RSC Yellow Pineapples

My yellow pineapple from last week made a couple of friends this week.

I'm hearing the rumble of thunder in the near distance. The Midwest heat is supposed to be relieved starting today a tad and in the week after that. Hello, 80s again! I will make friends with those temps next week!

August FNSI -- Going Around in Circles

This weekend marks Friday Night Sew-In with my global friends. Wendy from Sugarlane Designs organizes this group every 3rd Friday of the month. You can catch up on all the doings HERE if you like.

As for me, I decided I wanted to finish up the July block for the Uptown sew-along. Here's how I started Friday afternoon.

I could easily tell that it was going to be sloppy in the middle. Others had commented that it was a difficult block. I had decided it would be OK to get the outside looking decent and then do what it takes to get the center right. What do you think?

Ta! Da! Looking like it was meant to be! Ha!

While I was at it making circles for centers, I decided to also finish up the Dresden plate block from EPP Club at my LQS.

Very productive weekend. Thank you, Wendy, for gathering us up once again. See you next month!

RSC Yellow -- It's a Start!

I managed to get a yellow pineapple finished this week. There are more parts in the works though.

The EPP club project has progressed. I've got my "plus" signs finished. Just need to fill in the holes.

Yellow -- Front & Center!

I'm also sewing along with Lisa Bonjean from Primitive Gatherings. Are you? She is hosting a Twilight Stars QAL. We make two blocks/week. A while back I won a FQ tower from Island Batiks (YAY!) and that's what I'm using. The fabrics are from the line Baroque. This past week's blocks looked like these:

I was a skeptic when it came to Triangle Papers but these have me sold. I followed Lisa's directions to a tee and (so far) have been successful. If you'd like to see what Twilight Stars SAL is all about, you can find information HERE. I'm making 8" blocks.

That's what's going on around here sewing-wise. The upcoming weather forecast for all of next week stinks -- hot, hot, HOT! I'll catch you later if I haven't melted! Hope you have a good week ahead of you.

I'm joining Angela and others HERE for the Rainbow Scrap Challenge.

I Like Thursday #125

While we were gone to Knoxville TN for the funeral, there were still things to like. For example, my friend's cat, Jasper. Jasper was adopted by my friend when her mother died and Jasper has made himself right at home these past 9 months or so. He's HUGE cat!

Mom & Jasper

My friend also has a TINY dog named Daisy. She was adopted when her original owners moved. Daisy is a Teacup Yorkie weighing in at a few ounces over two pounds.

Jasper & Daisy

Jasper is big enough and smart enough to make his way to the refrigerator whenever he hears it open. He is always looking for chicken!

While we were in Knoxville, my friend's son and my husband shared a Buc-ee birthday. Have you heard of Buc-ee's? They are humongous gas station/convenience/fast food stores.

Fred & James's Buc-ee birthday

When we got back home, I made Fred a pineapple upside-down cake for his birthday. He loves them!

Three Candles - Happy, Healthy, and Wise

Blow them out!

Have you heard about Primitive Gatherings's Sew-Along? I decided to jump in -- a little late, of course. They're on Week #9 but I've been working on catching up with the block. These are the two blocks from this week. I think they're pretty and I've never used their triangle papers but I will now. They're wonderful!

I'll close with a sweet picture of my son & and his little one, Jakey. Such a great picture.

Thanks goes to LeeAnna for gathering us up once again for I Like Thursday posts!

Finishing Up Red

It has been a while since I sat at my sewing machine. If you read my last post HERE you'll know that my best friend's husband passed away last week so we had to run to Knoxville for a funeral and, most importantly, support.

Anyway, I finally ... and I do mean FINALLY! ... finished up my RED pineapples from July.

Collectively they're pretty, but let's look at them one by one. Feel free to OOH! and AAH!

Love the Christmas vibe of this one
Right down to the holly in the top leaves!

Couldn't leave out my Cardinals
Even if they stink this season!

Just so you know, I have already started the YELLOW pineapples for August. I'll see you next week with hopefully a batch of those!

I'm linking up with Angela @ SoScrappy where all us Rainbow Scrap Challenge enthusiasts party on Saturdays!

I Like Thursday #124

For a little over a week, I've been Missing In Action. You see, the beginning of last week saw a turn for the worse for a good friend of the family. My best friend's husband passed last Wednesday and we were in the car headed for Knoxville TN. Yes, there was sadness but there was also hope, good wishes, and SO MUCH FOOD was brought by. I have to say human kindness in times of trouble has got to be my first LIKE for the week. I'm sure you would agree. I hope you made it through this paragraph and are still reading because I do have other LIKES to share since I was missing last week.

First off, thanks go to LeeAnna for continuing to round us up weekly even though she is not doing well. I would ask you to hope & pray that she will be given some relief from her pain. There are others that also share their Likes for the week and you catch their posts HERE.

Let's start with some pretty nature shots. They're always relaxing & refreshing.

Crane on the Back Pond

Female Hummingbird Enjoying a Bite

We stopped for lunch at the Kentucky Welcome Center. We thought the picnic area was lovely.

Beautiful, Comfortable Picnic Tables

Back home, my Dinner-Plate Hibiscus was blooming!

As for my reading, I've continued with "How to Stop Time" by Matt Haig. It definitely has an interesting premise and I'm enjoying the twists and turns. You can read about it here and I'd recommend checking it out!

The other day on our walk, Gracie picked up this guy. We hated closing the door on him but he really needed to go home.

And speaking of going home, it's always good to go home again but man! is there a lot of work to catch up on. The dryer has beckoned so I'll close with a wish for you to have a week full of likable things!

July Wrap-Up

My PHD (Projects Half Done) report for July is actually pretty good for a change! I started AND finished my version of Summer Blues which I'm calling Summer Reds.

Summer Reds post is HERE

A project on my PHD list was Riptide. I rented a longarm sewing machine at my local quilt shop mid-July and got the binding sewn down about a week later. It's a beauty if I must say so myself! Ha!

Riptide post is HERE

Hello, Autumn was a kit I'd started last year. The top was completed but I never finished it up. I'll be happy to hang this one up in a couple of months. It was fun with a little bit of wool applique, embroidery, and piecing.

Hello, Autumn post is HERE

Thanks, Gail, for keeping us on task to finish what we've started!

Another Finish for Table Scraps Challenge!

July finished up with a bang and another finish. A little July=RED tablemat, finishing at a mere 11.5" x 13.5". The pattern by Pam Buda of Heartspun Quilts was based on an old doll quilt. Hers was called Summer Blues and she worked hers up with a pretty blue reproduction fabric. Since the Rainbow Scrap Challenge color for July was red, I decided to use a reproduction red fabric that I kept looking at and never knew quite what to do with it. I think it looks beautiful as my Summer Reds.

I found a large basket filled with fabrics in my Mom's bedroom here at our house. I think they were from when I first started quilting seriously when we first moved here. Anyway, the back is a fat quarter that was in the basket, a sweet off-white fabric with tiny red flower buds scattered across from Blackbird Designs. I think it looks beautiful together with the binding.

Linking up with Joy @ JoyfulQuilter for the Table Scraps Challenge.