensive. Many homes do not have adequate heating, running water, or laundry facilities. Your handmade items will brighten someone’s day and help them to stay warm."

What's In The Box? (WITB)?

Uneven Shoo Fly Project Box

 This month the theme in my sewing space to move UFOs forward is WITB? - What's in the bag, basket, bin, box? Hopefully I will be able to empty quite a few bags, baskets, bins, boxes too. I guess I'm glad I don't have any barrels of anything waiting to be emptied!

A few days ago this box contained old floral and plaid/homespun/shirting scrap chunks and 32 Uneven Shoo Fly blocks that finish at 10 inches. 

I made 16 more Uneven Shoofly blocks and now I have a complete block set of 48 for a quilt layout of 6 x 8 and a quilt that measures 60 x 80.

Combinations of old florals and shirts remind me of my paternal grandmother's quilts made of old dresses and shirts and as I sew blocks like these I think of her. She taught me how to sew and embroider. She also taught me the "use it up, wear it out, make it do or do without" way of living. 

Oh, but when I was finished making my Uneven Shoo Fly blocks the box still had a lot of scrap chunks left.  I put the florals into a box with other floral scrap chunks...

NOT Disappearing Four Patch Project Box

...and I put the plaids/homespun/shirting scrap chunks into the NOT Disappearing Four Patch project box with the others already in there.  Maybe I will empty this box before month end too!

4.5 Inch Width Scrap Box

To make the Uneven Shoo Fly blocks I cut a 4.5 inch strip of fabric off of my floral and shirt scrap chunks.  All of my leftover 4.5 inch width pieces went into my 4.5 inch width scrap box.  I don't currently have any blocks in the works now for this scrap box so I'll probably figure out something(s) to use these scraps by next year. Then I will probably pull out scraps in the Rainbow Scrap Challenge (RSC) color of the month each month and make those blocks and hopefully empty box by year end 2027 if not sooner. 

Well, now my Uneven Shoo Fly project box is empty!  And you know what happens to empty boxes around here? They go into the garden to cover some weedy patches or pathways to prevent weeds and eventually they break down and disappear. 

And sew on...

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Oh joy! I received a box of fabric goodies from Elle! And on the same day I received an order of seeds I purchased on sale.   So I had lots of things to sort through that brought a smile to my face that day!

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I finished a book! But Not Forewarned by BJ Bourg. Clint Wolf Mystery Series book 11. 

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I'm glad I took John out for early voting last week. It was a beautiful day then and heavy rain is expected for today. Guess I'll stay in and sew.