Midweek Update #1

I never got a To-Do Tuesday post written for yesterday, so thought I would just drop one in here on Wednesday!  I've been slowly working along on my landscape project - adding the final dark blue border since I last shared a photo.

I also pieced a backing and got everything spray basted together 

and ready for quilting.

The pattern designer recommends simple quilting that follows the lines of the sand dunes and water, so that's what I started on first.  Maybe you can see it in this photo!

The backing is pieced from the two sandy prints I had that I was making some Rainbow Scrap Challenge blocks out of last week.  

Footprints in the sand, searching for shells!

Today, I'll quilt the sea and sky and then figure out what to do on the borders.  There are meant to be embellishments on the landscape to add some details, but I haven't figured out anything I'm happy with yet, so those are still to-be-determined!

Sharing at Quiltfabrication for Midweek Makers! 

Pumpkins and squirrels

This week I finished up the stitching on the Mini Pumpkin Sampler, and fully finished both it and the Mini Squirrel Sampler into little pillows for the fall display on the small chest of drawers in my living room.  These are both designed by Melisa of PinkernPunkin Quilting who so generously shares her fun projects for anyone to stitch!  

These are squirrel-in-a-squirrel projects (if you know what I mean!), as I didn't really plan on getting so into cross-stitch this year, but I found that once I got started I just couldn't stop!

Linking up with Sandra at mmmquilts for the October DrEAMi.

Here is how the whole display is looking these days.   It doesn't show very well, but I got out a glass pumpkin jar (behind the sunflower sampler), and threw all the little cross-stitched pillows I've made for other seasons into it.

I'm all out of Aida cloth for stitching any more of these, so will need to stock up.  Meanwhile, I'll be working on my hand-pieced bowties for the Rainbow Scrap Challenge.  October's color is light neutrals.

Linking up with the Sunday Slow Stitchers at Kathy's Quilts!

Also Sew and Tell Monday at Melva Loves Scraps.

Getting started with the neutrals...

Playing with this landscape project earlier in the week put me in the mood for sandy neutrals.  I shared this one in my Tuesday post, but have added a couple of borders since I last showed it.

A couple of other sandy neutrals made some zipper blocks - shells and starfish and footprints in the sand - my favorite things!

And a little village with elephants in it - totally off the sandy theme, but cute anyway!

Here are the zipper blocks I've made this year - 30 of them.  I'm planning to continue these into 2024.

What have you been up to this week?

Checking in at SoScrappy for ScrapHappy Saturday.

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

I Like Thursday #356

Happy Thursday, friends!   It's time for I Like Thursday over at Not Afraid of Color.  It was my birthday last week - the final one of my 60s.  That's sort of hard to believe!  We went on a scenic drive up in the mountains and enjoyed the leaf color.

Also the wildlife!

This guy had a harem of females and young ones trailing along behind him, and he was bugling to tell the other males to stay away!

My sister and I don't usually exchange gifts anymore, but she surprised me with this beautiful Mola from their trip to Panama earlier this year.

My son made me a cake-type thing for my birthday cake, in the air fryer!  (The recipe says it can be made in the insta-pot, too.) These were little individual cakes made in ramekins, chocolate with a peanut butter filling.  Yum!

Peanut Butter Explosion Cakes

And speaking of cooking - I'm not a particularly adventurous or creative cook, but I do have a new spice I want to try.  Garam Masala.  Our older son likes this one and sent me a recipe he tried which uses it.  I need to dig out the recipe and give it a try!

I like this description of the garam masala flavoring from Simply Recipes:

 "Garam masala has a deep, savory flavor with a fruity brightness and peppery notes that warm the tongue. The more spices used in the blend the more complex the flavor becomes."

And one more thing to share: I spent some time laying out the split 9 patch blocks yesterday afternoon, and came up with something so fun and colorful!  

I'm excited to sew these up!

Thanks for visiting - hope you're having a great week!  

To-Do Tuesday #199

I have had the best time playing with the kit I bought on our vacation to Oregon a couple weeks ago.  I've never made a landscape quilt before, and didn't really have a clue what I was doing, but this was very fun!   There are lots of ideas for adding some details like a bird in the sky, and a fence in the foreground, as well as borders, before finishing.

The creator of the pattern is Karen Eckmeier at The Quilted Lizard.

At the link there are Galleries showing her landscape quilts 

and examples from students in classes she has taught.  

I really enjoyed learning this technique, and hope to do it again sometime!

But - back to the regularly scheduled To-Do list now - my main goals for the week were to finish up all the projects I had going that need to be sent off, and I did!  Here are six Happy Blocks going to Cynthia of Quilting is More Fun than Housework for her Compassion Quilts block drive.

These were to be made in "popsicle colors" which it turns out is harder to find in my stash than I expected.  Fingers crossed that these will fit into a quilt somewhere! 

Also, I have two cradle quilts ready to send off to Carole and a package of placemats for my niece.  The next thing on my list is to take a trip to the post office and get these sent! 

What's next?

• Add borders to my landscape quilt.
• Light neutrals are the October color for the Rainbow Scrap Challenge, so I'll be getting a pile of those out to play with this week.
• And maybe, if there's time - I have 30 split nine patch blocks made in rainbow colors - time to work on a layout and sew them together into a top.

Checking in at To-Do Tuesday at Quilt Schmilt! 

And at Quiltfabrication for Midweek Makers.

It's October...

so there should be pumpkins, right?!

I finished up this little Autumn Stamp earlier in the week!

And started something new - the Mini Pumpkin Sampler by Melisa at PinkernPunkin.  It doesn't look like much yet, but you can see Melisa's version right here!  (Scroll down past the new mini apple sampler to get to her pumpkin finish.)

I did also put some stitches into Bless Our Home, which I'm making for a 50th anniversary gift.  The words are finished up, and now I'm working on the house and tree section.

So you can tell what I'll be working on for my slow stitching today! 

On Friday, we went for a scenic drive up in the mountains.  I didn't see any pumpkins, but sure did enjoy the aspen trees and all their pretty color!

Sharing at Kathy's Quilts for Slow Sunday Stitching.

 

ABC Table Scraps for September

This month's Table Scraps project is brought to you by the color aqua and the letters P and Z!

In my continuing quest to use up orphan blocks this year, I came across these pieces:

I knew these were leftover from the 2020 Color Challenge aqua block, but where was the center of the block?  Turns out, I took the block apart and used the center pinwheel in this quilt - can you find it?

Having just a few small orphan blocks meant my Table Scraps project would be a small one this month, but that's okay.  I pressed them and sewed them back together into this design - 

6.5 x 18.5 inches

A little quilting and some binding later, and here's the finish!

But wait, that doesn't have much pizzazz!  This little table mat needed something extra - so considering the season we're in - how about some pumpkins?  

There we go!

Aqua and a little extra pizzazz - P and Z!

It fits just right on the little chest by the front door, 

and is perfect to help display some fall decorations, too!

Sharing at The Joyful Quilter at the September Table Scraps link-up.

Alycia Quilts for Finished or not Friday.

Also at SoScrappy for ScrapHappy Saturday and at 

Quilting is More Fun than Housework for Oh Scrap!