Monkey Wrenches

Monkey Wrenches

40 x 60

10 inch blocks

I have a box of bits and pieces of various sized HST parts that I've been sewing up every once in awhile as leaders and enders. A lot of the HSTs came from cutting strips for Flying Geese or QSTs with the Companion Angle ruler. I cut an HST off of the beginning and ends of those strips with the Easy Angle ruler. 

I ran across a lot of 4.5 inch (unfinished) green HSTs and figured I might as well do something with them instead of throw them into baggies I have for the different sizes of finished HSTs.   I sorted out identical sets of four and paired them up with some neutrals and made my HSTs.  At first I was going to make Pinwheels or Broken Dishes blocks. Those blocks would finish at 8 inches and I would need at least 35 blocks for a kiddo sized donation quilt and I didn't have enough sets of HSTs for 35 blocks.   Then I thought of making 10 inch Monkey Wrench blocks. I need only 24 ten inch blocks for a kiddo donation quilt.   I sorted through my scrap bags sorted by color for some 2.5 inch scraps to finish out my Monkey Wrench blocks.   I used a colorful peace sign fabric for all of the centers. 

And that is how this quilt top came to be. 

And sew on...

Finished or Not Finished Friday at Alycia Quilts

Peacock Party at Wendy's Quilts and More

 

Limes and Oranges

Anvil blocks in limes and oranges. 

8 inch blocks.

I'm about half way to my goal of 80 blocks. 

I think I'll be able to stretch my oranges and limes that far! Lime and orange are not my most favored colors but I challenged myself to make a quilt I like with those colors. So far, so good. I find it an uplifting and joyous combination of colors. 

And sew on...

 

The Butterfly Release Memorial

On July 15, six months after the unexpected death of my granddaughter Kayla, I hosted a butterfly release memorial at our camp site which is only a few miles from my home. Fifty Painted Lady butterflies were released and memories of Kayla were shared.  Approximately sixty-two family and friends were in attendance. 

Butterflies are deep and powerful representations of life. Butterflies are beautiful and have mystery, symbolism, and meaning and are a metaphor representing spiritual rebirth, transformation, change, hope, and life. The magnificent, yet short life of the butterfly closely mirrors the process of spiritual transformation and serves to remind us that life is short.

I picked a lot of flowers, mostly zinnias, from my garden the morning of the memorial and passed them out to folks before the memorial. I was hoping the butterflies might land on a few before they took off.

 I gave a little talk about Kayla and then gave some fun facts about Painted Lady butterflies. 

Great uncle, great aunt, aunt, second cousins, friends...

...aunts, second cousins, friends, great aunts and uncles...

...the latest generation...

...cousins, friends...

...multiple generations...

My granddaughter, Isabelle, who is five weeks older than Kayla, released one box of 25 butterflies and had one that lingered in the box for awhile. My daughter-in-law Linda, Kayla's mom, released the other box. 

Isabelle also made a charcoal sketch of Kayla and presented it to Linda. 

One of the Painted Ladies sat on the ground for awhile soaking up the sun. My great nephew who is normally a pretty wild and crazy four year old guy, oh so carefully and gently coaxed the butterfly on to his flower. A great niece wanted a butterfly for her flower...

...so she and one of the three year old twin great nieces went in search of butterflies. 

After the butterfly release everyone was invited to enjoy a picnic type meal. I prepared all of the food - ham sandwiches, mac and cheese, baked beans, potato salad, marinated cukes and onions, jello with fruit cocktail. And for dessert...apple crisp and peach cobbler.   I had planned food for 50 people and although we had approximately 62 people in attendance a lot of those were kids. I didn't run out of food and I didn't have many leftovers. 

I am Not There

Do not stand by my grave and weep

For I am not there.

I do not sleep.

I am a thousand winds that blow.

I am diamonds that glint on snow.

I am the sunlight on ripened grain.

I am the gentle autumn rain.

When you awaken in the morning hush

I am the swift uplifting rush of butterflies in joyous flight.

I am the soft stars that shine at night.

Do not stand at my grave and cry.

I am not there.

I did not die.

...Clare Harner Lyon, 1934

And now I'm home again, home again, jiggety jig. 

 

What's In The Hoop?

It's a Dandy!

I finished the quilt top back in April. When I have finished the hand quilting and binding it will be sent off as a Quilt of Valor to a friend of my husband's who is a Vietnam Veteran. 

I'm doing big stitch hand quilting wither perle #12 and #8 in a variety of different reds and blues. 

I don't have air conditioning in the house but I do have it in the camper. I'm going to be leaving tomorrow on a camping trip so this quilt will be making the trip with me. 

I'll be missing you while I'm gone next week!

Slow Sunday Stitching at Kathy's Quilts

 

On The Horizon

Three Comfort Quilt Tops of Horizon Blocks

All finish at 40.5 x 57

Horizon block instructions at Klein Meisje Quilts

I've been making Horizon blocks since last year. They consist of a 5 x 9.5 inch piece and a contrasting 1.5 xx 5 inch piece.   I made them when I had scraps  leftover from making other quilts or I made them each month in the Rainbow Scrap Challenge (RSC) color of the month if I had a scrap in that size. Over the years I have also been given what appear to be leftovers from layer cakes - pinked 10 inch squares.  So I also used a little pile of those accumulated layer cake squares to make blocks.   

The other day after I finished up three tops of Eight Patches I decided that maybe I should count the Horizon blocks. Again I was surprised I was only 6 blocks short of three child sized tops. So I made 6 more blocks and then made 3 tops. 

#1

#2

#3

And sew on...

RSC ScrapHappy Saturday

 

More Cherry Baskets

15 inch finished Cherry Baskets 3-6

Goal is 18 baskets

And sew on...

 

The Tale of Three Tops

Eight Patch Flimsies

I've been making Eight Patch blocks since last year. They consist of 2.5 x 3.5 pieces.  I made them when I had scraps enough for four rectangles in those sizes  leftover from making other quilts. Or I made them each month in the Rainbow Scrap Challenge (RSC) color of the month if I had scraps enough in those sizes. Last week when I made a few with purple (RSC color of the month) scraps I mentioned I had quite a pile of them and maybe I should take count. I was kind of surprised that I was only about a dozen blocks short of three kiddo sized donation quilts. So I dug around in my scraps and made a few more blocks and then I made some tops.

One layout takes 49 blocks and the other 50.   I divided my blocks into three piles - ones with novelties, florals and everything else.   I mostly had blocks with florals so that got the 50 blocks (top in the middle) and measures 40 x 60 inches in a 5 x 10 layout.    The other two tops in a 7 x 7 layout measure in at 42 x 56. 

 

The Novelties

I usually sew my blocks together randomly and just try to keep in mind as I'm webbing to keep most of the lighter blocks at the edges or on top but every once in awhile I must lose my mind.   Yes, that lighter one in gray and yellow with the bicyclists and houses sticks out like a sore thumb where it is.  I see that now that it is hanging up on the line. The more I looked at it hanging there the more I thought I should exchange it with another block and so looked around a bit to try and decide where to put it instead of the sore thumb position.     And then I remembered that would take some ripping and resewing and I really don't like to do that and  really I should concentrate more on getting some quilts finished and off to some kids who are probably not going to hang  quilts up and look for sore thumbs. 

The Florals.

I'm not sure which way I like the blocks oriented. 

Everything Else

And now I have another empty project box.

Maybe I should take count of a few other blocks! 

And sew on...