Year of the Rabbit and the End of Dk Blues

Last year -- or was it the year before? -- I started a table mat for Light Blue RSC although there are all shades used in it. I never finished. Apparently I never even took a picture so we'll just move on to how I progressed this month.

This year we are doing ABC (RSC) Table Scraps and January's letters are C, R, or J. My inspiration has come from this book by Sheryll Johnson.

It's full of fun little quilts and I have liked this one in particular for quite some time.

Love that rooster! So I made one ready to bond to my already made top from a while ago. After all, through the ABC Table Scrap Challenge I was ready to use the R for Rooster!

I used some remaining fabric from the baby quilt I just finished to make my rooster for this previously made table mat. After deciding my rooster was too small, i was ready to make a larger version, All of a sudden it hit me that this was year of the rabbit and R is also for Rabbit! So I set to work. I tried a couple different sizes and came up with this. The size is good and I love this fabric with my scraps!

I'll need to get it quilted up but I think it's a winner! If you're wondering about why I didn't follow the pattern in the book, it's because of the size. This one will be perfect on the end table in our den. Time to get the Christmas one off and put away!

As for the dark blues for Rainbow Scrap Challenge, I did manage my 2 Scrappy Pineapple blocks.

With the baby quilt behind me, I'm ready to jump into the February RSC color for more pineapples. Wondering what the color will be for February!!??!!

Joining in with The Joyful Quilter for the Table Scraps Challenge and also with So Scrappy for RSC. Have a great weekend!

I Like Thursday #103

This week's likes will be short and sweet as I'm running behind. Story of my life lately. Anyway, the week started off with Chinese New Year. We always think back to how much fun the celebrations were while we lived in Hawaii. The dragons, the fireworks, and THE FOOD! Do you know what these are?

While living in Hawaii, we enjoyed these -- called manapua or dim sum. Basically they are a sweetened bread dough encasing char siu pork (Chinese BBQ). They can be either steamed or baked. We always liked them best baked. The manapuas above were made by my daughter to celebrate the Year of the Rabbit.

Here she is enjoying one ... and letting us see how delicious that char siu pork is! Haha!

We had a hard frost with a little bit of snow over the weekend. I thought these plants looked so pretty, all frosted up!

Later we got a bit of snow. Thankfully it started as rain, then the snow fell. The ground was super warm and the temperatures never really got below freezing. What did we get? A super slushy mess that disappeared by sunset!

It made for a pretty morning walk with Gracie on the trail.

The morning before we had a very RED sunrise. Sure made true of the saying, " Red sky at morning, sailors take warning!" That night we got the snow.

Yesterday my brother & SIL became parents again. Meet their 6 week 2 days old German Shepherd. They've named him Hasenjager, German for Rabbit Hunter/Chaser. Can't you just smell that puppy breath??!! And check out those paws!

As for my book indulgences, I had to put aside "The Bangalore Detective Club" because an eBook became available. EBooks are seldom available for renewal so I wanted to jump right into "The Midnight Library" even though I'm not through with the previously mentioned hardback. Thankfully it's not too long of a book and, let me tell you, I've truly jumped right into it. It is VERY INTERESTING! And thought provoking! I'll let you know how I feel about the book when I finish which shouldn't take me too long. It's hard to leave on my bedside table ... I keep wanting to read more!

You can read all about the premise of "The Midnight Library" HERE.

And when it rains, it pours. Yet another requested library book has become available so I picked up "Murder in the Secret Garden" to read after I finish "The Bangalore Detective Club" which I'll finish after reading "The Midnight Library". Did you catch all that? YIKES! Haha!

Thank you, LeeAnna, for keeping us motivated to look at the good things all around us!

FNSI and a Bit More

Friday Night Sew-In started a little early for me as I went downstairs to the sewing space early in the evening. I put in quite a bit of time quilting a baby quilt that will be soon be gifted. I need to stay on pace to have it done in time.

I don't know how dark a blue has to be to be considered Dark Blue for the Rainbow Scrap Challenge but I'll take it!

I'm thinking this sweet gingham will be perfect for the binding. It got starched before I came back upstairs.

My knitted socks are finished. The pattern was Kazak Socks by Hunter Hammersen. I used a beautiful denim blue sock yarn by Invictus. I think they qualify for Dark Blue! Seen here they're drying after blocking.

I'm also happy to report that my Rudolph pillow top is finished! I need to get a zipper for the back and get it finished off. I think it'll make a good Christmas 2023 present!

So that's what has been keeping me off the streets at night. Hope your weekend is going swell! Tomorrow is Chinese New Year. Will you make egg rolls? Eat fried rice?  I saw this Egg Roll Bowl recipe and will probably make it this week.

As we learned while stationed in Hawaii, "Kung Hee Fat Choy!" My spelling might be off but I'm wishing you a Happy New Year!

You can click on these links if you'd like to see what the other quilters did at FNSI and RSC.

I Like Thursday #102

Happy Thursday! I hope this finds you well and happy. If you read on, you'll see what has made me happy this past week. If you need even more happiness, I suggest you visit LeeAnna's blog Not Afraid of Color to see what other bloggers have shared for their likes this week.

I don't have a lot to share this week. A lot of my time has been spent getting Mom to doctor appointments, P/T appointments, hair appointments, etc. No complaints here but facts are facts. I have been able to watch a bit of the Australian Open Tennis. Unfortunately, ESPN hasn't been all that great at showing much. Part of it has to do with the time difference. Melbourne Austrailia is 17 hours ahead of us. YIKES! ESPN does show about three hours of the night's play during the afternoon. I accept! Haha!

I managed to web my Awesome Land quilt blocks yesterday. This pattern is from Lissa Alexander's book "Oh Scrap!" It was fun to make these blocks in the Rainbow Scrap Challenge. These were the 81 blocks I thought I'd lost. Happy dance that they were finally found ... right here at home!

Now that I can safely move this project away from my downstairs sewing machine without worrying about them getting mixed up, I can start the quilting on the baby quilt I've been secretly working on. Again, happy dance!

On Wednesday I attended the English Paper Piecing Club at my LQS. First off I was happy to see a familiar face! The meeting this month was mostly a wrap-up of the project they just finished. Then we discussed the next project and got to give input on what we wanted to do. Our first "block" will be this one, shown in scrappy and then in all one designer's fabrics. These were the recommended ways to go for the next project which should result in a good-sized lap quilt. I'm very excited to go next month and get our papers and dig in. I think I'll go with a mix of Primitive Gatherings, Kansas Troubles, and any other fabrics that will mix well together.

I'll leave you this week with a beautiful sunrise Gracie & I saw the other morning.

Enjoy your week!

RSC Dark Blue #2

After I shared this photo of my dark blue scraps and the Mod Pineapple pattern by Quick Curve Ruler...

I set to making a prototype block to see if I would like making a quilt of them. Depending how that goes may determine what size quilt I end up making.

That worked out OK so I made a pair. They are good sized, 14-1/2" x 9-1/2"!

My dark blue sock knitting is progressing as well. One sock done and I've rounded the heel of sock #2, moving towards the toe. The pattern is fairly simple although it looks complicated. Easy enough to watch TV with and not lose too much track. Ha!

I'm also working on a quilted gift and will show pictures of that when finished and given to the recipient so stay tuned!

It was 21 degrees on our walk this morning. I do believe January has made a comeback! UGH!

Have a great week!

I Like Thursday #101

Good morning! It's Thursday and you should know by now what that means. Us "Likeable" bloggers will be posting about things that have made us smile, made us think, made us happy in whatever way and then sharing these "Likes" with you and others over at LeeAnna's blog, Not Afraid of Color. Check it out HERE.

First up for me is I like putting together jigsaw puzzles. I found this puzzle down in the basement and don't believe I've ever put it together. I'm also thinking my daughter passed it along to me. After the company left from the holidays, I pulled it out and started to work. It's 1000 pieces so not too big, yet big enough for a challenge. The last pieces went in yesterday afternoon. It reminded me of the warm afternoons we had in Hawaii. I sure liked them too!

I also finished the book I was reading, "Sworn to Silence" by Linda Castillo. It was very good and I would recommend it if you like murder mysteries. It also gave me a little insight to the Amish community which I found interesting.

Of course I had to start a new book, "The Bangalore Detectives Club: A Novel" by Harini Nagendra. I couldn't find it at the Cloud Library so I checked it out as a hard copy from a local library. I can't remember how I heard about this book, maybe on TV? or the NY Times Best Sellers List? A fellow blogger? Anyway, I'm barely into it but it's interesting so far. Set in India, the names are a little confusing for me but I think I'm keeping everyone straight so far. If you want to see what it's about, here is the Goodreads synopsis.

Gracie and my morning walks have been warm lately. No need for long johns under my sweats nor a big heavy winter coat but cool enough for Gracie. We both liked the weather this week. Too bad it looks like we're in for a change.

We watched the original "Top Gun" with Mom the other night on Prime Video (I believe). Mom had never seen the first one. We hope to watch "Top Gun: Maverick" again this weekend.

Our prompt this week was do we use calendars and, if so, what kind. Yes, I like my calendars. I use the Google one on my phone for immediate use and to list quilt group activities and my housemates' doctor appointments. The calendar I really LOVE, LOVE, LOVE is the one I receive from my DIL every year with Brody and now also Jacob on it. We hang it on the wall in the kitchen and everything from my Google calendar gets transferred over to it. No excuses from anyone about not knowing of upcoming appointments or activities! Plus we get to see and remember the grandkids' antics from the past year.

That'll do for this week. I hope you find some bright spots in your own upcoming week. I can tell you that I'll be happily watching the Australian Open Tennis which kicks off this Sunday morning! *grin*

January FNwF and RSC Dark Blue

Earlier in the week I started preparing (testing) how I was going to like making pineapple blocks with my Quick Curve Ruler. I was thinking this might make a pretty quilt using the Rainbow Scrap Challenge prompts. So I pulled out my dark blue scraps (the RSC color for January) and set to work. All I need now is to go through some of the green scraps for the pineapple tops.

Last night was the first Friday Night with Friends of 2023. TV watching is spotty on Friday night here until Blue Bloods comes on. I set about to work on Rudolph for a little while. Here is where I started ...

And here is how I left it last night and went to bed. Did I mention it's a bit time-consuming?

I'm linking up with Cheryll for FNwF at Gone Stitchin' and also with Angela for RSC at SoScrappy. Both of these ladies host fun, stitching groups. If you've got some time, go visit to see what I'm talking about.

Have a great weekend!

I Like Thursday #100

Happy New Year and welcome to the I Like Thursday posts! LeeAnna keeps us on track to think about what there is to like all around us. When you start looking around and focusing on the positive, life just gets better. Feel free to visit LeeAnna's blog Not Afraid of Color to see what others are sharing as well.

We had some balmy-for-January weather here earlier in the week. Broke a record with a 72 degree high on Tuesday. I don't care for that kind of weather in January, especially with the humidity on top of it. However, when my neighbor texted me with a spotting, it was easy to find this guy in our backyard by the lake! I think he was looking for the weakest duck! Ha!

Before leaving for home after Christmas, my daughter asked me to look for her cat Jake's toy mouse. It's his favorite toy which is why she brought it. When I pulled the bed apart to wash sheets, there it was! I promptly took it to the Post Office and mailed it Priority Mail. It arrived today and Sarah sent this picture to me. Look how happy Jake is, playing with his toy right away! Penny, on the hand, just likes to sit pretty!

I also received a text from my DIL saying my youngest grandson had popped a 2nd bottom tooth. You can't see it but look at this face! What a beautiful complexion and my! oh my! those eyes! No comments, please, on the hair. Grammy & Grampa think he needs a haircut but we're 800+ miles away .... *wink*

My orchid has got several blooms on the original flower stem. I almost cut it off after our Fall trip but looky! looky! The first has bloomed again. In the meantime, another flower stem has started growing and it looks like there are buds forming there also!

I'm still reading and enjoying "Sworn to Silence". You can read the Goodreads synopsis HERE.

I don't always remember or acknowledge the prompt that LeeAnn puts out to us weekly but this one struck me perfectly. "Is there any class you'd like to take?" Actually, I'm seriously considering a class on long-arm quilting at my local quilt shop. I've got some quilts that would benefit from pantograph-type quilting. I also think it would be the perfect opportunity to see if I can do it. I've gotten various input from friends about long-arm quilting.

• It's kind of a hassle to gather up everything you'll need to take to quilt
• It's no hassle -- have bobbins & foot packed at all times so you're ready
• You've got to plan ahead -- reserve a machine for your use; have backing, batting, and top together; etc
• Be sure to wear comfortable shoes and take plenty of water/drink
• The shops are so helpful while you're there
• It is very hard on your neck & shoulders

There it is: the good, the bad, and the ugly. I think I'll try it out. I'd sure like to put a dent in my quilt tops. I doubt it'll stop me from quilting on my domestic machine because I do enjoy that process. However, it takes quite a long time and is laborious with the weight & size of the quilt. Wish me luck!

So there they are -- my first "likes" of the new year! Have a great week!

2022 PHD Final Report

 Let's take a trip down Memory Lane ...

Speaking for myself, I didn't do too bad working on my 2022 PHD (Projects Half Done). I finished three UFOs on my list. Top right (Maple Leaf - February), bottom right (Spring has Sprung - April), and the middle picture (Autumn Jubilee 2021 - September). The other quilts were started and completed during 2022. Delilah - June (top left) I made and finished for my daughter. Twistie - August (top middle was donated to Hands 2 Help Comfort Quilt Challenge 2022. Pennants  - July (bottom left) is a baby quilt that has yet to be given away or donated. Remembering Betsy  - July (middle right) is mine to hang during the summer. Frosty McChill - October (bottom middle) was made for the Red & White Challenge at Primitive Gatherings Quilt Shop. When it is returned, it'll be for me and I'll post about it. 

I'm looking forward to trying once  again to earn my PHD in 2023. Maybe you'd like to join in too?

Here's a look at my PHD worksheet for 2023. Let's get this party started and see how much I can get done this year!

Happy New Year!