A Finish!

                                               My first RSC finish of 2021!                                           I found time last week to complete the quilting and binding of my Rainbowlicious quilt! This quilt pattern is Joy Luck by Miss Rosie's Quilt Co. 

The original layout of this pattern was stacked blocks with sashing between the columns rather than side by side with sashing between the rows. Due to the number of colors (11) and the number of blocks of each color (10), I decided that this would be the best layout. 

I'm calling this quilt Rainbowlicious because the definition of rainbowlicious is "a deliciousness of colors in an array of beauty so good you can feel it, taste it, as hues across the spectrum of light, alight you." Roseanne @Home Sewn By Us said that they reminded her of wrapped pieces of candy. Thanks Roseanne for the inspiration in naming this quilt! 

                 The backing I found in my stash ~ a colorful floral print that has many of the colors of the rainbow in it. 

It was a beautiful Fall day for the photo shoot of this quilt! 

The blocks were made monthly over the year as the color of the month is announced by Angela over at So Scrappy. I added one additional color (peach). The blocks are all machine pieced and the quilting is FMQ in a simple braid in 2 different sizes. 

The quilt finished at approx. 40" x 40". 

I'm linking to Scrap Happy Saturday @So Scrappy, Can I get a Whoop, Whoop? @ Confessions of a Fabric Addict, Linky Party @Patchwork and Quilts, Brag About Your Beauty @From Bolt to Beauty, Finished or Not Friday @Alycia Quilts, Foto Fun @Powered by quilting

Linking to Favorite Finish @Meadow Mist Designs

I also finished my November step for the Macaron Mystery QAL @Meadow Mist Designs. Here are the 3 steps so far!

Hope you had a great week of quilting! 

A flimsy and other progress

 I put together one of my RSC 2021 quilts! I even had time to sandwich it yesterday! 

The pattern is called Joy Luck by Miss Rosie's Quilt Co. that I purchased many years ago. I hope to get to the quilting this week. My job at school has slowed down a bit and I have the week off from babysitting my grandson. My SIL landed a new job and starts next week so they gave me the week off. Hopefully I will be productive (if I'm not called into work.)

Linking to Scrap Happy Saturday, and Patchwork and Quilts

I added some peach blocks to my RSC- Wonky Shoo Fly blocks.

I also made charity blocks for Covered in Love. Kat introduced the Nov/Dec CiL block drive which are textured blocks. Other than sensory quilts, I had never seen a textured block/quilt. I was intrigued with a few of the patterns and made these.

gathered strip

undulating tucks

pintucks

I tried something new while I still could find a few flowers around. It is called flower pounding on fabric. I gathered some flowers that had some good colors and a few green leaves and laid them out. 

I covered the flowers with parchment paper and taped it down. 

Then with a rubber mallet, I pounded the flowers until I could see moisture/color released from the flowers. Some flowers released more color than others and the leaves were resistant. (Marigolds and geraniums released the best.)

Here is the result. After cleaning up the remaining parts of flowers, I ironed with a hot iron to set the colors. I'm not sure how colorfast this is so I may use a salt or vinegar fixative. I'm not sure how I will use this but I may add some embroidery to enhance the flowers and add texture.

Finally, here is my finished October calendar journal. 

Hope you have a good and productive week!

Trying to keep my head above the water!

 Why is it that life seems to keep getting busier? 

I just don't seem to have enough time to keep up with quilting, blogging, and visiting blogs with the time that is left over after work and family commitments. Anyone else feel the same?

Well, enough complaining! I need to enjoy the moments! 

October's monthly color is light green. Here are my blocks. 

Joy Luck

Wonky Shoo Fly

I'm thinking I will add at least one more color for the wonky shoo fly and 

several for the Joy Luck to make them a nice size quilt. We will see!

Linking to Scrap Happy Saturday @ So Scrappy.

I did have a finish since I last posted! I finished my #30daysofimprovqal quilt.

This challenge took place during the month of August. I chose to 

add large borders of Kona white around the grid of blocks to make 

a good size throw quilt. I quilted from top to bottom in straight 

lines about 1/2" apart. 

The backing fabric was used to based the colors for the challenge blocks. The binding is left over pieces from the front fabrics. 

This quilt was gifted as a wedding gift for my daughter's 

sister-in-law and husband.

I will be linking to Can I Get a Whoop, Whoop at Confessions of a Fabric Addict, linky party at Patchwork and Quilts, Finished or Not Friday at Alycia Quilts and Friday Foto Fun at Powered by Quilting.

Finally, I can show you my September calendar journal! We have been having quite the printer problems and finally broke down and bought a new one. I have been keeping notes on paper until I was able to get the calendar printed. 

My October step for the Macaron Mystery is finished ~ 60 flying geese. 

I'm excited to see what the next step is. 

Until next time, happy quilting!

Sew busy!

 I wish I was 'Sew' Busy rather than 'So' Busy. The beginning of the school year is always busy but this year it has been extremely busy! The District I work for is short on subs, so I'm working everyday that I'm available with few exceptions. I also babysit my grandson 2 days a week so it leaves me with little time to sew, write blog posts, or even read them. 

I did manage to sew my monthly blocks for the Rainbow Scrap Challenge. The color for September is ORANGE!

Wonky Shoo Fly blocks in orange!

All the blocks so far!

Joy Luck blocks in orange!

All the Joy Luck blocks so far!

I'm linking up to ScrapHappySaturday@So Scrappy.

I also managed to do the September step for the Macaron Mystery QAL 

with Cheryl Burkley @MeadowMistDesigns.

Living in Chicagoland, I was able to take advantage of seeing the Bisa Butler exhibit at the Chicago Art Institute. If you are not aware of the work of Bisa Butler, I encourage you to look it up as she is an amazing quilt artist! The quilts on display are her portrait quilts! They tell stories of her life and of the lives of others African Americans.

Her use of colors and fabrics from Africa add to the beauty of these quilts! The details in her quilts are truly amazing!

She layers fabrics like a painter layers paint.

I also love the way she places her figures on her choice of background fabrics. 

Here are just a few of the many pictures I took as I couldn't get enough of seeing these wonderful pieces of art and the emotion they evoke. 

If you get a chance to see her work, don't hesitate! It is sew worth it!

A Much Needed Update!

 It has been almost a month since I have posted. I have been doing a bunch of sewing but since my sewing room has been under construction, it has been difficult. 

August's color for the RSC is aqua blues. Here are my blocks!

Wonky Shoo Fly

Joy Luck

I also cut pieces for my EPP tumblers but haven't stitched them yet.

I'll link up to Scrap Happy Saturday @ So Scrappy.

Here is my July calendar journal. Only 1 week before August is over and I'm just getting this posted. That's how it goes sometimes!

I joined the #30daysofimprovqal on IG in the beginning of August. This QAL is hosted by @ShannonFraiserdesigns and Amanda @Broadclothstudio. Each week is dedicated to a theme and each day is a prompt. We are already finished with 3 of the 4 weeks. 

The 1st week was all about squares. Here are my blocks.

Week 2 was about stripes.

Week 3 was about triangles.

Only 1 week left!

Linking to Finished or Not Friday @Ayycia Quilts.

School has started and I am back to work. I'm still babysitting by grandson 2 days each week. My sewing room isn't quite finished but it is close. Here are a few pictures.

My sewing table, cutting station and ironing board are still not in. 

The top to my new cutting station isn't on yet.

I'll leave you with some cute pictures of my grandson!

A little bit of this and that

 I'm not quite ready to share my almost finished secret project (a birthday gift for my SIL)! I am hand stitching the binding and then need to label and gift it! Soon!

But since July rolled around (how can this year be going so fast?), there is a new color of the month for the RSC, dark blue, and a new block for Covered in Love charity (stars).

I cut and sewed 10 wonky shoo fly blocks and 10 joy luck blocks in dark blues. 

wonky shoo fly

Joy Luck

I also cut many dark blue and purple scraps for my tumbler blocks.

(I never got around to cutting purple scraps in June) 

Now to hand stitch them! 

Linking to Scrap Happy Saturday @So Scrappy.

Here are my star blocks for the Covered in Love charity. 

Kat @Kat & Cat Quilts is back to hosting this round after taking 2 months off to catch up. May/June was hosted by Tammy @Travelin' Sew I. 

July/August is typically star blocks, a favorite! There are so many to choose from!

Linking to Midweek Makers @Quiltfabrication, Stitch and Show @Life in the Scrapatch, and Monday Making @Love, Laugh Quilt

 

July also means a new calendar and the finished calendar for the month of June! 

June is a birthday month in our family including mine! 

July is the start of the Macaron Mystery Quilt hosted by Cheryl @MeadowMistDesigns. This month is all about fabric requirements and picks!

Here are my choices.

Mostly from my stash but I needed to add the light polka dot fabric and get a bit more of the Kona cactus and Kona white. 

This is my 3rd mystery QAL with Cheryl! It is a nice, easy pace and Cheryl's designs are great! Will you be joining? 

At my knitting club (we meet on Monday nights), one friend asked if anyone heard of a knitted potholder that was a folded type (her niece wanted to know and sent some pictures). So in usual fashion, we all start a google search to see what we could find. It turns out that the only method we could find was crochet. 

So on Tuesday night after I finished knitting my project, I started to crochet one that I found on YouTube. It is a pretty interesting technique that intrigued me.

It is double thick and made from cotton yarn. It was actually pretty fun to watch come together and fairly easy so I offered to teach it at knitting this past Monday!

Hope to be back soon with my secret finish!