Monday Feels Like Sunday

Tomorrow is a new semester at school.  Sydney will be going back in person for the first time since we were all sent home last March.   While I was happy to keep her home and safe, the e-learning is getting more difficult over time and she is one of many who will be returning in person tomorrow.  She asked for black masks in a child size.  Anna wanted more from of sailing fabric.  I don't have any blues to match exactly so I used a variety of greenish blue hues.  I had cut out some atom fabric earlier and blue goes with everything.  I'm awfully tired of mask sewing now, but I'll add the elastic and be done with this batch.  A friend from school wants some for her wedding, and I fixed some elastic for another, but after that  I should be done for now.  

I finished off the orange block of hand quilting on Leap Year and so started on the yellow.  

The plan had been to sew on Dear Jane today, and I did get one block done this morning.  This is block number 12 on the left side.  I stitched a tiny applique diamond to the top and added it to the collection.   Most of the day though was spent moving my sewing room -- AGAIN!   Since we've been here I have moved my machine several times.   Ultimately, Sydney's room is meant to be the sewing studio, but until then I am camped out in Ryan's room.  His spring break was tacked on to the end of the winter vacation, so we are unlikely to see him again until summer.  He called last night and was able to switch his schedule around to have in person classes!  Two and a half of them.  Good news indeed.   Now I'm off to wrap my mind around having a new schedule tomorrow.  I've traded 8 seniors in Capstone Research for 24 9th  graders in Honors Biology.  We are on block schedule now, and some unknown number of students will still  be learning from home, so even a familiar class will seem new again.   

Sunday Feels Like Saturday

 Having gotten caught up on pink, and with a three day weekend to look forward to, I decided to pull out a UFO.  Dear Jane has top and bottom borders, but it needs left and right to be finished properly.   

I pulled out the completed blocks and it looks like there are 10 out of the required 26.  Not bad at all.   

After a bit of time this morning, here is 11.   It is block number 6 on the left side and just needs a tiny bit of applique to be added to the wall.   I'll settle down for a little bit on hand work as soon as I hop over to Kathy's quilts to see what other hand stitching is going on this sunny Sunday.  It looks like she has pulled out a UFO as well.   With an extra day in the weekend, I will try to cross another block or two off the list.  Hopefully Dear Jane won't be a UFO for too much longer.   

ScrapHappy Saturday - SEW much Pink

 I think I finished pink!  I'm always tempted to add a new block right now, but that would be unwise.  I will admit to spending some time sketching out a new string block plan.  Not every month will include vacation days, and staying caught up will get harder.  So I will get some organizing done and sew some more masks.   What will you be sewing today?  Use the linky tool below to share your plans with us all.  There are still two more pink Saturdays after today, so don't worry if you aren't done yet.  

Sunday Sewing

 

I might be done with all the pink this month.  I'm having urges to start a string quilt, but I won't always have as much time to sew as I do right now, and I shouldn't start more than I can finish.  Yesterday I got the green lattice blocks sewn to go between the flower blocks and made some more stars and shooflies.   I've been making a few more pink hexies while watching TV with the girls in the evenings.   We are working our way slowly through Schitt's Creek.  Ryan didn't want to watch with us, but he is back at school now, so I think we might have some more hexie stitching evenings in store.  I've been trying to encourage everyone not to hang out alone in their own rooms all the time, but I haven't had much luck so far.  

It was too chilly this weekend for beach walking, so we settled for looking at the beach while walking the dog.   I think it will be warm again during the week, and then cold just in time for next weekend.  Funny how that always seems to be the way of things.  Next weekend we have an extra day for MLK and then we will start a new semester.  That makes this week exams, so it will be full of busy days.  I think I'll find a nice movie that I've already seen and spend some time putting those pink hexies together into a row.   First though, I'll link up with Kathy's Quilts and Oh Scrap!  So many new quilts getting started in the new year, and lots of great quilts getting finished up from last year.   Seeing other people finishing quilts is almost as fun as finishing them yourself.  

ScrapHappy Saturday - Pink Progress

I hope that your pink scraps are seeing some action so far.   I am enjoying a fresh start despite the news and everything that is happening in real life right now.  Sydney spent the week with strep throat.  It is a sad day when you are thankful for a bacterial infection because the alternatives are all scary.  Ryan is headed back to the University of Florida today.  All of his classes are online, but he still wanted to go and be there in person.  He had to plan his move in time so that he could get his scheduled Covid-19 test which is required for everyone.  Anna is a complicated story, I'm not sure if she will be allowed to return because she has been having some more serious issues that I haven't really discussed online.  She is stable now, but being away and unmonitored is a scary thought for her right now.  So I guess you can see why fabric is such a joy right now.  Sewing is uncomplicated, brings immediate satisfaction and doesn't require any scary decisions.   I am loving my pink scraps right now and very much looking forward to making more shoofly and silly star blocks today.   Uncomplicated, easy, and pretty.  Yes, that is a great plan.  Please share your pink progress so far.  It is fun to see other people creating and to hear about their own ups and downs.  

Crumb Plans

 

I am determined to take care of all the little odds and ends this year. I don't want to use up all my scraps by any means, but I do want to be left with useable bits that can fuel future projects.   

 It was extremely satisfying to sew tiny leftovers all together and square them up into these 4 inch blocks of random happy scraps.   I don't have a plan yet, but at some point I will collect enough in all the colors and turn them into something lovely. 

I was surprised as  I searched through unfinished projects and block collections at how much I have hanging out in limbo.  I tried to update the "My Quilts" tab of my blog with links to help me remember which projects are waiting for attention.   I think that I will rotate some of them into project bins.  With my sewing space in constant flux right now, being able to pull out an individual bin to work on might make productivity a little easier.  I know someday I will have a dedicated sewing space again.  I never would have guessed when we downsized houses that everyone would rush home again to shelter in place during an ongoing pandemic.   I guess life is full of surprises.  

We had a family Minecraft session last night and fun was had by all.  My son Ryan got us all accounts as a Christmas present and we have spent many hours all gathered around the kitchen table since then collaborating in our little digital homestead.   I was keeping one earbud in and monitoring the events in DC while we played, but that is a story for a different blog.   

Productive in Pink

 

I tend to be very productive at the start of a new year, so I try to rotate through big colors to start the year.  This year is pink.  It must be having two girls, but my pink bin is always overflowing.  They are practically grown, so I'm not sure I should blame them -- maybe I just like pink.   I made a few more shooflies and stars last night and tried to polish off the last few crumbs bits.   I am squaring these up to 4 inches right now and searching for inspiration.   I thought about alternating between black and white framing squares.  Then I thought about alternating diagonal and straight set blocks.  Then I saw some cute black framed blocks sashed with white and bright solid cornerstones.   Maybe just white with black cornerstones?  They definitely need some sort of dividers, because the bulk is just a bit much, but I haven't settled yet on what they will become.  For now it is nice to not have so many random bits hanging around taking up space.   I was planning on cutting some more green 1.5 inch strips to make Garden Lattice alternate blocks, but I could not find my ruler yesterday.  Anna finally sat down for an evening snack and found it hiding under her chair.  On the bright side though, I tidied everything up as I searched madly for that darned ruler for the last two days.   With all the kids home I am sewing in the family room and can't leave everything strewn allover anymore.   

New Tracking Sheet for 2021

 

Stephanie has been kind enough to make tracking sheets for the Rainbow Scrap Challenge again this year.   It is available as a word document or as a PDF.   She also has a RSC Pinterest page set up, so be sure to check that out.   

I have resisted Instagram so far, feeling that I had too much social media going on to keep track of, but I am phasing out of Facebook, and so dipping my toes into Instagram.  I will have one of my daughters show me the ins and outs over pizza tonight.  

For now though, enjoy the tracking sheets and shop for some inspiration

Rainbow Scrap Challenge Tracking Sheet PDF

Rainbow Scrap Challenge Tracking Sheet Word Document (editable)  

Pink Play Day 3

 

We were off to a late start on our beach walk this morning.  It doesn't get as hot right now, so there isn't quite the same rush to get home before it is too warm.   

My husbands company sent a tin of peppermint bark as a holiday gift.  The peppermint bark is quite tasty of course, but look at that adorable tin!  It fits my hexies perfectly.   Am I the only one that gets a huge kick out of adorable containers?   I got a nice start on my pink hexies for this month and even cut a few more fabrics as I was sorting through the pink bin.  

 

There are lots of pinks in there, but they are all well sorted and organized.   I think that went through it when I made the bin during "safer at home" this summer.   I have dug out plenty for strips in all the sizes I need for this year's blocks.   

I still have quite a few crumbs to take care of though.  I think that they will get trimmed to 4 inches and framed with some white?  Maybe I will alternate white and black for a checkerboard?  Or maybe I will use cornerstones?   Playing with crumbs will be first on my list today.

Yesterday was all about getting new projects for 2021 organized and started.   I had quite a few empty bins waiting for projects and they are all sorted for my new projects.   I tend to work on a project for each strip size these days, so I continued with that plan.   The bins are numbered, labelled and ready to go with the appropriate strip size and partially assembled blocks.   

I have tutorials for most of my plans posted as links on the RSC21 page.   So after digging a bit deeper into Bonnie Hunter's Garden Party block, I found out that I had misjudged the dimensions a bit.   I remembered that it was based on a 1.5 inch base but that there were some slightly wider parts.  For some reason I was sure that the corners were wider.  Now that I look deeper, my block is not actually the same as Bonnie Hunter's block.  Thanks to Cathy for information on the original source of the pattern.  I found that the original quilt was in Quiltmaker #163 which was published in the May/June 2015 edition.   It is available on the Quilting Daily website as a digital download.    Still, rather than remaking the 12 blocks that I have already made, I am going to call mine Garden Trellis rather than Garden Party and just keep moving forward.  It is quite similar except that the flower petals are a bit thinner which will result in more negative space between the blocks.  

How are your 2021 plans starting to shape up?  I will link up at Oh Scrap!  and Kathy's Quilts to see what other scrap based and hand sewing projects are underway for the new year.   

RSC21 Week 1

 

I have started off the new year with a blast by completely forgetting that it was Saturday!  I've been happily sewing the morning away thinking that it was Friday.   What a funny way to start 2021.   I have been avoiding the thought of returning to school with a lingering thought that I need to grade some essays before Monday.  I am enjoying pink far to much right now though.   I've finished off 10 Garden Party blocks using a design by Bonnie Hunter.  As much as I searched, I could not find the quiltmaker magazine in which the pattern appeared.  I saved it carefully for years knowing that this quilt was definitely on my someday list.   I might switch to a contrasting color in the centers, but other that that, I am enjoying this pattern very much.   I read through the pattern several times, and I think I have all the measurements right, but if now, these dimensions work out nicely I think.  

So what pink scraps have you pulled to play with this year?   The linky tool will be available each Saturday so that you can link to your blog and share your scraphappy progress with us all.