Spring is so close!

 Spring is so close!

 Some of my daffodils made it through the stormy weather and hail we had yesterday. More of that weather coming so I took a photo to enjoy.

 

Most of the daffodils look like this, not quite ready but so close to blooming!

 

Here are my green donation quilt blocks so far. Only 20 more to piece before deciding on a layout and stitching the blocks together. I just haven't got any motivation to work on it today.

 Call me crazy but I saved the waste triangles I trimmed off and I'm thinking of piecing some them. Since I didn't measure a true 1/4" when trimming and instead just whacked them off with a pair of scissors, I doubt that many of the triangles will be the same size but this could be fun! I guess it would only be fun for someone not concerned with points and matching seams, lol.

This project is what's keeping me from finishing the green donation quilt. It really is better for me to work on only one project at a time. I'm ready to fuse the tulips on the background. The pattern, Keukenhof, is from a 2017 Quiltmania magazine. I still hope to have it finished soon so it can hang in our living room this spring!

Until next time, Mayleen

Green!

 I wasn't surprised that the RSC-21 color was green because March 17 is St. Patrick's Day! Also, I think all of us are waiting, maybe a little impatiently, for spring. I'm not of Irish descent but know I'm ready for green grass and my flowers to make an appearance!

 

Green is one of my favorite colors to stitch with. I used up quite a bit of my green fabric and scraps when I cut out enough pieces for a lap quilt using this block, Four Leaf Clover, designed by Stash Bandit, also known as Diane Harris. Diane spoke to our quilt guild in Wichita several years ago and just coincidentally, her logo is perfect for the pandemic. 

 

Here's the link to the free pattern: https://stashbandit.net/four-leaf-clover-quilt-free-pattern/

Stash Bandit has a blog and is on Facebook so check her out!

 

When the new color was announced, I was just starting to stitch the last polka dot block together. Its still waiting for me and it really wouldn't take long to finish but ...

 Sometime this past week, I decided to put up my Easter decorations. I'm not a big decorator but I was just so ready for something new to look at, preferably springy. Every Easter at my grandparents' house, my aunts would hide candy filled paper mache Easter bunnies somewhere on the farm. With our uncles' supervision, the grandkids had to stay inside and promise not to look out the windows but when the aunts came back in, look out! All 15 of us grandkids would run out to compete who could find their bunny first. The adults looked for theirs too but not quite as eagerly as we did. There were always the helpful clues, "You're cold!", "You're getting warm!", and "You're hot!" When everyone had found theirs, the grandkids got to hide our grandparents' bunnies. Of course, we snacked and traded candy all afternoon. One candy I particularly remember was the orange circus peanuts which were one of my grandfather's favorites. Just the thought of them now makes my teeth cringe!

I seem to have a really short attention span these days. I was happy working on the green lap quilt but I something was nagging me. It was the orangy red and purple polka dot star wall hanging which hangs above our fireplace. Not spring like, in my mind. Tried to ignore it but I couldn't and when I was sorting through my older Quiltmania magazines, my next project jumped out at me. I hope to finish it before Easter, lol!

One last photo, taken this morning. It was a little foggy, most of the neighborhood wasn't up and about yet, and the birds were singing, a perfect sunrise in my humble opinion!

Until next time, Mayleen

From squares to dots!

 I've had a Love / Hate relationship with this project from the start but now that its finished, I can say I kind of like it. Even though during the "Love it" stage, I thought I might keep it, I've decided to donate it to my quilt guild's charity committee. I hope that someone of an independent nature receives it and loves it!

It gave me or actually I should say I gave myself plenty of learning situations during construction. From snipping into seams to sewing several rows in upside down, I experienced it. Not whining about it but I am realizing I need to take more care and pay attention. 

I've moved on to finishing my "Just Dotty" UFO which I didn't realize until recently needed finishing. It measured approximately 59" square which seemed an awkward size to me so I decided to make an additional 3 blocks for it. When finished it will be a throw size and I'm definitely keeping it for myself!

 

I began this quilt in a class with Kaffe Fassett and Liza Lucy at the Houston Quilt Festival I don't remember how many years ago. I used polka dot fabrics or fabrics which had circle designs, some KFC and some from other lines of fabric. Its a happy quilt!

 

 I may say this about nearly every quilt I make but the colors are so much better in person!

 

I don't think I ever shared this UFO project (below) which I began several years ago. When I began the moon collage "pattern" by Susan Carlson I allowed myself to use only fabric which I had on hand. Its not finished or glued yet, but it was something fun and challenging to try!

Until next time, Mayleen

Deep Freeze Doings

 

The "Antique Rug" quilt top is finished and in the donation pile! I like it but I'd rather see it given to someone who needs it more than I do.

 

I had this fabric, a mix of Anna Marie Hoerner and Kathy Doughty, and am making another simple donation quilt top. This fabric is way out of my comfort zone but maybe its in someone else's?

 

I've started doing some simple straight line walking foot machine quilting on a UFO from a quilt workshop. Its what I call mindless stitching.

 

My granddaughter, Ruthie, was born this week! Baby quilt finished for her. I've spent the day baking some breakfast goodies for her family till mom gets back on her feet. I'm looking forward to meeting Ruthie very much! 

Meanwhile, our weather is warming up! It has been a long time since we've had temperatures this cold for this long. In Kansas, we're used to some snow and a cold snap but the sun is usually out soon afterwards to warm us up and melt the snow away. That didn't happen this time but we survived it. My thoughts and prayers go out to everyone dealing with the extreme cold and its after effects.

Until next time, Mayleen

A little sunshine!

I didn't think I had enough yellow fabric, the RSC21 color of month, to make much of anything but look what happened! This is a twin size donation quilt top for my quilt guild. I have just a few scraps of yellow fabric left in the tub. Its been a cheery quilt top to work on during the frigid temperatures here in the midwest. My only "wish I would have done that better" is the border. Could have matched the flowers but would have wasted a lot of fabric so it is what it is.

One day this last week, I allowed myself to start something new thinking it would cheer me up. Well, that didn't work out so well. I have a few more blocks to add and once sewn together, it will be a donation lap quilt top.

I took this photo of the view from our deck last Saturday and since then we've gotten a little snow every day. Its the very cold temperatures and wind chills we're not used to. This weekend's forecast will be especially cold and snowy. Stay warm and safe and if you have outside pets, please bring them in.

Until next time, Mayleen

Unfinished, Almost Finished, & Finished!

 

I just couldn't gift the soon to be here granddaughter the previous pink princess quilt for several reasons - too thin, too small (in my opinion), and something was just not making me happy. I started over from the leftover scraps and a few extra pieces of fabric. Working with scraps limits you and frees you at the same time! This heart is what I came up with. I still need to bind the quilt but I don't have enough pastel pink fabric so it will mean a trip to the quilt store.

The colors are much better in real life. One of the fabrics I used is Fairy Frost which is glittery. Hope my daughter is still speaking to me when she notices some of the glitter comes off. I certainly am finding it in the house from prewashing and stitching. The quilt is still not what I would have liked but it is princess and ties in with the granddaughter's birth month of February. The backing is pink minky which makes this quilt very cuddly and warm.

My husband's T-shirt quilt is bound, labeled, and even has a sleeve sewn on! It will be hung in his office as soon as we get a curtain rod for it. I can't decide if I want to get out in the rainy weather (Saturday in Kansas) to go to Walmart.

For some reason, I'm at a stand still on the "Antique Rug" (Aardvark pattern). I only need two more blocks to make it a throw size. How hard can it be to finish two of these blocks?!?

 

I finished going through my quilt books! I still have to decide what to do with them and also what to do about the Quiltmania magazines on the lower shelf before I display some of my quilts in the cabinet. I plan to line the lower shelf walls with muslin to protect my quilts from the wood.

I didn't make the vintage quilt hanging behind the cabinet. It was purchased at a local antique mall and needs to be repaired. Star quilts are some of my favorite!

February's RSC21 color is "bright shiny yellow". Yellow is not a color I use often. In fact, I store the yellow, gold, orange, and rust color fabrics all in one container and its not a big container! I'm definitely going to have to put some thought into what I could possibly make with "bright shiny yellow". 

Until next time, Mayleen

I Spy a Princess T-shirt Antique Rug Cat

First finish of the week - I bound and labeled my grandson's "I Spy" quilt! It will be delivered to him in February if not sooner. It makes me sad but some of my grandchildren prefer fleece blankets to quilts so he may or may not use it. I won't give up though and will continue to make quilts for the grandchildren.

My husband's T-shirt quilt, the one I made with his T-shirts without asking him first, lol. He'd actually forgotten about it and is looking forward to hanging the quilt in his home office. Anyway, it went to the machine quilter on Tuesday and I picked it up on Saturday. A quick turn around but now it needs binding so you can guess what I'll be doing this coming week. I'll show a photo of the full quilt when its finished.

My granddaughter's Princess baby quilt - I couldn't bring myself to cut the fabric apart to piece so I made a simple block quilt. My daughter asked for a smaller size quilt than a crib quilt so this quilt was finished and off the machine quilter at the same time as the T-shirt quilt. Truthfully, this baby quilt looks plain so I plan to scallop the border to try to dress up the quilt. Won't be any fun to bind but I'll deal with it.

 So rummaging around in the UFO box, I found this project with four blocks finished. I've added 12 blocks (picture is not the final layout) and it would have been 14 blocks finished but I discovered I'd sewn one of the fabric strips in upside down. That means a date with Jack the ripper and I just couldn't do it. I'll tackle it on Monday. I plan to make this lap quilt larger so I'll need what, 11 blocks more? I think I have plenty of reds but need more browns and I hope I have enough of the fabric to make that many more.

 This is the pattern, "Antique Rug", by Aardvark Quilts. The fabrics I'm using are brushed cottons, flannels, and lightweight upholstery fabrics. What I don't use for this project will be used for the backing. I haven't decided if I will keep and quilt it or donate the quilt top.

"If I fits, I sits."

 Jesse provides us with many photo ops and entertainment.

Today I'm working on a stalled out project, sorting through our photos. I've gone through boxes and boxes of photos and sorted them by approximate time frame and subject. Some photos were even put in a special box marked "Shred"! In my defense, there are only so and so many photo albums our kids will want when we're gone. The boxes are all lined up on our dining room table and have been there since the beginning of January. The cats have accepted this as normal, so normal that Jesse is currently taking a nap in one of the boxes.

I occasionally still add a quilt book to the Donate or Sell stacks. Progress has definitely slowed down. To successfully declutter, I have to be in a bad mood or stressed out which apparently hasn't been happening enough lately. That is a good thing but just maybe I need to put myself in the Git-R-Done mode!

Until next time, Mayleen