Rainbow Scrappy Saturday--GREEN!!

I love green!  Its no hardship to work with green.  

Sometimes I have a lot of the featured color and sometimes I don't!   Green is an easy color to work with, I'm sure by next week I'll have more green blocks.  Please see whatever everyone has done with green this month at SoScrappy hosted by Angela.  I personally love the green cow.

Its a busy week here, I spent time helping Ken in the field.  We are almost done planting, a small field of beans left.  It rained last night so I can catch up on other chores today.  I am putting the borders on my 5" challenge piece and hope to be done by Monday.  The r/w/b album blocks are very relaxing and I've made a couple of those too.  No quilting but that's okay.  

The weather has been surprisingly cool, I alternate from short sleeves to long sleeves to hooded sweatshirt.  

~LORI~

Design Wall Monday and Weekly Goals

This week I've started a new project.  I've missed making QOV and have always wanted to make one in R/W/B but my stash doesn't contain enough fabric to make an entire quilt.  But my stash has plenty of blue fabrics and quite a bit of red, just not patriotic fabric.  And then I need to pick a pattern, hmmmmm.  

I will make album blocks!!   I am inspired by Nancy.  Yes, she's made 64 QOV!!!  Congratulations on meeting your goal Nancy!  Often we think we can't make a difference, but if I make ONE QOV and it brightens the day of ONE veteran--well, that's enough.  Nancy has touched 64 veterans.  Isn't that wonderful?  I think of this story-

The Starfish Story

 

“Once upon a time, there was a wise man who used to go to the ocean to do his writing. He had a habit of walking on the beach before he began his work.

One day, as he was walking along the shore, he looked down the beach and saw a human figure moving like a dancer. He smiled to himself at the thought of someone who would dance to the day, and so, he walked faster to catch up.

As he got closer, he noticed that the figure was that of a young man, and that what he was doing was not dancing at all. The young man was reaching down to the shore, picking up small objects, and throwing them into the ocean.

He came closer still and called out "Good morning! May I ask what it is that you are doing?"

The young man paused, looked up, and replied "Throwing starfish into the ocean."

"I must ask, then, why are you throwing starfish into the ocean?" asked the somewhat startled wise man.

To this, the young man replied, "The sun is up and the tide is going out. If I don't throw them in, they'll die."

Upon hearing this, the wise man commented, "But, young man, do you not realize that there are miles and miles of beach and there are starfish all along every mile? You can't possibly make a difference!"

At this, the young man bent down, picked up yet another starfish, and threw it into the ocean. As it met the water, he said,
"It made a difference for that one.”
― Loren Eiseley

Please see everyone's design wall posts at Patchwork Times.

Weekly Goals--

5" Challenge
Load QOV to quilt for guild
R/W/B Album blocks

That's enough for this week.  Spring is very busy here.  The center of my 5" challenge is now in "countries".  Pat says she sews her blocks into states/regions/countries/continents etc instead of sewing by rows.  I'm trying her method.  Yesterday I sewed blocks into "twosies" and "foursies" and then "twelvsies".  Would that be regions now?  About 20 sections to sew together, then a border and another pieced section.  

The weather has turned cold with frost warnings for the next two nights.  Still dripping rain alternating with windy overcast skies.  Too wet for planting corn or mowing.  Too windy to work outside.  My dad would call them "rocks in your pockets" days.   The house was chilly but baking some blueberry pound cake warmed it up.

You can bake quick breads/cakes in wide mouth jars and seal them when they come out of the oven.  I doubt they last like pressure processed foods but I'm only looking for a few weeks.  You can freeze the jars if they don't seal and the contents stay nice and moist.  I use empty tin cans from pie filling, baked beans to bake in.  A perfect size for 1-2 people having coffee or gifting.  I tossed in a few fresh raspberries with the blueberries.  

~LORI~

Sunday Stash Report

New numbers this week--

Stash in this week--13 yards
Stash in YTD--132 yards
Stash out this week--0 yards
Stash out YTD--162.5 yards  

I'm ahead 30.5 yards!

This week I received an internet order of 7 yards--a Marvel Avengers panel with six coordinating prints.  A certain grandson who doesn't read my blog asked for a quilt like Asher's Olaf.  We watched the movie a lot while I was on grandma duty and Laura Beth assured me he will love it. 

I shopped my stash but needed a few light solids and a red to match the panel.  I bought 4 yards of assorted neutrals as they see constant use in my projects. There will be plenty of fabric for a quilt and matching pillowcase.   Mojo 1 & 2 love the panel and fabric, they are little boys at heart.  They keep saying "sew faster" so we can start this new shiny project!  Please see everyone's stash report at Patchwork Times.

~LORI~
 

Rainbow Scrappy Saturday GREEN and Motivation Check In

I love green!  All I wanted to do this week was make GREEN RSC blocks!  It was a busy week and I made two more--

I'm not a "purist".  I include colors other than green--whatever looks good when I'm making them.  The stripes and dots in these blocks were fabric samples, a 5" charm, or leftover noodle strips and scraps from the scrap box.   Since this is a long term project I'm using assorted neutrals, most COC, WOC, Tans, whatever there is.  My backgrounds will always "match" and I never worry about having enough fabric for a project.  Please see everyone's posts at soscrappy.

Like a lot of quilters I have plenty of fabric.  Yesterday I was looking for my baggie of precut neutrals I use in this project.  I looked for an hour.  Ken helped look.  And then I had a revelation.  I HAVE MORE FABRIC!!  Yes, I wasted an hour of sewing time looking for a baggie containing maybe 10 small pieces of fabric!  I had bought more neutrals on Thursday because I knew I needed to cut more setting pieces.  Am I crazy--cut more pieces!!  And I did!  

Not much sewing this week.  A few RSC blocks and I have sewn on my 5" challenge project.  No quilting.  Its the busy time of year here and that's OK.  The lawn was mowed and weed'n'feed applied.  I worked on a new spot for a small garden.  The old garden is ready for tilling.  The weather can't decide whether to rain or be nice.  If you follow the news last Sunday tornadoes passed very close to us, five miles west.  The tornado sirens went off and we were prepared to head to the basement.  New technology is wonderful, we could check weather/radar on our phones and follow the storm.   I gathered the few things I thought were essential if my house blew away.  Put on shoes and jeans.  Cell phone, tablet, and laptop.  My meds.  Put on my wedding ring and other sentimental pieces.  My purse and my FEATHERWEIGHT.   I may rethink some of my precious sentimental antique quilts--they are stored and displayed on the main floor.  Maybe storing them on the bed in the spare room downstairs would be a better idea.  Has anyone else thought about this? 

~LORI~

Design Wall Monday and Weekly Goals

The last week has flown by and not much sewing was done.  No quilting although I did work on my 5" challenge project.  When its busy and stressful Rainbow Scrappy Challenge blocks are perfect.  Last week I made this--

The color for May is GREEN!  Oh how I love GREEN!  The stripes and dots were fabric samples received on a long ago bus trip.  Makes me think blue skies and green grass.  Please see everyone's Design Wall posts at Patchwork Times.

Weekly Goals--

5" challenge
Quilt QOV
Quilt Black/blue top
Another Green block

I'm not sure there will be much sewing time.  The camper needs cleaning and packing.  Farmer and Farmer's wife type things to do. Spring is busy time.

~Lori~

Design Wall Monday--Stash Report--Weekly Goals

All the sashings are made for the Flower in Spring (Two Lips) quilt.

Please see everyone's design wall posts at Patchwork Times.

Stash Report

Stash in this week--5.5 yards
Stash in YTD--119 yards
Stash out this week--12 yards
Stash out YTD--162.5 yards  

I'm ahead 43.5 yards!

Weekly Goals--

5" Challenge
Quilt guild QOV
Quilt Black/Blue 30's top

Those are enough goals for this week, its going to be busy.  If it doesn't rain there will be corn planting.  There is a road trip to pick up a lawn mower (and the scooter).  Ken was at an auction on Saturday, a huge consignment auction near Sioux Falls.  I asked him to watch a small boat and a kayak sell.  But he bought me something totally different--

A red Scooter!  Not much room if I go shopping but I'm sure at least 10 yards of fabric will fit in the storage compartment.  A roll of batting would be a challenge.  There isn't a holder for my coffee cup. 

The Mojo brothers are busy in my sewing room.  Lots of projects planned.  They love to go with me in the camper--vacation and work all in one for them.  While I'm volunteering they go fishing, swimming and chat with other traveling Mojos.  Lots of new ideas are found that way.  

Does your Mojo travel with you??

~Lori~

Rainbow Scrappy Saturday

These are the last of my purple blocks--

Please see everyone's purple posts at SoScrappy.
 
Remember the 83 Broken Dishes 30's blocks I found?  Not liking my *old* plans I searched the internet for ideas.  I found this--

 

I found it on this blog--

http://craizeecorner.blogspot.com/p/2012-quilts-finished.html

Thank you Sharon!  Don't you love how the blocks look like trailing ribbons or vines?  The best part is I can use the white alternating blocks already sewn to some of the blocks as the vertical sashings!  A WIN-WIN!! 

And my Mojo is back!  Yes, Liz in Houston had a heart-to-heart talk with him.  Told him how I missed him and needed him.  Said I had bought new modern fabrics for him to play with.  Told him the weather is beautiful in South Dakota now.  (She also promised that I would make him chocolate chip cookies!)  He immediately got on the bus and he's already pulling out fabrics and planning new starts.  Stephanie in Australia has lots of visiting Mojos and sent me one she thought was mine.  I mean, its hard to tell--since he's a twin to the one I usually work with!  So now I have TWO Mojos!  I could hear them chatting away over coffee and cookies and comparing their winter escapades.  Mojo#2 came by rocket ship, he beat Mojo#1 to my house!

Stephanie had lots of Mojos visiting and sent most of them home.  She wasn't sure whose they were, so if you're missing your Mojo--watch for him!  

Lori