Sue

Having done the border yellow string blocks earlier in the month, I got the actual yellow blocks for Catching Rainbows done this week.

It’s a flimsy! I started On the Move by Melissa Corry as an RSC2022 project but got carried away & kept going on it when I realized how much planning I had to do to make these Spotted charm packs work out. I did the remix on her blog using the Charming Baby Quilts book, so it’s the throw size & will probably end up as a graduation quilt for a niece or nephew. Background is a white Grunge.

It’s week 4 of the Hyalite SAL from Plains & Pine and this week’s task for the lap size was to sew the large diamond blocks into the four quadrants with the background triangles. I got it laid out out on the design wall & one quadrant sewed together (not shown). It’s been a busy week, so the rest will have to flow into the last week of the SAL, which is only sewing the four quadrants together. So I think I can finish on time even though there won’t be any sewing this weekend.

My donation quilting has stalled a bit because I haven’t made quilts the right size, colors, techniques, etc. for various groups. So I’ve decided to be more intentional about what I make. Covered in Love takes tops & other volunteers will quilt them, so I decided to do what I do best: piece. Then I can make patterns I’ve been wanting to try, use my stash, & still feel useful. CIL says they need more masculine quilts so I’m going to focus there. Shopped my stash & cut out this quilt to make for L&E’s. It has gray background.

A little finish this week: “Puzzles”. It was an early COVID-19 project to use up the last of the puzzle fabric from a larger quilt. I sewed up the top & let it sit, but finally got it quilted with variegated thread in a puzzle design. I just made it without a pattern. Lots of people call these Happy Blocks.

I got back to work on yellow & made the Sweet Kisses blocks which only called for four each in yellow.

Another twinkling Friendship Star block to add to the pile from last year.

These are the four yellow blocks for the Tula Pink sampler. I’m enjoying my progress on this project.

It’s week 3 of the Hyalite SAL from Plains & Pine and this week’s task for the lap size was to put the 4-patch diamond blocks from last week into 24 of these large diamond blocks. Next week we start turning them into a big star.

“Simply Hexie” is done! My quilting partner & I bought these kits in July 2019 & kept saying we would make them when….. (fill in the blank). Late last year we pulled out the kits & via our FaceTime quilt group, worked steadily for a few sessions to piece the top, the back & make the binding. Then it was off to the quilter where it was done in an intersecting triangle motif. I finished the binding last night while watching TV, so here it is!

The back. The fabric is more gray than it looks in the photo.

So…squirrels. Remember those Rockabilly Swing blocks by Bonnie Hunter I said I was going to work on a little at a time? Well, after all the yellow cutting & prep at the beginning of March I decided to take a day to sew them. They are using up my little scraps in various sizes so it’s a mess of piles all over when I’m working on the paper piecing. The next day I decided to keep going. And the next. Then I decided to do some calculations & see how many more I needed as I’m doing a smaller quilt than the pattern. I kept going. Because there’s no quilt police that says I have to do anything in any particular order. Sew what’s fun! In a week & a half of sewing, I got them all made, then spent time sorting scraps & cleaning up. And I’m happy, even though it wasn’t what I planned at the beginning of the month.

I am also doing the Hyalite SAL from Plains & Pine on a whim. (no quilt police, remember?) I’ve done the week 1 cutting & am halfway through week 2, which is sewing the diamond blocks. So cute & all cut from Blueberry Park fabric bagged together in my stash, waiting for the perfect project.

And here’s the progress from this week’s quilt group. We’re working on Cookie Cutter, another long-time project we’re finally getting done. We have four of the quadrants sewn & decided to deviate from the pattern to sew the first three quadrants together to make the half circles & feel like we are getting somewhere. So cute!

On the Move Remix by Melissa Corry. I worked on the blocks this week & got rows 1 & 2 done & sewed with sashing; ditto rows 3 &4; also some blocks together in bottom half. I’m using Spotted charm squares & Grunge background.

As for yellow, it’s been a cutting & prep week. I got the sets cut for the Catching Rainbows blocks.

With all my leftovers from cutting, I got the 8 string blocks done for the Catching Rainbows blocks.

I also cut the little Tula Pink blocks so they are ready to sew. I had 4 picked out in yellow for my arrangement.

I cut all the pieces for the yellow & black star blocks for September Sky by Bonnie Hunter. I’ve previously made the green 9-patch squares that alternate with these. I set it aside since it’s a Christmas gift, but I figured the yellow month was a good time to get them going. I got the strip pieced 4 patches done, so now flying geese & HSTs. I adapted the pattern to make both these blocks with the no-waste method & 8 at a time HSTs. I hate sewing triangles for HSTs, so I did some quilt math. Which I also hate, so hope I figured correctly!

Got a scrappy binding sewn onto this RSC2021 project so it’s ready for Christmas gifting. I changed the binding color as it goes around to match the blocks it stands by. This was tedious but came out super cute! “Hip to be Square” from “Splash of Color” by Jackie Kunkel.

The ombre jelly roll I’m using for the Shine blocks doesn’t have aqua, so I went ahead with the blue blocks. So happy to be finally making this quilt!

Made a couple more red Dancing Stars, but still need more of those, & started on the aqua. This may turn into a 2-year RSC project.

The upper left are my slabs for something future. Whatever that is. I got 7 aqua Catching Rainbows blocks done with the corresponding string blocks for the border. I really adore these blocks!

I have lots of these Rocky Road to Grayson blocks by Bonnie Hunter in various stages, but I wanted to feel like I was making progress, so I sewed some together so I would have a few completed. I am using up so many little scraps with this project!