From Fodder To Flimsy

 

It's a flimsy!

Nine Patch

42 x 58

Fodder - n. raw material, as for artistic creation.

This month the theme in my sewing space to move things forward is "strings, crumbs and fodder".

The fodder for this quilt was a small stack of Nine Patches and some pieces for more that I was given. 

Since the Nine Patches were bright and had some novelties I decided to make a small comfort quilt with sashing. For that I needed 35 Nine Patches. After I finished up making Nine Patches with all the parts I needed 14 more Nine Patches so made them with some 2.5 inch squares in my Parts Dept. 

Then I looked for what to use for sashing possibilities. I happened to have accumulated a lot of yellow 2.5 inch strips given to me by several folks so that's what I used. I think there's enough pieces left for binding too! 

The cornerstones came from my 2.5 inch squares. 

And sew on...

***

Finished a book! The President's Wife by Anna Stuart. Historical fiction inspired by the life of Eleanor Roosevelt. I enjoyed the book. I have read several other historical fiction novels by this author that I have also enjoyed. One thing that stuck out to me was that the author is English. For example, she wrote about Eleanor knitting "jumpers" instead of sweaters. And there were more than enough references to FDR's infidelity. 

***

I signed up to get a free Iowa Lottery ticket each month and April's ticket was an $8 winner. I don't ever buy tickets - just get my free one each month. $8 is the most I have ever won. 

***

Still trying to get my husband some treatment for his pain due to Osteoradionecrosis of the Jaw (ORNJ) and Osteomyelitis (bone infection) - one of many side effects of radiation received over 20 years ago for stage IV squamous cell carcinoma at the base of his tongue. He went to primary care physician on March 10 for swelling of face and received an antibiotic. Two weeks later he had a CT scan. Finally he got a referral to Oral Surgeon and now that he has all the records he needs and Easter vacations are over we are waiting for a phone call from that office.  

***

We have been having a cold snap again along with some rain but I finally got my potatoes planted on Monday. I do see some radish, lettuce, beet and sugar snap peas have sprouted. I see it is supposed to get up to 60 today with possibility of rain this evening so I hope to make it out sometime today to work in the flower gardens. I want to get some sweet peas planted. 

***

From Fodder To Flimsy

It's a flimsy!

Happy Blocks

42.5 x 42.5

Fodder - n. raw material, as for artistic creation.

This month the theme in my sewing space to move things forward is "strings, crumbs and fodder".

A long time ago someone gave me some frames for 10 Happy Blocks - two 5 inch pieces and two 9 inch pieces of matching fabric.  I've kept the pieces in a baggie and decided I should empty that baggie. I decided I needed 25 blocks in pinks and blues for a small comfort quilt. 

I looked through my 2.5 inch width scraps for frames for 15 more blocks. 

Fodder

Then I looked through my 5 inch squares and 5 inch width strip pieces for center squares. 

Then I made blocks. 

And assembled a top. 

And sew on...

***

If it isn't one thing it's another. 

Our mailbox and the neighbor's mailbox were run over by something big last night. I picked the mailboxes up out of the ditch and left the neighbor's box near the posts. I put their very wet mail that was also in the ditch back in their mailbox and went into town very early this morning (6 am) to get a new mailbox and post. 

February Fodder

Fodder - n. raw material, as for artistic creation.

"Strings and Things" has been the February theme in my sewing space. Fodder is my "and things". 

Over the past year I've been emptying little baggies of this, that and the other thing. Some baggies have come from others and some are of my making. A lot of the baggies have had HST parts in them. As I sew them together I throw them into little boxes kept near the ironing board. I just never get around to ironing them. So this month I did some ironing and some trimming.  

These are 6 inch finished Broken Dishes blocks made of 3.5 inch unfinished HSTs.  Whenever I make Quarter Square Triangle or Flying Geese blocks I use the Easy Angle Companion ruler to cut parts. Since I don't like to waste the first and last cuts on a strip of fabric at the beginning and end of the strip of fabric I use the Easy Angle ruler to cut HSTs. 

If I have four HSTs the same I usually turn them into Broken Dishes blocks. I have a whole box of Broken Dishes in different sizes - quilt fodder. That's where these will go. 

More six inch Broken Dishes.

And even more six inch Broken Dishes. 

Someone sent me these HST parts - yellows matched up with what looks like crumb pieces? I made the HSTs and then turned them into Broken Dishes. Can't remember the size. 

Those Broken Dishes are now going into the grocery bag of orphan blocks and parts that have yellow and/or orange in them.  The bag is pretty full now so maybe it is time for an orphan block quilt. 

4 inch finished HSTs in lime green and orange.

 I made QSTs for a Bramble Bloom quilt and these were the HST parts cut from the beginning and end of strips used to make those QSTs. 

More HSTs left over from making Bramble Bloom QSTs. These are green and pink. 

I have many more not shown here. Most are in multiples of four. I was going to make Broken Dishes blocks from these but decided to wait on that. I might want to use them in some other way. 

For now they are going into the shoe box of orange, lime green, and pink 4.5 inch width scraps left over from making Bramble Blooms tops.   I also have a bag of scrap chunks in the same colors. 

Four Inch Broken Dishes

I think these are some of the Easy Angle cuts (combined with neutrals) that came from making Flying Geese for my Twilight Flock blocks. 

These will go into my box of various sizes of Broken Dishes blocks. 

This little pile of 3 inch HSTs came from cutting corners while making Pineapple Quilt blocks. 

Those HSTs will go into the box of red, white and blue orphan blocks and parts. I think it's time for another orphan block quilt. That box is full of goodies.

Little QSTs. Sometimes made from binding joins and other times from waste triangles. I trim off the dog ears but otherwise don't care if they are wonky. 

They are joining in with others in a box of wonky little QSTs. Someday I will make a quilt from them inspired by a vintage quilt. That lone star is the center for the medallion quilt. 

This month I also emptied a Banker Box sized box (held reams of printer paper) of quilt back trimmings. Anything wider than six inches got put with scrap chunks organied by color. Some multicolors or big prints I put in a separate box to use for quilt back inserts or scrappy bindings. 

I have a little flat now of those trimmings - 1.5, 2, 2.5,3,3.5,4,4.5,5 and 5.5 inch width strips. They will now join others of the same size. I have quilt blocks going for almost all those sizes. I also ended up with some strings (less than 1.5 inch or wonky) and have already used some of those in this month's string quilts. 

I've got more foddering to do. 

And sew on...