Finishing off Purple in the RSC challenge.

Since it is the last day of February I decided to do a little purple sewing. I had enough of these purple 4 patches to make a 64 square block.... and there was enough yellow to make one of those too. I went back and cut out a few more of my other colors so I will be able to make some more of these little guys next week.

Then I got down to some scraps and made a few crumb blocks. I need to go back and make another pink one from last month. I am thinking I might use a bright white 1.5 inch strip and hook these together.... but I'll wait a few months and see if something else pops into my head for setting these guys together.

After this..... I am hoping Angela's 'clue' about orange means that is the color for March.... cause I started some prep work and sewing with Orange today too! That bunch will wait for Saturday's post.

Grandmothers Choice blocks

This weeks block is called Ladies' Wreath: Mourning for Mother. It was very easy to piece and put together but really makes you think how lucky we are to have the options we do in having children. The options and choice for having them and the wonderful medical measures we have to enable safe childbirth is amazing considering it was just 100 years ago that we did not have all that available to us. It really makes me realize how lucky we are in this world right now.

Today is a kids home day - the boy is running a fever from his shots yesterday and the girl has a touch of a fever too. They must be feeling better ... they are both wanting to do more HIPPY lessons so it is back to being the teacher again this morning.

Tiny Tuesday # 136

Letha's Electric Fan is block number 136. I loved the look of it so pulled this as a l&e for the paper pieced block last week. A little applique while the kiddo's were napping or quiet in their rooms and I have my tiny tuesday block completed. The non napper (who was brave and got 3 shots at his 5 year check up this morning) was willing to hold it up for me today.

With company coming I really need to go do one or two ahead... or prep some of the applique ones. I printed out the next 9 so I should have some I can do if I just prepare a bit.

Saturday in purple..... a day late.

I worked last night on making a bunch of the orange peels while watching a movie with the hubby. I think I need to cut a bunch more for working on this week until the month changes. I was thinking about 30 a month in a set color..... oh well. I can always cut them and plan to work on them this summer while traveling.

I've also been working on some purple l&e four patches and have this many completed so far this month. I think they might end up being set as 16 patches.... but we'll see.

I hope to do some more purple sewing the next few days... as there are still a bunch of scraps hanging around waiting to be used.

I did get my butterfly quilt top completed... until I noticed a boo boo on the inner border. That will wait to get picked out in a week or two while my parents are visiting. It will be something to do while sitting and chatting with Mom.

Tonight I plan on doing some more hand applique and finishing off this Midget block for my Tiny Tuesday post.

Head on over to SoScrappy's blog and see what other purple projects people are working on. Also visit Quilter Kathy for Slow Down Sunday and see what wonderful hand work is going on in blog land this weekend.

Butterfly top = finished! (Oops - Big boo boo!)

I finally got the purple batik borders onto this quilt today. I was down to just the last two and after tons of cleaning and attempting to organize the house a bit and pick up, I decided to take a break and put those last two borders on.  I really like how it turned out. The size is 70x70... a bit larger than I was thinking but it will be a good snuggle size.
A picture inside....

and outside...

Edit: I just looked at the picture on the blog and I can not believe I put that inner border on WRONG! Bummer..... I guess I will be ripping some seams out later tonight and fixing this now unfinished top.

I think this will just stay a top for a bit. I am working again all three days this weekend so that I can have next weekend off when my brother and his family come down to visit. They day they head home to VT - my parents should arrive on Mom's birthday! They will stay for a week (so I really must clean up the sewing room soon) and then travel around a bit and come back for the last week before Easter. Aidan is off school that week so we will try and hit some fun things with the kids. Guess that means I need to prep a bunch of hand work.........

Grandmother's Choice block

This week was a Carrie Nation block. It was just little four patches and big four patches and was very easy to put together.

I had a craving for onion rings.... and had purchased a sweet Florida onion at the veggie stand last week. Well, today I made onion rings to go with lunch. They were yummy.... but now the house smells like frying oil. I am lucky and have the windows open to air it out with the fan's on  (66 degrees here). Any ideas on how to get rid of that smell? I have heard of burning vanilla candles but would love to hear other ideas and tips that have worked for you.
Emmy and I did a Sam's club run yesterday while Aidan was at school..... I grabbed a Good Humor box of ice cream varieties. Emmy tried the Sunday cone today... I think she got more on her than in her!

Tiny Tuesday - Japanese Garden

Today I did block #80 - Japanese Garden from the sentimental stitches midget block collection. While doing this I needed a little more paper piecing to use as a leader and ender so I am a step ahead for next week's block. Now if I can just get to it before next Tuesday!

Here is my block - I love it in purple and green.

Saturday in Purple....

This week I decided to work on the butterfly quilt. I have it all pieced to the first border. Then came the decision and playing part.

I laid out the bonus triangles with the lights together.

Then tried them as triangles next to the inner border.

I decided I liked the first layout better. Unfortunately, it will not line up nice at the end of the rows. My solution - just add a little color to each end and then some strippy color for each of the four corners. I have just enough of the jelly roll left to do this I think.

 

The part that was originally stopping me on this quilt is that I don't have any more of the fabrics. I had the purple butterfly fabric in mind as the outer border. I purchased this roll a few years ago and doubt I would be able to find any...... so a trip to Joann's Thursday night after bowling and I found something I believe will work. I have loved working with the last of a batik purple that was in my nieces' graduation quilt a couple of years ago... and found something very similar that will become the outer border and binding for this quilt. Isn't this a pretty purple! I plan to use any leftovers in my grandmothers choice blocks!

Head on over to Soscrappy and see all the purple projects this month.

What's beside your sewing machine?

I decided to show my really slow project with no plan. This is the little basket sitting next to my sewing machine that I use as my leader and ender project. I just had to cut a few more squares as the basket was empty. Since the Rainbow Scrap Challenge is purple this month I decided to cut some purple squares. Yes, I also did some green as I like to have two colors to choose from.

These are just 2 inch squares that I am making into these four patches.

Emmy had to have her picture taken with the squares. 

These really have no plan at the moment although I was thinking of alternating each four patch with a dotted black square. I think I like them as blocks of color though..... I will just be adding to these each month with different colors from the RSC. I added the pinks next to the green last month.
What is your Leader and Ender project?

Grandmothers Choice Wednesday.

This week block is  #24 called True Blue.  I think I must have done some cutting incorrectly since my block is measuring 8 inches unfinished this week. My HST's were 3 inches unfinished so I cut the rest down to match. Hmmm. I might have to remake this one at some point but for now I'm calling it done and will deal with it later. I just love this darker green print - I found it in a box while attempting to organize the sewing room closet.

Tiny Tuesday

Today it was time to make block #76 White House Steps. It went together much easier than it looks. This is a paper pieced block with 40 parts for a 4.5 inch finished block. I have one more block printed out that I need to prep for next week. Then it will be time to go print down another set of 10 free blocks from sentimentalstitches.com in the Midget section.

Aidan's Twinkle stars quilt......

is finally all quilted! I had a kid free day Saturday and after taking a nice walk in the sunshine I got to work quilting his quilt. Lots of thread breaks that I will need to clean up but it is all machine quilted. I had made a white binding.... but it decided it needed a scrappy blue one instead. The binding is all sewn down just waiting for the hand turning. I am thinking the white stars need some hand quilting 1/4 inch from the inside of each of them so that will also get worked on this week. He chose the backing fabric - patriotic flags! It seems they say the pledge of allegiance at school every day so he wanted some flags on his quilt.

VTQuilter - Aidan's Twinkle Stars quilt.

VTQuilter - quilting in the blue squares as a meander.

VTQuilter - Aidan's Twinkle Stars.

Head on over to Quilter Kathy and see what others are working on for this slow down Sunday.

Saturday in purple

I caved. I decided to make a 16 patch block in purple this month too. I'll have to go back and make a pink one sometime. These were 2.5 inch squares from the purple scrap basket. Somehow my light/dark sequence got a little off in the sewing process.

I opened the last box in the sewing room and found a bunch more purple scraps. I see crumbs in my future... after I prep a few more orange peels. I think I have finished all the prepared ones.

Head on over to SoScrappy and see what other purple projects are being worked on.

Easy Street blocks are all pieced.

This is the stack of blocks that will make up my Easy Street Mystery.

I just had to lay them out and am very grateful that I have a huge living room area. This is just a quick layout of the blocks. Please let me know if I have anything turned wrong.... I plan to start putting this together next week sometime. Oh my goodness... this quilt is HUGE!

Grandmothers Choice blocks....

There have been 23 blocks published in this BOW so far. I have been plugging along and am happy to say I have 23 blocks completed!
This week's block is called Girl's Joy. The four corners are trimmed down to 2.5 inch squares and the middle into a 4.5 inch square. It went together very easily - I think it took longer to pick out the fabrics on this than to actually sew it.

Here is a shot of all the blocks so far. I just finished sewing down the middle circle on that Sunflower block today while waiting to get Aidan. It took me 2-3 minutes and yet it has been sitting in that hand work bag since Christmas! Why do I wait so long to finish up something that turns out to be simple and quick to do?

These have been so fun to make and I am glad I joined this sew along. I really wish I had done the civil war blocks last year but I did save them off so they might get made into a quilt some day. Until then, I am really enjoying this one.

Tiny Tuesday - #74 Bride

Today I finished prepping and made block #74 - Bride. Seems a funny name to me but it is cute. A big thanks to Angela for the fabrics in this one. They were perfect.

It is a busy prep day at the house. Tomorrow the boy turns FIVE years old. Yikes, where did the time go. I believe I have everything set for him tomorrow for a little party at his pre-school at the end of his day. I'll pick up the cupcakes from the bakery tomorrow (not allowed to bring in anything made from home) and have juice and waters and goodie bags all set. Another big thing tomorrow - Our store will be open for one year! Other than all that prep work it is dance this afternoon and both kids got their hair cut. Just another busy day at my house.

Slow stitch Sunday

Today is a busy day at out house. We are celebrating Aidan's 5th birthday today (really it is on Wednesday the 6th) with Grandparents and we are in the process of creating a dinosaur cake and some salads to go with the burgers and brats that will cook on the grill for lunch.

If I get a few minutes here and there I plan to do a little stitching on the parasol block from the grandmothers choice BOM. I have sets of 4 done on the ruffle. I just need to finish getting this together.

Head on over to Quilter Kathy and see what others are working on for this slow stitch Sunday.

Edit: I was able to get this block done today! Here it is.

Purple Saturday....

I am so happy purple was selected for the month of February. I am on a roll for 'finishing' some UFO's this year and I have a purple pineapple block quilt just sitting as a pile of blocks that is just yelling to get sewn together. I have a feeling it will become a top sometime this month. Who know's maybe it will get quilted too? This is a free pattern from Bonnie Hunter at Quiltville. I got the jelly roll at a quilt show in Vermont a couple of years ago.

I've prepped a few purple orange peel's for hand work this month. I must remember to read the instructions when cutting the background squares. I cut a bunch at 3.5 inches.... and when I went to make one it just seemed small. Yup, checked the pattern and they should have been cut at 3.75 inches. Oops.... guess I have a few cream 3.5 inch squares for another project down the road. Here is what I keep in my 'to go' bag for the orange peels. The template (so I know where it is!), squares, peels, light and dark neutral silk thread, roxanne glue, scissors and an applique needle.

This week I did make something in purple. I made my two snails trail blocks. I really love how they look in purple. These are a bit more scrappy this month. I can really see a whole quilt of these in blues......or maybe green?

Head on over to SoScrappy on Saturday and see what other purple projects are going on.