ScrapHappy Saturday - Purple Pursuits

 I have been looking forward to purple for so long!  Its been crazy busy so far, but it will be very calm in a couple of weeks and I hope to dig in more then.  I got as far as a nice stack of purple crumb blocks before getting sidetracked with log cabins.  These are extra strips from the Soul Searching quilt of last year.  If there are still more after this I might go with a courthouse steps block.   

This will not be the week for sewing though as it is AP Biology reading week.   I am also traveling over to Tampa St. Pete for the end of course question review that usually happens in October.   After that though, things will calm down considerably.  I think I have a meeting scheduled with the librarian during the second week of July, other than that, the schedule remains wide open.   

ScrapHappy Saturday - And so Begins Summer

 

It doesn't feel like summer quite yet. As soon as school ended we were shuttling Anna off to the airport for camp and them jaunting away for a grown up getaway. We are back home today and starting to reassemble everything again. Why is it that everything seems to break when you leave for a few days? The dryer isn't hot and the van won't start. Those should both be fixable, but there were 22 dirty towels and it will take a while to dig out of that. First though, is turning Anna's room back into my sewing room again.  It looks like a strange mashup of sewing studio and college dorm room right now.   That situation is easily remedied.  

I also start teaching the first of two online summer classes that I am signed up for this summer.   I'm not sure how it will all work out, but I have a bit of organization to start to get that all arranged.  I am also looking forward to digging out my purple scraps though.  Even though there is plenty going on around here, there should still be some sewing time in there somewhere.   

 

Misterlinky is being difficult today and not uploading images consistently. I tried to do what I could from my end, but was unsuccessful. I have turned in a help request and hope to have the issue resolved soon. Feel free to leave a link in the comments until the issue is resolved.

ScrapHappy Saturday - Purple Month Begins

 I love purple.  As I kid I always wanted a purple bedroom and my mother would never let me.  Apparently she had a purple bedroom as a child and got tired of it quickly.  That never happens to me.  Purple comes in too many fun shades from lavender to violet with all the shades in between.  I pulled the sewing machine down onto the kitchen table yesterday to whip up a couple of  #FullStop blocks and worked up tutorials for a blocky and fancy version of this month's semi colon.  (scroll down for those).  Anna also wanted 4 new masks for camp as kids under 12 are not yet vaccinated, they are still taking precautions.  She will leave for the summer tomorrow, and though I will miss her, it does mean I will have a sewing room again.   She is SO excited to be back teaching sailing again.  Ryan and Sydney will still be here though, so it isn't quite an empty nest yet.  

Semi Colon - Fancy

 

The fancy version of the semi colon uses a lot of flip and sew triangles.  It is a little bit fussy, but I think it is worth it for the final effect in this case.  

Start with three purple squares which are 2.5 inches each.  In addition to the the purple, you will need grey squares: 7 that are 1.25 and 2 that are 2 inches.  Finally, you will need a 2.5 by 1.5 inch rectangle

Though that seems like a lot of little squares, sewing them is super quick.  Just layer the grey squares on top of the purple and then sew along the diagonals, working yourself around in a circle.  I just needle down and pivot at each top center point.  One purple square will get 4 grey squares sewn on top, while the other one will get three.   Notice the placement of the three grey squares, semi colons are directional so it does matter.  The bottom right corner is left uncovered.   Next, place a two inch grey square in the upper left hand corner of the final purple square and sew from corner to corner.   

Here are the three purple squares, each with grey squares on top.  The bottom square with the two inch square will need another round, you will need to flip open the first square to make room for the second.  

Here is the second grey square added to the opposite corner.  Now go to the ironing board and press all the squares open, making sure the top triangle covers the purple before trimming away the waste triangles behind.  

Here are all three subunits ready to be sewn into a row with the extra grey square to separate the period from the comma.  Sew them together and press toward the section with the fewest seams.  

These are the two blocks side by side for comparison.  Notice that the fancy block is a little bit longer than the blocky version.  I went with the block version for the quotation marks eelier this year, but I am seriously enjoying the fancy blocks this month.  Now I just need to dig deeper and find enough purples to make 5 blocks.  This will be a short row, but I feel the need for a little negative space right now.  

Semi Color - Blocky

 

There are two choices in semi colons this month.  They are the same as the quotation mark from February but with the addition of a period above.  As with the quotations, there are two versions available. I am calling them block and fancy.  This post will discuss the blocky version, and I will be back shortly with the fancy.   The dimensions are slightly different, but it is really a matter of taste and preference.   

Start with a 2.5 inch strip of purple.  From this strip, cut one square and one rectangle which is 4 by 2.5.   In addition to the purple, you will also need a 2.5 inch square of grey and a 2.5 by 1.5 inch rectangle of grey.   (two purple squares are pictured, I was making both blocks at one and didn't realize I would only need 1)  

Start with the rectangle and place the grey square along the bottom edge.  

You can draw a line on the grey square from corner to corner, or just "eyeball" it.   Notice the the line goes from upper left to lower right.  The semicolon is directional.  Sew along the drawn line, or from corner to corner with the "eyeball" method.  

Press the grey triangle open toward the bottom left and trim away the bonus triangle behind.  Feel free to harvest this by double sewing if you are a fan of bonus triangles like me.  

Now you just need to sew the three pieces together in a row (purple square, grey rectangle then pieces purple rectangle) and press toward the grey.   You will sew your individual semi colons together with 1.5 inch wide dividing strips, but don't start yet until you see the fancy version and decide which you like better.  

Purple for June

 

The new color for June will be purple!  The new blocks is semi colon.  Tutorial coming soon, but it is basically just the quotation with a period over it.   

ScrapHappy Saturday - End of Red

Welcome to the last weekend of red! Just a few more days to finish off all the odds and ends. My red plans came to an abrupt halt last Saturday when Anna came home from college. Her bedroom is also my sewing space at the moment. She swears that she told us all when she would be back, but nobody had a clue! So hasty cleaning was inspired. Since then I have been happily hand stitching some red hexies to round out the month. Now she wants some more facemasks for camp, so I will have to haul the machine down to the family room for a quick sewing session.

We used date night last night to celebrate my birthday and our anniversary.   It is nice to be able to go out and start doing normal things again.   

 Tuesday we had teachers over to celebrate the retirement of two of our science teachers.   Linda and Paula are both done.   I think the official count is 8 teachers so far from our school, but there are lots of rumors of others who are making other plans.  It has been a hard year in the classroom.  It is going to take a long time to recover from all of this for everyone associated with the school system.  

We do have a vacation coming up, so I will mention now that June will be purple!  I know that some of us have been anxiously waiting for it to come up and I can't wait to see a new color.  

 

SrapHappy Saturday - Red Rebel

 I am still adding little log cabin blocks to the red wall.  It is a slow and steady process.  Other than a few more Sister's Choice blocks, think that red is ready to go.   I will need to clean everything up again for my oldest who will be home from college for a very short stay before heading off to summer camp.  The middle child is back and working for the summer.  That just leaves the youngest with one more year of high school.  

Just 8 more school days and teachers are running away like rats from a drowning ship.  I volunteered to host a retirement party on Tuesday for our exiting science teachers.  Each day there is a new rumor of someone else leaving.   It is easy to be unhappy right now, but things can't stay this way forever.  

Wrapping Up

I took a personal day yesterday and used the time to add some red blocks to my design wall.   Crumb blocks are such a mess, but getting them trimmed and framed is always make them seem so organized and tidy. I got a few more little loggies added to the collection as well.   They take a long time to sew and trim, but they are so adorable!    

It has been so windy for the last few days.  Seaweed is piling up on the beach and the wind just whistles all night long.  I just cleaned the windows, but they are already coated in salt and grime.   There was a rocket launch on Tuesday, but I was at school.  Ryan and his coworkers went to a rooftop restaurant and watched from there.   Just 9 more school days!   Things are winding down quickly.  

 

ScrapHappy Saturday Red-y for Summer

 

There are some red blocks getting added to the wall. I got sidetracked last Sunday organizing neutral scraps, but today the reds are calling to me.  How are your blocks coming along this month?  School is all about testing right now.  My big kids had their AP test yesterday and the little ones will do an end of course next Friday, after that it will be fun learning time with no stress.