I Like Thursday #204 - Welcome October!

Hard to believe it's October 1st, isn't it?  This year just keeps marching on.  Thanks for visiting for "I Like Thursday," hosted by LeeAnna at Not Afraid of Color!  Check her link for all kinds of fun and positive posts.

I decided to borrow Judy's idea, from Busy Hands Are Happy Hands, and show you what's next to my chair!

This week's read, by Mary Kay Andrews - an entertaining "beach read!"

My pincushion and zipper pouch for hand-stitching supplies.

And this little Pixie Pouch, which is perfect for holding 

my parts for the Humble Quilts QAL.

I'm enjoying these bright and happy flowers that a friend gave me on the little chest by the front door.

Earlier this week, we went up to Rocky Mountain National Park to get in some hiking and have a picnic, and also hoped to see some fall color.  It was a beautiful day up there and Mike got some good pictures, I think!

I like a small piece of birthday cake, too!  Yum!

And, finally, I saw this meme this week, and thought it was perfect to share here.

Hope you're having a good week!  

To-Do Tuesday #57

Good morning!   I'm checking in today with my weekly to-do list and linking up with Roseanne and friends for the To-Do Tuesday linky party at Home Sewn By Us. 

First things first, I did finish my September Color Challenge block from Patterns by Jen.  (As always just in the nick of time!)

This one is inspired by the Cinnamon Teal, and I think

it has a cinnamon vibe!

Here are all 9 blocks I've made for this challenge this year.  You might notice I completely remade the red block, and it's no longer the same block as the original.  But I like it and think it will work just fine with the group of blocks.

Also sharing this at the September link-up at Patterns by Jen.

Other items on last week's list included:

• Finish up the red zigzag row.  ✔

• Work on the mini magic star blocks that I plan to make into a tote bag.  ✔  All 24 blocks are made, and I'm sewing them into panels of 12 to make the two sides of the bag.  The panels measure 11 x 14.

• Continue quilting the rainbow color gradient quilt.  ✔  Quilting is 50% completed.  

So, on this week's list:

1.  Keep quilting!

2.  Continue working on the tote bag sections.

3.  Get going on October blocks for my Rainbow Scrap Challenge blocks.  I think this will involve yellow scraps! 

Thanks for visiting!  Have a great week! 

Scrappy in Brown

I was having that conversation with myself this week.  I have it all the time, and I know you all do, too.  Lori at Humble Quilts started her fall QAL on Monday, and I was tempted to join in.  I joined in last year, and love the result.  It still hangs right by my cutting table.

I don't need another project - there's plenty to work on at the sewing machine.  But this is going to be small and all you need to make this week are some four patches.  What if you hand piece them?  Hand piece them?  I can do that!  So off I went to pull some scraps.

Gold-brown, red-brown, sandy brown, darker browns.

Lori is calling this 50 Shades of Brown!  We were to make 17 four patches out of 1.5 inch squares, and add in four pink squares and two blue ones.

Here's what I stitched on Friday night.

Only 8 more and I'll be ready for the next directions!  I can do that.  It'll be fun to see where this goes.  It really is just supposed to be 14 x 17 or something like that.  I'll enjoy working on this!

Sharing at Kathy's Quilts for Slow Sunday Stitching and at 

Quilting is more fun than Housework for Oh Scrap!

A DrEAMi in red and other scrappy progress...

You might remember that I made a postage stamp block a few weeks ago, and couldn't decide if I wanted to make any more of them.  Well, this week, I was in the mood to finish up something mini, so I took that block, quilted it up, and here it is!

I used a small piece of this fun beachy fabric for the backing and a strip of some rainbow stripe for the binding.

This fits really nicely on one of our bedside tables.

Which means I might need to make another one 

for the table on the other side!  😉

September has been full of other red sewing, too.  This week, I finished up the red zigzag row.

A yellow row is all that's left to make,

 and then these will be ready to sew together!

Throughout the month I've made some Easy Breezy blocks with red scraps,

the red corner section of the double 4 patch project,

and way back at the beginning of September, the red trees for Rainbow Jungle.

Just need yellow trees for the jungle now, too!

I love red month in the Rainbow Scrap Challenge!  Sharing at SoScrappy for ScrapHappy Saturday!  And at mmmquilts for the September DrEAMi link-up.

I Like Thursday #203

Happy Fall!  Although the temperatures here don't feel much like Autumn yet, the leaves are starting to change color, and the light is changing - the sun going down earlier and coming up later.  I really love Fall!

I grew some pumpkins!  So I got out one of my fall tablerunners for them to sit on.

The other day we discovered even more little pumpkins growing!  I'm not sure what will happen with them, but I'm going to leave them there until we have a freeze predicted.

Another day earlier this week, the neighborhood bluejays were all upset, and we were definitely wondering what was going on.  I looked out our back window and up into the tree, and this beautiful great horned owl was hanging out right there!

Of course, we went out with binoculars and camera, and after looking at us as if to say, "Leave me alone!" he took off over to a neighbor's tree!

I was doing some straightening up and rearranging in my sewing room recently, and decided to share a photo of this end of the room.  The black shelves and the oak entertainment center hold all of my stash.  I figured out a way to hang a few more of my small quilts over the doors of the cabinet and love having them there!

I've enjoyed making Preeti's petite sisters blocks recently - can't remember if I've shared all four of them here or not - but they are fun!

These are 8 inch blocks.  I'm still deciding on whether I will make 

more and what I want to do with them.  They're just so fun to make!

I finished this book this week, and loved it!  The School of Essential Ingredients.  It's very descriptive and an interesting way to tell a story - the writer compares flavors and aromas to memories and experiences.  

And a big thank you to Wendy of Pieceful Thoughts of My Quilting Life for sending a book to me this week!  Also a fun card and some penguin fabric - thanks, Wendy!  

Thanks for visiting today!  Be sure to check out the other I Like Thursday posts at

Not Afraid of Color.

To-Do Tuesday #56

 Good morning!   I'm checking in today with my weekly to-do list and linking up with Roseanne and friends for the To-Do Tuesday linky party at Home Sewn By Us.

I got a lot done this past week!  A small finish - my X's and O's mini quilt/placemat.

The rainbow color gradient quilt is basted, and quilting started.  

No progress since last Friday, but at least it's started!

All the red HSTs are done for the zigzag row, and ready to sew together.  I even had some time to play with Joy's Mini Magic Star blocks.  You can see both sets of blocks below.

I need 24 mini star blocks for the tote bag idea I have, and 16 are made.  

The last 8 are halfway there, and won't take long to finish up!

So my list for the coming week is more of the same!

1.  Keep quilting the rainbow quilt.

2.  Sew the zigzag row together.

3.  Make some progress on my tote bag idea.

And one more:

4.  Make the September Color Challenge Block from Patterns by Jen.

Have a great week!

Slow Stitching this week

 After my big push to finish up the blue and white hand-pieced quilt last week - 

I played with some other slow stitching projects.  I finished putting together this little hand-pieced doll quilt.  It measures about 21 inches square now.  I need to find a small piece of batting and a backing for it, and then I'll get started on quilting it.

I also started a new Kathy Schmitz embroidery design that I had seen on a couple other blogs, and knew I had to stitch it, too!

There was even a little knitting!  I'm enjoying this very simple dishcloth pattern, found HERE.  It's perfect for a person like me who's pretty rusty with the knitting needles!

Today's slow stitching will probably include some more on that embroidery and some knitting, too.  Nice to have choices!

Sharing at Kathy's Quilts for Slow Sunday Stitching.

Rainbow Progress

I'm on the way to another Rainbow Scrap Challenge finish with the color gradient block quilt top that I put together a few weeks ago.   This week I found some time to layer and spray baste it with batting and backing, and get the quilting started.

This brown block is a favorite with its fall colors!

These blocks are made with 2.5 inch squares, mini charms, and chunks cut from here and there.  I admit that I fussy cut a few pieces just to get the exact right bit of fabric!

For my September red blocks, I finished up all the HSTs for the zigzag quilt.

And the red section of double 4 patches, too!

Hope you've had a good week, too!  Linking up with SoScrappy for ScrapHappy Saturday and Quilting is more fun than Housework for Oh Scrap!

 

      

Quilty Orphan Adoption

***If you are visiting from "I Like Thursday," that post is HERE.***

When I saw that Cynthia at Quilting is more fun than Housework was hosting her Quilty Orphan Adoption again this month, I decided to join in and offer up a quilt top that is in need of finishing.

This is my Floral Sawtooth Stars top, finished a year ago!

Twenty 12 inch blocks, this quilt top measures 48 x 60.

I started this with the purpose in mind of playing with sawtooth star blocks that would feature the pretty florals of a fat quarter bundle of  Blush and Bloom that I won in a drawing quite awhile ago. 

I always intended for it to be a donation quilt, and thought it might go to Covered in Love, sponsored by Kat and Cat quilts, or to Mercyful Quilts, sponsored by Bernie at Needle and Foot.

My only problem, shall we say, is getting it finished!  I love piecing blocks and making quilt tops, but I definitely have a back log of quilt tops waiting to be finished!

Are you a good finisher?  Maybe you'd like to take this pretty quilt top and get it to the quilted stage, and pass it on to an organization that could use it to comfort a person in need.

Let me know in the comments if you are interested in taking on this quilt top!   I am happy to ship it anywhere in the U.S., and will choose someone randomly from the comments next Wednesday, September 23rd.  Thanks for considering it!  

I like Thursday #202

Happy Thursday!  I'm joining in with LeeAnna and friends at Not Afraid of Color for I Like Thursday where we share all the positive things we've found in our week.  

One day last week, I needed to pick up a book at the library, but got there before it opened.  So I took a walk around the area and enjoyed the sights.  Our library is in a downtown area that includes the rec center and municipal building.  In the center of all the buildings is this beautiful lagoon and park area.

A sign points the way to go either to the library or to the rec center.  After all, you wouldn't want to get lost!

Our city has lots of public art, and this area is no exception.  I love this sculpture!

Speaking of the library, I love the services it offers to our city.  One of my favorites is Priscilla's Bookshelf, which has bags of books for book clubs to check out.

This was our September book, Where'd You Go, Bernadette?  

So good!  I definitely recommend it.

Bernadette is an architect and builder who has won awards for her work, but things happen (no spoilers here!) and she stops creating.  One of the best quotes in the book will resonate with many of you!  After explaining to him why she stopped working, Bernadette's former partner tells her, "If you don't create, Bernadette, you will become a menace to society!"  

There is a movie based on the book, and Mike and I watched it last night.  It is also very good!  Of course, parts of the story were changed up a bit, as they always do, but it stayed pretty true to the book.

And one more thing to share this week.  I love this sweet card I got from Michele, our friend at 3P&N and also Pennsylvania Piecemaker.  

Inside was a gift card that I won for participating in Pennsylvania Piecemaker's Suffrage Centennial quilt festival.  Thank you, Michele!   I *might have* spent some of it already on some very important quilting supplies, lol!  😁

Have a great day, friends!