Twilight Flock Top

 

It's a top!

Twilight Flock

60 x 78

I started making blocks in January 2024. I was inspired by a quilt called Twilight Flock in  From the Cover (Quilter's Newsletter Magazine Editors and Contributors). The complete set of blocks has been in my SAR (some assembly required) bin since September 2024.  I decided to dig it out and assemble since I am working with dark neutrals this month and these blocks sure contain a lot of them!

This was a Rainbow Scrap Challenge (RSC) project and I made a few blocks each month from scraps in the RSC color of the month. For the Flying Geese I used whatever 2.5 inch width scraps I had at the time and cut parts using the Easy Angle Companion ruler. 

I used a lot of black scrap chunks to make the rest of the block. 

Yesterday I posted about Basket Weave blocks and this is another example of them. Centers are 4.5 x 6.5 rectangles and the two sides are 1.5 x 6.5 rectangles. 

And sew on...

***

I was late posting this morning because I usually take photos for blog posts a day or two ahead of the post but it has been too windy to do that the last few days. This morning there was a bit of a break so I could take a few photos as soon as the sun came out. I see there are a lot of sticks, limbs, and branches to pick up now. 

The high winds were good for hanging out laundry to dry.  I had to laugh at my husband's shirt when I was folding laundry. I guess we wear things around here until they wear out. The kids gave John that shirt on his 40th birthday and he turned 75 in August. 

***

I am still thankful for nice weather. I still need to harvest a lot of Brussels Sprouts from my sorry looking plants. The deer have eaten the tops and side leaves off all the plants but have left me some Brussels Sprouts to harvest. That is the last thing in the  veg garden to harvest.  They are sweeter after a frost. I have to wait for a hard frost to dig up and store my dahlia tubers. I have been planting a few bulbs too. I add a few each year to a meadow area I am trying to naturalize. 

***

I finished a book! The Secret Keeper by Siobhan Curham. It is a WWII historical fiction about Hollywood's role in the war. The main character is loosely based on Real life model turned actress Aline Griffith recruited to spy as an undercover agent for the OSS precursor to the CIA.  Real life events are woven into the story like the death of actor Leslie Howard. His plane was shot down by Luftwaffe. 

***

Yesterday I received a surprise box of fabric from Teresa. Oh joy! 

A Sawtooth Star Top

It's a top!

Sawtooth Stars

40 x 56

I mentioned in June that someone sent me a box of Flying Geese bodies ( the fabric kind). I decided to make some strips of Flying Geese and to use them in Sawtooth Stars. 

I used scraps from the 2.5 inch width scrap box for Star Points ( Flying Geese wings) and for Star corner squares. 

I used 4.5 inch squares from my bin of squares for the Star centers. 

I made 35 eight inch finished Stars and assembled this child sized comfort quilt top. Now I will continue to make the rest of the Flying Geese bodies into strips after I give them some wings. 

And sew on...

Oh Scrap! At Quilting Is More Fun Than Housework

 

Orange and Purple Scraps

Boo Boo Patches

3 x 6

So called because when I started making these a few years ago I meant to make 9 patches with pieces cut at 1.5 x 2.5 but accidentally made a Boo Boo and cut pieces at 1.5 x 1.5 inches. So instead of 9 Patches I made 18 (or Boo Boo) Patches.

Orange has been the RSC (Rainbow Scrap Challenge) color for June. I saw a few days ago that the RSC color for July will be purple. 

My goal for the Boo Boo Patches is 240 blocks (I think). At the end of last year I counted up my blocks and went through my 1.5 inch width scraps looking for pieces long enough for the remaining blocks I need and made the strip sets. This year I've been pulling out the strip sets in RSC colors of the month.  I only have a few strips left to make into Boo Boo Patches so I think this year I will make my goal! (It mostly looks like aqua, dark neutrals and multicolor strips are left)

Boo Boo Patches in purple.

Sawtooth Stars

8 inch

I mentioned a few weeks ago that someone sent me a box that contained a bunch of baggies of Flying Geese parts in all colors of the rainbow. There were only body parts of the Flying Geese (FG) that, with wings added, measure 2.5 x 4.5 unfinished. I decided to use the parts in a couple of ways. For the Sawtooth Stars I pulled out groups of  four purple FG bodies that were the same. I looked through my purple 4.5 inch squares for block centers and looked through my purple 2.5 inch width scraps for FG wings and block corner squares. 

More Sawtooth Stars

Then I used 40 FG to make strips for a Wild Goose Chase quilt inspired by a vintage one as seen in my previous post. 

Going where the scraps take me and enjoying the journey!

And sew on...

RSC ScrapHappy Saturday

***

I get a monthly Iowa Lottery ticket for free. In June I won $5 on my ticket. Usually if I win it is $1. It's all good. When I cash in my ticket they always ask me if I want to spend it on another. No, I'm perfectly happy with my prize. It all adds up. No sense in wasting a free dollar or five dollars. 

I think the heat wave might be past and today will see relatively cooler temps (I hope). And I think the daily rains are gone so I think after I finish my coffee and oatmeal this a.m. I might be able to work out in the gardens. 

The Daylilies are starting to bloom. They add pops of color in the cottage garden but each flower only lasts a day. I bought my Daylilies over 30 years ago.  I ordered by mail from a catalog put out by a Daylily breeder in Missouri - Gilbert Wild & Son. That was the olden days before anything was sold on the internet.  With the recent heat wave and daily rain my poor Daylilies looked rather beat up when I went to take pics. Well, at least so far they haven't been eaten by deer. 

 

A Flock Of Flying Geese Landed At My House

Sawtooth Stars

8 inch

I received some baggies of what I thought at first were HST parts. Then I figured out they were wingless Flying Geese (2.5 x 4.5 inch unfinished). They are lots of them in several different colors. To start with I pulled out the baggie of orange parts and decided to give them wings so they could fly. 

For the Sawtooth Stars I dug into the 4.5 inch squares for Star centers. I looked in the 2.5 inch scraps for Flying Geese wings in a contrasting color and cut those with my Easy Angle ruler. I didn't have any orange 2.5 inch squares to use for the block corners so I cut a 2.5 inch strip from a couple of different orange scrap chunks to use. 

Geese Strips

If sewn together they would make a column 80.5 inches (unfinished) long. 

One of the little baggies of Flying Geese bodies held some pieces pinned together in groups. I cut some low volume wings and made strips with any pinned groups that had orange in them.  Then I made a few more groups with just orange Geese bodies.  I wanted strips of 40 total Flying Geese that if sewn together would equal a column of 80 inches (finished). 

I will be using the Flying Geese columns in a Wild Goose Chase quilt that I'm thinking will end up around 60 x 80 finished. 

I was inspired by the May Quilt of the Month at the International Quilt Museum:

Wild Goose Chase 

Mary Maxtion 

Made in Boligee, Alabama, United States; circa 1980-1995

Cotton blend

IQM 2000.004.0079

Going where the scraps take me...making comfort quilts one scrap at a time.

And sew on...

Oh Scrap! at Quilting Is More Fun Than Housework

***

My siblings will all be in town today for a couple of days. My brother and wife left Tennessee a week ago in their camper and have been camping at many different places along a planned route. In their plan they included camping at a place near here. The last few days they have been camping and visiting attractions near Galena, IL. My sister flew in from CA and my brother flew in from FL to join them. My sister that lives near me also went to meet them and they have been staying the last few days at the unique Car Wash Inn which is a short drive from Galena.  Unfortunately my husband is unable to travel far so we could not join them.  However, today they will be camping a few miles from here in RV and cabin and we will be able to join them for a few hours each day.  It has been a long time since all of us have been together so I'm looking forward to the visit. 

 

The Blues Chapter II

Twilight Flight

Flying Geese

6 inch

I'm still working out in the gardens a lot and helping hubby through his recovery so have not found a lot of time to sew. But I did work on the 2.5 inch width scraps this week and did end up making a few blocks and processing scraps. 

I only had a few dark blues for Geese for these blocks but I did have a few other colors of 2.5 inch scraps I had thrown into that project bag while processing scraps so sewed them up too. 

Windmills

4 inch

Last week I made the little windmills from 1.5 inch width scraps that were long enough and this week I made them from the 2.5 inch width scraps that were long enough. I have a big bag of them so one of these days I should count them and decide what I'm going to do with them. 

I cut up the remaining 2.5 inch blue scraps into:

1. Sets of four 2.5 inch squares - I have two projects that use them.

2. 2.5 x 4.5 rectangles  -- into the Parts Dept. 

3. 2.5 x 3.5 rectangles - coin quilt layout by value

4. 2.5 inch squares - into the Parts Dept. 

5. 1.5 x 2.5 rectangles -- I have two projects that use them

And sew on...

RSC ScrapHappy Saturday

 

Shirts and Giggles - A Finish!

It's a finish! 

Shirts and Giggles

76 inches square

hand quilted

vintage inspired

This is the vintage quilt that inspired me to make my own version. I saw it on Ebay a long time ago.

Made from men's shirts from the thrift store (Shirts) and some 1930s reproduction prints that remind me of my grandmother's dresses (Giggles). 

Broken Wheels, Flying Geese, Puss in the Corner blocks. 

I finished the top back in 2019.

Big stitch hand quilted with blanc perle #12.

The backing and binding.

The crocus were blooming in little patches in the lawn (where the squirrels must have scattered them over the years) near my clothesline a few days ago. Now you can see what's on the ground near my clothesline and I think there is more predicted for today. Well, at least I know Spring is trying to sprung!! 

And sew on...

Slow Sunday Stitching at Kathy's Quilts

Oh Scrap! at Quilting Is More Fun Than Housework

 

What's In The Hoop?

What's in the hoop?

Shirts and Giggles

76 inches square

Top finished in March 2019.

Inspired by a vintage quilt.

Made with thrift store shirts (shirts) and fabrics I thought might look like dresses my grandmother wore back in the day (giggles) - 1930s reproduction fabrics. 

My grandmother who taught me to sew used old clothes to make her quilts and I used to love to look at all the fabrics. Sometimes she would tell me stories about the fabrics - "that used to be Uncle Leo's shirt and then later I cut it up to make a shirt for your Dad" (13 years younger than his brother Leo) or "your Aunt Betty made that dress to wear to a dance and many dances thereafter then she handed it down to your Aunt Elsie and later I made an apron out of it".  

Big stitch hand quilting with perle blanc #12.

Previous post with finished top as well as vintage inspiration on March 26, 2019. 

And sew on...

Slow Sunday Stitching at Kathy's Quilts

 

Scrap Miscellany

Last week I cleaned up a few piles of scraps that had collected on my cutting mat and ironing board. With some longer 2.5 inch pieces I cut and made HSTs. 

I combined four alike with some 4.5 inch squares from my squares bin and made Bear Paws to add to my growing collection of blocks that will be made into quilts at year end (if I get around to it). 

Also if there were four HSTs alike they got turned into Monkey Wrench blocks for a growing collection. For these the HSTs get combined with some 1.5 inch squares and the blocks finish at 5 inches. 

I have fun making these blocks. I've decided to make these in three sizes (5, 7.5 and 10 inch) with scraps throughout the rest of the year and probably into next year.  And, oops, I forgot to take a pic of that Bear Paw with the glow in the dark eyes. 

If there aren't sets of four HSTs that match but there are two that do then I've been turning them into Broken Dishes blocks. I have several different sizes of those now too. I've been going through a box of HST parts accumulated over the years and have been sewing HSTs as leaders/enders then store them in baggies by size. I decided to match up a few pairs from the baggies while I was in Broken Dishes mode. 

So now I have little collections of 4, 6 and 8 inch Broken Dishes blocks. 

So...now when I have leftovers and can make 4 HSTs then I can make Monkey Wrench blocks and if 2 matching HSTs (or 4) I can make Broken Dishes.   

While going through my HST baggies I noticed a lot of 3.5 inch HSTs with yellow AND four matching.  So I pulled all of those out and added some 2 inch squares and made Monkey Wrench blocks that finish at 7.5 inches. 

There are not enough for a big or little quilt so I'll just remember if I have leftovers and make 3.5 inch HSTs to match them up with yellow scraps for awhile. 

These HST parts were given to me. I matched them up and made the 6.5 inch HST for the Parts Department since I'm not sure what to do with them right now. I'll probably use them in orphan block quilts. 

And speaking of Parts...I made these Four Patches from pieces leftover from making a Hollow Nine Patch and Bricks and Stones quilt from 3 inch width pieces.  They finish at 5 inches. For now I am putting them in the Parts Department and these too will probably be used in orphan block quilts since they are kind of a weird size. 

Or someday I might use alternate 5.5 squares to make a quilt. For now they are Parts and off of my cutting mat. 

Someone gave me a baggie of Flying Geese bodies. I added some 2.5 inch neutral wings cut with the Easy Angle ruler. I think they, too, will go into the Parts Department for now. Someday I may use them as star points on Sawtooth Stars but then someday I may use them as Parts in an orphan block quilt.  For now they are out of the bits and pieces box (mostly HST parts) that I'm trying to empty and use as leader/enders. 

Flying Geese bodies in waiting.

And sew on...

Oh Scrap! at Quilting Is More Fun Than Housework