Have I Mentioned I Need a Hole in My Head?

Yep! I need another project like I need a hole in my head. 

But when I saw the Flowering Snowball QAL over at Molly Flanders Makerie I knew it would be the perfect block for my cherry fabric collection....well, about as perfect as the Japanese x+ quilt (Hi-Ho Cherrio!)  I already made of  the same cherry fabrics back in 2012

I started out using white with cherries fabric for the flower petal shaped portion of the block but it didn't really make my day so I used cherry colored fabrics instead like the above 4 blocks. 

Cherry Pie will be the name of the quilt someday when I finish it. 

Adding  it to the all the other Design Walls at Patchwork Times

Another UFO Bites the Dust and Another ALYoF Goal Completed!

Twinklers

A Quilts of Valor Quilt

60 x 80

I started it in May 2013 after a link to the pattern at Claudia's Quilt Shoppe was posted on the Stashbusters Yahoo Group.  I made some blue blocks from scraps that month when the RSC color of the month was blue. 

To finish this quilt was my goal for June for A Lovely Year of Finishes.  (#90 at goal setting party). 

I quilted it on my plain Jane DSM with loops and stars. 

I Know Why Old Ladies Used to Wear House Dresses

I've hand quilted the center of my butterfly quilt. 

The quilt is like one I inherited from grandma. 

And just like grandma...I hand quilted around the butterfly and next to all the black buttonhole and backstitching. 

And then, like grandma, I stitched in the ditch around each block. 

The green sashing will have some cable stitching. I think I have found a template similar to what is on grandma's quilt. 

Like grandma, I don't have air conditioning so it gets rather warm when quilting in the summer. 

I know now why she wore her colorful house dresses (and no bra) that later, when too worn to wear, became part of her quilts. 

I think those loose dresses gave some air flow to those nether regions under the dress unlike my shorts and t-shirt. 

I've only been hand quilting on the cooler nights after work when there is a cool cross-breeze blowing through the house.  I also wear a night shirt for maximum air flow.  (I might have to make a few house dresses since I am an old lady).  

This quilt may take a while to finish...but I am motivated, hot or not, to get 'er done. 

When it is a little too warm to hand quilt I've been working on some Irish crochet motifs. 

(Until Dad married Mom all of my paternal ancestors were Irish so that's why the interest in Irish crochet). 

I think I have a quilt in mind that will mix some of the bins of lace I have with some of my husband's grandmother's tatting plus my crochet and some low volume fabrics and embroidery. 

Mind you, it's just in my mind.   Some times what happens in my mind stays in my mind. 

Slow Stitching? 

Show it off every Sunday at Kathy's Quilts Slow Stitching Sunday. 

Yellow 1.5 and Then Some

This is the final week for YELLOW for the Rainbow Scrap Challenge (RSC). 

From my 1.5 inch scraps I ended up with 13 - 3 inch spools to add to my collection from last year. 

And I made 12 3 inch butterfly blocks.   

I've joined some of them into blocks. 

I'm going to make a quilt similar to the vintage butterfly quilt I saw at Nostalgic Cafe. 

I also finished a vintage Sunbonnet Sue in yellow from 1.5 inch squares. 

Pattern is at Q is for Quilter.   

I've been making the girls since the middle of last year so only need a few more colors before I can start assembly. 

When finished it will be a baby quilt I will put in a hope chest for first great granddaughter born. 

And in the "and then some" category I made a batty pinwheel and 3- 8 inch depression blocks of yellow and one other color HSTs left over from the "Little Monkey" blocks I made earlier in the month.  

Got Scraps?

Join us each week for  RSC ScrapHappy Saturday and show us what you made. 

A Flimsy

I've finished a Quilts of Valor top. 

64 x 80

20 - 16 inch Depression Blocks

320 4.5 inch HSTs

Not sure when I will get it finished.

I will probably send it to my husband's veteran friend as a surprise. 

I've been quilting along with Vicki Welsh's HSTeria QAL at Field Trips in Fiber.

I'm also whooping it up at Can I Get a Whoop, Whoop at Confessions of a Fabric Addict

And, since I've finished up a flimsy I'm linking to Finish it Up Friday at Crazy Mom Quilts. 

What's in the Basket?

I finished the final 10 of 48 basket blocks. They finish at 10 inches. 

And now I can start assembly of a top. 

I've been on vacation so am a little late in posting for HSTeria Quilt Along.  These baskets consist of 9 HSTs each. 

I'm also linking up to Design Wall Monday at Patchwork Times. 

Just Like Grandma Used to Make

I've finally assembled the Butterfly quilt top. 

I've been trying to duplicate a quilt I inherited from my grandmother that is falling apart. 

And now I'm pinning it in preparation for hand quilting.  I may not get much hand done in the next few months because I don't have air conditioning in my house and so it gets a little too warm for me to have a quilt in my lap. BUT this summer so far has been rather cooler than normal...so we shall see. I'm anxious to get quilting. 

I finished the 12 inch Crazy Farm block I was working on last week for my lap quilt. 

We used to have geese when we first moved out here to our 18 acres. Maybe when I retire we will get some again. 

I have to say that Pansies are one of my favorite flowers.  I start them from seed every year and have pots and baskets and all other sorts of containers on my deck full of them.  I used to press them and use them on homemade cards. 

I kind of free form stem stitched a vine around the pansies and added some french knot and detached chain stitch wisteria. 

I actually do have apple, pear and cherry trees on my farm. I used to have a plum tree but it died several years ago. 

And below that I did some free form buttonhole stitches topped with some detached chain (lazy daisy) stitches. 

The butterfly doesn't show up as well as I wanted. Maybe later I'll add some stitches inside. 

I forget what stitch that is that I used for those green leaves. 

And finally there's a little lady bug button. 

Slow Stitching today? 

Join us for Slow Sunday Stitching at Kathy's Quilts. 

HSTeria and Depression

For the HSTeria Quilt Along this week I made 4 -16 inch Depression Blocks  from swapped 4.5 inch HSTs.  This has been a UFO for quite a while and will be a full or queen-sized quilt when it grows up. 

Making HSTs? 

Join the HSTeria Quilt Along at Vicki Welsh's Field Trips in Fiber

Yellow 2.5

I've dipped into my 2.5 scrap bin to make 20 -5 inch Little Monkeys. I started making these last year so I think I have about 177 of them now.   Last year I didn't have many yellow scraps but this year I found quite a bit.   As you can see I combined yellow with some leftovers of colors from previous months. 

I made 4 - 6 inch Twinklers. 

And I managed to make 44 - 2x4 inch Lozenges but was too lazy to put them all up on my dinky "design wall" (cutting mat covered with a piece of leftover batting leaning against the wall). 

Got Yellow Scraps?

Show us what you doing with them this ScrapHappy Saturday. 

Back to the Crazy Farm

I've finished stitching on another 12 inch block for my Crazy Farm crazy quilt. 

A hummingbird in the morning glories. 

(Actually the hummingbirds around here like the fuschia and petunias on my deck and when the trumpet vine starts blooming they will be there). 

Daisies are blooming in my flower gardens and on my block. 

This seam reminds me of the damned  weed Virginia Creeper that winds its way all around the gardens before I can get it pulled up.  I swear it must grow 3 feet each day. 

The seams here are kind of plain and crooked. Must have been stitching them while enjoying a Margarita on the deck. 

Both sets of "flowers" use buttonhole stitches.  

I started on another block.  This is block 7 out of 20 I want for a lap quilt. 

I hope to finish embellishing the seams today. 

(Oops...you caught me...I know I'm not supposed to leave my needle in my project). 

Do you plan on doing any "slow stitching" today? 

If so, join us at Kathy's Quilts for Slow Stitching Sunday. 

Where Did Those Yellow Scraps Go?

The color of the month for the Rainbow Scrap Challenge is yellow. 

Every month I use my scraps to make 3 kaleidoscope blocks - color of month, color of month plus previous month (green) and color of month plus its complement (purple).   The corners triangles of the blocks are made from crumbs so a lot of dinky scraps get used up on those corners. 

(I made that one in upper right when the month was purple not this month. It's just in the picture to even things out). 

Most of my yellow strip scraps (and some neutral scraps)  went into 4- 9 inch wonky log cabins which were then sewn into one big 18 inch block. 

And then I have some 6 inch blocks left over from making those kaleidoscope blocks. 

Got Scraps?

Join the fun and show us what you do with them each ScrapHappy Saturday. 

HSTs and UFO for ALYoF for QOV

Since last week I've finished up the remaining 5 - 16 inch Depression Blocks I've been working on for the HSTeria QAL hosted by Vicki Welsh of Field Trips in Fiber.    Now I'm sewing the 20 blocks together and maybe, just maybe, by next week I will have a completed top.  When finished this will be for Quilts of Valor. 

And since I was in Quilts of Valor mode I decided my June goal for A Lovely Year of Finishes will be to finish up this Twinkler UFO.  I'm hoping I have enough of that cream/blue star fabric for backing otherwise I'll have to piece one together. Piecing backings is not one of my most fun things to do.