Bowties and Tiny Rails

This week I had time to finish up my turquoise Tiny Rails block for the Rainbow Scrap Challenge -

25 - 2.5 inch squares make a 10 inch finished block.  I have ten of these fun scrappy blocks now.

I'm thinking I'll need 20 to make a useable sized quilt - maybe it will need sashing, too, but I'm not sure about that yet!  :) I'm just enjoying using up the smallest bits in the process of making these.

I needed a few more bowties to make a total of 10 needed for that project, so got those done this week, too.

I like the variety of darks and lights, prints and solids that I was able to find for these blocks!

This one is a favorite, made out of a chunk of fabric I forgot I had, stuck underneath a pile in my fat quarter shelves!

I think it's from a line of fabric called Elementary, by Sweetwater.  I originally used it to make something for my teaching partner several years ago.  I was glad to see I still had a little bit left!

For more turquoise and teal goodness, be sure to check out the ScrapHappy Saturday link-up over at SoScrappy!

I Like Thursday #87 - A Quieter Week

It's definitely been a quieter week at our house this past week - no car races to go to, lol, and no company to visit with, but...

I did get to meet up with LeeAnna at the Berthoud Outdoor Quilt Show on Saturday!  Silly me, I didn't think to bring my camera, but maybe LeeAnna will share a picture on her post.  I really enjoyed seeing her again, and visiting with her hubby, Drew, and the very handsome Milo.  Plus, I met a new quilty friend - Sharon from Greeley - who I don't think has a blog, but who is an extremely talented quilter.  We got to look at many quilts together, but I especially loved seeing two of Sharon's quilts that were hanging in the show and have won awards.  Just amazing quilts!

It's been a week to enjoy reading, and I have two books to share that I liked.

I really like reading historical fiction, and this one was a good choice for me - it takes place during WWI, and into the 1920s, and is about a family in Philadelphia who has to deal with the Spanish Flu outbreak of that time.

I also read this one - the first novel by this author - and it is a page turner!

It's one of those books that I think would be called a psychological thriller - and that's not my usual favorite genre.  But this one was a good one, and I really couldn't put it down!

I really like how Amazon keeps track of your previous orders and you can look back at them.  If you want to buy something again, just "click!"

My new shoes are coming today - no shopping necessary! :)

I've had fun this week with my small quest to Use up all the Scraps of my fat quarter bundle of Charleston.  The last few bits and pieces turned into this little mug rug.

I felt lucky this week to receive a fat quarter bundle of a fabric line called Printology, from Benartex Fabrics because I won a drawing from Allison's blog, Little Bunny Quilts.

Aren't these fun?

Thank you, Allison, and thank you, Benartex!

I think I've shared this website before - A First Sip.  I subscribe to daily emails from it, with a poem to begin the day.  This one from a week ago or so was a favorite.

Click the link to see the actual post, which will be easier to read than my screen shot!

Hope you're having a great week, whether quiet or busy!  I'm joining in with all the "I Like Thursday" bloggers at LeeAnna's blog, Not Afraid of Color.

Using up all the scraps...

Is that really possible?  Probably not, but we can always try, right?!

This pile of leftover chunks and bits of "Charleston" -

was still on my cutting table after finishing this tablerunner in May.

I'd been trying to decide what to do with these scraps for a month now, and this was the week to make it happen!

I started by sewing together a slab of scraps that ended up measuring about 10 x 18.

I layered my slab with a piece of batting and a piece I cut off of a fat quarter for backing, and quilted the layers together with an orange peel design.

In a basket of "stuff" I found some invisible zippers that a friend gave me, leftover from when her daughter was in design school and sewing clothing for a class project.  It was one of those "Why not try this?" moments, and it worked pretty well! 

 I used it to make my quilted slab into a zipper pouch!

Did I use up all the Charleston scraps?  Not quite, but close!  I'm sure the rest will find their way into other projects here and there.

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

More with Turquoise and Teal

When we got home from our recent trip, this pile of scraps was still on my cutting board -

So I started cutting...

3.5 inch squares, 2.5 inch squares, 2 inch squares, 1.5 x 2.5 inch rectangles, and pieces for making HSTs...  

I couldn't decide what to focus on, so I made a few of each - 

A couple more bowties - the top two are the new ones.

Some scrappy sprouts - 

And almost enough of these Tiny Rails for a complete 10 inch block!

There are still a few more bowtie pieces and Tiny Rails sitting next to my sewing machine waiting to be sewn together.  Good thing June is only half over!

That was my week in Turquoise and Teal!  How was yours?  I'm looking forward to finding out at the weekly Rainbow Scrap Challenge link-up over at SoScrappy!

I Like Thursday #86 - A New Experience

Way back in November, our youngest son told us he would really like to go to an Indycar race, and he thought the easiest one to get to would be one that takes place in June in Fort Worth, Texas.  We asked what he would think about us tagging along, and he was all for it.

So, plans made and logistics figured out, last week we flew with him to Love Field in Dallas, Texas, to go to Texas Motor Speedway and see the DXC Technology 600 race!

Despite the OMG (!) heat and humidity there, we had a great time!  Everything was new to us, so it was all interesting and a fun experience.

First view of the Speedway - they call it "No Limits, Texas!"

So much color and sound!  (We used ear protection although many people around us didn't.)

I love how the outfits that the pit crews wear match their driver's car.

This was my husband's favorite car - orange and blue - Denver Broncos colors!  This driver won the race.

I liked this one the best - 

It was so fascinating to watch the pit crews do their job - completely choreographed so that the whole stop takes maybe 8 seconds!

We did manage a few moments of quiet and relaxation.

A wander through some Texas woods - Clear Creek Natural Area - part of the city of Denton, Texas, near where our hotel was.  Lots of birds and butterflies in there, but hard to photograph!

And a visit to Grapevine, Texas, with a little wine tasting included.

I didn't know that the Texas climate would support grape growing, but evidently it does!  And they make tasty wines, too!

All in all, a fun trip, and wonderful to spend this time with our son who is a huge racing fan, and very knowledgeable about it.  I learned a lot!

Thanks for visiting today for "I Like Thursday!"  Hope you're having a great week!  Be sure to check out the other Thursday posts at Not Afraid of Color.

Bits of Turquoise and Teal

The past week has been a bit crazy (and therefore, unusual) in the Little Penguin household!  A variety of out of town guests coming and going, and preparing to be out of town ourselves, has left me with very little time in my sewing room.  ;(

 I did have a chance to dig out a few teal and turquoise scraps -

so I could put together the Squared Away Sampler blocks for June.

I'm awfully glad this month's block went together so quickly... at least I accomplished something!

Here are all of my Sampler blocks up on the design wall together.

I'm really happy with them so far!

The smallest leftover bits and pieces get sewn into these Tiny Rail blocks - 

I need 25 of these 2.5 inch squares to make a 10.5 inch block, so I'll keep working on them throughout the month.

For more teal and turquoise inspiration, check out all the posts at Angela's ScrapHappy Saturday link-up for the Rainbow Scrap Challenge, HERE!

Also linking up with Oh Scrap at Quilting is More Fun than Housework on Sunday!

I Like Thursday #85 - Baseball!

We are big baseball fans at our house, and our favorite team is the Colorado Rockies - even when they aren't playing very well.  Lol!

So, when one of Mike's cousins called and said they were coming to town for the Rockies game last Friday and had two extra tickets and would we like to go - of course, we said yes!

I only had my phone with me, so I enjoyed playing around with the camera on it, while carefully watching out for foul balls!

We liked the new giant scoreboard/ screen, built this year for the Rockies 25th anniversary.

We liked the seats we got to sit in - really close to the field - and a close-up view of one of our favorite players during the National Anthem. 

Charlie Blackmon!

Here's the actual view of the play at first base from our seats - 

And then I figured out how to zoom in and crop the photo!

I always like figuring out something new like that!

We loved the sunset view over the stadium!

Even though our team didn't win that night, I really love going down to Coors Field for a ball game!

Happy Thursday!  Hope you're having a great week!  I'm joining in, as always, with all the I Like Thursday bloggers over at LeeAnna's place, Not Afraid of Color.