I Like Thursday #254

Good morning!  Thanks for visiting on I Like Thursday, hosted by LeeAnna at Not Afraid of Color.  I found lots to like in my world this week - hope you did, too!

I like that at the end of September, flowers are still blooming in my garden!  Does anyone know the name of these pink, daisy-like flowers?  I have really enjoyed them this year.

We're getting lots of apples from our tree this year!  Many fall on the ground, but there are lots left to pick, too - unfortunately most of them we can't reach.  But here's enough for eating, and some applesauce.  Maybe even a pie!

Last week, Roseanne from Homesewn by Us shared these Dunkin Cold Brew coffee packs, so I decided to try them, and they are good!  Handy, too, as the step of making cold brew where you have to filter out the grounds isn't necessary anymore.  

Iced skinny vanilla "latte," anyone?!

Colette (What about Rheema) and I have had multiple conversations about cold brew, and I almost bought the neat cold brew maker she shared awhile back, but then decided since I don't drink cold brew every day, it would make too much for me at one time.  Thanks, though, Colette!

I like Autumn Jubilee, hosted by Carole at From my Carolina Home, throughout October.  Click the button at the top of my sidebar for more info.  Carole always has fun projects, delicious recipes, and other neat things on her blog for the whole month.

In anticipation of a quilty October project, I added to my Halloween themed fabric while we were on our trip last week.  I felt like I needed more pumpkins, and something in purple!

And finally, this made me laugh the other day!  (Because it is often true...)

Have a great Thursday, everyone!

To-Do Tuesday #105

 It's been several weeks since I was able to write a To-Do Tuesday post, so I had to look way back to see what plans I had made earlier in September.

Of course, one project I really need to focus on is Positivity, and it is now a completed quilt top!  Yay!

I also had orange projects on my list for the Rainbow Scrap Challenge color of the month, and I think all of those are done, too.  

• Table Scraps placemat here and
• Other orange blocks here.

So, on this week's list?

• I really want to focus on some finishes during the month of October.  That includes Positivity, which will need batting and backing purchased, and then layers basted together.
• Another finish that I hope to get to is my Rainbow 4 Patch quilt, and here's where it stands at this point.

Over the weekend I webbed the blocks/rows together,

and just have the last three long seams to sew up.  I have batting for it and can piece a backing (because this one is baby sized), so I'd like to be quilting it by this time next week.

• But then, there's always the occasional squirrel project, and I caught one (or it caught me!) over the weekend.  I embroidered this fun little Fall design from Pinker n' Punkin Quilting.  Next step is a scrappy border (which I've been working on this afternoon - Monday) and then quilting.

Plenty to keep busy with this coming week!  Linking up with Linda and friends at Texas Quilt Gal for To-Do Tuesday.

Slow stitching this week...

Mrs. Woolly Ewe is finished!  I found the perfect border fabric to make her into a little wall-hanging, too!

I have another Kathy Schmitz design traced to start working on, but then I read Melisa's post at Pinker n' Punkin Quilting the other day, and she shared a sweet little Fall design that I decided I wanted to stitch instead!

Thanks, Melisa!

Of course, I had to start with the pumpkin!

Finishing up the embroidery will be today's  slow stitching, and then I'll look for some fun Fall scraps to border this with.   Maybe a finish to share next week!

Sharing at Kathy's Quilts for Slow Sunday Stitching!

September Scraps in Orange

 Amazingly, since I've been away from home for 8 out of the last 14 days, I have orange progress to share for the end of September!

I was able to finish up my two hand-pieced Scrappy Trips blocks in orange during evening hand stitching times.

Brighter orange and pumpkin orange!

And a couple crumb hearts with a wonky star.  

I sewed up the two orange chandelier blocks for the month, too.  

Peachy, coral orange!

There are 18 of these blocks now, but they are small so I think I'll continue these into 2021 to get more.  They'll be set on point, so a setting triangle fabric will be needed.

And then I was looking in project boxes one afternoon and found these blocks.  They are made from Cynthia Brunz's Well-Suited Scrap Mixology module, found here.  I think I must have started them a year ago!

They could be laid out like this ⬆️

Or

Like this! ⬇️

Tough choice!  But I definitely need more of these 8.5 inch finished blocks to get a quilt.  They're going on my end of September/beginning of October to-do list.

Sharing my scrappy orange progress at SoScrappy for ScrapHappy Saturday 

and at Quilting is more fun than Housework for Oh Scrap!

I Like Thursday #253

By the time you're reading this, I will be back home and working on getting back to normal after having had a lovely week of vacation to the Oregon coast.  It has been a wonderful getaway, and I'm both sad to leave, but ready to be home again, too.  

With that said, I have to share a few photos of my favorite places and views of the trip.  These are what keep us coming back to the Oregon Coast!

Big waves, volcanic rock, and tidepools at Cape Perpetua.

Barking seals and sea lions at Simpson Reef, hundreds of them!

Picnics with a view.

Amazing rock formations in the Bandon area, in all kinds of weather!

And, my husband, engaged in one of his favorite activities!

Then there was fog!

And amazing sunsets.

Oh, and one last thing.  A winery visit with a picnic lunch on our last day.  Brandborg Winery, in Elkton, Oregon.

All in all, it was great to get away, and it will be good to be home again!  Joining in with LeeAnna and friends at Not Afraid of Color for I like Thursday.

Orange you on vacation?

Why, yes, I am!  And feeling lucky to finally be here, after pretty much staying home for the last two years.   We've been planning this awhile, but recently (with the surge in Covid cases in many places around the country), I wasn't sure we'd be able to go.  But we're masked up, and stocked up with plenty of hand sanitizer and bleach wipes, so off we went!

So how about a beautiful Oregon coast sunset in orange?

Or an amazing rose growing by our hotel in Depoe Bay.

Not the best picture, but you get the idea!

Clearly, there hasn't been much sewing going on around here the last few days.  But please check out my Wednesday post about "Botanics," my quilt from Kelly Young's new book, Scrappy Improv Quilting.  There was a little bit of orange and a lot of scraps involved there!

Instead we've been wandering the beaches of the Oregon Coast between Depoe Bay and Bandon, getting lots of steps on the step counters!

So beautiful, and hardly any people!

And every once in awhile there's a chance to put a few stitches into my current embroidery project, the Woolly Ewe.

Before long it will be time to go home and get back to normal, but until then I'll enjoy views like this one!

Have a great week, everyone!

Sharing at SoScrappy for ScrapHappy Saturday and at 

Quilting is more fun than Housework for Oh Scrap and at 

Kathy's Quilts for Slow Sunday Stitching.

Scrappy Improv Quilting Blog Hop - Botanics!

Welcome to the book launch blog hop for Scrappy Improv Quilting, by Kelly Young of My Quilt Infatuation!  This is Kelly's second book on improvisational quilting with your scraps, and it is full of fun ideas.  I could picture myself making every quilt in the book!  These are mini quilts, so they go together quickly and have a fun scrappy look to them, which is really my favorite kind of quilt. 

*For my I Like Thursday friends: I hope you'll enjoy my post for Kelly's blog hop!  I sure liked making this little quilt, and hope to make more from her book.  Thanks for visiting!*

I chose to make "Botanics," from the Single Block Beauties section, and here is Kelly's version from the book.

If you've never done this kind of sewing before, Kelly includes lots of helpful pointers for getting started and how to construct the quilt blocks.  I started with lots and lots of low volume scraps, piecing them together in pairs and then larger groupings until I had slabs of these pieces.  

Some were sliced and sewn back together, and some were trimmed into 6.5 inch blocks.

In fact, the whole quilt design is made up of 6.5 inch blocks: leaves, stems, and background!

24 x 24

Quilting was fun on this one!  I followed the stem and leaves up the quilt, and added veins to the leaves like Kelly did in her quilt for the book.

Some favorite scraps in the background have flowers in them!

Then I thought, "Why not add some ghost leaves in the background squares?"

Fun scraps in this section, too!

Seashells, starfish, bowties, marshmallows on a stick, and more.

If you need help finishing up your mini quilt or ideas for how you might use or display it, Kelly includes a whole chapter on finishing your quilt at the end of the book. 

I enjoyed every minute of working on this little quilt and am so happy with the finish!  It needs the perfect spot to hang in my house, but I haven't decided just where that is yet.

But... being a botanical sort of quilt, I decided it did need to go hiking with us the other day.   It was fun photographing the quilt on a favorite trail up near Rocky Mountain National Park!

Kelly, thanks for inviting me to be a part of the blog hop for your book!  I'm excited to see what everyone else has made, too.

Be sure to stop by the other blogs who are sharing quilts from Scrappy Improv Quilting.  It started on Monday and runs every Monday and Wednesday through October 20th.

9/13- Summer Blossom- Lori @ Crossquilt
           Up, Up, and Away- Sandra @ mmm...quilts!

9/15- Flutter- Rose @ Something Rosemade
           Botanics- Diann @ Little Penguin Quilts

9/20- Face the Sun- Laura @ Slice of Pi Quilts
           Full Spectrum- Jayne @ Twiggy and Opal

9/22- Prismatic- Anja @ Anja Quilts
           Downpour- Nancy @ Grace and Peace Quilting

9/27- Funkytown- Vasudha @ Storied Quilts
           Cherub Wings- Michelle @ From Bolt to Beauty

9/29- Chapel Window- Kris @ Sew Sunshine
           Winter Frost- Leanne @ Devoted Quilter

10/4- Heartstruck- Rebecca Grace @ Rebecca Grace Quilting
           Star Spangled- Christine @ Triangles & Squares

10/6- Birds of a Feather- Preeti @ Sew Preeti Quilts
           Fall Foliage- Susan @ Quilt Fabrication

10/11- Ornamental- Gail @ Quilting Gail
            Churn, Churn, Churn- Cynthia @ Quilting Is More Fun Than Housework

10/13- Sunset Crossing- Kate @ Katie Mae Quilts
             Positivity- Sarah @ Sarah Goer Quilts

10/18- All Dressed Up- Linda @ Flourishing Palms
             Shockwave- Anne-Marie @ Stories From the Sewing Room

10/20- Sweet Bee (a bonus thank-you pattern), Finishing, and Wrap-Up (here!)

 

 

Scrappy Improv Quilting!

 Blog hop starts today!

9/13- Summer Blossom- Lori @ Crossquilt
           Up, Up, and Away- Sandra @ mmm...quilts!

9/15- Flutter- Rose @ Something Rosemade
           Botanics- Diann @ Little Penguin Quilts ⬅️  That's me!

9/20- Face the Sun- Laura @ Slice of Pi Quilts
           Full Spectrum- Jayne @ Twiggy and Opal

9/22- Prismatic- Anja @ Anja Quilts
           Downpour- Nancy @ Grace and Peace Quilting

9/27- Funkytown- Vasudha @ Storied Quilts
           Cherub Wings- Michelle @ From Bolt to Beauty

9/29- Chapel Window- Kris @ Sew Sunshine
           Winter Frost- Leanne @ Devoted Quilter

10/4- Heartstruck- Rebecca Grace @ Rebecca Grace Quilting
           Star Spangled- Christine @ Triangles & Squares

10/6- Birds of a Feather- Preeti @ Sew Preeti Quilts
           Fall Foliage- Susan @ Quilt Fabrication

10/11- Ornamental- Gail @ Quilting Gail
            Churn, Churn, Churn- Cynthia @ Quilting Is More Fun Than Housework

10/13- Sunset Crossing- Kate @ Katie Mae Quilts
             Positivity- Sarah @ Sarah Goer Quilts

10/18- All Dressed Up- Linda @ Flourishing Palms
             Shockwave- Anne-Marie @ Stories From the Sewing Room

10/20- Sweet Bee (a bonus thank-you pattern), Finishing, and Wrap-Up

Come back Wednesday to see what I made!  

Slow stitching this week...

 I've been working on finishing up one of my Kathy Schmitz embroidery designs into a small wall-hanging.  It came together pretty quickly with a simple border and some machine quilting.

Looks like it needs some more pressing though!

I thought this fun floral and the green binding finished it off nicely!

One evening was spent hand stitching the binding to the back.

Other evenings this week have been spent working on my hand-pieced Scrappy Trips blocks in orange.  

So many different shades of orange represented here!

Lots of NFL football on today and my mom will be over to watch the Bronco game with us, and to attend my niece's wedding by Zoom.  So I think it might be a good day to put some stitches into the Wooly Ewe!

Sharing at Kathy's Quilts for Slow Sunday Stitching.

Table Scraps in Orange and a DrEAMi...

 To make this month's Table Scraps placemat, I started with a piece I had made at least a year ago from a tutorial on Joyful Quilter's blog.  I shared this photo on my To-Do Tuesday post.

Unfortunately, Joy says the tutorial is no longer available.  

But I did enjoy playing with some charm squares to 

create this design in the first place!

It wasn't quite the right size to begin with, so I added 1.5 inch strips of an orange solid to bring the placemat to 12.5 x 16.5 inches.  Add some simple quilting and a mellow blue binding, and the placemat was done quickly!

So now there are nine!

The orange looks really florescent - I promise it isn't!

But wait, there's more!

Originally I made two of these pieced sections.  What should I do with the other one?

I was thinking maybe a quick zipper pouch, and I remembered this tutorial from Sew Preeti Quilts.  I made one of these before, when I first started reading Preeti's blog.  Simplest Zippered Pouch. It really is simple!  I layered the top piece with some batting and backing, quilted the layers, and found an orange zipper.

Following the steps of the tutorial gave me a finished zipper pouch in about an hour.  I think this one will be handy for using somewhere that a flat pouch would be useful, like in a suitcase?!

9.5 x 7

The backing/lining piece I used is one of those big print fabrics that I could never figure out another use for!  It was perfect for this pouch.

***Sharing my pouch at mmmquilts for the September DrEAMi link-up since this was a true "drop everything and make it " project.  Plus it turned out to be the perfect size and shape to carry masks, hand sanitizer, and packets of bleach wipes on our recent trip!  I didn't even plan it that way.***

So there's my week in an orange nutshell!

Sharing at SoScrappy for ScrapHappy Saturday and at

Quilting is more fun than Housework for Oh Scrap!

And at the Joyful Quilter for September's Table Scraps link-up.