Show me the {Kona} LOVE!

I'm excited with Angie's choice of yellow for such a dreary (and cold!) month! and yellow works well for a short month, too, as i don't have a lot of yellow in my stash. (but maybe I say that every month...)

I laid out *all* my yellow 3" squares for the picture above, and got 81. with all the lonely (only 1 of) squares, i'll have nearly 100 different yellows to work with. 

on a different note- it's *weird* how the cheddars, which are clearly in the yellow camp, can so quickly dessert and head over to the orange side- making the division of colors a bit stressful for monochromatic quilters like me... 

this week is all about the Konas- Kona Cotton Solids, that is!

my RSC16 column-along is DONE! like: quilted, bound (in indigo), washed and nice and crinkly done!

i made 2 of these RSC16 column-alongs. one was gifted to my oldest daughter, M and her husband K last Christmas.  i made 2 of these because I was sure I would love it too much to part with it- and I was right. This quilt is the smaller of the 2- it finished at about 56" square. 

when I first completed it this week, I wasn't too happy with how it turned out. I had done a poor & lazy job of pressing the top upon completion, and it wasn't laying as flat as it should have been. however, i determinedly and courageously (and carefully) pressed on, and managed to finish quilting loopys on the top with no wrinkles or puckers. 

the stripe fabric is a Moda/Jen Kingwell fabric that i had purchased awhile back with this quilt in mind. i pieced it so the pink was not twice in the back. after a round of washing and drying, the quilt is officially finished, and i'm pleased with the small amount of shrinkage. not only did it improve my quilting, now instead of being of the frame of mind "finished is better than perfect", i'm very happy with how it turned out with no regrets. 

the weather here in northern PA has been absolutely frigid this week (literally!) and it was too cold and windy to go outside to take a picture...  but: 

i finished my Kona 16 patch from RSC18 into a top! the sun did come out and contribute some cheeriness to the colors as we were taking this picture, but still- the picture doesn't do this quilt justice. 

this 16 patch kona/indigo is the big sister to the kona/9 patch that i also pieced during RSC18. (all squares are 3")

this quilt top seems to be glowing! i used indigo for the alternate blocks, and arranged the colors into rows. this top finished at 80" X 100". i plan to use it on my bed, and there is plenty of overhang on the sides to allow sharing with a cover hog. *ahem*.  as the weather improves, i'll take a better photo. 

linking up with Angie and the other RSC19 creators! 

red scraps- they're breeding like rats!

one of the amazing things about sewing with scraps is that they never seem to get any less!

i pieced 88 red crumb blocks this month, and my red scrap jar is still nearly full! once the blocks are pieced and pressed (sometimes starched) I trim them to 6½". I have a ruler this size, and it's just easy to do it the same size as the ruler. plus, it's a handy size to work with: not too big, not too small...

anyway- it took me nearly the whole month to get organized and piece these blocks. i really enjoy making the crumb blocks- it's mindless and relaxing! plus- it's fun to touch all the fabric!

i keep my crumb scraps in gallon jars on a shelf in my sewing room. since i didn't make any crumb blocks during RSC18, they're all stuffed to overflowing! 

88 blocks, and still it's almost full! how is this even possible? *the blogger mutters in astonishment*

these crumb blocks will go in the stack with all the other colors- waiting for inspiration to hit...

although, to be fair, i did make a set of 4 small quilts for the littles at my house- pictured here.  these quilts get loved, used and washed often! 

and another crumb quilt that's not quite done yet, or blogged about, was (is) my crumb flag quilt. i hope to get that done soon....

i've accomplished my goals/projects for January and the reds- i'm looking forward to the new color for February! (does anyone else feel a bit at a loss at the end of the months, wiating for a new color?) 

i'm linking up to RSC red at Angela's blog on Saturday morning- remember to click over and see what everyone else is working on. if you're working on the string-a-long over at Lori's blog, or would simply like an infusion of red strips and scraps- send me an e-mail! i'm hoping to share some of my "extra" red scraps! 

running right along with the reds...

i'm late the the RSC19 linky party today- we were butchering our pig! we raise about 12 pigs a year, and 2-3 of them are for the family. over the years we've learned to butcher our own- bacon, hams, linked sausage and all! when we first moved to our little farm about 11 years ago, we sent our pigs to the butcher, and got them back frozen in little packages, labeled and in a box ready for the freezer. 

we've *always* butchered our own poultry- the meat birds, turkeys and even the old worn out laying hens. i wasn't too keen to learn how to butcher a pig, but.... Dave really wanted to do it, so about 9+ years ago, we dove right in! we bought a DVD from somewhere online (like askthemeatman.com or something like that...) our first time butchering (breaking down) the hog, we set up the little portable TV right at the end of our stainless steel counter... then we pressed play, watched the first couple steps... then pressed pause and did just like the professional butcher....

play... pause... cut, cut, cut. play... pause... cut, cut, cut.

now, after 9 years or so, and about 20 pigs, we can do a pig relatively easily and painlessly. i don't think we even turned on TV (or youtube) all day! we're not professionals by any means, but we're confident beginners, and know just what cuts and seasonings we like in our hams, bacon and sausages. (here's the book we use for all our sausage recipes- it's also full of other great info, too, if you're interested in that sort of thing...) 

anyway- little C (who's the oldest grandson at 2yo) walked in this morning, all ready to help Pap cut up the pig! within minutes, he was set up at the work table with a big piece of fat, and a {butter} knife and fork. he proceeded to saw and sort meat with Pap for over an hour! (we worked inside boning small pieces of meat at a time, and then putting it back outside in the 20° weather to cool off and stay safe.) Behind C you can see his little brother L (10 months old) and our youngest daughter, B who is 11. 

now: on to the RSC19 reds! i finished my isosceles triangle quilt this week. it measures 68" X 82". i know the picture isn't the greatest- sorry! my triangles are 6½" per side. i cut my strips WOF at 6½" and then used my triangle ruler to trim them to the right size/angles. (if there is interest, i can do a *tutorial* next month on how i do it...)

this quilt will go in to our church sewing group- Scraps to Wraps and will be tied and donated locally when there is a need. i'll piece the backing, and also cut the binding from my stash. then when we have a need brought to our attention, it will be ready to go with minimal fuss. 

i happened to also have this completed quilt here at my house, and since it's primarily red i thought i'd share it today too. the pattern is called Friendship, and it was pieced by me and quilted by my friend Karen. it's also a donation quilt, and will be mailed off to the MCC quilt sale in Nebraska next week. 

(these postcard patterns are available at my LQS for about $2. i'm a pattern junky when it comes to these things {have you seen how much quilt patterns can cost these days?!} and i have a whole stack of them in my sewing room, just waiting for a pile and inspiration to collide...) 

and: welcome to all the new RSC19ers! i've noticed a bunch of new quilters/bloggers have joined in the RSC fun this year! welcome, again! i don't post here on my blog as much as i might like, but you can follow me { jlcap69 } over at Instagram. i'm more active there... and be sure to click over to Angela's at soscrappy and see what everyone else is stitching up this weekend! 

Plugging right along...

i haven't actually done too much sewing this week on my RSC projects, but i've done some cutting, planning and pondering!

that counts for somehting, right? ha! 

one important thing i did was to re-install EQ5 on my computer to help me with designing and sizes of some of my quilts. (yes, EQ5 is old- but it works just fine for me!) i was especially glad to have the math help with my isosceles quilt. (still can't spell that...)

but- even with the extra math boost, i somehow managed to cut too many triangles! oh well, i plan on making one each month anyway, and maybe i'll have enough *extra* blocks at the end of the year to make a rainbow one! (that would be pretty cool, actually!)

linking up with So Scrappy on Saturday morning. 

Starting Fresh Again!

a new year- a new start- a new color!

my drawer of 3" squares is not getting any emptier

so i thought of a few new blocks to make for RSC19. First up is the light/dark 9 patches, as inspired here. 

i have {only} 5 new projects that i'm planning on working on for RSC19.

the second block i'll be making this year is a take-off of a Split Rail Fence block, using my 3" squares again. 

i was inspired to make this particular looking block while wondering around on bloggy-land or pinterest, but don't even remember where or when the inspiration hit! 

linking up to Angela's blog on Saturday morning. go see what everyone else has started for RSC19!

Plans, Hopes, Dreams: RSC19

another year has come and gone- many scraps have been sewn into blocks AND quilts, and still: they're not all gone!

SO: making a list (mostly for my own reference) of what i'll be working on for RSC19. as always, i'll be working with my 3" squares again. (i'm planning on soon doing a post just of the quilts that I've made with my 3" squares. it's alot- and the drawer is not even half empty!) 

in no particular order: first up, i'll be making 9 patch blocks in the COM. half will be with a light center running through, the other half with a dark center. inspired by Jolenes's quilt, here.

last year i took a break from making crumb blocks. the scraps have multiplied to make baby scraps, and now the jars are overflowing. i'll get back to these this year. surprisingly, making crumb blocks is very relaxing and soothing! i love to make them... 

i pieced (and completed!) 4 small crumb quilts this summer. i made them for my grandchildren, and tiny napping visitors. 

i'll also make "rail fence" blocks in the COM, and my neutral/light squares. i think these will be relatively easy to assemble into a cohesive quilt at the end of the year. 

2 other projects i plan on working on in conjunction with RSC19: Angela's Tiny Tuesday Sampler. I'm still pondering the details of this for myself, but definitely planning on participating! 

and finally: a personal goal/challenge to myself! i'd like to make a donation quilt in each COM. right now i'm planning on isosceles triangles, with a neutral. (and maybe by the end of the year i'll actually be able to spell isosceles without the help of spell check!) 

so- here's to another year of sewing along with all my quilty friends- and as always: special thanks to ANGELA! 

running to catch up!

I've been busy behind the scenes working on finishing up some of my RSC18 quilts. i actually have some finishes to share! so glad to join in this last linky of the year. (and i'm looking forward to/planning blocks for RSC19!) 

i {practically just this minute} finished my Kona indigo 9 patch. each month in RSC18 i made a slew of blocks from my Kona stash in the color of the month (COM) and indigo. i just randomly made blocks- some with 5 indigo/4 COM and some with 5 COM/4 indigo. i didn't overthink the layout- just went for a general fade, and i'm really thrilled with the result!

one thing that i did differently with this quilt is: i used no batting! i just sandwiched and pinned the top with a cotton backing, and quilted in a cross hatch design on the indigo squares.

(couldn't resist an instagram worthy glamour shot!)

i'm "extra proud" of myself- this is a RSC18 quilt that was started, quilted, bound, washed and is being used right now- and it's still 2018! that's probably a personal record for me!

everything is dreary and mud around here- no beautiful outdoor shots this week... this rainbow quilt finished at 60" X 75"- a perfect quilt for napping!

i love the hand {feel} of this quilt with no batting- it's really more like a sheet than a quilt. i think it will be perfect for summer time naps- when you just want a bit of covering...

another bonus: this quick and delightful finish has spurred me on to also finish my kona/indigo 16 patch quilt. (pretty much the same as this kona/indigo 9 patch quilt, but not...) at last i have a layout finalized in my mind, and actually plan on working on that this afternoon! (i also plan to finish it the same way- no batting, just cotton backing, and a crosshatch quilting through the indigo squares)

and my final finish to share: Growing Up Odd! after a generous infusion of orange scraps (scroll down a couple posts to read about that...) i buckled down and got this top all sewn together- it's just 9 blocks, but alot of sashing... my girls helped me lay it out, and i'm so happy with how it turned out. (and here's where i wish i had more beds in my house!)  the squares that i used were 3", finishing at 2½", so it's quite large- 97½" X 102½"! 

you can sort of see where i added a row of scrappy squares, as well as another row of sashing on the top and bottom of the quilt, making it a rectangle rather than a square. i counted through my notes last night, and there are 1000++ different, unique fabrics in this top! (really!) this quilt is for sale, but if it has to stay here and live at my house, that's just fine with me! there are so many fabric bits and memories of the last 30+ years in this quilt!

( i also updated my RSC18 tab at the top. will be adding to my RSC19 tab in the next couple days....) 

thanks for stopping! and here's to a healthy, happy and productive 2019 of RSCing- along, together! 

hey you guys! wait for me...

i've participated in Judy's UFO challenge for quite a few years now. (5?) i'd like to sew along for 2019. (but how can you STILL have UFOs I can hear some of you saying...)

just saving my spot in the link up until i get my act together to gather and number 12 UFOs...

so here they are, in no particular order, and without a lot of extra time taken for taking beautiful pictures... (can you tell?!)

#1- it's my Kona Love Row-by-Row Sampler from RSC16. i lurve this quilt- and want to get it quilted and in use!

Add caption

#2- my bins of strips. (this is a holdover from last year) i have a lot of 2½" strips that have *magically* appeared in my sewing room. i have a plan for these, and i'm hoping that my quilty friends at our church sewing group will help me turn these into quilts that can be used and loved!

more on that later!

#3- ???

#4- neither of these is a recent picture, but i would like to get this quilt DEE OH ENN EEE. (d.o.n.e.) it's pieced into a top, and "just" needs borders and quilting.

#11- this is obviously a very unloved UFO.  i started this quilt with my quilt guild about 1997, so it's definitely time to get it done. who knows: maybe 2019 is the year!

this star quilt was a BOM and has stars in 12" and 6". i still have fabric to finish the top in with the pile, and i like the idea of a setting as seen here.

#5- my Rainbow Squares, pieced during RSC17. it was a UFO in last years list, and i have firm intentions of completing it this year! the backing is pieced, and i know how i want to quilt it.

unfortunately, i don't really enjoy the quilting aspect of quilting (i like the design/piecing the most!) but with the budget being what it is (or is not!), i really need to knuckle down and finish some of the tops in the sewing room closet myself. (put on my big girl panties and just get to it!)

#6- this isn't really a UFO, more a WIP. this picture is from last year, but i did make some progress on Crazy Mom's June quilt. i'm piecing my rectangles in neutrals, and have 53 made. i plan on using blue and yellow, too, in the quilt. i'll add a current picture later.

#7- not my work, not really a UFO. but this is an important quilt, and i need to help/encourage my youngest daughter to get it done. B pieced this carpenter star, and our Christmas gift to her is to get it quilted. the top is together; just the borders need done, and the backing pieced.

#8- again, not a UFO, more a WIP. i'm making a scrappy patchwork quilt with Kona stratosphere and a favorite selection from my 3" squares. just a simple quilt, but i have some ideas of other quilty accessories i'd like to make for our bedroom to go along with it...

#9- locate and complete the Wonky 1930's Sampler quilt. i started this quilt when B was a baby (see #7) it has matching fabrics from her baby quilt; i thought it would be nice to have a matching quilt for our bed. i think this UFO has made several appearances in the line-up through the years... 

#10- Coffee Time: a pile of 4 patches made with Bistro from Moda. i started this last year, and then changed my mind on the completion timeline and set it aside. 

#12- ???

as i've said- this is about my 4th or 5th year participating in Judy's UFO challenge. is it possible i only have 10 UFOs? maybe- not sure... need to dig deeper in the sewing room, but this is enough to get me started for now! 

ORANGE you THANKFUL for friends?

i wrote about my dilemma with my Growing Up Odd quilt a couple weeks ago. The blocks were all pieced, with the exception of one 49 patch. I asked for suggestions, as to what color block to piece, AND: 

a never-before-met-quilty-friend, Dorthy, sent me a bag of orange scraps (more like orange hunks and small pieces, really!)

there were 50+ (!!!) pieces of orange in the surprise package i received the other day... enough to make the remaining 7X7 block for my Growing Up Odd quilt. 

the infusion of fun, new and colorful fabrics has spurred me on to finish this top! i dug out some neutral from my drawer, did some simple math (since my squares are cut at 3"; different than the size in the tutorial) and got to sewing. hopefully i'll have a finished flimsy to show next week! 

while my cat (Millie) naps in the sewing room, i've been busy making forward progress on this fun quilt. she's laying in the box of *another quilt that i've started*: the blue is kona cotton stratosphere, with a patchwork design with 1 of all the different 3" squares in my drawer. i think it's going to be obnoxiously big (the quilt, not Millie!) as there are far more squares in that drawer than i imagined!

and just to keep things interesting- i'm along for the ride on Bonnie's mystery quilt this year- Good Fortune. i've done all the shopping from my stash (yay, me!) and have substituted the orange for cheddar yellow. i'm thrilled with my colors- especially love those blues! 

i've pieced all of clue #1- just need to do the spinning of the middle seam and then the pressing. this is my fourth Bonnie mystery. i love the colors, so i'm hoping i love the quilt, too!

( i was a bit disappointed in the MQ from 2014) but after all, it's just fabric, right? i know the completed quilt will be loved by someone, no matter what!

linking up to Angela at soscrappy and Bonnie at Quiltville. thanks for stopping!