String Progress

Spider Web Blocks

I previously posted on June 18 that I had sorted my strings into several different projects and started those projects.  Since then I started another string project (child sized Heartstring with yellow centers) and got that to flimsy stage.  This time of year I spend more time out in the gardens than I do in the sewing room but I did manage to find bits of time here and there to work on my string projects.  I'm hoping to get all three projects to flimsy stage by the end of July and have most of my strings used up. 

So since my last string post I've made Spider Web parts and turned those into four blocks. 

I've made many Feather Bed parts with the longest of strings - most from quilt back trimmings. 

And I've made several Eight Point Star parts from the very short strings left over from other string projects.

And sew on...

Quilting Is More Fun Than Housework

 

Sawtooth Stars

Sawtooth Stars

10 inch

Blue has been the Rainbow Scrap Challenge (RSC) color for the month of June. I noticed quite a few blue pieces of novelty fabrics. I decided to make some Sawtooth Stars using red, yellow and blue scraps - 5.5 inch centers and 3 inch width scraps for the star points and background. Sorting through scraps I've received from others I've accumulated a small box of 3 inch width strips, bits and pieces so I dug through those scraps to see if I could use any for backgrounds. 

I've gathered enough bits and pieces of red and yellow novelties to make more stars. My goal is 24 Stars for a 4 x 6 layout for a child sized donation quilt. 

And sew on...

 RSC ScrapHappy Saturday 

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CELEBRATE! (my word of the year)

June 26 - Ah, the smell of sheets after they have been line dried! 

June 27 - I don't really like to see rabbits - they like to munch a lot of my garden veg and flowers. But I was looking out my kitchen window the other day and was fascinated by a couple of rabbits jumping, running and leaping straight up into the air. That action is called a rabbit binky - a sign of joy and playfulness. Maybe they were doing a little dance after finishing a big meal from my garden. 

June 28 - Prebiotics and probiotics.  I eat prebiotics of some kind every day and even grow some of them -- garlic, onions, bananas, oatmeal, apples, avocados. As far as probiotics I eat yogurt every morning. I used to make my own when the kids were younger. I eat sauerkraut at least once a month. I make my own from cabbage I've grown. I used to make pickles the old fashioned way--- fermented in a crock but went to making refrig pickles in my old age and pickles made with vinegar aren't probiotics. Well, anyway, I have to think that prebiotics and probiotics are part of why I'm pretty healthy in my old age.   

 

Four New Tops

Four New Tops

A rainy day kept me from doing work in the gardens so I did a little housework and then headed to the sewing room yesterday and when I came out I had four new tops for kids. 

1. Happy Critters

8.5 inch finished Happy Blocks

I had a few fabrics with small prints of critters so cut enough 5 inch squares for the centers. Each month this year I have been making the frames in the Rainbow Scrap Challenge (RSC) color of the month. I look through the scrap bag for any TOT (tone on tone) or solid scraps.   We have not had orange as a color of the month yet but I wanted to get the blocks finished up for this so I could cross this off my long list of RSC blocks I make each month so I went ahead and looked through my orange scraps and finished up my blocks. 

2. Heartstring Blocks

10 inch finished

I mentioned a few posts ago that I sorted my strings and started three new projects. One of my new starts did not involve the novelty strings. I was thinking of making a Wonky Log Cabin with them at a later date. Well, I started making more Spider Web blocks and I noticed I had quite a few long bright colored strings in that project bag so I pulled those out and added them to the novelty strings.  Someone gave me a yellow polka dot seersucker fabric so I cut that into 2 inch strips to use as the center string.   Most of the strings are quilt back trimmings. 

3. Orphan Olivia

Orphan blocks in mostly greens

Last year I made a bunch of orphan block quilts. I sorted through block and put them into piles but did not get all the piles made into tops last year. And since last year I have received orphan blocks from several different folks and I have added a few more of my own so I need to sort blocks again. KIDS will be the theme in my sewing space in July so we shall see what happens next month. 

4. Happy Blocks

8.5 inch finished

Last year someone gave me some strip sets cut at 5 and 9 inch for Happy Block frames.  

I was given the polka dots on yellow and the watercolor-y looking rainbows. 

I added in some other multicolor fabrics so I had enough frames for a child sized quilt. 

Then each month of the RSC I looked through the 5 inch squares bin or scraps for some TOT or solid squares for the centers in the color of the month.   Again, I wanted to finish up this set of blocks so I found a few orange centers and made blocks to add to the mix so I could have another project checked off the RSC list. 

And sew on...

Finished Or Not Finished Friday at Alycia Quilts

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CELEBRATE! (my word of the year)

June 22 - Worked outside very very early in the morning and was serenaded by the Dawn Chorus of bird songs, twitters and tweets.   I have to say, though, that the Brown-headed Nuthatch does get rather annoying after awhile. It sounds like a rubber ducky being squeaked over and over again.   I felt good about all the weeding I got done. 

June 23 - Finished a book! - By The Light Of The Moon by Dean Koontz.  ..."Jilly dared to think about the future, about destiny and free will, about mythology and truth, about dependency and responsibility, about the certainty of death and the desperate need to live with purpose, about love and duty, and hope."   Got me thinking too as I was reading through the book. 

June 24 - Fireflies or Lightning Bugs.  In the middle of the night their blinking lights made quite a spectacular display. There were so many of them! I remember catching them and putting them in a jar to watch for a few days when we were kids. 

June 25 - Wild black raspberries are ripe.  I let patches of them grow wild all over the property; however, they easily spread and get out of control in no time so I've cut back several of the patches. I actually prefer red raspberries because I think they don't have as many seeds but these are free and plentiful.   Raspberries remind me of tent camping when I was younger. We would walk the trails when raspberries were ripe and gather them up to put in our pancakes we cooked on a griddle over the campfire.   Raspberries also remind me of summer visits to my paternal grandparents' farm.  They had a hand crank ice cream freezer. We all took turns cranking and when we weren't doing that we went to gather fresh raspberries to put over the ice cream when it was finished. Oh what a summer time treat!

 

The Blues - Chapter IV

Wonky Windmills

8 inch blocks

Made with 4.5 inch width or 5 inch scraps long enough to cut two 4.5 x 5 rectangles of a color plus two 4.5 x 5 rectangles of gray fabric.  I chose gray for the background because I had a lot of small gray chunks I wanted to use up. 

Windmills

8 inches

I had a few small chunks of yellow to use for the backgrounds but maybe now I'm thinking that's a lot of yellow...BUT it sure will make a nice sunny, cheery quilt for a little one...BUT that's sure a lot of yellow! 

16 Patch

6 inch

I'm making these with 2 inch width scraps that are long enough in the Rainbow Scrap Challenge (RSC) color of the month paired with a green fabric. I have a lot of small chunks of green fabrics I want to get used up. 

Indian Hatchet

4 inch

I used blue corners in all of the blocks cut with an EZ Angle ruler from 2 inch width scraps long enough to yield 8 triangles.   Then in my project box I have sets of four 2.5 inch squares I pair them up with.  I've been making these for a couple of years. I was inspired by a vintage quilt. 

Bow Ties

3 inch

Made from 2 inch width scraps.  I've been making these for a long time and was also inspired by a vintage quilt. My goal is 900 blocks and I am now only 62 blocks from that goal. 

After I made my blue blocks I made more from scraps I threw into the project box while sorting scraps. 

Posies

8 inch

I made two more Posies. I had cut parts for these but didn't get them all sewn together last week. 

Floral Happy Blocks

8.5 inch

I made several of these from blue scraps last week but while sorting scraps I am across a few more bits and pieces to make a few more blocks. 

RSC ScrapHappy Saturday

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CELEBRATE! (my word of the year)

Quite honestly I have not really celebrated anything the last few days. A number of life happenings ganged up on me and kept me not only sewing blues but feeling blue.   But then...

June 21 - I received a package of fabric from Julie. Well, that left me smiling!...and dreaming! 

String Trilogy

I sorted my strings and decided upon three new projects. 

The longest strings, like ones that come from quilt backing trimming, will be made into Feathers.  I'll be making a quilt called Feather Bed. I made one back in 2016 and still have the pattern.  It is an Anna Maria Horner pattern that was free when I made my quilt back in 2016 but I see it is no longer free.  The Feathers are about 18 inches long and I need 38 Feathers. I'm pretty sure I have enough of that green fabric for the background. 

As the strings get a little shorter and skinnier I will use them to make a Spider Web quilt I will use that black with multicolor in all of the blocks. I bought a bunch of that fabric for backings when I made Friendship Star quilts for my granddaughter's friends after she passed away. I didn't notice when I bought it online that it has marijuana leaves on it so I don't want to use it in any quilts for kids. 

I've made several Spider Web quilts using different methods but I like Bonnie Hunter's method the best.

And finally when the strings are very skinny and/or very short they will be made into eight pointed String Stars. I think I may use different blue solids for the backgrounds or I may just use different colored solids. I'm not sure yet. 

I will use Corey Yoder's tutorial.  I used it in the past to make Skimpy Scrimption Stars from selvages. 

I also have some strings with kid's novelties on them set aside and when I finish blocks for these three quilts I will probably add in colorful strings that are left over as well as some low volume strings to make Wonky Log Cabin blocks. 

And sew on...

 

Irish Chain Top

It's a top!

Irish Chain

42 x 60

In a box of goodies someone sent me a long row of 6.5 inch Nine Patches and Squares sewn together as well as some Nine Patches. I took off some blocks on the end of the row in order to make it a kiddo sized quilt.  With six inch blocks I was aiming for a 42 x 60 quilt. Then I picked out all of the Nine Patches with dark corners and made a few more of my own. Then I cut 6.5 inch squares. 

Everything got sewn together into an Irish Chain layout. 

And now I just need to find a backing and get it quilted. 

And sew on...

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CELEBRATE! (My word of the year)

June 16 - Finished the book Five Chimneys: A Woman Survivor's True Story of Auschwitz by Olga Lenyel. It was originally published in 1946. The title says it all.   And now that my last two books have been about WWII I need to read something a little lighter. 

 

Suzy Ducken On The Courthouse Steps

It's a top!

I forget the measurements but it's baby quilt sized. 

It started with a cross stitch kit someone sent me of Suzy Ducken.  After I completed the cross stitch I asked on the Stashbusters list if anyone used cross stitch in quilts and received many replies from folks who have.   One idea was to use cross stitch as the center to a Courthouse Steps quilt. 

Well, orange and lime green figure predominately in the cross stitch and I sure do have a lot of scraps in those colors (Anvils, Bramble Blooms series) so I put those scraps to use and made Courthouse Steps. 

I'm not sure when I will finish the quilt but after I finished the cross stitch I found this cute duck fabric on clearance and bought a couple yards of it. I guess it was meant to be. 

And sew on...

Oh Scrap! at Quilting Is More Fun Than Housework

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CELEBRATE! (my word of the year)

June 15 - a new phone! My old phone was really old. It was the next step up from a flip phone. I remembered we replaced our flip phones with waterproof covers when we went on a trip with some siblings to Belize. I have not been able to update aps for quite awhile and then the battery started to bulge and phone started falling apart. I had to look up when we went to Belize and was surprised to find that was in June 2007. My phone old phone was that old!! I rarely use my phone and basically just carry it with me for emergencies.  So anyway...I finally have a new phone. It only took six hours and several Verizon support people to get the esim card activated so I could call and text. Thankfully hubby took over with the support people after I became totally frustrated with them. I wish people knew what they were doing and didn't just follow a script for support. Hopefully this phone will last 17 years like my old one. Or maybe a little longer...I'll only be 89 in 17 years. 

The Blues Chapter III

Posies

8 inch

Floral scraps

Blue is the Rainbow Scrap Challenge (RSC) color of the month. 

For these blocks I used small blue floral scrap chunks and floral neutral scraps. 

 I have used the old Block Lotto pattern called Violets. 

I didn't get around to getting all the Posies I cut out made this week so you might see a few more Posies next week. 

Cheerios

10 inch blocks

More with florals. I've been making these 8.5 inch finished Happy Blocks with 5 inch floral centers in the color of the month and framing them with floral scraps.  I have a bin of 5 inch squares and so each month I look through the squares for centers in the RSC color. 

Another set of 8.5 inch Happy Blocks. 

Someone gave me Happy Block frame pieces in rainbow colors. There weren't quite enough frames so I cut more from a few rainbow type fabrics I had.   The centers are 5 inch TOT (tone on tone) squares in the RSC color of the month. 

And finally...for this set of Happy Blocks...if I have any 2.5 inch width scraps long enough in the color of the month I cut those up to use as frames for some animal print squares. 

And sew on...

RSC ScrapHappy Saturday

CELEBRATE! (my word of the year)

June 14 - I think mom raccoon and her babies have left the premises.  We have a breezeway that attaches to a garage and behind the garage is an attached area we use as a tool shed. So anyway...I thought I kept hearing noises when I went through the breezeway or garage that sounded like an animal moving around - a big animal not a mouse. Then after a few days I heard little chattering sounds. Pretty sure it was baby raccoons and it sounded like they were in the ceiling.  Ewwwww!!! I looked around the house and found a small hole in the roof where the roof of the house meets the roof of the tool shed. Ugh!!! So I did a little research and found Raccoon Eviction fluid. It's supposedly male raccoon urine and raccoon mamas don't want males around their babies. So anyway...I gathered up a few rocks and put them in old socks and rags and soaked those socks and rags in the eviction fluid and tossed them around where I thought raccoon mama had the babies. 72 hours later I have heard no noises of any kind and I've tried banging around to let mama and babies know I am looking for them so they would start making noises. So maybe the Raccoon Eviction fluid worked or maybe it was time for mama and babies to move on anyway. Now I need to get roof hole fixed before something else takes up residence. 

Also...entry door knob broke. It was fixed in the unlock position; however, we were locked in and locked out.  After I broke out through another door and went into hardware store to get new one hubby was able to help me install it. I am so thankful he was able to do that because a few months ago he could not get out of a chair by himself or breathe without oxygen.