Last Saturday in Pink

This is the last scrappy Saturday in Pink and I wanted to do a recap. Thanks Soscrappy for hosting this challenge. I am having fun playing with colors each month.

This month I have finished the top of the pink x string quilt from last year. The pattern is from Bonnie Hunter but I put a sashing on the side last year and realized when I was done that the blocks would not make an X anymore. Oops.


Three more of the scrappy pinwheel blocks. The pattern is from Kim Brackett's book Scrap Basket Surprise. This is a picture of all of them so far.
Some are from the blocks I won a couple years ago from my guild BOM that didn't make it into the quilt I made from them. It can be found here.

Twelve more of the Birds in the Air blocks...I really need to make two more of the red ones so I'll have 12 of each.

This pattern is from Sylvia's Bridal Sampler from Elm Creek Quilts by Jennifer Chiaverini.

I could not sleep Thursday night so instead of tossing and turning, I got up and cut some fabrics. I cut the strips of pinks into 2 inch squares and some into 2.5 strips for a scrappy binding for the pink quilt above.


Then I had to make a couple of birthday cards to send up to Vermont. My niece and SIL have birthdays right around Em's... one is the 4th - when my niece turns 17 and the other is the 9th. Emily will turn 3 years old the 7th... she didn't want to share her birthday I guess!
These are in the mail and hopefully will arrive in time.


Go on over to SoScrappy and see what others are doing on this pink challenge

Late night cutting fabrics

I was unable to sleep for a bit last night so I got up and decided to cut some things out.
I had done the Rocky Glen block yesterday but the paws were not going the same way as in the picture. I started to rip it out last night... and decided I'd just redo it. I cut the itty bitty squares (14 each at 1.3/8) so that I can redo this block. If it still doesn't come out correct.... I'm going to leave it as is.


Then I pulled fabrics for the next 3 Midget blocks so I'll be set for the next few weeks before printing out some more.





I also grabbed the pink strips I had cut when finishing the borders of the pink quilt and cut them into 2.5 inch strips and 2 inch strips. One set is put together in a pile to be sewn into the binding for the quilt and the other was cut up into 2 inch squares for the basket of colorful squares for next years L&E quilt.


Then.... I remembered it is getting to the end of the month and I have not done the quilt square along block from Jo's Country Junction. We have an extension this month as she is away at a retreat this weekend. The reveal will be April 4.. my niece's 17th birthday. I really need to make her card today and get that in the mail. These are the squares needed to make the pattern for this month - Small Quilt #4 from Lori Smith - Quilt Squares #1 pattern.


How much do you think the kids will let me sew today? I got the two Midget blocks done yesterday and got the final bit of the 5 yards of garden dirt placed into the new garden beds - two 8x8 beds for the veggie garden and then some dirt on the side of the shed for the herb garden and then the remainder of the pile placed by the fence in the back yard so the kids and I can plant some sunflowers and maybe some cutting flowers. Now we need to adjust to gardening in the south... lots different from gardening in the north! Oh, the kids loved to play in the dirt over the last few days..... why we have so many toys when a pile of dirt kept them entertained for hours over the span of this week..... Think I can convince them to rake the remaining soil into the bare spots on the lawn so I can put some grass seed down? It would be fun... really!

Midget Block 33

#33 is Merry Go Round.
This is paper pieced and I still got the middle parts off a bit. Oh well... I am not redoing this one.
This one has 52 pieces in it. I did forget to put the orange in between the blues... I guess my O for Orange looked like the C for cream...



#34 is Rocky Glen... and I worked on it this morning before heading out to story time. In my hurry I did an oops when putting it together. I may just redo this one..... we'll have to wait and see. This one has 64 pieces in it.

Progress and a package...

I made some progress and a decision on the Starburst quilt for the graduation girl. I have the diamond borders on.... and you'll see from the picture that yes, I didn't have enough of the diamonds and did not want to make more of them. So.... there are 4 black squares in the corners. I am just going to add one more outer border and call it ready for quilting. I am going to do the sides of the quilt about 2.5 or 3 inches and then the top and bottom at 5.5 inches. The binding will be about 10 or 11 inch lengths of each of the bright colors going around the quilt. That's the final decision! Here is the quilt so far without the outermost borders on.

I also got a package in the mail...from Connecting Threads.



Yippee. I got a lot for my $56 dollars. 3 different colors with 3 yards each - blue, chocolate and a pebble. These will be used in the Sow along quilt that Randy is hosting. I'm a little late joining but will plan to start that one next week after I wash the fabric up. I also got some single yard cuts - a chocolate floral that goes well with the sow along quilt, a blue cornflower leaf pattern that coordinates with the above and a brown pioneer marble... that could also be used in the quilt. I'd like to keep it solids and see how it turns out with just the three colors above.... we'll see once I start looking at the patterns. I also got two threads..... and need to decide which one I'll use to quilt up the green Jacobs Ladder quilt. I think either would work well.

All in all a very productive day last Friday.

Pink birds in the air...

It is getting to the end of the month so I had to get started on these birds in the air blocks for the pink rainbow challenge. Having company come back Friday.... I had to get this cutting done today. I was also able to actually sew these 12 blocks together too! I guess having 2 kids with fevers I'm letting the tv limit slide a bit today. The medicine finally kicked in and they are starting to act more like themselves now.

I also had cut extra strips while making the scrappy borders for the pink top, so I can cut the extra 4.5 strips into a 2.5 and a 2 inch strip. One for the binding and one for the 2 inch square drawer for the next years L&E colorful quilt. I really like that I am making progress on my rainbow scrap challenge this year and am prepping projects for the future as well.

I should also do some quick seam sewing of the two backings so that maybe I can pin the green and pink quilts while my parents are here this weekend sometime. That will get them ready for quilting and I can just use a day when Grandma daycare is in play at her house - drop the kids and drive the 40 minutes home and sew for a few hours and get some things done next month. I can see myself out on the porch at night (since is it rerun time soon on tv) and hand sewing the bindings on while enjoying the nighttime noises and watching my solar lights in the back yard. I may need to move my little waterfall out to the porch so I can listen to the water while I sew.

Tiny Tuesday #32

#32 Arrowhead Star

Ta Da! A completely hand pieced block...made by ME! Yup, I am pretty proud of myself and am having fun with the hand quilting and hand sewing that I challenged myself to this year. So far, applique, a hand pieced quilt block and a little quilt square hand quilted. Not too shabby if I do say so myself.

I was able to make a quick template of a manila folder and cut the pieces out on Friday. I started sewing it on Friday afternoon and finished it off on Saturday afternoon. It does take a bit of prep time with the drawing, adding the 1/4 inch around each one and cutting them all out but it was a fun little block to put together. I do think I need to iron as I go next time as it was a bit of a bear to iron down after. It does measure 5 inch unfinished so I did pretty good!

The next two have the fabrics all pulled and are ready to sew.

Starburst progress...

I was able to get a few more of the diamonds sewn this afternoon and also conned... I mean convinced Aidan that if Mommy got to sew the blocks into rows today, I could start putting his together that much sooner!

So - here are the rows and some of the diamonds around the edge. I am thinking a small black border on each side of these guys so they will frame the quilt. Then..... I have something in mind but want to see how it looks once those borders are put on. I don't think it will be long enough so it will need another outer border... just not sure on a single print or a pieced border right now.


I also was waiting around for them to pick up the play room so I was able to cut out my next midget block and get that all set for hand sewing.

This afternoon while they were riding bikes in the driveway I started putting it together and have one corner completed.


I should be able to get this done for Tiny Tuesday so will stay on track for one a week this year. I also pulled the fabrics for the next two blocks.... the kids fiddled about for 2 hours before they finally picked up the play room so I hope to stay on track with these guys this year.

Shopping....

It seems to be a shopping day today.
From Sentimental Stitches... I got the midget applique blocks 1-52 and the free sample applique block. She has a deal going on right now for National Quilt Day (March 17) where you can get the applique blocks for 16.60 instead of $20.00.

Then some new sneakers from Zappos so my feet will be comfy while working at the store... I have a feeling there will be no sitting down at all in the next few weeks as the temps are in the 80's and people are opening their pools up.

Then.. I hopped over to Connecting Threads and got some fabrics for Randy's quilt along over at her blog Barristersblock. I am a little late to start but should be able to catch up pretty easily. I am going with a blue and brown for the quilt along and will use the mirage prints with a cream or tan for the background. Chocolate and cornflower blue. I think they'll look pretty together and I got a couple of other prints that might work well with them if I decided to not do complete solids for the quilt.

Now... off to get dressed so we can run errands. When I asked Em this morning what she wanted to do today, she said 'ride the jeep, ride my bike, go get veggies from the farm stand, go to the play ground, take a short nap......' I'd better get moving so she can get all that done. I wanted to hit Lowes too, but I doubt that will happen. I got to go there a couple of days ago and have the boards for the garden and just need hubby to drill those together after I rotatil my spot and then call the guy to deliver the soil. I can't wait to get my garden put in and the kids love helping plant and weed and then pick our veggies.

Tiny Tuesday #31

Ok, this one was a bear. I really want to know how the heck this was done by hand by anyone.......
It is not perfect but I am so calling this one done. Part of the problem... a boy who was not feeling 100% Saturday when I made this and wanted to watch me work on it. Nope... that just didn't work. Then..... I read the directions through earlier this week and thought I was to piece the middle 4 together first. Big OOPS! After I had done that and had my first corner part together I read that I was to attach one of the middle parts to make it a square so they would go together easier. Yup.. I ended up with 4 partial seams. Not fun.
Oh well, live and learn and I will be reading the paper piecing directions a few more times and as I put it together for the next ones coming up.
This one has 64 pieces in a finished 4.5 inch block. #31 - Painted Star of many points.


I am so happy to be moving onto #32 for next week. I'm going to give hand piecing a shot with that one. Wish me luck!

A two post day...

I was able to finish this top this afternoon and my helper in the jeep helped me lay the top out on the grass. I'm waiting for him to get me the shed key so I can open the gate and bring the soccer net to the driveway... something about the hockey puck goes better on the driveway than the grass out back.



Another quilt top completed... I really need to go to Lowes tonight and pick up my boards so I can get these two pinned for quilting.

Pink.... a little late.

Well, after pulling out that pink top from a previous post... I know why it was in that stage. It just didn't feel 'done'. It was square and with the light border it just seemed off. So.... to make it a little longer I added some pink to the top and bottom and need to find more of the cream fabric to put a 2.5 inch row on the top and bottom to frame them up again.

Then....the outer border decision. Do I go scrappy - thinking 4.5x7 inch blocks of various pinks along the outside.... or just a plain print fabric and call it done. Thoughts? I have strips cut out at 4.5 of various pinks from the above border that would frame the quilt for the outer border. I am leaning towards scrappy.... since I don't have enough of any darker pink from my stash to create a single plain border.


I've also been working on these 'diamond' blocks for a border on the Starburst quilt.


Go on over to Soscrappy and see what everyone else is up to in the rainbow scrap challenge.

A completed top!

I was able to get a little sewing in this afternoon and now have my Jacobs Ladder quilt to a completed top stage! It is raining and dreary out so another inside picture. Excuse the waves on the borders.... they'll get tamed when I press it and straighten it out for pinning later this weekend.

Now I must go start dinner. I'm going Greek tonight and found this recipe for a Greek Orzo salad at Allrecipes.com. I'm going to add some grilled shrimp on top and maybe some 'carrots'. That's what Aidan calls them - really they are asparagus and he picked them out at the farm stand this morning. Em wanted tomato's... and I got to have a tomato sandwich for lunch. Yum...nothing like fresh picked tomato's.

Jacobs Ladder blocks...

Some progress has been made. I laid out the blocks a couple of ways and took pictures.

Excuse Miss Sophie who decided she had to test out the blocks.



I decided on this setting and started sewing the rows together. Then I noticed that I had two of the blocks turned wrong and had them wrong when I took the first pictures. Never do this after 9PM at night!



I was able to unpick those two last night and hope to get them sewn correctly on today. Heck... maybe I can get the rows pressed and sewn together too. Then a small cream inner border and a larger green border.

The borders will be using the same fabrics in these hourglass blocks that I was able to finish this week. I laid out the nine patches with the hourglass blocks and decided I need 6 more of the 9 patch blocks.

Now that I am caught up on the midgets I really need to pull out the next one and get working on that so I am set for next week.
So far... not enough sewing going on and no quilts pinned and ready for sewing. Maybe I can have Aidan help me during his afternoon quiet time on Thursday to get the pink one pinned. Baby steps.

For now, I've got to go into the store this afternoon to meet with the accountant and tomorrow we might go to a Tractor show in Leesburg for a couple of hours with Grammy and Papa. Then they'll head along their way for a week before they come back next Wednesday to kid sit for us while we go to a seminar in the evening.

At least we got the kids pictures taken yesterday so they will be ready for pickup next Friday, plenty of time to spare so things are all set to send up to Vermont with Grammy and Papa when they drive home at the end of the month. The kids did cooperate and we got some great pictures of them... just makes the decision part a lot harder when they all come out good!

Tiny Tuesday #30

I was able to work ahead a bit on these and have #30 - Square Blossoms done. I am very happy to be keeping up with my one midget block a week this year and really like how these blocks are accumulating so quickly. This one went together pretty well, despite me putting 2 of them together wrong on the last step. I put the triangles on the wrong spot, decided to measure it and noticed it in time to fix those two and make the other 2 correctly. These sure are addicting.

Breakfast.... baked french toast!

Years ago a friend of mine went to Minnesota to visit her daughter and knowing I love cookbooks she brought this back to me.


I flipped through the book and saw the baked french toast recipe.


I admit... it is the only thing I have made out of this book but boy is it yummy. I tend to make this at least once a month and it warms up well in the microwave the next morning. As a single person it would be about 3-4 days breakfast for me and sometimes a lunch or two.

This morning Aidan got up early (6:17 he was climbing into bed with us) so it was a good day to make this. He helped wisk the eggs, measured the 2 cups of milk and added it and then mixed the eggs, milk and vanilla. I did the bread part after he greased the pan with butter for me. He also added the raisins and improvised by adding some to the top layer too. Little sister was still sleeping so she just gets to eat today.

This is the result as I pulled it out of the oven.... so yummy.


Just showing a picture of the strawberries I got yesterday.

We made a batch of freezer jam last night and after we bring the recycling to the recycle center we'll pop to a roadside stand and get a few more lemons to make another batch or two this morning. I can't wait to plant my lemon/lime tree this weekend and hopefully I can just pick it from the back yard in a few years. But.... mix and match 4 for a dollar is a wonderful price! Then...... this afternoon Mom and Dad arrive from Vermont for a week. They will be down in Florida for a month but will be wandering around the state and checking in with us a couple of times. They had just hit South Carolina when I called them yesterday around 4. They should arrive after Emmy's nap this afternoon. The kids are so excited to see them... and show them our new digs down here in Florida.
Have a great Friday everyone.

It's March!

SoScrappy was thinking ahead and posted that Pink is the scrappy color for March in the Rainbow Scrap Challenge. I was wide awake on Monday night/Tuesday morning so I decided to go cut some fabrics. I pulled some pink and cut out the pieces to make three of the pinwheel blocks this month. I also cut some 7.25 inch squares of cream and green to make some hourglass blocks for my 9 patches. I have two of them done and the rest are in progress. I'll just finish the hourglass blocks up and put them together in a drawer until I'm in the mood to work on that one again. At least I'll have all the blocks ready to put together.


Last night, I got to have a date with my hubby! We went out for dinner after we closed the store for the night and had a wonderful meal at the Olive Garden. I just love their food and my Mediterranean Chicken was wonderful. A big thanks to My MIL for watching the kids for me yesterday afternoon on short notice and feeding them dinner so we could go out.

Today, while putting things away to clean up the sewing room for company I pulled out the pieces for the pinwheel blocks. I made three of them this month to add to the pinwheel pile. That was my 'reward' for clearing out that room and organizing my projects to work on while my parents are here.



I pulled a pink top I completed last year for the challenge and hope to get it pinned while they are here so I can quilt it up next week or the week after. I have the backing made I just need to cut some batting off the roll for this one.


I also want to put the Jacobs Ladder blocks together. I decided to keep it at the current size and just add an inner border of cream from my stash and then an outer border of green leftover from the hourglass blocks above. The binding I'll cut strips of my greens and have it be scrappy. I hope to get the top together and pinned over the next week.

The other project... is the graduation quilt. I now have the blocks for a 5x7 setting. I am starting the diamonds for the border using the leftover HST's. The goal is to have this to the point of needing the outer border by mid March so I can try and get it pinned when my parents come back the end of the month. If I can get through most of these things during the month, I'll be doing great.

Have a great day and thanks for visiting!