ScrapHappy Saturday - December Wrap Up

So this didn't end up being my most productive year ever. It started out great. Then I decided to go back to graduate school and that took up my extra time. Also work, but mostly graduate school. I did get some sewing done though, and it is important to remember that fabric is patient. It was such a nice change to find sewing time last weekend. I played with some ideas for a new leader and ender project now that the plus blocks are done. I got a comment last week with the name of the inspiration quilt. It is Scrappy Lattice by Bonjour Quilts. The sashings are all the same but the blocks sizes are different. I like the idea of using the squares that I already have cut. Since I haven't cut the lattices yet, that would be the easier measurement to vary. I could easily replace the four patch with a single larger square as well. No final decision yet, but getting there!

I auditioned some sashing strips for the NC State T-shirt quilt and got a vote on where to go next from the customer. So that is ready to move forward. 

I got a calming border onto the Hen & Chick blocks and kept sewing random 2 inch squares together for that. I still need some more squares! That will keep my leaders and enders moving forward until I settle on a new plan. 

What end of the year wrap up do you have going on? Misterlinky is below. Please share your 2024 odds and ends or your new plans and schemes for 2025. 

ScrapHappy Saturday - Hatching new plans

December is for finishing and January is for starting. I am feeling motivated to finish some projects to make room for something new next year. So first with the finishing. This is my Hen & Chick Sampler which needs a good pressing and some borders. I've started sewing 2 inch squares together for that. I think that a 2 inch calming strip surrounded by 2 inch squares and then something to hold it all together. After that, my leaders and enders project for the  last couple of years was plus blocks. I am sure that I have enough of those for a nice large sized quilt. The hexies are so close that I can taste it. Sadly, the second half of this year just got hectic and sewing time has taken a big hit. This too shall pass. There is a cycle to all things. I am sure there is another saying I could use, but you get the idea....

That leads us to ideas for next year. I screenshotted this off of Instagram as an inspiration photo. I am not thinking of exactly this, but something similar. If I take 2.5 inch blocks and tic-tac toe them like this, then I could alternate them with larger squares framed out in a similar way. I think that I will play with that idea. I am thinking that what is here must be on a larger scale. The sashing strips on the split blocks need to be twice as wide as the ones on the combined block, right? Maybe I need to doodle some things to make a plan. If I use a solid block then all the sashing strips could be the same which would make it easier to do these as my new leaders and enders project. I will keep you posted on this if it works. 

ScrapHappy Saturday - December is for Wrap Up

So many projects in progress and so little time to sew! I know it isn't only me that starts the year with the best of intentions. There is always another year though and fabric is patient. My poor plus blocks are starting to fall off of the wall in neglect. These have been my patient leaders and enders this year. 

The hexies really are getting close! I got the top and bottom borders on and started to even out the edges on the side. Maybe some black half hexies on the outside? 

I have one more assignment to submit to finish off the last of my graduate school classes for the term. Then I will have a little bit of open space in my schedule. Work is fairly calm at the moment. There is a lull that is actually quite a nice change of pace. 

How is your December shaping up so far? Misterlinky is below. I hope that all is well.

 

ScrapHappy Saturday - Post Thanksgiving Nap

It has been a busy but excellent Thanksgiving holiday on the road visiting family. That has meant plenty of time in the car sewing hexies. The bottom and top borders are done! I think I will spend the trip home rounding it all out with another row of dark hexies to frame the whole thing up. I added some extra light hexies to straighten up the sides, it is all getting very close to being done! I hope that you are starting to think about which projects you can finish up before the new year to make room for something new. I know a lot of you will be partaking in Bonnie's anual mystery quilt. I have not partaken in several years, but it will still be fun to follow along and watch all the beautiful creations emerge while I try to get a few flimsies accross the finish line. Misterlinky is below. Please share your progress with us all.

ScrapHappy Saturday

 Happy almost Thanksgiving! Until very recently, we still worked most of the week before the Thanksgiving holiday. We have a new schedule though, and have an entire week off!  How lovely is that?  There will be quite a bit of hexie sewing in my future as we drive to gather the kids from college. I am SEW close to having the final borders done for my long term hexie diamond project. Like all hexie quilts, I just have to figure out how to complete the edges to make them non hexagonal.  Wish me luck! How are your RSC projects coming together as the year starts to wind down?  The linky tool is below. Please share your holiday sewing plans with us all. For those who don't have a holiday this week, share your regular sewing plans with us instead. Any sewing plans at all are festive and fun. 

ScrapHappy Saturday - Putting the Pieces Together

There are no official colors in November and December at the the Rainbow Scrap Challenge. Hopefully you have a collection of blocks to put together. Perhaps you have a bit of catching up to do. Soon there should be a finished quilt or two ready to be born. I have the blocks for Hen and Chicks patiently waiting for a bit of free time. I keep saying that the busy part of my job is going to be over soon. I think that might be accurate right now as applications are in, the fair is over and I might enjoy a bit of calm. 

How are your projects starting to come together? I hope that your block collections are coming together nicely Misterlinky is below, please share with us all.

ScrapHappy Saturday - On the Road Again

I am in Ohio today for Uncle Bob's Family Memorial Service. I got here via DC where I went for the National Blue Ribbon Schools ceremony. Monday is veterans day, so I will have a day in the mountains before heading back home again. I did bring hexies to sew on he go though, so I will have at least a bit of time to stitch. I hope that your scraps are coming together nicely.

ScrapHappy Saturday - Lights and Tunnels

Sailing last weekend was lovely! We don't usually get sunsets here, just the rises, so it was such a fun change to watch the sun sink down into the ocean. 

The sailboat was adorable though rustic. Kurt did all the work of prepping and shopping because he is remarkable and I have been a crazy lady lately. Things will settle down very soon. 

I think I can see the light! Yesterday was the career fair and I should be able to go back to normal work hours for while. Hurray for having some time off. Just one more busy week with the trip to DC for our Blue Ribbon celebration I hope flying to DC the day after the election isn't  bad idea. 

I got up bright and early to turn in a paper about multimodal teaching methods. It is a beautiful thing! Mostly though, it is done and I will settle in to relax with some hexies for a bit of sewing time. So sorry about the late start again today. I truly do hope to get back into some sewing routine soon. I am sure that you are all sewing enough to make up for my neglect.

Here is Kurt who was one of our career day speakers. Isn't he cute? His topic was "Space Domain Awareness, What We Don't Know Could Hurt Us". He said the kids had great questions and seemed interested in what he had to say, he brought one of the new grads from his office as well. We had a #1 New York Times bestselling author, our Florida state congressional representative, doctors and lawyers and engineers a plenty.  50 speakers and 1000 student schedules and food and logistics, it was all a lot so I am happy that it is done so that I can sleep again at night. I think that sewing some and binging some Netflix is a great plan for the rest of the day. 

ScrapHappy Saturday - Sewing Drought

 And so the lack of sewing time will continue for at least a few more weeks. The big career day is next Friday and then I am off to DC to celebrate our Blue Ribbon award. We had planned to take a long weekend after that to spend some time in Virginia, but Kurt's uncle Bob passed away and so we will go straight from DC to Ohio for his memorial. After all of that though, there should be a period of calm.  I say that with hope in my voice. This weekend though, we are camping on a sailboat in the keys and I can't wait to do nothing for a few days. It will be good for me to breath for a few minutes right now. I hope you are having lots of sewing progress to share with everyone.  

ScrapHappy Saturday - Post Hurricane

I made it back safe after the hurricane and spent a busy week getting caught back up again. I say that as if things are going to be calm after we get back to normal. It is  just a busy time. Busy with all sorts of fun though, so I will not complain. I still need to move all the patio furniture back outside after the hurricane.  Then I will finally be ready to get some use out of that new chair. 

The power was out for four days while we were evacuated, so that led to a massive cleanout of the fridge. Kurt just got back last night, which means I didn't do a lot of restocking yet. How are your final few blocks coming together? I am looking forward to seeing other people be productive even if I haven't been busy in the sewing room lately.