2024 Wrap Up

It didn't feel like I had much time to sew in 2024. Starting graduate school has been a lot, and work has been busy. The usual things seem to take up a lot of time. There were hurricanes and trips to the mountains. If you had asked, I would have said I finished a couple of quilts. That is why it is good to take a look back and get an overview of the year. I did more than I thought! I did more finishing of what I started last year, but if that means that this year I will finish off what I started last year again, then that isn't a bad cycle to follow. When I retire then I will be able to have more quality sewing time, but I am still managing to squeeze in enough for now. I used Canva to make a photo collage for this year. So much cuter than what I could have come up with on my own. 

1. Hen and Chicks - Rainbow Scrap Challenge Quilt for 2024 (flimsy)
2. Plus blocks - leaders and enders (flimsy)
3. Chaos tiny nine patch
4. Dancing Blue Crumbs
5. Carpenter Star - RSC22
6. Postage Stamps
7. Diamonds
8. Wonky Stars
9. Blackford's Beauty - RSC22

Last ScrapHappy Saturday of 2024

 

I sewed binding on this tiny chaos quilt on the drive here. The front is tiny nine patches leftover from another quilt. For a while I was entirely obsessed with tiny little nine patches made from one inch strips. They still keep turning up in my scrap bins from time to time. 

Here is the back, just randomly leftover green blocks from the orphan bin. I think that I love it even more than the front. Even the batting is pieced together from leftovers! I squeaked out this chaos quilt in just in time to count as a finish for 2024. 

Just three days until the beginning of RSC25! I think that I have settled on a simplified lattice layout for my new leaders and enders project. I very much wanted to use what I have on hand. So the 2.5 inch squares are always ready and waiting. I don't keep 3.5 inch squares on hand, but I will come up with those from either crumb fabric or existing scraps. Honestly, 3.5 is a reasonable size of squares to collect, I just usually focus on smaller bits. 

How are your 2024 wrap up plans coming along? I hope that you have cleared some mental and physical space for RSC25 projects! Feel free to share your plans for next year or your finishes from last year. Next week will be week 1 of the new year and PINK will be the color. 

Merry Christmas!

I got an email from Stephanie a few days ago saying she had used Chat GPT to make logos and had asked it to try making a logo for the Rainbow Scrap Challenge 2025. What a brilliant idea! I found some time this afternoon and started playing with the idea.  What do you think so far? It will only do 2 images in a 24 hour period, so I copied the image and started tweaking it in google slides.  I might try canva next, it makes some pretty images.  Until then, pink will be the color of January this year, so please go and see if you have any of those scraps hiding in your bin.  I know I do! It will feel good to work on getting them tamed and into some blocks.

We are in the mountains for a few day, but I found some time before we left to quilt up a flimsy that had spent quite a while hanging over the edge of the quilting frame. The front is leftover tiny nine patches and the back is leftover random green blocks from the orphan bin. I got about two rows into the quilting before realizing that my tension was way off and I had eyelashes on the back. So I undid all of that and started over with freehand Baptist fans. I got most of the binding hand sewn in the car before it was my turn to drive. I might finish up the last little bit sitting here by the fire this afternoon. 

I also got the border finished up on Hen & Chicks and pieced a backing. So that can be the next up on the frame as soon as we are back in Florida again. I am out of batting, so I will either have to piece together leftovers or go shopping. There are worse things than shopping I suppose. 

Ryan and Sydney went out with us to hunt up a Christmas tree yesterday. We scouted up the side of the mountain in the area we lovingly call, "the upper 7." Most of what was up there was way too big to sacrifice, so we went with this scraggly little portion of a tree instead that was hiding behind the shed. We don't have much for ornaments up here, but we found some baked clay that the kids turned into decorations last Christmas. Anna just got here today, so we are having festivities tomorrow so that we can celebrate together. 

After that Kurt and I went down to work on clearing out a fallen tree down by the lower driveway. Now that the greenery has died down, it is much easier to see all the random stuff that is buried back there. We found a big old pile of twigs that looked like a beaver damn. Kurt did a bit of research and thinks that it is the home of wood rats which are also known as pack rats. Behind it is a big stone wall. We might clear out the pack rat house to get a better view of the rocks. There are lots of rock walls hidden around here. All part of the fun when you are in the mountains I suppose.  
Here is the smaller version of the logo

Even tinier logo

 

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.