Gratitude and Glimmers #92

Welcome to my post for the month of all things I like and for which I am grateful.  You can find links to more posts like this one at LeeAnna's blog, Not Afraid of Color. Glimmers are the little things that give me a frisson if you will, of joy or happiness or excitement or all three.

We had weird weather all through February: a lot of cold days in a row, a lot of grey, and a couple of times back-to-back days of rain one day followed by snow the next. This caused some beautiful ice-encased trees. Thank goodness it wasn’t too thick like a few years ago where many trees came down. This time the odd small branch fell, nothing major.

SAHRR Round 6

I have my SAHRR Project #1 round to show you today. This prompt came from Emily at The Darling Dogwood. We were to incorporate the kite block into this round. She gave two great ideas for using it as a smaller commenting a 12” block which helps for my Project #2. I had a harder time on this traditional round robin as to how to work it in. I ended up not only working in the four parts of the book into the corners, but also four more complete blocks!

Oh how I am in love with this quilt and I sure didn’t think I would be!

SAHRR Round 5

This week the prompt came from Brenda at Songbird Designs. She asked us to make quarter or half log cabins. For project number one, this really stomped me, but I am so grateful for the other hosts as well as other participants who share inspiration. Here is where this first quilt sits in its fifth round.

I’m not sure what’s going to go between the floral squares so I’ve left it so that I can either incorporate week six prompt there or extend somehow the week five into week six prompt.

More Blues

Since I got my Project Quilting runner, Diamond Girl, done in just two days, I did a little fun, mindless sewing. One of my goals this year is to make a placemat each month in the colour for the RSC. I got a dark blue one done a couple of weeks ago and so this week I decided to make a light blue one in my ongoing efforts to reduce the strips.

Since making these two, I actually have noticed them go down.

Project Quilting 16.4 Diamond Girl

Well? Did that title do to you what it does to me every single time? Give you an earworm? Seals and Crofts’ song from 1973? I may be dating myself but I’m okay with that. That year was a special birthday for me: I became a teenager.  So this current year holds another special birthday, gulp. I'll let you do the math! 

Here is my finished table runner for the fourth challenge of project quilting, which I’ve named Diamond Girl.

The challenge this time was to make a project where the dominant colour is the colour of your birthstone. I am born in April, so my birthstone is a diamond, which is colourless! That caught me for a hot minute. Well, I’m sure many of you, like me, think of white when you think of diamonds, and silver, gold and sparkle, which is why I made a predominantly white runner with silver sparkle in the background fabric.

Jasper Quilt Finish

I have another finish which makes two in a week! I figured I’d be able to get the Jasper quilt quilted between Project Quilting challenges, and SAHRR prompts and I’m so happy that I did. If only the weather had cooperated for better photos, but oh well, I can always add in one or two when the sun decides to shine on us again.

As you may recall, this quilt is going to my cousin Val, who lives in Jasper. As you may also recall, the town of Jasper was evacuated last summer due to a raging wildfire that roared through the town, destroying one third of the homes, various buildings and businesses over the course of its rampage. Val’s home was one that was burned to the ground. 

SAHRR Week 4

Happy Full Snow Moon! As I compose this post, the name of this month’s full moon is rather à propos since we are waiting for yet another imminent snowstorm. It’s been a lot of winter this year, but that is good for the health of our forests (ticks) and lakes (algae), albeit not so good for summer-loving Sandra.

Here is my glorious joy-filled design wall as of this morning:

SAHRR Numbers 1 and 2, and this year's RSC two blocks

Let me explain!

Project Quilting 16.3 Seacliff Beach

I think this is my favourite Project Quilting make ever and I’ve had several favourites, Winter Blues just last time! Here is Seacliff Beach, my lake quilt that holds my love of my favourite beach and marina, Seacliff, on Lake Erie.

I’ve had these fabrics for a few years, just before Covid to be more or less exact. Most were bought on one fun quilt shop trip. A couple were added, then subtracted, then substituted to become the final rendition you see here.

Blues and Backs

In this between PQ challenge week I’ve been plugging away at a few must-be-done projects. I haven’t sold any mug cosies for a little while and then in short order, I sold two, so I needed to replenish my stock of three lol.

I use mine every single day, twice a day: once in the morning over my cup of coffee, and then in the afternoon over my cup of tea! It really does help keep the drink warmer a little longer. The hats and teacups one that just sold had turquoise lining and trim; I always thought it was a perfect fabric for a mug cosy. This one has a hot pink and red checked lining and a piece of Hello Tokyo Robert Kaufmann fabric for binding that was a perfect match. The soft coral butterflies on blue is also the second one I've made in this pretty fabric and when it sells that's it, because you can only get two from a FQ. The link for these is here.