Playing With Legos

Last month when I finally cleared out my 1.5 inch width scrap bin I cut a bunch of Lego pieces (1.5 x 2.5). I keep the pieces in an old check register box and when the box gets full I make a block or two. Well, the box was overflowing so I made 5 blocks. 

I'm building my Lego blocks Lynn's (Klein Meisje Quilts) way. They are 13 inches finished. 

I'm thinking I want 30 blocks. That will make a nice throw or twin sized quilt 65 x 78. 

The blocks are a catalog of fabrics that have passed through here so full of memories and...

...make a fun I Spy game too. 

I now have 10 blocks. I'm 1/3 of the way home. 

And sew on...

 

A Hand Quilted Finish

It's a finish!

68 x 86

Hand quilted with perle #8 and #12 in a variety of different colors from ecru to a light brown. 

Top was finished back in December 2019.

I used an odd assortment of fabrics - an autumn themed jelly roll I won, an autumn themed charm pack thank you gift, a few quarter yards of Thimbleberries fabric someone gave me, some swapped four patches and some civil war reproduction scraps. 

Fragments of Cloth at Sentimental Stitches was my inspiration. 

Here you can see some of the big stitch hand quilting. I was working on some of this before cataract surgery and I could not see very well to thread the needle or stitch very evenly. I finished this and cataract surgeries so am now waiting for a new pair of glasses so I can see up close to read and do hand work. 

The backing and binding. Someone gave me that binding. Guess what...there was just enough. I think I had about 3 inches left over. I had to piece the backing but I had just enough of that fabric too. I guess it was meant to be. 

And now I need to decide which quilt will go into the hoop next. I have several choices but I think I  need to piece a backing for any of those choices. 

And sew on...

Slow Sunday Stitching at Kathy's Quilts

Oh Scrap at Quilting Is More Fun Than Housework

 

Monkey Wrenches

10 inch finished Monkey Wrench blocks.

I started making Monkey Wrench blocks in three different sizes about mid year as I processed my scraps as well as scraps given to me by other folks.  I'll continue to make them maybe through mid year next year  as a Rainbow Scrap Challenge (RSC) project. After that I'll make the blocks into donation quilts. 

If I don't have enough of a scrap for 4 identical HSTs then if I have two identical I make them into Broken Dishes blocks or just leave them as HSTs for the Parts Department.   

I already have quite a few blocks in all three sizes - 10, 7.5 and 5.   I figured I would make these in three different sizes because all standard sizes of scraps I process can be used in these. The 10 inch takes 4.5 inch scraps for HSTs cut with EZ Angle ruler plus 2.5 inch squares. The 7.5 inch takes 3.5 inch scraps for HSTs as well as 2 inch squares and the 5 inch blocks take 2.5 inch scraps for the HSTs and 1.5 inch squares. 

And sew on...

RSC ScrapHappy Saturday

 

Buckeye Beauty Variation - Some Assembly Required

I've just finished 48 Buckeye Beauty Variation blocks and have met my goal of 130 blocks. Now there's some assembly required. 

This vintage quilt was my inspiration. I used '30s reproduction prints and shirtings to make my blocks. 

And sew on...

Finished or Not Finished Friday at Alycia Quilts

Peacock Party at Wendy's Quilts and More

 

Two Tops

Two New Comfort Quilt Tops! 

1. Zip - 42 x 54

2. Windmill  - 40 x 56

Zip blocks finish at 6 x 9 inches. I made these with scraps when the Rainbow Scrap Challenge (RSC) color of the month was light blue. 

I've heard these blocks called various names. I chose to call them Windmills. I also made these as a RSC project but only ended up making them with blues, oranges, greens and purple 2.5 inch scraps. 

Now I really really really need to concentrate on getting some tops quilted and donated. Really!

And sew on...

 

The 1.5 Inch Scrap Bin Is Empty!!!!

My goal for a couple of years has been to empty a 16 quart bin of 1.5 inch scraps.  I've made several blocks and quilts over the years using scraps from this bin but now I'm trying to use scraps as they happen so want my bins of scraps sorted by scrap width empty. Now my scraps are stored by color. 

I've made a few 12 x 14 Soul Searching blocks  and will continue to make these until I have enough for a donation quilt. I'm thinking maybe a kiddo sized quilt. 

Windmills (4 inch finished)

18 patch (6 inch)

Coin strips made from pieces less than 1.5 inch square and greater than .5 inch. They do mount up.

Switch Plate blocks (3 x 5)

1.5 x 2.5 pieces for Lego blocks

1.5 inch squares for a postage stamp quilt WIP. The squares at top are sets of four and I put those in the Monkey Wrench work box. 

All of the above was completed before October 25. I made a draft post and meant to schedule it for when I was off with cataract surgery but forgot to do that.   Since then I have made more blocks and emptied my bin as follows.

4 inch Windmills

Switch Plate and Chinese Coin strips

Lego pieces

Postage Stamps

The bin. 

I put a bag of neutral 1.5 inch scraps with the rest of the neutral scraps and I put a bag of solid 1.5 inch scraps with the rest of the solid scraps. 

Mission accomplished! Goal completed! The bin is empty. Now what should I do with it? 

And sew on...

 

In A Heartbeat

I've been setting aside my red and pink scraps to make 4 inch finished heart blocks. I started making them back in March. I want to use pink and red scraps in other things so thought I should move forward on my hearts.  I will alternate dark and light blocks in the quilt. My goal is 300 hearts (150 dark and 150 light) and I am now 1/3 of the way to that goal. 

I am making this quilt for me in memory of my granddaughter Kayla who passed away unexpectedly in her sleep on January 15 of this year at the age of 17.  The cause of death was "probable cardiac arrhythmia".    

Since Kayla's death I have been reading about a lot of children and teens who have died a sudden cardiac death.  The death of 17 year old Gwen, daughter of Illinois representative Sean Casten, is the most recent one that was in the news.  Gwen Casten died in June of this year and in October the family announced cause of death as cardiac arrhythmia. - "This past June, our daughter, Gwen Casten, died of a sudden cardiac arrythmia. In layman’s terms, she was fine, and then her heart stopped," the Casten family wrote in a statement."

And sew on...