Table Scraps Challenge for April

 It was touch and go but I finished the binding on the table scraps challenge late last night, just in time for Joy's linkup!

I started out the month with these extra basket blocks and a few strips of the background fabric.

They got sewed into this.

I decided to hand quilt it. Someone remind me maybe to just machine quilt it next time! I was a little worried about finishing it in time but some dedicated time got it done.

I did have help along the way with marking some of the sewing lines and supervision by the cats.

For a finish!

Linking up with the Table Scrap Challenge and the Rainbow Scrap Challenge where April was light and bright blues.

A finish!

I actually got a finish in August! Woo Hoo!The baskets got their binding finished last night after some pool time with the kids. Now to decide if it will hang in my office or my sewing area.

I'll be prepping the cat and mouse quilt today.... although I will need to do a 'test' and see if it might need a border or two to make it a wee bit snugglier. (is that a word?) I think it needs a little white border then a teal on the outside - maybe 4.5 inches or so. I have a feeling this one is going to get taken into a bedroom and I won't be seeing it for my use! 

Speaking of my use. I have to laugh. I crocheted a blue afghan years ago when I first met Greg back in 2005. It was called Michi's afghan....and 2 weeks ago it lived in Aidan's room. Then Emily claimed it for a while in hers, and yesterday it was in the den and Greg was snuggling up under it for an afternoon nap! We were discussing it in the pool. Seems Aidan wants a green and cream afghan - like the ones up in Vermont on the end of his bed  Mom! Yes, I have your pattern still. I saw it not too long ago - hand written by you. That one is a ripple one with I think 7 long rows that you hand 'stitch' together in alternating colors. I made a few of them over 20 years ago in pink and grey, orange and cream (that one Mom had started probably in the 70's! and I finished it), raspberry and cream. I guess I liked pink back then! Emily requested one like the Michi's afghan in a lighter blue than the navy that one is.  I guess I have request lists!

Linking up with the other slow stitchers today.

Emily had her riding lessons yesterday at the new facility. This one is less than 10 minutes from our house and is back to a covered arena. Love that!

My horse whisperer. Seems Prince did not want to get collected for his lesson but the 2 girls were able to catch him, put the halter on and lead him in from the far field by themselves.

Leading Prince into the arena for riding.

Well, another day and another shift for Hurricane Dorian. Today was the first day Greg appeared a little concerned.  A Cat 5 will do that I guess! He lived in Florida during the 90's and was stationed at Patrick when Andrew was going through. He said this one is reminding him of that one and once they get that big they kinda make their own weather pattern. We are prepped and ready..... well, we didn't do the yard pick up yesterday as it was heading away to the east but will do a quick bit today and maybe pop the boards over my bedroom windows tomorrow. Just to be safe. I just called them on their way to Grandma's and let them know Tuesday is a day off from school - just in precaution if they need to make the schools into shelters for those in low lying areas or mobile homes with the possible winds if it tracks more our way. Can you guess the reaction? Lots of cheering and clapping! The kids are looking forward to a game day and puzzle day with Mom and Dad Tuesday!

Sunday baskets

It was a slow Saturday for me yesterday and I made a little progress on the hand quilting of the baskets. Linking up with the other slow stitchers at Kathy's Quilts today.


While watching my favorite fall back movie yesterday - Harry Potter and the Sorcerers Stone..... I had too many questions from Aidan and he finally listened to me and went and grabbed the book and started reading it! For years..... he was not interested at all. He read 3 chapters in between a headache at the back of his head when he moves. He was a lot better yesterday but no where near 100% yet. Another day of rest for him and hopefully he will be ok for Monday. Em has a afternoon birthday party for a friend today. Hopefully I can just drop her after meeting the parents so I can come home and sew!

Regrouping and restarting....

Sometimes... you just have to start again!

A couple weeks ago I finally started hand quilting the basket quilt.

I neglected to cut away the back part of the applique. Trying to hand quilt that basket.... 4 layers... was rough. After a 2 week time out where I knew I needed to pull that out and unpin and cut out the backing...... I finally did it yesterday!

All 25 baskets are now down to 1 layer of fabric.

Tonight, it will get repined and the hand quilting will commence..... just like De Ja Vu!


Saturday was a tea party with Emily put on by another troop raising money to travel to Georgia to visit Juliette Gordon Lowe's birthplace - the birthplace of Girl Scouts!

Today.... we tested a recipe we will try next week at our final scout meeting until August. Ice Cream in a bag! We tested it in 4 trys at home this afternoon with one bag letting in some salt on Aidan's first try. The second try worked better. We will try it again Wednesday with a double bag of the ice cream part and see if we have a fully successful try.

Recipe is found here . I'll hit the big walmart (or send the boys tonight) and pick up Lactaid free half and half... so Emily can enjoy it. They didn't have that kind at the neighborhood walmart we went to this weekend.

I put mine in a round container and rolled it for 6-7 minutes.

 The things I sacrifice and do for these girls =) Hehehehe..... I added mini chocolate chips. Yummy!

Come back tomorrow for a Finish! Not of the ice cream.... that is already in my belly!

The hand quilting has started.....

on the basket quilt as of Easter Sunday! One block done.

I was planning to also stitch just on the inside of the blue basket.... but I did not cut away the back and boy that one extra layer of fabric is not fun! I guess I will be cutting the backing away from the hexagon flowers since I know I want to hand quilt on them. I had asked around on the fb group of celebrate hand applique and got a response that they don't cut away behind the design. I had always remembered hearing that you do.... so I guess it is a preference thing or maybe it depends on the design and how you will finish the quilt? Oh well, it is a learning experience and now I know I have another step on the hexagon flowers. 

I free handed the heart..... not great but it does look like a heart! 

Slow Stitching Sunday....

After doing some yard work yesterday morning I was completely wiped out for the rest of the day. It also probably was not the best thing to do with a sore foot since my PT on Thursday.... but... the flower beds are weeded out front and some of the bushes were wacked... I mean trimmed.

That led me to the recliner and some slow stitching in the afternoon.  I got all my prepped baskets completed....

and need to prep 2 more to make 8 for a small wall hanging while the 25 others will become another little quilt to be hand quilted. I plan to exercise the machine today while the kids are gone and get those rows sewn together into a top for the 25 baskets. Not a great photo but I think this is the layout I am going with.

I was able to get this to a top stage today. Looks a little washed out in the photo but it is a 32x32 top now. 

Since I was so tired yesterday and went to bed really early.... I was up at 6:30 and had peace and quiet while the rest were sleeping. I was able to finish off the last basket and finish one of the corner borders for the 1857 quilt. I will needle turn the last corner border sometime today while resting my foot.

Head on over and see what others are slow stitching today.

July blue baskets....

I seem to have miscalculated on how many baskets I needed. I was laying them out yesterday .... and it seems 25 is a good number to make a quilt. I have been swapping the blocks and adding the ones I made last night and removing them. I think I am happy with my layout  - which is different from this photo.

Hmmmmm. What to do with the remaining 6? I have a feeling they might turn into something else? Did I just add a new project.... Oops! I can see 8 baskets around a center open square.... maybe corner triangles to hand quilt in and then a nice blue binding for a small wall hanging?  Or a medallion quilt? We shall see....

Thunder storms have been rolling though this morning and I am wondering where the children and Grandma are.... they had a double kid sleepover last night after she took them to the skyline for the trampoline yesterday late morning. Someone turned their knee - I hear she is just fine though - Emily not Grandma!. They went to her house after instead of bowling and that led to the overnight offer so she could take them to the gulf and watch the sunset. Who am I to argue with a kid free night? Greg got home from work and mowed the lawn then we went out for dinner and had a nice evening without kids. Hopefully they get returned in the near future - Emily has gymnastics tonight and I have a meeting right after that..... I think I'll go sew these blue baskets together...that will pretty much guarantee she pulls into the driveway as soon as the machine gets turned on!

Slow Stitching Sunday

Kathy has been encouraging us to slow stitch for over 5 years with her wonderful linkup and words of encouragement. I plan to hand stitch a few more blue baskets today. I didn't quite get one per day done like I had planned but they are all prepped and will get done one slow stitch at a time!
Here are the baskets completed so far this month

and this is one that will get worked on later today.

I picked up a cute blue leaf print while in Vermont and I think that will be the border triangles for this little quilt.

Linking up with the other Slow Stitchers over at Kathy's Quilts. I'll do a little picking up and cleaning this morning as the kids are finally off to Grandma's. Then I plan to get reacquainted with my sewing machine on a very rainy day in Florida.

A tisket, a tasket a cute little basket....

It is the end of the school year and I finally remembered a post my friend Cyn had done a while ago. It was the cutest little basket. Here is the direct link to the free instructions.

I made a test one out of 10 inch squares in blue and yellow and also a 12 inch square to make one for Em's teacher. I used the monkey fabric that I had used as a backing for her daughters baby quilt last year. Note to self - leave the turning opening in the middle and not on an edge! Good thing I tested that out with the 10 inch one...which will sit by my recliner and hold my hand quilting thread and scissors. I just need to get some buttons to finish them off. I also am not going to bother tacking down the insides of mine.... they might come in handy to separate things like hexagons and hold the scissors in one place.

Aidan is to find out his teachers favorite colors today so I can make her one for next week. I will tuck in a little gift card that they can use as they see fit - classroom supplies or something for themselves.