Sorting, Pressing, Stripping, Not much sewing

This week was busy at our house. Our youngest granddaughter and her fiance were in town fromSaturday through Wednesday afternoon. We celebrated birthdays ( hers and her sister's), the Memorial Holiday was celebrated too! So there were people here for most meals and some we carried in. Phew! I was tired when it was over.

So I did not get much sewing done.

A little bit of orange string blocks.

Some yellow on deck for one or two yellow string blocks. (above)

There were some garlic knots constructed. I'm not fond of the 6th one ( 2nd row, 3rd block), the monkey fabric was mostly blue, but when cut, I got a monkey face that is pretty prominent!  Oh well, in the big scheme, it will work OK!

And a whole lot of pressing and sorting of the  donated fabric. 

I made a quilt for a great grandson( he is going to 6 in February) using some like the Bronco fabric on the left. I had used up all of mine since then low and behold another chunk of it shows up in the donated fabric!  WOW!

See the blue solid and the baseball print to the right?  That is destined to be part of a 5 yard quilt for my brother. He is a Little League umpire and avid baseball and football fan. He is the only one of my siblings that I have not made a quilt for yet.  So there is that!

And I stripped the scraps and other odd fabric into 1/2" strips to be rolled into a ball and crochet into throw rugs. 

The basket on the left is full of scraps that need to be joined together and rolled into a ball for use later. 

I will link up to Finished or Not Friday!  There was no post to link to....hope all is well in Myra's world.!

And  Can I Get a Whoop Whoop!

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ScrapHappy Saturday 5-25

It's Saturday!  Time to share my scrappy sewing.

The first 3 Tiny Tuesdays in Orange. That is all the orange sewing I did this week.

If you read my blog post on the 24th  you know what I have been doing. All that washing, drying, sorting  and pressing made me long for some machine time. I have been wanting to do Garlic Knot blocks ever since Bonnie Hunter had the PDF download on her blog. I saved it to my hard drive until now. I printed it out on Wednesday night and spent some time cutting and clipping.

 I wanted to do one block to see how it went. These 2 got done. I like them. Because there is a point when sewing one block as a leader and ender, you need to start another!!  LOL

I'm linking up with Angela at So Scrappy  and Cynthia's Oh Scrap post on Sunday. At least that's my plan. My youngest granddaughter and her fiance are arriving today from Colorado. Her birthday is the 30th and her sister's  ( who live here) birthday was the 21st, so we will have a Sisters Birthday celebration probably Sunday. It is supposed to be the nicest day.  I should be able to pop on the computer early Sunday before the day gets started and do the link up to  Oh Scrap!


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OMG FINISH POST for MAY

My goal for May was to get caught up with my Temperature Quilt.  Including the joining of the month rows and May days from the 1st to the 21st.  In preparation for doing the "sashing" strips, I cut several lengths of the black solid. Then I sewed them together, pressed and wrapped the entire strip around a piece of lightweight cardboard. It reminds me of purchased bias tape!

I sewed daily "patches/blocks" every day or two. I record the high and low temperature every day on a spread sheet on my iPad.. I use Weather Underground and a  location that I found that is closest to my house. The only drawback to that method is the actual history. That particular station only displays history for 2 days prior. If I miss, by chance....I use the Official Reporting location, our county airport. We are only 2 miles from the airport, so the temps are close! I have only had to do that once.

This is how it looks as of today. January through April, all sewn together. May is still being constructed. May 1st thourgh the 23rd.  My goal was to get to the 21st!  You can see, we almost had Summer on the 14th, then the cool came back. It always surprises me that sometime the low for one day is the same as the high on the next day. See the blocks for May 17th and 18th.

I am really looking forward to some summer days.  Tomorrow is supposed to be in the low 70s and then back to 50s and rain!


Linking this to Elm Street Quilts, One Monthly Goal Finish Link Up. 



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Adding to my Stash!!!!

That might seem counterintuitive, as my goal has been to reduce my stash. But who can refuse FREE FABRIC?  Not me, not ever!

A friend was gifted a tote, a large tote, of fabric. She may have taken some of it, but it was pretty full when she brought it to me. I said I would look at it. Well.................  there was a lot of fabric. Evidently the original owner of the fabric was a garment maker. For grandchildren I think. There was baseball fabric, Teenage Ninja Turtle, Cabbage Patch Babies, Jasmine from Aladdin, Cinderella fabric with glitter/frost,  you get the idea. There was some scraps of fleece, some lining fabric with polyester in it. Some denim scraps, some lace scraps. The lace, and lining, and poly blend fabric will do to the second hand store. What a jumble!  Also old  vintage fabric in blue and pinks and country themed.  Like this.

My original idea was to just tear some of the more "ugly" fabric into strips for crocheted rugs. I have been doing that for awhile now.  I won't strip "Jasmine"...I have 2 great granddaughters that will get something!

 But there were some pretty large pieces. Most over a yard, some slightly less. I could not do that!

So I washed, with Color Catchers, 3 batches of various fabrics. I did not dry them in the dryer....I find they fray too much. So I hung them to dry on hangers with clothes pins. What a sight!  I should have taken pictures, but I did not decide to blog about this venture until this morning. So this  is just some of the fabric that still needs to be trimmed and pressed and folded and stashed!

That piece on the right with the 3 red hearts in a row, is actually a printed panel from Wal Mart, I think, of a vest. But only the directions and the back of the vest are in tact. The front pieces have been cut off!  That one I will strip and use in rugs.

Today I will continue to press, square up, and cut odd shaped pieces into my "scrap users system."
It's my Not Finished Friday" entry! 

 Stay Busy and Stay Happy

A Comfort Quilt Just in Time!

Sarah at Confessions of a Fabric Addict hosts Hands2Help every year. You can read about this awesome effort here.. You can read about my journey to this charitable organization here.

A small quilt ready to be mailed to Jack's Basket. From the pattern Simple Gifts by Weeks Ringle and Bill Kerr of Modern Quilt Studio.

The fabrics were not fat quarters, but large chunks leftover from various projects. The Pooh fabrics were from a quilt I made for my 2nd Great grandson in 2013. The green swirl fabric was from an over-purchase of fabric that I used to create a Mommy Bag for my granddaughter. The peach was from my 30's stash and is now nearly all gone. I have used it my bow tie blocks for RSC19 (the May color is Orange), it was in a block in the 30 Blocks in 30 Days quilt but was originally purchased for a block in a 30's Sampler quilt that was a donation for our local quilt show prior to 2011. I cannot remember why I have the red with white dots, but I like it and there is at least  3/4 of a yard still in my stash.

This fabric is soooo cute!  Pooh and Piglet, what could be better?

 The quilting was done by my friend, Marva Jo in record time. I gave it to her at our stitching group meeting on a Thursday, and by Friday at noon she called me to say it was finished! Whoo Hoo!  She used a variegated green thread in a pattern called Spring Fling. There are flowers and butterflies. It fits so well.

The backing: two Pooh fabrics and more green swirls!

Pooh and Friends  Hello Little Cloud!

I am excited that this precious quilt is done and ready to be revealed at our challenge reveal day. Then I will package it up and mail it off to Minnesota.

Thanks Sarah for giving me the opportunity to participate in your Hands2Help Challenge. It won't be the last time. 

I will link this post to Confessions of a Fabric Addict linky party on the 19th.

I will also add it to Finished or Not Friday, Oh Scrap, and **Can I get a Whoop Whoop after I post it on Sunday. 

**I decided not to add to Can I Get A Whoop Whoop as the post is already on Sarah's blog through the  linky party for Hands2Help! I did not want to be so redundant!

I would love to be able to find a local way to help also, but other than Quilts of Valor, there doesn't seem to be an avenue for donation quilts.

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ScrappyHappy Saturday 5-18

We woke up to snow this morning!!  It is not sticking to the roads or highways yet, they are just wet!  But the grass, the deck, my new planter boxes are covered in white!!  Bah Humbug!

On a happier note, this orange was done this week. I am getting really low on orange scraps and may have to cut into some yardage!

I think I only need 5 orange bow ties for the layout I have planned. But will double check before May is over.

Two Tiny Tuesday blocks from the 7th and the 14th!  That Bear Paw Bow Tie was  a bit challenging. But the directions were clear and concise. I really did not have too much trouble. I nipped 2 tips when I added the outside setting borders, but that is OK .  The whole process of tiny blocks is way outside my comfort zone but I will continue because my technique is improving and I am learning lots!

And I did use a bit of orange/peach in this little quilts for Hands2Help 2019 at Confessions of a Fabric Addict. I will link the whole blog post about that on the 19th.

Linking this post up with Angela at  So Scrappy!


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Scrappy Saturday 5-11

So far only 6 scrappy sprout blocks and one Tiny Tuesday in Orange!  Funny thing about orange. There are Halloween fabrics, pastel peach flowers, Bronco orange circles, pumpkin colored swirls, motorcycling cats, flames on a black background, oh my!  Fabric is cut for Bow tie blocks, and I may or may not have strings enough for one or two string blocks. We will see. I don't do string blocks til I have enough to at least make one block, because I change the needle and the stitch length.

Sorry for the out of focus! I'll try for a better photo later in the month. 

Road to "Tranquility"

Bow tie blocks at the ready. And my messy sewing station. PS, I haven't used orange in my temperature quilt yet!  It will be awhile


I have been using the sprout blocks as leaders and enders, but I really am anxious for Bonnie Hunter to reveal her new L and E block in July. I have 2" blocks cut and corraled in a box and I have 2 1/2" blocks, always!   I am sure some of them will be in the mix!




I'll be linking up with Angela's Scrappy Saturday post. See you there!

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Tumbler Quilt for Us!

Most of the quilt I make are given away. Gifts for graduations, a new baby, or a special occasion. Some even as comfort quilts, to help someone through their grief. Occasionally I keep one. This quilt will be one of those.





I started making scrappy tumblers as part of Bonnie Hunter's Leaders and Enders project in 2015. I was in no hurry.
The idea was to cut and sew and feed through the machine as other blocks were made and quilts were finished.








It finally got to a point that it was big enough. The final rows were attached, a border was decided on and a backing flannel was selected.

 I called my friend who long arms quilts for me and she said she had time. She had it finished in record time. Then, of course, I needed to trim it up and attach the binding. My least favorite part of making a quilt! I chose a scrappy binding, digging through all my leftover binding pieces. I chose the ones that were cut at 2 1/2 inches. It is my favorite size. It is always a struggle to manage the bulk of the quilt as I attach the binding. I set my traveling machine on our dining room table. I used a walking foot and still, the seam allowance is wonky!  You would think after all these years, I would have this part of the process under control !!!!



It is done now, scrappy binding and all. This one will stay with us, probably go in the camper this summer. I will also display it in our annual quilt show in October, I think! It's not a juried show, just for fun!

There are Christmas peppermints, black and white birdhouses, a palm tree, some valentine hearts! Lots of miscellaneous fabrics from many projects. I love the striped binding the best!





 I will link up with Busy Hands Quilts, Finished Or Not Friday
 Oh Scrap at Quilting is More Fun than Housework , on Sunday
 Can I Get a Whoop Whoop at Confessions of a Fabric Addict.
And because I finally have a finish, I am linking up with Beauties Pageant at From Bolt to Beauty


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And the backing! 

Bears, and foxes and cats, camping!

A U-turn and a different road to meet a challenge!

I’ve signed up or at least committed to a number of challenges this year. It’s been fun. You can check out my progress, at least some of it. by clicking on 2019 Challenges tab at top of the page.

One of the challenges that is not on the challenges page is my local guild challenge. We select 6 projects for the year. Every 2 months, a die is rolled and that number's project is due in 2 months. In March the #3 was rolled. On my list: 8 Covered in Love Block ( the May-June blocks selected by Kat of Kat and Cat Quilts) were due to be shown. Not a problem usually. But this time, Kat is taking a break from asking for blocks and wants us to support a charity like Jack's Basket, or Mercyful Quilts, or others.
Yikes...how am I going to get a quilt done in 15 days, to show to my local  guild and meet my challenge. I followed Nancy at Grace and Peace Quilts last year and she committed to 52 quilts in 52 weeks!  She selected to support Jack's Basket and made a baby size quilt from a pattern called Simple Gifts . This pattern was from a little book called Fat Quarter Love from Modern Quilt Studio. (no affiliation, just pointing you to the book)  I ordered the book, but had not made a quilt yet. So I got busy. I did not have fat quarters that I wanted to use, but I did have leftover baby fabric - Winnie the Pooh. I fussy cut from chunks of fabric, selected 2 other coordinating stash fabrics and a strip of contrasting fabric for the dividing strip. Here is what it looks like on the design wall.

I don't have a long arm machine, but I'll  piece a backing from some extra fabric and another Pooh chunk. I will piece an appropriate size batting too. I'll contact my favorite long arm quilter and see if she a time to "whip out a quick stipple". I should have it ready to reveal on the 19th. Wish me luck!

 Some left over fabric from the front, and another Pooh fabric should be good for the back.

The red with white polka dots is the contrasting strip and I will use it for the binding too!!


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May OMG Goal Setting Post 5-1-19

I have been working on a Temperature Quilt. After watching Patty's progress with her hexie temperature quilt last year, I decided that I would definitely do one for 2019. Not hexies, cause I did not want to "copy", but something. And I wanted to use my stash, not purchase new fabric. So I started by building a temperature chart and selecting fabric. My OMG for January was to make a decision and get started.

I have been working on it pretty regularly. I finished January, February and March. My OMG for May will be to get the March, and April rows ( April is missing a few blocks, but I have the temperatures recorded on a spreadsheet on my iPad)  attached with the 1" black sashing. And to get the blocks for May 1 to May 21st  made and attached to each other in a row. May will be a busy month for me, but this I can do!

This is how my "quilt" looks today!

Lots of blues and aquas and turquoise. A few green are showing up in April. I am hoping May looks much more green and yellow!

Linking up with OMG Goal Setting Link Up for May at Elm Street Quilts .

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