Keeping up with the BOMs

 After whipping up eight mug rugs out of Holiday-themed tumblers, I turned my attention to blocks of the month (BOMs).   First up were my "Sisters" quilt along blocks. I had September's Ribbon Star to do, in both the 12" and 6" sizes.

And then there were the January and February blocks I hadn't done - Dutchman's Puzzle and Star of Hope (one of my favorites).

Next I started a bunch of new Rainbow Scrappy Challenge blocks.  This month's color is red, and I decided to make "Pop Star" blocks designed by Jenny Doan of Missouri Star Quilt Co.  I'll use the color of the month to make as many as I'm inclined to make, all using scrappy gray backgrounds.  The blocks finish at 8.5".   I like the way the points float a bit, and of course that makes them easy to set together without sashing.

Somehow that rogue block joined the reds because it is a sample for my online swap group.   We haven't decided what we'll swap next year, but I thought I'd give it a try, and it's easy.

Wishing you all a happy holiday weekend.  Now that I'm retired and because we're staying home more these days, a holiday doesn't affect me too much.  I just wonder if Joann Fabrics will be open?  Guess I'll find out tomorrow when I set out for some sewing machine needles!

"Sisters" Quilt Along

Do I need another project?  Well, I guess I do since I've been making blocks for the Sisters Quilt Along created by Aby Dolinger whose blog I enjoy reading.  This block of the month features a 12" block and a 6" block in the same design, and since my blue box is overflowing, I decided to make my blocks in scrappy blues on cream.  This QAL began in January, so I was way behind at the beginning of the week.  Here are some of the blocks I made for previous months.

Today I worked on the August blocks.  They were complex, but do-able, and Aby offered an easier alternative for the smaller block.  So I made both smaller blocks.  :-)

This week I plan to make the blocks for January and February, and then I can sit tight until September.  I actually like this way of working on a block of the month, jumping in and doing most of the blocks at once.  It's a great way to use up scraps, and I like making differently sized blocks for a quilt.

A super day

My birthday always sneaks up on me, although I do look forward to it every year.  Yesterday, I slept late (til 6 am!), dilly dallied around, opened a bunch of cards and packages.  I love the fat quarters I received from my online quilting group - purple batiks!

These should go well with the swap blocks I'll be receiving by the end of September.  Everyone participating in the swap is making 6" blocks of their choice in the color(s) of the receiver's choice.  So I asked for purples on the cream background everyone will be using.  I thought I might use plain squares in between the pieced blocks in order to make the resulting quilt a little bigger.  We'll see.

I received some wonderful gifts also.  Mom and Jenny sent things they picked up at the Rocky Mountain Quit Museum gift shop, including two charm packs that I'll have fun using.  Mom sent an intriguing scarf that I had to ask her how to tie.  It turns out that it's a flowy vest to dress up a plain outfit... for whenever I need something dressy... after COVID?

Paul, who always knows what I like, gave me a gift certificate to A Quilters Garden, knowing I would use it immediately.  After our usual morning walk, I hit the road for my annual birthday spree.  Paula carefully tackled my stack of purchases - maybe 25 yards' worth of backgrounds, sashings, and fun fabrics, along with a quilt batt - and applied the birthday discount to those not already on sale at 1/3 off.  It pays to get older there where my discount this year was 36% (half my age)!

Once home, I sorted out the reds that I like to prewash and put away most of the rest before working on a few quilt blocks for the "Sisters Quilt Along."  It's a block of the month program that features a 12" and a similar 6" block each month.  I have only been working on my blocks for a couple of weeks, so I'm playing catch up, which is fine with me.  I really like quilts with different sized blocks, and these are a bit challenging.  Great for getting my mind off the rather upsetting time we are living in.

Paul got Chinese take out for dinner, Chris joined us, and it was a great end to a perfect birthday for this quilter.

A new project

Try as I might, I can't resist a new project.   I started Dutch Treat this week, having eyed it for years.  It's a lot like the Dear Jane quilt in that it's a sampler with lots of small blocks.  I have no plans to make a full-sized quilt because each block is reverse appliqued, but, when an online group was starting a quilt along, I thought I'd give it a whirl.  Here are my two blocks for the week.

As you can see, they are pretty wonky, and I labored over each one for two afternoons.   I'm making a purple one today and hope to finish before the next three blocks are announced.  The original quilt is in blue and white, and while I love that color combination, I thought I'd do each of the blocks in a different color.  I think the resulting table runner will be very pretty!