ScrapHappy Saturday - RSC15 - Week 19

Welcome to Week 19 of the Rainbow Scrap Challenge!  Each week I hope for MORE time to work on my RSC projects.  Let's see how that worked out this time around:

On SUNDAY, I made some time in the afternoon to sew the TWELVE Tiny Nines in GREEN that I prepped yesterday afternoon:

That really got my motor running and I churned out ONE String Block in GREEN (See block at TOP of the photo below.):

And, ONE Slab Block in GREEN (See block on the BOTTOM of the photo above.)

I was SO revved up that I couldn't stop there!  Prep work was done for one Maverick Star block, another String Block, as well as, another Slab Block.  (Too bad those boys of mine need to eat!! Otherwise, I might have completed two MORE blocks!!)

Iris enthusiasts, look who bloomed:

MONDAY morning, before work, I snuck into the studio to finish the other two blocks from yesterday.  I completed ONE Slab Block and ONE String Block:

GREEN Slab Block on the LEFT and GREEN String Block on the RIGHT.

AND... a shot for the Iris enthusiasts (notice there is PLENTY of GREEN in the photo, too!):

The LAST variety to bloom in my front garden (for this year) is my "Spiky Iris". It's one of my favorites.

After work, I took a trip to NC State to drop off DS1 for his last 2 finals of the semester.  The next trip we make will be to clean out his dorm room and bring him home for the summer.

I had some time between when I arrived home and time to leave for DS2's Archery Banquet.  SEW... I tried out my new toy/tool/whatever and found it to be... Oh!  Just check out THIS BLOG POST and you'll be able to read all about it.  :P

Anyway, while I was testing the new-to-me product, I made ONE Slab Block (shown at the TOP of the photo below):

And TUESDAY morning, before work, I finished up ONE String Block that I was using as a Leader/Ender project while making that Slab Block earlier (shown at the BOTTOM photo above.)


Late WEDNESDAY afternoon, while I was spreading some pine straw in my garden, my client arrived to pick-up T3 (R.W.'s Gif-Tee-y Quilt)

This is a happy occasion on a number of levels:

1. It clears up space on the dining room floor.
2. It stops DS2 from asking how long that quilt is going to be on the floor.
3. It frees creative energy for other projects.
4. It turns STASH into CASH!!!

Yes.  It's a VERY happy day.  :o))

Prior to my client's arrival, I was able to get a little bit of RSC sewing done:

Star Points for one GREEN Maverick Star

Here it is with the center that I made afterwards.

THURSDAY morning, BEFORE breakfast, I put together the ONE Maverick Star that I prepped on Wednesday afternoon:

Next... I went off to coffee with my Knit Group.  That was followed by my Quilt Bee meeting where I worked on trimming up some GREEN scraps:

Oops!!  I thought that I got a shot of this, but couldn't find it in the camera roll.  :o((

Then... before (our 27th wedding anniversary!) dinner, I started on another Slab Block:

On FRIDAY morning, while adding the finishing touches to the block started yesterday afternoon, I discovered that the basket of scraps that I was pulling from wasn't quite so GREEN, after all:

Apparently, there was a time that I stored BROWN/BEIGE and GREEN scraps together!!  :o((

I still managed to complete ONE Slab Block:

And... TWO String Blocks:

Then I was off to work on other projects and do some errands, including a trip to one of the local nail salons.  In honor of GREEN month, you HAVE to see what Molli did this time (no toes, for you!):

SATURDAY morning, I worked on completing this post and LINK-ing up with Angela and the other RSC Quilters.  Be sure to go see what they are doing in DARK GREEN (since I'm working in ALL the GREENS!!!)  Find me at link # 14 this week.

Until next time...
Get Scrappy!!!

Oh!!  ONE more variety bloomed for you iris lovers.  It's the VERY LAST one in my garden.  (I planted a new-to-me variety last week, but we won't be able to see that one til next year!)

Design Floor Friday - Old Orange

Hello out there!  It's Friday and time to upcycle a Design Floor Friday project post.


What on EARTH are you talking about, Joyful???


I'm talking about laying out a project that has already been featured in a Design Floor Friday post. That's what I'm talking about!  Or... maybe not...


Actually, the Orange Quilt was missing when I planned to feature it a week or so ago.  I remembered the "safe place" in which it was housed and it's out on the design floor.  It's been on the back burner for WAY too long!!  Three other quilts (with hard and fast deadlines) had to take priority. Now that they are done and delivered, I can start on the next commission quilt.

I give you Old Orange:

Shown here with the two border options.

It's an antique quilt top that a knitter friend has asked me to complete.  She is of the same mind as I am when it comes to antique tops... DONE is usable and able to be enjoyed.  Why have a quilt top stored away that no one ever sees or touches?  That is a WASTE of valuable storage space (and in this case, family history!)


THINK about it!!!  Don't YOU want people to use and enjoy the quilts that you make???


I believe that quilters of the past wanted that, too.  Don't get me wrong!!  I'm not suggesting that you use and abuse family heirlooms.  Gentle use and careful handling go a long way in helping an old, unused antique quilt fulfill its destiny.

Until next time...
Enjoy your family treasures!!!

Wonderful Wednesday - Adventures in Fabric and Fiber

I've been holding out on you for WEEKS!!!

Can you EVER forgive me???

I posted THIS on 4/15/15, but never did the product purchase follow-up.  I might be wrong, but I'm guessing that you've been waiting to see what I bought...


Of course, by now, you might have forgotten all about my fabric and fiber outings.  That's OK!!  I'll fill you in, anyway.  (It will help me remember where I got each item.)


These items were posted from memory.  I'll post a photo/photos, too.


Goods purchased at Ye Olde:

Single Needle Throat Plate (with foot to possibly sell)
Sewing Bag (for a friend)
Quiltmaker Magazine (with Bonnie Hunter's new pattern)
Circle book (that I've been lusting after)

Carolina Fiber Festival:

ONE skein of yarn
Fiber Fest Tote
Handwoven Dish Towel
Celtic ring (that I've barely taken off since purchasing it!)

Powhatan Festival of Fiber:
ONE skein of yarn
I Love Knitting Tote
2/3 sets of handmade Stitch Markers (from Heidi and Heather)
Lamb BBQ for lunch (YUM!!!)
Event T-shirt
Bargain table book ($3)


Let's "go to the video tape" to see how I did...


THREE bags of "loot" from THREE crafting events (placed, Oops!, NOT in chronological order):

First, we have "A Day at the Ye Olde Forest Quilt Shop):

Oh! Look at that! I forgot the 2 other quilting feet that I got for my Janome.

Followed by "Carolina Fiber Fest":

REALLY blew it on this one! I forgot all about the project bags that I bought. (Along with the Teeny Tiny scissors, the Sheepy stitch markers, and the AWESOME hand-dyed shoe laces that I got!!!)

And then, the soggy splendor of " Powhatan's Festival of Fiber":

Sorry, Joelle!! I forgot about the Mini-skeins that I found at The Wandering Wool booth to add to my Tubularity Cowl.

Not too bad...  Yes.  I forgot some things, but not very many considering the number of purchases made (and just how bad my memory normally is!)


Oops!!  I forgot to stick my thumb into the shot of stuff from Carolina Fiber Fest.  My Celtic ring:

Eww, gross!! Not sure WHAT happened with the color in the photo above!! 

And... You NEED to see a close-up of my new wearable piece of art (that I am enjoying immensely!) Just LOOK at the craftsmanship of this handmade ring:

Thanks for sharing my adventures in fabric and fiber!  I hope you enjoyed the tour of what came home with me.  I have to tell you, I'm so pleased that I went to a quilt shop and didn't buy ANY fabric.  (My friends from Ravelry's Quilters Knitting group's Austerity Challenge were pleased, too. Thanks, you guys, for inspiring me to THINK before I buy!!)

While that was impressive enough, I can't quite believe that I also went to TWO fiber festivals and only came home with TWO skeins of yarn.  (The mini-skeins don't count, in my book!)  :P

Until next time...
Shop responsibly!!!

For those of you who are interested, here are some photos from Powhatan's Festival of Fiber:

Mail Call Monday - Posture Protector

Hooray!!!

THIS box was waiting for me when I got home:

A couple of weeks ago, my friend Candy brought the Nancy's Notions catalog to Quilt Bee to see if anyone wanted to place a group order from Nancy's Notions.  Since quilt making can be "back-breaking" work, I had been contemplating buying one of THESE for a LONG time:



With the offer of shared shipping costs, I figured NOW was the time!  So I placed my order.

Here's what was in the box (in the box.):



It doesn't look like much nestled inside the confines of a relatively small box, but it promises good results.  (A fellow guild member absolutely LOVES hers!)  I thought I would post a picture showing the device in use, but I'm not sure how I'll manage to that, as no one else is home.  Look for a modeled photo at a later date.  (Or just look at the picture on the box and pretend it me!)  :P


Company recommendations:

For the 1st use, wear no more than 30 minutes.

After the first 30 minutes, take the Body Rite off in order to rest your body.  I did that, but didn't have time to do a 2nd session today.

The recommendation was to try the heavier weight first.  Now, I will have to determine if the 3 pound weight is right for me.  So next time, I'll try detaching the removable weight to see if that's less taxing (or possibly less effective.)


Here's my REVIEW after the first half hour of wear:

1. The device is fairly comfortable.  (Although, I may need to have another look at the strap connector next time.)

2. It's GREAT for pressing and for piecing!!  I had a large cut of fabric to press and felt much less (read NO) back stress afterwards.  For the first 15 minutes, I couldn't even tell that I was wearing the device!

3. I can't speak to how it is for actually quilting a quilt because I didn't get to that stage today.  I imagine that it would be equally as effective for that task.  (I'll be sure to tell you IF that theory is incorrect, but as I said, I've only hear good reviews.)

Until next time...
Quilt safely!

ETA:

On Day 2 the device was so comfortable that I almost forgot to take it OFF when leaving the studio (after a 45 minute sewing session!)

Day 3 didn't go quite so well.  I tried removing the 1 pound weight (leaving 2 pounds on the device) and felt fairly fatigued by the time my half-hour sewing session was over.

No conclusion was reached (as I had a late night the night before which may have contributed.)

I'll check back in another day.

ScrapHappy Saturday - RSC15 - Week 18

Welcome to Week 18 of the Rainbow Scrap Challenge!!  My work load may be such that I can actually get a fair amount of RSC sewing done this week... the last week in PURPLE.  We'll see how it goes (since I may have to remove and replace the binding on a quilt that I just finished.)

Here's how Week 18 looked from my sewing room...

SUNDAY:

My neighbor's lilac colored Tall Bearded Iris bloomed.  This plant came from my garden, but blooms earlier in her garden than it does in mine.  Mine won't bloom for another week or so.

MONDAY:

I had a busy day.  I worked until noon and came home to finish up T3 (which incorporates PURPLE scraps from my stash):

I was so relieved to be finished with my commission quilting that I decided to play with some of my PURPLE scraps after dinner.  I got a LOT done:

TWO Maverick Star blocks

THREE String blocks

And...

FOUR Tiny Nines

TUESDAY:

I had another busy day.  I worked a double shift and stopped by my Quilt Bee meeting to see what everyone was doing this week.  Then hurried home to get in some RSC sewing before it was time to head off to bed, but didn't manage to get upstairs.  :o((

WEDNESDAY:

On today's walk with "Doodle Bug", I saw this deep burgundy sort of PURPLE:

This is a TOTALLY different variety of iris than any in my garden.

And when we got back from our walk he created this "still life" of stacked boots... in PURPLE:

He's just barely 2. His Mom and I get excited about stuff like this.  LOL

I went online at nap time to find that Angela had made her Color Announcement a couple of days early.  I can't tell you how happy I am!!! And sad at the same time...

I felt conflicted regarding today's RSC sewing session.  What is a quilter to do?

Sew MORE of April's PURPLE or switch to May's color???

I decided to sew more PURPLE (since I've had a particularly slim block production this month.)
And then I took a few minutes to sort the NEW color so that I will be ready for Friday.  That seemed like an appropriate compromise!

Part of that PURPLE sewing was adding more quilting to T3 (in an effort to tame those wavy borders.)  After that... it still required blocking:

THURSDAY:

On the LAST day of PURPLE month, I went to Quilt Bee in the back-of-beyond, followed that with a bit more PURPLE sewing and blocking the borders on T3 so that it will be ready for pick-up.

I made ONE Slab block in PURPLE:



And ALL this PURPLE garbage from that ONE block!




I should have been working on a Leader/Ender poject!!  Just LOOK at all the wasted thread:

Yes. The thread is a shade of PURPLE... lavender to be exact.  :P

I also gathered some off-cuts to use for star points for a Maverick Star block:

And whipped up ONE last PURPLE block:

For you Iris enthusiasts, I was WRONG about my Lilac Iris.  It bloomed TODAY (as opposed to next week like I had predicted.)  So nice of it to bloom in honor of our LAST day in PURPLE.  :o))

For some reason, it's got a smaller bloom on a shorter stem than the ones across the street. Interesting...

And, FOUR other varieties will bloom in the next day or so:

A deep, dark PURPLE with petals that look like velvet when they open...

A white edged in PURPLE shown in the foreground, a peach behind that, and a lavender with PURPLE falls (just out of view) on the top left side of the photo. (In the top center of the photo, there's a yellow iris that bloomed today, also).

Color Clarification!!  Angela posted a NOTICE that we will be splitting GREEN into lights and darks.  I missed the notice and plan to work with ALL of my GREEN scraps.  (She's putting her light GREEN scraps away for another month.)  I'm may sort out SOME, but I want to play with ALL of it!


FRIDAY:

May arrived, along with a new Color of the Month.  Hooray!!!  The NEW color is GREEN.

Any shade, you name it, I absolutely LOVE it!!

You NEVER know what kind of GREEN things you will find around the Triangle!  Here's something that I saw the other day that exemplifies a different "shade" of GREEN:




Here is my "basket" of GREEN scraps that I will be pulling from during the month of April:

Angela posted her Rainbow Scrap Sampler - Green Block 1 - Sawtooth Star in a Star block tutorial. Follow this LINK to make one of your own.


SATURDAY:

My family participated in the Rainbow Walk of Heroes to benefit Duke Hospital's Pediatric Bone Marrow Unit.  We walked to celebrate the fact that DS2 is 2 YEARS post-transplant.

This year's Walk shirt.

Lots of people on the track at the Duke Center for Living.

2015 Balloon Release

Team Matthew shirts in Safety GREEN!!!

Take a look at the Superman socks that one team sported as the walked!!

It was a wonderful morning to get out and walk to raise money to benefit the Family Support Team for the Duke PBMT unit.  We enjoyed catching up with hospital staff  OUTSIDE of the hospital and seeing others out to support such a worthy cause.  Family Support does SO much for so many throughout the year!  The Team works tirelessly to make families in crisis more comfortable during their time on 5200 at Duke.  These funds pay for parties, crafts, and special theme dinners for kids and caregivers, alike. They bring a bit of "normal life" to the families on 5200.  Thank you, Scott and the entire Family Support team!!!  We appreciate all that you do.

Everyone else is napping, but I didn't come home to nap!  I came home to do the monthly wrap-up...


Would anyone like to guess how many blocks I made during PURPLE month??


I'll get busy taking inventory...  OK...  THAT didn't take long!!  LOL


Here are the totals for the month of PURPLE:

SIX (6) String Blocks:

THREE (3) Maverick Star Blocks:

FOUR (4) Slab Blocks:

SEVEN (7) Tiny Nines:

For a total of TWENTY (20) PURPLE blocks made during the month of APRIL.

And...

In the interest of full disclosure, I like to report the trimmings, too.  Therefore, I present this small stack of trimmed up PURPLE squares to be used in future projects:

Here's the composite photo for an overview of the PURPLE sewing done during the month of April:

These blocks are MUCH more PURPLE than they appear!!!

I finished this post and LINKed up with Angela and the other RSC Quilters.  You can find me at link number 21 this week. Be sure to click over to see what everyone else has been up to during the last week of PURPLE.

I'm off to sew something GREEN!!  Here is the batch of Tiny Nines that upstairs waiting for me:

Until next time...
Get scrappy!!!

April = PURPLE = Productivity