Another foot of snow

It snowed all day Friday, but yesterday was typically sunny and cold (high of 20 but 5 degrees when we got up).  Everything got plowed and shoveled, and the world was bright and shiny.  I stayed in and watched Paul fill the bird feeders which had gone empty during the snow.  This morning, I surprised a big deer at one - no wonder they get empty so fast!  And six more ran through the backyard in the dark.  

Meanwhile, I finished the next round of the Unity quilt and anticipated the next one - 6" blocks that are a variation on Friendship Star.  Will I have enough fabric?  I know I have enough neutrals and bright yellow, but what about navy and light blues?  Guess I'll find out later in the month when I do the next round.  It's about 42" square now and will end up queen-sized.  

I'm going to set it aside and work on a few other things, including various blocks of the month.   I have a lot of projects going here and there and have run out of project boxes.  I need to get a few more so I can retire some of my pizza boxes.  The Unity quilt doesn't fit in one, so I'm using a plastic bag Paul got at the hospital.

My first project today will be making a few blocks of It's The Point so I can show them to a potential customer and to the pattern designer, Tess.  I have quite a few charm squares all cut but need to cut the framing/sashing strips.  My version is going to look quite a bit different than Tess' sample, but I'm testing the pattern and hope my bright and black colorway will be helpful to her.

Diligently working...

...on the third phase of the Unity quilt.  This round is comprised of 36 4" (finished) saw-toothed stars, so the pieces are super tiny.  It's not so bad once all the pieces are cut, and because I get bored, I make a few, cut, make some more, etc.  The last 14 are cut and ready to sew, which I hope to do tomorrow when a big snowstorm is predicted.

Aren't they cute?

Spinners

I finished this time's Austen Jubilee blocks with these four 6" Bonnie Hunter "Spinner" blocks. 

They were really easy!  I am running low on my "Jane Austen at Home" fabrics and wonder if I ought to order some more.  Guess I'll wait and see what the next assignment will be before I do.  

This was a very easy pattern, and I finished the blocks within an hour.  I wondered if they might be a good block to make in quantity for my mixed RSC in April.  I also wanted to try having the background fabric as a true background and not as the focal point of the block.  So I made a few more with yellow centers.  Easy peasy.

They do look an awful lot like the Friendship Stars I made in January, but with different colors, they will be fine.  I'll put these aside for now and wait until I find out what the color for April will be.  In the meantime, it's time to get back to work on my Unity quilt and start getting fabric together to test Tess' It's the Point quilt.  

Yesterday was a blustery, cold day, so I finished reading Quilt City Murder and started on another cozy set in a bookstore on Maryland's Eastern Shore.  We took one walk which was about all we could stand.  Today it's warmer, but cloudy, so we will most likely get in a few walks.  We need the fresh air!

Interesting weather

Yesterday's weather was alternating snow, squalls, sun, and gray.  We woke up to a pink sky ("sailors take warning") and because I'd heard a little snow was in the forecast, I didn't go grocery shopping.  Instead, I cut fabric for the last four blocks of Austen Jubilee and made one.  Did a little laundry in between.   With no dryer, I do smaller loads these days so I can dry thing on racks and, for sheets, over two chairs and the treadmill.  Works fine, but I don't want to do it forever.  Hope the part comes soon.

As the snow was swirling around, I noticed we had a very real cookie shortage here.  Our supply chain had come to a halt.   I found a new recipe at www.sallysbakingaddiction.com and went to work.  The batter needs to chill for at least two hours, but the result is delicious.  The recipe for soft chocolate chip cookies says it makes 16 large cookies, but I decided to make them a little smaller.  Delish!

After I'd gotten the batter in the refrig to chill, I decided to make applesauce with some leftover apples.  While peeling, I nicked the tip of my pinky finger and bled all over the place.  After affixing lots of bandaids, I got the applesauce cooking and sat down to read for most of the rest of the day.   Didn't want to risk bleeding on my blocks.  I'm reading Murder in Quilt City by Bruce Leonard - not great literature, but I'm learning a lot about Paducah.  That's on my bucket list.  Hope to get back to those blocks today after a trip to the grocery store and another small load of wash.  The sun is shining!

Austen Jubilee

Down in Fairhope, Alabama, a place we have visited a few times in winters past, they experience an occasional "jubilee," an over-abundance of shrimp that wash onto the shoreline.  People rush down to Mobile Bay with buckets to fill up, take home, and cook loads of shrimp.  It sounds wonderful to me, t only because I love shrimp, but a local celebration that brings people together in this sweet community seems great.   Sadly, this seems to happen in July, if it happens at all, when it's hot.  We tend to think of visiting there in winter because of the easy walking, slow pace, cozy size, and plenty of fun things to do and see.  We hope we can go back next winter for a few weeks. 

This year Quiltmaker magazine is featuring a mystery quilt called "Ruby Jubilee."  It includes variously sized Bonnie Hunter blocks from her long-running "Addicted to Scraps" column.  I've been using "Jane Austen at Home" fabrics to make my Austen Jubilee quilt.  Every other month, there are patterns for a number of blocks in the quilt.  This month, I'm making four different types and sizes of blocks and a total of ten or so.  

I don't think this line of fabrics was the best to use for these blocks, but it is my way of honoring one of my favorite authors.  I probably should have chosen a darker background fabric to enhance the lighter blocks.  It will be subtle, that's for sure.  I do have a bunch of solid "nutmeg" colored fabric that I might be able to use to provide better contrast when I put the quilt together.  I'm keeping it in reserve for the last clues this summer.

It's been quite dark lately, even with my Ott light over the cutting table, and the print in the magazine is small.  Despite checking and doublechecking cutting sizes, I misread the instructions for Grandpa's Star.  Luckily, I only needed to make one, so I put it together without the sashing between the four segments.  It looks nice to me!  Today's project will include making four Spinning Star blocks and then setting the whole bunch aside for a few weeks.  Next up:  the March portion of the Unity quilt.

Stars

This morning I made the Heart of Vermont guild blocks for February.  The person whose turn it was to design it calls it Variable Star.  I made one to keep, and the one on top is for the lottery.  Whoever's name is drawn wins them all.  Hope it's me!

My Hunter's Star die arrived from Accuquilt Saturday night, and I just had to try it out.  This quilt has been on my bucket list for a long time, and I would like it to be blacks and neutrals with variously colored stars.  I like the way the die cuts the pieces to fit almost perfectly.

I've set this project aside for a while as I work on some of the projects I've got on the slow go.   But I wanted to take advantage of the sale Accuquilt was having.  Cabin Fever is definitely setting in here - I've done quite a bit of online shopping lately.  Besides this die and the cutting mat to go with it, I bought some bright fat eighths as well as new living room curtains and a new shower curtain.  I think this will be "it" for me for a while.

 

Omicron Cabin

 

Yippee!  Omicron Cabin, a UFO that has languished for several months, is now a quilt, albeit a small 36" x 36" one.  My Heart of Vermont guild is having a 36" square challenge this year, due in April, so I am all set.   No fabric was purchased for this quilt, although I did have to buy a little batting.  I used two colors of beige polyester thread to quilt it, a light beige in the bobbin and a slightly darker one on top.  You probably can't see the quilting, but I made rectangles and squares all over.  It feels good to finish something.

Today I'm planning to finish the crazy quilt square I started in my Saturday sewing group yesterday.  It has part of a hanky in the middle and is surrounded by various pink and beige scraps.  Next month we will work on embroidery and embellishments.   Can't wait!

Forgotten UFOs

Last weekend, I was poking around in my pizza box marked "Orphans" when I found a half-finished log cabin quilt top.  I had made the blocks using "strings" and only needed 12 more to make a baby-sized quilt.  I hauled out the overflowing string basket and got to work.  I divide my string collection into neutrals and colors, so log cabin blocks are easy to make.  

Somewhere along the line I realized I had measured the initial blocks wrong.  The original blocks were 5" finished, but I was on my way to finishing 12 6" log cabin blocks.  Ugh.  I put those blocks into the Orphan box and made 12 more in the right size.  The little quilt now measured 32.5", still a little too small.  How about a border?  I dug into my miscellaneous and leftover half-square triangle box for a variety of squares, cut those to 2.5", and sewed them on.  

Now the little quilt measures 36.5" and was ready to quilt.  With a nice, soft piece of unbleached muslin for the back and after a run to Joann's for batting, I started quilting what I'm calling Omicron Cabin, having made a similar Corona Cabin (at left) quilt in 2020.  Remember 2020, when we thought we were just isolating for a little while?  Let's hope there won't be a time when I'm making Rho or Sigma Cabin.

Today I'll add the scrappy binding and take a picture.  It's pretty cold out, after several warmer days, so I plan to be indoors sewing.  Not a problem for me - I have plenty to keep me busy.

Friendship Wreath

 

I've always wanted to make a block like this and was pleased to find it's the first block in Aby Dolinger's Favorites block of the month this year.  Her instructions are always so clear, and I've enjoyed the last two years' projects.  I wasn't going to participate this year, opting to work on my local guild's blocks instead.  But I wasn't wild about this month's choice so this will be a substitute.  It measures 18" square (finished) and will be a nice center for a medallion layout.  But I'll wait and see as usual.

Snow day = Sew day

 The weather people predicted terrible weather for yesterday - snow beginning in the morning Thursday and lasting til Friday afternoon.  Wrong-o!  I had run out for provisions on Wednesday and planned a sewing day for Thursday.  But it rained all day until about 4 pm when it all turned to something that became snow.  I wonder if it's icy underneath.  Guess we'll stay in again today because it's still snowing.  I planned another sewing day anyway.   Actually, I'm procrastinating - should be doing my taxes!  I do have a beef stew in the crockpot and am washing the shower curtain, so I'm not really goofing off.

Wednesday, I made a couple of purple house blocks for the RSC (the "official" color is turquoise/teal but I don't have a lot).

The bigger house is from a Moda pattern called "Brick House."  It's very easy and uses 2.5" strips.  I love the sky on this house - it's my last bit of Downton Abbey fabric.   The little houses are foundation pieced, one by Carol Doak and the smaller one from a pattern that came with the pattern printed on light fabric.  I actually prefer paper piecing for a lighter result but this size house is pretty cute.

Next on my agenda were this month's four 6" pineapple blocks which I sewed together into a larger block.  I now have 14 of these in all colors, but I'm making at least a year's worth more to make a decent-sized quilt.  These blocks use 1.5" strips for the most part, and it's fun to dig to the bottom of my bin for a trip down memory lane.

I took a little time to make a block from a bag of "crumbs."  I find making these quite tedious because they go together best if you stop, iron, and square up after each seam.  A 6" crumb block is really the best I can do.  

As I cut other projects, I put larger but otherwise unusable scraps into a ziplock bag that I keep near my cutting board.  I make the blocks a little larger than 6" and also put the cuttings into the bag as parts for the next blocks.  These will probably end up in an orphan or very scrappy block quilt at some point.

Scrappy birds

 

I've seen a lot of quilts with these funny birds over the years and even downloaded a pattern which I have since lost.  Over this past, frigid weekend, I drafted a 10" block and pulled out a few scraps from the box marked "wild patterns."  Combined with 25-patch blocks, it worked into a 36" x 36" baby quilt.

I quilted it mostly on a grid with some outlining of the birds.  This block used some funny parrot fabric along with a Kaffe Fasset scrap.  As you can see, I didn't make the legs as long as some people have because I wanted a uniform size for the blocks.

The pieced back uses a yard of Minnie Mouse fabric that has been hanging around for a while, and the borders were also pieces from deep in my blue tub.  I am out of the striped border fabric now, but next time I go to A Quilters Garden I'll see if there's more.  It works so well with scrappy quilts.

A productive month

January was cold but not too snowy here in central Vermont.  There were days when I only ventured out of the house to dump the compost and/or get the mail.  This morning, it was -6 degrees F, and that's been pretty typical.  We've had lots of sunshine, though, but it's deceiving.  Staying in so much meant that quite a few books were read, new recipes were tried, and paperwork got its due.  The Friends of the Library filed Articles of Incorporation, and now I'm working on the by-laws.  

One thing I did neglect was my ongoing family history writing project, but I'll get to that in February (I hope).  I need to finish putting the relatives my newly discovered cousin Andre vW-G sent me into my tree, too.  Of course, I need to work on my taxes in February, too.

Throughout the month, I worked steadily in the quilting room on various blocks of the month:

  - a burgundy/teal sampler with blocks of my own choosing and guild BOMs

  - the Jane Austen Jubilee, with blocks from a Quiltmaker mystery

  - Bonnie Hunter's Unity quilt, which I'm making as a quilt along with the Heart of Vermont guild

  - two Rainbow Scrap Challenge quilts - 6" pineapples and variously sized house books

  - a 6" block of the month lottery with the international Friendship Swap group

I also made a table runner with hankies, knit a blue scarf and hat, and finished a little sampler (I'll take a photo later today to post).   

I tried a little Guernsey knitting on the hat which was not without its problems.  Hope whoever gets it likes it anyway.  I started a new scarf yesterday using two strands of DK weight yarn, for a bulky look.  It's going fast on #10 needles, which is nice.