Zipper-de-doo-da!

I haven't shown my zipper block collection since May when I made a few new pink blocks for it.   At that time, I decided I would make four more blocks for a total of 42, and call it good!

And I finally got around to doing just that this week!  A light blue for June, an aqua block for July, and a red and a gray to round it all out.

Then it was time to lay these blocks out and get sewing them together for the quilt top.  With these being all color, and no background fabric, the layout isn't the easiest thing to figure out, but I mostly tried to balance lights vs darks and solids vs prints.

***Every time I work on these blocks, I second guess myself about how busy they are all together.  But I spent some time looking at Klein Meisje Quilts, the quilter who came up with the original design, and that's what hers looks like, too (you can see her quilt at the link).  So, I'm sticking with it, and sewing them up!*** 

It doesn't take long to get a few rows sewn together - this was my Friday afternoon sewing time.  

And the four sections for another County Clare block were constructed in between seams, too!

Sharing at SoScrappy for ScrapHappy Saturday.

Quilting is More Fun than Housework for Oh Scrap!

Melva Loves Scraps for Sew and Tell Monday.

I Like Thursday #396

Hello!

We had some little nocturnal visitors the other night.

Mike was out checking our yard late on the 4th of July, heard a noise up in the tree,

and caught mama and babies all cuddled up together looking out at us.  

I'm sure they were as surprised to see us as we were to see them!

Also, in the yard, the cherry tomatoes are starting to ripen.  Yay!

I'm up to two Bonnie Hunter leader/ender blocks!  I'll be a slowpoke with these, but they are fun.  Sewing together a few squares of this and a few rectangles of that - then see what you get!

LeeAnna's question of the week is what is your favorite summer beverage?  Mine is an "Arnold Palmer" - technically half iced tea and half lemonade.  I prefer mine about 2/3 tea and 1/3 lemonade.  I usually have a glass of iced tea/lemonade every afternoon when I sit down to read for awhile - it's very refreshing!

You can buy this combination pre-bottled from Arizona Tea, and even "spiked" in a can, but I just make my own with homemade iced tea and some Ice Lemonade.  If I drank it spiked in the afternoon, I would just fall asleep! 

Hope you're having a great week!

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

Midweek Update

Do you sew with leaders and enders?  I often use some form of them when making quilt blocks - either pieces and parts of other quilt blocks or simple four patches.  I am always fascinated by Bonnie Hunter's leader/ender challenges, and have participated once before.  Easy Breezy was her 2020-2021 leader/ender, and I finished this little quilt in early 2022.

When I saw Bonnie's newest leader/ender announcement the other day, I really liked the block and thought it would be fun to try.  This one is called County Clare and is inspired by her recent trip to Ireland.  So the other day, I started cutting and organizing pieces just to see how the block went together.

Lots of little pieces!  Of course, I have plenty of those...

Those four sections make a 6 inch block!  So very Bonnie Hunter!

But why not give them a try?  I decided that every so often, I'll cut a few pieces for a block, and stitch up one small section at a time.  I've dedicated the little heart dish that sits on my sewing table as the place to throw those pieces.

One little block at a time, I'll build a quilt!  The quarter block was sewn in between sections of a zipper block yesterday.  That worked pretty well!

There are more pieces cut to be sewn up, so back to the sewing machine! 

Sharing at Quiltfabrication for Midweek Makers!

Finished or Not Friday at Alycia Quilts.

Slow stitching this week...

Did you see some fireworks on the 4th of July?  Our city does a great job with their show!  Mike and I and younger son walked down to the high school lawn to sit and watch them.

There weren't any fireworks in my stitching this week, but there's kind of a red, white, and blue theme going on.

I first worked on the July design for Kathy Schmitz's Woven Wreaths project and stitched up the sweet bird!

I also finished Melisa's Watermelon Stamp.  I think last week when I shared it, the only parts left were the sunflowers and the bees, so that was a quick finish.

And I started two new things - well, one continues the Year of Hearts project that I've been working on since January.  A watering can full of flowers - so fun!

For stitching on the 4th, I decided to start the Mini Flag Sampler from PinkernPunkin.  I haven't gotten very far on the flag, but I'll just keep going on it as a July project.

The only thing I didn't touch this week is the hand-pieced Hollow 9 patch quilt block that I shared last week.  I'll keep that one on my list for the coming week!

Hope you had a fun 4th of July, or happy Canada Day if you're reading from Canada!  Sharing at Kathy's Quilts for Slow Sunday Stitching.

Getting started with aqua!

My sewing time this week has been all about digging into my aqua stash, and it has been very enjoyable!  I started with the next block for the Pieces of My Life QAL called "Steps to the Altar."

You can read more about that adventure HERE.

While I was working on that block, I also cut pieces and parts for an aqua patchwork heart.  Before too long, that one was sewn together, too!

And four patches were made for the alternate block as well.

I'm up to 16 blocks for this project, and it's starting to look like something!  I've decided I want to make 25 blocks for this quilt so that I can have a heart in each corner.  That means nine more are needed - five hearts and four alternate blocks.

Sharing at SoScrappy for ScrapHappy Saturday.

Quilting is More Fun than Housework for Oh Scrap!

Melva Loves Scraps for Sew and Tell Monday.

I Like Thursday #395

Happy 4th of July!  Whether busy or quiet, I hope you have a wonderful day!  We're planning an easy dinner - hotdogs on the grill and pasta salad.  I hope to walk down to the park to watch the fireworks in the evening - fingers crossed that the weather stays nice for that! 

We took our new car for a little scenic drive the other day.  It was very enjoyable just to cruise through the foothills and see how it went.  So pretty up there - quite green considering the dry spring we've had.

Somehow we ended up at a...

Odell Brewing Company is a fairly well-known brewery in Ft. Collins, and awhile back they started the OBC Wine Project right next door. It's kind of a fun complex, with indoor and outdoor sitting areas, food trucks, and other events.

I like how they served my wine!

I just finished this book, and it is soooo good!  Definitely recommend.

Have a fun day, friends!

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

Midweek Update

I've been working on the next blocks for the Pieces of My Life QAL at Melva Loves Scraps.  These blocks are celebrating our "Steps to the Altar" with our spouses.  Fun to think back on, although some of my memories are a little hazy these days!  🤪

Mike and I met in 1974, in between my sophomore and junior years of college.  I'm pretty sure he must have asked me to marry him the following summer, but it wasn't anything like the events that kids nowadays pull off.  I think we were sitting out on my parents back deck, and he said, "I think we should get married; what do you think?"  I bet you can guess my answer!  

The first block that Melva had us make is called "Diamond Solitaire." 

I didn't want a diamond engagement ring - I preferred a gold band, and mine is a Black Hills Gold ring, which I love.  Unfortunately it needs some repair right now, but it looks a lot like this one below.

Our second block is called "Steps to the Altar."  And our first step, of course, was to pick a date, which we decided would be January 9, 1976.  It was during Christmas Break right before my final semester of college, so we had a winter wedding!  The other interesting thing about that date is that it works out to 1-9-76 when written just in numbers.  That made a good PIN number when those started to be a thing you needed in the 1980s.

This was a fun block to make - it actually makes think of a bridal bouquet!  I decided to make it with my aqua scraps since I was getting them out for the Rainbow Scrap Challenge in July.  

Other steps to the altar included figuring out the invitations (which I ended up hand writing), the dresses - mine and my two sisters (which my mom made), flowers, the ceremony and the reception - the typical things.   My college roommates and friends gave us a kitchen shower, and I dug out a photo from that time.  I think they gave us a lot of spices!

Here are all the blocks I've made for the QAL - I'm really liking them!  I haven't had a chance to get started on the q-a-y-g of the first section, but hopefully this week.  I have all the materials I need for that - just have to make some time to work on it.

Linking up with Midweek Makers at Quiltfabrication.

And Melva Loves Scraps for the Steps to the Altar block link-up.