Monday, August 31, 2020

Mail Call Monday - August Scrap Infusion {and More!}

 Welcome to another edition of Mail Call Monday!!  This week I'm here to share August's scrap infusion and a surprise.

Here's how the month stacked up...

A couple of weeks ago, Needleb prepared a baggie of scraps for our own personal GiGi's Thimble QAL:


The package was small, but mighty.  The scraps were already cut to size.  Now, that's a good friend!!

A few days later...

This package arrived from Turid @ Den syende himmel:

Inside was...

... This card made from one of her masterpiece quilts...


... And scrappy goodness from Norway:


The card read...


Thank you SEW much Turid!!  I can surely make use of your lovely fabric scraps.  I appreciate you sending them to me.

Then...

Another package arrived.

Wait!  WHAT, Joyful?!?!

It was a giveaway from Dawn @ Relaxing Robin.  She was giving away a lovely Autumn Floral Arrangement which Julierose @ julierosequilts won, but then Dawn decided to give a little something to everyone who had commented.

I received this package:


Let's take a peek inside:

Enclosed was the following:


This is what the note said:


You bet I will!!!  Just take a look at the rainbow goodness:

What a nice surprise.  Thank you, Dawn!!  Happy mail SEW makes for a happy quilter.  :o))

Until next time...
Be SEW scrappy!!!

Sunday, August 30, 2020

Sew Some Love Sunday - Lutheran World Relief - The First Box has Arrived!!!

Welcome to another edition of Sew Some Love Sunday!!  Earlier this week, the first box arrived for Lutheran World Relief.  It went right into quarantine, along with our other mail.

Today was mail processing day...

I was a bit confused when my "small gift" from Wendy @ Constant Quilter arrived.  In return for the block I sent for her Community Supper quilt, this large Priority Mail box arrived:

Inside that HUGE box was some yardage:

Along with the yardage, some scraps:


She also sent TWO HUNDRED 10.5" squares!!!  That's enough to make FOUR quilt tops for Lutheran World Relief:

Thank you, Wendy!  I can't imagine what a BIG gift would have looked like, if this was your idea of a small gift.  I greatly appreciate your participation in my collection effort.  It was the BEST gift you could possibly have given me!

For more information, check out these previous posts:

Background - Lutheran World Relief Quilts

How YOU can help - LWR Instructions

Of course, postage funds would also be appreciated.  Judging from the first box, shipping our quilts is going to be WAY more expensive than I anticipated!  Any help toward lessening that blow to the budget would be greatly appreciated.

Shared with Alycia

for

Finished (Or Not) Friday

Until next time...
SEW Some Love!!!

Saturday, August 29, 2020

ScrapHappy Saturday - RSC20 - Week 35

Welcome to Week 35 of the 2020 Rainbow Scrap Challenge!!  This is the last full week of PURPLE sewing.  My RSC blocks are both done, but my two mini quilts celebrating August's Color of the Month still remain tops.

Let's see if we can fix that over the course of the next 7 days...

SUNDAY - I visited with my friend Joanna and turned the heel (using the Criminally Mindless Heel by Kath Baer found in As the Heel Turns by Hilary Latimer) on my 2nd Halloween Sock:


MONDAY - Bellinis for breakfast - or something like that.  Raising a toast to our friend Kath, who passed away over the weekend:


I started knitting the leg of my 2nd Halloween Sock.  It's definitely looking like it won't take another two years to finish this one!  Jeanne @ X wanted to know.  LOL!!

TUESDAY - Today, renovations began on My Purple Palace mini quilt, as things were looking a little sparse:

I also did some sewing and squaring up for my niece's wedding quilt...

... Before my machine spit a piece of metal at me... AGAIN!!!  The last time was quite a number of years ago:


Tonight was my Evening Quilt Bee's (now) monthly Zoom meeting and 7 quilters joined in this time:



WEDNESDAY - A variety of tasks kept me busy this morning.  These included grocery processing and writing a few upcoming blog posts.  After lunch, I faced the giant (so to speak.)

When neighbors wave, I wave back.  When quilt borders wave, it's time to employ another of the tricks of the trade.  You see, there were a few "wrinkles" to iron out of the quilt on the longarm.  That meant that it was time to pull out my small iron and my can of Magic Sizing to take up a bit of the slack:


Now, I'm ready for (what I hope will be) the final quilting session, once this week's Zoom session with LeeAnna is done.  Here we are:



THURSDAY - ZoomBEE met this morning.  The following twelve quilters were in attendance:

After the meeting, I mentioned to LeeAnna that today's meeting included a lot of heartache and a little bit of quilting.  Some weeks are like that, aren't they?

Later in the day, I did another round of the Starch Treatment on the quilt currently on the rails of the longarm:

Only TWO ripples remain between me and the last few rows of quilting on this gorgeous quilt!  (Look, RSC Quilters... PURPLE!!)

FRIDAY - It was ZoomKNIT day!  These six friends joined in to chat and knit the morning away:


This afternoon, I released a new Design Floor Friday post.  If you liked my IMPROV Adventure from the beginning of the month, you might like to see the home improvements that have been made to the wall hanging that I called My PURPLE Palace.  Here's a preview:

SATURDAY - How on Earth did it get to be LINK PARTY day, already?!?!  Angela @ So Scrappy is our hostess for the Rainbow Scrap Challenge.  (When the party begins) I'm headed there to see what PURPLE scrap sensations have been created this week.  Won't YOU join me?

Until next time...
Scrap SEW safely!!!

Friday, August 28, 2020

Design Floor Friday - {Purple} Palace Update

Welcome to another edition of Design Floor Friday!!  At the beginning of the month I shared my IMPROV Adventure in this blog POST.  Since then, I have made some progress and thought I would share that with you today.

Here is where we left off:



For the last week or so, it hung on the studio Gallery Wire so that I could see it each time I went up to sew.  This week, I took it down and layered it for quilting.

During that process, I had an idea of how to use the bright leafy batik that didn't work in the garden area of the "condo complex"...


... So with scissors in hand, I cut back some of the shrubbery:


The landscaping effort took some time...


Once one tenant had added greenery...


... Another wanted to try out their green thumb:


Several locations were tested...


... Alas, not everyone is successful at keeping plants alive (says the woman whose porch produce squash plants have failed to thrive.)  ThanHere is the final landscape plan:



Next comes quilting!  Thankfully, LeeAnna was kind enough to share her thoughts on how to manage that aspect of the project.  I was fresh out of ideas.  :o))

Linking up with Alycia
for

and

With Cynthia
for
(On Sunday!)

Until next time...
SEW and grow!!!

Saturday, August 22, 2020

ScrapHappy Saturday - RSC20 - Week 34

 Welcome to Week 34 of the Rainbow Scrap Challenge!  It's been another scrap-filled seven days.  While I was busy being SEW busy last week, there were some things that I forgot to share with you.  I hope you will forgive the delay.

SUNDAY - I started my week with another Sew Some Love post and a special quilt delivery.  This quilt was a special gift for a friend, made by Needleb, who did a beautiful job on it:


MONDAY - The weather was glorious this morning!  I decided to meet my friend Hilary outside the coffee shop...


...  To knit for a while.  She's working on her new V-neck Boxy Sweater and I'm moving right along on my 2nd Halloween Sock:

This afternoon, I spent some time up in the studio...

Ripping out stitches on the quilt on the longarm!!  Running out of bobbin thread can be a challenge, at times.  This row was one of those times.  :o((

Last week's Pineapple Pieces block ended up looking like this:

Please notice that I incorporated some PURPLE strips in honor of my RSC Quilter friends and August's Color of the Month.  :o))


This evening was our  first Quilt Guild Zoom meeting.  I joined in from my studio:



We had a short business meeting:


There were door prizes:


Techniques of the Trade by Lee Chappell Monroe @ May Chappell:


Direct from Lee's studio:


TUESDAY - Today was NOT a productive day:

The majority of the midday was spent here, in my "reading" chair, enjoying a selection of some of my favorite PURPLE things and some of my favorite quilt blogs:

Items include a scrappy quilted mug rug from my friend Dee Dee
and a handwoven mug rug from my friend Belindybe.

Late this afternoon included a Zoom meeting with LeeAnna @ Not Afraid of Color, I hadn't made it up to the studio when I got the notification that she was waiting to begin:


WEDNESDAY - Today, I released a new edition of Wonderful Wednesday and my 2nd Halloween Sock is ready for the heel gusset... A whole lot faster than the 1st one was:


Another thing I forgot to share last week was this month's Picket Star block in PURPLE.  You can find the tutorial over on Sew Preeti Quilts.  I chose a dusty shade this time:


THURSDAY - ZoomBEE met this morning with a smaller than usual group:

Photo Currently Unavailable!!

Here I am, waiting for everything to gather:


This afternoon I stopped by Needleb's to pick up a bag of scraps that she cut for our current QAL:


Yes.  I'm selfie-challenged.  Why do you ask?  :P

After last week's Zoom meeting with LeeAnna, I assembled the rows of this quilt:


FRIDAY - Zoom KNIT day and absent knitters have returned:


Small chunks of time (all week!) were spent UN-sewing a row on the quilt occupying the longarm.  If YOU know a speedy way to remove longarm stitches, PLEASE leave me tips and trick (or resources) in the comments below!  At least, I'm in the home stretch:


SATURDAY - It's LINK PARTY day over on Angela's So Scrappy blog.  There will be PURPLE projects to see.  Let's go!

But, wait!!  Where are all those scraps you alluded to at the top of the post, Joyful???

Sorry!!  Secret sewing forced me to keep them in the background.  All will become clear in FOUR weeks.

Sharing with Alycia

for

Finished (or Not) Friday

and

Whooping it up with Sarah

at

Confessions of a Fabric Addict

Until next time...

SCRAP sew safely!!!