What about Rheema?: July 2016

Sunday, July 31, 2016

Weeds, Watermelon, and July RSC Blocks

I thought I was going to attend the Greater Ann Arbor Quilt Guild Biennial Quilt Show on Saturday, but instead I ended up hanging out around the house while the oldest daughter's husband and his friends moved their household belongings into our barn and garage. The had sold their house and it was closing on August 11. Part of the conditions of the sale were that the buyers were going to take immediate occupancy. The kids have also put an offer on a house but it won't close for a few more weeks, and one of the seller's conditions was that they would remain in the home for 30 days after closing. So they needed a place to put all of their belongings.

Before they started the ordeal I worked in the garden. I mowed along the chicken house, flower beds, and around the berry bushes where the big mower cannot reach, I pulling weeds mainly thistle, until the rain began pouring down. I also trimmed trees in the orchard. Once I was finished I decided to work on my July RSC blocks.

Twisted Blossom in watermelon colors. Surprisingly these came from my stash.

All of my twisted blossom blocks. I love this block and need to make 9 more blocks I want to have 16 total.

Here is my Navajo block at least the strips cut out. I ran out of time to make it because I was working on some other things.

A reminder of the blocks and what it will look like tomorrow, after the new month starts....(hanging my head in shame.)

I did manage to get the crown and thorn block finished.

Saw Toothed Square

Fancy Foxes

I wonder what the color for August will be?

Friday, July 22, 2016

Heat, Humidity, and Sewing

We have strung together quite a few days of high heat, and humidity. Just like the extreme cold during the winter this weather encourages excursions outside early in the morning and late in the evening, but to stay hold up in the house as much as possible the rest of the time.

July RSC color is watermelon. In my mind watermelon runs a gambit of colors so I used artistic license while picking out the colors for my blocks.

Crown and Stars

The Moda Love Layer Cake quilt I was not quite settled with and thought it needed something. I had about 16 blocks left because I had wanted a certain look for the quilt and had supplemented from my stash of Mamma Said Sew.

Those left over layer cake pieces plus 5 more 10 inch pieces from the yardage and background fabric, I had made a nice 5 inch piano key border all the way around. I have tried to get pictures of this quilt without minion assistance. The barn door would not hold my tacks. UGH! I grabbed pants hangers and used the play structure, which of course at this time in the morning had a lot of sun and shadows on the side I needed to use.

Of course about the time I would try to snap a pic, the wind would come up, the quilt would drop off the hanger into a heap on the ground. I ended up bunching the top part of the quilt in the hangers to make it stay long enough to get a picture.

I have been working on sewing on the binding of the swirly birdies, after several days of drama making the label. I will share that ordeal when I show the finished quilt.

Since I finished the Swirly Birdies quilting I figured I should pull something else out of the pile of quilt, so I thought what a great time to do a charity quilt.

I think simple organic lines going diagonal following the triangles will be good.

Are you staying cool this summer?

What's In a Name?

I have been sewing when I have a free moment. Some days the boys are much needier than others, unfortunately it means I don't have a lot of time to myself.

I made the saw toothed square block for the RSC in Watermelon.

I decided I needed a quick quilt finish, this is the Moda Love Layer Cake Quilt.

I made it from a layer cake of Moda's Sweetwater Mama Says Sew that I had in my stash, and a oyster color polka dot fabric that I had also. Yeah for me using stash up! I put a narrow 2 inch border around it. I think I have enough of the layer cake left I can do a piano key border.

I also finished quilting the bag lady quilt from 2015.

I quilted a a swirly design all over.

I have the binding all ready cut out, but I couldn't put it on the quilt until I had a label, and I was stuck. I could not think of a name. I think I finally decided I would call it swirly bird. Now I am off to make a label!

Nice to get something accomplished.

Monday, July 18, 2016

Quilty Intentions

I looked at the last time I posted and realized wow that was almost a week ago. What have I been doing with myself? Remember my Dresden quilt that I made? Well I still have not sewn my flowers down yet. I have problems with stuff shifting and so have been considering if maybe I should glue them down before I sew them. Yep they are still pinned.

I think that the quilt really needed something else so I thought I had enough of the Dresdens blades left that I could possibly make some flowers to string between the Dresdens. I started to experiment.

Definitely not what I had envisioned. Then it came to me. How about some tiny hexie flowers?

I am going to make 12 flowers to place between the Dresden plates.

While contemplating solutions for the Dresden quilt I decided to make some watermelon color foxes for the July RSC.

I have quite the skulk of foxes going.

My shopping trip to the LQS the week before I had picked up some horse fabric.

I made a pillowcase for one of the grand daughter's birthday. Hard to believe she is 12 already. I can remember when she was born and she was a little tiny thing.

Lily is the one at the top she is now 12 going on 21. I don't envy her momma.

Saturday we attended the local antique tractor show and auction. We spent almost all day there. Yes I did win some items that I saw at the auction I will share in a future post. Here is a small preview of what I bought.

Sunday I had the day to myself. DH was working to clean up the downtown of the city where he works after the street fair which had taken place the previous 5 days. I had big plans.

Then I put my fingernail through my table top ironing board cover. Yeah I know it is pretty nasty looking.

I dug through the fabric that I got from my MIL and found a muslin which was not the quality that I would use in a quilt. Within an hour I had a new ironing board cover.

Once I had that done of course I had to make sure that it worked alright. I decided to make the friendship block for guild so I am ahead of the game.

The guild fabric was the gardening fabric, the dark green was mine. After I finished that then I had to do the bag lady block for this month. Not much quilting was accomplished.

Monday the kids were going to the doctors so I had another free day. I decided to work on quilting my bag lady quilt from last year.

I am about 2/3 done. In between quilting, and messing up my thread, which took a couple of hours to get it untangled I decided I needed something quick and easy to break up my time unkotting the mess I had made..

I got 2 rows done of a Moda Bake Shop pattern called The Moda Love Layer Cake Quilt. While I am not one to purchase precuts often I had purchased a layer cake of Mama Said Sew a while back and decided that I wanted to use it, and it would be the perfect pattern to make the quilt. Click on the link above if you would like the pattern.

My intentions for the rest of the week is to get something finished. One way or another.

Wednesday, July 13, 2016

July In Our Garden Blocks

Summer school started today for one of the boys. Poor little guy had to catch the bus at 6:50 am and he gets home at about noon--add to that 90+ degree temps with humidity in the 70's he is being quite the trooper. Especially since school does not have A/C. He gets breakfast, lunch, and a snack, and they are working on reading, and math. I think the oldest one wishes he could go too. It is amazing with one child out the door that I have a bit more free time, and the fact that the youngest is now potty trained helps even more!