Sweet Violets and The Big Potato Chip

It's a top!

Sweet Violets

43 x 52

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

A few months ago I sorted by color most of the charms/5 inch squares received from others over the years. I've been trying to use them to make small comfort quilts. 

I cut the border pieces from yardage and I cut the floral squares from a pile of small scrap chunks.  I used most of the violet charms/squares except for a few "wild" ones that will go into a quilt with other "wild" ones. 

I also added a round of 2 x 3 purple rectangles to my Big Potato Chip. I think it now measures 30 inches square. 

And sew on...

RSC ScrapHappy Saturday

 

Some Yellow Scraps

Yellow is the Rainbow Scrap Challenge (RSC) color of the month. I added a round of 2 x 3.5 yellow rectangles to the Giant Potato Chip quilt. 

More yellow 2 x 3.5 rectangles as well as pink and orange ones I didn't get sewn together in past months went into Streak of Lightning blocks. 

More 2 inch width scraps went into Courthouse Steps blocks. 

And sew on...

RSC ScrapHappy Saturday

***

Oh joy! I received THREE boxes of goodies from Ry Lynn. What a treat it was to sort through the boxes of comfort quilt fodder. There's just something about looking at fabric that soothes the soul. I think that goes back to the summers I spent with my grandparents on their farm. I just loved to sit on one of grandma's quilts and look at all the fabrics. Her quilts were made from old clothes and she would sometimes tell me stories about what that fabric used to be and who wore it and what happened one time when whomever was wearing whatever that fabric used to be. Good times! Good memories! Soul soothing I tell you!

***

I finished a book! By the River's Edge by Gregg Olsen.  "By the River’s Edge is the astonishing true story of an elusive serial killer, an escape plan like no other, and the women who lived and died on the fringes of the Lilac City for whom justice was at long last served."...Amazon

***

Reminding myself to take a deep breath and stop and smell my roses every once in a while. 

 

Using Some Aqua, Turquoise, Teal, Blue-Green Scraps

Aqua, etc. is the Rainbow Scrap Challenge (RSC) color of the month. 

This week while playing with aqua, etc. scraps I added another round to my BIG Potato Chip. It is now 27.5 inches square. 

Buckeye Beauties

6 inch

I have been making these blocks for maybe a couple of years with whatever scraps I have in the RSC color of the month.   After I made these with aqua scraps I noticed I only needed a few more blocks to reach my goal of 108 blocks so...

...I made more blocks and met my goal. 108 blocks will make for a quilt layout of 9 x 12 blocks of 54 x 72 inches.   I happened to have some orange/black and pink/black little Four Patches made when those were the RSC colors this year. I just never got around to making the HSTs for the blocks. 

I don't think I'm going to assemble the top this month so I'll put the block set in my Some Assembly Required (SAR) bin. 

Streak of Lightning 

9 inch finished

A and B blocks

Courthouse Steps

7.5 inch finished

Uneven Nine Patches

7 inch finished

And sew on...

RSC ScrapHappy Saturday

***

John had his PET-C stress test yesterday afternoon. Hopefully the results will see him fit to have his mandibulectomy surgery next month.     My stress test involved the drive into unfamiliar territory over the river and through a detour to the cardiovascular facility branch in Illinois.  

I guess the pre-surgery evaluation team is concerned that the echocardiogram they ordered showed moderate aortic valve stenosis. The reason they ordered the echocardiogram was because they were concerned about the atrial fibrillation episode he had during his April hospital stay. 

***

Oh joy! 

I received a box with a beautiful bouquet of floral fabrics from Julie. I'm not sure how she could part with those! John loved looking at each piece too. 

And Sandi sent me a box of goodies too. All kinds of things from backings to batting pieces to scraps and even some roses were in there. 

I am very thankful. And my spirit has been lifted!

***

I finished the last three books (17-19) of the David Wolf mystery thriller series by Jeff Carson - Echoes Fade, Silent Country and Windburn.  

A Big Potato Chip, Pastel Wonky Logs and Daylilies

Big Potato Chip

I have been adding rounds of 2 x 3.5 inch rectangles in the Rainbow Scrap Challenge (RSC) color of the month. I'm hoping for maybe a 42 inch square comfort quilt. The "color" this month has been pastels. I added a round of neutrals instead of pastels. Now it measures 21.5 square so I guess I'm halfway to my goal.

Pastel Wonky Logs with Sashing

43.5 x 64.5

After I finished making the Pastel String Top with long strings I started making 9 inch finished Wonky Log Cabin blocks with the shorter pastel strings. I used a 2 inch pink square for the block centers and cornerstones in the sashing. 

I used a multicolor pastel piece of fabric that looked like it had paint brush swipes on it for the sashing. 

And sew on...

RSC ScrapHappy Saturday

***

I took some pics of some flowers in bloom in the gardens. There were quite a few so I'll show just the daylilies in this post and the rest in another. Daylilies aren't really a useful flower since they only last a day but there are lots of blooms (if the deer don't eat them) and they add pops of color and bits of joy to the cottage garden. I've had my Daylilies for many years...before the internet, I know. I ordered them from a catalog by mail with a check enclosed. I spent hours going through the catalog reading all the descriptions and trying to decide what to order. I usually settled for the prettiest that my budget allowed. I have divided my daylilies a couple of times since then and haven't ordered any new ones until this year when I bought a legacy pack of 24 Daylilies on sale for $1 each. What varieties I received will be a surprise when they bloom (hopefully) next year.  I did lose some Daylilies one year when a big tree fell on a patch of them when my husband was at a low point in his cancer and couldn't get out to help me cut up the tree. Supposedly the Daylily flowers and buds are edible; however, I have never had the urge to taste test but I'll keep that in mind in case I'm starving someday.  Now they have fancy and rubbly double bloom and reblooming Daylilies at a price I can't afford. And I'm okay with that.  I love what I have.

A

 

Orange Scraps

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 consisting of 48 blocks. 

After I made the two orange blocks I noticed I only needed 5 more blocks to reach my goal of 48 blocks so I dug into my 4 inch width scrap bin and found pieces for the 5 blocks. 

Goal of 48 blocks met!!!

I still have a box of 4 inch width scraps. I think this month I will try to make a plan to use these and maybe empty the box. More on that later. 

Uneven Nine Patch'

7 inch

Made with 3.5 inch width scraps and multicolor 1.5 inch sashing. 

Buckeye Beauty

6 inch

Made with scraps found in the 3.5 and 2 inch width scrap bins plus black.

NOT Disappearing Four Patch (ND4P)

9 inch

I like the look of the Disappearing Four Patch block; however, I don't like the method of making a Four Patch and then cutting it up to make another block. I just cut for the end result. 

I made these with orange scraps in the 3.5 inch width scrap bin and some solid scraps. After I made them I realized I have been making these with plaid scraps and solids in order to use up plaid scraps. So now I guess this is a new start. Instead of just solids I will use blenders and tone on tones (TOTs) with the scraps in the Rainbow Scrap Challenge (RSC) color of the month. 

And here's the ones made with plaid scraps. 

I added an orange round to my Giant Potato Chip quilt. It is now a 12.5 inch square. 

Orange Hollow Nine Patch

9 inch

Made with 3.5 inch squares

Pink Potato Chip

6 inch

Made with 1.5 x 2.5 inch rectangles

And sew on...

RSC ScrapHappy Saturday

***

My husband has a fractured jaw - the result of osteoradionecrosis (bone necrosis due to radiation for cancer at base of tongue). Fractured jaw is infected (osteomyelitis). They put him on an antibiotic best for bone infection as well as a chlorhexidine mouth rinse hoping to help fight the infection. He was scheduled for a presurgical evaluation and consult with ENT on May 8 at the University of Iowa Hospital and Clinics hoping to get surgery scheduled to fix the jaw. BUT on May 6 they called and cancelled the May 8 appts. and moved them out to June 12. They said they hoped to clear up the osteomyelitis a little more before surgery. Evidently antibiotics work more slowly on bone infections and so they said the May 8 appt. was "too soon". The June 12 appt. will be about six weeks out from when they started him on the antibiotic.  And so we are again playing a waiting game. 

***

Oh, the weather was beautiful yesterday. Finally a day I haven't needed to wear a coat. We are past the last frost date of April 30 but the night time temps have been dipping into the 30s and daytime temps in the 40s-50s. Today it is supposed to reach temps in the 70s. Yesterday I worked outside most of the day and I think I will again today. 

In The Pink

 

Snowball Nine Patch

9 inches

Made with 3.5 inch squares

Pink is the Rainbow Scrap Challenge (RSC) color of the month. So I dug into my pink scraps for this week's blocks. I have also made more blocks in past RSC colors of blue, green and red. I have acquired or processed scraps in those past colors and since my goal is to empty the bins of scraps I keep by width by year end I will make blocks in past RSC colors each month if I have them. 

Hollow Nine Patch

9 inches

Made with 3.5 inch squares

Uneven Nine Patch

7 inches

Made with 3.5 inch squares, 1.5 x 3.5 multicolor rectangles, and 1.5 inch square for center.

Four Patch

6 inches

Made with 3.5 inch squares - dark and light of same color.

Buckeye Beauty

6 inches

Made with 3.5 inch unfinished HSTs with black and color of month and 2 inch squares. 

Courthouse Steps

7.5 inches

Made with 2 inch width pieces

Giant Potato Chip

Made with 2 x 3.5 inch rectangles.

Each round is in the RSC color of the month so a pink round has been added. 

Currently it's a 15.5 inch square

And sew on...

RSC ScrapHappy Saturday

***

Some flowers are starting to peek out of the very wet ground. We have had some much needed rain so I'm hoping to see more color in the gardens in the weeks ahead. Our last frost date is April 30 so the gardens really get into high gear after that. 

Wood Hyacinth (or Spanish Blue Bells) are starting to pop up in spots all over in the gardens.

Dwarf Iris are also popping up here and there. When I go walking through my gardens this time of year it is like going on a treasure hunt to see what I will find. There's 

Daffodils popping up in the cutting garden. I used to have fancy tulips here and after one year I kept having problems with rabbits and deer eating them as they sprouted up so I've been slowly changing this bed to Daffodils since critters don't really bother those. Earlier this year I broadcast some perennial dianthus seeds in this bed so when the Daffs die down I hope to have some dianthus for cutting in this bed too.   

There are different varieties of dwarf and fancy Daffodil varieties in this bed. 

Bloodroot in the cottage garden.

Planting potatoes on Good Friday is a long standing tradition said to ensure a bountiful harvest. I usually try to get mine planted then but I'm a little behind. Maybe I will get to that in the next couple of days if the weather permits. I have my potatoes chitted and ready to plant. I love potatoes!