RSC Table Scraps Challenge

 It feels so good to get extra bits from a quilt turned into something fun and useful! I was able to make 2 - table toppers this month!

The first one I shared earlier this month and it has been getting used as my dinner placemat at the table. Such a sunny spot on my table.

The second topper got finished off tonight. It is double sided using extra bits from the same graduation quilts parts that made the placemat. One side is logs of yellow in a windmill type block. 

The other side is 5 - 16 patch blocks in yellows and blues. I do love these colors together.

This is the graduation quilt that the scraps came from.

I'll be linking up with Joy and her table top challenge.

I have also been making hexagon quilt as you go blocks this month in yellow. I admit... this pile is missing 5 of the 28 blocks.... but they are all prepped and waiting to be stitched. After all... there are 2 more days in February and plenty of time to get them stitched up before the new color is announced. I still have one set of blocks to make in yellow.... and hopefully they will get completed this weekend to show next week.

Linking up Saturday with the RSC.

Stashbuster 2020 is completed! February OMG complete.

 2 for 2 in 2021! I do wonder if I can keep it up!

I finally finished hand stitching the binding on the 48x60 Stashbuster quilt last night with a NCIS marathon. I think I am on season 7. Emily has started watching a few episodes with me - she likes Abby - the scientist on the show.

Lets revisit the February goal - Sandwich, pin, quilt and bind the Stashbuster 2020 quilt made with the RSC last year. I'm very happy to have checked off all the parts on this list and I just put the quilt into the washer so it will be nice and cuddly...... and all the chicken and cat fur will come off it!

Emily kept putting the chickens on the quilt. I think this was Emma. Molly was on it before this.

Then Poppy got held for a photo op with the quilt. This is the chicken that lays our green eggs =).

Aidan was trying to get Rosie over there but she had just laid a pink egg (it was very hot when I checked the nesting box) and was not having anything to do with being picked up right then.

Linking up with a completed February OMG. I have a few days to decide what the March goal will be but I think I'll shoot for another finish.... I wonder which of the 26 quilts waiting will bump up to the top of the list?

Also linking up with the Rainbow Scrap Challenge on Saturday

Wednesday already?

 Honestly, I have no clue where the last few days have gone! I think the last post was Friday or Saturday..... Sunday was busy with a few hours spent at the Agriculture Pavillion. Emily got into her FFA uniform and had her Showmanship appointment and then the Skillathon. Turns out that was a written test. 

She looks like my niece Sally in this photo!

Emily with Myrtle.

I ended up chatting outside in the shade with another Mom waiting for her kids who are in 4H. She had gotten a guinea pig last year from the fair and was telling me all about it.  Since our pancake mid morning breakfast was all gone by the time she was done her test at 2.... we perused the offerings for food after another check on the 3 chickens there in their cages. They had 2 food trucks - one had smoked BBQ - 4 big green eggs working on various foods and the other had a grill and fryer. We went with a cheeseburger and fries (me) and a hot dog and fries (Em). She also got a fresh squeezed Lemonade at another booth. We split a funnel cake for desert. I guess in the south it is funnel cakes and up north I grew up with fried dough. Both are yummy. 

I took pity on hubby and went and retrieved the boy from Grandma Sunday night as well. He looked like a 45 minute car ride each way would not be good for his back and was thankful I went. Em stayed home with him.

It was back to work on Monday.....and scouts on Monday night. We finished up a badge on Black History Month and they decided they wanted to make cookies next week! I guess through Zoom we will be mixing our cookie batter up and with parent supervision we will be baking off cookies. Dinner was easy - pulled pork in the crock pot with some coleslaw. I had prepped it Monday morning after dropping the kids to school. 

Tuesday - after school pick up we headed to the fairgrounds to check on the 3 chickens there. We will retrieve them on Saturday morning.... I do wonder how they chickens will all react when the 3 return! The boy had a headache and was a wee bit ornery. Dinner was baked greek chicken (Greek rub from pampered chef) with tatziki in a pita. I had my chicken on a salad with some feta cheese and olives. 

Wednesday - we had Mexican skillet (chicken, onion, peppers, corn, salasa, broth and minute rice with a little salt, pepper and chili powder with sharp cheddar cheese on top). The kids found that recipe in a Taste of home cookbook 2003 I think and requested it. It takes about 20 minutes to make - which is a nice quick meal. The boys are off to guitar lesson tonight. Emily is in her room and I think I'll work on some binding so I can maybe get a finish in February?

I have managed to stitch a few more of the yellow hexagons this week... but that is about it. Unfortunately, I am working tomorrow instead of having a day off so we will see if any more yellow is worked on this week or not. I'm going to see if I can finish the binding on my UFO this month - the stash buster quilt. Time for some NCIS and some needle and thread. Wish me luck.

Yellow weekend post.

 A bit late posting today. It was an early start - up at 6AM to get to the fairgrounds for 7:30 to prep the 3 chickens there for judging. They got put into the Commercial class since they are laying. We found out later.... most don't go and do anything but... it was our first time and she wanted to check on her girls! We also were able to to listen to the judge and he was telling us about how he judges them and showed Em the vents (yellow if just beginning laying and pale as they lay more!) and had her feel the 2 different bones they judge. He did say he liked the look of DC =).  She is bigger since she isn't really laying yet. 

I did get some sewing/prep time in today in yellow. I prepped enough hexagons to get me through the 25th of this month. I'll need to prep 3 more tomorrow to finish out the month. 

Then I decided to make some extra blocks into a placemat! I just did some easy straight line quilting on this and hand stitched down the binding this afternoon. These were the edges leftover from Sally's graduation quilt sewn into a pinwheel kind of block.

I also machine stitched this runner of extra blocks today and added a blue binding. I'll finish hand stitching that down tonight after game night. I hear it is either Clue or Parcheesi. One side of extra yellow strips from that graduation quilt.

The other side was turned into four patches then 16 patch blocks - 5 of them. I think this will probably be the display side...  until it gets dirty then I'll flip it over!

I had to machine quilt with the inspector Peanut in this position. The. whole. time.!

I did make these two yellow blocks on Thursday.

I also have more binding to stitch down on the Stashbuster 2020 quilt I made last year with the RSC. 

Linking up with Rainbow Scrap Challenge on Saturday and Slow Sunday Stitching on Sunday.

I'll link up next week with the Table Scrap Challenge with my finished placemat and the other table topper will be completed by then.

Sunday - we are back to the fair for the Skillathon in poultry. Aidan will be off to Grandma's for the day and Dad will be home doing homework. I only saw about 5 other people with masks on today... thankfully there were not many people there as it was early and chilly. I'm sure there will be more there tomorrow in the middle of the day. Em and I will have our masks on. Best we can do.

More quilting....

 

I finished quilting block #13 last night. 5 more to go then the sashing and setting triangles. Amazing how quickly it goes when you actually stitch on it each day! Must pop out for my walk before it gets too hot - 86 today if you can believe it! I know - most of the country would love these temps with the freezing that is happening everywhere. We are back into the 70's tomorrow thank goodness.

Tonight we will attempt to take 3 Plymouth chickens to the fair. Wish us luck in getting them there! They are out and about in the fenced in back yard enjoying their last day of freedom for a week.

A day off.....

 We are off for Presidents day in the US. Well, hubby was online doing some school work but the rest of us were off for the day.

Emily made me put the fencing up around the garden. The chickens are not happy with us right now. They were enjoying eating bugs and digging holes to have dust baths in there. I did leave them a little square so they can still dig.... dust bath and she can dump their droppings there to compost. We managed to plant last night and then the torrential rain happened overnight. Some big claps of thunder and lots of rain.  Yes, unlike most of the US- we were in the 70's and in shorts yesterday. 

I took Emily to Kohls to try and get her FFA uniform needs. Black jeans and a white button up shirt. We have the coat and the neck scarf and she has black boots from riding she can wear. Now, she is transitioning out of girls into the Womens/junior section. The inability to try things on in the store is a struggle. We tried a small mens shirt - that got returned. We tried some jeggings.... that got returned. I picked up the next 2 sizes up on the return trip and one of those worked thank goodness. Just one more return on the other size. We tried a shirt from Amazon... hopefully that will fit. Not sure why you can't try on in store but can bring home then return?  

The boy has been overdue for a hair cut for quite a few weeks. That was accomplished yesterday and I got mine cut as well. Lots of hair on the floor from both of us.

I did get a little time to finish cutting the yellow butterfly wings and got them sewn together by machine. I need to hand stitch the inner circle then baste them for hand applique. Not sure it that part will be a this year or next year project? We will see how the month goes I guess. I am undecided on the background - scrappy whites, same whites? 

Just a little hand stitching last night. I believe this is block #11 of 18 being worked on. I think I might pull out the little bit of straight lines I did in the sashing and do something else. It is a small sashing but maybe something with curves? Still time to think on that one.

The girl really wanted to move her room around.... including the dresser with mirror. Dad said his back was not up to it last night. I had mentioned once I sat I was probably down for the count after planting the garden. A very sad girl..... sigh. Mom got up and managed to scoot the dresser across the room and the bed and nightstand got moved as well. Girl is happy. It was not too bad to move and my back is not yelling at me today so all is good.

I just called my local quilt shop - they have template plastic - both regular and mylar. I had to ask the difference and mylar is ok to use heat on for applique. Learned something new today! They did not have the Jenny Beyer The Perfect Piecer ruler though.... which looks like a neat little tool for hand piecing and marking lines. Does anyone else have one they use for hand piecing? Recommended? I just use my little ruler and a pencil to mark right now.

Happy Tuesday.

Hand quilting on a Sunday

Well, it has been a little hand quilting each day this week. I have 8 of 18 blocks quilted. I am just outline stitching in all the blocks so far.  This is my Hand Pieced Quilt Along from 2019 I did in scrappy blues and white. I love the color combo. I'm going to try red and white with this years Harmony block.

This is the last block that I finished last night. So fun to stitch these.

My trusty hoop. I have a few other ones but this is the one I prefer. I have a large oval - but I can't get my arms to the middle so it does not work for me. I also have a pvc rectangle one, but I really like this circle one. It is the perfect size for my arms and me. 

Linking up with the other Slow Sunday Stitchers.  I also might have a binding to be stitching down later tonight on my Stashbuster 2020 quilt. That one got machine quilted this week.