Bow Ties are now a flimsy! 40x48.

I made a couple more blocks to get a total of 30. That is about 3 blocks in each of the 10 color families. I actually measured the block and turns out they are 8 inches finished not 6! That makes for a 40x48 size little quilt... right now. It might 'need' something for a border. We will see. It might just get finished off with a colorful binding. I'll link up Saturday with the Rainbow Scrap Challenge.

These bow ties were started a year or two ago with that challenge - one color a month for 10 months. This batch has red, orange, yellow, pink, green, aqua, light blue, dark blue, purple and black. There is one of each of those color ways in each set of the 2 rows (10 blocks every 2 rows)... which is how I spread out my colors when I lay things out on the floor. Then it is moving things around within those 2 rows for lights, medium and darks to try and get it how I think it looks good. This was the winning layout while I was waiting to get logged back onto work this morning. I got them sewn together after work and before it was time to go pick up the kids... speaking of which, I better head out to get them!

Tuesday Umbrella....

I know, it is orange but I needed one more to finish up last months color. I guess I'll get right to work on a blue one since I am on guinea pig supervision duty while Aidan is finally cleaning the cage.

Funny shaped umbrella.... lets pretend it is windy! Flower and Jimmy Jr in the guinea play area ... and yes, they are both boys!

Sophie is about 2 feet from the cage, watching.......

Edited..... got the first dark blue umbrella done - last weeks block.

Slow Sunday...

I plan to get a couple more of my blue hexagons stitched up today. Look at that! I got 2 done while waiting for the computer to charge to post this!

Then I'll settle in and get a basket or two quilted. I have 13 of 25 done so far.

Why does this always happen?

Linking up with the other Slow Sunday Stitchers.

I am so tempted to start the embroidery I purchased earlier this year with Blueprint.... but figured I should finish a hand project before starting a new one. (Crazy I know!) I'll start it in July.... probably in Vermont when all the hexagons are stitched onto their background. It will be my first try at embroidery.... and with my tutorial video....and Mom who did that back when she was younger I should be able to tackle it!

Yesterday the boy wanted Mom time and Mom wanted machine time! I got the last of the bow tie blocks sewn and he decided the layout.

He wanted 4 together in the same color way in a circle. There were 12 of each color so we have 3 blocks of each color. The blocks of 4 are now 6 inches.

Might need to make another 8 bow ties in the black color way to get 30 blocks instead of the 28 we have. I went ahead and made one more set in black yesterday but the numbers were not working out. It was taxing the boys brain and we gave up. I'm going to add 2 more black and grey blocks today to make an even 30 for a 5x6 set.

The girl was playing UNO with Dad in the afternoon and they also made the meatballs for dinner last night. The boy and I handled the making of the french bread. With some angel hair pasta and marinara sauce dinner was done! Mom - the zucchini cake with cream cheese frosting came out really yummy..... you know the one from the Taste of Home magazine =)
I had to play Bingo last night with Emily.... my kids love to play games!

I also gave her churn dash blocks to play with..... did I mention I tend to collect blocks? Hehehe....

Linking up with the RSC Challenge and Oh Scrap.

A rainy blue Saturday in Florida....

I can't complain - we really do need the rain since it has not rained in weeks. We have a quite a few forest fires burning throughout the state so this will help in putting them out. Unfortunately... this morning was to be our girl scout horse riding. We ended up cancelling and I'll reschedule it. Hopefully as many can make it again... I had 9 of 11 girls able to attend, which is amazing!

Instead, it will be a day of indoor things. Emily is making a star crystal in a jar. I hear the oven will get a workout as well.... zucchini cake with cream cheese frosting will get made. They overrode my zucchini bread idea. They also turned up their nose at dinner using chicken tenders..... and wanted home made meatballs with spaghetti and bread for dinner with a salad. I hear we are making the bread too! Good thing I have my double oven!

I hope to steal away and sew the last 4 blue bow ties to make the 12 I need for that pile. I might also do the 2 light blue and 8 reds I need. Maybe that will keep the boy occupied laying those out for a quilt design as well? So nice of Peanut to hold those down for me.

Aidan was busy pulling fabrics for me yesterday for the 4 umbrella blocks on the right - I might need to make one as it is pretty rainy out today!

I also got all 12 of the hexagons basted and the first 3 done. When we went to horses Thursday morning I saw a scrap of black and pink in the bushes....I had been working on pink the last time I went and it was really windy. I guess one got away from me! I know, pink has not been called yet... but there were 21 of them and I seem to have gotten them all done over the last month or two!

Linking up with the Rainbow Scrap Challenge. Head over and see all the blue people have been playing with this week.

Graduation quilt is a top!

After lots of bending and twisting..... I got the graduation quilt all sewn together. The photo is not great - way too hot out yesterday late afternoon and a wee bit windy.

I had to have an empty house to lay out all the blocks onto the living room floor. I had sewn the color sets into one's, two two's and the rest into threes. Laying them out was a lot of bending and twisting on my back but it got done. Boy was it big! (70+x95+) Then it was pulling and sewing into strips and then sewing them together. I really hate sewing long rows together..... especially on the diagonal!

It needs pressing, trimming and then I'll have to find a backing and get it quilted. It will not be done in time for graduation June 16... but it will be done to fly up to Vermont with me in July.

Sunday....

It's all about slow stitching on Sunday. With it being a new month at the Rainbow Scrap Challenge dark blue was the chosen color. I love blue.... and I have a couple of blue things that fit the RSC Challenge and Slow Sunday Stitching! Hand quilting and basting and applique!

I am hand appliqueing my hexagon flowers onto their black backgrounds this month and the dark blue were the only ones left that need basting so they can continue their journey onto the black. I started a few last night and will finish up the rest today then pin them to the backing so they are all set to sew whenever I get a few minutes.  I hand pieced these quite a few years ago and they are so close to being blocks to put together into a quilt! Sew exciting!

I also started quilting this little basket last night and it should get finished up this evening..... or afternoon if I need a break. So nice to have options when you have a few minutes here and there to stitch on something.

Linking up with the other Slow Stitchers over at Kathy's Quilts who has been hosting this wonderful link up for 7 years! I just want to thank Kathy and all who have posted and encouraged me in this hand stitching process. 

Yesterday..... someone decided it was time to get her ears pierced! It was to be her 10th birthday present back in April (my rule you have to be 10 and then if you want them pierced you can) but soccer season was in full swing and no jewelry. She had her heart set on Justice piercing them and had picked out a pretty aquamarine post. The nice lady mentioned her ears were thick so would need a long post which they did not have. We walked down the mall to Claires where they had a couple with long post. Chatted with the staff there and they mentioned you could bring the earring of your choice to a piercing place and they could do it. Then she mentioned it was a tattoo parlor and Emily got all nervous.... like ... no way, Mom!. We said thanks and took a walk. The boys headed into Yankee Candle and the girls sat and chatted. The chairs were next to a Padoga jewelry kiosk. I went up and saw they do piercing and had some long posts that were cubic zirconium. Very pretty in 14KG in gold or white. She looked at them. We sat again. Then I mentioned why don't we ask her what the process is... she liked that idea. The lady was super nice. She said she has been doing this for 21 years and a coworker there for over 10. They could even do both ears at the same time. Everything was explained and all questions answered. We sat again. She was thirsty....we walked to the food court and got her some water. A few sips later and then it was 'Are you doing this today or another time?' The boys had moved onto Bath and Body works at that point (Aidan loves his smelly stuff and was looking at candles. He will be making a batch of candles tomorrow with some melts he purchased on Saturday). She said today... we walked back and the boys met us there. It was go time. She waited for a few customers to finish up, we paid and then she got her ears pierced. Good thing it was at the same time... she was a bit terrified and one of them stung for a bit after for a few minutes. All better now and she will go back in 4 weeks and have them take a look. Just a solution and turn morning and night and she now has pierced ears! I keep telling her I am stealing them when her 6 weeks are up... they are really cute earrings!

Saturday.....

It has been an interesting week. I seem to have done something to my back on Tuesday night/Wednesday..... So no walking since Tuesday.... when I was so good to get up at 6:30 and out the door before the temps were extremely crazy in the mid 90s and feels like over 100. Yup - it's summer without any rain to cool things off in the afternoon. It is better today (I can walk upright!) and an advil soon and walking in the pool before the sun hits it by 11 is in store shortly. We had a sleepover of one of Emily's friends Thursday night. Everyone was cranky last night, so they got a full night of sleep (almost 12 hours for each of them!). Much better moods this morning.

I still have 2 orange umbrella's to make this weekend before I switch to the dark blue ones.... so I'm showing you Aidan's coral rose which has a couple of blooms right now! Seems one has gone past the pretty stage so you only get to see one of them!

I sent him out for a photo with my phone and he wanted to show his other flower in bloom as well.

Since we are in blue.... I'll show what I have been hand quilting! My blue baskets that I made with this challenge a couple of years ago in July the summer of 2017 while up in Vermont. I have 8 or 9 of the 25 blocks quilted at this point. Maybe it will be done by the end of June? I am hand quilting on the inside of the basket, on the basket along the edge and two echo's around each basket. Then I decided to stitch on the edge of each square block... just to stabilize it a bit more. I think each block is 6 inches finished. It fits great in my round hoop.

Our visitors Friday morning. Greg came into my office and said to look out the glass side door in the garage area (finished off into an office under the air conditioning in the house). 2 Wild turkeys and their 6 babies were walking along! 

Linking up with the Rainbow Scrap Challenge. I do plan to work with some blue and yellow today.... I am sewing the blocks together for the graduation quilt this weekend. I have a feeling she will be receiving this quilt in July when I am up in Vermont rather than June when she graduates! I also hear someone wants to go to Justice today and finish getting her birthday present since soccer season is over. She is a little nervous to get her ears pierced but would like to have it done. We will see if it happens or not!