DrEAMi! #34

I have a confession: I didn't catch my squirrel this month. I got bitten by a big fat one, but try as I might, I couldn't quite catch it. It's my Pumpkin Patch quilt and it had to get set aside because ... commitments. Here is where I left it:

Two rows sashed but not sewn together yet, the other two rows joined into columns, no sashing. I have no idea why I just HAD to make this quilt, but make it I did, riffle through scraps I did, and even use up some older beige stash yardage, I DID! The commitments to which I refer peeks out from beneath the pumpkins.
Welcome, regardless, to Drop Everything And Make it! where we usually do catch our squirrels; I mean that really IS a true DrEAMi where you do not stop until you have a completed project in front of you! Once in awhile, however, squirrels disappear for a little bit. Evasive tactics.

I Like/Love #34

This will probably be my longest gratitude post, but it's rather fitting, falling on the American Thanksgiving. I collect these likes and loves all month long and link up with other like-minded grateful peeps at LeeAnna's blog, Not Afraid of Color. You can join in anytime. Writing down my own moments/incidents of gratitude and then reading others' likes is a massage for the soul. I need it now more than ever. One of my yoga students told me about this e-book available on the Hoopla app (I like that app!) Gratitude Daily 21 Days to More Joy and Less Stress by Nataly Kogan. It's a great read/activity book, and I highly recommend it. It reaffirms what we do here, express gratitude.

Isn't that just perfect? It not only starts off the month, but also this post, in the right frame of mind. And it is so very true.

Musings from My Melon and Mermaid Cove Update

If you follow me on Instagram (mmmquilts), you'll have seen the recent progress of the November challenge for Island Batik. We were to dig around in our sewing rooms to find any sewing tools, and make a lap size or larger quilt. I chose to work with the Mermaid Cove line which is beautiful. I chose to work with my Sidekick ruler, but ended up also using the Hex N More ruler a bit as well. These are both from Jaybird Quilts and came with the pattern book and kit that I snagged on a Massdrop which I now see is just Drop, deal. Because I was limited to 2.5" strips and four yards in two coordinating colours, two of each, I wasn't able to make all the block variations in the Gravity pattern for a few different reasons, large central hexagon for one, 2.5" wide strips for another. Yes, I could piece strips together to make a 4" piece of fabric, but then some of the shape was lost. I ended up making some of Julie's triangles and created some of my own. Here is the flimsy thus far:

WIP Update

I am stitching away on my November challenge for Island Batik where we are to make a lap size or larger quilt using tools of some kind within our sewing rooms. I chose to work with the Sidekick ruler that I've had for a couple of years now. I also used the Hex N More ruler, which was an unplanned bonus. Both of these are by Jaybird Quilts.

I must say I suddenly had a flashback to when I was a kid, playing with my wooden mosaics! These fabrics, however, are so much more beautiful than my primary coloured mosaics.

Fall Pillow Cases OMG

Yay for an OMG that is finished in plenty of time before month's end. And yay for a WIP  that is also finally done. I should have had this on my Q4FAL List, but didn't think of it until after I'd posted, and well, that would be 'double-dipping' in the enter-to-win linky parties, so I didn't, not that I've ever won an OMG... I did win once in the FAL, and hm! I still have to go visit Mad About Patchwork and spend my moola. But I digress. Here is my finish:

When I spied a bit of snow still left on these junipers, I thought the red would look good against it... and it does! Actually kind of Christmassy, right? Good thing I got that shot when I did, because there's very little snow left only a few hours later, just a bit on the north-facing side of places. I'm good with that because this snow came way too early.

La Vie En Rose

I am pleased to have yet another item finished, a large one, and checked off the Q4FAL List, which is here. I've had it done for a couple of days, but the sun did not cooperate for photos until today. This quilt is for my daughter, Brianne, the one who doesn't like quilts, same daughter who got me started in quilting when she, at the age of 8, basically forced me to make a quilt block to enter in a draw for all the blocks turned in, and yeah, I won. So I had to learn how to make a quilt. That first quilt went to her. Since then I've made her one other, again in pinks with oranges, and now a third, again pinks. Yes, she's a pink-loving girl, always has been.

I collected the fabrics over the course of about a year. That was oh, three years ago... thinking it would be for her then new home. Now she's in her new house (for over a year, oops) so this is like a happy new forever home quilt.
Yeah we got snow...set a record for amount, earliest, and coldest overnight temperature that fateful day. And it's been cold all week.

Tiny Tuesday and Pumpkin Patch Quilt

It's time for a quick update on my Tiny Tuesday blocks and my Pumpkin Patch squirrel I am chasing. I've completed all the Tiny Tuesday blocks as per Angela's instructions at soscrappy. I absolutely loved doing this scrappy tiny QAL this year. Here are the last three blocks.

This one is Bulleye, and it really is square. I couldn't get that dang top rectangle to lie flat for the photo. I'm making this last month's blocks in browns, blacks and greys, so it was brown's turn. Once again, I've mixed 'vintage' fabrics such as the Cranston cream background with new ones such as the Paintbrush Studio 'Windfall' chocolate brown centre.

TBT #23 Slip Into Autumn

Welcome to TBT for November! I have an absolutely favourite autumn quilt to write up today. From its name to its fabric (controlled scrappy, my fave) to its vibe and soft hand, I love it.

This is a Joanna Figueroa pattern from American Patchwork & Quilting in the naughts of 2000. Maybe 05 or 06? I finished it in September 2007 according to my label. I could comb through my collection to find the exact issue, but...renovations, sigh....magazines are packed up in some box somewhere.

Nancy's Quilt

This is Nancy's quilt, my first quilt customer. Nancy is yet another yoga student, former teacher, speaks French, sews, and is a newer quilter. She wanted to make a quilt for her new nephew who lives in England. She showed me the fabrics she'd collected, beautiful blues and greens, from several quilt shops. She said that was her favourite part, was gathering the fabrics! She's smitten for sure.

November OMG

I have not been so great at stating OMGs, and when I have, not so great at finishing them I feel, though I haven't backed that up with stats.

This month, I plan to finally get these pillow shams/cases done to go on our bed. I took off the seashell ones that go on in midsummer just yesterday and washed them, so it's high time. As per usual, there are a couple of other gotta-do's ahead of them.

Nana's Closet

I have another item checked off my Q4FAL list! This is now the last of four quilts I have made for each of my niece and three nephews. This last one came about after my mum passed away last year. Some time after the funeral, I was gathering up the quilts that I'd made her, and my nephew Dray wanted to keep some stuff I'd made. A conversation ensued and an idea was born: for his quilt he could choose some of Nana's clothes and I'd make his quilt with them. One of her favourite plush throws was draped over the back of the loveseat, and I said I could use it as the backing if he liked. He thought that was a good idea. So last summer, he and my sister Linda, his mum, went through Mum's stuff and chose several pieces. Here is what they became.