quilty friends and cheerful company!

recently Katy and Deanna announced a QAL- and the timing, sizes of the components and the quilt itself just seemed to perfectly fit my schedule, stash and need! (i'm always enthusiastic about QALs; it's just been a while since I've actually participated in one... i always have high hopes... ) 

a couple years ago, i purchased an AccuQuilt Studio 2 cutter. pricey? you betcha! BUT: worth every penny. i've since added more dies to my repertoire- but my favorites are the squares (i have the 3" & 2½" sizes), the churn dash (12"), tumblers (6"), rectangles (3" X 6") and a few other random dies. 

i use the different dies alot- for {some} personal quilts, for MCC donation quilts (fundraising auctions), and for quilts and quilt kits to be sewn & tied into comforters for local donation and world wide through MCC. 

anyway! katy and deanna are 2 of my favorite bloggers. (really!) so i was happy to see that their QAL would work well for my schedule, my fabric and my dies! i decided to go with scrappy browns and reds, with a consistent neutral to keep things a bit calm for the eyes... 

i picked the backing and binding, too, and was all ready to go. 

one good thing about participating in the QAL, was that katy gave specific directions on how to sew the 4 patches together. i'm certain i would have sewn at least 2 of the columns the wrong way, and need to rip out A.L.O.T. 

 a couple beauty shots later, and my (60" X 80") top is ready to go to S2W (Scraps to Wraps) with me on Wednesday. we'll all work together to get it tied, and sent off somewhere in the world where it will be used and appreciated! 

so, in conclusion: make sure to click back on over to katy and deanna's blogs, and see all the other #twobyfourQAL quilts that have linked up. 

and remember when i said that i really enjoy QALs? well, here are some previous quilts (either a *free* pattern or a QAL) that i did with Deanna over the years...

Calico Rose for a friend

Growing Up Odd (i'm just now realizing that i never got a good picture of this completed top...) 

Film at Five

thanks for stopping by! i'm glad you took the time out of your day to see this little quilty corner of my world. come back soon! 

the horse got out. i will shut the barn door now.

we had a very nice family gathering for July 4. just about the whole fam was there. and: all FIVE grandchildren! that makes any gathering, on any day, extra special! 

i started this crumb flag way back in April of 2018. (didn't actually post about it on the blog; had to look back at my RSC albums on Facebook) 

now that July 4th is over and done for 2020, i thought it would be the *perfect* time to finish this quilt. (but, in my defense, there are lots of patriotic holidays that it could be used/displayed for, right? Memorial Day, Flag Day, July 4, Labor Day, Patriot Day, Veteran's Day... you get the idea.) 

and since i just finished a July 4thy quilt, why not start another?!

i recently bought an accuquilt Studio2 cutter. (not regretting that purchase at all, i might add...)

and had a brain storm to use up some hoarded fabric to make a rectangle quilt, much like the two by four quilts that seem to be pretty popular right now. i'm using the above die, after doing some "research" on Katy's blog to see which one she used. 

before inspiration hit with the RWB quilts, i made this quilt for our church sewing group, Scraps to Wraps, from fabric that i found in our sewing closet. lots of our quilts go overseas with MCC, but this one we'll keep for local donation. 

anyway, here's the (8) reds i pulled from my stash that i thought went well together. on a side note, one of the things i've learned from doing RSC for all these years, is that i really like to work with fabrics that are monochromatic. good to know, i guess...

and ages (and ages!) ago, i had purchased this star fabric, and the presidential/patriotic fabric, along with a pattern to make a quilt. the pattern obviously went by the wayside, but now i'm excited to start making this quilt. 

and just becuase my family mostly all dressed up so patriotically and coordinatedly, i'll share some more RWB pictures from our get-together. 

(you can't see the GIANT pile of fireworks stacked up at their feet...)

youngest daughter, B, with middle granddaughter, L.

D (oldest son), M (oldest child, oldest daughter) A (middle daughter, fifth child) and A. (M's daughter, youngest granddaughter) 

i guess i should also say: thanks, Old Navy! haha!

my twins, D & N. they'll be 30 (!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!) in September. they both have 1 daughter. it's so cute to see them with the other's little girl; they refer to each other as the counterfeit daddy.

on a side note... it really warms my heart and is so special to me that the grown children spend time with each other, separate from me. i feel it's important that they build adult relationships with each other. and A & B are always so happy to get together with their big brothers and the nieces and nephews. 

and A again, with L.

click on over to Angie's and see all the other colorful projects!

oh, almost forgot! here's another flag quilt that i made ages ago, and almost forgot about!

wrapping up the greens...

i managed a bit of green sewing in May, but just now getting around to sharing progress and pictures...

i mentioned awhile back that i bought a Studio2 cutter from accuquilt- LOVING it so far! ( i see they're on sale again, along with BOGO dies. i'd recommend one, if it's in your budget. free shipping now, too! *not an affiliate link*) 

one of the dies i bought was the equilateral triangle- i think there are 8 on the die, and they finish at 3¾" tall. in retrospect, that's a bit too small for me. but the baby quilt did turn out pretty cute- the prints were fabrics that i found in the sewing cupboard at church; i added in some Kona cottons (curry, pickle, pepper, 2 greys, avocado and peridot) 

i like how it turned out. and i do like the triangle concept- so much so that i ordered another die, in bigger, isosceles triangles this time. (see above: BOGO, free shipping!) also on the design wall- the churn dash blocks that i'm working on- i got the cheery bundle from blueprint. i saw somewhere this week that they were going out of business- without any great sales. i can confirm both those facts... 

also- 30 or so more crumb blocks were added to my pile. i do have some ideas ruminating on what to do with my hefty (and impressive!) stack of crumb blocks.

i especially LOVE some of the layouts suggested here. i'm thinking my youngest daughter B might like to do some playing on the design wall this week...

thanks for stopping by! i always appreciate the camaraderie, the feedback and the inspiration that i get from following and checking in on other blogs! i hear blogger is going wonky, but it's still "normal" for me...

i have a couple finishes to share, and the new baby is 3 weeks old already- Addie Kathleen joined us on May 13. she joins her 2 big brothers, and of course everyone is enthralled with her. pictures soon! 

Marching right along...

March definitely came in like a lamb here in our neck of the woods, and it's nice to feel the promise of spring when we go outside. just yesterday A, my 13yo daughter, excitedly came inside and announced that she saw a robin! it sure seems early, but spring is such and exciting and promising time!

i recently bought an Accuquilt Studio 2 Cutter. {not an affiliate link} and i'm LOVING it!!! i got a basic array of dies for it, while i become acquainted with what will work best for my and my style of sewing: churn dash, 6" tumblers, 3" squares and (too small in retrospect) equilateral triangles.

i have a list of things a mile long that i need to be working on: taxes, the family Christmas calendar, I Spy quilts for the (4) grandchildren for Easter, the baby quilt for grandchild #5 (!!!) and spring cleaning/Lent purging/get all the crap out of here/someday i'm going to die and i don't want to saddle my children with all the stuff cleaning.

anyway- lots to keep me busy around here! AND: i'm thrilled that Cynthia IS doing her Quilty Adoption again this year- starting March 19. i'm still working in the sewing room, cleaning/purging/rearranging, and i've found at least 4 things that i'd like to share/move on.

first up: (getting an early start!) a box of extra 3" squares. (picture coming later) ADOPTED there is quite a lot there: enough room for a boat-load of creativity! i sorted through the drawer, looking to consolidate, and picked out a bunch of the squares that i'm "done" with. there are many different colors, but most of them are "cream based" rather than "white based". if you'd like my box of squares to get creative with your own projects, leave a comment. i'll be happy to share- first priority will go to charity quilts, but other than that, the sky's the limit!

i'll be back later with more... Saturday morning is in full speed around here...