Final RSC Saturday in June

As I'm sure you already know, Angela picked pink for our Rainbow Scrap Challenge this month. Last post I said that I was short one pink Awesome Land block. Dopey me! Forgot it was finished yet still under my needle so all nine have been accounted for. Too bad I can't say the same for the aqua and the light blue ones. I think I'll just make a few extra ones in a different color. I think I've got enough blue variations for this project already. To keep me honest, here's a picture of all nine pink Awesome Land blocks.

I also have 4 of 7 Heartfire hexies/blocks done. The last three only have the outer ring to go so they'll be done by June 30, I'm sure. I'm wondering what July's color will be ....

What really took up all my time was getting Kyoto across the finish line. It was due for a UFO Challenge at my local quilt shop this past Tuesday, June 23rd. Finished it up the night before and got the label done that morning. The pattern was created by Jinny Beyer and this was a 2018 BOM. I bought the fabric kit from Jinny so I could learn how to use stripes better.

Here are a couple pictures of the finished quilt, its label, and pieced backing showing some of the quilting. I love using the fabric design on the front as my quilting motif. That's what I did for the outer border. I quilted Kyoto on my domestic home sewing machine.

This quilt finished at 58" x 64". It's rather large, too large for a wall hanging, not sure about using it for a lap quilt. It was a lot of work since it was hand-pieced. I might lay it across my dining room table .... Hmmmm. We'll have to see.

Of course, the UFO meeting was held on Zoom. Nice to "see" the ladies again and catch up a little with them. At the end, our fearless leader (Cindy) chose the next number. I'll be working on Star in a Star in a Star which was a Twisted Mystery quilt that I worked on through my guild. Most of it is done, only the four cornerstones to make. Then I'll need to sew it all together and then get it quilted. It will take a while as it is a queen-sized quilt. When I locate all the pieces, fabrics, and directions, I'll let you know the exact size! Due date is August 25th but I don't want to wait until August 24th to start working on it! Hahaha!

I've also been busy with the Winnie the Pooh sew-a-long. I posted pictures of Winnie the Pooh, Tigger, and Piglet HERE, HERE, and HERE.Yesterday I finished Eeyore.

This afternoon I sewed the flimsy together.

Awfully cute, isn't it? Need to get it sandwiched & quilted. It's pretty good-sized too at 46" square. Nice size for a baby quilt.

Two more blocks appliqued for Afternoon Delight.

All in all, I'd say it was a very good week. Now let's get this weekend rolling! I'll be linking up with Angela on Saturday.

FNSI and RSC

My goodness, I sound like some sort of governmental agency or something. FNSI. RSC. Oh brother! Follow along and I'll explain if you don't already know.

FNSI (Friday Night Sew-In) is hosted by Wendy at her Sugarlane Designs blog on the third Friday of each month. Quilters all around the world have the opportunity to join in the linky party, take the opportunity to enjoy stitching, and then sharing what you worked on and check in on what the others have done with their evening. This month you can see the activity of all RIGHT HERE!

So what did I work on? I got some fabrics coordinated for the next block of Afternoon Delight and put some stitches in it. I managed to get the outside of this circle appliqued down and the start of a few of the points. Check the bottom left corner ....

I really should have prepped the circle that goes into the middle of the previous block so I could put it away.

I apologize for not pressing it before taking its picture!

Earlier this week I sewed together Tigger for the Winnie the Pooh sew-a-long. I think he looks magnificient!

Of course, in between I sewed Awesome Land blocks as leaders & enders. That's one of my RSC (Rainbow Scrap Challenge) projects. This month's color is pink. I'm linking up with Angela's RSC Linky Party HERE! So much pink to look at!

Bottom row, middle block is the last of the dark green blocks finally sewn up from last month! I'm getting quite a pile of blocks for this project which isn't too surprising. After all, we started this in January and here it is June already!

The reason there are three sets turned out is because I counted what I had this morning. Oops! There's only eight pinks done and each color needed nine. Then I discovered there are also only eight aqua/turquoise blocks and, oh my gosh, only seven light blue ones! I'll be playing catch up with those colors this week for sure!

I finally got this young lady's picture. Activity started out a little slow at the hummingbird feeders this year but it has been picking up lately. I think maybe the tardiness might have been caused by our unusually wet & cold spring maybe?

On Thursday my mother turned 87. I made birthday scones for her and dropped them off at several friends' and family's homes on my way to her house. Everyone loved them and Mom's neighbor actually called me to say they were the best scones she's EVER had!

The tidbits in them were cinnamon morsels made by Nestle. I had a hard time finding them for a different recipe but, when I found them, I bought several bags. Mom & I saw the scone recipe on the back of the bag and we agreed that we should try these one day since they sounded so tasty. Oh my! They're even better than we imagined. I think it's probably because it called for roasted (not toasted) walnuts. I had to actually cook them in the oven and wow! Soooooo good! I might double up the nuts next time I make these .... and I'm not even a nut lover!

Have you ever seen black hollyhocks? I hadn't but I spied these in someone's back yard while walking Gracie this week.

There were also pink ones. I loved the double pinks in the back. They look like carnations.

Here's a picture of my favorite hosta. I love that the stems aren't super tall and the stems are loaded with flowers. The leaves are really textured too.

In other news, my husband's surgery has been set up for noon on Tuesday, July 7. The kidney will be officially outta here!

Have a great weekend! I'm ready to get Gracie out on the trail this morning followed by (hopefully) finishing up the quilting on Kyoto today .... right after I make some potato salad for dinner tonight!

Mid-June PHD Report

I'm feeling pretty good about my June progress so far, but I'm starting to get a little nervous about Kyoto. It is due June 23 for a show 'n' share on Zoom with my local quilt shop. But hold on! I'm getting a little ahead of myself here. Let's review my goals for June.

My To-Do List for Mid-June:

1. Finalize quilting plan for Kyoto. Um, I have ideas floating in my head but nothing is final ... YET!
2. Select a backing fabric and pin-baste Kyoto. I couldn't find a piece large enough (that I liked) for Kyoto so I measured, figured, drew, and then sewed up a backing. So some progress but need to cut batting and then get out the pins.
3. Make the binding and the quilt label for Kyoto. Nope!
4. Quilt, bind, & label Hope. Nope!
5. Finish, quilt, bind, & label Patriotic Wall Hanging. I did finish the piecing for Patriotic Wall Hanging. Also, I found enough fabric on the clearance rack at a local quilt shop for the backing. Need to get this moving again too.

So there you have it. Progress on my To-Do List but need to start thinking about getting them completed 100%.

In the meantime, I've picked up Eva Grace again. She's on my PHD list for 2020 so that's OK, sort of, but I think I'm supposed to be concentrating a bit harder on my To-Do List. And as if that isn't enough, I started a new project. Did you just hit your forehead with the heel of your hand? Hahaha!

Quilting Gail, who is our fearless leader for our PHDs, started a Winnie the Pooh Sew-a-Long. I know of a couple of people that just had or will be having soon babies. How could I resist? If (and yes, that's a big IF) I keep up, this should be finished by the end of the month. Oh brother, here's another thing to add to my To-Do List! I better start listing things and be a bit reasonable ....

So there you have it. No finishes and one new start.

To-Do List for June

1. Get that Kyoto to the finish line!!!

2. Get Pooh finished too!

3. Cross Patriotic Wall Hanging from my list!

That ought to keep me busy! I'm heading to my sewing room right after I link up with Quilting Gail to turn in my report. Wonder how everyone else is doing? We can find out right HERE!

Have a great week!

RSC = PINK! Glorious Pink!

Hot diggity! Angela chose pink for June's color. Since I didn't get any pink sewing done the first week, I made an extra effort to have something to show today. And I do! First up are my Awesome Land blocks, which I used as leaders & enders.

Oh my! Did you happen to catch that dark green one in the mix? Yes, I discovered the pieces for it PLUS another set of green pieces for the last (I hope) dark green Awesome Land block.

These blocks were made while piecing a couple of things. First, did you catch my most recent post .... a couple of hours ago? I'm sewing with Quilting Gail and making a Winnie the Pooh quilt. You can find the pattern by Sew Fresh Quilts HERE. You can also join Gail & me & probably more right here on Quilting Gail's blog. It's going to be adorable!

I'm making the large size and here is Winnie the Pooh! Ta! Da! We are now working on Piglet with Tigger and Eeyore to follow.

I also used my leaders & enders to get this far on Heartfire blocks.

One more round to go on these followed by three more and I'm done with them for the month. I'm linking up with Angela at SoScrappy to share my pink projects and to check in on my RSC buddies. You can too right HERE!

This week I also joined some friends for a little sewing one afternoon. It was my first face-to-face meeting with quilting buddies and it was so refreshing. Thank you, Millie, for inviting me and thank you, Sharon, Karen, and Judy for joining me. Your friendship is dear to me.

I brought applique to work on, Eva Grace specifically. I don't know why I put it aside but it's really coming along now.

I got most of the leaves sewn on during medical procedures being performed on my husband and also during his trips to the ER and doctor appointments for check-ups. Applique is very therapeutic for me.

Speaking of hubby, at our last appointment it was determined that since there has been no significant signs of the kidney healing in the past 2 1/2 months, it will be removed. We are waiting to hear from the hospital scheduler as to when that might be.

On a happier note, our grandson Brody turned one last week. There was a big party to celebrate, of course.

Brody with his other Grandmother

Waiting on Cake!

He had a pool party!

Last week also marked my Baby Girl's 40th birthday. I cannot believe how quickly those 40 years have flown by. She will always be my #1 daughter. She keeps me on my toes and often off-balance, but always centered. She's a beautiful person inside & out.

See what I mean? Lol!

Have a great week, everyone! I'm off to walk the dog followed by getting her to the groomer .... finally allowed!

June FNwF Part 2

So here we are again on a Friday. Many thanks to Cheryll for getting us together again for a 2nd Friday Night with Friends this month. The ladies and I have been very busy and you can see the amazing works right HERE. Really! You should pop on over and just take a peek!

I started sewing early today because I know I'm sewing with friends from all over the world, including Australia which is many hours ahead of us. What did I sew? Winnie the Pooh!

I am sewing with Quilting Gail and making a Winnie the Pooh quilt. There will be blocks of his friends too -- Piglet, Eeyore, and Tigger too! I have my pieces cut for Piglet and we'll start sewing him tomorrow. I just love Sew-a-Longs! (Bet you never would have guessed, right?)

I've also been working on Eva Grace. I started this a year (or more ago) and somehow it got put aside. The pattern is by Irene Blanck and this is the applique block in the middle. I get lots of compliments on the beautiful vase.

This picture was taken before I finished the leaves. I'm working on the purple & orange flowers now.

Bloomtopia, the cross-stitch project available from Fat Quarter Shop, is coming along too. In the bottom left corner I finished the grass below the flowers and their centers. Now I am all set to get the next installment on June 15th.

So what's happening in your world? I hope you've been doing something that makes you happy!

Friday Night with Friends June #1

Last night was the first of 2 Friday Night with friends. I am so happy Cheryll of Gone Stitching hosts this as it helps to keep me on track PLUS I get to see what my friends are also doing. You should visit to see too!

I really been getting a lot of Eva Grace done. It's an applique project by Irene Blanck and I think it's beautiful! I hate the reason I'm getting so much done: My DH has been having plenty of issues lately with his tubes which he acquired after his surgery's correction on April 10th. This morning at the ER was no exception. Two hours of great progress but crappy reason. Anyway I'll share a picture when I get a chance.

What I did work on last night was Bloomtopia. It progressed from this:

To this:

I would like to also mention that yesterday marks one whole year for my being a Grammy!

We'll be doing a Face Time at cake time. Obviously due to DH's health issues we were unable to attend the party. There's always next year but I'm sure we'll be visiting again before then.

Until next time .... have a great week. Now go wash down your counters!

May Final PHD Report

My PHD goals did not materialize 100% as planned but I didn't do too bad. Lately I've been extra busy taking care of DH. This partial nephrectomy of his has wreaked havoc on the entire house. Seems like if I'm not emptying & measuring output, I'm changing bandages and/or doing extra laundry due to leakage. Anyway, enough of that. Let's get to the report.

Here were my goals:

My To-Do List for the end of May:

1. Find Kyoto and make it lie flat. I remember putting it away and not being 100% happy with the finished top. ✅ Found if after quite a bit of digging around. It lies mostly flat now.

Here's where Kyoto's progress went south-ish. I thought the top was done or just about. You know, like maybe needs final border. Turns out I had one strip of the 1st border attached with two more borders (a total of THREE borders) to be added. Might not sound like a lot but this is a hand-pieced project!

How far did I get? I am sewing the final half of the final side of the final border. Finally! Ha! I will most certainly post a picture when done with the top. This is a very large wallhanging -- 58 1/2" X 64 1/2"! Looks like I have about 30" left then!

2. Start thinking about how I want to quilt it. ✅ I can say I started thinking about it, but truly no plan finalized.

3. Select a backing fabric and baste Kyoto. NOPE

4. Make the binding and the quilt label. NOPE

5. Finish Hope Quilt. ✅ I can honestly say that the top has been completed. This one is actually mostly pin-basted too. Ran out of pins so ordered more for curb-side pick-up from JoAnn's on Thursday afternoon. My order is still processing! Really?

So what kept me busy besides Kyoto? Well, there was Hope, a new project started in May. I have it pin-basted (mostly) and have a quilting plan ... as soon as I can "conveniently" pick-up more pins.

I also discovered a new Patriotic Wall Hanging that I want done. The final borders are waiting to be sewn down. Then will come the quilting. It's pretty good-sized too at 26" X 42".

Sounds like I'm looking forward to three finishes next month -- Kyoto, Hope, Patriotic Wall Hanging. We shall see, won't we?

My To-Do List for Mid-June:

1. Finalize quilting plan for Kyoto.
2. Select a backing fabric and pin-baste Kyoto.
3. Make the binding and the quilt label for Kyoto.
4. Quilt, bind, & label Hope.
5. Finish, quilt, bind, & label Patriotic Wall Hanging.

I was going to add more, but I think my plate is full!

See you mid-June! Thank you, Quilting Gail, for trying your darnedest to keep us on track! I'll be posting to the Linky Party HERE and catching up on everyone else's progress too!