Squirrely

Many years ago when I was in high school I was dating the kicker on the football team.  The coach wasn't very fond of me and used to call me squirrel. Fast forward almost 35 years and my husband calls me squirrel sometime totally by coincidence.  I finally told him the story of high school,  DH says it is because I jump from thing to thing, and I am kind of all over the place, and get distracted easily.   

While doing a lot of cutting of my Ocean waves quilt I have moments when I just need a break.  I decided I was going to get Christmas presents for my kids made early this year.  This is going to be the year of the microwave bowl cozy.  The 2nd to the oldest of our daughters just purchased a new home and their colors in the kitchen are apple green and gray.

I have one sewn completely and the other 3 are ready to finish sewing too. Two are the rose looking fabric in green with gray chevrons, and the other two are gray looking roses with the green chevron.  I also have another set of 4 all cut out and ready to sew for the middle daughter.  I watched, I don't know how many YouTube videos, and read a bunch of different blog posts.  Mine is an amalgam of all of them.  I used Pellon's Wrap and Zap as my batting.  I will say I love the feel of it is very soft.

I also chose to make the pie and rolling pin block called Baked with Love from Pink Simplicity for the Farm Girl QAL that I am participating in.

The next 2 blocks are the strawberry, and the pumpkin.  Since I needed a chance to do something different, today I made the Out to Pasture Block.

I was originally going to use the 9 patch that I made in mistake while making the milk can but changed my mind multiple times until I settled on this. I also dug through my scrap bin picking out fabrics for the strawberry. 

 Doing this little things kind of help me when I am starting to feel impatient.  Or Squirrely if you may.

Ocean Waves QAL

At the beginning of this year I decided this should be my year to finish some projects.  I had a couple of quilts I wanted to make, but everything else would be working toward finishes. 

Then I read a post by Pam at Mama Sparks World had decided she wanted to do an Ocean Waves QAL. The block she designed will be 18.5 inches and I knew I wanted to join. hat quilt was on my bucket list, and I at first thought maybe I would use some of the bazillion HST that I have saved over the years.  But then I am not really good at keeping light/dark going some of my HST could read more as medium/light, or medium/dark.  So I started thinking about maybe just doing one color like Pam, her quilt is going to be navy.  Love it!  I could not decide on a color palette though. 

While wondering around my sewing room I spotted a fat quarter bundle.  I am not much for using one line of fabric to make a quilt, I am definitely a scrap quilter.  Last year during the In Our Garden BOM I won a fat quarter bundle of Apricot & Persimmon by Riley Blake fabrics, and I thought that just may work.

When I started to calculate I realized I would need about 5 1/2 yards of fabric,  and 7 1/2 yards of background fabric.  The fat quarter bundle had approximately 4 1/2 yards of fabric, but there were some in there I was not too sure would work.  There are 3 fat quarters that are kind of wide stripes.  Of course this line was from 2015, so I had to go on a search.  I purchased some 1/2 yard cuts, a couple of yards, and some solids, so I should have more than enough fabric.

I have been cutting 3 inch strips and squares for days. I keep thinking maybe I need a couple of darker colors in there.  I do know that each block is going to be scrappy, but from this line of fabric and some matching solids.  Oh and now I realize why I make scrappy quilts a block at a time. Cutting over 1700 - 3 inch squares takes a long time even with the stripology ruler, I am chomping at the bit to start sewing soon. 

Applique Play or is it Appliplay?

I get a bit done here and there.  Some days are better than others.  Saturday was a busy day.  The Ancient Ones got up late, so I felt like I was rushing and pushing all morning.  After getting them settled in for the morning I had to run to the grocery store, then arrived home in time to grab a bite to eat, feed the AO, pick up the boys and run to a birthday party for the youngest grandson Easton.  He turned one on the 12th.

We stayed for a bit, then had to run back home, stopping at the drugstore on the way because DH lost a screw out of his eyeglasses and he can barely see without them.  Once we got those fixed, he and the big boys went to a boy scout event called a lock in and I had the opportunity to sit and relax.

I have been prepping a lot of applique trying to get caught up with the In Our Garden BOM which ended this month.  So far I have these ready to sew.

 September's block was by Life in the Scrapatch

Then there was a bonus block from Life in the Scrapatch also!

 October Spaghetti squash and the squash blossoms from More Stars Over Comanche

November by It Seams to be Sew

December from Sow and Sew Farm

January the last block from Sew Incredibly Crazy

I also got this cute Cardinal prepped. The design is by Patchabilities. 

Now for some marathon applique' sewing on the machine. 

Saw Toothed Square Times 2

I worked on the Saw Toothed Square block last year for the 2016 RSC. Yet another project that stopped due to family circumstances. I think it was August of 2016 where I fell out on this project.  August is supposed to be gray.  I tried to find a lavender that could read as gray, but I don't think I was very successful.

I still have the blocks for September and October to make for 2016.  I think I may pick up some of the secondary colors for 2016 to make additional blocks, since I would like this to be a queen size quilt someday. I think I need 49 blocks all together to make a quilt 7 X 7.  I may be RSCing for several years before I have enough blocks.  OMG that means this quilt may not be done until 2021!

Enter 2017 RSC.  The color for January is Purple.

I have 9 blocks completed so far between the 2016 RSC and the 2017.

Only 40 more blocks to go!  Linking up with RSC 2017.

Playing Catch Up In Our Garden

I got lost along the way with the In Our Garden blog hop, I want to say back in September if I remember correctly.  I did save, and print off the patterns, but hadn't had time to do them.  I decided I needed to catch up. 

How to catch up?  Make a plan, and I decided that I would start with all the pieced blocks.

September-  Garden Granny Block by Life in the Scrapatch.

October-Squash Blossom by More Stars in Comanche

November-Pinwheel by It Seams to be Sew

December-Winter Star by Sew and Sow Farm

January-My Garden Cabin by Sew Incredibly Crazy

My next task is to get all the applique parts at least ironed on so I can do marathon applique sewing.  I am considering how to put this one all together because I will have 26 blocks finished up.  I would love to have 30 blocks all together.  Doesn't it feel nice to start to catch up?

Got Milk

I have had a busy sewing week.  Am I going to show you everything I did in one post.  I don't think so, why do that when I can milk my sewing week for several posts? 

Remember I party crashed Dawn at Sew You Quilt Farm Girl Sew Along that she and a friend were going to do,  a couple of weeks ago?  The first block was the cow.

Of course if you have a cow you must have a milk can too.  Right?  I mean what do you do with the milk without a milk can?

I don't know why I made the can the 12 inch block.  I will say that I mis-cut the blocks for the can body 2 different times.  For some reason I though I needed 2 1/2 inches, then discovered I needed 3 1/2 inches instead.  That is what happens when you get distracted while cutting.

I can't wait to see the next block for the sew along. 

2017 RSC

I decided to scale back and finish some things up.  But I also know that I need a few more blocks for some of the quilts.  Therefore I am going to join the 2017 RSC at SoScrappy again. I am only going to do one block though.  I want more of the Sawtoothed Square blocks.

Yes you may begin to laugh hysterically since my life gets so crazy at times what am I thinking.  This is what I have so far.

Yep I got side tracked for August, September, and October. But I can finish up last years blocks and make some more this year and have a nice size quilt.  Most of the fabrics I have used in this quilt are tone on tone flowers, kind of reproduction type fabrics. 

I hope I can get this one further along this year. 

Here a Moo, There a Moo

I am not much for prepping for holidays months before the day, but I decided I would try to get some things made ahead of schedule for gifts. 

I saw this cute little wall hanging, and dug through my scraps.  What little time I get for sewing I managed to get 3 of these made. 

The background fabric is a batik with a snowflake looking design.  I still have to finish off sewing down the bulb ends, and find a backing, quilt, bind, and make a hanging pocket but I think they turned out pretty cute.

I also invited myself to join Dawn at SewYouQuilt2   in a Farm Girl sew along.  The first block was a cow block from Bee In My Bonnet.  I like having the option to do 6 1/2 inch blocks or 12 1/2 inch blocks. 

Here is my cow-I decided to do a 12 1/2 inch block.  I didn't do eyes yet, but the rest of the embroidery is complete.  I think when the quilt is closer to done I will do button eyes.

It is so nice to get a little done here and there. 

2017 Is Here!

Do you Facebook?  I do, I used to play Farmville, and accumulated a lot of acquaintances, but I don't play anymore, and most of my friends are people I worked with, people I share a hobby with such as quilting and vintage sewing machines, family, and friends from school.  Today there was a pop up that my friend from grade school turned 53 today.  I thought what the heck!  We were in the same grade, how could he be that old.  Then I thought about it and chuckled and thought, silly girl you are going to be that age too in almost 2 months.  However did I get that old?!?!?!

Anyway many people did year end wrap ups of what they completed.  I had to think hard about what did I get finished?

Baby Easton's quilt.  He is going to be one year old in less than 2 weeks. I finished it up and he had it by the time he was 1 month old.

I finished Swirly Birdies which was my only entry in the guild show this year.

 I also finished Sweetwater Star even though I haven't labeled it yet.  I have it quilted and bound.  That counts right?

Maybe someday it will be nice and not windy and I can get a good picture of it finished completely?

I had some small accomplishments too!

A birthday pillowcase for one of the grand daughters

Simple Easter Baskets for the boys.

A flock of snowmen for gifts for Christmas

October Vintage Blessings wall hanging from Shabby Fabrics.

There have been lots of changes this past year in our family.  The addition of a new grandson who is special needs, the little boys moved in, the boys moved out, a main floor house remodel of the kitchen, dining room, adding a bedroom, pantry, wheelchair ramp, and finishing off a porch to make the house more accessible for the Ancient Aunt and Uncle because they can no longer live on their own anymore and live with us now.

 From this to

This while it is not finished to my liking someday we will put in new cabinets, a nicer floor, a new sink, window, and counter tops but right now it is efficient for having walkers zooming through our house.

Additionally I read 121 books this past year. I hope to be able to read a couple more this year maybe 125, but then thinking about my life I may be lucky if I can get to 50. 

I think my theme for 2017 for my life is going to be to practice kindness.  This past year  there was so much negativity and mean spiritedness, while I cannot change others, I can make sure that I do not contribute to it, and sometimes a kind word will change a person's day.

My quilting life I think this is going to be my year to Finish it Up!  I have quilts that need borders, Flimsies that need quilting, blocks that need to be made into quilts, BOM and lots of UFOs,USOs, PIGS, PIPS, PITS, WHIMMS, WIPS, WISPs, WIVSPs, and WWITs.  Not to even think about my SABLE!  I am not even going to begin to start the list yet.  Let's just say that I updated my tab and I am over 43 46 that need finishing! I am going to quilt looking because otherwise I will find more!

I will share a few with you.   I know long post with a wrap up and new beginnings all in one.  Have a joyful, prosperous and blessed New Year.