Giving Thanks

I was so thankful to have a full week off of work. What a nice change it was to spend hours playing with fabric and sorting through scraps! I finished up my last few assignments for graduate school this term, which means that I have a break until the second week of January. I plan to enjoy every single minute!

I played some more with some crumb strips to use as lattice strips. These would be fun to do with receipts. The crumbs are all in little color segregated baggies, so they are easy to play with in small doses. 

I have been sewing a lot with squares lately, and I thought it would be fun to use my strip bins for something different. So here are some 2 inch strip polka dot blocks. I sewed a few for fun ad then kitted up a bunch until drawer had some satisfying open space. Each block needs to strips that are 6.5 by 2 with two matching squares. Then a contrasting square comes out of the square drawer and they are ready to sew. 

Then I worked on the 2.5 inch strip drawers which were quite stuffed. I didn't have a pattern in mind yet when I decided to cut lots and lots of bricks which are 2.5 by 4.5. There were some vintage fabric strips buried in there, it was good to use them up. 

Then I slept on it and decided on simple stair step blocks which can be arranged like log cabin blocks. That led to some 2 inch bricks which are 2 by 3.5 which I tried out in a whirly gig layout. 

Then I set a few 1.5 inch postage stamps by the machine to use as leaders and enders. I just hate to end a seam without something sitting under the presser foot to hold the threads in place. 

That left just enough time to throw the hexie zipper case into the car and head out for Thanksgiving in North Carolina with Kurt's family. It didn't go quite as planned due to some unexpected health issues with Kurt's fathers wife, but she should be feeling better soon I hope. I am scheduling this to post early on Saturday, by then we should be on the road and headed home again! It was an unusually long drive up on Wednesday, but hopefully we will have better luck on the way back. There should be some time to put the prepped hexies together into blocks. After that I will take a turn to drive. Kurt and his brother had to drive his father and sister back home on Thursday, so they are a little bit done right now. It will be great to see home again. It was great to catch up with family, but being home is also nice. I hope you all had a lovely holiday.  Did you find some time to sew?

Thanksgiving!

I have been on a bit of an organizing binge lately. It started because the blue bin was overflowing. So now there is one bin for light blue and one for dark blue. If I had known ahead of time I was going to have two dark bins, the first one would have been darker, but now they are not overflowing. I still need black/grey and brown. 

I also pulled out strings, crumbs and triangles for their own sections. For fun, I started sewing these 2.5 inch strips out of crumbs. I might cut them down and use them around smaller squares. These were WOW layer cake squares that I got when Joann's was going out of business. They are too white and large, but I will still keep sewing some more crumb squares. They are small and simple to make a batch on a week night. 

In graduate school news for the week, my dissertation topic has been approved.  That means I am officially a doctoral candidate. I just need to wait for my committee members to be assigned. Now one of my two classes for this term is over. If I can power through a couple of assignments this weekend then I will have a nice long break for the holidays. 

I definitely have some plans to sew some more today. I have an entire week of for Thanksgiving! It hasn't quite sunk in yet, but I am looking forward to it. I have a few flimsies ready to quilt. That would be a fun way to spend a holiday. 

ScrapHappy Saturday - Tangents

 I spent an evening this week catching up on you tube videos and taking the paper out of the string blocks that I brought back from Virginia. Some of these will be turned into circle blocks, but some will be cut down into 8 inch blocks with white sashing strips in a rail fence setting. I spent another evening sketching block ideas of graph paper. One extra evening was spent trimming down and sorting through more strings. At this point it is hard to walk through the sewing space, but it was still a fun week. I got my concept paper for my graduate school dissertation back as approved last night. So excited for that milestone! Today we are off to see the school play which is Beetlejuice, but there might still be some time to sew mixed in there. Perhaps a bit of a clean up and some hexie time? How is your weekend shaping up?

ScrapHappy Saturday - wrapping up and planning ahead

 

We are in Virginia right now on a weekend getaway instead of in Jamaica. We have resort credits and flight credits and can hopefully reschedule for spring break. I thought it would be good to bring some sewing with me. I've been thinking for a while about what I could bring here to have an ongoing sewing project that would be separate enough from everything else. And so I decided on strings, I had quite a few, and so that led to a bit of sorting out. 

That led to plans for what to do with strings, and this is one possibility. I stuffed in all the strings that would fit in my carry on along with a phonebook. I will see what I can make out of all of that. 

How is your end of year starting to wrap up?  Are you finishing up or starting to plan ahead?

ScrapHappy Saturday - November!

 

Welcome to a new month! There is no new color for November, instead it is time to collect and assemble.  My month needs to begin with a bit of a cleanup. I've got new scraps and partial collections and I am not sure what else all going on. Figuring that out is first on my list. 

Thursday trivia was Halloween themed. All the kids came to school in costumes yesterday which was festive if not educational. We will definitely not be headed to Jamaica next weekend. Our resort was spared the worst and hopes to welcome guests back before the end of the month. We might be able to reschedule for spring break. I hate to go to work when I have already taken time off, so maybe we will just head to Virginia instead. Kurt will already be there for work, so I could join him for some fall fun. I could chop some wood and do some projects. Not exactly the same as a beach vacation, but it could still be fun. 

Las night a palm tree cast a shadow on the side of a condo as we walked home from date night. How is your end of the year starting to shape up? There are two months left to assemble your blocks and think about what can still turn into a quilt before the new year begins. Misterlinky is below. Please share with us all. 

ScrapHappy Saturday

 

It feels like fall in Florida. I was at car loop yesterday and wasn't sweating!  Then this classic car came through all decked out for Halloween and I just had to smile. 

I couldn't do any graduate school work on Monday when the AWS outage affected Canvas which is the learning management system that we use. I took advantage of that down time to play with hexies a little bit. I didn't get any new blocks finished, but I fondled fabric and did organizing and planning. 

Today we are watching the tropics. Florida is fine, but Jamaica is not looking good, and we have a trip booked there in just a few weeks. That will be interesting!

How is your weekend shaping up?

ScrapHappy Saturday - Home Again

The hexie snakes are growing slowly. I added a few more to even out the short rows. Eventually they will catch up to the two long rows. 

I was at school late on Thursday for FAFSA night when my neighbor texted to ask If I wanted some fabric. She found a bunch at an estate sale and wanted to share!  I am finding a lot of great tone on tone shades that will be lovely for my rainbow quilts. 

And here is the view on our walk home from date night last night. Sometimes I just remember to take some time to appreciate the view. I have a bit of schoolwork to do today and then I would love to turn some of the new fabric into some hexies. How is your weekend shaping up?

 

ScrapHappy Saturday - The Beginning of the End of the Year

We are at the cabin this weekend because Monday is a teacher workday. It has been raining constantly in Florida and here it is crisp fall weather with meadows of prancing deer. We had spirit week as school and then had to cancel the flag football game yesterday. We will try again next week. My seniors should be busy finishing up early action applications this weekend. Three Florida schools have moved to October 15 deadlines which does a great job of getting the kids moving early. 

This was our sunrise this morning. We have some trees to plant this afternoon and then will take some time to enjoy fall color and perhaps clear the driveway a bit of fallen leaves. I also have a literature review to write for my dissertation concept paper, so there will be some inside time next to the fire as well. 

I love the end of the year at the Rainbow Scrap Challenge. Even though it hasn't been a hyper productive sewing year for me, I still love to think about rounding out block collections and finishing up quilts. 

Last weekend I finished sewing together my leader and ender project for this year which I think shall be called Starburst. Doesn't it look like the multicolored square candies? Also, the sunrise kind of colorwash idea is also a starburst. So it works on two levels. 

I also added some more hexie snakes to the collection and started to pay with the layout. I am thinking of rotating the dark sides of adjacent colors toward the center to create a kind of seam. Then the next thought was that I might run the rows vertically instead of horizontally. I didn't actually change them on the design wall, I just rotated the photo to try out the plan. Plenty of time to make those decisions though. For now I am just slowly making each row longer. The summer Alaska rows got a lot of love during days watching glaciers and riding on trains. The others will slowly catch up during quiet days at home. 

ScrapHappy Saturday - Fall Fun

 

Yesterday was flag voting! This was one of my favorites. I still need to tally votes. Several classes turned in paper ballots because of the new cell phone ban, so I still need to add those in to the digital vote tally that happened automatically. I will share photos of some of the winners next week. 

I realized last week that I had almost enough blocks for a complete quilt with this years leaders and enders project. I decided on a colorwashish sort of sun bust arrangement with amorphous edges. I didn't have equal numbers of all blocks because some months were busier than others. I realized that I needed a few more purple and blue blocks to complete my quilt and then whipped those up in a hurry. 

Then I failed to get a photo of the final layout before starting to web the top. I have three more columns to add before I can start sewing the rows together. It feels so good to see a random assortment of blocks collected throughout the year turn into a quilt. We need another not too large lap quilt for the cabin, so this one will get put to use right away. 

How are you blocks rounding out as we get a bit closer to the end? This was obviously not a hugely productive year for me with graduate school going on, so I am pretty proud to be able to make one full quilt from start to finish while moving a few more along the road. It isn't a lot, but it is what I can do  right now. On the graduate school front, I got my dissertation topic approved this week! Now I just need to flesh out the details today and start digging in a bit. It looks to be a rainy and windy day here. We worried last weekend about a hurricane only to have it go the other way and then some sort of tropical mess just popped up right over us. Sounds like a good excuse to stay in a sew!

ScrapHappy Saturday - Falling

I always start to think about rounding out my collections as the end of the year approaches. I was in a hand sewing mood last weekend and started to add to my short rows on the hexie snake quilt. It takes longer to see progress on hand stitching projects, but there are quite a few new blocks up there compared to last weekend. 

That had me digging through my drawers of squares looking for sets of four. I think I will dig through some more this morning to fill up my leaders and enders supply. I haven't really got a main sewing project going on right now. I was thinking about finishing up the flimsy for my log cabin quilt this morning? I also have a quilt on the frame. Maybe I should pull out a UFO bin and dig in?  So many options. 

I spent Sunday last week digitizing slides that Kurt's dad sent home with us this summer. Here is one of Kurt and I at my senior prom. We were so young! This was one of the more recent photos.

This is Kurt and his brother with their father in England when he did a research sabbatical in 1969. 

September is almost gone. A new month is always about a new color here at the Rainbow Scrap Challenge, and so as you tidy up the light and bright greens and blues, it is time to shift to the darker shades of fall. Brown and black are ready for their turn this month. I know that some of you avoid the darker shades in rainbow quilts, so this is also a great time play with your light neutrals or to start rounding out your collections. The goal is always to start assembling blocks in November so that quilting can commence in December. How are your blocks coming together? Mister linky is below. Please share your progress. 

ScrapHappy Saturday - a Pause

 There is a current moment of calm. A couple of weeks between classes, a lack of any unusual events. It is blissful. Last Saturday I did some sorting and organizing. Sunday I sat in a comfy chair and quietly hand sewed hexies. I started to rough out a plan for the hexie snakes. So far it seems wider than it is long. With hand stitching, there is always plenty of time for design decisions though, so I will let it evolve slowly like the stitches. 

Even though Kurt and I were both in town all week, he had a meeting one night and I had a meeting on a different night, so we didn't spend all that much time together. That seems to happen a lot, so it was nice to walk to one of our favorite date night restaurants yesterday. 

Then the sun came up beautifully this morning and I ready to head down to the sewing room and putter. Not a bad plan for a quiet Saturday. How is your weekend shaping up? Misterlinky is below, please share your progress and plans. 

ScrapHappy Saturday - Catching Up

 I spent most of this week at a conference in New Orleans for work. 

I was presenting with a coworker about a College and Career Readiness Survey that we use with all of the high school students in our district. 

I had never been to New Orleans, and it was fun to see the sights. 

There was an evening event at the House of Blues that was a lot of fun. 

I took along some hexies to sew on the plane. 

For today I have one last paper to turn in for my literacy class and then I think I have a two week break before the next term starts. Looking forward to every minute of that! How is your September shaping up? The linky tool is below, please share your updates. 

ScrapHappy Saturday - Fall Flair

 I have to admit that it doesn't feel like fall around here yet. School is in full swing though, so that makes it feel a lot les like summer. I seem to have a lot of blue and green on the wall. Why then are all of those scrap bins still overflowing? I think this is why people do monochromatic quilts. 

I have a beautiful all green quilt that I made using Bonnie Hunter's Jamestown Landing pattern. I could easily make an all blue quilt from what is hanging out in my sewing room right now. First though, I think that I will scavenge through this stack and make some hexies. I have a flight tomorrow for a trip to present at a conference in New Orleans and I will have some time to sew while in transit. How is your weekend shaping up? New months are full of new plans. I hope you have some scraps to work with. 

September Color

 Ready to circle back and catch up? Light and bright are ready to roll out in the blue and green bins. I know that we did darks in blue and green, but these are two colors that need a bit of a repeat to help to get them under control. This is also a great time to think about catching up and rounding out your prior months collections. 

ScrapHappy Saturday - Long Weekend

 

It is a lovely and long weekend for the US. I am hopeful that will leave me some time to sew. Since not a stitch was sewn this week, I have some random sunrise and flag photos to share. Here is Ms. McCormick's flag. They had an animal theme. 

And Ms. Nery's class had an army theme. They all dressed up in camo clothes for Wildcat Challenge which is a field day that the juniors and seniors do in the spring. 

I hope that you all have plans to sew this weekend. Monday is a new month and a new color to enjoy. Well, sort of a new color. It is a chance to dig back into blues and greens to focus on the pastel shades. I can never seem to get through all the blues and greens, so this a chance to add some of the lighter and brighter shades to add some sparkle to your quilt(s). First up today, I will drive to school to finish off my work for the week and then bring home my sewing machine. That is sure to make the rest of the weekend sewing go much more smoothly. 

ScrapHappy Saturday

Another week has zoomed past. We have now finished two full weeks of school and things are starting to settle into a routine. Days are busy, but all with good things. We had a nice trip to Sarasota last weekend to look at Anna's wedding venue. 

Sydney has started her last year of college classes. Ryan is doing well at his new job and Kurt was travelling for work. This week I had a quick half day conference in Orlando and open house night at school.  I also finished sewing flags and wanted to bring my machine home from school, but it was pouring rain when I was coming home. That means that I can spend a bit more time hand stitching though and get some of the hexies that I prepped in the car put together. I hope that you are finding some time to sew as well. Believe it or not, there is still one more aqua Saturday in the month. 

ScrapHappy Saturday - Ocean Hues

  Am I just in love with aqua because I live near the ocean? That may be true, but I am enjoying the range of shades that live between blue and green. I finished my school work early last weekend and enjoyed an afternoon of digging though the scrap bin and cutting out hexies. I have a few prepped, and the rest will come along today in the car. We are driving to St. Pete to look at Anna's wedding venue. Plenty of time to stitch and relax and enjoy. 

    How is your weekend shaping up? I hope that you are finding some time to relax and enjoy your fabric while exploring creative options. I am savoring some down time after a busy first week of school and looking forward to recharging to do it all over again. The teachers and kids were all so excited to get their felt for flags. I can't wait to see what the came up with. I was subbing for a new 7th grade homeroom all week and they want to be Abreu's Artists. Ms. Abreu should be here next week to help them move on the the next step. 

ScrapHappy Saturday - Aquamarine Vibes

 

I am on a bit of a rainbow sewing streak today, but not with my beautiful aqua scraps. Instead. I have finally acquired enough felt to make our homeroom flags for school. I used to get felt from Joann's, so this year had to scramble a bit. Amazon and Michaels both had felt yardage available, but a few of the colors came from separate vendors and the shipping was extra. They aren't a school approved vendor, and that caused a few wrinkles, but eventually, with persistence, I was able to acquire felt! So today I will turn these into flags before school starts on Monday. It is just a bit of quick cutting and one L shaped seam for each flag to make a pocket for the flagpole. It should go pretty quick. 

School starts on Monday. It has been a busy few weeks. I used to just go to preplanning and sit while other people presented before getting my own work done. Now, I am the one presenting, and that takes a bit more effort. Then teachers need things, and I get busy helping and supporting them. But now the kids will be back, and once the teachers are in their classroom teaching, I can get back to getting some of my work done. That is the idea anyway. I will let you know next week how that goes. 

ScrapHappy Saturday - New Month and Switching Gears

It is time to put away the purple and dig into aqua. I had to scramble a bit to find the aqua, because my sewing room has been taken over by 2 children who are home at the moment. I did unpack my purples from the summer along with a panel from Alaska and a nice stack of hexagons that were sewn on the road. 

Ryan has been home for a bit while he works full time and finishes his degree, but his lease only ended last week. Sydney is back for a month between the end of her internship and going back to school again. They both came with all the stuff from their college apartments. Sydney doesn't have quite as much. She just moved out of her summer sublet and still has an apartment from last year. Ryan however, no longer has an apartment, and has not yet decided on his future plans. He initially thought he would move to another office with the same company after graduation, but he really likes the office here and might just decide to stay. He didn't think that he was going to keep the furniture that we cobbled together for him from garage sales and Facebook marketplace, but somehow he fit it all in a car and hauled it home again. Until he decides on his plan, I will need to figure out how to make space to sew.

ScrapHappy Saturday - Last Purple Weekend

First, let me apologize again for missing Saturday last week. I love Kurt's family, but they can be a bit overwhelming. I got totally bogged down getting ready for their visit, and then when they got here, it was all hands on deck to keep things running. I feel horrible for forgetting to post. 

Today is the last Saturday for Purple. August first doesn't roll around until next Friday though, so feel free to spend a few days wrapping things up. Next month will be aqua. I never used to sew with aqua, I just put everything into either blue or green. There are too many fabrics though, that don't fit into either of those well. Living near the beach, I gained a new appreciation for all of the shades that live between blue and green. If you are not an aqua segregator, you can dig back into blues and greens to look for some oddballs. Both of those colors are always so big for me that I look forward to having some more time to try to tame them. 

We are probably in a car right now, headed back to Florida again, but I am writing this on Friday night between packing and sorting to make sure that I am not a bad blogger for two weeks in a row. I am busy now finishing up some school work and we are just back from a driving tour in a U-Haul. Spending many hours in a U-Haul is not my idea of fun, but it seemed like a good idea when Kurt thought of it. His father is getting ready to downsize into a continuous care retirement community and doesn't want all of his furniture to leave the family. Anna has moved from her tiny college apartment to a slightly larger version and has found that she has empty rooms to fill. So we did a shuffling dance and drove around in circles for two days to deliver some things to her while also upgrading our dining room set and taking a few odds and ends for the cabin. 

This is a bear ottoman that matches a bear Christmas tree. It seems to fit the vibe here. We are tired and sore from both lifting heavy things and from bouncing in a big ole rental truck. Getting old is no fun! I hope to be able to catch up again once I am back home and settled into a more normal routine. I am back at school starting on Monday, but it is still a couple of weeks before the kiddos come back, so there will be some transitional time to adjust to normal life. It has been lovely to hide away in the mountains and try to ignore the world, but real life is just around the corner. Please use the linky below to share your purple passions, I am going to schedule this to go up nice and early so that I can check from the road to make sure it all works.