Rainbow Scrappy Saturday and Weekly Goal Check In

December is the month to tidy up the Rainbow Scrappy Challenge projects.  These blocks are sashed and sewn into a top and next up to be quilted.  They are from RSC 2013--

By next weekend this top should be quilted.  God willing and the creek don't rise!  Hey, the way the snow is melting that's possible!  I've made my 2015 Gauntlet Toss goal--30's Ribbons was #4 and Little Farm Animals was #5.  Seven more to be quilted by May 1st.  Please see everyone's RSC posts at SoScrappy.

Finish binding Friends Among the Stars--worked on it

Load and Quilt 30's Ribbons--yes, done with binding sewn on

Sew more rows together on R/W/B blocks--worked on them

Trim 294 HSTs--nope

Load and quilt Little Farm Animals top--yes

 

At the last guild meeting I picked up a "kit" for a charity quilt.  6.5" squares neatly rolled up with a page of directions.   This was new to me, so when I opened the packet I was less than impressed.  There were 70 squares, the directions asked you to set them 7x10, and to "make it fun".  Really?  Did they LOOK at these fabrics?  Dark dirty purples with muddy green.  10 white squares.  A few salmon solids.  Mostly 3 fabrics with a few odd squares thrown in.  It sat for a few weeks as I wondered HOW I might salvage it.  Lorri2Rs and I did a little stash enhancing when she was here, and part of what I bought was some light lavenders to add to this "kit".  This is what I made--

A disappearing 9 Patch.  Remember that saying--"if the fabric is still ugly you didn't cut it small enough?"  Yes, that's what I did, sliced the dark purples and the white squares. It looks better in real daylight but you can see how dark the purples are--they look brown in the photo.  I think a lavender narrow border and it will be fine.  Its a nice size--52x69, not much border needed.  I'm not sure if this is the interpretation they wanted but its what I did!  

The next clue for the Quiltville 2015 mystery has been posted, I hope to find time to play with it this weekend.  

~LORI~

Design Wall Monday, Weekly Goals and MIA

The R/W/B Monkey Wrench/9 patch blocks are on my design wall--

I've started sewing them in rows.  Please see everyone's design wall posts at Patchwork Times.

Weekly Goals--

Finish binding Friends Among the Stars

Load and Quilt 30's Ribbons

Sew more rows together on R/W/B blocks

Trim 294 HSTs

Load and quilt Little Farm Animals top

Yes, I've been MIA.  Lorri2Rs was snowed in for week and we sewed like demons!  We also did a bit of stash enhancing so there will be new numbers for my stash report.  Thanksgiving weekend was spent with Laura Beth, Nick and the boys.  And now its snowing--again.  A few pics--

Mason with his new Avengers quilt.  Lorri2Rs pieced it and I quilted it.  The label says "made with love by Grandma"--yes, Lorri2Rs is a grandma so it wasn't a lie!

There were Avenger pillowcases, one for Mason and  Asher received an Avengers and a Dr. Suess pillowcase--he immediately turned them into bags to hop in.  He tried wearing one over his head and hopping in the other--his mother didn't think that was a good idea.  Can you say "crash"??  Ken did what he does well--

He babysat Maxwell while Nick and Laura Beth took Mason and Asher to see "The Good Dinosaur" movie.  Ruby the Quilting Dog goes with us, she's quite tolerant of the boys.  She mostly sleeps, she's 14yo and quite deaf and arthritic.  She's always happy to go and happy to get home--

And more snow--

Ken blew snow this afternoon and we have had at least this much again, you can't even tell he blew the sidewalks clear.  Sigh  But I did get a nice picture today--

Our blue spruce was quite pretty.  Liz suggested I turn it into a Christmas postcard, I think that's an excellent idea!

A new quilt has been started--

294 HSTs for the Quiltville Mystery Allietare.  Its no secret I hate diagonal seams.  I almost chucked the idea when the first clue came out, but I've seen some beautiful quilts from the mysteries so i pulled my big girl panties up and waded in.  Almost all the fabric needed can come from my stash, I did have to buy the gray constant--no gray (1.5yds) in my stash.  My phrase is "enjoy the process" and my words are "balance" and "focus".  I've decided I need to challenge myself with new things, so participating in the mystery sounded like a good opportunity.  

Gauntlet Toss--I said I would quilt 5 quilts by January 1, and 12 total by May 1st.  I quilted #3 last week--

The binding is on and it just needs the hand stitching, my favorite part.  The photo is pretty washed out, its much brighter than that.  These are some of those "found" 30's blocks from the sewing room reorganization.  

I'll try to post more regularly. Gina phoned me and asked if I was still recovering from Lorri2Rs visit?  I think she's still recovering from ME!!  

~LORI~

 

Sunday Stash Report

Time for new numbers.  This week I bought *gasp* 18.5 yards!

Stash in this week--18.50 yards
Stash in YTD--247.00 yards
Stash out this week--0.0 yards

Stash is ahead 99.5 yards!

12 yards of batiks from a quilt store that was closing.  

Some neutrals with a red, green, and blue.  Bait for Mojo calling!

Well, looks like I better start quilting!  See everyone's stash reports at Patchwork Times.  

~LORI~

Rainbow Scrappy Saturday

I'm debating on a new RSC project--

A simple plan--use 2.5 inch strips around a central square.  Use only variations of two colors--I used lime green and pink for this one.  When all the blocks are made you slice them into quarters--add black sashings and sew them back together.  Simple but very effective.

I found this in an old magazine I bought at the quilt show.  I'm thinking of making enough for one quilt over the next year.  Please see everyone's posts at So Scrappy.

More album blocks to round out my colors--

Black/dark blue

Reds with navy dots

Reds and cream

How did this weeks goals fare?

 

Finish 30's border and prepare a backing--top done but no backing

Prepare backing for another UFO--nope

Work on Star Struck--yes

Finish small guild class project--no

 

I was able to do some quilting--

Milky Way

After tossing the gauntlet down I decided I better do some quilting!  

Has this happened to you?  I have a finished quilt "somewhere".  Ken and I have looked everywhere for it.  Well, obviously not EVERYWHERE or we would have found it.  But while looking for the quilt I found three more tops to quilt.  And I brought home a QOV from guild to quilt.  

While staying with LB and family I did a little shopping.  Some fabric to declare on my stash report tomorrow, but also bought a 6,000yd cone of poly wrap white thread.  I use a lot of white when I quilt and I don't want to stop and wait for a thread order when I'm quilting!  The Princess doesn't like 100% cotton thread.  Too much stress to use as the top thread--high speed, turns on points etc and it breaks easily.  I can use it in the bobbin with no problem.  So I'm working at the thread stash using what I can as a bottom thread.  90% of my quilting is done using a white or off white thread.  I so regret buying all the variegated I have!  Life is a "live and learn" process.  

~LORI~

 

Design Wall Monday and Weekly Goals

This week I worked with the "found" 30's blocks (broken dishes pattern) from last winter--

They were partially set together with alternating white blocks and I didn't like that anymore--too much white.  I instead whacked them apart and now I call them "30's Streamers"--remember the crepe paper you would hang from the ceiling to decorate with??  One last border to put on and it will be a finished top to quilt.  Please see everyone's Design Wall Posts at Patchwork Times.

Weekly Goals--

Finish 30's border and prepare a backing

Prepare backing for another UFO

Work on Star Struck

Finish small guild class project

That is a nice variety for the next week.  

We're been busy preparing for winter.  Yesterday we worked outside cleaning the flower beds, putting away lawn chairs, pulling down the vines from the deck and pergola.  I still want to tackle pruning back the lilacs on the lot we bought next door, no one has done that for many years.  Does anyone have any advice on how or whether to do this?  I want to trim them back to four foot, they shield us from the street and west winds.  There are a lot of dead branches to be taken out.  I am hoping this will revitalize them.

Last week I bought a lovely Cinderella pumpkin--

 I try to grow them but this year the growing season was too short--they need 125 days.  I bought this one--I had never seen them in the store before.  Its a variety grown for eating and cooking.

I felt bad doing this to it--

 Much easier to cut using a hammer to tap the knife.

It was a big pumpkin--22# and yielded 12 pints of pumpkin puree.  Stephenie from Australia told me they grow like WEEDS there and other than roasting with other veggies they aren't eaten much.  Pumpkin pie and pumpkin bread (much better than banana bread) and pumpkin cake and bars are popular at our house and pretty much in all of the USA.  Do you use pumpkin in cooking??  Is it a USA only thing?

I threw the gauntlet down on Stashbusters--I challenged everyone to join me in a sewing/quilting marathon.  My goals are five tops quilted by January 1st and a total of 12 by May 1st.  Its a steep goal--I only have four tops ready to quilt.  But I'm going to try!  Would you like to join me?  Do you have projects you want to finish or need a set goal date for?  Maybe a UFO languishing in a box--you still love it but just haven't had the nudge to work on it!  This is what I see when I press--my shelves are directly in front of my ironing board--

Can you hear them?  They are yelling ''LET ME OUT--WORK ON ME NEXT!!!"  Do you have a project calling you??

~LORI~

Rainbow Scrappy Challenge Saturday

Green!!  What's not to love about green??

A lime green center with black, mint green and black/green geometric print.  See everyone's Rainbow Scrappy Posts at SoScrappy.

I'm OCD.  Are you OCD?  I like to drink coffee from "my" coffee cup.

I will wash it if its dirty--coffee just doesn't taste the same from another cup.  I like the shape and the design.  I wish I had whole set of Corelle dishes in this pattern.  Bought a couple at Goodwill--they were just odd cups.  Ken thinks its terribly strange, but he adds sugar to his coffee, and nothing ruins my day faster than to be half awake, take a big swig of coffee and its SWEET!!!   Aaackkk!

Another lovely fall day.  I'm not sure what Ken has planned for today.  There is so much to do outside yet.  I'm waiting for a hard frost to mow/clean my flower beds.  

A few pictures from Halloween at Laura Beth's--

Maxwell as a Lion

Maxwell is always happy.  Laura Beth said if she'd had Maxwell first she might have wanted 20 kids!

Grandma had chair by door with reading material!

Are you ready for winter?  

~LORI~
 

Design Wall Monday and Weekly Goals

I took a class during the quilt show--

LeMoyne Stars without Y seams.  These are LITTLE stars.  Here is my complete project cut out--

Tiny pieces!  Not really "my thing" but I'd like to finish it just to say I CAN!  There are 12 stars, doll quilt size--20x25".  Please see everyone's design wall posts at Patchwork Times.

Weekly Goals-

Finish Little LeMoyne Stars

Album Blocks

Quilt Milky Way

Lozenges

Work on a UFO

That will give me variety for the week.  I threw down the gauntlet on Stashbusters--my goal is 12 tops quilted by May 1st.  I only have four tops ready to quilt, that means I have to finish eight more projects!  YIKES!!  Anyone want to join me??

A few pictures from the weekend--

Lorri2Rs and I

 Lorri2rs and I attended the luncheon/trunk show together.

 

Me and Trail Mix

Quilting done with yard added

 I'm not sure how this quilting was done--but yard was added with the quilting.  It was lovely!

My purchases

I didn't spend much, about $20 on used books/magazines and 3 bags of scraps.  I feel bag that I didn't support the vendors but really saw nothing I needed. 

 

13 quilts on my wagon

When I submitted my entries I didn't think about how the quilts were going to get to the quilt show.  All needed to be gone over for threads and an identification label made and sewn on.  They all were nicely folded with the label on top.  They left piled on my wagon like an overloaded donkey!  The guild show is very well organized--set up and tear down went fast!  Hats off to the people organizing it!

This week is a catchup week, outside chores, etc.  The weather will be very nice for this time of year, I need to take advantage of it.

~LORI~