Design Wall Monday

This week I worked on Weedwacker parts.  One complete block is done--

No design wall, I have design grass!  Not much sewing this weekend, but my sewing nook is ready to go--

My sewing is left ready to go!  No need to put it away, its ready for a "JOT" moment.  (Just One Thing)   

Last year I promised my mailbox a makeover.  This weekend it happened--

I think its the best looking mailbox in the row--

Its has a lovely lime green bucket of concrete for a base.  Many mailboxes here are done this way.  If a snowplow hits it in the winter it falls over or moves out of the way.  The green bucket helps with visibility in snow.  And--I love green!  Thank you DH Ken for helping with the new mailbox.  He thought it was so nice he wanted to take it home to replace our mailbox there--the one he wired to the arm!  Yes, a snowplow hit it this winter.  Probably another mailbox project in the future.  

The weather has been ABSOLUTELY BEAUTIFUL!!  65-72F during the day and in the 40's at night.  Perfect camping weather!  

~LORI in Nebraska~

RSC Saturday--still green for me!

I caught up on my Spool blocks--

The light blocks are a lemony green.  I am all caught up on my green blocks--just a few yellow to make yet.  Please see everyone's posts at SoScrappy.

~LORI--in Nebraska~

The Week in Review

Its been a busy week.  The grandsons and their parents were camping near us.  On Saturday it rained just in time for supper so there were four adults, three little boys, and a kitten in our camper.  Three little boys covered up in our bed to watch a movie.  I forgot to check their feet, Max still had his shoes on.  Oh, what's a little mud!  When Ken and I pulled the sheets to wash them we found an Oreo.  

On Sunday we all had breakfast brunch together at a local restraurant and then everyone came back to our camper.  Great Grandpa Marvin entertained the boys with a story that started "when I was your age we lived in a house like this and we had two dogs....."  He was drawing pictures of the house and the dogs etc as he talked.

With movies, videos, and tv kids just don't see a person drawing on a piece of paper and telling a story.  So glad we got a photo of this.

Moustache the kitten found a quiet lap to sit on--

Hope your summer is going well. 

~LORI--in Nebraska~

RSC Yellow

June is yellow!  I love yellow.  I made a few yellow/gold/close to yellow blocks--

Curvy pieced blocks, Ritzy Crackers and Pentland Cracker blocks.  Please see everyone's yellow posts at SoScrappy.

I don't have a lot of yellow in my stash, mostly because I LOVE yellow and use it in everything.  Its one of my favorite colors.  Do you like/use yellow??

~Lori in Nebraska~

Bluebirds!

A couple years ago I made and hung PVC bluebird houses near my camper.  I've had wrens nest in it, bluebirds in 2016, and bluebirds this year.  

I changed the plans a little.  I used a screw on end cap for the top and drilled a hole to put an eye bolt through.  A piece of plywood for a roof--I just drilled a hole in that too.  I left it white to reflect heat.  I glued wooden clothespins inside to help the birds climb out when they fledge.  There are ventilation holes drilled near the top, and drainage holes at the bottom.  The hole is the recommended size for bluebirds.  When checking nests you can put your hand over the exit holes (to prevent premature fledging) and unscrew the top and look in.  No post required, its out of the reach of most predators (eye height on me) and hung from a tree branch.  Bluebirds like to be on the edge of the woods overlooking meadows and open areas.  Its a pretty maintenance free bird house. 

There are four bluebirds in this nest, I think two males and two females.  If you look very carefully the males are starting to get blue feathers.   This site has great pictures as to stage of development and whether they are male or female.  I think there are two males and two females.   

My campsite has lots of birds--bluebirds, cardinals, orioles, purple and goldfinches, blue jays, red head and downy/hairy woodpeckers, cowbirds, catbirds, and many many more.  Unfortunately I have lots of raccoons and may have to declare war on them.  

~Lori in Nebraska~

Wednesday Witterings

Although I haven't posted much I have been busy.  Thursday Lorri2Rs and I dropped off seven quilts with the Donation Quilt Coordinator for my guild.  

Four Tops were made by Liz in Houston--she sent them to me to quilt and bind.  She's a prolific quilter and loves to work with MAM or crumb blocks.  Her Art Quilt looks like broken pieces of film to me.  Thank you Liz!!
 

Three were made by me.  The Star Quilt has been waiting to find a home, and I finished the Bricks and Stepping Stones and Pieces of Eight recently.  These finishes used 37 yds of fabric.  All are about 75x90".  These quilts are going to McCrossan Boys Ranch--a group home for teenage boys.  When a boy completes and leaves the program, he is allowed to take "his" quilt with him.  I like that.  Thank you Don for holding the quilts for me.

Quilters are giving people.  When Stashbusters (Yahoo group) found out I was making boy quilts, several people sent me tops to quilt and/or sent backings!  Some even came with premade bindings.  Most of them are quilted and the bindings need hand sewing.  A few tops will have to wait until fall when I get back to quilting.  So--although I wasn't blogging I was hard at work.  I fell in love with these quilts and I hope some boy loves them as much as I did!  

~LORI in Nebraska~

Design Wall Monday and Weekly Goals

Over the weekend I did some sewing.  Mostly RSC blocks from previous months.

Purple for January--

 

Red for March--

Multi color and a few blue for April--

Green for May.

  

I need to count how many of each kind of block I have.  These were made using pieces from my scrap basket, sometimes simply because I had a scrap that screamed USE ME!!  Haven't you had scraps do that??

Weekly Goals-

A little binding.  I have lots of binding to do!

Spool blocks

Hoytyville

Quarter Log Cabin blocks

Hoytyville and Quarter Log Cabin are projects I have cut and packed in the camper.  

My sewing nook is up and running--

Its an east window, I can watch the birds at the feeders.  

~LORI in Nebraska~

RSC Saturday

A quick post, I've been sewing on assorted projects and I did make some green blocks--

I'm busy volunteering, its HOT so I'm going to stay inside and sew!  Please see everyone's posts at SoScrappy.   Lori1R in Nebraska

PS--just read the color this month is yellow so I'll have to get on the same page as everyone else--next week!

June starts the Strip Tease Challenge!

Do you have Jelly Rolls you've bought but never used?  Baskets of strips cut and waiting?  June 1st is the beginning of the Strip Tease Challenge on Stashbusters Yahoo Group!   Use your old moldy Jelly Rolls, Honey Buns, or strips you've cut but have never used.

Stephanie in Australia is sorting through her various boxes, bags, and totes.   So far she's found SIX different strip stashes!  I have a basket just for 2.5" strips and happily pulled it out.  What a disappointment! Over the last few years I've raided it a lot and there wasn't enough strips to make a quilt.  How could that be?  So I sorted my bits and bobs, scrap baskets, leftover backing pieces and cut more strips.  I cut strips for three days.  I have three new starts planned--

Hoytyville, Lorri2Rs has the book its in--

Hoytyville Quilt

It uses black/white prints, black TOT's, and jewel tone brights.  Lorri2Rs cut me lots of black/whites and I had quite a few.  And I bought some.  😊  There is in a project tote with the strips and directions packed in the camper.  It uses 2.5" strips.

Project #2 is Quarter Log Cabin, its a free pattern--

Quarter Log Cabin--Copyright 2015 By Liz Katsuro

There are many different layouts, but I really like this one!  I'm going to use my strip basket and make it scrappy.  2.5" strips. 

My third strip project is Weedwacker--

Weedwacker by Bonnie Hunter

Its by Bonnie Hunter and the pattern is free.  It uses 2" strips and I was planning to resize it for 2.5" strips, but 2" strips are a more efficient use of a WOF.  I cut strips from my stash/scrap box.  The neutral squares are from my scrap box, so the smaller squares work better.  Thank you Bonnie for sharing your pattern. 

I have other projects using strips--Black & White strips to make 4 patches for a Bricks and Stepping Stones quilt because I have lots of precut "bricks" from scraps.  Its my "go-to" pattern for a donation quilt.  Another free Bonnie Hunter pattern--thank you Bonnie!
 
Its summer and that's when I work on piecing and hand sewing binding.  I have to limit my binding time--carpal tunnel, bursitis in my elbow, and worn out shoulders. I have splints to wear at night and during the day if my arms ache.

They're not too uncomfortable, they custom mold them for you while you wait.  Hard plastic with velcro fasteners--you picked what color you wanted.  The green was not pretty so I got blue ones.  There was hot pink and several blues, browns, purple, orange, black, white and the velcro came in several colors too.  Camo even.  

The Strip Tease Challenge is for June & July--but I'm sure mine will drag out much longer.  Thanks okay, I'm looking forward to these projects.  Please feel free to join us at Stashbusters Yahoo Group.  We're all about finishing projects and using our stash!  

LORI--In Nebraska again!