Orphan Milton Finish

It's a finish!

Orphan Milton

48 x 60

Last November (2025) the theme in my sewing space was "orphans".  Back then I made quite a few orphan block tops from orphans accumulated over the years - most made by other folks. 

I guess my theme for this one was blocks with brown in them somewhere. I added frames to some blocks so they all finished at 12 inches. 

I quilted it on my sewing machine with horizontal, vertical and diagonal lines. 

The back has some orphan blocks too. 

Quite some time ago someone had sent me the dark triangles I used to make HSTs and then some Churn Dash blocks and then put them in the orphanage. 

If you are interested, I have a page of orphan block quilts I've finished in the last couple of years. 

And sew on...

***

It's been raining for days so I haven't been able to get out into the gardens to collect flower seeds or herbs for drying. I do have some pics taken about a week ago of some herbs in the herb garden. 

Horseradish

The old gardening saying is that you should only harvest horseradish in months that have an “R” in them — typically from September through April — because cooler weather after the first hard frost develops the root’s full flavor and size. 

I've had horseradish in the herb garden for years. I like a little of it with roast beef but who can afford roast beef these days? And John doesn't eat food anymore so I'm thinking that next spring I will dig out all the horseradish (if that's possible) and replace that section of the herb garden with something like chamomile which is an annual. I like chamomile tea. Might as well grow my own.

Basil

I like it fresh sprinkled on tomatoes.  I didn't make any pesto this year.  I dry it and usually put some in chicken veg soup. And some I mix with other herbs for an Italian seasoning mix.

Parsley

I'm not a big fan of parsley but I do dry it and it also gets used to make Italian seasoning. 

Oregano.

It also goes into my Italian seasoning. 

Sage

A little goes a long way. I like to put it and other herbs in cavity of whole chicken and then roast it. I like sage dressing too. My plant is getting old and woody so maybe it will be time to take cuttings in spring if I want to keep any sage plants. 

Rosemary

It is not hardy here so I dig up and bring inside in the Fall. I used to make topiary wreaths of rosemary back in the days we sold things at Farmer's Market. Garlic and rosemary chicken is wonderful. 

And finally there's thyme. I use it in soups. 

I have grown other herbs - peppermint (for tea and for oil to keep away mice) took over so I pulled it all out. Same with lemon balm. I used to grow cilantro because John loved salsa but I don't like the taste so since it's an annual I didn't sow it this year. I sow dill every year but this year it didn't do well. I grow chives but not in the herb garden - I grow them near some of my roses along with other alliums. And I grow borage and more basil in my veg garden as companion plants. I used to have a long row of lavender but it all died one winter. I used to make lavender wands and sachets with it. 

And sow on...

 

String X Finish

It's a finish!

String X

42 x 56

When I work with strings I usually make a few quilts with longer strings and as the strings get shorter and skinnier I make quilts like this one.

I used Bonnie Hunter's pattern for String X

I started making blocks in 2025 and finished them up this year.

I quilted it with vertical, horizontal and diagonal lines.

Now it is ready to go off and hug a wee one. 

There's polka dots on back.

And sew on...

More news later.

 

Rail Fence Finish

It's a finish!

Rail Fence

40 x 50

I started making the blocks back in March 2025 as one project to empty a box of 1.5 inch width scraps. 

Blocks finish at 5 inches.

I quilted it with lines on my sewing machine. 

The back and binding are purple.

And sew on...

Monday Musings at Brenda's Songbird Designs

Lately I've been working in the native wildflower garden. Several types of Asters are in bloom now. 

And sow on...

 

More Hats

Corrugated Hat

Free pattern at YarnInspirations

For school children on Rosebud reservation.

Easy Street

Free Pattern at YarnInspirations

For homeless veterans on Pine Ridge reservation.

Lakeside Beanie

Free Pattern at Five Knots North blog

For homeless veterans on Pine Ridge reservation

Surface Braid Hat

Free Pattern at The Laughing Willow blog

For homeless veterans on the Pine Ridge reservation.

 I still haven't managed to get a quilt in the hoop for big stitching in the evenings ; however, I have been making hats for donation. Cold weather coming soon!

Slow Sunday Stitching at Kathy's Quilts

Sweet Violets and The Big Potato Chip

It's a top!

Sweet Violets

43 x 52

Purple is the Rainbow Scrap Challenge (RSC) color of the month. 

A few months ago I sorted by color most of the charms/5 inch squares received from others over the years. I've been trying to use them to make small comfort quilts. 

I cut the border pieces from yardage and I cut the floral squares from a pile of small scrap chunks.  I used most of the violet charms/squares except for a few "wild" ones that will go into a quilt with other "wild" ones. 

I also added a round of 2 x 3 purple rectangles to my Big Potato Chip. I think it now measures 30 inches square. 

And sew on...

RSC ScrapHappy Saturday

 

The Blue Contessa Finish

It's a finish!

Blue Contessa

40 x 60

 I made blocks in June 2025 and stashed them away in my SAR (Some Assembly Required) bin until last month when I assembled the top and quilted it. This week I put on the binding. 

I know these blocks as a Basket Weave. Once you know the formula for figuring out rectangle and sides for the size block you want you can pretty much use anything for the rectangle. It's similar to making Happy Blocks - figure out size of block you want and then figure out size of center block and sides and you can pretty much use anything for the center. 

With that said...I used I used Moda's free pattern called Contessa.for inspiration only. 

BUT

I didn't use a jellyroll. I used 2.5 inch width scraps.

I didn't make as many blocks. (Pattern is 60 x 70)

I didn't make stripsets of 5 WOF strips (because I didn't have that many in my scrap bin). 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. 

I quilted it on my DSM with vertical and horizontal lines of blue.

To make it more fun for kids I put a colorful collection of frogs on back.

And sew on...

Finished Or Not Finished Friday at Alycia Quilts

 

Uneven Nine Patch Finish

Uneven Nine Patch

It's a finish!

42 x 49

It is one of the Rainbow Scrap Challenge (RSC) projects started this year to use scraps in the 3.5 inch width scrap box. Plus I added 1.5 inch width sashing in multicolor prints. 

A couple of months ago I noticed I had quite a few blocks made so counted them up and divided into piles for two quilts - a kiddo version using novelties and geometrics and a bigger version using all the rest. After I divided them up I made more blocks to add to each pile so I had two complete block sets. 

I assembled the kiddo top in July.

I quilted it on my sewing machine with vertical and horizontal lines. 

There's a sunny yellow backing and binding. 

And now it is ready to hug a wee one. 

And sew on...

***

I don' buy lottery tickets but I did sign up with the Iowa Lottery to get a free ticket every month. It's a different kind of ticket each month. This month I won $20. Usually if I win anything it is a dollar or two. 

***

My grandson, a senior, scored in the top 20% nationwide on the ACT. 

***

John continues to improve. Next we need to work on keeping him from more bronchiectasis flare ups that put him in the hospital with aspiration pneumonia.  And he needs to make an appt. for a 30 day heart monitor to address moderate aortic stenosis found on his echocardiogram.  Thank you everyone for prayers, positive vibes and best wishes. 

***

Finished a book! 7 Days (book 2 of 3 in the series) by Mike Kraus, a post-apocalyptic/survival thriller. Book 3 is due to be released on Sep. 18. I hope it is revealed in the third book what occurred to put an end to the world as we know it!

***

For the second time this year it seemed like a hummingbird was trying to tell me something. I was staring out the deck door planning my gardening chores for the following day. All of a sudden a hummingbird flew up to the widow and hovered in front of me for a while. I decided to grab my camera and set it to auto focus continuous hoping to get a series of photos of the hummingbird. BUT instead I changed the darned setting to manual focus and so didn't get the series of photos I was hoping for.  After saying hello to me she went off and inspected my sorry looking fuschia plant for awhile before taking a drink. 

From Copilot search:

Symbolic and spiritual meanings
In many cultures, hummingbirds are seen as messengers of joy, love, and good luck iere.org+1. Their vibrant colors, agility, and ability to hover are often linked to resilience, adaptability, and the ability to reflect on the past while moving forward scienceinsights.org. In Native American traditions, they are sometimes considered spirit messengers or symbols of healing and rebirth Joyce Elliott+1. A hummingbird following you can be interpreted as a sign that positive energy is near, that healing is possible, or that you are on the right path Joyce Elliott