Little Penguin Quilts Through the Year

Little Penguin Quilts Through the Year

Friday, March 30, 2018

A Rainbow Scrap Finish

Throughout 2017, for a Rainbow Scrap Challenge project, I made these Maple Leaf blocks with matching Nine Patches.


Late in the summer, I decided to take the "Autumn" colored blocks and turn them into this tablerunner.  I really love how this turned out, and I know I'll be using it again when summer turns to fall this year!


But... that left me with these Spring-themed blocks to do something with this year, and March seemed like a good month to use them up!


They needed something in the center, so I stitched up this flower block, inspired by the adorable Spring tablerunners that Vicki from Vicki's Crafts and Quilting has been making.  Thanks, Vicki!


After quilting this top to a piece of batting - 


it turned into a fun, scrappy pillow that goes with another RSC project you might recognize!


In fact, these two projects share some of the same scraps!  

Linking up with SoScrappy for ScrapHappy Saturday!






Wednesday, March 28, 2018

I Like Thursday #75

Happy Thursday, friends!  Note:  My DrEAMi project is the last photo in this post, so if you're visiting from Sandra's linky, scroll down a bit!

This week I have sure liked seeing some more color blooming in my little garden!


The weather has been so nice that Sunday we decided it was time to get started on the Spring yard clean-up, and this year that includes redoing some of our landscaping.  I liked being out in the yard and working on this afternoon project with my husband.  It was really a beautiful day!


I like my new favorite tea, Lemon Zinger, which seems like it should be sipped from a yellow mug!


I enjoyed finishing this book this week.


It's a sweet story, both happy and sad, about a man who decides, when going to the mailbox to mail a letter to a terminally ill friend who lives 500 miles away, to walk there to see her in person and just keeps going on this pilgrimage.  Of course, he has all kinds of experiences, meeting many interesting people, along the way!

I've liked participating in Project Quilting this year, and last Sunday was the final challenge link-up.  I took this picture of all the pieces I made for the six Project Quilting challenges.  I sure love making mini quilts!


I had a "Drop Everything and Make It" moment this week when I saw a quilt made with this tulip block, and decided I wanted to make one, too - not the whole quilt, just one tulip!


I learned how to make this block from a Missouri Star Quilt Company video tutorial called "Totally Tulips."  I'm planning to quilt this one up and hang it on my fridge to celebrate Spring!  I love DrEAMi projects - and thanks go to Sandra at mmmquilts for coining that term!

Hope you're having a great week!  Be sure to check out the other I Like Thursday bloggers at Not Afraid of Color today!






Sunday, March 25, 2018

Mysterious Meanderings

Checking in this afternoon with the Magical Mystery Block QAL hosted by Libby at Life on the Hill.  I finished up the sewing for the final clue that came out on Friday, making some four patches with 2.5 inch squares and the 2.5 inch HSTs.


Then spent some time playing with a possible layout.


Oops... I see two rail blocks over there on the left that should be turned in order for my idea to actually work.  Obviously, this will not be it!  (I do like the design formed by putting those four patches in the center, though!  😍)

Fortunately, Libby is revealing the final blocks tomorrow, so no more guessing will be necessary!







Saturday, March 24, 2018

RSC Green Goodness

I finished up some green blocks that were on my list for the month of March this week.  Be sure to check out all the green stitching that's been happening this week at the ScrapHappy Saturday link-up over at SoScrappy!

Another green Squared Away block for the Rainbow Scrap Challenge 2018 sampler.


I decided to flip the white and green spaces for this one, except for the center square.  You can see the other one I made in the photo below - all of the blocks I've made so far this year.


Also, I finished up my light green Tiny Rails block for the month.


Below are all the blocks together.  I'll continue making these as each month's color is announced, and who knows what will happen when there are enough blocks for a good sized quilt!


Hope Spring is making an appearance where you live!  I think I might have daffodils blooming in a day or two.  I'm looking forward to seeing their happy faces!






Friday, March 23, 2018

Project Quilting 9.6 - Scraptastic!

The final Challenge - #6 -  for Project Quilting Season 9 was revealed last Sunday, and it is called "Scraptastic."



The main parameter for this week's project was that it had to include at least 12 different fabrics.   For me, that wouldn't be a problem!  The only problem was narrowing down what I wanted to make with my scraps!

Eventually I decided on pulling out my small collection of selvages and making something with them.


Using a "quilt as you go" method, I sewed them onto a 19 x 19 inch square of batting, making a giant string block.


A close-up of a couple favorite selvages - and the very simple quilting I did just to anchor everything to the backing -



After trimming and squaring up, I ended up with an approximately 18.5 inch square block - 


which I decided to turn into a mat for my sewing machine to sit on.  Since this is the spot where Little Penguin Quilts are created, I used some of my pink penguin fabric to add a set of pockets along one side.


Including the backing, binding, and penguin pockets, this 18.5 inch square has 28 different fabrics used in it!

And I cleaned up my sewing table just now to show you all how it looks!


I have thoroughly enjoyed participating in Project Quilting this year and am so glad I found it!  

I've completed all 6 quilted projects in the one week time period, have won a couple prizes - and have really been inspired by all the entrants for each challenge as well.

Thanks so much to Kim at Persimmon Dreams and Trisha at Quilt Chicken for your creativity and enthusiasm and for sponsoring this fun event!   It's been SEW much fun!!!

To check out the entries for the final challenge, go HERE.  ( Voting will start this coming Sunday afternoon.)

I'll also be sharing at Quilting is More Fun than Housework for the Oh Scrap link-up on Sunday!

Thursday, March 22, 2018

I Like Thursday #74 - a little getaway

Needing a quick late winter getaway, Mike and I spent 5 days in San Diego last week.  It's one of my favorite cities to visit, and every time we go there we find new things to like.

Thinking about what to share today, I decided to focus on things that surprised us and/or made us laugh!

Hello!


These guys were outside the door of our hotel room everyday!  They would have come in if I had let them, but that would have been a little much... I think they spent the night each night in the bushes and plants on the other side of the walkway.

This is a Black Crowned Night Heron.  He was hanging out on a small fishing pier near where we stayed.


Here's what he does when he sees a fisherman cutting up his bait fish!

We've laughed and laughed over this picture!

Mike enjoys talking to people we meet here and there - he is much better at that than I am.  These folks were scientists, collecting grasses from the tide pools we were exploring.


The funny part - they told him they take these grasses back to the lab, let them dry out, and then iron them so that they can study them under the microscope!  Who knew that scientists use irons?

We loved these benches along the streets in Imperial Beach,  a city south of San Diego where Mike was stationed when he was in the Navy.



The San Diego sky alternates all day long between clouds and sun, so from one day to the next you never know what kind of sunset view there will be.  About our third evening there, we could tell there was going to be a beautiful sunset, so we found our way to an area called Sunset Cliffs to catch the view.  Along with hundreds of other people!

I guess we should have realized that sunsets in San Diego are an event!

It was worth braving the crowds, though!


Of course we enjoy any time we can spend by the ocean!


Thanks for sharing it with me today!  Hope you're having a great week!  Check out all of the I Like Thursday posts at Not Afraid of Color.











Sunday, March 18, 2018

A Finish and Some Mystery Sewing

Recently I finished up the quilt I've been working on for my oldest son.   Made from the Yellow Brick Road pattern, it uses 12 fat quarters for the main part of the quilt and then some yardage for the borders, backing, and binding.  I really enjoyed sewing with the Grunge line of fabric for this quilt!


I backed it in a soft plaid flannel, which makes it feel warm and cozy!


Quilting was my go-to simple diagonal cross-hatch.


The finished quilt measures about 57 x 75, and it's done before his birthday, whoo hoo!!!  :)

The next clue in Libby's Magical Mystery Block QAL came out on Friday, and I had a little bit of time Saturday to get some of that completed.

We were to take all of the pairs of 3 inch squares we had cut and make them into 2.5 inch HSTs using the two at a time method.


A little more trimming and I'll have that clue taken care of!


Can't wait to see what's going to happen with all the different pieces we've been preparing for these blocks!

Sharing at Quilting is More Fun than Housework for Oh Scrap! 



Friday, March 16, 2018

Bits of Green

We've been out of town this week, but before we left I sewed up a few bits of green.

A sawtooth star with a Spring green floral center to add to my collection -


Bright pink and peachy-orange - those will need to be spread out from each other a bit - lol!  We'll see what happens as I make more blocks!



And progress was made on my Tiny Rails block for March, too.


Twenty-five 1.5 x 2.5 inch green bits sewn to whatever low volume pieces I can find in the same size to make 2.5 inch squares - then into rows of 5 and finally into a 10.5 inch square.  These are put together as leaders and enders while I work on other blocks through the month.

Just for fun, I'll leave you with some green non-sewing photos!  We took a quick trip to San Diego this week, and really enjoyed exploring the city and spending time by the ocean.  


Beautiful green succulents grow everywhere outdoors!   We found these along the boardwalk in Mission Beach.

And these ride-sharing bikes are also everywhere - 
Lime Bikes!  Access them with an app on your phone, ride to wherever you want, and then leave the bike there.  They even come in an electric version!

Happy ScrapHappy Saturday!  Sharing at SoScrappy.





Wednesday, March 14, 2018

I Like Thursday #73 - Treats!

I admit it - I like treats!  For me, treats come in all different forms.

I do love cookies.  I don't bake very often anymore, but once in awhile I buy a package of these -

Double Dark Chocolate - yum!

Soup cooking in the crockpot is a big treat - smells good all day and all the work is done by dinnertime!


Making binding for a quilt is a treat - 


and I love sewing the final step of the binding by hand,  too.

It means I've finished another quilt!

My once a month quilt group get together is always such a treat!  I don't belong to a guild - just a group of friends who share a love of sewing and other needle crafts in common and get together to enjoy each other's company.  We've been meeting for 20 years now!

We made this table runner together recently for one of our members who is dealing with some tough family things right now.  She loves browns and western -themed things, so we hope she'll enjoy this in her home.

Everyone made a couple of strips for it, and then a few of us finished it up.  I think it looks great on my friend's leather couch, don't you?!

Another treat I love is Dinner Theater night every now and then with some girlfriends.  This time we saw "Always, Patsy Cline."  

It was a really enjoyable show, and although I've never been a big country music fan, the music in this show was both fun and beautiful!

And this time of year, it sure is a treat to see Spring slowly making its way to Colorado!


More crocuses are blooming, and the daffodils are hinting about it!


I think it will be time to start cleaning up the gardens and yard pretty soon!  Hope you're having a great week!  Be sure to check out all the I Like Thursday posts over at LeeAnna's blog, Not Afraid of Color.