out with the old! in with the new!

so sorry i can't get this picture flipped around, but you get the idea! 

I never acutally  "blogged" about the RSC19 project, my indigo 16 patches. i made a quilt for our bed (here's the details)  and had a few blocks left over. 

i was up in the sewing room last week, sorting through my pile of orphan blocks from previous RSC years. i noticed that i had 12+ of these Kona indigo/COM blocks left over. 

a brainstorm hit: why not make {another} quilt for dear baby Addie Kathleen? this one will be kept at Grammy's house. her crib is in our room, so it will match so nicely with the quilts on our bed. i backed her quilt in the fabrics her mama chose (baby A is a "fox", while her brothers C and L are an "owl" & "hedgehog", respectively.)

my penchant and fondness for both Kona cotton and 3" squares really shows in this picture! you can see the 2 quilts for our bed- the Kona indigo 16 patch, as well as the other scrappy patchwork with Kona stratosphere. i used the kona stratosphere for the binding on the baby quilt- all around i'm pretty pleased! 

since the *majority* of my RSC blocks are made from the 3" squares, all the orphan blocks fit together so nicely. i found 30 16 patches from previous RSC quilts- Rainbow Rails & Rainbow Boxes. i'll sew them together into a top for S2W (our church sewing group). a 60" X 80" quilt will soon be out of my sewing room, making its way to someone who can put it to good use. 

with the use of these orphan blocks, that leaves me fairly "caught up" and turning towards next year: RSC21. i've been thinking of what kinds of projects/blocks i'd like to do. 

for a couple years, i've been thinking that i really need to up my game, and throw in some triangles with my 3" squares. i bought a triangle die for my accuquilt cutter, and i do plan on these variations of the 9 patch. (always a favorite!) of course, they're essentially the same block, just different layouts of light/dark/background. 

i plan to use a solid grey that i have in my stash, and depending on the # of COM (color of the month) 3" blocks i have, i'll piece either/or block. 

i'd also like to do houses this year; still mulling over what kind. 

and somewhere i saw a block like this: and after clicking around and visiting other RSCers through Angela's link up, the block seems to have come from Kathy, via Nann. 

i plan on making these Waffle Blocks, too, this year. i think i'll do the "opposite", as well. 3 rows of the COM, and then 2 neutrals. 

side note: I've had my EQ5 program for about 18 years, and STILL don't know how to draft a block... the neutral will be a solid piece of fabric, not squares, and no triangles will be harmed in the making of this block. 

last year i made a LIST of wannado's, needtodo's and mustdo's. out of the 17 on that list, i managed to finish 14! yay, me. 

here's this year's (partial) list: 

1. Christmas pillow covers for the sofas. 
2. L/D 9 patches: *minimally* piece into flimsy
3. eclectic/bohemian 9 patches: holiday/family gathering tablecloth
4. I Spy quilt/s for Elizabeth & ???
5. Louisa Charm Pack 4 patch
6. Bind Good Neighbors rectangle quilt for guest room
7. Piece together top: Churn Dash (with the cherry fabrics/yellow gingham) 
8. Patriotic rectangles: piece top and backing
9. Crazy Mom June QAL- i'm using neutrals along with Kona stratosphere and duckling
10. Civil War flying geese
11. Scrappy Stars: RSC20 (there are enough blocks for several quilt tops) 
12. #snowflakesewalong: grey/polka dot quilt (already cut out) 
13. Orange Dot Map Quilt : #onlyonequilt

whew! i better get off the computer and get busy! 

another final goal that i have for this year is to use my accuquilt Studio2 cutter even more. i've cut and pieced numerous quilts for MCC and our church sewing circle using my tumblers, churn dash or rectangle dies. i'd like to do more baby quilts, and more kits for the ladies at church to use for sewing tops. maybe i'll even do a tumbler or churn dash quilt for myself. 

so, it's going to be a busy and exciting year! thanks so much for reading and stopping by! be sure to click on over to Angela's blog: our fearless leader, and the headquarters for all things RSC! 

a rainbow for a beautiful little girl...

i posted about this quilt a few months ago, but as usual, i'm way behind in the Telling You Guys What's Going On Category.... many sorries... oldest daughter M, and her husband K, dropped off the 2 grandsons C and L at Grammy's house on May 11. M/K were on the way to the hospital- M was being induced for baby #3. Gestational Hypertension and all that... (and yes, in this picture M was a mere 36 hours from giving birth to her first daughter!) 

the quilt for my 5th grandchild was done and just waiting... COVID19 made things a bit complicated, but it all worked out in the end. i did the quilting myself, and i'm not very happy with it, but really, that's fine, too. the backing is a sheet from IKEA. it has the woodland animals on it that represent each child. (C: owl. L: hedgehog. baby #3: fox.) 

before basting the quilt, i took some beauty shots. never did this before, but i'm glad i did! it really helps the quilt to live up to its name: Luminary. the pattern is from Alison Glass. i used a moda brights honey bun. i pulled out some of the darker greens and browns, and added in more orange and aqua, as i knew those were the colors M/K wanted for the baby. 

more details on the quilt in a minute: BUT GUYS!!! THIS CUTE BABY!!! baby girl Addilyn Kathleen was born early Wednesday morning, May 13. (@3:40AM) no complications, perfect in every way, and dearly loved by her whole family, even though we had yet to meet her in person. 

Addie, as she will be called (except for when she's in big trouble) is the dearest little girl. she weighed 5lb. 8oz.  and her nose is smaller than a button. we call Addie our little tie-breaker- now we have 2 grandsons, and 3 granddaughters. 

i don't usually share the names of my family on the blog, but i made an exception this once. Addie's middle name was my mother's name: Kathleen. i lost my mother suddenly and tragically over 30 years ago. i was only 19, and not prepared in the least little bit to find myself motherless. 

so it's deeply meaningful to me that M and K named their first daughter after my mother, Kathleen. (my second daughter, Anna Kathleen, also shares my mother's name.) all babies are special of course, but dear little Addie will hold a special place in my heart. so also, her mother, Miriam, my oldest daughter, for honoring the memory of my mother in this way. 

and in other news....

in this week of "sewcial distancing" there has been plenty of time for sewing, that's for sure!

a few reasonable sewing sessions (not really marathons, even) i have the 4 I Spy quilts done for the grandchildren. (a surprise Easter gift from Grammy) . the only thing left to do is to sew on the label on the bottom right side- and they're on the way from Oregon, so it won't be too long and they're officially done! 

the Kona navy quilt is for grandson C, and the Kona lupine is for granddaughter E. they're both 3, born 6 days apart. 

the grey one above (due to the quarantine, i used a different grey LV print, instead of Kona medium grey, which would have been my first choice) is for granddaughter L, 1½, and the Kona azure is for grandson L, who just turned 2 last week. 

each of the 5" squares were chosen specifically for each child, and each family.

granddaughter L and her family spend lots of time outside hiking, so the camping print was especially appropriate. clockwise above, is L's quilt (camping backing) the azure quilt for L, nuts and bolts backing, his brother C, (kona navy) screws, bolts, nuts and washers, {their daddy is a carpenter} and granddaughter E- just a wild and crazy pink. 

my oldest daughter, M, (mama to the 2 grandsons) is expecting baby #3 in 6 weeks. guess it's time to get started on the quilt, huh?! haha. now that the I Spys are done, i can focus my attention on this baby quilt. M & hubby K prefer a darker palette for the color scheme, so this honey bun it is! i've added some konas from my stash, so hopefully i have enough variety! instead of grey, i plan on using kona indigo for the background, and i'll probably bind this baby quilt in orange. (more preferred colors of the parents.) 

i'm pretty much totally. over. this quarantine and social distancing thing, but i guess we have a bit more time to go.... click on over to Angie's and see what everyone else has been sewing to  pass the time!