New directions

I'm almost embarrassed by how many of my posts are about new starts versus finishes.  There's always a reason for a new start...but I have no good reason for not finishing things.

So, I was focusing on my Jewel Box Stars quilt when I realized I needed some more variety in my neutrals.  While seeking out more neutrals, I got to thinking about a quilt pattern on ETSY that I had pinned on my Pinterest page as something to make one day.  If I'm pulling neutrals for one quilt, I might as well pull for another quilt at the same time, right?  Well, one thing led to another.  I had to try a block out...

And then I had to make a couple more...

So, yeah, my Jewel Box Stars is back to being a Leaders and Enders quilt while I have fun with this one.  The good news is, I've unearthed lots more neutrals to use in my Jewel Box Stars...

It has rained a lot lately, which we needed.  The garden is starting to produce - yummy lettuce and snap peas and flowers so far.  When it isn't raining, I spend much of my time outside, in the shade, either in the hammock or on a quilt in the yard, reading or listening to an audiobook while I knit.  (I love summer!)

Much like with my quilting, I try to knit and crochet using up my stash rather than buying new.  So when one of my four-year-old crocheted dishcloths came out of the dryer miserably distorted and with three holes in it, I dug through my stash to find cotton to make another.

Pattern for Diagonal Dishcloth

And I had started a knit project last September that I wasn't feeling anymore, so I frogged it and started something new.

Pattern for Dressy Poncho

All in all, it has been a wonderfully crafty week for me, even if there aren't any finishes (except the dishcloth).

I'm linking up with Oh Scrap and Monday Making.

Back from a week away

Even though it is "summer vacation," I've been working my butt off at work.  I'm trying to set boundaries and remind people that I am not a 12-month employee, but with the pandemic requiring us to rethink how we are going to conduct school next year, I guess it is understandable that I'd be called upon more often than in a usual summer.

I let people know, however, that I was going to rural New Hampshire last week to spend a socially distant week with my sisters and their families (how weird not to hug and to only interact outdoors and on screened in porches, but we do what we must to keep everyone healthy), and I spent a blissful week (mostly) unplugged.

I read, I played games, I swam, I hiked, I knit.  I didn't sew, but I made up for lost time this weekend when I returned - my leader and ender Jewel Box Stars quilt is now a front burner project and is coming along nicely.

Two more rows to go!

Today, I hopped back on the computer to catch up on all the work that piled up in my absence, and then I spent some time culling more yardage from my stash for my ETSY shop.  As I'm sure you can tell from my quilts, I rarely use yardage (scraps are where it is at for me, baby!), so it is silly of me to have so much.  And since my sewing room is also my home office (and who knows when I'll be going back to my real office), it is important for me to make space so that I don't feel claustrophobic or distracted.  Some of the fabric is easy for me to give up, but some I really wrestled with myself over.  For example, my Ghastlies fabric... 

Truly, it is this image that made me want this fabric - in two colorways!

It is out of print and hard to come by, but I've just been sitting with it for nearly a decade!  Am I ever going to use it?  Probably not.  So I posted it - at a higher price than my usual destash fabric, but not nearly as high as others have posted it (one person had a yard listed for $75!!).  I'd rather someone else put it to use than for it to sit unused in my stash.

I'm linking up with Oh Scrap and Monday Making.

Things are looking up!

First off, my sister-in-law is COVID-free and home from the hospital!!  Her recovery is far from over, but we are so thankful that she is out of the woods!!

I've been trying to discipline myself to finish things up rather than start more new things.  I got the pineapple baby quilt top pieced together and basted, now just contemplating how to quilt it.

Not sure yet how I will quilt it...but it is basted and ready to go!

I put a skinny border on my cross-patch quilt, and am trying to decide if that is it.  I think so...but I'm going to let it sit for a while.

I don't think I want to add more borders, but I'm not sure.  Gonna revisit this in a little bit.

I pulled out my 2018 temperature quilt top.  I've been trying to figure out what to do for borders. 

I have SO MUCH Kona solid left after making this project!

At first I thought I'd do a border that had all 32 of my Kona fabrics that I bought for this quilt around the outside, but I got two sides done and didn't like it, so instead I pulled the two fabrics that represent the yearly average high and low temperatures, and used those as borders.  DONE!  Now to baste and quilt.

I also finished knitting a rainbow shawlette...

Still needs to be blocked...hopefully it won't look so lopsided then!

and have been making progress on my Earthy Excavation scrap blanket.

I love, Love, LOVE this project!  So simple and interesting and I'm using up all the little bits and bobs of leftover yarn!

Can you tell I've also been spending a lot of time outdoors?  Lots of reading going on, too!  According to my Goodreads account, I've read and/or listened to 55 books so far this year.  My goal of 24 books in 2020 was obviously too modest.  Maybe I can read 100?

I'm linking up with Oh Scrap and Monday Making.

Quilting to keep my fears at bay

I know I'm not alone - in my fear, my anxiety, my heartsickness.  But seeing what is happening in the US this week while social distancing is particularly trying.  How many times have I said, "thank goodness for quilting?"  It helps to calm my mind and my nerves.  And this week, my efforts have been towards creating yet another baby quilt for a little one who is due at the end of August.

I ran across the Giant Pineapple Quilt by the Stash Bandit, and decided to go with another pineapple quilt (remember the ones I made a little over a year ago?).  I started with 7" squares, so my finished block size will be 5.5", so I guess that will make a quilt that is approximately 33" x 44".

For those who read last week, my sister-in-law is out of the ICU, but still hospitalized.  Progress.

And I braved my fear of crowds and COVID19 today to take my boys to a Black Lives Matter vigil (masked up and keeping 6 ft distance from others as much as possible).

These are my sons, ages 17 and 14

What breaks my heart is that this isn't the first vigil my boys have attended.  Protesting murders has been a mainstay in their lives since we first took them to Washington DC in July 2013 to protest the murder of Trayvon Martin.  What kind of world is this that my kids have been protesting the murder of black people by the police and white citizens who take it upon themselves to "police" us for fully half of their lives?

I'm linking up with Oh Scrap and Monday Making.

A finish to brighten my day

This week, yet another member of the family was admitted to the ICU for COVID19 treatment.  This makes three.  We are hoping that yesterday's plasma transfusion does the trick and she recovers quickly.  I've been finding it hard to breathe lately, but I know it is just anxiety.  Just, I've had enough, you know?

So I turned to that which gets me through all the moments in my life when I need to calm my thoughts - quilting.  My color words quilt has been languishing for months now, basted and ready for quilting.  In fact, the recipient is already a month old now!  So this weekend, I cleaned my machine and put in a new needle, and quilted it.  I'm a hand quilter, new to machine quilting, so simple wavy and straight stitches for me.  I like how it turned out.

Then, after sewing the binding onto the front, I headed outside to sew the back down in the sunshine.

I even remembered to make a label and attach it when I attached the binding.

It will go out in Tuesday's mail - I hope the mama (and baby) likes it.

I'm linking up with Oh, Scrap and Monday Making.

Growth

How boring my blog must be to readers.  Nothing happening in my life other than work, reading and quilting, and I've been working on the same quilt for weeks now.  It is growing slowly, and bringing me great joy, a true scrap quilt that has me digging into piles and drawers looking for smaller scraps to use up and combine in fun ways.

Of course, I imagine most everyone's life is like that these days, one day looking much like the day before.  Thank goodness for books to give me some excitement, whether I am reading in the hammock like I did this weekend, or listening to an audiobook while I stitch.

I'm linking with Oh Scrap and Monday Making.

Mining my scraps

I continue to work from home, grateful for both the distraction of it as well as the paycheck.

I continue to deepen my relationship with my boys; we were starting to drift apart here in their teen years, but we've been having some good times lately - exercising together, practicing Spanish on Duolingo together, cooking together, having late night chats, watching cringe-worthy movies, even making some TikTok videos (I refuse to get drawn down that rabbit hole, but the boys have cast me in a couple of their productions).

And I continue to sew, losing myself in my piles of scraps, loving the way this quilt top is coming together.

I'm pretty sure this one will be for me, for summer picnics and for snuggling up in the hammock.  To me, this quilt is clamoring to be used heavily, to accompany me on my adventures.

I'm linking up with Oh Scrap and Monday Making.