What Are Quilters Blogging About Today?

I have an actual finish this week. My ode to Joey quilt is almost ready for the quilt show the first of October. I just need to make a label. I have worked on this quilt for almost three years. First, I made the words by color for the rainbow scrap challenge at so scrappy in 2019. And then, I have slowly been sewing it together. I began this as a way to heal a broken heart, and it has become very meaningful to me.

80x85 = about 20 yards of fabric

I used a wide flannel back and a scrappy ...

I have had a hard time this year setting goals for next year. Maybe, because it has been an uncertain year. And yet, I finished the most ufo projects I have ever done in a single year. Now, that I think of it, I might be tired of finishing, but, I have many more to finish. I am not sure how to find the balance between finishing to accomplish, and starting new to enjoy. The more I stick to a list, the less I quilt.

Still, I've made my list for next year and the PHD 21.

 I have been anxious to lay out my country roads blocks and choose a setting. I have no idea how many blocks I will need, now that, I have decided on an on point layout for the blocks.  My first choice was the fabric for the alternate blocks. And, then, the setting triangles fabric. I am just using some favorite colors that I already have in the stash. I am using the companion ruler to cut the setting triangles, although, I know I have an actual setting triangle ruler somewhere very safe.

the first corner goes so fast

I laid ...

I am sewing here and there on my current scrap projects, hoping to make some more progress before the end of the year. Can you believe we are nearly there? What a year.

psp20

psp20

stash buster and easy breezy

getting ...

I am using recycled shirt fabric to make these anvil blocks. I tend to sew the hsts for 3 blocks at a time as a quick sit at the machine. I trim and press them in the evening while watching tv. It is easy sewing the pieces together the next day. I am using a hunk of muslin that I want to leave the stash. Although, there is something lovely about muslin. It is just a simple fabric, but, it behaves so well. It is much like the second or middle child.

One of my quilts for the rainbow scrap challenge was the scraptastic star. I started it in march of 2019

It seems like I have been waiting for most of the year for the color yellow to finish the last block for scraptastic star. I had all the other colors done for awhile. that makes 12 blocks

 I webbed the Irish chain quilt at retreat last week. This was one of my rainbow scrap challenge projects. I have worked on it for 2 years.

My rainbow projects for 2020 with links:

 Irish chain
Shine
row by row
scraptastic star
country road
and now
postage stamp psp20

I am linking to:

rsc20 super saturday
oh scrap
UFO busting

We had a wind advisory last week, and this, is what we found. This wasn't the part of the tree that we had been worried about splitting. I clean up from retreat and hubby cleans up outside. Four of our dead ash trees in the back blew down as well.

Hubby has been busy trying to clean  the area. We were grateful it didn't fall in the road.

I finished the shine top from this year's rainbow scrap challenge project. This was a great block and easy enough to do, and, it uses a jelly roll or ...

I had one last row to do for the row by row quilt.  I dug out turquoise scraps and cut 3 1/2 inch hsts. I made the row, and, started joining rows. 

I pieced the top, cut the back, and prepared the binding. It is waiting a turn on the longarm.

All ready to quilt

With the end of the colors for the rainbow scrap challenge for the year, I am catching up "other" colors for my country road blocks. I have really enjoyed making these this year. Pleasure versus difficulty is the perfect ratio. I have the cutting measurements memorized, so, anytime I have a scrap pass through the cutting mat, I can just cut a few.

 Last Saturday, I taught a workshop for my guild, making the shine block and quilt. I am inspired by other's choices.

all pink jelly roll

really pretty Christmas jelly roll

fun Christmas jelly roll

my costume - I was the only one

I made the orange cross blocks that I was missing for the row x row quilt and the rainbow scrap challenge. I am also missing a second turquoise row.

And, it is now, part ...

Boo

Hubby and I decided to make a pumpkin this year. Our hands won't do the whole carving bit.

I have the 2 yellow rows I need for my row x row quilt finished. Not too exciting, but, progress. It looks nice with autumn leaves.

 I have had a lot of fun making postage stamp psp20 blocks with 1 1/2 inch squares. Many of my print squares were a gift from a great quilting friend. So, I get a smile every time I start a new block. I went through a little bag of scraps, and, every time I found a piece big enough for the solid color, I cut for the postage stamp block. I think I will have a lot of red blocks. It's amazing how many shades of red I have found hiding in the scrap piles.

I didn't do much yellow sewing for the rainbow scrap challenge. I have scraptastic star and the row x row to do yet. I cut the pieces for the row x row. I needed 104 each of yellow and white.

I chain stitched them together in groups of ten, in between other sewing. It gets a little boring otherwise.

I trimmed them each evening. They didn't need much trimming, but, I wasn't taking any chances.

If it were not for the yellow in my rainbow scrap challenge blocks, there would be no sunshine in Indiana these days. We have had dreary dark days already. with a twinge of cold. Hubby had to clean out the garden with the threat of frost.  I have had a cold. How do you catch a cold in this sterile world these days.?

I am moving along on my blocks for October. It's hard to think, we are almost done with the challenge for 2020. I have a small basket of ufos to work on for next year. Most ...

Yellow is the color of the month for the rainbow scrap challenge. Yellow is my favorite color, but, it doesn't look as lovely in my patterns as some of the other colors. hmmmm

country roads

tiny houses

I've been working to finish a couple of ufos. I finished Aunt Mary's double irish chain yesterday.

I ran into a snafu with the patriotic ufo. I discovered that I had 3 sashing strips for the inner border attached, but, not the fourth. It was nowhere to be found. I made the decision to unattach one of the borders, and ...

The red blocks for my Irish chain quilt are ready, and, all I need are the yellows. I have worked on this quilt over the last two years for the rainbow scrap challenge. The first year, I did the 4 patches, and, this year, I am making the blocks.

This was a friend Linda's quilt - smith mountain morning -in red and brown. We took the Bonnie hunter class together in Lafayette. Mine was gray and yellow. I quilted hers in red.

I have started putting the joining the rainbow row x row quilt, and finished the 2nd red row ...

I'm still playing catch up from last week. I finished the last Shine blocks that, I had missed during the rainbow scrap challenge.

I had started purple psp 20 blocks and needed to finish them.

It's fall in Indiana. There is a certain blue to our sky that I love. I like the temperatures, but, not the shortening of the day. Hubby has been busy finishing the tomatoes and peppers. And we have another batch of salsa ahead of us. I saw a cute idea for a pumpkin this year, and, we went in search of the perfect ...

Little tiny squares and I are having fun in red for the rainbow scrap challenge. Some of the blocks turn out better than others. I don't know if they were not cut accurately or I get in a hurry and sew them too quickly. It's hard to be patient. Each block is different and interesting in it's own way, and, I want to see it.