Chunks of Blue

 I usually start a new Rainbow Scrap Challenge month with scrap chunks in the designated color.  I make blocks that require different sized pieces of a fabric so cut up chunks. 

These Double X and Snowballs require 2.5 inch pieces and 1.5 inch pieces of blue. Blocks finish at four inches and were inspired by a vintage quilt.  I had a big piece of that minty green fabric so decided it would be the background. I guess when I run out of that mint green I'm finished making blocks for this quilt. 

These cats also require different sized pieces. They finish at 5 x 9 inches. I'm using a free pattern I found online. 

These blocks finish at 3.5 inches and are also inspired by a vintage quilt. Temecula Quilt Company started a quilt along and called the blocks Church Window Hexagon Variation.  I did not really quilt along or follow the cutting instructions posted at Temecula Quilt Company. I cut the center and corners from a 3.5 inch scrap and the frame pieces from 1.5 inch scraps.    I've seen other bloggers making them and have seen the little blocks called by a variety of different names such as Buttons, Doughnuts and Wishing Rings. I even saw Wishing Doughnuts.   I like Wishing Rings. 

The finished quilt will alternate light and dark corner blocks. I seemed to make more dark corners this month. 

Rainbow Scrap Challenge ScrapHappy Saturday

 A storm with straight-line winds came through a few days ago and toppled half of a mulberry tree (actually I think it is really a bush) on to part of my flower gardens and smashed quite a few flowers like delphiniums, foxglove, iris  and roses and new seedlings of annuals like four o'clocks, cosmos, poppies, calendula, zinnias and pinks.  The tree is on the fence line between my flower garden and our field we contract out to a neighboring farmer. Lots of trees grow up wild along that fence line.  We have the mulberry all cleaned up to this point but those pieces going into the ground are supporting the weight of the big tree pieces higher up so may have to remain there until autumn when we can more easily get to the tree to cut more down. 

This is what is left of a tree that toppled on to my rhubarb patch at the end of the veggie garden.  There's another mulberry on the other side of this one that keeps cracking but has not fallen yet.  I think it is going to fall the other direction and just barely miss the above ground pool. 

If it's not trees ruining the gardens it is deer, rabbits or raccoons. Every evening at about 7:45 I see two moms and their five little deers romping through the gardens.  They mostly eat my roses and lilies and tromp on the strawberries and lettuce.   A raccoon decided my asparagus patch would be a nice spot for a latrine.  I need Mr. McGregor to keep the rabbits out of the brassicas because the barn cats sure don't. 

I'm not complaining. Life is full of glitches. And so it goes...

In other news...yesterday I celebrated 46 years of marriage to a wonderful man. Well, there wasn't actually a celebration...we said Happy Anniversary to each other and went about our days as usual but it's the thought that counts, isn't it? 

It's a Flimsy! Bitcoins

 Bitcoins

It's a flimsy!

84 x 84

It can be oriented this way...

 ...or that way. 

 I started it in November 2017 as a Rainbow Scrap Challenge Project to use...

 ...1.5 inch scraps which I cut into 2.5 inch pieces.   Later I also used 2.5 inch scraps cut into 1.5 inch pieces. 

I first sewed 1.5 x 2.5 inch colored pieces to 1.5 x 2.5 inch neutral pieces to make a 2.5 inch square unit. I played around with them for awhile and then decided to join units of the same color into blocks of 3 columns x 7 rows.   I first called the blocks Whatchamacallits until someone else started making them and called them Bitcoins which is a more suitable and very clever name I think. 

Now to find a backing and get it quilted. 

Ticky Tacky Town Sewers and Sewists

Merriam-Webster cites the first usage of the word "sewer" meaning "one that sews" in the 14th Century. ...Sewer remains the dominant term, but sewist (combining "sew" with "artist") appears to be gaining popularity, especially among sewing bloggers.   - Miller, Stephani L., "Sewer vs. Sewist", Threads, Oct. 11, 2012

I'm a sewer. I started out sewing clothes way back when I was probably in sixth grade. I spent several summer months on the farm with my paternal grandmother and she let me pick out a pattern and fabric at the Five and Dime store. I picked out turquoise broadcloth and turquoise lining for a V neck and V arm jumper with zipper in back.  Grandma must have been proud of me because every time someone stopped by grandma made me model my turquoise broadcloth V-neck jumper for them.  For years afterwards when I would attend family reunions I was known as "Oh, you are the one that sews". 

I started making a lot of my own clothes after that when I was able to buy my own fabric. My first job was working at Howard Johnson's soda fountain when I was sixteen. (I think I made .75 cents per hour plus tips).  I would rush off to J.C. Penney when I got my paycheck and buy either fabric or a record album.  (I still have some of those record albums and play them every once in awhile.) The rest of the paycheck I put into a passbook savings account. I was saving for college. (Oh, yes, I took my sewing machine to college too).  

Sometimes I received fabric as a Christmas or birthday gift.  I remember gifts of green faux suede I made into a skirt and jacket and brown plaid Amana wool I made into a Drindl skirt with buttons down the front that I wore with a sweater I knit. 

Grandma was a patient teacher and also taught me to embroider. My first project was a dresser scarf with lazy daisies.  I added embroidery to a lot of my clothes like the yoke of a purple gingham dress I absolutely loved. I made clothes for my sisters too including prom dresses and wedding dresses with embroidery. I never threw away scraps.  Later I made quilts, Barbie doll clothes for my sisters or braided rugs (like my maternal great grandmother) with the scraps. 

I made my husband's shirts when we were first married. And I made my kid's clothes. And I continued to embroider on some clothes and make quilts from scraps. I still have a quilt I made in the 70s from scraps. I also saved a shirt I made back then (now too small). You can see it matches some of the fabric in the scrap quilt. Oh, the memories sewn into that quilt! 

Yes, I am the one that sews. I'm a sewer. 

And Now For Some Snakes - UFO #64 - HISSS

 I just finished five Snake Trail blocks. (One is an old one from November 2015).

Getting this to flimsy stage is my OMG (One Monthly Goal) for June. 

 I finally decided on a layout for the Snakes that come in all colors of the rainbow.  I need to make 20 more blocks before I have enough to assemble the top - four each of red, yellow, orange, purple and blue.  I've been using 2.5 inch scraps for the snake and different browns (dirt) for the background. 

 My grandson who is ten now used to love to play HISSS  when he was younger.  I'm making the quilt for him and will put it in the hope chest along with the game and some pics of us playing the game. I'll gift it all to him at some later date when he's a young man.  

Pattern is from Modern Quilts, Traditional Inspiration by Denyse Schmidt. 

It's a Finish! Log Cabin Lunacy

 Log Cabin Lunacy

It's a Finish! 

64 x 80

 Last August Julie (JulieKQuilts) hosted a Log Cabin Loonies Quilt Along.  She gave instructions for a four inch finished log cabin block made of one inch pieces. I had to make a few. Then I was addicted. 

 The blocks are totally made of scraps. I have scrap bins for a variety of sizes of scraps and just cut one inch off the end of those various sized scraps for my pieces rather than cut one inch strips into various sizes. 

 It's amazing what will sometime show up in just a half inch of fabric.  I've had a few family members and friends spend time in extended care facilities and I've found that if they have a quilt like this on their bed or wheelchair it can spark some conversations which is good if you are a shy quiet girl like me and especially tongue tied around someone who is not well. 

 The patient and visitors always seem to spend time playing I Spy no matter what their age. 

 Ghosts, seashells, fireflies, cat, snowmen, peppermints...

 ...dice, hearts, horseshoes, sailboats.  I call it the "smile factor". 

 I quilted it on my DSM with light brown variegated thread in the white areas and dark brown variegated thread in the dark areas with kind of a loopy thing.  The backing was a gift from a kind soul. 

This was my goal #9

for

Q2 Finish-Along

It's a Flimsy! Spider Webs

 Spider Webs

64.5 x 86

An old UFO has now moved forward to flimsy stage! 

I MIGHT be able to piece together all my remaining spider web fabrics for a backing. 

I used the Spider Web templates at Quiltville.

  I used 1.5 inch scraps. 

 When I do get to quilting it I'll quilt in some spider webs like I did on the one I made previously for my grandson. 

I feel like I need to start building an Ark.  It has rained almost every day in May.  Every once in awhile the sun comes out for a few minutes and I go for a walk through the flower gardens and catch a glimpse of some rain soaked flowers like this poor tree peony already loosing petals.  {sigh}

We are experiencing a severe thunderstorm right now. Guess I'll go sew. 

It's a Finish!

A Depression Block Quilt

64 x 80

It's a finish!

 Back in 2014 I started making these eight inch Depression Blocks from 2.5 inch scraps as a Rainbow Scrap Challenge project. It took me until last year to accumulate 80 totally scrappy blocks. 

I've previously made two other Depression Block quilts. The first was made of 3.5 inch HSTs using the layout at Quilter's Cache but I don't make my HSTs like the instructions.  I think my youngest son has that quilt. Then I made one from 4.5 inch scraps (16 inch block) and gave that as a wedding gift to my nephew.  

 I quilted it on my DSM with some loose spirals in white thread. 

 I used a wide backing with big polka dots...

 ...and for the binding I used several different low volume scraps. 

I think this will go into the donation quilt pile.  Lately I've been trying to make twin sized quilts for local donation.  I'm thinking when I get a pile of 12 I will invite the three grandkids (ages 14, 14 and 10) over and have them choose six for donation.  The emphasis will be on which six to give and not which six to keep. That will leave six in a reserve pile. Then when that reserve pile again gets up to 12 we will do the same thing over again and again...  I'm hoping the grandkids will get into the spirit of giving and also go with me when I drop the quilts off.  When the grandkids get old enough to set up their own apartments, houses, dorms they can pick from the pile for themselves if they wish; although I do have some items including quilts already in hope chests for each of them. 

This was my goal #8

for

Q2 Finish-Along