Sunday Funday

 I need just one more row of nine patches on point to finish up this quilt.  The green nine patches are already made, they just need to be framed and I can sew the rows together.  Nine patches are so versatile!  This quilt was to use up leftover nine patches from something else.  I wonder what I will do with the leftovers from this quilt?  There are always leftovers.  Always.
It is awfully nice to have a weekend already after only 2 days of school.  It almost feels like summer again.  Except of course for that thought in the back of my mind that I'd better try to remember what I'm teaching on Monday.  The freshmen are taking a pretest.  That will give me a bit of time to do the first grading of the new year.  The AP kids need to actually learn something though.  I'd better do something about that before the end of the day.  Still plenty of hours left in the weekend though.  I plan to enjoy all of them!

While dropping off Ryan yesterday afternoon, I was able to pop into Jo-ann's to pick up teal and brown thread.  I had tried Michael's in the morning when I was up north at the gym, but they only had a few colors.  Joann's had only size 8 in the brighter colors, but it will work well enough I'm sure, even though I was using size 12.  There doesn't seem to be too much difference.  Just a few more blocks until I can move on to the border!  I think I will do something slightly wavy with gray thread.  Maybe an orange peel shape with the points on the seams between the colors?
I'm linking up with Kathy for Slow Stitching Sunday as well as Cindy for Oh Scrap!.  Be sure to visit for some hand quilting inspiration and scrap busting ideas. 

ScrapHappy Saturday - I'm Neutral

Nobody seems to feel neutral about the neutral month.  Hopefully you are using the opportunity to get some scraps put together though.  I found this huge stack of neutrals hanging out in my sewing room waiting for a little attention.  The fact that this giant pile of fabric could be hiding unnoticed tells you a little about the state of me studio. I have been trying to collect a more diverse array of neutrals.  Now the trick is to put them to use.  That should be the fun part though.

Pencil Pouch

Anna asked me to make her a pencil pouch before school started.  Just in time for the first day, I finally whipped one up for her.  I think that everything is set for the morning.  First days are always so exciting!  

Thread Play

I was sure I wouldn't have enough colors of thread when I started hand quilting the orange peel quilt.  So I found some at Connecting Threads and hit order.  In hindsight, I should have waited until I was a little further along.  Lavender is pretty close to grey, and a then I found a spool of pink hiding in the thread basket.  Before long, all the blocks were quilted except orange, brown and teal.  Then yesterday, my thread order came in.  Orange is good, but how can there be no teal or brown in all of this?  Fortunately, I'm really enjoying quilting with the pearl cotton, so I'll line up the circle quilt to be ready for next on the list.  I'm sure of all these colors will come in handy then.  No rush though, isn't that all part of the point with hand quilting?  I'm enjoying each block as it comes and continuing to ponder the border.  I hope that you are finding some time to enjoy your Sunday.  Why not head over to see what slow stitching other quilters are up to at Kathy's Quilts?  

ScrapHappy Saturday Goes Low Volume

Sometimes the light colors can feel a little left out of the rainbow fun.  So every so often, it is nice to give them a chance to come out and play.  This month will be all about trying to use up the light neutral scraps that you just haven't been able to rid of in a while.

NEW Month

It is a new month, that means a new color!  I was so carried away with the storm that wasn't, I almost forgot.
For August, we are going to be working with the light neutrals.  Cream, ivory, mixed backgrounds.  You get the idea.  Try to expand your range from snowy white to paper bag beige.  This is also a chance to get rid of light pastels that don't blend will with your main color scraps.  If you lights won't work with your blocks, feel free to take a catch up month.  I know a lot of us could work on blue for years and years.  Don't skip it because you are scared though.  It is fun to play with contrast to get odd ball neutrals to work together with enough contrast so that the pattern shows up.  If worst comes to work, you can always make a few placemats or potholders.
Emily totally fell apart before it reached this side of the state.  It was windier this afternoon than it ever was as the remnants of the storm passed overnight.  Best of all, our roof got fixed today, so we will be ready if we really do get a storm.  There was a small leak over the garage, but it is all better now.

While I was waiting on the roofers, I was quilting away on my Orange Peel blocks.  Pearle cotton with big stitches goes to super quick!  I finished off all the blocks for which I could find a suitable color of thread.  I don't seem to have anything in orange or aqua, so those blocks are on hold until my order comes in from Connecting threads.

Probably for the best though, my fingers are sore from too much hand quilting.  Now they will have a chance to rest up a bit while the order is in the mail.

While I am waiting, I need to decide what to do with the border.  Changing colors for each of the piano keys might be a bit much.  Something in a neutral perhaps.  

Tomorrow is the first day back to school for teachers.  I was in today trying to get a head start on things.  Everyone will be back tomorrow for lots of meetings and frantic getting ready.  For now I'll take a deep breath and enjoy the last few hours of vacation.   

Something New

 After realizing that Tropical Storm Emily had made landfall on the other side of the state, we did a quick run to replenish the hurricane supplies.  That sure came out of nowhere.  Hopefully it won't mean much more than rain.  Might put a damper on the roofers that were headed over in the morning though, to fix a leak over the garage.  As soon as we got back, I pulled out the Orange Peel quilt to baste.  As soon as I walked away to grab the batting, Lizzie moved right in to quality test the quilt for me.

It is all basted now, and I have just taken the first quilting stitches.  I'm using a number 12 pearl cotton for the quilting.  It is the first time I've tried it, but I think it is going to be really pretty.  It goes quick too.  Bonus!

Lizzie grudgingly relocated to the back of the couch.  She doesn't seem too happy about it.  We'll have plenty of time to bond though, it looks like a couple or rainy days are headed our way.  

Slow Down Sunday

It is the last weekend before school starts again for teachers.  On Thursday we will all report back to work and start to get ready for a new year.   Today though, I am celebrating the completion of a quilt.  The green Broken Dishes blocks were made from the bonus triangles for a Sister's Choice quilt which I made for Mom.  They finished up at some odd size.  1 and 3/8 inches maybe?  Most of the units weren't big enough to square up to 1.5 inches, and 1 inch just seemed so very tiny!

After they came together, the hand quilting took a while of course, but it is done now!  Each block got four orange peels pointed to the center of the block and then I made Xs in the sashing pieces.  The border is a triangle shaped rope for which I had a stencil.  The corners got a bit unique, but I think it all worked out in the end.  I used frixion pens to mark the quilting lines and it worked like a charm.

I just threw the whole thing in the dryer when it was done and hit the quick refresh button.  When it came out, all the lines had disappeared magically and it had that great crinkle look that is one of the best parts of quilts.

Lizzie approves.  Testing out new quilts is one of her favorite jobs.  I'm linking up with Slow Stitching Sunday today in celebration of hand quilting and Oh Scrap! because what could be scrappier than bonus triangles?

ScrapHappy Farewell to Bue

It is always sad to say goodbye to a color, especially blue, which absolutely goes with everything.  Still, finishing off one color is always a sign of something new on the horizon.  I'm just back from a morning run, freshly showered and ready to dig in.  How about you?  Misterlinky is below, please share with us all.  

Turning the Last Corner

I have just turned the last corner on the border for my green Broken Dishes Quilt.  It is a fitting metaphor as the last week of summer vacation begins.  It is a good time to start finishing up odds and ends while trying to wade back in to thinking about the new school year.  I'm even talking to Mari about a challenge quilt for next year's Rainbow Scrap Challenge.  I think that it is going to be awesome!

I am anxious to finish off this green quilt so that I can start quilting on my Orange Peels quilt.  I want to use pearle cotton for the quilting on it which will be something new for me.  

 Yesterday Kurt and I took his sailboat out for the first time ever.  He's been working on building it for the last year and a half.  There are still a few finishing touches he will work on now that we've taken it for a test run, but it worked great.  We were out on the river on a beautiful sunny day, sailing alongside 4 dolphins.  Not a bad life at all.  This morning I was up early to get in a quick run before it got to be too hot.  Then Anna and I did a few errands to start getting some supplies for school.  It is hard to believe that summer is almost gone!  I'm soaking up every minute.