Rosie the Riveter turns 14!

A recently turned 14. (can't even believe that!) i was out working in the high tunnel pruning tomatoes, when she came out to show me her "new" dress and headband. WOW! did she ever (unintentionally and unknowingly) look like Rosie the Riveter! since she didn't know who that was, we took a homeschooling moment to fill her in on her historical gaps... 

anyway, i posted awhile back that A was working on a quilt using a kit i had purchased from Kitchen Table Quilting.  we recently finished it. the quilt turned into a joint effort; i didn't want her to loose interest or get frustrated and discouraged and end up not finishing the quilt.

she's really thrilled with it, and it shows!

i quilted her quilt using straight line quilting, diagonally through each of the large squares with black thread. it's hard to see the backing (maybe double click?)- but it's perfect for this quilt! the colors match perfectly to the top, and the circles on the back are an interesting contrast to the squares on the front. 

A is a supreme (and enthusiastic!) thrift store shopper; her dress came from our local thrift store. i think she paid $3 for it. the colors are perfect, and the vintage vibe is just what she likes. (the peacock colored dress in this post's first picture was also from the thrift store... she really has a knack and an eye for finding interesting outfits) 

and just because it's so rainbow-y, here's a circle (poodle) skirt we made last week. in home ec/homeschooling the last few years, we've been working on basic sewing skills. you might have noticed (or maybe not...) we all wear dresses/skirts 99% of the time. it's a modesty and femininity thing, but as the girls have gotten older, it can also be a challenge to combine those two things with fashion. 

so, we have a "deal". at our house, we've lots (and LOTS!) of fabric, and patterns too. so, i will make (or help them make) any dress/skirt/design that they would like. if they don't want that option, it's fine, but then they have to purchase their own clothing. (still falling within the modesty guidelines that we've established) part of this whole lesson, also, is learning to be content with what we have, and not be swayed by the tides and thoughts of the culture. which admittedly, is a difficult thing, even for some (many?) adults. so it's a learning process, to be sure. 

anyway... that's my two cents for today. thanks for reading!

COUSINS: it's getting a bit crowded in the gene pool...

i've been sewing along with Angela's RSC for 7 (SEVEN!!!) years now, and i've heavily relied on my stash of 3" squares. i'm fairly certain no one will ever accuse me of making quilts that are too time consuming, or intricate. that's ok with me, really. however, i do enjoy being creative and colorful. 

the following 3 quilts have made at least a brief appearance on the blog here already, but today they're here, all together, and ALL COMPLETED!

the above quilt, Rainbow Boxes, was a RSC17 project. i recently finished (DEE-OOO-EN-EEE) this quilt. it's on my bed now.

this Rainbow Columns i finished during the quarantine. i just quilted horizontal straight lines on it; matching the thread to the row. matching as much as possible, that is, considering it was quarantine, and thread was hard to come by if it wasn't stashed. Youngest daughter B seems to have adopted this quilt.

my Rainbow Plus quilt was made during RSC16. it's quilted in baptist fans. a good friend moved away in the fall. i didn't realize how much i would miss H until after she was gone. she came to visit over Memorial Day weekend, and i gifted her with this quilt. she was super thrilled and so appreciative. (and that's always a big deal to a quilter- that our quilts are loved and used!) 

and: a few more shots of B and Daisy.  Daisy really seems to know what's expected of her when the quilts come out!

i backed the Rainbow Rows quilt with this neat-o ruler type fabric i've had in my stash for ages. (and after the quarantine, i bet alot of us won't feel nearly so guilty for having a deep stash!) i also found this black, dotty, colorful fabric in my stash; perfect for the binding.

the above picture was taken a different day, but it was too cute not to share. L and daddy were visiting. L was giving Daisy a treat. Daisy would ever-so-gently take it from L's hand with quivering lips. L was delighted, and would turn around and look at me with a big grin, clapping and saying "yay!" with so much cuteness going on, Daisy got a few more treats than normal that afternoon. 

here's the backing of the Rainbow Boxes quilt: a random Kaffe Fassett print i found. i love the big print and bold colors. 

you can't see it in any of the pictures, i guess, but i bound this quilt in a calico brown. brown seems to nearly always be a good choice for the rainbow quilts. 

as i said, the quilt is on my bed now; and most afternoons our cat, Millie, can be found melted in a puddle on our bed. it's been really hot here. 

and just for funnies: look who came waddling over when were were taking quilt pictures with Daisy the other night. it's Flossie, our duck. she's so funny. and noisy! Flossie is pretty tame, and every afternoon at 4PM she comes to the back door and QUACK QUACK QUACKS until we come out and feed her her dinner of dog food. she'll eat it right out of our hand. 

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!

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!