Blue And Yellow Squares

It's a top!

40 x 48

Someone gave me a big bag of different sized squares so I picked out the 4.5 inch squares in blue and yellow to make this top. 

There weren't quite enough yellow squares so I cut a few squares from scraps to add to the mix. 

And sew on...

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CELEBRATE! (My word of the year)

May 27 -  Last night I had lettuce from the garden on my BLT and I had strawberries from the garden on my bowl of ice cream.  While outside working on a beautiful day I saw Tiger Swallowtail, Skipper and Red Admiral butterflies. 

 

Bramble Blooms II QAL - The Centerpiece

Bramble Blooms II Centerpiece

32 x 40

Audrey (Quilty Folk blog) has posted the first prompt for the second quilt in the Bramble Bloom improv quilt along.  We are to piece a center with a solid connection to our first quilt in the series. 

This is my Bramble Blooms I top.   See those 8 inch Quarter Square Triangle (QST) cornerstones in the last border? 

That is my "solid connection" to Bramble Blooms I.   I made 8 inch QSTs in lime green and orange for my Bramble Blooms II centerpiece.   

I'll use lime green and orange as the base colors in all three series of Bramble Blooms quilts. And actually, my anvil quilt blocks in orange and lime green started my own personal series of quilts made with orange and lime green - two colors I'm not particularly fond of. 

A few years ago I assembled a small stack of oranges and lime greens in response to an AdHoc Improv Challenge to pick a color palette.    I challenged myself to use a color palette of colors I don't really like (orange and lime green) and to see if I could make a quilt I do like.   I did end up making 80 eight inch Anvil blocks in lime green and orange but still have not assembled them into a quilt top so I'm not sure yet if I met the challenge - a quilt I like in colors I don't really like. 

So I'm using a lot of leftovers from my Anvil Quilt in the Bramble Blooms quilts. In fact, all of the QSTs in the centerpiece were 4.5 inch Anvil Quilt scraps. I used the Easy Angle Companion ruler to cut pieces for the QSTs from those 4.5 inch strips that were long enough.  

And sew on...

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CELEBRATE! (my word of the year)

May 25 - Met up with a very short visit with a fellow Stashbuster who was in the area. She gave me some scraps and flannel pieces and a big hug. 

May 26 - It rained most of the morning. The sun came out in the afternoon and dried up all the rain so the itsy bitsy spider could get up his spout again. Well, actually, none of that was cause for celebration but I did get a visit from a hummingbird in the afternoon. I have a lot of pots of flowers on the deck (most not in bloom yet). I can see the deck from my spot on the couch in the living room through the double glass doors. A hummingbird evidently saw its reflection in the door and admired itself for a bit. It sure seemed like it was trying to tell me something.   Over the years we have frequently seen hummingbirds admiring themselves in the deck doors. That made me do a little research on hummingbirds to see if it could be the same one returning every year to see us.  😀 Yes, they do return to the same area to nest every year and they live on average 5 years but can live up to 10. Supposedly there are credible tales of hummingbirds recognizing and befriending people. To some, sighting a hummingbird signals that challenging times are over and healing can begin. To others, these tiny fliers are an inspiring sign of hope and good luck. Hummingbirds also can have a spiritual significance and mean the spirit of a loved one is near. A flock of hummingbirds can be referred to as a charm, a bouquet, a glittering, a hover, a shimmer, or a tune.

 

WITB - Scrap Processing

Cheerios 

10 inch finished

I have to say that I love scraps.  Not only do I make my own but I get them from other folks from time to time.  I usually have a block in the works for almost every size scrap I come across. When I receive scraps I like to process them right away and make the blocks that fit those scraps. Sometimes I don't process my own scraps right away like I always think I'm going to and they end up piling up at the end of the ironing board or side of the cutting mat. When the piles get too high I sweep them off into boxes.  Since hubby has been ill for over a year I kind of got behind on scrap processing. 

So this month the theme in my sewing space has been WITB - What's in the box, bag, bucket, basket, bin. I've put bigger scrap chunks away with like colors and put away any squares and orphan blocks in the appropriate boxes and I've made a few blocks this month from some scrap I've encountered while trying to empty out bins, bags, boxes, buckets and baskets.   Most of the blocks I make each month with scraps in the Rainbow Scrap Challenge (RSC) color of the month and they end up in comfort/donation quilts. 

When I started writing this post I was thinking about that memory game we used to play as kids traveling in the car..."I went on vacation and packed an apple."  "I went on vacation and packed and apple and a bag". "I went on vacation and packed an apple, a bag and a cat." ....

So...I won't repeat myself but..."I did some scrap processing and I made..."

Cheerios

10 inch finished

16 Patch

6 inch finished

All colors of scraps alternating with green scrap. 

I have a lot of small green scrap chunks of fabric. 

Wonky Windmills

Gray backgrounds

8 inch finished

Coins

2 x 3 rectangles in strips

Four Patch

3.5 inch finished.

2 inch squares

The squares are black and white and one other color. The Four Patches will be alternated with 3.5 solid or TOT (tone on tone) squares in a quilt. 

Bow Ties

3 inch finished

My goal is 900 and I think I only need 123 or so more. I've been making these from scraps for years. 

Then I have baggies of rectangles and squares in different sizes. I will put these away now in the appropriate bin with others of the same size.  

And now these are the bags and boxes that held scraps and are now empty!

So, the RSC color of the month has been pink but I used most of my pink scraps up earlier in the month and worked on all colors of scraps to make RSC blocks instead.   My piles of blocks are growing!

And sew on...

RSC ScrapHappy Saturday

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CELEBRATE! (my word of the year)

May 24 - After a day of rain and wind the sun came out just before sunset and then there was a beautiful sunset -- the sky all pinks and yellows. 

It's A Top! Low Volume Wonky Log Cabin

It's a top!

54 x 72

I made the blocks for this one last month when I worked on emptying out a box of srings. 

9 inch wonky log cabin blocks with low volume strings. Each block has a pastel pink center. 

This quilt sings. 

And this quilt has a heart. 

And sew on...

Finished or Not Finished Friday at Alycia Quilts

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CELEBRATE! (my word of the year)

May 22 - Shared the bounty. Delivered my homegrown asparagus, rhubarb and peony bouquets to a few people. 

May 23 - Received a box of someone's quilt back trimmings.  It was so fun to look at all the different fabrics. 

 

Let's Talk About The Elephant In The Room

A new top! 

42 x 60

Someone gave me a 24 inch piece of elephant fabric. 

I made a few 10 inch elephant blocks to add to it. I downloaded the free pattern for the Elephants a long time ago from Milk and Honey Quilts but now I see the link for the pattern is no longer active. 

And sew on...

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CELEBRATE! (My word of the year)

May 21 -- Blueberries! They were on sale at the grocery store so I bought some and they are huge.  I love blueberry pancakes and blueberry muffins.  I have tried growing blueberries a number of times and they have been eaten by deer and rabbits. Two years ago I put in four blueberry bushes - two different varieties -  and put up a piece of snow fence around them. Well, then a groundhog tunneled under the area and killed one blueberry plant. So now I'm down to three bushes. So far so good this year but they sure are slow growing! Wonder how many years before I get a home grown blueberry. 

 

It's A Flimsy!

It's a flimsy!

45 x 54

I started making blocks back in October 2023 to use up some 4 inch squares I was given.  I made a few test blocks and then intended to add the block to my list of Rainbow Scrap Challenge (RSC) projects. After the RSC months of red and green I had quite a few blocks added to  my test blocks so decided to stop there and make a top when I had a chance. I had also found I did not really enjoy making the blocks. 

The Scrapbuster block can be found at Create With Claudia.

I still have some 4 inch squares left plus I've been processing scraps this month so now I also have a small box of 4 inch width strips in varying sizes. I haven't decided yet what I'm going to do with them. 

And sew on...

******

CELEBRATE! (My word of the year)

May 18 - A beautiful day! I knew it was going to be a day of record high heat so went outside to work in the gardens at first light. The air was cool, there was a slight breeze, the birds were singing. I also added a couple of new Echinaceas to my collection - Strawberries and Cream and Double Scoop Raspberry. 

May 19 - A finished book -- Mrs. Winchester's Biographer by Deanna Lynn Stetten. It is historical fiction based on the life of Sarah "Sallie" Lockwood Pardee Winchester.  I do most of my reading on my Kindle in the middle of the night when I can't sleep. I am thankful I have the Kindle. I don't see all that well.  I can enlarge the print on the Kindle and it is backlit -- perfect for reading in the middle of the night. 

May 20 - I mailed off 6 quilts to Wrap-A-Smile.  And it was a rainy day! This time of year a rainy day means I get to spend more time in the sewing space than in the garden. Plus it was a much needed gentle rain and smelled so good. More gentle rain is predicted for today so I'll bet the next time I go out to the gardens a few of the latest seeds I have planted will have sprouted. It is always fun to visit the gardens each day to see what is new. 

And Now There Are 288!

I did not have many pink scraps left to work with this week so I worked on another Rainbow Scrap Challenge (RSC) project that has been in the works for a couple of years - Little Monkey Wrenches that finish at 5 inches all made from scraps. 

I had a goal of 288 blocks and only needed 47 more blocks at the start of this month to reach that goal. 

I ended up making 49 blocks because I may have counted incorrectly and besides - orphan blocks never go to waste around here. 

These will be set on the diagonal like a quilt I made back in 2015.  I now just have to decide what to use as side setting triangles. 

Oh, and the few pink scraps I did have left to work with this month were some 2.5 inch pieces I turned into some little 4.5 inch Windmills and a Potato Chip block. 

And sew on...

RSC ScrapHappy Saturday

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CELEBRATE! (my word of the year)

May 17 -- Sally at The Objects of Design has a monthly drawing for scraps. I was one of two winners in the May drawing and my package of fabulous scraps arrived yesterday.  Can't wait to use them!

 

A Couple Of Crumby Tops

Two Crumb Quilt Tops

44 x 59

Someone gave me a bunch of crumb blocks that finish at 9.5 inches. 

Someone else gave me....

...some striped strips cut at 2.5 inches. 

Instead of putting these blocks away for another day I thought it would be nice mindless sewing to make a couple of tops in between gardening, housework and hubby's physical therapy exercises I help him with several times a day. 

And sew on...

Finished Or Not Finished Friday at Alycia Quilts

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CELEBRATE! (my word of the year)

May 16 - I finally have everything planted in my veg garden! I have potatoes, onions, cabbage, cauliflower, brussel sprouts, broccoli, two different beans, beets, carrots, cucumbers, snow peas, shelling peas, lettuce, mustard greens, radishes, spinach, kohlrabi, watermelon, cantaloupe, 4 different types of winter squash, and several different varieties of tomatoes and peppers I started from seed.  There are permanent places in the garden for asparagus, rhubarb and strawberries. Since hubby is on a feeding tube for his nutrition  and won't be able to eat anything I cut down on the quantity of seeds and plants and since I now have extra veg garden space I planted my flowers that have to be dug up in the autumn (dahlias and gladiolis) and Sunflowers in those extra spaces. Hubby used to help me with planting the veg garden but he is too weak to do so this year so I did it all myself. One thing about that...I work the beds by hand and don't stir up the earth more than necessary and hubby likes to till. I keep trying to  convince him that tilling brings up weed seeds. So now I'm looking forward to doing a little less weeding in the veg garden. And now I  can concentrate on my cuttting garden, cottage garden and native wildflower garden.  And sow on...

 

And Now For The Rest Of The Story

A quilt full of flowers and butterflies that I made now belongs to a girl with a big smile who just underwent surgery in Medellin, Colombia! 

I made the quilt back in 2019  and donated it to Wrap-A-Smile.  

Wrap-A-Smile partners with Rotaplast, International to provide quilts to children undergoing cleft lip and cleft palate surgeries. 

Rotaplast also has a Facebook page and that is where the photo was found. I'm not on Facebook; however, the page is public so I could see the photo. 

Unfortunately, when the pandemic hit the Rotaplast surgical missions were cancelled for a couple of years so all the quilts planned for those missions like the one I made in 2019 stayed in storage for awhile. Wrap-A-Smile also quit accepting quilts for awhile when the missions were cancelled but now are back in business. 

And now that Wrap-A-Smile is accepting quilts again I have 20 quilts I hope to get boxed up and shipped off within the next couple of weeks. FYI - I have found Pirate Ship an economical way to ship. I wonder where they will end up!  

And sew on...

*****

CELEBRATE! (my word of the year)

May 14 - I received a 25 lb. box of crumb blocks, orphan blocks, fat quarters and other fabrics and batting. I have plans to make 3 crumb quilts for kids asap. 

Today, May 15 - Hubby, John, had a CT scan a couple of weeks ago and had an appointment this morning with his pulmonologist to go over the results. GOOD NEWS! The doctor showed us the scan from October when he was in the hospital with aspiration pneumonia and one from January and the current one. He showed us on the current scan that the fluid is gone and lungs have healed up as much as they can. He still has bronchiectasis and uses a nebulizer and has some problems breathing but he can walk without a walker now and is not on oxygen and a few months ago he was on oxygen, could not get up out of a chair and had to walk with a walker! Pulmonologist told him to keep doing what he is doing and come back in November! Root cause of most of John's health issues stems from oropharyngeal cancer and all the radiation he had over 20 years ago. He can no longer swallow so gets his nutrition via feeding tube and pump. When he could not swallow very well he was aspirating most everything he tried to swallow. Then they put in feeding tube and he was still aspirating bolus feedings. Aspiration led to aspiration pnuemonia and inability to swallow and eat anything before feeding tube led to weakness and malnutrition. Now that he no longer aspirates and lung damage is healed and he is getting nutrition and gaining weight with enteral feeding and doing physical therapy exercises he is getting healthier every day!!! (Oh, and he has a good wife that helps him out too!)

And guess what...another celebration...today I found a four leaf clover when I was weeding. Lucky me! I am pressing it to save. This is from a red clover (trifolium pratense). I've never found one from a red clover. In the past I have found four leaf white clover (trifolium repens). In the middle ages it was believed by some Celtic groups tthat wielding a four leaf clover would help you see fairies and ward off evil spirits and grant the holder good luck.  I just looked down and immediately spotted it. I was already thinking that I'm a pretty lucky person so now I'm wondering what the future holds!

 

Snowball and Nine Patch Top

It's a top!

54 x 66

Snowball and Nine Patch

I started this in December of last year. 

I was inspired by a quilt found at Blue Elephant Stitches. 

And now this box is empty. 

The theme in my sewing space this month is "WITB" (What's In The Box) and "SAR" (Some Assembly Required).   This fit the WITB category. In the box were some nine patches, snowballs and other pieces and parts. At the beginning of the month I looked at what was needed to empty this box and have been making Snowballs and Nine Patches off and on since then until I had enough for a top and could empty a  box.    The month is about half over and I've only emptied one box! How many more will I be able to empty?   

I don't think I will get to the SAR part of my theme this month. I have a bin with completed block sets that need to be assembled into tops. 

And sew on...

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CELEBRATE! (my word of the year)

May 11 - Surprise! Received two bolts of fabric. There was no packing slip so I don't know who to thank. The weird thing is that the anonymous donor must be a mind reader. I get emails from Marshall Dry Goods and I saw splatter tonals on clearance. I thought "what a good deal" and kept the email to remind me to look into it and possibly order some. I got busy with gardening and other things and never got around to ordering. So, someone out there is a mind reader and a blessing. Thank you anonymous mind reader! I can use it for backings for lots of comfort quilts and maybe even a background for a few. Thank you! Thank you!

May 12 - Mother's Day. A day to remember mom. I looked through a scrapbook I made about mom after she passed away. She packed up and disappeared one day when I was about 15 years old - the oldest of five siblings. After that she was in and out of our lives and most of the time she was off battling many demons. I am thankful she did not pass all those demons on to me. I do have some good memories of mom and hang on to those. Sometimes she visits me in my dreams and offers comfort when needed. May she rest in peace. 

May 13 - Finished another book! -- The Only Way Home by Jeanette Minniti. It is depression era historical fiction -adventures of a young boy who rides the rails looking for work to support his family after his father passes away.   I like depression era, WWII and Irish historical fiction.  They are usually tales of survival and courage in the most difficult of times and put me in touch with the lives of my ancestors. I'm also often left wondering what I would have done to survive. I am thankful life for me is good.