tap...tap...tap... anybody there anymore?

I've lots to show and share, but all platforms of social media seem not to be my friend right now...

i tried three times (3X!) to upload RSC20 pictures to Facebook so i can grab them for the blog, but something-or-other is not co-operating. (and i don't know how to get the pictures off my phone and directly onto the blog...)

my Instagram account was hacked (and deleted!!!) this week. ( i was jlcap69. I've not set up a new account, yet, so there's nothing to follow or see over there from me) loosing my Instagram (pictures and hashtags that are mine, as well as the ones i follow) is definitely a first world problem, but still. really makes you wonder what the world is coming to...

but i will say, at least blogger hasn't gone wonky for me.

yet.

crossing fingers. 

i'll be back soon, i hope, with pictures. 

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. 

getting a good start on those pinks...

in between other projects this week, i pulled out my 3" squares, and sorted all the pinks for my quilty stars blocks.

with some deep digging, and creative planning, i had enough for 3 blocks.

i can see that i'll be running out of the neutral background (again!) so i'll have to find something else to finish out the year with these blocks. ( i saw some of these blocks on instagram- search the hashtag #quiltystarsquilt- there's some stunners out there) no pattern that i know of- i just used my 3" block stash. 

i'm pretty happy with how these are turning out- click over to RSC20 So Scrappy to see all the other beauties! 

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! 

blue stars, sparkling in the night sky...

and then there was that crazy Saturday in May where it was snowing...

or maybe it was a crazy Saturday because the blogger did 3 posts in one day.

THREE!

anyway- i made 5 quilty stars blocks last month. i first saw this block on instagram, i believe. i'm using the 3" squares from my block drawer, and using a fabric from my stash for the star points. 

the blocks finish quite large- about 21", so i'll either make a very large quilt, or several smaller quilts. i was contemplating dividing them up into warm/cool colors. we'll see..

i already did my green quilty stars in February. i don't sort out my colors by light/dark. so i did all my greens in February, except for the crumb blocks. (i'm working on those now.) same for the blues- i did all my blues in April, not just the lights/brights. i'll pick another color, or a UFO to work on when blues come around again.

thanks for stopping by at The Sporadic Blogger. make sure to visit all the other bloggers and their projects, too! 

I Spy some happy children!

i mentioned before that i was busy making I Spy quilts for all my grandchildren. my grand Let's Get The Whole Family Together For Easter And Have A Fabulous Easter Egg Hunt And Other Fun Activities Plan was changed for obvious reasons. 

But- most of the quilts i was able to  gift in person, so i'm calling that a win! C (3yo) with his quilt.

Brother L (2yo)

Granddaughter E (3yo, also) in Baltimore. better picture coming soon!

granddaughter L (18mo).

all the grandchildren seemed to really like their quilt! i was pleased, and am so glad that they each have a snuggly quilt to nap/play/picnic with. 

i still have enough blocks for a few more I Spy quilts when the time comes. (and as we're expecting grandchild #5 any day now, that might be sooner rather than later!) 

and in a related note- daughter A (13yo) absconded the quilt kit that i (on a total whim and impulse) ordered from Kitchen Table Quilting. it's the Frances pattern, perfect for beginners.  A chose Kona black for the sashing on the smaller blocks- she wanted it to be different than all the other quilts on instagram. (search #francesquilt) 

as i said, it was a quick, unplanned purchase, but i'm calling it a win all around. A generally does not like to sew or quilt, but when she saw the pattern and the colors, she wanted it for her own. how could i say no? we both love the colors, and the fabrics are so different than what i have in my stash. i was so happy to share with her, and now that the blocks are pieced (the alternate blocks are 5" squares, so there were only half the blocks to piece)

i had previously made another impulse purchase at a LQS when we were down in Florida in February, which will turn out to be the perfect backing. stay tuned... 

waste not, want not- the story of crumbs...

my favorite blogs to follow and check in on every day are the ones that write every day. obviously, i'm not one of those. i do lots of sewing for RSC and other stuff in the background, but it seems that blogging has become a dreaded chore...

anyway- i'm here today to share lots of pictures and projects!

i've been making crumb blocks for pretty much each RSC year- beginning in 2015 i think..

i usually need some mindless sewing to do in the evenings... and i've built up quite a collection of crumb blocks over the last few years...

while down in Baltimore this Christmas time visitng my son and his family, i picked up a few pillow forms at IKEA, planning on making some covers for pillows on the living room sofa. 

it took a pandemic to finally make that happen! yikes!

and in no other particular order, some more crumb blocks.

many more are sewn that are not pictured...

i did get a little out of whack with the colors, but i'm roughly sticking to the RSC color of the month...

thanks for stopping by!

lots more blocks and bloggers to visit- click here. 

more posts and pictures coming !

from rags to riches!

Christina, at ChristinaCreates emailed me offering to adopt this neglected Puss in the Corner that mysteriously showed up on my front porch 10 (?!) years ago. 

i happily and quickly sent it her way, and it's only been a couple weeks, and look what she's done with it! 

isn't it great?! and: to be perfectly honest, here's where the selfish pack rat in me comes out: it's a fantastic quilt- why didn't i think to do that? and why didn't i do anything with it in the last 10 years?! 

but: here's the realistic in me, too: i know that despite my best intentions, i wasn't really going to actually get around to doing anything with it in this lifetime... so ultimately, i'm very happy that this quilt top went to a good home! 

i'm certain that was the original intention when it was dropped off mysteriously on my front porch all those long years ago! 

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! 

sewing can be so soothing- and isn't that a good thing?

just when we think the world can't get any crazier- think again! we're home and plodding along with life, and so thankful for the little things! 

another thing to be thankful for : a deep fabric stash! i'm sure most of us are in no danger of running out of fabric anytime soon-  no matter how long this "sewcial distancing" lasts... 

I've sewn 24 more crumb blocks in aqua/teal/turquoise to add to my crumb block stash.

i also have this stack of crumb blocks that i haven't shown yet; i pieced them back in late November/early December when i was working on the Rainbow Stars crumb quilt for my granddaughter E. i wanted to have lots of variety to choose from as i laid out the rows on my design wall. 

i have quite  a large stack of crumb blocks now; i'll need to be brainstorming some layouts for quilts soon! 

click on over to Angie to see what everyone is working on in these different times..