Maple leaf blocks

For the sampler I'm designing for the state quilt guild, I made a couple of blocks that I really like this weekend.  One is a 12" maple leaf block and the other is a 12" block made of four 6" maple leaf blocks.  They will end up as the centerpieces of the sampler, I think.

I wish I had cropped the photos before downloading them from my phone!   I was just too eager.  I'll have to crop them before I write up the instructions.  Maybe I was thinking ahead to the yellow rainbow scrap challenge blocks I plan to make this week.  

I did make five log cabin blocks yesterday after I made a batch of nutella cookies and a large pan of brownies for library programs this week.  The kitchen got quite hot, but the cookies were delish.  

Our friend Fred is coming over for coffee on Friday morning, and I'd like to make something special to serve.   Will we have enough cookies left over or should I make something with blueberries?  That is the question!  And if the latter, shall it be bread pudding or muffins?  I guess I'll decide tomorrow...

A hot week coming up

The weather people are predicting a hot and humid week ahead except for today which I had already set aside for baking and, perhaps, jam making.  I promised cookies for library programs Wed. and Thurs., and our friend Fred is coming for coffee on Friday.  Luckily, we have a heat pump which offers air conditioning when we need it.  I'm going to try to do a little cooking ahead today.  Our blueberries are coming in fast and furious.  Peaches are ripening, too, for some blueberry peach jam.

Over the weekend, I worked on blocks for my planned Green Mountain Sampler, a compilation of blocks selected from the last 40 years of the state quilt guild's various raffles and challenges.  2009's block was a maple leaf, and I made a 12" and four 6" blocks.  Those were fairly easy.  

I've been thinking about how I'm going to put all the blocks together in a sampler with some fillers like checkerboards and flying geese.  This is a fun project for me as guild historian.  My goal is to have the written instructions and the finished throw-sized sampler quilt ready for the spring meeting.

Yesterday I tackled the 2019 block which was the center of a guild logo challenge based on the 12" APQS Vermont block which is paper pieced.   The result was disappointing to say the least.  I now remember doing this back then and finding it very difficult to make all the points match.  

I will have to do my sample over before I can publish it in the booklet/web page I'm planning.   I now remember making an 8" block based on Marcia Hohn's Vermont 2 block, also paper pieced.  I'll pay better attention to the colors as well when I get around to it.  I really don't like the way these colors are arranged.

But before I tackle a re-do of the Vermont block, I will work on this month's Rainbow Scrap Challenge blocks:  log cabins, improv houses, and traffic jams.  The color is yellow - hooray!  My yellow/gold box is full of scraps.

Two finishes!

Last week I picked up the Wensleydale quilt from Marie, the long arm quilter, and had it all bound by machine on Sunday.  She quilted it rather loosely in a snowflake pattern which looks a bit like a large stipple.  I like its puffiness and am glad it's done.   Foundation paper piecing made it easy to put together.

I realize that blue isn't considered a Christmas color, but it is used in most winter ones, so I chose the light blue stop border because the outer border includes blue.  I used the same outer border fabric for the binding because the inner part of the quilt is busy enough!  Of course, the holidays are plenty busy.

I may take this quilt to the library to hand on the wall during the holidays along with another quilt I often use with the auction items during "Light Up the Library."  When I get a chance, my plan to is make shopping bags for all the members of the library staff for Christmas.  Right now, I'm looking for a pattern that's easy and folds in or rolls into itself without snaps, buttons, or elastic.  

Over the weekend, I also got all the quilted pieces of my Modern Jane quilt together, bordered, and partly bound.  That was a lot of work, hauling the sections around and squaring them up together.  I was amazed that I had made almost the perfect lengths of piano key borders.  Sometimes things work like a charm and other times they are a pain.   The corners were duplicate DJ blocks that I made by accident during the three years I made them.  I lost track here and there along the way.

The spirit of Jane Stickle was with me on this quilt, I guess.  Besides the almost perfect length of borders, I found I needed to create about a foot more binding to get all the way around neatly, which used up all of one black/white fabric in my stash.   I had plenty more other b/w fabric but didn't want the binding to be scrappy.  I now face the task of sewing the binding down by hand, and I'll do that in spurts.

To give myself a break, I've been working on the July Rainbow Scrap Challenge blocks.  Why - oh why? - did I decide to make three different quilts this year?  The color of the month is Bonnie Hunter's favorite - aqua.   Unfortunately, I have very little of what I consider to be that color, so I have expanded it to be what I consider to be teal which I have a lot of.  Five log cabin blocks are in the bin and put away already.  The "traffic stop" blocks are well on their way to completion, and today I'll start on the improv houses.

Summertime and the living is easy

 

The rugosa roses in front of our house are blooming, and I picked lettuce yesterday.  Friends came for lunch Friday and gave me a lovely bouquet.  The whole house smells delicious - peonies will do that.  Wish we had some in the garden, but at least these are ant-less.

We had some pretty muggy days with summer temperatures.  School is almost out here - I know it's out elsewhere around the country, but ours stays in session longer to make up for the inevitable snow days.  We've had the fan on in our bedroom at night and the AC on in the living room and sewing room a few times.  We've had a few salad and cold cut meals, too.  Tonight we'll grill some pork chops from the freezer which I'm trying to empty in anticipation of having a crop of blueberries later this summer.

I am now ready to quilt the last section of Dear Jane.   I worked on the borders last week and made four 3" blocks for the corners.  Then I made another Improv House block.  I'm not sure how many of these I'll make, but so far I've been following the Rainbow Scrap Challenge colors.  This month's "pastel" turned out not as light as I wanted, but that's OK.  I plan to vary the landscapes a bit so that not all the hills go in the same direction.  It's pretty easy pattern, but I can't remember who designed it off hand.  Jo Avery?  Will have to go through my notes to make sure.

Yesterday I did a little embroidery at quilt guild while chatting with the group.  Some of us are planning to go to the first Vermont Quilt Show this week by a for-profit national group.  I'm curious to see vendors and some displays by local guilds.   My other guild meets this Tuesday for the last time before a summer break.   

Progress!

So far this week, I've been making all kinds of progress.  I finished a book and started another one.  And on Monday, I finished machine quilting the third of four sections of Dear Jane.  I'm pleased and want to work on the final section and work on the borders soon.  

But I also want to get the month's Rainbow Scrap Challenge blocks finished so that I don't fall behind (as I often do!).  This month's color is "pastel," which is a little vauge and presents a bit of a challenge.   I have a lot of pastels, but I'm not sure how good they'll look with the blocks I've already made.  I decided to combine some colors, so yesterday, I made a couple of Traffic Jam blocks in pinks and purples.  

Then I made an Improv Houses block in light blues.   I added the houses to my RSC list last month because (a) I love making house quilts and (b) I have plenty of scraps.  I have yet to make the log cabin blocks for the month and hope to get to them today.

Yesterday morning I made a stop at the Vermont Historical Society library with a bankers' box full of the archives of the state quilt guild.  I had been sifting through several tubs all year, with turning the files over to VHS for safekeeping the ultimate goal.  I was so glad and relieved to be able to finish this long term project.  The tubs had been languishing in the former historian's basement and garage for ages.  Now they will be preserved, indexed and available to anyone doing research.

A busy week

I didn't sew as much as I wanted this week, and I hope to make up for it this weekend.  This past Tuesday I drove over to Burlington to visit a friend at the hospital (she was in the ICU but recovering well) and to shop at Trader Joe's for a political gathering at our house on Thursday which went quite well.  Of course, I had to clean a bit to host the latter, but everyone appreciated the food and talk.  I also made it to yoga twice - once for gentle, once for chair - and I got some paperwork done, too.  

This morning I made the block of the month for this coming Tuesday night's guild raffle.  It was very simple, and I was glad to use scraps.  It should make a nice quilt in various shades of green.

Earlier in the week I made the state quilt guild's raffle block.  I had a heck of a time finding a pink floral print for the center, but then I remembered that I had a bunch in the box I have labeled "wild fabrics."  These are mostly Kaffe Fassett-like fabrics, and I found one that worked very well.  It looks good with the prescribed dark blue star points and light green background.

I made another state guild tenth anniversary block that worked better, at least for me, using paper piecing.  The one on the left is the first block I made using the 1989 directions.  The one on the right uses the paper piecing method.  As you can see, the points won't be cut off if I were to put them together with other blocks made with the same method.  I plan to try to make one using the "Peaky and Spike" rulers I bought years ago when they were popular.  We'll see how that goes.  I plan to make up instructions using the same 1989 colorway but offering all three methods.  It would make a nice quilt if we raffled the blocks off at the fall meeting, but I'm afraid the pattern will be too complex for beginning quilters., as some of our members are.   We'll see how the other board members feel.

Here and there recently, I did make seven more Rainbow Scrap Challenge blocks in this month's pink, but I must say I just glanced the tip of the pink iceberg in my stash.   While working on all of these blocks, I have come to realize that I need to do a conscientious weeding of fabric I doubt I will ever use again.  If it doesn't "spark joy" for me, it may do so for someone else.   Will try to sift through the pinks this weekend and put what I can on the "free" table Tuesday night.

Sewing hit or miss

I finished the center of my Wensleydale quilt on Thursday, but I needed to find a light blue for the first border before continuing.  Yesterday, before attending the Calico County guild meeting, I found just what I need, and today I'll proceed to work on the stop (a/k/a skinny) border and outer border.  I'll be glad to finish the top and move on to other projects.  I need to make or buy a back for Wensleydale and get some batting, but that can wait for a week or so.  We have a busy week ahead so my sewing will be hit or miss.

Tuesday I'm heading to Burlington for a trip to Trader Joe's for wine and for lunch with my friend Pauline who is recovering from hip surgery.  The wine will be for a getting-to-know-you gathering with a candidate for the town board on Thursday.  Today we'll walk around the neighborhood with invitations.

Wednesday and Thursday, I'll attend yoga classes, and Thursday morning I'll also go to the genealogy group meeting.  The candidate gathering is at 4 pm, giving me time that afternoon to move furniture and make up cheese and fruit trays.  I don't think our candidate has a chance of winning because she's up against a well-liked incumbent/business owner, but this run may set her up for a win in the future.  Our town board has a history of irrational negativity toward funding the library, and we Friends would like to change that.

Hit or miss sewing will involve making blocks for the Rainbow Scrap Challenge (pink log cabin and traffic stop), the local guild monthly raffle, the state guild raffle, and another 1989 state guild block.   I pieced the latter a few weeks ago, but as you can see, the points didn't fit well.  I don't remember if paper piecing was "invented" by 1989, but I'm going to try to make the next blocks that way.  I also have plastic "Peaky and Spike" templates that I can use on a third iteration.  We'll see how far I get this week!

Packing, cleaning, and more

This afternoon I'll be packing for our trip.  I have lots of stuff gathered or thought about and just have to fold them neatly to get into suitcases and tote bags.  I don't like to do it too early in the day in case I change my mind or take too much that I never use.  I'm not looking forward to three days' drive, but I do like to have our car with us.  When we're going for a while somewhere, I like to take food, coffee, things to do (knitting, reading, etc.), chargers, and guidebooks.  Paper towels and disinfecting wipes come in handy on the road.

This morning, I made my RSC blocks for the month.  The color for March is red and I have already made a bunch of red log cabin blocks.  I just had to make a couple of red Traffic Jam blocks.

I had to cut some more 2" and 3.5" squares of red this time.  I have a box of 2" squares that makes this the perfect block for the RSC most months.  I hope the next color will be purple or orange.  At the end of the year I'll make some brown/beige/black ones to fit here and there.

I put away all of the Wensleydale blocks just to keep them together.  I have more pieces cut for when we get home.  It's fairly easy once I get the rhythm of cutting and paper piecing.  I may even finish before summer if I keep at it.  I hope there are a few quilt shops on our trip as I need a small transfusion of holiday fabrics.  If not, I'll order some when I get home.

Chris and Marad are coming by this afternoon, no doubt to find out if we have any last minute requests for watching the house.  I hope they will fill our windshield washer fluid for me.  I need to clean the inside car windows, too, as well as the headlights and rear windshield.  As usual, we will be hoping for a little rain to wash the rest of the winter dirt away.  

Quilt repair

I realized that I need to insert the magnetic clasp into the lining of the tote bag before putting it together, so I set it aside until I go to the quilt shop Saturday for a state guild board meeting and local guild sew-in.  I really miss Joann Fabrics!  Walmart just doesn't have what I need, and, when I looked on Amazon.com, I could buy clasps in bulk but not just one or two.  I sure hope the quilt shop has a couple or I will order some via Etsy.

I noticed some of the fabric in the quilt on our bed was deteriorating - probably because someone (not me!) sits there to watch TV.  Just two blocks, side by side, thank goodness.   The quilt was finished in 2015, so I guess that isn't too bad.  Today I made two new blocks and appliqued them over the old ones.  Then I quilted them from the back.  It looks pretty good.  This quilt is never going in a show but I do like it.  Luckily, it was a Rainbow Scrap Challenge sampler so I just pulled fabric from my stash.

Next I spent some time looking for a pattern that I had yesterday but can't find today.  I have a bunch of Kaffe Fassett scraps and I thought would look good against a black background.  The pattern came from last year's Modern Quilts calendar, and I have been shuffling it around since the beginning of the year.  I will probably find it when I am in the middle of making the one I sketched out.  But that's for another day - I'm going to sit down and knit right now.  I don't have far to go on that hat.

Pixilated

Yesterday I made a push to finish my Pixilated Holland piece.  I'm not sure what I'll do with it, so I have put it in time out in the closet.

I put extra strips on the sides but only squared up the top and bottom.  I am thinking of quilting this piece and then again putting it into time out as I make borders to go around it.  I was considering tulips and windmills, but I also have some Dutch prints that might be fun to add.  And do I want to branch out into some other colors?  And do I want a throw or a bed-sized quilt?  Too many questions!

I doubt if I will ever make another piece like this although I bought the "Vermont" pattern before I got this one.  This version of Holland (by Karen Abrahamovich) used strips that are 1.5" wide.   I feel it looks somewhat out of proportion, but that may just be my faulty memory.  I think the Vermont pattern I have uses wider strips, maybe 2" or 2.5".   I had a lot of difficulty with the angled pieces, particularly the islands in the northwest corner.  But they look OK in the picture taken at a distance, which is a relief.

After finishing Holland I started making green log cabin blocks as part of the Rainbow Scrap Challenge and ended up making 10 8" blocks.  Today I cut out some scraps for some Traffic Jam blocks.  Then it was time for yoga, so I probably won't get those made until tomorrow.  I am happy that the color of the month is green, though, because I have almost as many green scraps as I do blue. 

Ready to dip into the greens

February's Rainbow Scrap Challenge color is green, and I can't wait.  I'm sick of working in blues although I have a blue and white quilt that will be coming back from Marie soon and will need a blue binding (all cut!).  I have plenty of green strings for the log cabin blocks and there are lots of green squares for "traffic stop," too.  I'll get to those in between continuing working on the map of Holland.  I'm more than half-way done with that, but it is tedious and difficult to fit together.  Still, I am determined not to create another longtime UFO.

Friday I finished binding the blue and white snowflake quilt which I will get a picture of next time I'm at guild.   The quilt currently being long arm quilted by Marie is the Triple Barn Star and measures 72" x 72".  She says she's having a problem with the long arm so it will be a couple of weeks before it's finished.  That's OK with me since I have plenty to keep me busy.

I finished reading the latest #1 Ladies Detective Agency book yesterday (it was good, not spectacular) and started on one for my mystery book group.  I'll take it with me today as I wait for Paul at the Retina Center.  Before we leave for Burlington, I'll need to get ready for the cleaning people by gathering trash, starting some laundry, etc.  I always change the towels in the bathroom when they come so it all looks fresh.

Yesterday I mapped out our March trip south, and now I'm getting excited about going.  We leave around March 10 and return two weeks later, more or less.  It all depends on the number of stops we make going home.  One will definitely be in Columbia, SC, to visit my friend Libby.  And we're contemplating a stop near Hershey, PA, to join cousins in the area.

Happy New Year!

I'm looking forward to a year with less conflict and stress.  If our national leader can't supply that, I will try to do as much as I can to bring peace to our home.  As a naturalized citizen (since age 3!), I am a bit worried about crossing the border into and out of Canada this summer, but that's far ahead.  I can think of worse places to be than Ontario!  My word for the year is "Explore," as we are planning quite a bit more travel than in 2025.

Yesterday I finished making blue log cabin blocks and put them away with the red blocks in an empty (yes!) project box until February rolls around.  I don't know if I'll stick to the Rainbow Scrap Challenge all year, but I'm starting out that way.

I moved on to work on the Triple Barn Star quilt in blues.  I have some speckly fabric for the background and then chose coordinating prints and solids.  I ended up cutting all the fabric I need, which is something I rarely do when starting a quilt.  My usual method is to cut as I go, but this appears to be a medallion starting in the middle.  The pattern is designed for layer cakes which I almost never buy, but I did use quite a bit of stash.  And I still can't close my blue tub!  I have plans for more blue quilts later in the year, though.

Today I'll do some housekeeping and get ready for our open house this afternoon.  I'm anxious to put the charcuterie board together, and I have lots of cookies to set out as well.  The ice for the punch is ready to go.  Hope you have a fun First Footing (a Scottish tradition bringing good luck) planned, too!

New Year approacheth!

Happy almost New Year!  We don't do anything special on New Year's Eve although I usually make something special for dinner.  It really is an ordinary day/night for us.   On New Year's Day, however, we invite friends and neighbors over for "First Footing" in the afternoon.  Before then, I'll bake cookies and maybe a cake for the event.  Last year we almost ran out of chairs, and it was incredibly fun.  Attendance will depend on the weather, of course.  Neighbors will come in any case, but some friends will wait to see how the roads are.  One neighbor may even bring his guitar.

Meanwhile, I'm still clearing out UFOs.  I finished another small (57" x 57") rail fence top made of blocks I won at the fall state guild meeting.  For most guild meetings, state or local, I usually make the raffle block but don't put my name in to win all the blocks.  

This time I really liked the blocks, so I did and was happy to win all 16 blocks.  Actually, it was 14 blocks with a bunch of additional strips.   The quilter who put them in said they were DIY blocks which I didn't mind.  Yesterday, I finished the piano keys border and pieced the back so that next week I can take it to be quilted. 
 

That leaves just one sampler waiting to be finished and quilted.  I hope to get to that soon.  In the afternoon, I worked on some hand applique on a small quilt for the guild round robin and started making some string log cabin blocks.  I plan to make those following the rainbow scrap challenge in 2026.  

The January RSC color will be blue, so I chose red for December since my red string bag is overflowing.   If red comes up soon, I'll change my blocks to burgundy or pink.  I have plenty of strings in all colors to keep me busy.  I square them up after every round and am making them all 8" finished.  Last year I made triangles out of strings and have quite a few with no real plans for them.  Maybe I'll use them as a border for the log cabin blocks.  

Meanwhile, we have been planning a bunch of trips for 2026, realizing that we had better take some before we get too old to go anywhere.  We both have high school reunions this year (60!) and want to take a cruise on the Mississippi River.  We also plan to go south for a few weeks this winter and to visit my mom in Colorado.  May your 2026 be full of fun, too!

  

Farewell, my lovely

I so rarely sell anything on etsy that I forget what I have in the "shop."  This Hunter's Star quilt sold overnight so I'll be finding a box and getting it in the mail today.  It's exciting to sell something, yet also a little sad that I'll never see it again.  

I gave the Accuquilt die I used to Krista because I don't plan to make another one of these.  I have too many other quilts lined up for the future.  In fact, there are two pizza boxes in the closet with patterns and background fabrics just waiting to be used.  I also have several other patterns I hope to make in 2024.  

Due to our town's recent flood, I spent last week burning off nervous energy by sorting my strings by color and then sewing 6" log cabin-ish blocks out of them.  I now have 78 ROYGBIV as well as brown/beige and black/gray blocks all ready to sew together, colorwash style.   I made a new date to learn the long arm at the local quilt shop, and I hope to get the hankie quilt put together soon.  Maybe today?  I hate to have a project hang around half-done for too long.

Due

Pineapple quilt

Did you hear me sigh a huge sigh of relief this morning?  The Rainbow Scrap Challenge pineapple quilt top that I've been making blocks for over the past two years is finally finished!  I think.  I may add another border if I can figure out what color to make it.  Turquoise?  Purple?  Black?

Right now there's a 1.5" gray border made out of the gray print that's in each block's center.  The top measures 64" square which is fine for a throw.  I am planning to take it to my friend Marie for long arm quilting.   I have lots of the gray print for the back, which is a relief.

I also made several blocks of the month for March this morning.  We were supposed to have 6-12"of snow overnight, and I woke up very early to the sound of the snowplow zooming by.  Paul estimates that we had about 4" of snow, and by noon the roads were very driveable.  Unfortunately, my neighborhood ladies' lunch was cancelled because at 9 am it didn't look that driveable out.   I had lots more time to sew, between getting up early and not going out for lunch. 

I finished several blocks of the month for March, including these easy ones for guild.  The one on the right I'm keeping because the center is from an old muumuu of my Mom's.  The one on the left is for the guild lottery.   I won the lottery blocks for February on Tuesday night - purple stars.  There are close to 20 in the group (it was a fairly easy block), and they will be really nice to put together, when I get around to it.

Yesterday I received my new-to-me (used) iPhone 12 to replace my iPhone 6 which I'll be giving to Paul who has resisted having a cell phone until now.  He has come to see the usefulness of one for emergencies.  I was amazed at how fast and easy transferring my data from one phone to the other was.  You just set one near the other and follow the directions on the screen.   I had to get a little advice from Chris via text message about removing the SIM card so I can make phone calls.  But I just felt so very smart when the whole process was finished.  Now the only problem is that, with the case that came with the phone, it doesn't fit in my purse which has a pocket on the outside for the phone.  I'll see if I can get a slightly less bulky case.

Hanging sleeves

We picked up my newly cleaned machine Tuesday, and I've been sewing quite a bit ever since.  It is now back to sewing smoothly and evenly, thank goodness.  Made a bunch of Hunter's Star blocks, mostly yellow/orange, and four 6" pineapple blocks in pink (the Rainbow Scrap Challenge color of the month).  I put them away before taking photos (sorry!) and got started on some more Dear Jane blocks yesterday.  

In between, I started hand sewing hanging sleeves onto quilts that will be in the Vermont Quilt Festival in June.  This quilt was made by Jeanne Hutchinson in 1984 to commemorate the fifth anniversary of the Green Mountain Quilters Guild.

I wanted to take extra care with this treasure as it is all hand-done - embroidery, applique, quilting.   It is passed along from president to president of the guild and is hung at our semi-annual meetings.

The names of two of the guild founders are quilted in.  Mary, the daughter of one of these ladies, both deceased, came to our sewing meeting Saturday.  She was pleased to see her mother's name there and showed us a Storm at Sea quilt her mother had left blocks for.  Mary has finished it and will start hand quilting it soon.  She also had a batch of orphan blocks that she wants to incorporate in other, future quilts.  We were glad to give our suggestions and look forward to seeing those quilts develop.  

When I finished with the hanging sleeve for this quilt, I started sewing one for the 2019-20 GMQG Logo Challenge that I'm entering in the show.  The sleeves need to be at least 4" wide, and while both quilts have sleeves, I have lightly appliqued new muslin sleeves over top.  I didn't finish hand sewing this sleeve at the meeting so will peck away at it this week.  

Today I plan to go to Joann Fabrics for two more yards of muslin so I can add a sleeve to my Full Duty Civil War sampler quilt for the show.  I'll post pictures of a few more Dear Jane blocks later today or tomorrow.

February hearts

It's February 2, Groundhog Day, but I forgot to check to see if he saw his shadow.  No problem.  In Vermont we are hoping for six more weeks of winter as that would be shorter than normal!   Our beloved yoga instructor reminded us that we were astronomically in the middle of winter yesterday.  Hooray!   She noted that some folks use this time to clean closets and do other spring cleaning chores.  Funny - I just put together a box for the Re-Store and a bag for the Salvation Army.  I'll deliver them manana, but meanwhile I'll be driving around with them.  

Today I'm doing a little hand applique, working on Aby's row of the month.  The Rainbow Scrap Challenge color of the month is, coincidentally or not, pink, so I'm making my row of hearts using pink scraps.

I'm using a bunch of hearts cut out of freezer paper from past projects.  Usually, I baste the seams over the freezer paper before sewing, but this time I just ironed them as, at 6", they are pretty easy to iron.  I will have a couple of blocks with smaller hearts, and those I will probably baste using quilting thread.    January's blocks were very easy to do, and because I made six 8" blocks then, this month I'm making 8 6" ones.  I'm not sewing the blocks into rows yet as I'm not sure I'll use them as a row by row quilt or some other way.  I have months to decide.  Aby has offered a few different layouts for the blocks, depending on the final size.

Below zero weather with terrible wind chill are predicted for tomorrow and Saturday, so hand applique seems like a cozy way to beat the cold.  I have a couple of really appealing mysteries loaded onto my Kindle, too, so staying indoors under a quilt should be just fine.   

Gray skies

 

We took a run over to Montpelier this morning to deliver another box of Paul's latest book.  The bookstore staff said it's a best seller and the books we brought won't fill their stack of orders.  Paul will be getting more soon to take to the bookstore and the state historical society gift shop.

While we were there, we went over to see an exhibit in one of the store windows.  It is based on an article Paul wrote a while back; there are three large panels quoting from the article as well as several signs.   All give credit to Paul so I took his picture.  Unfortunately, you can see also the reflection of the buildings across the street.  It's a gloomy day but not too chilly.

On the way home we stopped for milk and went to the bank, but there was still time to sew before lunch.  I made some Hunter's Star blocks yesterday, and then today I made six blocks for Aby Dolinger's row by row quilt along this year.  In both cases, I used blue because the tote that holds my blue stash is bursting at the seams. 

 Luckily for me, the Rainbow Scrap Challenge color this month is bright/dark blue.   
I didn't connect the row by row blocks yet so I could take a picture of them.  I've found that wide, skinny rows don't always photograph so well.  

After I finished those blocks, I started back on my Arboretum blocks for the online swap.  I was surprised to see that I had already made so many several months ago.  I think I need to make 14 to swap for 7 people.  Will have to check my email to be sure.  At any rate, any new blocks I make will be for me.  Nice!

Pineapples!

I have finally gotten back on track with various projects.   Currently, I'm making two blocks to add to my pineapple block collection.   I've been following the RSC colors each month for a while and adding a few multicolored blocks here and there as will and whim allow.  

This month I'm making four brown blocks which I'll put togethr to make a 12" block, and I'm making four multicolored ones from my string basket.  I laid them out at random today and really love the way they look.   I think I'll make five more 12" blocks and call it quits, because the quilt will measure 60" x 60" by then.  

My Austen Jubilee fabrics arrived yesterday, so I'll work on some more blocks next.  When I finish those, I'll wait for the next issue of Quiltmaker to put them all together.  It's going to be a busy weekend with a Friends of the Library coin drop Saturday morning and a guild sewing session in the afternoon.  On Sunday we hope to get our COVID boosters at a state-run walk in clinic, so who knows how we'll feel after that?  Hoping not to notice.

A few UFOs finished!

Today is a warm, sunny, not very humid day.  Perfect, I thought, for picture taking.  I found it is a little too sunny, so please excuse the glare and the wrinkles that last week's humidity caused.  

This year, Aby Dolinger posted a block of the month project called "Favorites."  I always like her patterns because of the very clear directions.  I put my blocks together a little differently, though, combining Aby's blocks with my guild's blocks of the month.  Of course, that meant I had a few too many blocks, so some made a nice back.

I love the background fabric which is from a line called "Pressed Flowers," and has flecks of burgundy, gold, and greenish blue.  I used quite a few scraps and added a few fabrics, too.  The binding is a floral gold with burgundy accents.

This measures 47" x 47" and I quilted it fairly simply in a grid, with a smaller grid in the plain areas.  It will be a nice wall quilt, table topper, or even a quilt for a modern baby.

Those fold lines worry me, so I now have the quilt spread out over the back of our sofa and hope they go away.  If not, I'll use a little steam and then let it hang some more.

Yesterday I finished a quilt I'm calling "Scrappy Town," made of variously sized house blocks.  I found a free pattern on the Fat Quarter Shop's website called "Brick House" and thought I'd use it for the Rainbow Scrap Challenge.  After making the block a few times, I wasn't totally happy with it, so I decided to add some other sized house blocks here and there.   I think they add variety, and I enjoyed paperpiecing some of the blocks.

The resulting 45" x 45" quilt also uses scraps of muslin and 2" scrappy squares from my vast collection.  I quilted with my walking foot, mostly outlining and  crisscrossing the squares.  I loved making those tiny 3" houses, but I don't think I could endure making a whole quilt out of them.  This is a good solution.

The back of the quilt is a yellow blender and the binding is a yellow print that I've had for ages.  I had just enough to go around, thank goodness.  I ended up with three 2.5" squares for my 2.5" square scrap box.

Now I'm pondering what to do with all the multicolored 6" blocks of the month I've made in my online quilt group.   I had them lined up row-by-row fashion, but that seems too dull somehow.  Now I have 9 wonky star blocks auditioning for the center of a medallion quilt.  I could also make a haphazard sort of layout with fillers, again using my trusty 2" or 2.5" squares.  I'll keep shuffling them around for a while before deciding.