In the Pink - a UFO Finish

54 x 66

99 - 6 inch Thrifty Blocks

(Yes, I do see now that a couple of blocks had the corner four patches oriented the wrong way)!!! 

I completed my July Lovely Year of Finishes goal  (#103 on ALYoF goal setting page).   Actually, I did more than my goal. I only wanted to complete the top but I've not only completed the top...I quilted it on my plain Jane Janome DSM and then finished sewing down the binding by hand. 

I swapped a different color of Thrifty Block (directions from Block Lotto) each month with a group of ladies on a Yahoo Group in 2010. (I think it was 2010 or it might even have been 2009. I left the group long ago).  I finished a Rainbow Thrifty Quilt late last year with some of the other colors. 

I quilted it, as I previously mentioned, on my plain Jane DSM. All 99 squares have free form (very free form) flower quilted on it. 

The back is a 100% cotton PINK sheet in excellent condition from the thrift store. 

I think I know a PINK loving little girl who will love the quilt. 

Seeing Red But Not For Long

I finished up a lot of red lozenges. Mine are the small size which will finish at 2 x 4.5

They are pretty boring to make since I can't get into the leader/ender type of sewing but I like them because they are kind of a diary of fabrics that have passed through my hands. 

I finished my red postage stamp Sunbonnet Sue.  I saw the vintage  pattern last year at Q is for Quilter. 

She will get added to the rest of the rainbow girls. I have a brown one I made last year when the RSC color was brown.  So now I have 8.  My quilt will have 12- not 9 like in the pattern. 

I did use a lot of red strings and used up some small red fabric chunks when I made these 48 string blocks...

...and these 48 Happy Blocks. I mailed them to some members of the Heartstrings group since they are having a sew-in today to make quilts for Veterans entering hospice. 

Got Scraps?

Join in with the Rainbow Scrap Challenge and show us what you do with them each ScrapHappy Saturday.

Stay tuned for the next color...it changes at the beginning of each month.  

HSTeria is About Over

Vicki Welsh from Field Trips in Fiber has been hosting a HSTeria Quilt Along.  This is the last week. 

We've been sewing along on several projects that use HSTs. 

Last week I added some HSTs to some four patches and made some 14 inch Bear Foot blocks.  I made 5 more blocks this week which brings me to a total of 13.  I can't decide what size quilt to make so not sure how many more I need.  

Vicki was picking a random winner each week from those who linked up with a HST project. The prize was a bunch of her beautiful hand dyed "scraps". 

The McCall's Quilting Vintage Quilts Spring 2014 magazine had a Birds in the Air quilt I wanted to make some day so I thought I would use Vicki's "scraps" and start making it now. 

I need 40 of these HSTs within HST blocks.  Don't Vicki's scraps look gorgeous against the Navy Kona? 

Thanks, Vicki!

Got HSTs? 

It's the last week of HSTeria and Vicki says she has a grand prize! 

She also has some beautiful hand-dyed fabrics. 

Jake's Jack's Chain and Kayla's Pickle Dish

I decided to make special quilts as wedding gifts for my grandchildren. 

That way, if I'm not here on their special day I'll be there in spirit. 

I finished one  in April for Isabelle, who is 9. 

Isabelle's brother, Jacob, is 5 and his wedding quilt is Jack's Chain (above).  I finished a row this weekend to add to the quilt but still have far to go especially since I'm going to hand quilt it.  There's a lot of Y seams in this quilt and I think I'm finally getting the hang of it. My secret is NOT to pin but to sew slowly. 

I'm using Kona navy for the hexagons and some bright (and some wild) 3 inch 9 patches - a lot of them are from past swaps. 

My other 9 year old granddaughter, Kayla, will get a Pickle Dish. I think this will be an easier assembly than Isabelle's Double Wedding Ring. 

I finally got around to paper piecing a few more arches this weekend for her quilt too.  I should count how many I have now. 

Kayla's quilt will have pink, yellow, orange and aqua arches and the fabric you see them laying on will be the corner fabric for the blocks.  I can't decide on a center to use that will connect the arches. 

This? 

Or this? 

Or neither? 

Hmmm.....

Any suggestions? 

Design Wall Monday at Patchwork Times. 

Bear Footin'

I was trying to decide what to do with a bunch of 4 inch 4 patches - some swapped, some my own. 

I ended up sorting into color groups, made a few 2.5 inch HSTs from scraps and ended up with several 14 inch Bear Foot blocks. 

I probably have enough 4 patch blocks to make a couple of full size Bear Foot quilts. 

Making and using HSTs? 

Join the HSTeria at Field Trips in Fiber. It's the last week. 

When It's Hot and When It's Not

It has been unseasonably cool this year so I've managed to get all the hand quilting around the butterflies and along the back stitching finished...

...and now I'm hand stitching in the ditch around the green sashings. Then I will use a template for some hand stitching IN the border...where it will show. 

And when it is too hot to sit around in a house with no a/c and a quilt on my lap I work on other things.

 I have a habit of picking up things from the thrift store like these four napkins that were originally $9.50 but marked down to $1.95 at the thrift store and in an unopened package. 

 I have a box full of things like this I've been collecting for years (and years and years) so decided it was time to dig into it and work on some things for Christmas gifts.  These napkins will probably go to my daughter since she loves decorating the whole house for holidays (unlike me) and these would be cute for Valentine's Day. I will more than likely add a backing since I don't like those serged seams as a finish.  No floss was included so I get to pick my own colors. 

And, speaking of Christmas...I've got a few potholders that need the binding sewn down. Yes, I hand sew the binding even on potholders.  Oh...and just a tip when making potholders...remember to QUILT the potholders before you add the binding!  (I knew they went together too quickly). 

Working on some Slow Stitching today? 

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

Red Tales from the Scrap Box - Strips and Strings

I've added an 18 inch Wonky Log Cabin...

...to the other Wonkies. 

And I've added 4 more 8 inch String Blocks...

...to make a total of 20 blocks.  (I guess I didn't have enough yellow or aqua strings for blocks).

Got Scraps?

Join the Rainbow Scrap Challenge every ScrapHappy Saturday and show us what you've done with them!

Challenges in Red, White and Blue

I made a 9 inch star for Astronaut Karen Nyberg's Astronomical Quilts Block Challenge. 

Heartstrings Quilt Project July project is red, white and blue string blocks.  I think a lot of the quilts will go to veterans entering hospice. 

I'm hoping to finish a set of 48 blocks to send in. I've been sewing a few each night after work but ran out of foundation fabric so picked some up today. 

I will also be sending in 48 - 10 inch Patriotic Happy Blocks. 

Red Tales from the Scrap Box

Red is the color of the month for the Rainbow Scrap Challenge. 

Every month I make 3-  12 inch Kaleidoscope blocks - one in color of month plus its color complement, one in the color of the month and the color from the previous month and one in just the color of the month.  I've been using crumbs for the block corners. 

I'm starting to really like how they all look together. 

It takes a lot of crumbs to make those triangles for the corners of the kaleidoscope but I actually managed to have crumbs left over for 4 - 6 inch blocks. And there were several 6 inch blocks left over from the kaleidoscopes. 

I made 3 - 9 inch butterfly blocks and 2 spares for the border. 

Here's some of my other blocks all laid out. I'm not sure if I'm going to put a blue sashing between blocks or not. 

And, finally, I made 23 - 3 inch spool blocks.  I've been making these since last year so need to take count. I want enough for a full size quilt.  I like big quilts and I cannot lie. 

Got Scraps?

Join us every ScrapHappy Saturday to show us what you've done with them. 

Gosh, there's some awesome and inspirational rainbow projects going on out there in blog land! 

HSTeria

Inspired by a quilt I recently saw at Q is for Quilter, 

I made 4 - 8 inch Ocean Waves blocks from some of my 2.5 inch 30s scraps and unbleached muslin. 

I think I see more of these blocks in my future. 

I've laid out my Basket Blocks on the floor so I can get the top sewn together. I was originally NOT going to put them on point but decided I like that arrangement better. Now I need to make 2 more blocks, darn it.  I'll have to root around in my stash to find something to put in the baskets too.  Darn it x 2. 

I participate in a quarterly HST swap on Block Swappers Yahoo Group so I made my 8 sets of 6 - 4.5 HSTs   

I've been making my swapped HSTs into 16 inch Depression Blocks. 

Are you working on a project that uses HSTs? 

If so join the party at Field Trips in Fiber. 

Vicki is generously donating her beautiful "scraps" to a random lucky winner each week. 

Last week lucky winner was me! 

Oh, Baby!

My grand niece, Sunday Cecelia, born June 2, 2014 - 3 weeks early. 

She's modeling on the ABC blanket from Grand Aunt me. 

Isn't she gorgeous? 

(Funny story about the S for Seahawks fabric...I received it by mistake in place of one fabric in my on line order.  I eventually received my correct order and was told I could keep the wrong fabric.  Ugly fabric...didn't know anyone who rooted for Seahawks or lived in Washington.  Fast forward a few years and I found out my niece and current husband got engaged at a Seattle Seahawks game.  They met at college in Iowa and he was from Washington and LOVES the Seattle Seahawks. Who knew? When I later found out a baby was on the way I  dug out the Seattle Seahawks fabric to use for S instead of spaceships! ) 

Miscellany OR If I Had a Design Wall I Would Have a Lot of Stuff On It

I've made 4 more Flowering Snowball blocks for my Cherry Pie quilt that will maybe use up my stash of cherry fabrics???????????????

Flowering Snowball QAL at Molly Flanders Makerie

And, also on the fruity front...I made some sets of 6 inch apples of 30s reproduction fabrics for swapping with the 30sFabricQuilting Yahoo Group.  I made 5 apples of each fabric...one for me to keep and 4 for swapping. 

I MIGHT combine the apples from the swap with some 9 patches we swapped last year. 

30sFabricQuilting Yahoo Group also has a Birthday club. Everyone lists a block and choice of colors and in their birthday month they receive their desired block from each Birthday Club member.  The July birthday lady wanted a 12 inch mini bow tie block with WOW background and mixed colors. The September lady wanted the same thing and the December lady wanted the same block but all in pink fabrics on Kona Snow.  So, while I was cutting I got all 3 blocks made. 

The block this month at Block Lotto is Monochrome Spokes. I made 9 but two of them turned out a little wonky for some reason...(I think I cut the background fabric too small)...but that's okay...I'll probably put them to use in a charity quilt for kids. So, anyway...7 blocks for Block Lotto. 

Heartstrings Quilt Project is having a Red,White,Blue String Block challenge this month. I think the blocks sent in and made into quilts will go toward veterans entering hospice.  I only got 6 blocks this weekend and I want to make at least 48 - enough for an entire quilt.  These blocks were made from some strings I had left over from other QOV quilts.   

I just remembered I haven't declared a goal this month of A Lovely Year of Finishes so since I sewed these 99- 6 inch pink Thrifty Blocks together over the weekend I'm making my goal to at least get this top completed.  And if the entire quilt gets finished that's an extra bonus.  This has been a UFO for far too long. 

So, if I had a Design Wall now you know what would be on my Design Wall. 

Design Wall Monday at Patchwork Times. 

Still Working on It Slowly but Surely (Mostly Slowly...not Sure about Surely - Maybe I Should Say Surly Instead)

It's been unseasonably cool here so I've been working on hand quilting my vintage butterfly quilt. 

I'm trying to make a replica of a quilt I inherited from my grandmother. 

So far I have quilted around all of the butterflies in the center and middle rows and quilted around the green sashing in the center and one side of the green sashing in the middle. 

I found a template for cables similar to what grandma quilted in her green sashing. 

 I can tell my hand quilting has improved just since the last quilt I hand-quilted but I'm still glad I get to practice stitching in the ditch before I try any of that cable in the sashing. 

I'm glad the weather has been cool and it's been too rainy to work out in the garden because I'm obsessed with getting this quilt finished! 

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