A little of this and a little of that...

My focus this week has been on finishing up my Stay at Home Round Robin project, and I'm right on track with that.  It was sandwiched and basted for quilting on Wednesday, and quilting started, too.

For the backing, I used up most of the last of my favorite floral that I first used in Pieces of My Life, and also in this project.  It has such a great selvage!  

There was enough of this one left that I could make some quarter star blocks for my current Rainbow Scrap Challenge project - these are fun!

And then I got to thinking about a possible layout for these blocks - different from what I had originally been thinking.  Maybe you would call it a starburst?

These are all the blocks I've made so far - eight each in blue, pink, and yellow.

For a design like this, I'll probably need to do some planning.  I might need more of some colors than others.  Time to start thinking about that!

Sharing a SoScrappy for ScrapHappy Saturday.

I Like Thursday #426

Good morning, and happy Thursday!  How's your week going?  We were supposed to get snow the other day, but just got a little rain.  I like that!  Last week definitely felt like Spring - we had such nice temperatures that my golf group was able to get out and play a round!

Definitely still winter conditions, though - still dry and brown!

I decided I would just attach my mini heart quilts to the display stand with clothes pins, and the other day I found this bag of mini clothes pins in a rainbow of colors at Michaels.  Now I can match the clothes pin to the quilt!

Green for March!

On Sunday nights we've been watching a mini series narrated by Tom Hanks called "The Americas."  It's so good!  (Of course, they had me at Tom Hanks, lol!)  It's about all the amazing animals who live in different regions of North, Central, and South America.

LeeAnna's question of the week is "as a child, what did you want to be when you grew up?"  I always wanted to be a teacher.  Always.  And I grew up to do that!  Although, not without a few detours along the way.  I spent many years as an early childhood teacher and even worked at Walmart for a few years when our young family just needed some money!  But I finally got to be a 5th grade teacher in my 40s, and loved that career.

I had to dig around in the "archives" for this photo!  Did you get these class pictures for your kids every year?  I got to be in many of them!

This was my smallest class ever - 18 kids (one must have been absent that day)!

Usually I was in the 25 - 30 kid range.

The lady on the right side of the class was our principal at the time.

Joining in with Not Afraid of Color for I Like Thursday. 

Midweek Update

I've spent the last few days getting my Stay at Home Round Robin project to the quilt top stage, and it started with making a bunch of four patches.

Then figuring the layout on each side - I wanted each side, plus top and bottom to have the squares in the same order, starting with the kite.

And then it was all sewn together.  I think this looks like a basket of Easter eggs!

27 x 28 inches

Next step, sandwich the layers for quilting!  I'll be working on that this afternoon.  

Sharing at The Inquiring Quilter for Wednesday Wait Loss.

My Quilt Infatuation for Needle and Thread Thursday

Alycia Quilts for Finished or Not Friday.

Hello March!

Are you ready for Spring?  I sure am!  It has felt like Spring here all week, and to celebrate, I finished up the March heart mini quilt for my table top quilt display stand.

And rearranged all the bowl fillers and quilty things that go with it, too.

Sometime last year, I stitched this Shamrock Blessings mini sampler that is from Melisa at PinkernPunkin Quilting.  I'm not sure I ever shared it on the blog, but this week I finally finished it up, too.  Good timing for the month of March!  Mine looks a little different from Melisa's because I didn't cut the Aida cloth big enough, so I had to rearrange the letters a bit.  

Since February is over, it's time to finish up the International Embroidery Month stitch-along design from Crabapple Hill Studios.  Just a little bit left!

So that's what I'll be working on for my Slow Sunday Stitching!

Linking up at Kathy's Quilts.

And at Melva Loves Scraps for Sew and Tell Monday.

 

Table Scraps for February

I started making Bonnie Hunter's leader/ender blocks last summer when she first shared them, thinking I would I would eventually make enough for a small child's quilt that I could donate somewhere.

Well, I didn't get very far before I realized that there was actually a right and a wrong way to make them, and some of mine were wrong!   That frustrated me enough that I decided not to make anymore, and instead use them for a small project or two.   So, that's where I started for this month's Table Scraps project - with four of the blocks.  

I joined them with a pretty blue batik - one that I found 

at the quilt shop in Santa Fe, New Mexico.  This makes a 13 x 13 square.

I also used that batik for the binding, too, which I think makes a great frame for this little quilt.

Every month, for the Table Scraps Challenge, our host, Joy of the Joyful Quilter, gives us a little extra challenge to add into our project - this month's was Neon or Bright.  I always try to include her challenge as well as the Rainbow Scrap Challenge color of the month.  February was blue, so that worked for these blocks, but neon or bright???  

Okay, how about for the backing?  This fun bright print came in the goodie box that Nann sent me last summer, and a chunk of it was perfect to back my little quilt.

 

Thank you, Nann!

This little quilt has found a place on the table next to my chair where I keep all my hand stitching supplies.  It fits perfectly!

Linking up with The Joyful Quilter for the February Table Scraps party!

I also saw that Angela chose yellow to be the color of the month for March.  I'm ready to get started on a new color!  The only yellow I had time for this week was some backing and binding on a small finish.  More about this one in my Sunday post.

Sharing at Alycia Quilts for Finished or Not Friday.

And at SoScrappy for ScrapHappy Saturday.

Quilting is More Fun than Housework for Oh Scrap! 

 

I Like Thursday #425

What a difference a week makes!  Last week, we were cold and snowy - this week temps in the 50s and 60s.  Such a pleasant change!  It's not time to do yard or garden work in Colorado yet, but one can dream about it.  So we purchased a new spinner for the front garden!

Now it just needs some wind to get it to spin.

(Can't believe I am wishing for wind, lol!)

I love our local Ace Hardware store!  We don't shop there a lot because prices tend to be higher, but this week they had something I really needed that no one else had - a new light bulb for the Ott Lite that I use on the sewing machine table.  The guy we talked to at Lowes actually recommended we try Ace (their competitor!), and sure enough, they had one!

I can see again!

I just finished this interesting book yesterday, and enjoyed it very much!  I thought it was historical fiction, which it somewhat is, but also there is an element of fantasy in it.  It's about two women - one in the 1920s - and one in the current day who are trying to figure out life and how to be successful in the world of bookselling.

Goodreads

LeeAnna's question of the week is about compliments from our spouses - do we get them, do we give them?  Mike's sense of humor is one of the things that I have grown to appreciate over our years together, so a compliment given in a funny way is his style.  So, when he tells me I'm his #1, it often turns into a Star Trek reference, lol!

Do I compliment him in return?  Probably not nearly enough - I'll have to work on that! 

 Joining in with Not Afraid of Color for I Like Thursday. 

Midweek Update

I've been playing with kite blocks for a couple days.  Kite blocks were the choice for the final border on this year's Stay At Home Round Robin project over at The Darling Dogwood.

I have to admit that I have never made a kite block, nor do I have the Accuquilt to cut the shapes with, but I really wanted to try making some!  So, I clicked around on Mr. Google and found this tutorial that was very helpful.  Catch That Kite Quilt Block at Scrapdash.  Her blocks are made at 6.5 inches, and I wanted mine at 3.5 inches, but adjusting the sizes of the pieces I needed turned out to be easy.  A 4 inch square and two 2.5 x 5 inch rectangles worked out perfectly to make these blocks!

I decided that these would go in one corner of each side of my project with last week's log cabin blocks as the cornerstones.  Like this:

Also on the linked tutorial above is an idea for giving the kite a "tail," which I got to thinking might be fun on my quilt.  Since I needed a way to fill in the rest of each side between the log cabin/kite section, I decided to experiment with some four patches which create a checkerboard border that forms the tail of the kite!

Giving it a try:

And sewn together:

So, about 15 more four patches to be made, and my 2025 SAHRR will be on its way to a finish!

Sharing at The Darling Dogwood for the Round 6 link-up, and at

The Inquiring Quilter for Wednesday Wait Loss.

In the red...

I did a lot of slow stitching with red this week, and I used a variegated DMC - 4205 - Caliente.  I love stitching with variegated floss!  It makes the shape you're stitching fun and interesting to look at.

A mitten - 

And a bunch of red flowers in the International Embroidery Month design from Crabapple Hill Studios.

I'm going to keep working on both of these for my slow stitching today and this week.  There's a snowman to add to the mitten stamp, and some unusual spiky flowers in the Crabapple Hill design that are gray, white, and yellow.  

Have a wonderful Sunday!  Linking up with Kathy's Quilts for Slow Sunday Stitching.

More with blue...

This week I stitched up the light blue 16 patch star that I cut the pieces for a few weeks ago.

That got me to thinking - could I come up with enough dark blues to make one of these blocks?  And, sure enough, I could!

I'll need twenty of these 12 inch finished blocks for a quilt 48 x 60,

so two blocks a month are needed!

I finished up by making a few more quarter star blocks in blue, too.

And then, just for fun, laid them out with their pink friends!

I am liking the blue Grunge background!

Sharing at SoScrappy for ScrapHappy Saturday.

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

Melva Loves Scraps for Sew and Tell Monday.

I Like Thursday #424

It has been a cold and snowy week here in Colorado, but the critters are still out and about.  I love seeing their little footprints in the fresh snow.

Since we were out of town the last two Thursdays, I didn't participate in LeeAnna's questions of the week, so I thought I'd get caught up in this post.  First up is - what's the most exciting thing you've done in life so far?  Back in 2008, Mike and I went on a trip to Alaska.  It was an amazing trip!  We didn't go there on a cruise; instead we flew into Anchorage, rented a car, and went on a road trip.  We traveled south to the Kenai Peninsula and north up to Denali.  We went on a boat to see whales and glaciers, and we went on a small plane to see Denali from the air.  And I mean small!  (It fit 5 people.)  Lol!  I was scared to do this, but Mike really wanted to, and it turned out great.  There is nothing like viewing 20,000 foot high peaks at 20,000 feet!

Can you tell I am laughing with relief to be back on the ground!

Question #2 for the month is - what is something you've always wanted to try, but haven't yet?  I'm going to adjust that to be a goal that you have, but haven't met yet, and for me that is a travel goal.  I would like to visit all 50 states.  I checked on this map, and I'm upto 41 of them!  Just missing the Gulf Coast states (which I would have been able to check off in 2016 because we had plans to go down there to meet up with our Navy friends, but I broke my wrist and we had to cancel), the smallest states on the Atlantic Coast (Delaware, NJ, Connecticut,  and Rhode Island).  And Hawaii!  You probably already know Hawaii is on my goal list to see.

One couple in our Navy friend group were travel agents in their working careers,

and she mentioned that they have been to Hawaii "maybe" 40 times.  😳  Oh man!

I'm going to get there one of these days.

And finally - do you give yourself the same compassion and understanding that you give to your family and friends?  I think most of us are always harder on ourselves than on others.  I always want to point out my flaws and mistakes, but other kind people are quick to shut that down, and I always appreciate that.  When I share a quilt with my local quilt group, it's tempting to point out what I did "wrong," but we all agreed several years ago that it's not necessary to do that!  Look for the best, not the worst, parts of your project!  

Like these "straight-ish" quilting lines... 

Ignore them!

That's it for this week, friends!  Hope you're having a great week!  Joining in with Not Afraid of Color for I Like Thursday. 

 

Midweek Update

Getting caught up on my 2025 Stay at Home Round Robin this week - first by sewing up the long seams from round 4's border.

At this point, the top measures 21 x 22, 

a little bit more rectangular than square.

Then, on Monday, Brenda, from Songbird Designs, posted her choice for border #5, which is log cabin blocks.  It's our choice whether to sew full, half, or quarter blocks, and I chose quarter log cabins.  So far I've made six of them with 1.5 inch logs, and they finish at 3 inches.

I made two with the floral square in the center, 

and four with pink in the center.

The reason for that was to set these blocks in the corner of the top, like this - 

They'll go on opposite corners like this - 

I'm going to wait for the final border prompt next Monday

 to decide how I will finish this up!

Sharing at the round 5 link-up at Songbird Designs

and at The Inquiring Quilter for Wednesday Wait Loss.

And Finished or Not Friday at Alycia Quilts.

Celebrating International Embroidery Month!

I haven't had an embroidery project to stitch on since I finished up Woven Wreaths last month, so when I saw that Crabapple Hill Studios was hosting one last International Embroidery Month stitch-along, I knew I wanted to join in.  You can find the free pattern on their website under the Downloadables tab.

There are actually two choices of design to work on - I chose "Choose Kindness."  Here's the pattern example:

And here's where I am - not very far along - but enjoying these sunny sunflowers!

Something needs to bring some sun in here, judging by the current view outdoors!

Brrr!

This project is appropriate for the weather!  I finished stamp 3 last night - Sledding Friends!  

Stamp 4 is  A Winter Mitten.  Definitely needed right now!

There should be plenty of time for slow stitching today!  

Joining in with Slow Sunday Stitching at Kathy's Quilts.

Home again!

We drove home Thursday with these kinds of views:

Blue sky and frosty.  It was cold!

One of the things I enjoy doing when we are in a different city is visiting a local quilt shop.  In Santa Fe, New Mexico, we found this one.  It was a nice shop - small, but a good fabric selection.

Since February is blue month for the Rainbow Scrap Challenge, I decided to stock up on blues.  I think these will be fun to play with!

Now that we are home, it's time to think through where I left off on projects and what needs working on next.  Quilting is slowly progressing on Masala Box, so I need to get back to that.

First on the list to spend some time on, though, is the next border for my Stay at Home Round Robin.  Wendy, at Pieceful Thoughts of My Quilting Life, is this week's host, and she called for sliced squares with an insert.  Since my round 2/3 border is pretty busy, I decided to go for a simple frame around it this week, using the cream Grunge and blue with white dots that you can see in the Dresden flowers from round 1.

Using these as cornerstones and some strips of the cream, it will look like this:

These corners remind me of those little triangle shaped photo holders 

that scrapbookers use (or used to anyway).  

Looks like that bottom section of border 2/3 needs 

some adjusting to get the blue piece centered.  

Good thing I'm still sewing those together!  

Sharing at Wendy's Round 4 link-up for the SAHRR

and at SoScrappy for ScrapHappy Saturday.

Quilting is More Fun than Housework for Oh Scrap! 

Melva Loves Scraps for Sew and Tell Monday.