And Sew Begins the End

 It's only October, but I am already starting to think about finishing things up for RSC2026. I have been trying hard to finish off quilts and to avoid having quite so many ongoing projects and UFOs.

With that thought in mind, the Hexie Snake quilt is coming together. I have most of the blue and purple blocks sewn into a row. I want to start a new hand piecing project, which means that the ongoing one project really needs to get finished up.

The new projects has tiny 60 degree diamonds which come from 1.5 inch strips. I haven't been saving much of that size since I finished up my log cabin quilt, but I will focus on that from my bin of low volumes. Those really need to be cleaned up! So maybe I will start the day with a bit of pressing. 

I won't officially start on a new quilt yet, but it will remain on the back burner. 

With the thought of finishing things in mind, I loaded the Churn Dash and Chains quilt onto the frame. I am quilting this with continuous apple peels, it is going slow and steady. 

Then yesterday I did the math and realized that I have plenty of propellor blocks, but not enough dot blocks. So I got some purples up on the wall and need to figure out which colors are still a little light. How is the beginning of the end of your year starting to shape up? 

October!

 Tomorrow is a new month at the Rainbow Scrap Challenge. If you are all caught up with the rainbow, this is a chance to shift your focus to neutrals in dark or light. This might mean adding sashing or borders. It might mean digging into your low volume stash to lighten things up a bit. If you are not all caught up, then October is a great opportunity to revisit your block collections and figure out how many you need and which colors got missed along the way. I know that I got busy once or twice this year and will need to even things up a bit. 

November is set aside for block assembly with December available for finishing. With a little bit of planning, you will be ready to end the year with a finished project instead of another UFO. 

ScrapHappy Saturday - Playing with Purple

 I am enjoying purple so much this month. 

We had a volunteer come in to the new makerspace at school and do some organization that makes it more functional. Most of the kids just want to use the 3-D printer constantly, but there is also a Cricut Maker. I learned that it could be used to make EPP templates and wanted to give that a try. So I cut out some hexies and then gave the 60 degree diamond a try. My next hand sewing project might just be these 6 pointed stars framed out in diamonds to make an octagon. 

That motivated me to get moving on my current hexagon project which I think has plenty of blocks to be sewn together. So here is the purple row, all sewn together!

And since I don't work on Mondays anymore, I loaded this random nine patch quilt onto the frame to cross another UFO off of the list. I think that I was making nine patches for the Sister's Choice quilt that I made for mom. I made a bunch of extras and then they sat in the orphan block bin for longer than you can imagine. As I look at the finished top,

After finishing that quilt, I was nearly out of batting. I used to get big rolls each year Joann's when they were on sale. I checked on Amazon, but the same type of roll that I used to get was about three times more. Eventually, I copied he exact code from the packaging into Google and found that Michaels carries it with free delivery. Yay! So now I have a new roll and am ready for the next UFO. Watch this space for further updates on my UFO finishing progress. 

How are your weekend plans shaping up? I went to work on Friday because it was a teacher workday and there was a meeting. I will bank the extra day toward an extra week off in November when Anna wants me to stay with the new grandbaby while she is at a conference. 

Scraphappy Saturday - Progress

 I thought it was time to pull out a couple of my block collections to take stock and do a quick evaluation.

First is the dot blocks. I think there is one purple already, but I will add some and think about the color placement. Maybe a color wash kind of arrangement with a bullseye or starburst slightly off center?  I also need to think about what size it should be.  I feel like I am a bit short on green blocks and there is only one purple that has made it through the pipeline. 

Then there are the propeller blocks. These are meant to be set on point. I will ponder the next steps for this as well. About half of the orange blocks were rotating in the opposite direction from the rest. That can be a problem when working on quilts over a long period of time. I will do some reverse sewing and get those fixed before adding some new purple blocks. 

The main progress this week was in quilting. I got the sprouts blocks off the frame on Sunday and then added the binding before quilting circle on Monday. Then I was going strong and took a deep breath to jump into the quilting on the Itty Bitty Log Cabin blocks. I knew that I wanted an all over pattern for these which would not work well on the long arm. Instead, I used a walking foot and just made diamonds from corner to corner around each concentric circle. I will have a lovely binding marathon today and finish both of these up. That is always a nice excuse for catching up on movies or streaming series. I watched 9-5 while I was starting the log cabin quilt, so maybe I will do Steel Magnolias for another Dolly Parton film. I will do the full finished quilt reveal for each of these soon. 

What are your weekend sewing plans? I need to do a bit of a tidy up in my space before I figure out what is next. I hope that you have some lovely purple to play with. 

ScrapHappy Saturday - Home Again

 

We got back last night from our time visiting the new baby. He is perfect and beautiful and doing all the things a new baby should be doing. I was so happy to be able to go and meet him. I am also happy to be home again. I have quite a nice stash of purple that will be fun to sort and sew. Sometimes the simple things are all that I need. To come back home again. To play with some pretty scraps. To combine old fabrics to create something new. 

ScrapHappy Saturday in Purple

September is going to be a purple month here at the #RainbowScrapChallenge. I have some purple hexies waiting patiently to be joined.  

I planned hand sewing for the trip to Virginia. We came up to meet the new grand baby. After his due date passed on Friday, they decided to induce on Tuesday before the holiday weekend. He finally arrived on Thursday morning. Mom and dad are not sharing photos of the new baby on social media, so here is his room instead. I had saved the binding to sew on the drive up.

There has been quite a bit of handwork in my sewing lately. After adding some blossoms to the sprouts blocks, this quilt is finally ready to be done. I just don't enjoy square quilts, so this was a way to make it rectangular. This was one of my RSC projects from 2019, so it is good to have it ready to move along. 

I have some hexies as well, but have not had a chance to start sewing those together yet. Perhaps today. We are at Anna and Jordan's waiting for the new family to come home from the hospital. Her blood pressure was high and so they kept them all there for an extra day. We have been delivering them food and popping in for short visits. It will be good to have them back home again. For now it is just us and the cat, all waiting patiently. Sewing some purple hexies sounds just about perfect. How are your purple scraps shaping up?  

ScrapHappy Saturday - Last Yellow Weekend

 I actually made good progress on yellow. I am still looking forward to purple for next month though. I made a bunch of leader and ender blocks while finishing up the nautical baby quilt. Then I did some more while putting together the last few little loggies blocks. This one was started in 2012! Slow and steady for sure. If you click the little loggies label at the bottom of the post, you will be able to see some of the progress. Each block finishes at 2.5 inches and has 13 pieces. So many tiny pieces! 

I celebrated that finish by pulling out the sprout flimsy which was square. I do not enjoy square blocks. So I added some 16 patch blocks that I always have on hand to make it taller. Then I started to make some Dresden flowers that will finish off the top. I think that I will turn the big yellow flower into a sunflower with a brown center and then add some different sizes in purple pink and maybe orange. Stay tuned for another finish. 

This was my favorite sunrise from the week. 

Lots going on this week. We did date night on Monday because we were sure we would be headed to Virginia when the new grandbaby arrived. So then we had to do date night again on Friday when he didn't arrive. Monday was a women's group. Wednesday Kurt wanted to go to trivia because a friend from work was the hostess. It was not our usual place or night for trivia, but it was fun and we ended up wining. We even got the final question right which was about a Billy Joel song. We never get the final question right, but we do know our Billy Joel. Then Thursday was an event at school for me while Kurt did his sports draft thing. That brings us back to now with no new grandbaby arrival waiting patiently. I did help host a baby shower at work that had been rescheduled. 

How are your yellow scraps wrapping up? I am so excited for purple next month. I feel like I have missed a few months from sheer craziness, so I will be catching up next month along with the neutrals that usually round out the year. I know its only August, but I am starting to think ahead to make sure that I can assemble a couple of flimsies before the end of the year. Misterlinky is below, please share your own yellow progress with us all. Happy scrappy sewing!

ScrapHappy Saturday - Progress

 

I finally made progress on my yellow blocks for August!

I had plenty of leader and ender space while finishing up the baby quilt for the new grandbaby who should be here soon. It is amazing how having two extra days off each week allows me to actually do things other than work and graduate school. What a great change!

Kurt was in Virginia for a big work thing this week, but had enough time to finish the siding under the bay window that we replaced together this summer. Slowly, all of the aluminum siding is getting replaced with cedar which is much more cabin-core. He got an estimate for new gutters, as well, there has been so much rain and the old gutters just aren't working well enough to keep the water flowing away from the house. 

Here is my favorite sunrise from this week. I am working on establishing a habit of walking every morning. Sometime a long walk and sometimes a small one. The habit is the thing. Its going well so far and I love the sunrises. 

What are your plans for this lovely Saturday? I hope it includes scrappiness and happiness, that is a great part of any day. 

ScrapHappy Saturday - Golden

 

I have just had an extra two days off this week and I am seeing the upside of working less. There have  been many sunrise walks. 

I think I need to get my sewing space organized a bit before I can get much more done. Right now everything is out on the cutting table.

 I did find plenty of yellow crumbs. There is quite a bit of variety in the yellow bin. How are your yellow scraps coming along?

ScrapHappy Saturday - A Ray of Sunshine

A bit of yellow to brighten up my morning was much appreciated.  It has been rainy and damp here. I am still getting out for sunrise morning walks, but the afternoons have been wet. 

I found a few yellow blocks to share. I think that I have enough hexies to sew a row together. I always delay on committing to a size, but I guess I can always make it longer later. 

I have been on a bit of a decluttering kick lately and cleared out a bunch of old sheets to make more yarn for my rag rug loom at the cabin. These will go back the next time I am up that way. 

Kurt was actually up there this week to take a bit of vacation time and try to finish up some of the projects that we wanted to do this summer. After getting the new windows installed, the plan was to start replacing the aluminum siding with cedar. We saved a lot of money by switching to standard sizes for the windows, but that left odd gaps in the old siding. Unfortunately, when he took the old siding off under this section with the bay window, he found out that there was no wall there! Lots of critters had made themselves at home which is not what we want. That section will need a bit more time to fix. There are always lots of surprises with old houses. It has been and adventure. 

Preplanning was last week and kids are back on Monday! It was fun to catch up with all the other teachers after the summer. There were a lot of trips and stories of kids and grandkids. I am still looking forward to working part time and have already handed off a few things for other people to take care of. Handing things off is not be strong suit, but I am getting better at it. Most of all, once I give away a job, I am working on not worrying about how or when it will get done. Clear boundaries is the big skill that I am trying to develop right now. 

The thunder is already staring this morning, so I think it will be a great inside day. Still no grandbaby arrival news, but I really should finish up his baby quilt so that we are ready. 

ScrapHappy Saturday - Coming up Sunshine

 A new month is always a new color at the Rainbow Scrap Challenge, August is all about sunshine and joy with yellow as the new color. I know that yellow is one of those colors that can be a bit much. I have a hard time imagining an all yellow quilt. As an accent and complement though, it adds a bit of joy and sparkle. So dig into your yellow bin and add a bit of sunshine to your sewing this month. If you dug out purple because I was sewing purple hexies this week, that is perfectly fine. That color will be here next month, so feel free to swap them around. We are all about doing what works for you here at the Rainbow Scrap Challenge, just use up some scraps!

Teachers are back to school on Monday. I am happy for me new part time schedule next year. Three days a week is going to leave me more time for balance and spending time with the new grandbaby who is coming soon. He isn't due until the end of the month, but Anna is ready now and wants him to hurry things along. Waiting for a baby to come when they are ready is one of the first patience trials of parenthood. I need to work on his baby quilt this weekend. Maybe there is room for a bit of sunshine with the sailboats? 

ScrapHappy Saturday - On the Road Again

I've been walking in the mornings and there have been some beautiful sunrises over the beach. 

There was not a lot of sewing time, but I got a few free form sail boats ready to add to the baby quilt. Most of the week I was rushing to finish up graduate school work for the week so that I wouldn't have to do it all this weekend.  I only did three half days at work, so it was nice to wade in gently. We have someone new in charge of homeroom and he has all sorts of energy and new ideas. It has been nice to start to hand some things off to the new people. 

We are back in North Carolina today for the celebration of life. Sydney started her new job on Tuesday and then drove up to our place on Thursday so that we could all come up together on Friday. She hasn't really done much at work so far, but I am sure that will change. Anna and her husband met us here. She is so pregnant! The baby isn't due until the end of August, but she is ready. She has a job offer for after graduation, but right now, she is trying to get things to a good spot before the big arrival. 

I sewed a few hexies on the drive, but not much else. I know that I keep saying this, but I am sure things will calm down soon. I need to find some complementary pairs. I have lots of groups of 4 made, but I can't find pairs of dark and light fabrics that I like together. I was trying to do aqua for July, but instead ended up with a few purples. 

ScrapHappy Saturday - Ends and Beginnings

 

I am back to school starting on Monday. How did summer go by so quickly? I spent yesterday making a memory quilt out of my father-in-laws dress shirts. This one is small so that I could get it done before the celebration of life next weekend. I cut 7.5 inch squares out of the larger parts of the shirt and then used them to make broken dishes block. I cut the extra bits into 2.5 inch strips, so those will be up next. 

After that, I made these nautical flag quilt blocks for a baby quilt. They say James which will be his name. 

What are your sewing plans for the weekend? I've been using teal blocks as leaders and enders. I think sailboat blocks are next on my list for the baby quilt.

ScrapHappy Saturday - Saturday in Motion

I have had some time on the road to sew hexies. The focus is on aqua for July, but there are some other colors mixed in because it was May when I packed my travel sewing bag. 

It is lovely to be home again. I have spent the mornings walking before it gets too hot and there have been some beautiful sunrises.

Here is a crane who was hiding in the scrub nearby. 

Ryan had a birthday. He chose a local hibachi restaurant for dinner and we had cake with candles to blow out after. 

I am scheduling this early to post on Saturday morning which is the day that we will be moving Sydney into her new big girl apartment. She starts her job soon and is super excited to start decorating her new place. I am so happy that she will be just a couple of hours away. Also, honestly, exceedingly happy that all of her stuff will be moving out with her! She has so many clothes and books. After being away doing projects at the cabin last month I have been on a decluttering binge now that we are home again. 

ScrapHappy Saturday - The Longest Week

I am so sorry that I have dropped off the radar for the last week. I usually try to pop back in on the first of the month to announce the new color, though I am happy to see that I did mention it last week in preparation. It is going to be aqua for July.

Sadly, Kurt's father passed away early on Monday. It has been a long week of hospital to hospice to funeral home. Once the decision was made to move to hospice, everything else got easier. It was a relief to see him finally out of pain and past the anxiety that had taken over. I can't say enough about how helpful and supportive everyone there was. It was the same hospice where Kurt's mom passed away 10 years ago. 

For us, it has been a lot of back and forth between Virginia and North Carolina. Kurt's dad was supposed to be at the Cabin with us for the holiday weekend along with his new girlfriend and Kurt's sister Leslie who lives in a supported group home in NC. Since she had planned to be away for the weekend already, we went down to pick her up and she is at the cabin with us for the weekend. She has helped Kurt with a demolition project and he drove her down yesterday on the UTV to pick up a package. Then we were able to see fireworks from the cabin last night. She wants to do smores tonight, and we will do those on the grill after hamburgers. We should have a big bonfire, but it is very hot and also difficult to get Leslie and her walker over the rough mountain terrain. 

There was a fox on the road during one of our trips out. We will head back to Florida a little earlier than planned so that we can get Leslie back into her normal routine next week. I seem to have quite a lot of aqua hexies that I can sew in the car. I must have checked the color before we left. That seems like a long time ago now.

Most of my sewing happened early in the summer. I have a nice stack of string blocks that I will bring back to add to my collection. 

I also have a new rag rug loom, but that will stay here. I will work on my rug the next time we are back. Maybe a long weekend for labor day? That is too far away to think about right now. The rug is a bit chaotic, but I am learning a new skill and it will get better. We have a celebration of life scheduled for July 25th and potentially more trips to settle affairs and estates. 

I hope that you are all having a celebratory weekend. For those in the US it is Independence Day. Kurt got Friday off this year because the 4th is on a Saturday, but he has been working a scattered schedule lately of only doing the most important things between handling all the rest. I am glad that I am on a break from both my own job and my graduate school work at the moment. That makes it easier to juggle the rest. 

Car Sewing

 I am in North Carolina for a few days. Kurt was planning to come down for the weekend to visit his dad, but he isn't doing as well as we had hoped and so I decided to come and support Kurt. We are headed over the hospital now that visiting hours are open again. I actually did quite a bit of string block sewing this week, but didn't take a photo as we dashed out the door. The week was more projects at the cabin, but nothing photo worthy. I had the good sense to grab my hexie bag as we left and I got a few of those done on the drive. I am sure there will be time for few more of those today. How is your June going? It is the last pastel Saturday. I know that it has been a bit of a strange month without a proper color, but it has been fun to see what people do with catch up and overflow. I think that it helps to round things out and take stock in the middle of the year. July will be aqua, so it is a bit more of a proper color. I feel that too many shades live somewhere between blue and green and love having a chance to explore those shades each year. I have a separate bin for these. If yours are not segregated, try looking for anything that isn't quite blue or green and you will be on the right track. 

ScrapHappy Saturday - Oddball Triangles

I debated with myself about which sewing projects to bring up to the mountains. I ended up grabbing a project bin with triangles. You know the type that I mean -- extra bits leftover from making binding or trimming other things. I try to cut everything down to uniform squares and strips, but these are the oddballs. I had some strings here already, so I think I will work on those next.

I have some foundation paper piecing that I am trying out.

The first pattern is a set of three flying geese. So cute and so tiny. Also some economy blocks. The long side on both are 3.5, so I am working with the tiny bits.  

Our progress on the windows is slow and steady. We ran out of the tape that goes around the frame though and so took a pause yesterday afternoon to visit a winery.  Yesterday was a work holiday for Kurt, so he wasn't going back and forth to meetings. We are getting more efficient at the installation, but it is a very old house and nothing is ever straight or simple here. Having the windows will be nice, some of the old ones were broken and many were painted shut. I think we have one more to go after this dining room bay which is a set of three. Kurt loves having projects to work on. He wanted to build a log cabin from a kit but I was concerned that we wouldn't have anywhere to sleep while it was under construction. So this was our compromise. I love having the land to tend and logs to cut while Kurt has so many projects to enjoy. I used to think that he worked too hard, and then one day I saw him standing on his newly completed deck with this look of absolute joy on his face. I wouldn't have guessed we could do so much but I guess you never know until you give it a shot. 

Then it was back to our window wildlife sightings. The same deer comes through the front yard most evenings. We are calling him John (like the John Deer the tractors).

Then Bill came around the other side of the house on the edge of the driveway. He has been around for at least three years now and we named him after Bill Murray in Groundhog Day. 

ScrapHappy Saturday - Mountain Edition

I have not yet set up my sewing machine in Virginia. There has been hand sewing of hexies.

Most of the time though, there have been projects and quiet relaxation. This deer stood outside the family room for ages last night grazing on grass and trees. 

I got the last room upstairs painted. We call it the bunkbed room. It is where Kurt has meetings when he is working from home. He hasn't been into the office yet, but has been working part time when needed. We aren't taking a summer vacation this year, so he is enjoying some down time. 

I tamed grass. We keep trying to get some low maintenance ground cover to take over, but for now, there is still mowing. Kurt does not enjoy mowing and somehow he always ends up with a broken mower when he is here on business. That means it is always the first thing that I need to do when I get here. 

Kurt spent most of the week in North Carolina visiting his dad who is in the hospital with pneumonia. 

We did spent some time yesterday getting a few new windows installed. The delivery came while Kurt was gone, so we will keep working through those in one by one. I think we have three in and four to go. Maybe five. There is an awkward door that goes out of the master bedroom that we are going to swap for a window instead. After that we will have to redo the siding and so the cycle of projects continues. Kurt really wanted to build a house from scratch, but there seem to be plenty of projects here to keep us both busy.