Monday, October 31, 2016

Design Wall Monday and Weekly Goals

There are 12 Pieces of Eight blocks on the wall--


Next is playing with their arrangement, then I can sew them together.  The Scrappy Trips are still on the wall underneath them.  Once they are a flimsy they can wait on the borders pile.  Please see everyone's design wall posts at Patchwork Times.

Weekly Goals--

Sew Pieces of Eight together
Sew Scrappy Trips together
Work on another project

Soybeans are harvested, today we start corn.  Not sure how much sewing time I'll have.  Nothing that requires deep thinking.

Happy Halloween!  I have candy bars ready but we haven't had a trick or treater in two years.  Ken made sure to pick ones he liked. 

~LORI~

Monday, October 24, 2016

Design Wall Monday and Weekly Goals

Last week I finished making Barn Dance blocks and took them off the design wall.  The wall was naked so I put the Scrappy Trips blocks up--


 A furrows setting, I think I like it better than the original way shown next--
 

The chains of dark blue just wandered off the edges of the quilt and looked like the planning had been interrupted.  (Sorry about the quality of the pictures, night shots always look dingy and dreary!)  There weren't enough blocks and there was no more of that particular dark blue.  Ripped the first 20 blocks apart and then made more blocks using assorted dark blue chains to set them 6x7 (42).  Boy sized!!  I started these blocks prior to 2010 for sure.  Wildly scrappy and I love it!  It will be hard to part with it but I can make another.  Recently the discussion on Stashbusters was if we ever repeated a pattern?  Most definitely, I've made at least five of these.  Each one looks different.  Please see everyone's design wall post at Patchwork Times.

Weekly Goals--

Arrange Scrappy Trips blocks 
Plan some borders
Start a New Project

Ah--a new project!  Its been simmering on the back burner for a while.  I need to do a bit more math and planning.  

Harvest is going to keep us busy.  Not sure where I'll fit in any sewing.  But I'll try!!

~LORI~
 

Saturday, October 22, 2016

Rainbow Scrappy Saturday--Orange & Yellow

This week I worked on Barn Dance blocks--


This one has orange and yellow in it.  A few mistakes along the way--

 
But I fixed it--


I love those google eyed chickens!  All the Barn Dance blocks are completed.  Plus a few extras.  I found a stack of churn dashes I knew I'd made for Barn Dance.  Thought I had misplaced one step of the directions.  Went to the website.  The last blocks have 8" finished churn dashes in them.   I had already made them.  Now I have extras.   Please see everyone's posts at SoScrappy.

Its been a tough week.  On Wednesday I fell.  I didn't trip over anything, my feet got tangled up and I went down like tree.  WHACK!!!  Luckily I didn't fall on anything.  Landed on my knees and my right forearm.  Rug burns but nothing else.  I landed with my forearm parallel to the floor, otherwise I think I would have broke it.  But no black eyes, my teeth are all fine, but my body is SORE.  So not much sewing or anything else.  Time for more Tylenol!

~LORI~

Monday, October 17, 2016

Design Wall Monday and Weekly Goals

This project was on my design wall over the weekend--


Album blocks I made in 2014 & 2015.  The vertical rows are sewn together and I added a bit more of the brown all the way around.  It needs borders picked next.  There are 3 other tops waiting for borders, I tend to do them all at once.  Kat helped me with the math--she can figure how much fabric I need in a snap!  Thank you Kat!   Blocks set with a darker color it will be a better choice for a "boy" quilt than oceans of neutrals.  This top went together so easily I plan to make a couple more.  It will end up close to my target size of 75x90".  There are 48 album blocks left, if I set two more like this (using different colors) that will leave 26 blocks.  Recently on Stashbusters the question was asked if we ever make a pattern twice?  There will be seven quilts made with album blocks--so the answer is YES!  And I could very happily continue making album blocks--I love the pattern.  Please see everyone's design wall at Patchwork Times blog.

Have I told you I love to iron scraps?  My iron works hard!  I only buy a cheap non stick iron, never using the steam option.  Instead I buy a spray bottle at the Dollar store.  I've been using this one for quite a while--


Look how beat up the bottle portion is!  But the spray part works perfectly.  The water is cloudy because I add liquid StaFlo starch to the water.  If I bought an expensive iron it would be waste of money.  A cheap iron usually lasts a couple of years.  They have to be lightweight too, my shoulders/arms complain if they are too heavy.  

Weekly Goals--

Piece another album block top
Borders on one top
Finish last 3 blocks of Barn Dance
Pieces of Eight
Three Steps Forward

Not sure how much sewing I will get done.  Its too damp today to harvest but we're ready to roll.  Last week we packed up the camper, we've been slowly unpacking.  

My lonely campsite
When I left in May my sewing room was a disaster and I've been sorting piles of fabric, boxes and totes. Most the yardage has been folded and put back on shelves.  A new start this winter will be a brown quilt--there is enough brown fabric pulled for five quilts.  I love brown!

~LORI~

Saturday, October 15, 2016

Rainbow Scrappy Saturday Orange and Yellow

We had breakfast with Brady and Bonita on Sunday--they agreed to hold my blocks for me--


Aren't they are cute couple?  They live in Yankton so we can see them this winter, we don't have to wait until summer!  They are holding my Three Steps Forward blocks.  Please see what everyone is doing at SoScrappy.

Last week my neighbor came over to drop off my mail.  Oh dear--he picked up a package WITHOUT speaking to my mailbox.  I am in so much trouble!!  Yes, serious sucking up to be done.  The label was such a hoot, I didn't notice it until later--


IOWA SWEATSHOP!!

This was another package from Vic in New Hampshire.  She sent me more FQs and wonderful smelling sachets.



Thank you Vic!!  I haven't a plan/pattern for these yet.  The mailman delivered more packages to my South Dakota mailbox--


These were three Missouri Star mystery charm square packs.  All different--but love that two are black/white/neutral/gray/lemon yellow.  I can't resist mystery charm packs.  I also ordered a batik mystery charm pack--very lovely light pastels.  Perfect!  Also in the package was 4 yards of novelty fabrics--three different Peanuts/Charlie Brown/Woodstock prints and one of numbers/symbols.  I love adding a touch of whimsy to my projects and the Peanut comic strip is one of my favorites.  

Saturday was my last day volunteering and Karla had something for me--


Read the inscription!!  Yes, I've been volunteering 11 years.  Thank you Karla and the Corps, I intend to be back next spring.

We are slowly unpacking the camper.  Any day now we'll start harvesting.  In between I've been sewing.  I finished this top--


It was very windy and sunny.  The top is a bright lime green.  Some of the charm squares have dinosaurs on them.  Another top heading to the Cabana Closet.  

~LORI~ 
 

 

Saturday, October 8, 2016

Rainbow Scrappy Saturday--Orange and Yellow

Orange and Yellow are HAPPY colors!


Seven Arrowhead blocks!  I have at least 10 more to sew together.  I don't think I have enough of these to make a good sized top, this project will probably carry over in 2017.  Please see what everyone is making at SoScrappy.

~LORI~

Friday, October 7, 2016

Friday Progress

This week I had time to put borders on a few tops--



One set of blocks I put together diagonally, the other straight set.  The pattern is Apple Crisp by Evelyn Sloppy.   Teresa, Lorri2Rs and I swapped strips as a challenge.  The diagonally set top I'm keeping, but the bottom top will eventually be donated to McCrossan Boys Ranch.  

This is my last week (I think) at the camper.  Time to head home for the winter.  Harvest is almost ready to start, currently its too wet, more rain forecast for today.  Then we'll warm up again for at least a week or so.  

~LORI~

Playing Catchup

Its been busy!  Thanksgiving has come and gone, soon it will be Christmas.  We got our vaccinations a couple weeks ago--Covid, RSV, Influena...