The Pink Contessa

I'm only showing 8 blocks of the completed 24 block set.

Blocks finish at 10 inches. Quilt will finish at 40 x 60.

This is going into the SAR (Some Assembly Required) bin to be assembled into a top at a future date.

I decided to make these blocks because I had noticed a lot of pinks in my 2.5 inch width scrap bin. 

I used Moda's free pattern called Contessa.  

(It is actually what I call a Basket Weave pattern).

BUT

I didn't use a jellyroll. 

I didn't make as many blocks.

I didn't make stripsets of 5 WOF strips (because I didn't have that many). Instead I made 4 strip sets of 3 or 4 strips and then cut them into the 6.5 inch sections and added  2.5 x 6.5 inch rectangle(s) (from 2.5 inch width scrap bin) to the ends of each section. 

Yesterday I showed the blue version of Contessa and I think I will have enough for a green Contessa one of these days.

And sew on...

Going where the scraps take me and making comfort quilts one scrap at a time.  

Contessa - A Complete Block Set

I'm only showing 12 blocks of the completed 24 block set.

Blocks finish at 10 inches. Quilt will finish at 40 x 60.

This is going into the SAR (Some Assembly Required) bin to be assembled into a top at a future date.

I decided to make these blocks because I had noticed a lot of blues and purples in my 2.5 inch width scrap bin. 

I used Moda's free pattern called Contessa.  

(It is actually what I call a Basket Weave pattern).

BUT

I didn't use a jellyroll. 

I didn't make as many blocks.

I didn't make stripsets of 5 WOF strips (because I didn't have that many). Instead I made 4 strip sets of 4 strips and then cut them into the 6.5 inch sections and added a 2.5 x 6.5 inch rectangle (from 2.5 inch width scrap bin) to the ends of each section. 

And sew on...

Going where the scraps take me and making comfort quilts one scrap at a time. 

 

Kaleidoscope of Blue

I mentioned earlier in the month that I received some 6 inch width strips and I pulled out blue ones to make a Kaleidoscope quilt. I had to dig into some of my blue scrap chunks in order to make 35 blocks that finish at 11 inches.  Now I have finished piecing all 35 blocks and have a complete block set I will put aside in my SAR (Some Assembly Required) bin. I will make the top some day in the future. 

And sew on...

Oh Scrap! at Quilting Is More Fun Than Housework

 ***

I had a nice visit with my siblings for a couple of hours Sun. - Wed. last week. We drove over to the campsite where my brother and wife from TN were staying. My sister from CA and brother from FL flew in and stayed in a cabin at the campground along with my sister who lives near here. Hubby John is not well so a couple of hours each day was all he could tolerate away from home.  It was nice to have a get together just for fun. We missed my brother-in-law who passed away a couple of years ago but he was with us in memories and spirit along with several others. My brothers are retired chefs so we had lots of good food and played several rounds of the dice game Farkle and card game 99. My brother has a Blackstone griddle. I really liked it and now think I may need to buy a small one. 

Speaking of food...I've been eating peas, snow peas, strawberries and onions from the garden. I think I can make one final harvest of lettuce but the temps are getting to warm for it. Made garlic scape pesto because someone made a comment on my last post about it and it sounded good. It is. I used it in stir fry of snow peas and onions and chicken breast. I could probably dig up a few potatoes but like to leave them in the ground as long as possible.  I might have some broccoli to harvest soon. 

The heat index was over 100 degrees yesterday and I think will continue through Monday or so. I don't have air conditioning so have been working outside in the early a.m. and just lie in front of a fan or under a ceiling fan and read most of the rest of the day. If a little breeze also blows in the window in the sewing room I sew a little. Last year I bought a couple of loose fitting house dresses like my grandma wore back in the day and I've found those cooler to wear than shorts when it is hot. 

I've finished reading a couple of books since my last post.   The Diamond Eye by Kate Quinn. " The bestselling author of The Rose Code returns with an unforgettable World War II tale of a quiet bookworm who becomes history’s deadliest female sniper. Based on a true story" of Lyudmila Pavlichenko.   After finishing that book I looked for something a little lighter to read and found a few crafty type books free with my Kindle Unlimited subscription and downloaded How to Create a Small Garden Sanctuary: Transform Small Gardens with Water, Petals & Wild Ideas. No Experience Necessary by RC Brook. I didn't really learn anything new; however, it was a nice pleasant read. It would be a nice gift for a beginning gardener. 

A Flock Of Flying Geese Landed At My House

Sawtooth Stars

8 inch

I received some baggies of what I thought at first were HST parts. Then I figured out they were wingless Flying Geese (2.5 x 4.5 inch unfinished). They are lots of them in several different colors. To start with I pulled out the baggie of orange parts and decided to give them wings so they could fly. 

For the Sawtooth Stars I dug into the 4.5 inch squares for Star centers. I looked in the 2.5 inch scraps for Flying Geese wings in a contrasting color and cut those with my Easy Angle ruler. I didn't have any orange 2.5 inch squares to use for the block corners so I cut a 2.5 inch strip from a couple of different orange scrap chunks to use. 

Geese Strips

If sewn together they would make a column 80.5 inches (unfinished) long. 

One of the little baggies of Flying Geese bodies held some pieces pinned together in groups. I cut some low volume wings and made strips with any pinned groups that had orange in them.  Then I made a few more groups with just orange Geese bodies.  I wanted strips of 40 total Flying Geese that if sewn together would equal a column of 80 inches (finished). 

I will be using the Flying Geese columns in a Wild Goose Chase quilt that I'm thinking will end up around 60 x 80 finished. 

I was inspired by the May Quilt of the Month at the International Quilt Museum:

Wild Goose Chase 

Mary Maxtion 

Made in Boligee, Alabama, United States; circa 1980-1995

Cotton blend

IQM 2000.004.0079

Going where the scraps take me...making comfort quilts one scrap at a time.

And sew on...

Oh Scrap! at Quilting Is More Fun Than Housework

***

My siblings will all be in town today for a couple of days. My brother and wife left Tennessee a week ago in their camper and have been camping at many different places along a planned route. In their plan they included camping at a place near here. The last few days they have been camping and visiting attractions near Galena, IL. My sister flew in from CA and my brother flew in from FL to join them. My sister that lives near me also went to meet them and they have been staying the last few days at the unique Car Wash Inn which is a short drive from Galena.  Unfortunately my husband is unable to travel far so we could not join them.  However, today they will be camping a few miles from here in RV and cabin and we will be able to join them for a few hours each day.  It has been a long time since all of us have been together so I'm looking forward to the visit. 

 

Orange Scraps Part II

Buckeye Beauty

6 inch

Orange is the Rainbow Scrap Challenge (RSC) color for June so I dug into my orange 2 and 3.5 inch width orange scraps to make these blocks.

Easy Breezy

6 inch blocks

Made with 2 inch width scraps

Buckeye Beauty

8 inch

Made with 2.5 and 4.5 inch width scraps.

The 8 inch Buckeye Beauty blocks are combined with low volume scraps and the 6 inch blocks (first photo) are combined with black scraps.

Going where the scraps take me and making comfort quilts one scrap at a time. 

And sew on...

RSC ScrapHappy Saturday

 

Table Topper Finish

Table Topper

28 x 28

It's a finish! 

I didn't make the top. I received it in a box with a couple of other unfinished projects in March 2024. I needed something to do in the evenings (otherwise I fall asleep the minute I sit down) so decided to big stitch hand quilt it and then bind it. 

This is the backing so I guess it is reversible. It will go into the box of items I keep on hand for gifting. It will go nicely with those embroidered dish towels with chickens I made back in April. 

And sew on...

Finished Or Not Finished Friday at Alycia Quilts

***

I complain a lot about all the critters that wreak havoc in my gardens but they do sometimes leave something for me to eat.  

The last week or so I've been eating snow peas...

...strawberries...

...and lots of salad greens. 

 

Wednesday Wandering

I took the camera with me this morning on my Wednesday wander through my gardens.

***

We both forgot our 52nd wedding anniversary on June 7.  I barely ever know what day it is let alone the date but yesterday I had to put the date on hubby's sputum sample I needed to drop at the lab and noticed our anniversary had passed.