Another Flimsy and a new skill

Today I finished another flimsy! While I was waiting for my thread order to arrived so I could start the quilting on my Harmony and Light quilt, I started deconstructing some more clothes that will again go into a memory quilt. Working on the last piece, I realized I probably should have taken a picture. 

Here I started deconstructing the sweatshirt. 

The useable pieces as well as the scraps!

Slowly, I pieced all the butterflies from the pieces, getting 2 butterflies from each deconstructed article of clothing. 

I used Kona Dusty Peach for the background on this quilt and again I'm using the Metamorphosis pattern. 

Here is a peek at the top!

After returning from the Holidays, my Knitting Club decided that we should try Tunisian Crochet. It is a cross between crochet and knitting. I tried it many years ago and I found it really hurt my arthritic hands but said that I would try again. We watched a video on how to do the Tunisian Crochet basic stitch and made practice swatches before starting the scarves.

We are making scarves to donate to our local school district to help the new immigrants and other underprivileged children during the cold winter months. Before Christmas, we donated 20 scarves with matching hats which were much appreciated. 

I finished my first scarf yesterday. 

Tunisian Crochet tends to curl at the ends so I added the pompoms to each end. 

Have you ever tried Tunisian Crochet? 

I'm not sure if I will make another one as I don't think I'm as fast as I am just knitting. Tunisian Crochet is also very dense and you need to use a needle about 

2-3 sizes larger than the recommended crochet hook for the yarn being used. 

My only Tunisian needle is an 8 so I should only use yarn that is DK or lighter.  Most of our yarn for donations are worsted weight so I would have to buy a larger needle. It was a fun skill to learn!
Linking to Off the Wall Fridays, Finished or Not Friday, Can I Get a Whoop, Whoop, and Wait Loss Wednesday. 

Happy New Year!

                             I hope you all had a wonderful holiday season!                               The end of the year was quite busy for me. In between my busy schedule: Holiday parties, Christmas, New Year's, a trip to WI, and 2 birthdays, I managed to get some sewing done. This week I continued to work on my Harmony and Light quilt and today I finished with a completed flimsy! 

Let me backup a bit. In 2022, I saw the quilt, Harmony and Light by Christina Cameli @AFewScraps with a free tutorial and pattern sponsored by Quilting Daily. I fell in love with it so I signed up. On our vacation in 2022, we stopped in Hamilton, MO where I shopped at the Missouri Star Quilt Co for fabric for this quilt.

Christina's Harmony and Light quilt made with her Saguaro fabric. 

Isn't it beautiful! I'm still in love with this one!

My hubby holding my fabric selections - V & Co Ombre collection.

I chose to use similar colors but instead of prints, I wanted to do my quilt in solids. To get the most variation, I chose ombre fabrics. 

So here it is as a flimsy!

I'm linking to Wednesday Wait Loss @theinquiringquilter, Can I Get A Whoop, Whoop, Finished or Not Friday, Off The Wall Friday, and Link Party@Patchwork and Quilts.

Once again I am participating in the Rainbow Scrap Challenge (RSC) hosted by Angela @SoScrappy. January's color is green. This year I will be making the Circle

of Friends block. 

I'm linking to Scrappy Happy Saturday #1

2024 is off to a good start!

A 2023 RSC finish!

 I finished my 'Button Up' 2023 RSC quilt! After finishing, it took awhile to get some photos as the weather here was not cooperating. The weather finally cleared enough to have a photo shoot. I headed out to a local park! It was still a bit chilly so there were not many kids around.

 The RSC (Rainbow Scrap Challenge) is made over a year, following the color of the month announced over @So Scrappy blog hosted by Angela. I have been following along for many years choosing 1 or more blocks to make. 

This year I paired down to only one block (button), however, I made 4 each month in the monthly color. 

Angela announces 10 colors, January - October leaving November and December to finish up. I generally add 2 more colors to round out to 12 which makes for a 3x4 grid layout. 

The button block was inspired by some fabric in my stash that I inherited from my mom's stash. It is the perfect backing for a rainbow of buttons.

It is a bit hard to see but those tiny rainbow shapes are little buttons. So cute!

The button blocks were all made from scraps from my scrap bins.

This quilt was machine pieced and machine FMQ with rambling loopy loops. 

I had enough left of the backing fabric to also use for the binding.

Finished size is about 42.5" x 55.5"

So what's next? I need to decide what to make for next year's RSC! TBD -  I have some time to work on that!

Linking to Scrap Happy Saturday @SoScrappy, Finished or Not Friday @Alycia Quilts, Can I Get a Whoop, Whoop? @Confessions of a Fabric Addict, Linky Party @Patchwork & Quilts, Wednesday Wait Loss @The Inquiring Quilter, Design Wall Monday @Small Quilts and Doll Quilts
'Tis the season to be jolly...It is a busy time and besides decorating the house, baking and visiting the tree farm to cut down our Christmas tree, I've been busy with some Christmas crafting. 

Beautiful barn quilt square found at the tree farm.

Skate and elf boot felt ornaments made from craftymonkies tutorial.

Gnome/Santa's made at our girlfriends craft day!

Gingerbread boy and girl made for the grands!

Ornament making has been a tradition in my family for many years! I love making and decorating our tree with homemade ornaments!

Progress has been made

 First, I realized that I never posted the finished quilt Oh Say Can You Sew. I posted process photos here and here , but not the finished quilt which I completed in September. We took it on vacation to Colorado to take photos! Hope you enjoy! 

I also have been working on a very special quilt for the oldest niece of my colleague and friend. Two years ago, my friend's sister died suddenly leaving behind her 3 kids, husband, parents and siblings. It has been very hard especially on the kids. 

 Shortly after I heard the news, I offered to make a quilt for each of the kids from their mom's clothes. Understandably, it took over year before they were ready to sort through her clothes. My friend asked if I was still willing to make a quilt from her sister's clothes. Of coarse I'm was willing to make 3 (or more.) 

I wanted to make something that would show off the fabrics with big pieces. I found the pattern Metamorphsis by Lo & Behold Stitchery which seemed perfect. As I was waiting for the pattern to arrive, I started deconstructing the clothes I picked out for the 1st quilt. 

I worked on piecing the butterfly blocks between our travels and babysitting time with the grandkids. Soon the flimsy was ready!

Then the quilting... I quilted 7 diamonds along the body, then I auditioned several possible patterns to quilt in the wings, choosing a star template I had and placed it so that one point was centered on the body and filled the rest of the wing.

For the background, I FMQ a loopy meander adding butterflies on occasion. 

Introducing 'A Quilt for Sylvie' 

I was able to visit my old school to deliver this quilt and visit with my friends. I love retirement but I do miss teaching!

Today I am still hopeful that I will be able to start the quilting on my RSC - Buttons quilt. I sandwiched and basted it yesterday!

Linking to Finished or Not Friday @Alycia Quilts, Can I Get a Whoop, Whoop? @Confessions of a Fabric Addict, Link Party @ Patchwork & Quilts, Wednesday Wait Loss @The Inquiring Quilter, and Design Wall Monday@Small Quilts and Doll Quilts

It's been awhile...

 My last post was back in August! My how the time flys! We traveled some in September and October to Colorado and Door County, Wisconsin. We did some hiking and watched the colors change. Not peak as it seems the colors were slow to change this year.

The beautiful yellows of the aspen trees in CO

The yellows and oranges of the maples in WI

In quilting news, I finished my Green Acres quilt from the #30daysofimprovqal  After all the blocks were finished, it was composition week where you finalize your layout using several options. This year I decided to scatter each weeks blocks throughout the quilt, adding additional pieces and scraps as need to fit. 

Sorry for the poor quality photo

Once I stitched all the blocks together, I auditioned greens from my stash for the borders and found green backing and binding fabrics in my stash. 

Sandwiched and quilted between trips, it is finally finished! 

Finished size approx 42" square.

Introducing Green Acres!

October is the last month for a new color in the RSC - neutrals. I need 2 more colors to round out to 12 button colors for a 3x4 layout. I chose to make peach and gray buttons to add to the collection.

I'm linking to Scrap Happy Saturday @SoScrappy.

Last Saturday, I took another quilting class, Organic Shapes, through the #craftymonkies platform on IG. The instructor was @Carolina_Oneto and she was terrific! She talked about colors and shapes. She taught her techniques and how to make variations. I loved this class! Here is my finished quilt. 

I had my husband built a frame for it and I followed this tutorial to stretch it around the frame. 

I ironed 1/2" around the outside edge to make it easier when tacking to the back.

I used tacks to secure the quilt to the back.

(my husband's staple gun wasn't available and I didn't want to wait)

I quilted several concentric circles and added some big stitch hand quilting in the shapes. 

Here are some detail shots of the quilting

Finished size 13.5" x 18"

I am linking to Midweek Makers, Off the Wall Fridays, Finished or Not Friday, Can I Get a Whoop, Whoop, Patchwork and Quilts, Friday Foto Fun, My Quilt Infatuation, Wednesday Wait Loss, Design Wall Monday

I'll leave you with a few photos of the local colors this week 

So Beautiful!

I'm back and so soon 😜

 I'm back again with more updates of what's been happening. Since I didn't want to overwhelm my last post, I decided to split it in 2 so here is part 2.

August's color of the month for the RSC is yellow! Since I was on vacation for the first 2 weeks of August, I got started with my yellow button blocks this past week. 

I can't wait to see all these buttons together as I now have quite the stack of button blocks! I'm linking to Scrap Happy Saturday @SO Scrappy

This is the 3rd year that I have participated in the #30daysofimprovqal hosted by @shannonfraserdesigns and Amanda @broadclothstudio. The QAL started on July 30th and we are in the 4th week. Again, I was on vacation for the first 2 weeks but caught up by doing all 3 prompts in one week - stripes, L shapes, and triangles! This week was curves! 

As you can see, this year I am sewing only from my green scrap bin. I will probably make a few more blocks as we arrange and rearrange in Composition Week next week. 

Before my vacation, I pulled out a UFO that I started last year called 'Oh Say Can You Sew' on Facebook. The original quilt pattern called for 1152 - 1 1/2" HST. 

That is where I stopped and put the project bin away.  

After pulling that bin out again, I decided to cut down the size of the finished quilt so I would need to make fewer HSTs to finish. I would only need 648. The quilt will still be a nice size laid out in a 5x7 grid. 

Here is a peek at my current progress. I have all the blocks finished and I'm working on piecing the sashing. All fabrics are from my stash or scraps. 

I think that I can see the light at the end of this tunnel. It is rare for me to put away a quilt that I have started for as long as this one sat. Do you have projects that you give up on? Do you eventually finish them?