Greek Key Flimsy

It's a top!

Greek Key

54 x 72

What was in the bag in the box? 

I started working on these nine inch finished Greek Key blocks a few months ago because I had accumulated a lot of red 1.5 inch width scraps.  Now that bag of red scraps in the box of 1.5 inch width scraps is empty. My goal by year end is to completely empty the 1.5 inch width scrap box. 

I had almost enough scraps in my bag. I cut my scraps from longest strip down to shortest strip before I started making blocks. So I had a pile of 1.5 x 9.5, 1.5 x 8.5 and so on. When I got to the shortest lengths I had run out of scraps so had to cut a few 1.5 inch width strips from red scrap chunks. I was not going to use the "Merry Christmas" scraps but finally decided it's a scrap quilt and anything goes. 

I have a green one with light green and a brown one with creams in the works.

And sew on...

***

The rainy days have ended so for the next couple of days I will be back in gardening mode so may not get much sewing done. 

 

Red Scraps

ZigZag Blocks

8 inch

Made with 2.5 inch width scraps

Uneven Shoofly

10 inch

Made with 4.5 inch scraps

Combining florals with shirtings, plaids, homespuns

Greek Key

9 inch

Made with 1.5 inch width red scraps and constant yellow background. The whole quilt will be just red and yellow.

Potato Chip

6 inch

Made with 1.5 inch width scraps

Also catching up with blue and green blocks I cut but didn't get sewn together.

Potato Chip blocks are a Courthouse Steps variation which is a Log Cabin variation. 

And speaking of Potato Chips...

I thought I would make a small quilt that is just one big Potato Chip block. I will add rounds in the Rainbow Scrap Challenge (RSC) color of the month. Made with 2 x 3.5 rectangles. 

And sew on...

RSC ScrapHappy Saturday

***

Spring has Sprung!

We had several inches of snow, high winds and freezing temps a few days ago. Yesterday all the snow had melted and I was greeted outside my back door with patches of crocus in the lawn. 

***

A couple of weeks ago my husband's face swelled up and he was in a lot of pain. (He has osteoradionecrosis from radiation received for cancer many years ago). On Tuesday March 10 I took him to the doc and he put him on an antibiotic. Some of the side effects of the antibiotic are some of the same symptoms causing his distress. He has finished the antibiotic and is supposed to call the doc on Tuesday to find out next steps. The swelling has gone down; however, he is in a lot of pain and can barely speak. He thinks he may have a broken jaw.   His jaw broke on the other side several years ago due to the osteoradionecrosis and surgeons took his fibula and made him a new jaw bone.  I sure hope he does not have a broken jaw. The hospital is an hour away and his stay was about 10 days. The surgery was over 14 hours.  One good thing is that he has a G-tube and so at least he is still getting nutrition he needs. 

***

Finished a book! The Two Wives of Cuddy Ranse by Anna Housego. Historical fiction. This is the second book I have read by Anna Housego. Both books are inspired by her ancestors and real events. This book is based on her fourth great grandfather a convict who was transported to Australia. His first wife was a free woman who followed him to Australia and the second wife was his very young convict housekeeper. I wish I could write stories like Anna Housego about my ancestors. (Dream on!)

 

***

I guess Amazon Prime has a new TV series called Scarpetta based on medical examiner Kay Scarpetta in the Patricia Cornwell novels. I've read quite a few of the Patricia Cornwell books; however, I have not watched the new show. It has not received good reviews. BUT I might have to watch because I guess my brother Kerry is an extra. He's been having fun since retirement playing an extra in several movies. He sent me this clip from Season 1 Episode 4.  He's the guy with the mustache in black on the right. 

***

Today is my 74th birthday.

A Couple of Green New Deals

3 inch finished Nine Patches in green.

I have a couple of new starts using green scraps. 

When the theme in my sewing space in January was "Itty Bits, Fiddly Bits" I found a couple of baggies of green 1.5 inch squares someone gave me in the project box for Gum Wrapper Chain. There were so many neat little piles of duplicates. I set them aside to make little 3 inch Nine Patches. 

And since this month the Rainbow Scrap Challenge (RSC) color is green I noticed I also have quite a few small scrap chunks of green I can use to make more little Nine Patches if need be. 

A long time ago I copied off a pic of this c 1920 vintage quilt I saw a long time ago at the International Quilt Museum. And I've been meaning to make my version for a long time. I guess that time is now! 

Recently I also saw a similar version coming soon at Laundry Basket Quilts. 

9 Inch Greek Keys

I will be making a Greek Key Quilt in green. 

The January theme in my sewing space was "itty bits, fiddly bits". At that time I noticed I had a lot of green 1.5 inch width scraps.

In February the theme in my sewing space has been "log cabins and variations". I decided to make some Greek Key log cabin blocks and ended up with a small top using green and blue scraps.  I saw a really cute wonky Greek Key quilt I liked and wanted to try but before I tried to make a wonky one I decided I should make one that's not supposed to be wonky so as to figure out how the pieces go together.  This is another one that is not supposed to be wonky.

And since the February RSC color is green I'm using those green 1.5 inch width scraps and small scrap chunks. 

And sew on...

***

Finished a book! Anonymous Voice by Jean Hackensmith. It is the third book in the Dirty Thirties Saga that follows a Philadelphia family who lost many family members in the mines and then moved to Oklahoma to homestead. Evidently there is to be a fourth book in the series. 

Greek Key Log Cabin Top

It's a flimsy!

Greek Key Log Cabin

36 x 45

I was going to make Greek Key blocks as one of my Rainbow Scrap Challenge (RSC) projects to use 1.5 inch width scraps. January's RSC color was blue and February's is green. Between those two colors and neutrals I had enough pieces in the 1.5 inch width scrap bin to make a small comfort quilt top. 

And sew on...

Finished Or Not Finished Friday at Alycia Quilts

***

I have been winter sowing a lot of seeds. I sow native wildflowers as well as some hardy annuals that need stratification or cooler soil temps to germinate in pots on the deck. I have more to sow in pots before I start winter sowing some seeds directly into the gardens.  I noticed a big increase in some seed and bulb prices this year. Glad I ordered a lot of seeds on clearance last year from a variety of places. I briefly glanced through the Harmonized Tariff Schedule  and it appears that maybe tariffs have something to do with the price increases. 

***

I finished two books. 

The Friend of the Family by Dean Koontz. " We exist now as we have always existed...forever in a mystery so strange and so profound it cannot be solved. Such is the world."

Falling Apart and Other Gifts From the Universe by Catherine Ryan Hyde.  It is not within our control to save everyone. 

***

Oh joy! In the last few weeks I have received scraps, fodder and fabrics for comfort quilts from Ann D., Julie S., Barbara A., and Wanda D.  I am thankful. 

***

During the winter we had some high winds. Some trees fell on an area in my new Perky Goth/Moonlight  garden right where I had planted some bulbs in the Autumn.  I have a chainsaw that can cut branches up to six inches. We also have big chainsaw I don't operate but I need to take it in for repairs to the pull cord. It needs a new one. My oldest son and I cleaned up what we could until chain saw gets fixed. 

Before. Branches look small in the photo but they weren't! Flags mark bulb area and also in that area was a wood trellis with Clematis. I need to make a new trellis. 

After. Waiting for chain saw repair to cut the bigger stuff but for the most part trees and limbs are off the planted area. 

 

More Blue Scraps

 

Rick Rack Blocks

10 inch

One 2.5 inch strip makes 2 blocks

Yankee Puzzle

9 inch

I have been trying to use up a small box of 4 inch width scraps and squares. One of the blocks I have been making using those scraps is Yankee Puzzle using the tutorial at Suzy's Scraps. Note that I am using 4 inch squares and not 3.5 inch squares used in the tutorial.

I started making these last year and made one small comfort quilt top consisting of blocks with two colors. This set consists of color plus neutral. I will make a larger comfort quilt with this set. 

Greek Keys

9 inch

Made with 1.5 inch scraps

And sew on...

Rainbow Scrap Challenge ScrapHappy Saturday

I see the RSC color for Feb. is green. I better get moving. I have a lot of green scraps and Feb. is a shorter month!

Brown Itty Bits

18 Patch in Browns

6 inch finished

Blocks 43-61

Goal 108 for a quilt layout 9 x 12

This month the theme in my sewing room has been "itty bits, fiddly bits".  I've been accumulating brown 1.5 inch width scraps for awhile to make these blocks.  I think I started making them in 2023.  I used up all the scraps long enough in the bag to make these 18 patch blocks and then...

...I decided to use the leftover pieces in a new start. I found enough neutral pieces to go with the browns in the 1.5 inch width scrap box. 

Greek Keys

9 inch

I was thinking I would use all colors of scraps in my 1.5 inch width scrap box to make blocks to add to the browns in a quilt; however, I think I may just make one in browns because they look like cinnamon rolls to me. I will probably make a separate quilt with all colors of the rainbow and add the block to my list of Rainbow Scrap Challenge blocks. 

Then with any brown scraps left over that I could cut into 1.5 x 2.5 rectangles I made 

Potato Chip Blocks

6 inch

Blocks 21-23

Goal 70 for a layout 7 x 10

Looks like I started making these blocks in all colors back in 2022 to use 1.5 inch width scraps. 

And then I cut any remaining brown scraps into 1.5 inch squares.