Ruby, Crimson, Cherry, or Cardinal?

This week, I had fun getting out my red scrap bin and pulling out strings to make a few red blocks for my String Star.  Red comes in so many different shades!

Since the red blocks are the center of this quilt, I need 4 of them, and they are full blocks of red, other than the white center string.

Although the next color going out from the center will eventually be orange, it was fun laying out the purple blocks, too, just to see what could happen!  You can see one neutral block in the bottom left corner.

I also made a red crumb block as a leader and ender project this week.

This collection is growing, too!

Sharing at ScrapHappy Saturday over at SoScrappy - be sure to visit over there for more Rainbow Scrap goodness!

Also, if you missed it yesterday, Jen and Jan's Mini QAL and Blog Hop is going on right now.  Click here for my reveal post, and check out all the links to other bloggers who also participated!

Jen and Jan's Mini QAL and Blog Hop Reveal Day!

The Little Brown House with the Red Door

Doesn't that sound like the title for a children's book?  This has definitely been a project that was made for story-telling!

I have had the most fun joining in with Jen and Jan's Mini Quilt Along for the last few weeks!  Thanks to Janice Holton of Color, Creating, and Quilting and Jen Rosin of A Dream and a Stitch for hosting us!  

I started with Jen's pattern - "Quilter's Laundry Day" - and this pile of fabric, all pulled from my stash - 

And here is my completed mini - The Little Brown House with the Red Door - 

If you look in more closely, you can see that the builder of this house is a monochromatic sort of guy. He likes brown!  But his quilter wife convinced him that their house needed a red door with a star for a door knob, and a Barn Quilt to decorate the roof that matches the door!

There's a fluffy white cloud in the Colorado Bluebird sky (that's what we call it around here!) and swirls of moisture blown around by the wind. (Lots of that here, too, lately!)

A pinwheel quilt (hand quilted, of course!) hangs on the line to dry.  (Can you tell the quilter wife loves polka dots?)

This sweet mini was made for photographing outside on a beautiful almost Spring day!

But I think its permanent home will be right here, next to my desk, where I write these posts!

Thanks for visiting today, and be sure to check out these other fine quilters' blogs as they reveal their Quilter's Laundry Day minis!  You especially don't want to miss Jen's post (today) and Jan's post (tomorrow) because commenters there will be entered in a drawing for a prize!

Also, since this was a scrap and stash sort of project for me, I will be linking up with Oh Scrap! Sunday over at Quilting is More Fun than Housework.

March 10 Reveal Day

Jen Rosin  A Dream and a Stitch
Kate Heads at Smiles From Kate
Jennifer Fulton at Inquiring Quilter
Karen Thurn at Tu-Na Quilts, Travels and Eats
Melva Nolan at Melva Loves Scraps
Vicki at Vicki's Crafts & Quilting
Julie Stocker at Pink Doxies
Anja Clyke at Anja Quilts
Diann at Little Penguin Quilts  
Jayne at Twiggy & Opal
Susan Arnold at Quilt Fabrication
Leanne Milsom at Lizzie the Quilter
Sandra Walker at Mmm! Quilts!

March 11 Reveal Day

Janice Holton at Color Creating & Quilting

Sola at Alice Samuels Quilt Co

Jennifer Strauser at Dizzy Quilter

Amy Gerlich at Amy Scrap Spot

Sharon Denney Parcel at Yellow Cat Quilt Designs

Steffi at Steffi's Hobbys

Tami at Sew Much for Free Time

Suzy Webster at Adventurous Applique & Quilting

Tish Stemple at Tish's Adventures in Wonderland

Mary Marcotte at Fleur de Lis Quilts & Accessories

Susan Gordon at Sevenoaks Street Quilts

Anne Boundy at Said With Love

Barbara Wootie at The Flashing Scissors

Jan Welander at Making Scraps

I Like Thursday #21 - This and That

One thing I really enjoy about being a part of the blogging world is that I'm often reminded of things I like in my life, that I hadn't thought about in a long time.

For example, in one of her posts last week, LeeAnna wrote about making beaded bracelets, and I remembered a beautiful beaded bracelet that a friend made for me a year ago or so.

I had to go get it out of its box and try it on!  I think I forgot how much I like it!  It's made in a complete circle with no clasp.  Not being a beader, I don't have any idea how it was made, but I sure do like it!

Another day last week, I was reading a quilter's blog who also knits, and she wrote about knitting dishcloths. That reminded me that I once enjoyed knitting dishcloths, and I had to go dig through my knitting bag to see what was in there.

I found a finished one, and a partially knit one - it's time to get back into that!  That would be a good thing to be doing while watching Netflix in the evening with my hubby!

I like different kinds of notebooks!

I've never been a journaler, but I do enjoy having various kinds of notebooks around to keep track of things. For example, the little notebook, above, is where I write down the birds that my husband and I see.  I've been keeping this notebook since 2004!  Quite often, I find myself looking back in it to see if I've written a particular bird in it before, and where we were when we saw it.

I started using the middle sized theme book when my book club organized a year go in the fall.  I keep notes about the books we read together, so I can remember things in the story that made me stop and think!  This year, I am also challenging myself to read 50 books, so I'm keeping track of the books for each month in this notebook!

Do you think I can do it?!  I think I have a pretty good start on reaching my goal.  This month I've actually started three different books (the Tea Shop mystery I mentioned last week being one), but I decided I'd better finish this month's book club book first, since we are meeting next Monday!

The largest notebook in the pile up above is filled with graph paper.  I decided I would like to try designing a quilt (or quilt block) now and then.  So far I've only used 3 pages of it, but there's time to add more ideas!

I did design a String Star quilt that I am making, a few blocks at a time, as part of the Rainbow Scrap Challenge this year.  Here's my plan for it:

I also like this mug!  I've been having tea in it every afternoon.  It's so happy and fun!

I like planning trips.  Right now, we're planning one to South Carolina, and whenever we can, we send away for travel books from the Visitor's Centers of the places we're going.  Sometimes we get ideas for restaurants to go to, or things to see that we might not have realized were there.

And finally, I like squirrels!  They are endlessly entertaining to me because of their energy and determination. Squirrels love our yard because we have lots of bird feeders, and they can get lots of food by hanging out below the feeders to get what the birds drop.  Unfortunately, they also would like to eat right out of the feeders!

I'm not sure if you can tell, but this squirrel is hanging on to a suet feeder with his back legs, while trying to eat the suet with his front legs.  He actually slid all the way down the wire that is holding the suet up from the roof of our house!  My husband is always trying to foil their attempts to get into our feeders.  We call it "Squirrel Wars!"

Here is the latest attempt - he has attached a Slinky to the pole to which the suet is attached.  The idea is that the squirrel will bounce up and down on the Slinky and have to jump off the the pole holding the bird feed before he can get to it.  So far, no squirrel has tried this.  I'm sure they're thinking, "What is that crazy guy trying now?!"

Just for a chuckle - here is my favorite squirrel picture ever!

What do you suppose this guy was thinking?!

Happy Thursday!  I'm joining in with my favorite Thursday Blog Hop over at Not Afraid of Color!

Play Improv QAL - Week 3

I've been enjoying following along with the Play Improv QAL over at Elm Street Quilts for a few weeks now!  The mantra for this QAL is - play with color, play with shapes, and play with fabric, and that's just what I've been doing.

Week One's prompt was to make a Wonky Log Cabin Block.  Week Two was improv triangles.  And for week three, we were to cut some rectangles, stack them, cut them into various shapes, and sew them back together.

Here's how it turned out for me!  I started with 4 rectangles cut about 3.5" x 6.5"  This week I also added a new color of Kona cotton - pomegranate!  My colors felt like they wanted to play with some pink, but not too pastel, so pomegranate it is!

I made three cuts in my stack of rectangles and then randomly sewed them back together again.  After some trimming, I started to play with the next layout.

I decided last week to use my wonky log cabin as the center, and then add "borders" as we get a new prompt each week.  

I love adding bits and pieces, chopping them off, and then sewing them in a different place!

Some scrappy chunks were added to make the border on the left longer.

I even had a leftover triangle piece from week two's prompt that I could use in the corner.

So this is where my Improv quilt project stands right now - it's measuring about 16.5" x 18.5" and is bright and happy!

I'm excited to see what comes next!

For more info about the Play Improv QAL, check here.  And for scrappy inspiration of all kinds, check out the Oh Scrap! link-up today at Quilting is More Fun than Housework.

A Finish and a Little Bit of Red

This week, I focused on finishing up my RSC16 sixteen patch quilt so that I could deliver it to my SIL.  And I met that goal!

I'm really happy with the gray pin dot backing and binding - 

and the diagonal grid quilting.

I made a label for it using some scraps from one of the blocks.

She was really surprised, and pleased, I think.  And I know she'll use it because she's one of those people who is always cold and loves to be all bundled up!

One thing I really enjoy doing as I'm quilting is getting a close-up look at all the pretty fabrics in my quilts.  I love this section of red.

I got to wondering if there was any of that red with the bright yellow flowers on it left in my stash.  Sure enough, there was!  So, since Angela declared March to be Red month for the RSC16, I quickly stitched up a bow tie block!  Love it!

Happy Scrap Happy Saturday to all my fellow Rainbow Scrap Challengers!  See you  over at Angela's blog, SoScrappy!

I Like Thursday - the Twentieth One!

When I checked my posting list and saw that this would be my 20th I Like Thursday post, I could hardly believe it!  That is about 5 months of writing these posts every week, looking for the positive things, people, places, and events in my world that I like!  Writing these posts has become a weekly ritual, and introduced me to a new group of bloggers who also post their likes on Thursday, all through LeeAnna at Not Afraid of Color.  Thanks for the inspiration, LeeAnna!

I like -

signs of Spring!  My crocuses are blooming!

And the daffodil bulbs I planted last fall are sending up their sprouts!

We have to wait a little longer in Colorado for things to come up and start blooming, but I am excited just to see the hints of Spring on its way!

I like - 

new gadgets!  This is a weather station that my hubby bought about a week ago.  It tells us all kinds of info, and of course we spend lots of time looking at it and checking what it says.  The thing that fascinates us the most is the wind speed.  Out in our yard, there is now a little device that gathers all the measurements and sends them to our display here.  An anemometer attached to it measures the wind speed.  We have fun looking out at the anemometer to see if it's spinning, and then checking the display to see what the wind speed is.  So far, the highest has been 16 mph.  I'm sure it will go higher, especially now that it's March!

Another gadget I like is my Fitbit Zip.  I wear it every day on my waistband, and it counts my steps.  It's like a personal challenge to myself to make sure I keep moving!

About once a week, I sync it up to my Nook tablet, and it records all of my steps so I can see how I've been doing.  The goal is at least 10,000 steps, which I make many days, but not always.  And now and then, I go way above 10,000, so that's a good feeling!

Here was Monday's total!

And I like - 

the community of readers that I experience in so many forms.  Friends here in town and friends online who recommend books.   Thanks to this community, I never run out of books to read!  Look what I just picked up from the Reserved shelf at my local library this afternoon!

I'm going to brew myself a cup of tea, and go get started reading!

Happy Thursday, everyone!  Don't forget to check out LeeAnna's I like Thursday post (see the link above) for more fun and interesting likes!

A Tale of Three Quilters

Okay - maybe four quilters were technically involved in this quilt.  Because - the whole thing started when Cynthia at Quilting is More Fun than Housework held her twice a year Quilty Orphan Adoption, and I commented on Susan's post about a project she didn't want to work on anymore.

Well, pretty soon a package came in the mail for me, and it was Susan's project - all cut out and organized perfectly to make it easy to finish up.

I started with this -

and had a finished flimsy in January.

Meanwhile, I won a prize of long arm quilting from Carole at From My Carolina Home - 

so I sent the flimsy and backing off to Carole to be quilted.  It came back last weekend, and this week, I stitched on the binding to finish everything up.

I'm so pleased with this finish!  The quilting is perfect for it - hearts and swirls in a pretty brown thread that has a bit of a shine to it.

I had told Carole that this quilt was going to be donated to a Silent Auction to benefit a local charity - the B.A.B.Y. Foundation.  And, surprise to me - she generously included a second quilt when she sent this one back to me, another one that can go to the silent auction.  Thank you, Carole!  It's such a cute one - an ABC I Spy quilt. 

I'll be passing these two little quilts on to my friend (who is a quilter, too, by the way!) who volunteers for the B.A.B.Y. Foundation and in April I'll get to see them on display at the dinner and silent auction.  I think we'll make some money for them, don't you?

Sharing at Cynthia's Sunday link-up, Oh Scrap!