Whimsies

This quilt ticks two boxes: my OMG for May and my PHD finish for May. I love how it turned out, and I love the motivation I got TO finish it by making it both of those!

This was one of the RSC challenge projects that Angela at so scrappy came up with in 2019. I was quite late to the party, but in actuality I was behaving, focussing on Island Batik challenges and other projects I was supposed to be doing. But then that little turquoise pinwheel in the second from the bottom row grabbed me (thanks Mari) and I just had to make it...along with three others, and I was smitten. Here is the post. We were deep in the throes of the major renovation so it was a welcome and fun little diversion to make a little 4.5" finished block each month. However, although I'd pretty much decided on using the Kona Ice Frappé as the background, I never did put any of them onto the background because I had no clue how I'd arrange them all. Enter PHD and OMG!

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.

October is Browns and Blacks

Bella likes Fall because well, those are her colours. She has perched twice now on or near the brown arrow block so I thought it picture worthy.

Perpetually Playing in Purple

I know! I have a thing for alliteration, and, although it may come as a shocker, I have a thing for squirrels. So although I should be either quilting Brady's quilt, or working on my September Island Batik challenge, I chased that scrappy squirrel. I mean scrappy in both the fabric and the feisty sense, because he is hard to resist!

I showed you the start of this box in my previous post. Well, it kept enticing me, and so I caved. I had the sides done in no time, and then gave in to temptation. Before I get into the box, I want to give a reminder to everyone (including myself!! I've been rather offline of late) to check out Benita Skinner's Creative Space for the

which is on until the end of the month. Terrific tantalizing prizes are up for grabs! There is an entry at each blog post, so the more bloggers you visit, the more entries you will get. My own post is here.

Purple is Percolating

Purple is the RSC colour for September, one we all knew was coming. What two colours make purple? Why, red and blue of course. So the first project in my purple post is is mainly red and blue. I finished the flimsy for Brady's football quilt!

You may have seen it on Instagram last week. You know that feeling when you find the perfect quilt pattern for someone, and you gather some potential fabrics? It's a rush.

And then it sits for some time, because of other life and/or quilt requirements. And then! When you do pull it out and get it to the flimsy stage, and know that the finish is imminent? An even bigger rush. Yeah, it's a great feeling and I have it. However, I do not have enough of the backing I'd bought (a football Minky) so I will have to pop in to my favourite LQS in Leamington, which is the town just down the road from me. Haven't been in a while, so it's time. They have a terrific room, yes a small but entire room, of Minky.

Rainbow Scrap Challenge Projects

I've spent my first week back just having fun messing around in my scraps. Do you find sometimes after you've been away, getting started sewing again takes a bit of time? I meant to dive right back into Brady's football quilt, and only take a day or two to catch up with the Tiny Tuesday and arrow blocks, but there's something so satisfying to me to just delve into my scraps and make something pretty. So I did. I am officially 100% up to speed with Tiny Tuesday and my RSC arrow blocks project!

Here is the January (red) Tiny Tuesday block 3. I have very little left now of the Cranston red floral print I made the cat out of. It was from those infamous smocked dresses I made my girls in 1989.

I'm Mostly Back

In some ways it feels like I never left, and in others it feels like I was away a lot longer than 3.5 weeks. I'm in that in between time when I keep revisiting moments and places of the vacation, dreaming it, and then morphing, mirage-like, into my regular life with the what time do I have to do such-and-such, and we need some groceries, and what about banking, and oh, let's go see the tall ships in the Kingsville harbour!

Wonderful. Magical. Mystical. Inspiring. Mighty. You can read more about the festival, and see much better photos here.

I did manage a wee bit of sewing to get my Tiny Tuesday RSC quilt back on track.

DrEAMi #29

Welcome to the June edition of Drop Everything And Make it! where we celebrate all things squirrel. As in chasing those shiny bauble-type projects that grab our attention and demand to be made, and right now. Wendy of Pieceful Thoughts sent me this in early May:

Awww. I mean who could resist cuddling one of those sweeties, eh? Let's see what squirrels of the quilty kind were shared last month, and then share any you may have chased in June in this month's linky party!

Rainbow Scrap Challenge Progress and Beothuk Star Quilting Ideas

This little owl block, measuring 4.5" finished, is just so adorable I can hardly stand it! It was one of the Tiny Tuesday blocks in March when the colour was green. You can find Sally's tutorial at The Objects of Design, when she was a guest blogger for Angela at so scrappy. I have all my March ones done now, and have started in on February, which was yellow.

DrEAMi! #28

Yikes! I nearly forgot about this month's Drop Everything And Make it! party aka DrEAMi! It seems too early for this to be the last Saturday in May, but here we are.
I get the best squirrel photos, articles, memes, and this one is right up there with the best of the best, from Tish at The Madd Quilter:

Oh Billy, one day within the next year I hope, I may cross another item off my bucket list and go see you play in NYC. Hope I haven't given you the ear worm I've now got!

I myself have been chasing a few squirrels this month, two of three I've caught, the third needs this month's patterns printing out and I need a black cartridge and keep forgetting the few times one of us is out, to pick one up.

Being Bad

Well, I'm good, in that I am up to speed with the Sweet Star QAL, and I made this week's Tiny Tuesday block as well as one green one from March. I worked some more on my third H2H quilt, but didn't get the flimsy finished yet, so I'm bad there. I'm also bad because although I have nailed down my design (eeek--it's a star quilt) for this month's Island Batik challenge, coloured it in with the Twilight Chic fabric in EQ8, and got approval from my quilt-loving daughter, Dayna, I haven't cut into said fabric yet. But it's been ironed and will be cut into as soon asap. And!!!! I have a super-exciting announcement within this post! First here is the Sweet Star QAL Week 2 blocks, another set of four:

 I am still loving this fat quarter bundle of Blueberry Park fabrics. I have used every one but one, so now will mix up the first 8 combinations. I will have a post this week about how I'm making these blocks, using less fabric and sewing less seams.

RSC Update

Here is my progress on my main project for the Rainbow Scrap Challenge hosted by Angela at soscrappy. I have made my orange blocks for this month. I also have the red ones made now too since I didn't get started on time due to just not sitting down and putting this block, from a McCalls Quick Quilts issue, into EQ so I could plan the rainbow accordingly. (Sidetone: YA-freaking-HOO! I finally figured out how to downsize the Header photo. You click 'shrink to fit' before you upload a photo, as once you upload it that option disappears!)

I am making two of the blocks in each colour of the month. Since they are 12" finished, it is taking up a fair amount of my white and off-white scraps, a good thing, though not so much of my coloured ones. However, good news, ha, I seem to have now garnered four RSC projects for 2019.

Big Fat and Teeny Tiny Squirrels

I've had both plus-sized and petite-sized squirrels in my life this past week. It was not planned, no. What were the plans? To get started on my May challenge for Island Batik, which is Make it Modern with Hobbs Batting. I have my fabrics chosen, the batting as well. Not totally sure on my design, which will be another from the 30 Quilt Designs Challenge that is still going on, and yeah, you can still join! Drop me an email or PM on IG. We are a lovely little group, and we have decided two things: 1. that we are going to extend the deadline to May 25, so back to the two years previously where it was 30 quilt designs within 70 days, and 2. that we will keep our group going, as it's been generating some good discussions and designs. 😊

So I've been DrEAMi-ing big time most of this week, dropping the regularly scheduled programming (don't tell IB) in favour of some squirrels that have got me running after them. Can a DrEAMi last more than one sitting? You betcha. Does it have to end in a finished product? Well eventually, and the quintessential DrEAMi usually does not let you go until you've made it in its entirety, quilt top or the best: a quilt (or painting as my friend Helen of Word Weaver Art did) finish! However, if you've done like I did, and thrown caution, well, that and your supposed-to-be-working-on project to the winds in favour of just having to make this...

then it's a DrEAMi!