Wrapping up 2016; looking forward to 2017

I'm back! it's been a super busy December (and end the end of November got a bit crazy, too) with turkey butchering, a few road trips, a funeral and an epic family trip to WA state to see my son and his wife, and their new baby, E. E is my first granddaughter, and joined her cousin C, (my first grandson) who was born 6 days earlier!

 

almost the whole family traveled to Seattle, WA to see the new baby, and since my daughter and her husband came along (the parents of baby C) we had TWO babies to hold! it was a nice time with family, and we also squeezed in some sight-seeing: the Space Needle, Pike's Place Market, the Seattle Aquarium and the gum wall. (gross)

finally things are settling down, and i'll have a bit of time in the sewing room before spring, and all the farm chores hit again. I am focusing on getting some of my RSC 16/15/14 projects done. the granny squares (above) are all done, just need trimmed. I think I have 67!

my soduku quilt was pieced in RSC14, but not completed. I decided with TWO grandbabies, I'd better be prepared with quilts at grandma's house- just in case they both visited at the same time. (unlikely, but it's good to be prepared, right?)

the above grandbaby quilt was completed 3+ years ago, just after my daughter got married. I knew it would be awhile before she had children, but again: be prepared! (pattern here)

hubby got this antique cradle at the thrift store (!) and we're all ready for whenever those sweet babies pop in.

I'm planning on crossing a TON of my UFO/WIPs this year. (post on that below) but I'm still going to participate in RSC17: here's what I have in mind-

• Kona solid 16 patch
• continue working on my crumb blocks
• finish up the RSC16 column-along
• use my 3" squares in the color of the month- still thinking about what pattern to use...

click on over to so scrappy and see what everyone else is doing! and HAPPY NEW YEAR!

Another week, another baby!

second verse, same as the first: who wants to look at my black, yellow and red granny square blocks when we can see a sweet little baby?

that's right: me, neither! what a momentous week for our family. last week, our first grandchild, first grandson was born. this week, it's another baby: our first granddaughter! now we have one of each, and we could not possible be more thrilled or ecstatic!

Little Miss (EL) was born Thursday night in Tacoma, WA, where her daddy (my second son) is stationed at Fort Lewis. Little Miss's mama had a quick and relatively easy delivery. BUT: she sure looks tired in this photo! the below photo was taken this afternoon as the new little family was preparing to go home. P's mother is coming from TN to help for a few weeks. I know that the new mama will sure appreciate that!

I'll fly out the first of December, and stay for a week. my 2 youngest daughters will be coming along- A and B. we can hardly wait to see (and hold, and snuggle, and kiss) this newest little one.

My oldest daughter, M, and her husband K, had a good (but exhausting) first week of being parents. little baby CD didn't want to nurse too well, so I was over helping a lot. we seem to have all the kinks ironed out, and I think it will be uphill from here. I've had lots of baby snuggle time this week, so not much sewing time, but who could complain about that?

M was feeling up to a little road trip this week: we took baby CD down to meet his great-great-great aunts Mary and Olive. Aunt Olive is 94 now, and still lives at home (with the help of a daily helper) Unfortunately, Aunt Mary is not doing as well, and has been in a nursing home for several weeks now. She's 99!

 

We spent some time visiting Aunt Mary, and the rest of the day was spent with aunt olive, making her feel special and loved. it was such a small thing, really, but she had a wonderful day. (I've written about my aunts before, here) at the last minute, I took along a quilt to gift to Aunt Olive for her new sitting room and chair. (I first blogged about this quilt here) as you can see she was so happy!

 

don't forget to click over to angie's blog to see the rest of the RSC16 goodies!

Big News!

a yellow granny square quilt block? really? who wants to see another one of those when there is a new baby in the world?

1 week overdue, 30+ hours of (agonizing) labor, and my new (and first!!!) grandbaby is here! we'll give him the bloggy name of CD. can I say that we're all just thrilled? 

it was a long, long wait- even longer for my oldest daughter, M (CD's mama) but he's here! even though we've just met him, and hardly know him, we love him so much already!

Aunts A and B (my 2nd and 3rd daughters, 5th & 6th children) will be so happy for every chance they can get to hold, cuddle, kiss and love on this new, sweet baby.

 

now, for all you grandmas out there: how am I supposed to get any work done, knowing that this little sweety is only a few miles away, and probably pining for his grandma? it's a new stage in our lives, and an exciting one at that!

 

click on over to angies for more exciting news! (and colors! and quilts!)

One square at a time, and progress is made!

I'm finally seeing the light at the end of the tunnel with all my RSC16 piecing. Just a few more black, red and yellow granny squares, and then that project is done for this year!

I have a suitcase full of 3" squares- I started the task of cutting my scraps that size way back in RSC14, when I worked through my stash to get it more manageable. READ: useable. I've made many, many quilts from those 3" squares! I love the size: not too big, not too small. Just Right! ( I should call them my Baby Bear Squares! ha!)

for RSC15 I pieced 4 patches in monochromatic colors. I ended up with probably about 200 of them. the 4 patches sat, until inspiration struck. I had Bonnie Hunter's book, (can't remember which one...) and she did a bow-tie quilt. 

 

seemed like a good idea! so I paired my 4 patches with (a few more) 3" squares from the suitcase, as well as Kona ivory, papaya and storm to make this quilt. it finishes at a whopping 101" square! i'll use up some black prints from my stash for the backing, and then it's ready to be quilted for one of the MCC relief auctions next year.

 

I'm working on updating the RSC tabs at the top of my page (I  might have mentioned that before... ) and one of these days I'll surprise you all (and myself!) and get those tabs all updated, sorted out, and accurate!

 

click on over to angie's blog: she's the hostess of RSC, and see what everyone else is doing these days- tons of pretty quilts to look at, or gather inspiration from...

Still plugging along....

I fell a bit behind in my piecing projects for RSC16. (this year I'm making granny blocks, crumb blocks, low-volume plus blocks and the RSC16 Column-Along. I also started Simply Woven as a RSC project, using the color of the month, and the accent. when it was close to finished, I just went ahead and finished, rather than have it lingering around- as so many of my blocks are wont to do...)

 

I'm slowly but surely catching up (except for the Column-Along.... I'm way far behind on that, but look forward to getting caught up- I'm doing it all in Kona solids) and if I didn't keep getting distracted with MORE fabric, and MORE quilts, I'd be doing a lot better... but, it is what it is, right?

 

I did finish my Low Volume Plus (showed that here before) and since I didn't do as many projects/blocks as I did in RSC15, I should be able to finish some tops before too long...

this week I pieced several more red granny square blocks, as well as a few yellow ones. all my blocks have the fabrics picked out, and paired with 12 of the background squares, so I'll continue to work on them a few at a time. I think i'll have 60+ when I'm done!!! yikes! but I'm thinking that will make 2 quilts, 6 X 6 setting with sashing.

a few weekends ago, my quilt, Celtic Solstice, was sold at the Washington Mennonite Relief Sale for an astounding and flattering price. I was so excited to be able to help in such a way, and I couldn't hardly sleep that night with the thoughts of all the quilts, and all the fabrics floating through my head!

 

part of the reason I haven't been doing as much RSC piecing is because I have 2 more quilts started for the MCC auctions. (ok, it's really more like 6, but who's counting?!) my friend Karen is a long arm quilter, and she has a passion for quilting for MCC. her mother, Jean, is the third part of our "team"- she loves to do the binding.  while I've been sewing for our church group, Scraps2Wraps for 8+ years, it's only in the last 2 years or so that I've enthusiastically caught the vision of sewing for MCC. it's so satisfying to know that we can work together to complete a quilt to send to one of the auctions, and the monies raised will go directly to where it's needed most, and used by the missionaries who are already in the field, assimilated into the culture and community. I don't even have a passport, but I know that I can help folks around the world, all the while still farming with my husband and homeschooling our 2 youngest. (among other things!)

 

here's a picture of my Simply Woven quilt, as taken from the Texas Relief Sale facebook page. I don't often get to see my quilts completely finished (I pass them along as tops) and definitely not as a full and beautifully taken picture as this. I'm so excited to participate in this way, and to be part of a team where we all are so blessed to do the part of quilting that we love the best, using our talents that are God-given to serve Him.

 

click on over to SoScrappy, hosted by Angie to see what others are doing this week- it will be a colorful visit, I promise!

Red is for September

a bit more time to sew, and even time to blog!

red is a prolific color in my stash- I've pieced 2 granny squares, with 7 more to go... that wasn't even using all my reds- just the ones that I especially like...

another row for my low volume plus quilt- with just yellow and black to go, it will soon be ready to put together! can't wait to see this one finished!

and finally, finally, FINALLY, the Simply Woven quilt is finished. judging by the likes, comments and hearts on both facebook and instagram, it's a popular one. that 's a good thing, as it will be sent to one of the MCC quilt sales (Texas, I think...)

 

 

my friend Karen is a long-armer, and we partner together to send quilts to different MCC auctions. I love to piece; she's great at quilting, and so it's a nice partnership. she's been doing it for years, I just jumped on board a couple years ago... I love to piece, and get WAY TOO MANY quilts for my house, and even still too many to share with my children, so it just works out nicely all around...

 

 

I'm updating the RSC tabs at the top of my page; come back later to see... meanwhile, click over to so scrappy and see what everyone else is up to! 

Grey fabrics; sunny skies

the weather here has been absolutely gorgeous! green trees (with just a hint of fall color), blue skies and clear, crisp air. we call it "birthday weather" at our house. my birthday is next week, my twin sons the following week, and the baby of the family has a birthday in early October. half of our family birthdays are in 2 weeks' time, so it's always been known as birthday weather!

13 grey crumb blocks are done- I've got a nice little pile of these.

both of the grandbaby quilts are done- one is delivered, one is at the quilters now. i'll share more about them later. we're just 6 weeks and counting now for the first baby, and while the second baby (a girl) is due on November 15, it's in WA state. (we live in PA) BUT: the good news is we've already purchased our tickets- December 1. can't wait! (and B is already making her list of what she's going to pack. it's a big deal to be an aunt when you're 8!)

4 more granny squares to add to the pile. I'm steadily working through the blocks (hundreds and hundreds; many different blocks!) that I made last year and getting them into quilts. I'm working on updating my RSC15 tab, too. it feels good to get the blocks out of drawers, and into quilts that can be used...

I'm still here!

the garden is growing well, and we're very busy planting, tending and harvesting... every once in awhile I'm able to sew for just a little bit. (but not this week!) it's taken me a couple weeks to get my photos uploaded, but here I am!

I'm loving my low-volume plus quilt. (are you an old-enough quilter that you can remember when we called "low volume" our "neutrals"?) ha! every month my LV+ quilt is the first one I go to... it's easy, and soothing to piece.

the granny squares are going fine, too. I have all the aquas done, and a few pinks. I still have a couple greens to finish up from May.

My Simply Woven quilt blocks are all done. here my daughter, A, and our friend B are laying it out at Scraps to Wraps for me. the rows are pieced together, now I just need to sew the rows together. next time I want to do a quilt like this, please talk me out of it! it didn't' go together as easily as I had hoped... (but I'm sure it will all quilt out!) I have a big bag of 2½" strips that someone gave me for S2W, and I plan to use them to make a Scrappy Trips quilt ala' Bonnie Hunter.

 

I haven't even worked on my RSC16 Column-Along! it's in the back of my mind, though, and I have all intentions of finishing it. I love column quilts, and have always wanted to make one. I just need to take the time to look over my stash of Konas, and see what I still need. our local Ben Franklin has the Konas for $5.49/yd every day! how fantastic is THAT?

 

be sure to pop in over at Angela's blog to see what everyone else is making!

Snippets of aqua

a jot of aqua... a morsel of aqua... a chunk, a dollop a shred of aqua... a speck, a dose, a pinch of aqua... Roget's was helpful with my boring title, but I guess i'll stick with snippets...

the gardens are doing well, and we have enough help, and every oncet in a while I have a bit of energy AND time and sneak off to sew some of my aqua RSC16 June. (I'm still a faithful visitor and sporadic commenter to all you more productive RSCers, though...)

I have more aqua than I thought- I got 14 crumb blocks, 12 of which are pictured here.

a few granny squares have made it into the pile, and I'm still working on finishing up a couple green grannies, as well as my green crumb blocks.

the nights have been blessedly cool, and I've been watching Mr. Selfridge on amazon prime. a nice way to wind down after a long and hot day!

A snippet of green...

this week I managed to sort through my green (3") squares, and make up a few blocks of a pleasing green combo for my granny square blocks. and then as an added bonus, I was able to sew 5 of them together. yay, me!

 

we have family visiting this week- my son and his wife, all the way from Washington state! and today we get more company- my other son, the Navy Corpsman stationed in Bronx, NY and my brother and family.

 

lots of family, absolutely no sewing. but I wouldn't have it any other way!

 

and in honor of Memorial Day, and my two sons who serve in the Navy and Army, (and will even be home for this holiday - together!)  I've hung out my quilty flag! I made this a few years ago; I really like it, but it's the only one I plan on making!

 

see what everyone else is doing over at RSC16.

 

Orange you glad it's spring?!

the calendar says "spring" but the snow and cold weather this week says "April Fools!" crazy weather here in NE PA, but at least it's sunny! I look outside at the sunny, beautiful weather (when it's not snowing) but when I go outside, I'm shocked at how cold it is!

I hung up all 4 rows of my low volume plus quilt (I'm making 9 pluses in each color, and I'll probably add a couple colors that are not in RSC16 to bring the quilt to a nice size) it's a little more busy, and a little less low volume than I was hoping for, but I think it will get better as I go along...

5 more granny squares joined their buddies in the RSC16 drawer; only 4 had their picture taken. for being so short on oranges, I'm surprised at the variety that I have! ( true confession: I did buy 2 FQs- on sale- at my LQS last week, and 2 more at the MCC relief sale...)

had some good news this week; I'll be free to share it next week....

meanwhile, click on over to angela's and see all the other orange projects...

Round and round with all the squares we go!

technically, this TATW quilt is not RSC16, but I thought I'd share it anyway... a dear friend lost her husband to leukemia last month, and she brought me a laundry basket full of his shirts, and asked me to make a quilt for her. my long-arm quilter and I paired up, and got it pieced, quilted and delivered in record time. and the best part? it's bringing some comfort to my grieving friend!

 

 

I was also able to take the time to piece 9 more granny square blocks in purple (only 8 are shown here) Last night I started the purple crumb blocks, and since my monthly additions to my Simply Woven quilt is done, (i'll show the progress on that next month) that only leaves me with the RSC column along for this month.

 

today the girls and I are off to the local YMCA for a health fair. CSA signups are slow this year, (is it the weather, or the economy?)  so we're hoping to pick up a few new members!

happy purpling, with a dash of yellow thrown in!

Purple is such a CHEERY color!

bits of sewing time snuck in here and there in the last couple weeks... it's nice to play with the purples; brown was a muddy color for the muddy month of February!

 I got my 9 blocks done for my plus quilt- this is promising to be a really cool quilt when it's done!



4 more granny squares, with 9 (!) more waiting in the queue...

chocolate and sunshine- what could be better!

thanks for your input on what setting squares to use for my S4P- I took a tally, and blue won! good choice, gals, and that's what I'm going to go with! I have ¾ of the blocks trimmed up, hopefully I can finish the rest this week...

 

click on over to Angela's, and see the rest of the purpley cheeriness!

as brown as the mud... (or should I say soil?)

hubby worked late every night this week, so I feel like I got a lot done in the sewing room. 3 more brown granny squares started off the week.

 

 

I took the time to sort out all my white(ish) low volume squares, and made them into little piles of 7, for my low volume plus quilt. that way it's more certain that the fabrics will be mixed more evenly throughout the quilt. (I'm pretty picky about stuff like that- don't know why, as I'm probably the only person that would ever notice...)

here's the blue and brown row of my plus quilt. notice there are only 7 pluses in the browns, not 9 like the blues?  well, there were only enough browns to do 7 blocks! can you believe it?! I couldn't scrounge up 10 more blocks to make 2 more pluses. I already knew my stash of brown was very, very low- but still... I'm sure before December i'll be able to find 10 more brown blocks...

 

you can also see my RSC15 sampler on the floor. I've gotten that back out, and plan to finish it into a flimsy this month. I was having trouble with the alternate blocks, until I figured out the pattern, and now it's going a bit more smoothly. I'm happy to see how nice it's looking as it comes together!

 



this is not a RSC project, just a leftover bits and squares from another quilt I made. I thought it was especially appropriate to finish it during the changeover of blue to brown.

linking up with Angela- go see what everyone else is creating!

another week, a bit of progress...

yay, me! I figured out the tabs at the top! I posted the info/back story about my RSC14 projects. (all completed, yay again!) click on over if you want to see.... ( so far the RSC14 tab is the only one that's done. the others are still a work in progress... i'll get to them as soon as I can!)

I'm still having fun with my suitcase of squares- (it's a vintage suitcase that was my mothers, and is FULL of 3" squares that I've cut from my stash/scraps, and sorted into colors.) I've never made a granny square block, and thought that this would be the perfect year to do some! I'm using the creams/tans left over from last year's 16 patches. I made 4 blue grannies- and I promise this year I won't go overboard, and try to use up every. single. pretty. fabric.

 

and actually, since I've been using these squares for a couple years now, the choices of colors that have 8 squares (for the outer ring) is getting slimmer and slimmer. so I guess that's a good thing, right? ha!

 

here are my 4 patches from last year- I didn't have a solid plan of where I was going with these. then inspiration struck (BAM):

I'm teaching an encore Scrap Happy class at our LQS in Feb/March and the shop owner wanted me to do a quilt from one of Bonnie Hunter's books- Adventures with Leaders and Enders.  I started making the zig-zag 9 patch on the cover, and then got distracted with the other quilt on the cover....

I realized that I could use my RSC15 4 patches, and make the bow tie blocks. (her squares are the ridiculous size of 1" finished!!!) being the reasonable person I am, (I hate twiddly sewing) I decided that my 2½" finished squares would work just fine...

 

I have to say, though, that after assembling this block, I decided that the white plaid is too thin/flimsy, so I'll replace those 8 blocks, and use a better fabric for the remaining 15 blocks.

 

click on over the Angela's and see what everyone else is sewing and creating! maybe you'll be inspired!