Goosey Goosey Gander

A few orange geese from 4.5 inch orange scraps. 

I've been making these off and on as scraps permit as a Rainbow Scrap Challenge project.  I use the color of the month as the body and if the color is primary it gets corners in secondary colors and vice versa.  To make these I use the Easy Angle and Easy Angle Companion rulers. 

Not sure what I'm going to do with them.  Just using scraps for now. 

Goosey Goosey Gander

Whither shall I wander? 

ScrapHappy Saturday

One Thing Leads to Another

 

I got into the box of men's shirts  and I worked on a few 8 inch  kaleidoscope blocks to add to the collection.  I made 25 and now have 53 total.  I'm thinking I'll make a twin sized quilt so I need maybe 46 more blocks for a 9 x 11 setting. 

 While I was in the box of shirts I made a few more of these blocks from Jen Kingwell's book Quilt Lovely. She calls the quilt "For the Boys" but I'll probably call it "Scared Shirtless".   I'm making mine a little longer than the one in the book because I want a manly comfort quilt about 60 x 80. Anyway...I have two columns of it together now. I have been cutting the shirts for a few of these blocks every time I make kaleidoscope blocks. When I have enough I make a column. The columns will alternate brown and blue backgrounds. 

 

Then I was inspired by a vintage quilt from the Jim Tharpe collection that Audrey of Quilty Folk posted.  I decided they could use a few shirts and warm colored scraps.  Now every time I get into the box of shirts I'll make a few of these too.   I'm not sure of the name of the block but I'm maybe calling this quilt Blazin Hot from now on since I see it spelled out for me in one of the blocks. 

And that's how one thing leads to another. 

Sew, Stitch, Snap, Share

2020 Crazy Quilt Challenge: Blocks 5 and 6

Blocks 5 and 6 are now embellished.

They are part of a crazy quilt I'm making using 6 inch improv circles and neutrals.  The challenge is to use 2020 different items to create a crazy quilt by 2020. 

2020 Crazy Quilt Challenge Guidelines

Block 5

I crocheted that motif several years ago while camping- it's from the book The Go -To Book for Irish Crochet Motifs.  I hope it doesn't end up being too bulky for the small blocks.  The other trims and beads I had in my stash - usually thrift store finds. 

Block 5 Count

Fabrics: 4

Laces/trims: 3 

Embroidered motifs: 1

Stitches/stitch combos: running, lazy daisy with beads (2)

Beads/charms/buttons:  silver seed beads, dragonfly charm (2)

Threads: DMC Embroidery floss 3790, 844, 848 & Sullivan's floss 45239; perle #12 B5200; Gutermann 280 hand quilting thread (6)

Previous count 43; Grand total = 61

Block 6

The words are an Irish proverb I like.  It seemed appropriate because with back problems (I still have pain from herniated disc /sciatica. I got better, went into the garden to catch up on separating daylilies and hostas and fell off the end of my rolling stool...ouch! ) I tried to plough a lot of fields with my mind and it just plain didn't work! 

It's really difficult to embroider words so small but I got the job done.  That's my cursive these days...rather shaky with stiff hands.   Cursive makes me wonder...Does anyone know how to read cursive and words that aren't abbreviated these days? 

I tried a couple of new stitches  on a seam I haven't done before - woven zig zag chain and raised woven cross stitch.  They were pretty easy to do once I got the hang of it.  I actually did the raised woven cross stitches twice. The first time I used gold thread and then realized I was only going to use neutrals so that got ripped out. I guess I got some good practice on that stitch. 

I made those "flowers" from lacy hem tape I gathered and then sewed a four holed button in the middle.  I then did some drizzle stitches in the holes of the buttons for a flower center. 

Fabrics: 0 (previously counted in above)

Laces/trims: 3

Embroidered motifs: 1

Stitches/stitch combos: raised woven x stitch; woven zig zag chain; drizzle stitch; couching (on trim) (4)

Beads/charms/buttons:  1

Threads: DMC Embroidery floss 535; perle #5 842 and brown?? (3)

Previous count 61; Grand total = 73

The Ad Hoc Improv Challenge this quarter has been to add words to a quilt.  This quilt will have quite a few proverbs embroidered on it plus there may be some stamped words down the line too.  Who knows? 2020 is a long way off...isn't it? 

Checkered Past Revisted for Blogger's Quilt Festival

Checkered Past

72 x 84

Hand quilted (Big stitching with perle #8)

Inspired by a vintage quilt

Finished August 2017

Previous post

1.5 inch scraps alternating with strips of muslin make up the 5 inch blocks. Four five inch blocks make up a ten inch block. The ten inch blocks were then sashed. 

Backing

Blogger's Quilt Festival Fall 2017 at Amy's Creative Side

MoROSE Garden Revisted for Blogger's Quilt Festival

MoROSE Garden

84 x 96

Four inch hourglass blocks using grays and rose-themed fabrics.

Free motion quilted with roses and leaves on my DSM.

Finished July 2017. 

Previous post 

 Four inch hourglasses in grays plus rose themed fabrics. 

 Quilted on my DSM with columns of free motion roses and leaves. 

Thrift store sheet with roses for backing. 

Blogger's Quilt Festival Fall 2017

Every Once in Awhile I Finish Something!

Kaleidoscope of Butterflies

51 x 58

Hand quilted

From free online pattern Ghost Moth

The butterflies were made out of floral scraps. 

I used Coats & Clark hand quilting thread in different colors to stitch on the butterflies and in white to stitch 1/4 inch outside around  the butterflies. 

I used a stencil and mechanical pencil to mark some areas between butterflies with "flowers". I stitched those in white so they don't show very well.   You can still see a little of the marks which usually don't show after washing but I had to wash by hand since my washing machine is broken.  I wanted to get it washed to see how this batting on rolls I recently purchased worked before I used more of it. I like the batting so will go ahead now and sandwich more quilts. It needles nicely too.  It's Pellon Natures Touch Natural Blend 80/20 and I see it went up in price since I bought the two rolls. I finally went through all my batting pieces I pieced together so thought I'd try something on rolls. 

( Side note/rant in regard to washers: I'm waiting for new washer to come - an old fashioned wringer washer. Seriously! We are tired of washers that have computerized components and last about five years and then cost more to fix than it costs to buy a new one.  Our very first washing machine lasted more than 20 years and was plain and simple. So we are back to plain and even simpler.   Our basement where we have the washer/dryer is dark and damp most of the time and has no air conditioning so we think that the newer machines don't do well in that type of environment.) 

And here's the back. 

Won't it be nice to cuddle up with some butterflies and a good book or seed catalog this winter ! 

Monday Making at Love Laugh Quilt

This was my goal #15

for Q3 Finish-Along

2.5 Inch Orange Scraps and a Couple of Chunks

Three Ten Inch Crazy Lady of the Lake Blocks

One  Eight Inch Depression Block

ScrapHappy Saturday

Before-I-Forgets

I had some 4-3/4 inch strips of peacock themed fabric scraps leftover from the Peacock quilt I now have in the quilting pile.  The scraps kept eyeing me from the pile of clutter on the table next to the sewing machine.      So I finally did something with them...I made them into a 13 x 80 piece.     I had it in the back of my mind that I'd make a Tumbler quilt (aka Peacock Feather quilt) from those odd -sized scraps (odd in that I don't have a 4-3/4 scrap box and didn't want to cut 1/4 inch off to throw them in the 4.5 inch scrap box) so thought I had better get started on it before I forgot what it was I was going to do. 

Ok. So I really have no use for a quilt 13 inches long and 80 wide so out came more fabric.  What a vicious circle.  Any peacock themed fabric after this  quilt top gets made will probably get pieced into a backing for this quilt after I make a few bird blocks. (Better do that before I forget). 

And also before I forget...Audrey of Quilty Folk posted some pics of quilts from the Jim Tharpe collection that were hanging at a quilt show she recently attended.   I fell in love with the quilt in the first picture. I don't know the name of it (do you?) but figured I had better  try to make one up from scraps before I forget I want to make a quilt like that. 

Scraptastic Tuesday

PREPARE: A New Flimsy, A Very Old UFO

PREPARE

68 x 88

It's now a flimsy. 

I made most of the jars for this quilt a loooooong time ago.  I knew I wanted to add a few words but I really don't enjoy free-piecing letters.  I know that because I've added words to a couple of other quilts I have in the hope chest - one has ships and stars and says "Don't set sail on someone else's star" and the other simply says "Get real".   Anyway...along comes the Ad Hoc Improv Challenge to add words to a quilt and out comes this old UFO.  And it now has words. 

Don't just duck and cover. 

You know, those "duck and cover" drills I went through in first and second grade scared the poop out of me.  Even at that young age I think I knew that a desk would not do me any good as protection if the commies decided to drop a bomb on us.  I even had doubts about survival in a Fallout shelter but for years and years wherever we went I made it my business to look for the symbol for a Fallout shelter so I knew where they were. 

Anyway...being scared about survival at a young age plus a few history lessons about Irish famines and Holocausts and Depressions have taught me to be prepared...to plan ahead.  I'm not one of those crazy type survivalists but I've learned to plant trees, split wood, cook on a wood fire, make clothes, sew by hand, darn socks, fish, raise and dress chickens and rabbits, forage, make wine and cheese and soap and jam and candles, bake bread from sourdough starter and continue the starter, garden and preserve the harvest by drying or canning, save seeds, identify some wild plants that are edible or poisonous or have medicinal uses...  I've learned to make do. 

Speaking of making do...

I ran out of black fabric to use in the borders and (since retirement have become a hermit that doesn't venture out much to even buy fabric) so used some glow in the dark eyes one one side (scary, huh? who's there? ) and some fabric that looks like kids have drawn on a chalkboard...

...above the chalkboard fabric I added a window with some zombies trying to get in and above that I "drew" (embroidered in glow in the dark thread) on the chalkboard reasons to prep (no matter how remote).  This is all in fun...kind of poking fun at myself, really.  (Can't you tell from some of those things I've got in the jars? )    I've tried to pass along some of this "plan ahead" mentality with my kids but they say if anything happens they know where to go - mom's house.   And I guess that's planning ahead, too. 

I wish my fabric was stacked as neatly on such flimsy shelves.  I think I might have to add a label on the flour jar.  I used a fabric I thought might look like wheat flour which is what I usually have on hand for baking and bread making.  

 I might have to label the sugar jar too. I used some white sparkly fabric for sugar. 

PREPARE

Don't just duck and cover

Now in the quilting pile. 

2020 in 2020 Crazy Quilt: Block 4

I've finished the embellishment of block 4 of the 2020 Crazy Quilt Challenge.  This is a six inch block. 

I tatted that butterfly long ago when I was teaching myself to tat because I found a tatting shuttle in some of my husband's grandmother's things my mother-in-law gave me.  I need to brush up again on some tatting and try some new things for this quilt.  The piece of ribbon and eyelet trim was found at the thrift store.  I have a giant box of trims I've found at the thrift store over the years - time to use them. 

Fabric: 0 (counted in block 1)

Laces/trims:  1/4 inch piece of satin ribbon, eyelet lace, tatted butterfly of white crochet thread 10, 1/4 inch twill tape = 4

Beads: 1

Threads: DMC Antique Effects E436; DMC embroidery floss 2 threads of 676, 543 (Sullivan's 45122), 3781 (Sullivan's 45393) = 4   (only counting threads not previously used on blocks like the variegated brown).

Stitches and Stitch Combos: Blanket stitch flowers (over twill tape), pistil stitch x3 cluster, dragonflies (in antique effects thread) = 3

Total new items this block = 12

Grand total items blocks 1 through 4 = 43 

How all the blocks of this circle set (blocks 1-4) look together.  I'm not sure if they will stay together in the final layout but for now I'm keeping all circle sets together.  I'm doing the whole quilt in neutrals from white to black and anything in between. That doesn't include "low volume" fabrics. 

This is how the four blocks looked before embroidery. 

This is my next circle set to work on. 

It will take a month of Sundays (and other days) to finish this crazy quilt but for today linking up to:

Slow Sunday Stitching at Kathy's Quilts

Orange 3.5 Inch Scrap Edition

I took my 3.5 inch orange scraps and made 16 Glitter Blocks (from Jen Kingwell's book Quilt Lovely)...

8 six inch Bow Tie blocks...

...11 three inch snowballs.

ScrapHappy Saturday

From the Majestic Crumb Nut Tree

From the Majestic Crumb Nut Tree - Crumb Nut Leaves...big ones...12 inches BIG. 

The leaves are starting to turn colors now.  At least these are. 

Jury is out as to whether or not I like Crumb Nut Leaves.  Maybe they would be good with a side of some leafy sashing.   

Side note: Here's hoping my dad, stepmom, brother, niece and nephew in Naples and Bonita Bay, FL are not hit hard by Hurricane Irma.   My brother-in-law and wife live in Lumberton, TX and are trying to put their lives back together after they had 4.5 feet of water in their house from Hurricane Harvey. 

Blind Man's Fancy Tea in the Rose Garden - Four More

Yesterday I posted about finishing all 25 blocks of Blind Man's Fancy in civil war reproductions.   Today I'm posting about finishing up four more Blind Man's Fancy blocks but this time in rose and tea themed fabrics.  This makes a total of twelve fifteen inch blocks - 13 more to go. 

Not sure why I started a second Blind Man's Fancy before I finished the first...oh yeah...I found my box of rose themed fabrics had some mildew in them and so I had to soak and wash them all.  You remember seeing them on the clothesline earlier this year, right?  Well, I decided I had better do something with the roses because when I stop to smell the roses I don't want to smell mildew. 

I'm itching to get back to the scraps now...or am I burning because I just pulled a nasty patch of stinging nettle? 

Blind Man's Fancy Dozen

Blind Man's Fancy

15 inch blocks using free online pattern from Beth Donaldson

There's also an 18 inch version of the pattern (without looking I think it's 18 inch) in the book History Repeated by Betsy Chutchian and Carol Staehle.  

I now have the 25 blocks I need for my big quilt and can now proceed on to make the flying geese sashing from some scraps. 

I used civil war reproduction fabrics in these blocks. I have another set I'm making with rose themed fabrics. 

I've definitely moved this UFO forward! 

Moving it Forward Monday with Em's Scrapbag

All Creatures Great and Small 25-36

All Creatures Great and Small

I've finished another dozen and now have 36 little hexies.  Not sure what my goal happens to be so I'll just keep making them when I have a few minutes here and there. 

Slow Sunday Stitching at Kathy's Quilts. 

Orange 1.5 Inch Scrap Edition

Orange is September's Rainbow Scrap Challenge color of the month.  I started out with the 1.5 inch scrap box and made little 2.5 inch blocks (unfinished) which I then sewed into a 21 patch.   I didn't quite have enough for two 21 patches so have some extras on the far right.  I also made some little 3 inch (finished) rail blocks. I'm not sure what I'll do with them. Time will tell. 

Kaleidoscope of Butterflies

 My latest butterfly quilt is now in the hoop and getting some hand quilting.  I made these from floral scraps and used a free Robert Kaufman pattern called Ghost Moth. 

 I've been using regular hand quilting threads in different colors and have been quilting diagonal lines in the top wings and been quilting 1/4 inch inside the seams on bottom wings.  Then I quilt 1/4 inch all around the outside of the butterfly in white thread. I'm not sure what I will quilt in the large background areas - maybe I'll quilt in some flowers.  

I've also finished a set of embroidered pillowcases I picked up from the thrift store that were stamped with a butterfly and morning glories.  These will go into the hope chest for the grandkids. 

Ann of Fret Not Yourself is making butterflies  this month and has drafted a template if you want to sew along.  They sure are cute and so tempting! 

In regard to real butterflies: 

Almost every afternoon my husband and I take time to go out on the deck for about an hour and just sit and talk and enjoy nature.   Sometimes I take out the camera and am able to capture some butterfly photos - here is a Painted Lady in the pansies. 

And guess what landed on my Lantana and stayed awhile! A Monarch!

I just love butterflies!

An InLinkz Link-up