Upcycling

Upcycling is reusing discarded items in such a way as to create a product of a higher quality or value than the original. Well, I decided to upcycle my "Addicted to Scraps" test blocks by making them into hot pads!  Some of the blocks were only 6.5" so I added a border around the block to bring them up to 9 inches which is a good size for a hot pad.

Although I was not fond of trying to match up triangle points in the Ceiling Fan block from Quiltmaker Jan/Feb 2013, they sure do make cute hot pads. Quilt in the ditch around the center pinwheel and along the border strip, then bind. My hot pads use one layer of Insul-Brite and one batting layer between the backing and top. Some of my earlier hot pads used batting above and below Insul-Brite, but it sure does make a thick sandwich and is a bit hard to bind. Now I use the batting just below the top.  

The little stars baby quilt is finished - binding and all. This was a great way to use up scraps and reminisce about each fabric used in my other quilts. You might say this was another upcycle project, turning scraps into something pretty and useful.

In my effort to resist starting another quilt project (one quilter calls this a quilt diet LOL), I am working on hot pads and tissue holders as small Christmas presents. I am also assembling RSC18 blocks. In my last post I had considered an on-point setting. Nope, not for me. And I really didn't want to make any more blocks. So straight set it will be.  This week I began the process of assembling the sashing and hoping that my cat stops trying to rearrange the blocks before I finish the process.

Do you surf the web and find quilts or blocks that pique your interest? I do it all the time! I need to quit because I have so many quilts on my wish list, more than I could ever make in my lifetime. Last week I found an old Quilt magazine (not sure of the date) and saw the neatest trick in making the Gretchen block. The tutorial can be found "here".  Cath at wombatquilts has a pretty orange and blue version "here".

Are you planning to join thousands of quilters participating in Bonnie Hunter's Good Fortune mystery quilt?  I am considering making a small version. The bright crayon colors she announced are ones I keep in my stash anyway, so I am not planning to venture out into other shades. Click on "Good Fortune" to reach her page.

On a higher note, the weather was supremely nice last weekend, so I finally got some time up in my airplane again. My hubby and I spent nearly two hours buzzing around the area and landing at a couple airports I had never visited before. <sigh>  It was awesome to be back up in the air!

Green Blocks and Irish Star Chain Flimsy

On Thursday my offices were closed due to Hurricane Michael's visit. After all the rain and wind, Michael moved out quickly and the afternoon was sunny and clear.

So what's a girl to do but sew, sew, sew!  And I did!  I finished all the green blocks for Irish Chain Stars and actually assembled it and prepared the dark green leafy backing. I was inspired to make this quilt by Cathy's version here.  She was one of the Block Lotto winners that month, and I was GREEN with envy. And now I have one of my own. At first, I laid out my blocks without regard to their hue depth and it looked rather blah. Then I remembered Cathy had placed the darker blocks at the bottom.  A little shuffling and my eyes said Yes!

Before:

After:

Now I just need to check my batting stock and quilt it. (Quilt as desired. Ugh! My least favorite phrase!)  Those strong diagonals will get a line of stitching down the middle. Cathy also quilted straight lines horizontally and vertically, so I may copy her yet again.

I have to gush a bit at Cathy's blog saneandcrazy.blogspot.com.. Her quilts are so bright and scrappy. They make me smile. And sometimes they make me want to sew my own. I really like her tall ships kid quilt (see the 2017 finishes page) and the Salmagundi quilt.  And I am amazed at the patience she must have had to make her Jacks Chain version. Wow!

October's RSC color is GREEN, so this flimsy fit right in. I also finished the October RSC blocks.

Angela showed her straight set pictures here. Isn't her quilt lovely? I couldn't resist laying out my RSC blocks. They certainly are colorful. Angela's layout instructions had a 1.5 inch sashing between the blocks, but I'm thinking she probably copied her text from the smaller blocks and really meant 2.5 sashing. At least that is what I am planning to do.

This is my version. I will probably shift the blocks around a bit more until I will finally be satisfied. I may even rework at least one of the September blue/yellow blocks, replacing the yellow with light blue. Or not. Maybe adding the white sashing will help the colors look brighter. I will check out everyone's RSC18 layouts once Angela opens up a linky post. Someone will likely link up with an  on-point version that may add more inspiration..

Happy Birthday to Me

Written Sept 24:  This was my birthday weekend, a beautiful weekend with great weather and worthwhile things to accomplish.  My mood improves every September, not only because it's my birthday month, but also because the weather is starting to cool and the trees begin turning lovely colors. At least in the northeast. Not so much down south.

At least the temperature was still warm enough to enjoy a nice dip in the pool after a sweaty afternoon of pulling weeds and picking up downed tree limbs from various thunderstorms that blew through over the past few weeks.

On the quilting front, during the past two weeks I finished up August's RSC blocks and then September's blocks.

Sunshine and Showers

Summertime in the south means lots of hot, humid days and scattered thunderstorms in the afternoon and evening. We have had that in spades!  Thank goodness for a swimming pool to cool down in, after doing outdoor chores.

Indoor chores, besides laundry and decluttering, means finishing up various quilting projects.  First, I finished assembling the gray 54-40 quilt from a recent Sew Sampler box.  I chose a darker gray from Connecting Threads which shows off the light aqua and yellows. This quilt came out smaller than I expected but will be okay for a throw. Aha - I forgot to add a gray border strip. Will take care of that quickly.

Next, I sewed the July red blocks for my RSC18 Squared Away.  

Now I am trying to figure out what my next sewing project will be. Should I make blocks for ongoing UFO projects (Lady in the Lake, Garden Party, Pine Trees, Green Irish Star Chain) or should I start on my quilt guild challenge? My goal for this year is to clear out at least half of my UFOs, so there's my answer.  I need to continue to work on UFOs. After all, I did plan to finish three before starting a new project.

On a more serious note....do you do volunteer work?  Do you have a cause you are passionate about? In the past I was a volunteer for Girl Scouts and animal adoption, and I am currently doing volunteer work related to aviation. But I have been searching for opportunities to make more of a difference in the world. I contribute financially to certain groups, but I want to provide more personal support. I enjoyed mentoring young girls involved in Girl Scouts. Maybe I could be a mentor to teens to help them take a longer view in life, to set goals and resist bad influences / distractors. A teenager is basically a sponge. Sponges will absorb both clean water and dirty water. The trick is to surround the sponge with clean water, to find good influences. If you are having trouble getting along with your parents, absorb the good things they can teach you and find or study another person with admirable qualities and learn from them. Pressures will squeeze out clean water and you can start the cycle again by finding more clean water. That's my analogy. Obviously I am passionate about being a good influence for girls as they face peer pressure and are impatient for the independence they really aren't quite ready for.  I have a 21-year-old daughter who has made choices with which I don't agree, but I love her anyway. She is an adult now and I am supporting her efforts to steer her life in a better direction. Maybe I can help a young teen choose a good path, too.

June Blocks

Just in time.... here are my teal/turquoise blocks for June, which will be added to my RSC 2018 quilt project.

Merry Month of May

There are many articles about setting goals, promising that you will accomplish more when striving toward a goal. So very true!  I set a goal this year of finishing at least half of my UFOs. According to my tracking sheet, I am almost halfway to my goal.

This weekend I made great progress finishing a really old UFO.  Around 2014, I had made made several disappearing 4-patch blocks, then put them away to focus on other projects.  This year in February I made enough blocks to create a throw-sized quilt.  This weekend I sewed the blocks and added a couple small borders to create a flimsy. Thank you to my readers for chiming in on how to arrange the blocks. I opted for a standard layout and it looks pretty, if I do say so myself.

The light outer border is a red-on-white print from Joanne's.

Next it was time to make my RSC blocks for May. This month's colors were pink and rose, very merry colors (and that's the tie-in with this blogpost's title).

Here are all the RSC blocks from January through May. I hope the next color is red, but it doesn't really matter because we will eventually work through all the other colors.

April UFO Update

Hello!  Spring has sprung and it's time for some spring cleaning ....cleaning out more old UFOs.  April has been a productive month in my sewing room. This is what has been accomplished so far in April.

1.  I finished the flimsy for RSC 15!  (Or nearly finished--needs just a little white border and a new picture).  Finally I have a quilt worthy of some custom quilting!

2. RSC 18 "Squared Away" blocks for April are done. Isn't Yellow a happy color?

3. I cut and sewed the blocks for the Autumn Stars pattern from my November 2017 Sew Sampler box. The borders are ready to apply.  This one will not land on my UFO list at all. Whew!

4. Sapphire Stars is a flimsy!  It's going to the longarmer tomorrow.

5. My version of Bonnie Hunter's Grand Illusion will be picked up from the longarmer tomorrow. The binding step will go quickly and that means one more UFO checked out the list.

What's up next?  My quilting goals for 2nd quarter are to sew a quilt for my guild's challenge (a traditional block in a non-traditional way), finish more UFOs, and make a baby quilt for my daughter's friend.

So.....
Which UFO should I work on next?  Please leave a message with your vote.
1. Assemble those red/white disappearing 4-patches into a flimsy.
2. Assemble my old Floribunda blocks (another Bonnie Hunter pattern) and finish up the piano key border. 
3. Free-motion quilt the Little Fox quilt.
4. Work on my En Provence quilt.

On a higher note, the weather looks great for this weekend so I am expecting to fly circles in the sky in my airplane. I hope you are enjoying the beautiful sunshine this weekend, too.

Green Light

Green light or light green?  The Rainbow Scrap Challenge color for March is green. The color my grass will soon be.  The color that means "Go".

Here is my green block, the first of three needed for my version of RSC 18.  My January and February blocks each have a center featuring a special print, so I decided to follow the same concept for the little Shoo-Fly block in the middle of this block.

I am also pleased to report progress on another UFO, a disappearing 4-patch project begun in 2012. All 42 of the blocks I had planned to make are made plus 1 extra. Each block is a different red print with a white-on-white print as contrast. Now let's figure out how to arrange them.

Which layout do you prefer?

RSC18 Blocks 1 and 2

I love Angela's RSC18 plan, so I went ahead and started on it. Here are my January and February blocks. That bottom purple center is actually a luscious violet swirl fabric.  Join me on this fun sampler HERE.

After posting my UFO confession yesterday, I discovered another UFO hidden in my closet. It's my first scrappy quilt based on an old Dimensions/EZQuilting pattern from 1991. It required lots of green scraps sewn into pine trees. I can finish that one pretty quickly, too. Has anyone made this quilt? I'm using a white-on-white leaf print background.