Finally - photos

I finished this Rainbow Scrappy Star throw a few weeks ago but wanted to wash out all the blue quilting lines before showing it.  I made three or four blocks every month for the rainbow scrap challenge, and it is a good-sized throw that I quilted using my Elna Excellence 720 and a walking foot. The white background gives it a clean, contemporary look, and all of the colored fabrics were scraps, many of them from my 2" square box.  I did use some small prints for some of the backgrounds, just for a little variety.

I am a little disappointed that the colors in the 16 patches ran through the back in some places, but at least they didn't get on the front of this quilt. 

 The three color catchers came out perfectly clean.  I think that with more washing that dye will come out, but I don't want to wash this quilt too much before it is actually used.  I'll save it to give to someone who needs a quilt.  I love how soft it feels after washing, and I love the striped binding.

This month's RSC20 color is red, and I made a couple of red star blocks for the next rainbow scrappy quilt, too.  I'm using gray scrappy backgrounds for this new RSC quilt.  Those scraps sure tend to multiply!

Working ahead

I volunteered to coordinate the guild's Block of the Month program this year.  We aren't meeting until it's safe - maybe we'll get together this spring, and maybe not til next fall.  The church we meet in is closed right now, and very few guild members feel good about meeting in person anyway.  The BOM is a nice project to do at home, and I've added a twist.  Everyone who wants to can contribute to and enter a lottery, and then mail one block each to the winner each month.  All the blocks will be 6" finished, so they'll be easy to mail.   I'll draw a winner at the end of each month using a random number generator.

September's block is an easy nine patch, and quite a few people have already made their blocks and entered.  People can, of course, make as many blocks for themselves as they wish.  At the end of the guild year, they should end up with a sweet little sampler, a memento of the year without meetings.  I started keeping a box of scrappy blocks a month or so ago, and I think there are now about ten nine patches, a bunch of string blocks, and some crumb blocks.  These will all go into a quilt(s) sometime.

I decided to make each month's block seasonal and a little more difficult, so October's block will be a maple leaf.   Fall is already in the air here in Vermont, and, by the time October rolls around, leaf season will be at its peak.  I wonder how many tourists will venture into the state?    

Fall colors aren't my favorite, but maple leaf is one of my favorite blocks and I particularly like this arrangement.   Instructions for a 6" block are all over the internet, so it will be easy to send links to the guild members at the beginning of the month.

A few years ago, my smaller guild made a table runner / wallhanging for the Vermont Quilt Festival with blocks arranged like this.  After the show, we gave our finished piece to our president, who still holds that office and keeps us together.   That group isn't meeting again this year either.  I really miss Saturday afternoons, sitting and hand sewing with those thoughtful, interesting women.  Glad we have email!

In holiday mode

 

Having delivered fall items to sell at the local florist/gift shop, I turned my attention this week to holiday/winter gifts for Mom.  She says she's not seeing many people now with COVID, but she seems to see more than I do!  I like to give her a bunch of small things that she can give people who do nice things for her, like take her out to lunch, give her rides, etc.  She also has a caregiver a few days a week and a cleaning person.   And then there are the helpful neighbors.

I bought a Moda "Chill" layer cake and mini charm pack on sale recently.  I don't know why I've been making so many blue things lately, but the glitz in this particular line of fabric wasn't as bad as some winter fabrics I've seen.  My nickname for Mom is "Mrs. Glitz" -- she often gives me sparkly t-shirts and other things.  

I started with a reversible table runner.  One side is made of log cabin blocks in blues and grays, and the other side is made with stars.   I ordered a little extra yardage for  borders and the binding via an etsy shop.  It's waiting to be quilted now.  So far, I like the result so much that I'm going to keep this table runner.  Sorry, Mom.  

Next, I finished 8 mugs rugs using tumblers and made 8 reusable gift bags.  The bags will be handy for cookies and other goodies.  Then, I made some of those criss-cross coasters my friend Suzy showed at a guild meeting ages ago.  I used some leftover layer cake fabric as well as some other holiday fabrics in my stash for those.  They are incredibly easy, and I'll make a few more for neighbors with whom we play croquet and socialize with afterwards.  I made a little tag for each set of four coasters explaining how to use them for wine glasses.  That's not wine in that glass - it's herbal iced tea!

Yesterday, I ran down to A Quilter's Garden, my local quilt shop, to buy a little more Christmas-themed fabric for a few more table runners, per Mom's request.  I'll probably make them out of log cabin blocks with my many holiday scraps.

That will be about "it" for holiday sewing, unless I get requests from family or friends, and I'm glad to have it out of the way.  Hmmm... wonder if I should make Mom a holiday-themed face mask?  Uh oh!

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!

Whipping up little things

In an effort to keep members of our local quilt guild engaged during a time when we aren't meeting, I volunteered to coordinate the annual block swap and also the block of the month programs.  The person who usually does this is moving to New Hampshire by the end of the year.  I will miss her!

The block we'll be swapping this year is Bonnie Hunter's Scrappy Trips Around the World.  We usually have 6-8 people participating, but this year 21 people have signed up so far.  Guess everyone is looking for a good project.  We'll each make one block for each other person and hope to swap them in person next May.  The blocks are easy to make - here are my first four blocks.

The guild Block of the Month is going to be a little different this year.  Before, we got instructions for a 12" block and just made our own blocks to use as we wished.  Some people made whole quilts out of a block they particularly liked, and some (like me) made samplers.  This time, I am giving instructions for 6" blocks all year with an optional lottery.  If people want, they can submit one block for the lottery, and the winner will be mailed all the blocks.  This month's block is an easy nine patch with cream and any color.  I made up five blocks in an afternoon with leftover 2.5" squares I had already cut.

One will go to the lottery and the rest will join a batch of nine patches I have stashed away for who knows what.  I'm already planning October's block - a maple leaf for fall - and hope to make them more challenging as the year goes on.

Yesterday was spent sewing Christmas mug rugs.  I have a bunch of tumblers in holiday fabrics that I cut a few months ago when I made some Christmas stockings and a table runner.  Now I thought I'd make some mug rugs for Mom and me to give as little gifts.  They're quite scrappy but I have some nice yardage for the backs.  I made eight so far and will quilt them later today and tomorrow.  

The brown sweater

I can't remember when I started knitting this wool sweater - maybe February?  I had just finished a long, lacy scarf, and thought I'd tackle a bigger project:  a cardigan sweater.  When Chris was small, I knit us each sweaters to wear in the fall before we wore jackets.  I gave his cute little red sweater to friends and found the one I knit myself too hot.  The pattern for this year's sweater promised no sewing, and is knit in the round from the bottom up.  The soft wool and round needle came quickly from Hobbii in Denmark; I like its pinkish tint.

Everything was fine until I split for the armholes.  Many years ago my mother taught me to knit European style with one needle under my arm.  Round needles are hard for me to control, but I managed.  Still, when I got to the armholes, I did the front and back on straight needles.  The Kitchener stitch had me flummoxed so I sewed the shoulders and am now almost finished knitting the sleeves individually on straight needles.  They will have to be sewn in, but I can knit much faster with straight needles.

Before I sew the sleeves in, I'll knit the pockets on round needles.  And then comes the scary part:  zigzag stitching the center front, cutting it, and knitting the ribbing on both sides of the front and around the neck.  The end is in sight, though, and this has been a pretty relaxing project during The Pandemic.

More donuts

 I wish I could show you the dozen blueberry donuts I made this morning, but there are only four left and they are safely ensconced in a plastic bag for later.  I took two each to two sets of neighbors, Paul and I each ate one, and he took two to the librarians at the Vermont History Center.  He was doing some research there this morning.  I guess we'll need to take a few walks around when he gets back because of the influx of calories.  Having lost 30 lbs. since the beginning of the year, I am very careful these days.  And I have more to lose - don't most of us?  

The King Arthur recipe is so easy, and it's fun to use the donuts pans I received for Christmas.  Our blueberry bushes were super productive this year, so I will be able to make quite a few more during the year.  And did you know that there is a special non-melting confectioner's sugar?  I discovered it while roaming around King Arthur's website.  I also bought some boiled cider because I love apple cider donuts.   There's a cider mill about 45 minutes from here, but it's a long way to go for one donut.  So cider donuts will be my next flavor.  Maybe in a week or so.

One of my dieting strategies has been to stay upstairs and sew, rather than to be downstairs and snack.   Yesterday, I finished a little lattice quilt top made of some charm squares my Mom sent me last year and some that I got in a swap.

I made a similar quilt out of blues and greens a few years ago.  It's an easy pattern that I found in a magazine advertising piece.  Just 5" squares cut diagonally with a 1.5" strip sewn in.  Square up to 5" (using the Dear Jane ruler in my case).  Now the top is hanging in the closet, waiting to be quilted.  I'll have to think a bit about how I'm going to quilt it.  

Today I'm going to start working on another border for the Virtual Round Robin.  I have been circling it while it's laying on the bed and think I have an idea.  This month's round is supposed to be appliqued, but I may be going rogue this time.  We'll see!