Saturday, June 8, 2019

Chunks of Blue

 I usually start a new Rainbow Scrap Challenge month with scrap chunks in the designated color.  I make blocks that require different sized pieces of a fabric so cut up chunks. 

These Double X and Snowballs require 2.5 inch pieces and 1.5 inch pieces of blue. Blocks finish at four inches and were inspired by a vintage quilt.  I had a big piece of that minty green fabric so decided it would be the background. I guess when I run out of that mint green I'm finished making blocks for this quilt. 
These cats also require different sized pieces. They finish at 5 x 9 inches. I'm using a free pattern I found online. 
These blocks finish at 3.5 inches and are also inspired by a vintage quilt. Temecula Quilt Company started a quilt along and called the blocks Church Window Hexagon Variation.  I did not really quilt along or follow the cutting instructions posted at Temecula Quilt Company. I cut the center and corners from a 3.5 inch scrap and the frame pieces from 1.5 inch scraps.    I've seen other bloggers making them and have seen the little blocks called by a variety of different names such as Buttons, Doughnuts and Wishing Rings. I even saw Wishing Doughnuts.   I like Wishing Rings. 

The finished quilt will alternate light and dark corner blocks. I seemed to make more dark corners this month. 



 A storm with straight-line winds came through a few days ago and toppled half of a mulberry tree (actually I think it is really a bush) on to part of my flower gardens and smashed quite a few flowers like delphiniums, foxglove, iris  and roses and new seedlings of annuals like four o'clocks, cosmos, poppies, calendula, zinnias and pinks.  The tree is on the fence line between my flower garden and our field we contract out to a neighboring farmer. Lots of trees grow up wild along that fence line.  We have the mulberry all cleaned up to this point but those pieces going into the ground are supporting the weight of the big tree pieces higher up so may have to remain there until autumn when we can more easily get to the tree to cut more down. 
This is what is left of a tree that toppled on to my rhubarb patch at the end of the veggie garden.  There's another mulberry on the other side of this one that keeps cracking but has not fallen yet.  I think it is going to fall the other direction and just barely miss the above ground pool. 

If it's not trees ruining the gardens it is deer, rabbits or raccoons. Every evening at about 7:45 I see two moms and their five little deers romping through the gardens.  They mostly eat my roses and lilies and tromp on the strawberries and lettuce.   A raccoon decided my asparagus patch would be a nice spot for a latrine.  I need Mr. McGregor to keep the rabbits out of the brassicas because the barn cats sure don't. 


I'm not complaining. Life is full of glitches. And so it goes...

In other news...yesterday I celebrated 46 years of marriage to a wonderful man. Well, there wasn't actually a celebration...we said Happy Anniversary to each other and went about our days as usual but it's the thought that counts, isn't it? 




17 comments:

Laura said...

Country livin'...there is nothing like it! My barn cats do a great job...sometimes too great, as we have had to take down the bird feeders (also removed due to bears). But now we have one feeder tied to a rope hanging from an oak tree (the branch is not an easy one for the cats or bear).

Happy anniversary! :)

Linda said...

Happy anniversary! 48th anniversary coming up for us in September.

Sue SA said...

Love the cat pattern and the growing collection of wishing rings. So annoying planting a garden and then the elements nearly defeat you! Still it motivates me to get outside and enjoy the sunshine!

Pamela Arbour said...

Love all of your blocks. It will be interesting to see how many blocks you get made with that mint background.

LIttle Penguin Quilts said...

Happy Anniversary! That is always such a great milestone to celebrate - however you celebrate it! I really like those Double X and Snowballs blocks with that mint background - the mint is such a pretty color.

lil red hen said...

The same thing happened to my row of daylilies and Asiatic lilies. Then, to make matters worse, when the tree top was pulled out of the yard, the lilies were mostly crushed. They had begun to put up new growth and this morning I noticed a lot of them had been nipped off by deer. There is a lot of good, tender green grass in the yard; why do they have to bother the flowers!

Janie said...

Yes, Happy Anniversary! Little Penguin Quilts said it right, 'great milestone' and 'however you celebrate it'.
Great projects and piecing. Thanks for sharing your garden adventures, sounds like real life.

audrey said...

Your cat blocks look amazing in those fabrics.:) Love working with blue!

Julierose said...

Happy Anniversary--Love your kitties blocks..hugs, Julierose

Karen - Quilts...etc. said...

Happy Anniversary - your sound like us - it is usually happy anniversary maybe go out to dinner not always! it is 47 years for us less than two weeks

Cathy said...

Happy Anniversary! You sound like you celebrate yours the same way we celebrate ours (if either one of us can remember it, that is!) If we do remember it, there are lots of hugs and kisses and we usually go out to dinner. But that’s about it. Every single day is special, so no cards, gifts or fuss is required.

Cynthia@wabi-sabi-quilts said...

Lots of great blues - especially the cats - so cute. Sorry about your garden woes. Wild creatures can be so beautiful... and destructive. Happy Anniversary... celebrated quietly with no fanfare, I think that's sweet.

cityquilter grace said...

very nice use of blue scraps...i think the temecula blocks are also called kansas dugout....

Louise said...

I love that the cat fabrics are bold and wild. I'm enjoying seeing them each month in the RSC color.

That's about how we celebrate our anniversary, too. When you're doing what you love every day, with the person that you love, the big milestones tend to be quieter. Because your whole life is a celebration!

SandyPA said...

Happy Anniversary to you and your hubby! Your blue and mint blocks sing to me. I may have to try that. Regarding the falling tree branches, be thankful you don't have any cottonwood. They shed branches more than a dog in the summertime. Sandy at sewhigh.blogspot.com

Ann said...

Happy Anniversary, Cathy. Forty-eight fantastic years together. I wish you many more.
My first thought was that the mint was really white and the photo was off color. Even better to read that it's mint.
Wishing Rings make a great scrap quilt. I must try it sometime. I never saw the QAL but am glad you are using your own instructions. So much better to use up what we have than to cut more scraps.

Cynthia Brunz Designs said...

Happy Anniversary!

Gardens can be humbling. Once we think we are controlling nature, we are quickly reminded that we are powerless. I too just try to enjoy the journey.