RSC End of Light/Bright Blues?

Oh wow! We are getting close to the end of the light/bright blues and I guess I didn't get much sewing time this week. Seems like ra lot of time spent on doctor's appointments with hubby's upcoming surgery. Now we're planning a couple of trips so not much time for May either probably. Oh well, that doesn't stop me from life.

On the RSC front, I did manage to sew this sweet block. I knew when I made it that the background fabric would go wonky but I didn't mind. I thought it went beautifully with the light blue fabric I had already chosen.

I didn't finish my table mat (yet) this month. My inspiration came from the book "Returning to Temecula" by Sheryl Johnson. I figured the Nine Patch Posey would use up a lot of my 1-1/4" scraps.

Inspiration

Here's my version. As you can see I didn't get the appliqued center done nor the quilting. Oh well. Currently it measures approximately 16" x 20". Maybe I'll spend a little time finishing this one up but too late for the Table Scrap Challenge. Boo! Hoo!

I'll be preparing for our trip and packing this week. Probably not much going to happen next week in the sewing room. In the meantime, I'm linking with Angela and friends at SoScrappy!

I Like Thursday #32

 I like winter but not in April. We received a couple of inches of snow on Tuesday. Our area hasn't received snow this late in April since WAY back.

Our drive to Hubby's doctor appointment yesterday

A couple of errands after the appointment

Poor redbud tree

Our back deck yesterday evening

The deck first thing this morning

I like that the sun came up and melted all the snow. I also like that the streets were dry as well as the bike trail. No slipping on (black) ice while taking Gracie for her walk yesterday morning. No falls to report and I really like that.

I like that, even after the snow and the below freezing temperatures, the sun came out and the trees looked happy on our walk. I like that the sky is a beautiful light, bright blue just like our color of the month for Rainbow Scrap Challenge.

Speaking of the RSC blues, I made progress on Brody's hoodie this week. Here's a sleeve in progress. I'm getting back into a little of the blue!

At my last retreat, a friend brought in my favorite black licorice. You can buy this nice-sized bag for only $1 at Dollar Tree. Yum! I like black licorice. I also picked up a bag of the red licorice, same brand, same price, same place. It was delicious too. No picture to show.

I finished the book I was reading the other morning, "A Stash of One's Own" by Clara Parkes. I enjoyed all the short stories about a knitter's yarn stash. I totally understand this concept on two levels: 1) as a knitter with a yarn stash; and 2) as a quilter with a fabric stash. Some were quite zealous in explaining why they "collect" yarn while others were almost apologetic and there were even some that didn't have any yarn except what they were currently knitting. I found that weird! Ha!

So now I've picked up another book from my library. I like that I could find this book online and have the library hold it for me. They will hold it for a week so that gave me plenty of time to pick it up.

The book is "When the Stars Go Dark" by  Paula McLain. Goodreads puts it in the categories of Mystery, Crime, Thriller. My kind of book! *wink* I checked this book out because Paula McLain has apparently written several books but I've not read any. I think I'll start now!

My quilt guild has a smaller meeting that meets on the 3rd Tuesday of the month called Quilt Club. Every month our fearless leader Katie comes up with a topic and then enlists other guild members to share tips & techniques for that topic. This month's topic was wool applique and Katie asked me and three others to share our experience with wool applique. I think we did a good job sharing some of our projects and discussing what were our favorite methods, supply shops, threads. We also discussed whether to fuse or not to fuse and, if we fused, what our favorite fusibles were. We also shared embroidery on our projects and Katie followed it all up with a demo of how she does wool applique. Yes, sir, jolly good show!

Because wool applique was on my brain for about a week before Quilt Club, I thought I'd start another wool project. Sorry you can't see my project but, rest assured, it is Polly Approved!

What's been going on in the kitchen lately? Sunday I cooked a boneless pork loin (not to be confused with a tenderloin). I followed THIS recipe by The Spruce Eats and it was delicious! Sorry, no pictures. While I had to use dried thyme, I was able to use some of my fresh sage & rosemary. Good thing I made this before the snow!

I also made some Cinnamon Scones. They are so delicious! And EASY! I found the recipe on the back of a bag of Hershey's Cinnamon Chips. They are hard to find around here. Maybe you can find them in your area. Here, it's usually during the holidays. However, you can also find the recipe HERE online and the chips are available on Amazon, but they seemed expensive to me. Anyway, it's by Taste of Home so you know it's a goodie!

My box of scones

And last but not least, I made these Cheesy Ham & Egg Hand Pies. Mom & I saw Pioneer Woman make them on her show on Saturday morning so I thought I'd give them a try Sunday morning. The ham I used was lunch meat but I also added 2 slices of bacon that I had cooked up extra a few mornings before. I also didn't use the poppy seeds that she used but I used Everything Bagel seasoning on the tops instead. Mom & I pigged out on these.

Looks good, eh?

Tasted even better with a little salsa!

And that, my friends, will do it for this week. I'll be linking up with Not Afraid of Color and then catching up what likes others have to share.

Friday Night Sewing!

Actually I started my "night" during the afternoon. It was OK because I was sewing virtually with my friends on the other side of the world where it was already night, right? I was also keeping in mind the Rainbow Scrap Challenge color of the month: light & bright blues! It didn't take long to get a pile of 1.25" short strips (about 4" long).

So many little blue strips. Hmmmmm, let's add some white ones, same size, half the number of the blue strips.

Yes, I have something in mind. Next I sewed the little strips together, a blue strip on either side of a white strip. After sub-cutting, I have this.

This was as far as I got when it was time to cook dinner. Bet you can see where this is going. A peek at how I left my sewing space ...

After dinner it was time to settle in for Magnum, P.I. and then Blue Bloods on TV. New episodes this week of both made hubby, Mom, & me so very happy! So I picked up my knitting needles to enjoy the shows. Here's a picture of what I picked up. I'm knitting my little grandbaby a hoodie. That's the pouch you're looking at. Every child needs a place to keep his hands warm or to store rocks picked up on a walk or a place to keep his cars  safe while he's walking along collecting those rocks! Ha!

The yarn I'm using gradates from bright green through gray to gray-blue to navy. Can you see the blue behind the pouch? That's the body of the sweater where it is getting into the blue. Anyway, this is a very cool pattern called "The Wonderful Wallaby: A Hooded Sweater for All Ages". This pattern goes from Children Size 2 all the way to Adult Super Size. I even made one for me without the hood. I love it and I wear it during winter sewing in the basement. Sometimes it's very cold down there!

Special thank you goes to Wendy at Sugarlane Designs. Every month she gets so many of us from around the world for Friday Night Sew-In. We really do come from all around: Australia, New Zealand, France, Germany, United States, Brazil, and more. So many sewing folks, so many fun projects to look at and admire. I'll be linking up with the gang HERE.

Weekly I try to link up with Angela at So Scrappy. She is gathering all of us HERE to share what we have created this week using light & bright blues. Thank you, Angela! 

So that's it from around here. Have a wonderful week!

I Like Thursday #31

I have to start this post with how much I like a finished (finally) quilt. Shark Bite has been completed and presented to my local quilt shop's UFO Challenge group. There will be an official photo shoot but in the meantime I'd like you to see that it is Polly-approved.

Next step was to lay it out on the bed to see what exactly I have created.

I like it!

You may remember my picture last Thursday of the beautiful red bud tree outside our bedroom window. I noticed yesterday that on the tips of the branches there were tiny leaf buds. Boo! Hoo! That means the flowers will soon blow away and then all that will remain is a pretty tree.

With this in mind, I decided to take a walk around the garden to see what I could find of Spring again.

A lonely red tulip coming up in the middle of the hosta bed. Weird since I did not plant any bulbs here but I accept!

A shadowy glimpse of my pulmonaria or lungwort. There are also hollyhocks leaves surrounding it.

My azalea is just gorgeous this year. I've never trimmed it and I love the shape that it has developed all on its own. The day I bought this bush I was in search of a rhododendron. At the nursery I noticed this small azalea by the name of Olga. I had to buy it since Olga was my grandmother's name (on my father's side). She's a beauty! Did you also notice another patch of hostas growing to the left of her?

I'm still reading "A Stash of One's Own" by Clara Parkes. That didn't stop me from picking up a book from the library that I had requested. One of my blogging friends mentioned it and it definitely interested me. "Classic to Contemporary String Quilts" by Mary M. Hogan. On my goodness! Full of fabulous ideas! I will definitely be enjoying all the ideas in this book.

 The other day I got a package in the mail.

The Applique Society (TAS) is having its annual meeting at the end of this month and Dawn Heese from Linen Closet Designs will be giving a trunk show and teaching two applique classes. One class is a cotton applique project and the other is this Antique Urn wool class. The wools in this package are gorgeous and I'm looking forward to the meeting and this class. There are also other quilters doing presentations. It's not too late to join TAS. Just go to their website HERE and register. Annual dues are only $25 and the monthly meetings are jam packed with interesting artists, tips, and fun. This month's meeting is featuring Helen Stubbings all the way from Australia! Can you tell I really like TAS? Haha!

I think that'll cover my "likes" for this week. I think I'll pop on over to Not Afraid of Color to see what "likes" the others are sharing. Until next I see you, have a great week!

Retreat Wrap-Up

The last two days were so much fun as always. Spent them with about 7-8 once-a-month quilting buddies. We gather together in the parish hall, safely distanced, and share our quilting experiences and life stories. It's a wonderful time for all especially due to the constraints of the past year. Blech!

So what did I work on? I put in a lot of time on Twisted Mystery 2020. I'm hoping to finish the top by the end of the year. On Friday I finished up 44  of the dark blue and gold units (bottom pile). I think I did about 30 while at retreat. Forgot to count what I'd already finished. Then I did the 8 dark blue and gray units and completed 24 of the 40 gray and gold units. They are made using the Studio 180 Corner Beam ruler and, while they take a bit more cutting of the pieces and then squaring them all up, they come at perfectly!

On Saturday I actually finished up the gray & gold units and after lunch decided to put that project box aside and work on some of my guild's blocks of the month. I counted up what I already had -- yay! 6 already done. I recently learned that there will be a total of 16. I knew I was behind so I printed up six patterns & bagged up 5 to take with me. I actually managed to sew up three! I sewed this one first.

Then these two simultaneously.

Look! I worked in some bright blue for RSC!

Last night I came home to more of this, binding Shark Bite, a Bonnie Hunter Leaders & Enders projects from several years ago. Maybe I'll hit the finish line today!

Have a great week, everyone!

Linking up with SoScrappy and all the other Rainbow Scrappers. 

All Day Friday with Friends

Yesterday I had a wonderful day sewing with friends from all over. By day, it was day #1  days to sew together with my local sewing group but sleep at home at night. Last night was Friday Night with Friends where I sewed with my global friends! So what did I work on?

During the day I worked on the Twisted Mystery quilt from last year. I made a lot of corner beam blocks but forgot to take pictures Trust me, I got a big pile done with more waiting for me this morning. I'm really starting to get quite a few baggies full of "block parts" and am looking forward to sewing them all together .... one day!

Of course I left in time to call Mom and check in with her on my drive home and also (should I say most importantly?! Ha!) to make it home on time for Jeopardy. We just LOVE that show and turns out a lot of my daytime quilting friends do too. Do you? Don't you just miss Alex Trebek? Who has your favorite guest host been so far? The consensus for our group was: The best so far has been Ken Jennings & Mike Richardson (I think that was his name, the executive producer) with Katie Couric and Dr. Oz being a resounding NO. Aaron Rogers is doing alright too. We quilters always have opinions on important things, don't we?

So after dinner, I pulled out Shark Bite and did more hand-sewing down of the binding. I'd say that while watching Magnum P.I. followed by Blue Bloods I managed to get a complete 88" side done!

Sewing, sewing, sewing!

I would have sewn a little longer but someone wanted to go to bed. Or was she supervising? Ha!

What a great day and I'm looking forward to day #2 of sewing with my local buddies. That'll happen right after I walk the dog & get properly dressed! I hope you have as great day a day as I'm planning on!

Linking up with Cheryll at Gone Stitchin' for FNwF. Go check out what some global quilters got accomplished. It's always an amazing trip!

I Like Thursday #30

I'm baaaaa-ack! I know I've been a bit absent lately but my allergies really kicked in this past week. Other than that though I'm fine and ready to share a few likes from around here.

First up would have to be I like rain. Last night it rained and cleaned the air of pollen. Exactly why I feel better!

In spite of allergies, I really do like Spring and it has definitely sprung around here.

My Lenten Rose

Gorgeous Pink Tulips at Bike Trail Entrance

View From My Bedroom Window

I finished reading Scott Turow's latest book called "The Last Trial". I'm not sure if I've ever read any of his previous novels but I know his name. I liked this book. I will admit however that there were a few spots where it got a little deeper into the legal aspects of a trial than I was interested in but overall this was a good read with several twists along the way.

Currently I'm reading Clara Parke's "A Stash of One's Own". It's really about how knitters gather yarns and knitting supplies. Very applicable to quilters in their own ways as well! Ha! However, I'm also a knitter so I can relate on two levels! Hahaha! I'm barely into this book but I think it's a fun read so far.

As you may well know, I really like my grandson Brody. He has a new dog in his life in addition to Sadie. For whatever reason, my son and his wife LOVE bull terriers. They keep a few and foster many.

I'd like a bite of that sandwich, please.

Let's play!

It's all fun & games until you don't take your nap, Brody.

This picture really cracks me up!

So let's laugh when we can, work when we must, and nap when we should. Have a great week, everyone!

Linking up with LeeAnna at Not Afraid of Color and others sharing their gratitude this week too.

RSC Blue -- Not Quite Yet

Angela has chosen light/bright blue for the month of April. I'm anxious to dig into my scraps to see what I can come up with but that was placed on a back burner for the time being. Instead, I've concentrated my efforts on the April/Easter cross stitch project.

Last time I showed it, it looked like this. I still had the outlining to do on the entire tree, the bunnies in the foreground, the egg cart, and the bunny sitting by the quilt. Stitch, stitch, stitch!

Ta! Da! I finished it last night while watching Blue Bloods. Right down to my initials & year!

This morning I cut the self-adhesive mounting board and got the project trimmed & stuck on. After inserting it into the shelf, it is now hanging just inside the front door. To the right is a monthly hanger that my cousin gave me many Christmases ago. Below that is the weather station. The cross stitch will hang until May 1.

So happy to have this project completed 100%. The pattern was from a1989  calendar that my mother gave me back in 1988. This one was actually designated for March that year but that's OK with me. I've already done February, May, June, and October. One more will mark the halfway mark. Not sure if all 12 are in my future though! Haha!

The rest of my time has been eaten up with quilting Shark Bite. At 88" square, it's been a monster to maneuver under the needle of my little machine. There is a deadline of April 13th so I'll really be focusing on that one next. Plus it's on my PHD list. For my April PHD project, I'd like to have Awesome Land to finished top stage. I started some of the sashing so it really shouldn't be that big of a deal to meet that goal. Of course it's also a bed-sized quilt!

I did manage to sew a little bit with some blue scraps but it's definitely not light or bright. I'm working on a guild  group (called Twisted Mystery) project from 2020. I'm not sure of what the actual title of it is so I'll have to eventually come up with my own. I'm doing it in patriotic colors and so there is blue, just not light or bright. Here's a picture of the stack I worked on this week.

I'm really learning how to use the Deb Tucker/Studio 180 rulers. They take a little extra time but the piecing comes out perfect! Good thing I'm getting familiar with these rulers since the Twisted Mystery quilt for 2021 uses several.

So my WOOFA .... is going to be Awesome Land which will also satisfy a PHD project. Shark Bite will satisfy both a PHD project and also a 2021 UFO Challenge project at my LQS. I'll need to start looking through my blue scraps too. So much to do, so little time! Ha!

Whatever you're working on, I hope you have light/bright blue skies and sunny joy within.

Linking up:

• Angela at SoScrappy for RSC
• Gail at Quilting Gail for PHD