Red Two Inch Scrap Edition

It has been a busy month for me (unexpected and ongoing storm clean up of downed trees, garden harvest and preservation, family reunion camp out, and learning coach for grandkids) and of course I seem to have an overabundance of red scraps that need to make it into blocks. This week I used 2 inch scraps and made Single Wedding Rings that finish at 7.5 inches to add to the pile of blocks made this year and last year. Hopefully by year end the pile will be big enough for a big quilt. 

 I've also slowly been making Sixteen Patches from 2 inch scraps for a couple of years and will hopefully by year end have a big pile for a big quilt. 

Rainbow Scrap Challenge ScrapHappy Saturday

Life Is Like Ice Cream. Enjoy It Before It Melts.

Ice Cream Cones

It's a flimsy!

60 x 80

I was inspired by Cynthia's (Quilting is More Fun than Housework) Summer Treat quilt. I thought it would be fun to go through my fabrics in search of cone and ice cream possibilities. Oh, joy! I had some chocolate chip fabric and fabric with scoops of different flavors of ice creams.  I also found rainbow sherbet, lime sherbet with raspberry ripples, strawberry, chocolate and many other flavors. 

The alternate block was a ten inch Happy Block with ice cream cone centers. 

I used the trimmings from the "ice cream" corners (and then some) as sprinkles in the corners of the blocks. 

The background is peach ice cream. 

That was a fun exercise. I think it will make a fun donation quilt. 

 With the left over scraps I made some Sixteen Patches for my pile. 

Life is like ice cream. Enjoy it before it melts. - Unknown

Finished or Not Finished Friday at Alycia Quilts

Gone Camping

We will be camping for a week with some of my husband's family. He is one of eight siblings and supposedly five of his siblings and their spouses will be camping. Usually we have a camping family reunion earlier in the year and several generations attend but there were a lot of reasons why we didn't meet earlier this year. 

By the way, I've had those camping themed fabrics for years. Maybe it is time to make a quilt for the camper. Hmmm...uneven nine patch on point alternating with fabric squares? Economy block? Decisions. Decisions...

We were supposed to leave yesterday; however, we had another storm with high winds and rain that lasted from about 4 a.m. until 8:30 a.m.   This time only one tree fell and it was a big walnut tree that fell on the veggie garden. It crushed an old cattle gate I was using as a trellis for the Butternut squash but missed my Christmas Lima Bean pole that blew over last time.  We wanted to take out that walnut tree for a long time. It is one that grew wild and was too close to the garden and grape vines. Seems the trees always grow fastest when my husband has a medical problem that prevents him from getting out and about to help me keep the trees under control. 

 Black Walnuts remind me of my father-in-law. He loved black walnuts. The are very difficult to crack once the hulls have been removed. He would crack them and use them in cookies. He wasn't always careful about removing all the small pieces of walnut shells. I messed with black walnuts once and my hands were dyed brown for weeks. 

What's In The Hoop?

Now that it is cooler I thought I should get something pin basted and in the hoop for hand quilting.  I decided on a smaller quilt (50 x 62.5)-- Peppermint Twist. I finished the top back in October 2018. 

 I pounced on some circles and big stitched in red on the lines and in white in between the lines. 

I think this might be too much quilting and I am thinking of ripping out the white stitching. Before I do that, though, I will mark and stitch another square like I was just thinking. If that looks okay then I will rip out the white on this one. And if it doesn't? Hmmmmm....

Slow Sunday Stitching at Kathy's Quilts

Itsy Bitsy Teeny Weenies in Red

Red is the Rainbow Scrap Challenge (RSC) color of the month. This week I worked with 1.5 inch scraps and made some PSP20 (Postage Stamp Pandemic 2020) blocks...

...and four Double Irish Chain blocks...

...and 4 Plus Postage blocks...

...and 16 Wishing Rings with light corners. 

Rainbow Scrap Challenge (RSC) ScrapHappy Saturday

 

Animal Crackers v. 2

When I finished the top I called Animal Crackers the other day I mentioned in my blog post  that as I was cutting pieces for that quilt I went ahead and cut additional 2.5 inch strips for use in a different block.   That block is a 30 patch. I was inspired by Gretchen's (Gretchen's Little Corner) quilt she called Modern Amish and by Nann's (With Strings Attached) 30 patch quilt. Both quilts were inspired by a quilt called Sound Check by John Kubiniec (McCall's, March/April 2014). 

I'll be using solids and animal themed fabrics to make my blocks. 

I have two blocks made and strips sewn together for several more. 

My OMG (One Monthly Goal) for September is to complete a total of 42 blocks for a 6x7 layout that will measure 60 x 84. 

I'll give myself a pat on the back, extra bonus points and a smiley face if I also get the top completed. This is going to be a busy month for me and I'm not sure I'll have all that much time left to sew. Time will tell. 

OMG (One Monthly Goal) at Elm Street Quilts

 

Wednesday Wandering

 

It's Wednesday again. Time to mention some non quilty things that have gone on here the past week. 

It was hot, hot, hot most of last week. However, the tomatoes did not take a break from ripening.  They were and still are everywhere.   We grow a lot of heirloom varieties that we save from seeds year to year.  My husband was proud of his Rainbow and Gold Medal varieties this year. Several weighed over a pound and one weighed 20 ounces. Gosh they are so juicy and tasty and great on a hamburger or in a BLT. 

We also grow a couple of varieties of paste tomatoes we use to make sauces, salsas, ketchup, and so on. 

Tomatoes, tomatoes, tomatoes! 

Peppers, onions, tomatoes, cilantro...all from our garden. 

Salsa!

I've been slowly, slowly clearing an area of brambles, maple trees, honeysuckle, stinging nettle and other weeds. I'm making a few paths and have been doing some research on native wildflowers for both sun and shade and have found a good seed source. I hope to have this area turned into a native wildflower area in a few years. 

Another weed I've been lopping down is Pokeweed. There was a forest of it in there. I was watching Gardner's World a few weeks ago and had to laugh when someone told about growing it in their garden.  I was always going to try using the berries as a dye but that's for another day and another time. I want these in this area gone!! 

Pokeweed is edible but poisonous if not prepared correctly.  The most common dish prepared with this weed is called Poke Sallet. 

Tony Joe White and later Elvis sang about this weed in the song Polk Salad Annie. 

And Pokeweed is often represented in appliqued quilts. Barbara Brackman wrote an interesting blog post on Poke Weed and Politics that includes images of quilts with Poke Weed applique

Goldenrod also grows wild here but I leave some patches of it because I can normally keep those patches under control so it doesn't become invasive.  Several varieties of goldenrod are listed as native wildflowers of Iowa so I don't have to worry about buying any of those seeds for my wildflower plot.  I've actually dried goldenrod in the past and used it in wreaths I made of dried flowers. 

In the cottage garden I have one lone sunflower finally blooming. The deer ate most of my sunflower plants before they even bloomed. A few plants that were left and ready to bloom were blown over in the derecho and did not recover.  Earlier in the year some type of critter (maybe a groundhog or raccoon or even a big free range cat) got into my fountain and completely knocked it over and broke part of it and pulled out the pump. One of these days I'll look into fixing it. I like the sound of running water in the garden. 

The burgundy flower there is a rose. I added four of those to the cottage garden last fall. They were eaten down by deer earlier in the spring. I think all of our measures to keep deer away may have kept them away long enough for a few of my roses to bloom. The plant with the purple flower that is near there and now blooming is Obedient Plant or False Dragonhead. I planted one plant over 20 years ago and now Obedient Plant pops up here and there in the cottage garden. While doing my research on native wildflowers I found out that Obedient Plant is native to this area. So I will probably dig some of it up and transfer it over to the native wildflower garden whenever the time is right. 

I've gone off the beaten path and read a few books within the last couple of weeks too when it was too hot to do much else during the day. I do a lot of my reading in the middle of the night when I have a difficult time sleeping or if it is too hot to sleep. 

I love the author's writing style. I loved the story too. Will read more by this author. 

Supposed to be a thriller but I wasn't all that thrilled although the ending did surprise me. I got bored about half way through so did some speed  reading (skimmed through the pages). 

Do you believe in magic? (I do). All loose ends were tied up, thank goodness! 

Sometimes you just need some life changes. Another good one by Catherine Ryan Hyde. And I'll probably read even more by this author.  I saw one source (Wikipedia) describe her books as: "generally optimistic explorations of ordinary people, characters who are troubled or down-on-their-luck or recovering from past difficulties or abuse. "

I am fortunate I can stop and smell the roses from time to time. Oh, the miracles of a garden!