What Are Quilters Blogging About Today?

 Yesterday was a middling day with no appointments and drizzling outside making it gloomy inside. My mind was all over the place and I felt like I accomplished only odd bits and pieces here and there all day. Like I played with things rather than getting down to working. Sometimes a blank day is a good thing to have and other times it becomes meandering, missing some drive, so that I get little done. But all that matters less as a retiree as no one is depending on my "work".

However I did have a little sort of work recently ...

 I photographed this fellow from my usual lookout spot... the kitchen window. He was checking out the bird feeder area and on high alert all the while. He looked well fed and had a beautifully coloured coat that shone in the autumn sun.

I took this photo of Tony and Ned walking one of the 4 marvelous public walking trails within a few minutes of the house. This is the one where Beth walks Petey and Abbey. We wondered if Ned could smell them. Don't know about his legs, but his nose certainly got a workout!

 I mentioned a few years ago I wanted to grow Coleus and finally set a packet of seeds this spring. When I put out the tiny plants, some critter ate most of them and these few here below somehow survived. I'm happy to have these and hope they will fare well now when brought into the house later on. 

 We seem to be down to just one ground hog-this fellow. After the dogs gave him a little chase in the back yard one day, I now see him more regularly out front and on the side lawn. There's about 9 more acres he could explore so I'm not sorry he's not in the fenced back yard. 

These days most of the wetland area is flooded and unwalkable which is too bad as the path winds through neat little treed areas. It was near this spot, I went through the ice and up to my thighs in water back a couple of years ago.  About August, this area will dry out enough to walk without boots. The tree in the middle is a monstrous size, one of the Mother Trees here and I call it a Halloween tree.

I'm late posting because we just had a horrible Ice Storm that knocked out power. More about that next time.

My doggy daycare has been going well. Daughter reports her dogs are tired and put themselves to bed early these days which means they are getting their exercise here. These aren't their real beds...I know one sleeps with Robbie and one with the adults every night. LOL

 LeeAnna at ...

Do you shop at the Bulk Barn or similar such store? 

Here is my capture of a White Breasted Nuthatch, one of the many that ...

 I dropped off 17 more Compassion Quilts at the hospital today.  They were so well received!

The Blue/Brown rail fence quilts have been a big hit because they are gender neutral and can be given to anyone.  The quilts that have a hard time finding a home are quilts that have a theme to them. Thanks to that feedback, I will definitely be mindful of the quilts I design for this project.  I was told the first batch of 20 quilts were all distributed within weeks.  They are so appreciative of all the generous quilters taking part in this ...

 My Jasmine Magnolia is bravely blooming a little. Photographed against a screen and that backyard bank of snow.

 I finished my Mercyful Quilt just in the nick of time.  

The final link-up is on this Sunday over at Bernie's blog (Needle and Foot). I knew I needed to buckle down and I am pleased I actually met the deadline.

I started out making green blocks but quickly found out I did not have a bunch of large scraps.  I used the method Preeti shared on her blog.  So next I had to dig into my blue scraps.  I found the same problem there.

I dug into my purple bin and found enough scraps to finish the blocks ...

 I am trying really hard to stay focused on finishing some of my projects.  So when I had some time this weekend, I put all of my Mercyful blocks up on the design wall and started playing with layouts.

I tried quite a few different layouts and decided that I liked this one best.  There are a couple dark blocks I might move out of the center but I think I am ready to start sewing this one up.  I already have a blue and green backing picked out so I am hoping to get this one finished up soon ...

 This was a busy week for me!

It didn't involve a lot of sewing, or even a lot of longarm quilting.  I spent the week processing my garden harvests.  I canned sweet relish, plum jam and bread & butter pickles.  Plus some beans, tomatoes and blueberries all went into the freezer.

And with the temperatures above 100 degrees, all my energy was sapped by the end of the day.

I did get the last seven blocks for my Positivity quilt finished.  I have been playing with the blocks up on my design wall trying to decide on a final layout ...

 Here we are, almost the end of July and I just got out my bin of purple scrap for the Rainbow Scrap Challenge.

Yesterday I was able to finish another five.  I still need 7 more.  I have all the pieces cut; I just need to sew up the blocks. 

But I have sad news - my favorite Bernina 830 machine (Sparky) went in to be repaired.  He was starting to sound more ...

t’s time for the next quilt block tutorial of Scrap Buster Blocks! This series features a different scrap-friendly quilt block tutorial every month that will help you use up your scraps and make some fun quilts along the way.

QUILT BLOCK TUTORIAL

Right here on my website, you’ll find the rotary cut instructions for making the 12″ quilt block (finished). If you have an AccuQuilt, you can find the AccuQuilt instructions on the AccuQuilt Australia blog to make the quilt blocks with any sized Qube set. Also on the AccuQuilt Australia blog, you will find a few ...

 What is the saying?  "The Busier I am, the more Behind I feel!" (Or something to that effect.)

It was another busy week and I don't have a lot of things to share today.

Someone said ‘every finish line is the start of a new race’ but for me it is the start of a new quilt. I am now allowed to work on 2022’s Positivity Quilt! As well as all of the other little distractions that pop up along the way.

This quilt doesn’t have nearly as many blocks as Preeti (Sew Preeti Quilts) called for but I decided it was a large enough quilt at this point. All of the pluses are either a shade of blue or yellow and with one exception, all backgrounds are various grays. The blue ...

 This week's scrap quilting was certainly all about sewing for future donation quilts.