The End of April Push Toward Completion.

 It’s time for Finished or Not Friday and April’s Table Scraps Challenge. And Slow Sunday Stitching. 

Oops, I missed the deadline for FONF! Sorry Alycia. :(

As is my MO, I’m using crumb fabric for Table Scraps Challenge.  For this April, the crumbs are Red. The Joyful Quilter, our hostess for Table Scraps Challenge chose the prompt Rain. This was selected before she knew the RSC color was red. Had some of us digging deep into red scraps. 

Here is part of the ‘Not Finished” yet project. 

The background!

The crumbs !

I’m at the quilting stage today(Saturday) and the binding has been cut, ready to be joined and pressed, then attached. Keep watching this space.  Well, I got distracted! I forgot I had a Quilt Group meeting on Saturday, so I stopped quilting and got ready. 

Then I remembered I was invited to a neighbor’s  50th Birthday Party. So I did that. Then when I got home, we rewarmed leftovers from Friday Night’s Date Night. 

Mr Busy wanted me to watch Chicago Wednesday, streaming on Peacock! There went my Saturday!

This morning, I joined the binding pieces, and pressed them. Finished some last minute rain streaks and then sewed the binding to the front. I also added triangles to the top two corners, for hanging. This is a 20X20” square. 

Now Sunday I am sewing down the binding to the back, and burying a bunch of quilting threads for Slow Sunday Stitching at Kathy’s Quilts. 

So it’s early Monday morning and it’s raining. So a perfect day for a photo op of my Table Scraps Challenge project.  I used a pattern called Downpour from Kelly Young’s book Scrappy Improv Quilting. 

I’m calling mine There’s a Storm Coming! 

Stay Busy and Happy and Healthy and HOPEFUL !

I LIKE Thursday. Last of April

 

Lee Anna asked……

where do you do your computer work, or blogging?  For example at the kitchen table like me or on your lap in front of the tv? at an actual desk? Do you use a computer or do it from your phone or ipad?  show us a pic if you can, of your set up for blogging.

I wish I could say that I have dedicated spot to blog. I almost always blog from my iPad, while sitting in my rocker in our living room. I rarely use my phone. Sometimes, if Blogger is being especially troublesome, I will use my Laptop. It is in our basement family room on a lovely handmade oak computer desk, designed and built by my late brother-in-law. 

This week I have been working at using up some of the red scraps from my cutting table. 

The Table Scraps Challenge was the project. I hope to have it finished by Friday or Saturday. I’ll have a picture then. 

⁉️❓❓⁉️❓

I did not make any more red potato chip blocks. I decided 6 red ones were enough. If I do 6 for each of the 10 months, it will be more than enough for a quilt. 

When my granddaughter was here last Saturday, we stood on the front porch and visited one last time before she got in her car to go home. She spied a bird nest on the porch light at our front door. 

I can’t tell if it’s completed or if the mama bird changed her mind. But it’s definitely a new structure this Spring. 💗

My book club met on Monday. Our fearless leader, passed out copies of book titles, total pages and synopsis from Goodreads. There are 61 books for us to consider. We don’t meet in the summer, so our reading year runs from September to May. A lot of our original founding members were school teachers. I wonder what we will decide on. We finished The Reading List by Sara Nisha Adams. I recommend it. 4.5/5 stars. 

Our last book for the year is : 

How to Solve Your Own Murder by Kristen Perrin. 

Goodreads says it is: ‘ For fans of Knives Out and Thursday Murder Club.” It is set in London in 1965. And it’s the first in a series. I’ve just started it. 

I found this while scrolling yesterday. It sounded like a fun idea. Do you journal?

 If you want to see what other people like , click on over to LeeAnna’s Not Afraid of Color. LeeAnna has a list of bloggers who participate in I LIKE THURSDAY. 

ScrapHappy Saturday 4-19-25

 

This week, after tidying up my sewing space….I sewed two more potato chip blocks. 

And while the red scraps were still on the cutting table, I decided to put some Triple Treat blocks on the design wall. There were four more blocks than needed for a 6x7 layout. I’m trying to get rid of scraps not have extra . So, I made a red triple treat block. 

The first one. 

See right column, block 5. 

And a second one is ready to be assembled 

This next week, I’ll continue with potato chip blocks and Triple Treat blocks and try to make a plan for Table Scraps Challenge. Red and Rain. The prompts are thought provoking. 🤷‍♀️

I’m linking up at  ScrapHappy Saturday hosted by Angela. 

Stay Busy and Stay Happy and Healthy and Positive!

Triple Treat in Progress

 

While searching through my plastic shoeboxes of scraps for more neutrals for RSC potato chip blocks, I found the box that had triple treat blocks in it. These were Bonnie Hunter’s Leader and Ender project from 2022.  The post-it note said, “40 - need 42 for 6x7 layout.” So I added it to the queue by my machine. 

Wednesday after we returned from our walk at the Rec Center, I decided to put them on the design wall. 

As I put the block up I ended up with 46. What the heck? Long story short I didn’t like it! Seemed too scrappy! Is that a thing?  I took this photo, and when I looked at it on my iPad, suddenly it didn’t look so bad. I shared it my Stitching Friends. They liked it. Since I had 4 too many, I might as well make 10 more, right? For a 7x8, right? I’m not crazy, right? 

So I’m linking up with Alycia at Finished or Not Friday. 

And I’ll end this post with one small finish just in time.

Stay Busy and Stay Happy and  Healthy and Positive!

I LIKE Thursday

 

This Maundy Thursday before Easter, LeeAnna posed this prompt.

Tell us about Easter Baskets!

The image above is my recollection of my Easter Baskets in my growing up years.I remember hollow chocolate bunnies and jelly beans with stringy green Easter grass. Maybe some devoted eggs too. We never had Peeps. I guess my mom didn’t like them so she didn’t buy them. Maybe they weren’t available back then! I know we always got new socks, I don’t recall much else. As parents we always did Easter Baskets for our two. They varied from plastic woven baskets to metal or plastic sand pails with shovels. Always chocolate foil covered eggs, jelly belly’s, M&M s in pastel colors and of course socks and bottles of liquid bubbles with the tiny bubble wand inside the bottle. One time for our great grands I filled colorful rubber rain boots. Candy, socks, crayons, sidewalk chalk, and bubble liquid too. 

I’m trying to finish the selected read for Page Turners meeting on Monday. I’m struggling. The book is good, it’s just my concentration that’s failing. 

I did a Fully Finish on the Easter Rabbit Alphabet Sampler.   Note to self: “don’t be so darn stingy with the fabric.”  I almost  couldn’t get the cross stitch fabric wrapped around this block of floral foam. 

Our trees in our yard are leafing out. And snow is predicted for today. TYPICAL!!

Photo taken at 7:20 am can you see the snow starting to build up on the porch railing? 

Mr Busy and I are binging on LOST! We never got hooked when is was current, but now we are. 

It’s Sci- Fi and created by Jeffrey Lieber, JJ Abrams and Damon Lindelof. It’s definitely strangely addicting and wonderfully confusing. I joked that I am “lost” a lot. 😳!

I dug out a shoebox of Triple Treat block. A leader and ender project from Bonnie Hunter. I had thought needed 42 blocks for a smallish baby quilt, I had 46 in the box. What the heck! I put it up on the design wall and immediately didn’t like it. 

I like it better this morning. I guess I just needed to sleep on it. 

So what did I do? I decided to make 10 more for a 7x8 layout. So, there’s that. 

Last week I showed my SAHRR finish and when I got home from my stitching group, I found an email from Quilting Gail, stating that I had been randomly selected to win a prize. A pattern from Denise at A Quiltery. Hurrah for me. Thanks Gail and Denise. I’ll get it downloaded and show which one I chose,  next week!

Go find links to other I LIKE Thursday participants at Not Afraid of Color

Stay Busy and Stay Safe and Healthy and Hopeful. 

Slow Sunday Stitching 4-13-25

 I’m linking up with  Slow Sunday Stitching  hosted by Kathy’s Quilts.

Just a Quick Look at my small buffet. It was handed down to me from my mom. 

From left to right: cute treats from two very crafty, artistic sewing sisters. ⬆️ A green plaid paper bunny box with some jelly beans and a chocolate egg , and a tiny white pail with a HappyEaster sticker, filled with candy eggs. In the corner, a long legged mama rabbit with a basket of babies. ⬇️

Next: my Spring String from Lizzie Kate, a flat wooden bowl from Dollar General filled with a blown egg painted purple with bee decals, from a friend. Miss Flopsie cross stitch, a design from Melisa at Pinker n Punkin, an orange ceramic egg with a daisy on a ceramic egg cup. Painted by me when I was in my ceramic phase. Lastly, a ceramic bunny holding an egg that is a tea light candle holder. The top swivels open. It was a gift from two granddaughters when they were little. ⬇️

In the right corner another green and pink ceramic egg, a tiny felt bunny created by the same friend who made the tiny bunny candy holder. A purple hand painted Polish/Czech/Ukrainian blown egg in a wooden egg cup and a Peace Sunflower stitched  when Russia invaded Ukraine in February 2022. The sunflower design is from Fat Quarter Shop and I added the Peace word. 

Are you bored yet? 

My Spring Stamp Sampler mounted on a pice of dark red gingham with added vintage rick rack and crocheted trim from an antique pillowcase . It’s hanging from a small dowel on a small transparent command hook. 

And in the corner the long legged papa rabbit holding a basket of carrots. 

Today I’ll be working on the Octopus biscornu and mounting the Pink Easter Sampler from Pinker n Punkin. 

Stay Busy and Stay Happy and Healthy with Hopeful. 

It’s a Red Week

 

This week there was red cut, and red sewn. 

Four potato chip blocks. 

I also sewed the double red gingham binding on the red,cream & green SAHRR table topper/ small wall hanging. 

An early morning photo complete with a tree shadow. 😲😟

Did I get a photo of the actual sewing? Nope. But here is the rolled up “show the binding” photo. 

And another peek at the back.

I’m linking up with Angela at ScrapHappy Saturday  Come check out the red under the needle of some other quilters. 

Stay Busy and Stay Happy and Healthy and Hopeful.

Finished or Not Friday

I have a fully finished SAHRR. If you are not familiar with this yearly challenge you can read about it Here! These posts  track some of my process. Center Block and Round One! Round 2 & Round Three followed. Long story but it ended up like this after adding Round 4, (Sliced Squares) and Round 5 (Quarter Log Cabins) and Round 6 ( Kite Blocks). 

I wasn’t sure about the kite blocks, but they ended up sort of  looking like “bows” on the split square “Christmas packages”! Not intentionally but I like it. 

I sent it to the quilter. Now it’s bound and completely finished. Well, it still needs a label. But finished for now. 

Hanging out on the backyard gate in the early morning sun and shadows. 

I’m linking up with Alycia at Finished or Not Friday

Stay Busy and Stay Happy and Healthy and Hopeful. 

These posts 

do you remember dying easter eggs? did you do it with your mom, or the other kids, do you

Lelewaanremember dying easter eggs? did you do it with your mom, or the other kids,

 did you have those crayons to pre mark them?

what did your family do with them?  Did your family hide them for hunts? Any stories about hunts gone wrong or couldn't find all the eggs, etc

 did you have those crayons to pre mark them?

what did your family do with them?  Did your family hide them for hunts? Any stories about hunts gone wrong or 8couldn't find all the eggs, etc

 did do you remember dying easter eggs? did you do it with your mom, or the other kids,

 did you have do you remember dying easter eggs? did you do it with your mom, or the other kids,

 did you have those crayons to pre mark them?

what did your family do with them?  Did your family hide them for hunts? Any stories about hunts gone wrong or couldn't find all the eggs, etc
those crayons to pre mark them?

what did your family do with them?  Did your family hide them for hunts? Any stories about hunts gone wrong or couldn't find all the eggs, etc
you have those crayons to pre mark them?

what did your family do with them?  Did your family hide them for hunts? Any stories about hunts gone wrong or couldn't find all the eggs, etc

I LIKE Thursday

 LeeAnna chose these for our questions today. Go to Not Afraid of Color and check out how others answered. goodyou remember dying easter eggs? did you do it with your mom, or the other kids,

Do you remember dying Easter Eggs?   We did dye eggs. I was the oldest so l helped my mom get ready. The thing I remember most is the dye was added to hot water and vinegar. Ooh the smell!

Did you have the crayon to premark them? I  remember having the marking crayon that acted as a resist to the dye, but I remember this when I was a young mother and my daughter loved making the words or designs show up like magic. 

What did you do with them? As a child, and the oldest, I always hid the eggs and my sister and brother hunted for them. As parents, the dad hid the eggs so the kid could look for them. I often had to remind him not to put them too high. There was frequently snow on the ground so the egg hunt happened in the house. 

Do  your mom, or the other kids,

We have had a nice couple of days this week. The trees are budding out in the yard. I still haven’t seen flowers, but to be truthful,  my yard doesn’t have perennials. But my Holiday Cactus decided to make one bloom!

I have been reading about mushrooms coffee. Mostly the Ryze brand is what I have noticed in commercials and ads on Facebook.  But there is a product called Mud/Wtr, that my granddaughter had mentioned. I read up on that one. Seemed like it would have more flavor with the chai spices and the cocoa. The jury is still out. I tried it yesterday. But I got a frother in my intro pkg. ❤️

Got the SAHRR back from my quilter Aggie. It’s gorgeous. I’ll be hand stitching the binding to the back today at my stitching group. The quilting is gorgeous. Holly leaves, berries and swirls. 

We/I started watching  Virgin River , Season 6.  It’s a Chick Flick, based on books by Robyn Carr. Mr Busy sits and plays on his iPad, at the kitchen table like me or on your lap in front of the tv? at an actual desk? Do you use a computer or do it from your phone or ipad?  show us a pic if you can, of your set

Stay Busy and Stay Happy and  Healthy and Hopeful!

( not to be political, but our retirement fund took a huge hit this week! I’m frightened!)