Petunia Pig and the Pink Armada

Well, it's the last week of pink for the RSC, and I'm not sorry to see it go.  I've never been a huge fan of pink, though I'm not actively hostile to it.  Anymore.  I guess.
Though as my youngest daughter once said to me, "Pink is just light red with a lot of baggage."
Anyway, pink's last gasp gave me this little cutie:

Her name is Petunia.  She enjoys long walks through the barnyard and the occasional strawberry daiquiri.

And remember last week, when I was showing what little I'd managed to accomplish in the pinkish line?  There was one ship that I'd cut out, but not sewn together.  Since each month I've been making 3 or 4 wee boats and I'd already made three, I set aside the pieces to work on later.  Imagine my surprise when I found that I'd set them on a stack of other pink boats that I'd cut out and set aside to work on later. 
Well, one later is as good as another, so I went ahead and stitched up all of them.

The Pink Armada.  A friendly sort of invasion, I think...



Linking with So Scrappy for ScrappyHappy Saturday.  Come see all the rainbow fun!  (And help me wave goodbye to pink!)

Holy pork butts, Batman!

Several people had expressed interest in seeing all the piglets gathered together in one place, and I have to admit I was curious, myself.
When I started doing these sweet little blocks for the RSC (and thanks, Sally T, for the fabulous pattern!!!), I figured I'd make a couple of blocks each month and end up with a nice lap quilt for my dad for Christmas.  Something to cuddle up with while he's reading in his recliner next to the woodstove on a cold winter day.  Maybe 6x8 blocks, for a total of 48.  That seemed doable.

My calculations may have been a wee bit off.

I couldn't get them all into one picture, so I tightened up the layout and made it seven blocks wide instead of six.

Still couldn't catch them all, even standing on a chair.

I've already got 59 blocks, and it's only July...

It was definitely fun laying them out, because it let me get a look at all my favorites again.

And hard as it may be to believe, each and every one of them is my favorite.

I can't wait to see what color we get for August!  Looks like Dad is getting  a full sized quilt instead of a lap quilt...

I'm starting to feel rather empty-handed

I know I spent plenty of time in my studio this week, but I have precious little to show for it.  Of course, given how hot it's been lately, a lot of that time was spent sweating and drinking copious amounts of ice water, and then sweating some more.  I'm currently dreaming of a sewing machine that could be operated while reclining in a lounge chair out on the deck.  Surely someone could invent that, right?

I did get all the blocks sewn together for Allietare, and pieced enough 1.5" strips of gold to make up the first border.  I then folded it all up together and stuck it into my box of tops-to-be-finished-later.  (It's now keeping my RSC2015 Ohio stars company.  I'm sure they'll get along fine.)

And I got a bunch more pieces cut for Storm at Sea, and even got a few more bits assembled, but since they look just like the bits I showed before,

it doesn't look like much of an accomplishment.

I finally made a few blocks for the 365 Challenge, but either I forgot to photograph them or the camera is hiding them from me.  I'm fully two months behind with that project at this point, but I long ago gave up any pretense of catching up.  I'm going to just trundle along at my own pace, content to be left in the dust.

The second of my Gwennie Medallions is now also finished, unless I change my mind between now and the big reveal, and add some more.  I'm teetering between "It's just right the way it is" and "Maybe it would be better if I did this one more thing", and it's a toss-up which side I'll land on.  But, hey, you know how much I like a good dither.

And I finished up a super-secret project that's going to my grandson for his birthday, but since I haven't given it to him yet, I'm only going to offer a glimpse here.

It really seems like he should get first look, ya know?


Linking with Oh Scrap!  at Quilting is More Fun than Housework.  Come see all the scrappy fun!

(S)lacking in Pink

My small supplies of hot pink scraps are leaving me looking like a real slacker when it comes to the RSC this week.  And one more pink week to go?  Oh, dear...
I made these wee ships

for my Rainbow Regatta, but that's all I've got to show for this week.  There were other projects, but none of them were in the pink.

Ah, well.  Linking to So Scrappy for ScrapHappy Saturday - come see what all the other folk are doing for pink fun!

 

Courtlogs and Quartlogs

Well, that's what I've named my last couple of pictures, anyway.
I really wish the Log Cabin Loonies and the Gwennie Medallion QAL were more synchronized in timing, so I could share all my log cabin lovelies, since I'm making blocks that qualify for both.  But it's loony time, and I want to save my medallions' big reveals for next month, so I can only give you a peek.
I made courthouse steps blocks for one -

and quarter log cabins for the other.

I've lost track of how many log cabin quilts I've made over the years - it was my go-to wedding gift for quite a while - but I'd never done courthouse steps or quarter logs before, so this has been fun!

Linking with Log Cabin Lunatics since the full moon is here again!  Come join in all the loony fun!

Pulling it together

My sister-in-law, my cousin, and I got together a couple of days ago to (finally) assemble the blocks for our town fundraiser quilt.

The three of us had fun arranging and rearranging these blocks on the design wall.  Trying to balance colors, value, and pattern made for an interesting puzzle.  It was especially fun considering that in order to reach the blocks on the top row, one of us would have to climb up on a table.  Unsurprisingly, the top row was the first one we agreed was perfect the way it was...

The blocks were made by many different contributors, at many different levels of experience, so it was a bit of a surprise that they were close enough to target size that they went together easily.  

Sashing was on, and the borders were cut and ready to attach when I had to head out.

It's now on its way to the quilter and will be ready to be raffled.  Hurray!

Meanwhile, this afternoon I cheered over this:

All the Allietare blocks are now together, and I've already got some strips cut and ready for the inner border, and some fabric set aside for the outer border.  Another hurray!  Close enough to done!

And these little monkeys kept hooting at me that I hadn't taken their picture yet.  I tried to tell them that I was pretty sure that I had, but they said nope nope nope, take one now now now.

So I did.  Can't argue with monkeys.
Well, you can, but they just ignore you.  And swing from the ceiling fan while they do it...


Linking with Oh Scrap! at Quilting is More Fun than Housework.  Come see what everyone's doing with scraps!

In the Pink

The hot pink continues in this hot hot July.  Though I still don't own a lot of pinks, I managed to use what I do have in a few kaleidoscope blocks.

I'm really enjoying Angela's use of an accent color this year - it adds to the fun each month having two colors to play with.  (Though I don't really seem to have a lot of lime greens, either...)
My pinwheels didn't fare as well as the kaleidoscopes, though.  Only one block to show so far.

And one Jacks block.

But of course there's another pig.  Because there'll always be another pig.

This one's name is Splat.  She's artistic, she assures me.

Since I'm unable to restrain myself in the matter of starting new quilts, I thought that making a push to finish some of the already-in-progress quilts might make me feel better.  I'd been making Allietare blocks as occasional leader/ender blocks, and knew I was close to the bottom of the bin of pre-made components for these block.  I pulled out everything and laid them out.  One big push finished the last few blocks and setting triangles left to do, and now I've got everything I need for final assembly.  Some of the blocks (the upper right corner) are already joined and pressed, and now I just have to decide if I want to finish it now, or hide set it aside for later. 

In the meantime, the bin that held all the Allietare parts is now empty.  Hurray!

So that means I can start another quilt, right?  What with the empty bin and all...



Linking with So Scrappy for ScrapHappy Saturday.  Come see all the rainbow fun!

You little hoop popper, you!

I set my hooped quilt down for a bit while I answered a call of nature.

I came back to this:

Considering there were three threaded needles parked in it, it's a wonder he didn't stab himself...

I could have sworn I'd posted earlier in the week...

Apparently this hot weather we've been having has melted portions of my brain, because I was sure I'd thrown up a post on Monday or Tuesday.  Hmm...

Anxious to finish up June, I made a few aqua kaleidoscopes this week, which will soon be followed by some pink ones (because kaleidoscopes, ya know?),

 and some whatchacallit stars for both June and July.

And little Scribbles, here, nosed her way to the front of the line.

What could be cuter than those polka dot ears?
Well, that polka dot tail, I guess, but still.

My other big time-consumer this week was playing with logs.  Specifically, a bunch of courthouse steps blocks to see how they would look with my medallion quilts.

Since I'm also playing along with the other Log Cabin Loonies, a bunch of log cabin blocks can never be a bad thing.  If they don't go into the medallions, I'm sure I'll find a good use for them.  In the meantime, they're a soothing block to work on when it's too hot to think.  And following Julie's excellent tip, I'm making the logs with 1.25" strips, which are easily made by slicing a 2.5" strip right  down the middle.  Since I have buckets of 2.5" strips, this has made log rolling a whole lot simpler!

And I've made the opening moves on another quilt.  (Because it's already a week of July gone and I hadn't started a new quilt yet, right?)  This is going to be a bed-sized Storm at Sea in scrappy blues and greens.  So far I've just started cutting pieces for it, but I had to make a few components to make sure everything fit together right, of course.

Can you imagine how much fun I'm going to have, dithering around with arranging all those hundreds of block parts?  It'll keep me busy for days and days.  And days.
Though it occurs to me that I'll be a lot happier if I have a design wall by then...


Linking with So Scrappy for ScrapHappy Saturday.  Come see all the pink fun!
And since so much of this is about scraps, I'll also link to Quilting is More Fun than Housework for Oh Scrap!
Between the two of them, they make my weekends a blast!  Always so much pretty to look at!

The hottest pink I've got...

The color for July is Watermelon Pink - so a hot pink (or should it be cold pink?) or a dark pink.  Now I've never been a fan of pink,  but I have made an effort to add some pinks to my stash.  One of the best parts about the RSC is that it encourages me to use colors that don't come naturally to me.  Pink heads this list...
So I had a piggy that I made back in April that involved pink

and also has my favorite background of any piglet so far.

My other piglet says her name is Dorothy,

but that I can call her Dotty.  I wonder where she got that nickname?


Linking with So Scrappy for ScrapHappy Saturday, and to Quilting is More Fun than Housework for Oh Scrap!  Come see all the scrappy fun!

Cuz I'm a Sunflower from the Sunflower State!

I've had that song stuck in my head for days and days and days, and it's all Gwen Marston's fault.  Well, the Gwennie Medallion QAL, actually, not Gwen herself.

After we all made basket blocks for our starters, the second prompt was 'childhood'.  It took me a while to come up with an idea.  Childhood?  Hmm...  Bikes.  Those endless summer days with flipflops and picnics.  School.  Nothing really grabbed me or even offered much traction.
Then I thought about my childhood in Kansas.  Just like the song says:

I was born in Kansas, I was bred in Kansas
and when I get married, I'll be wed in Kansas.

(Well, not that last part.)

But you can't hardly swing a cat in Kansas without whacking a sunflower.  Besides the real ones growing everywhere, there are sunflowers stuck on everything big enough to carry a logo.
Sunflowers.  Now there was something I could work with.
But which approach should I take?  I hadn't brought much for yellow (just two really light fat quarters) and no golds at all.  Not even much for orange, believe it or not.
I tried a non-traditional sunflower, to mixed reviews.

Stash enhancement was absolutely vital.  What a shame, right?
So I made test blocks with different stars and flowers, questing for just the right sunflowery look.

I even tried foundation paper piecing.

I ended up with an abundance of blocks, but no clear winner.

On the other hand, I ended up with a whole field of sunflowers, so I just decided to use them all.  There were 5" blocks, 6" blocks, a 7.5" block, and even one that was 4"x8".  It gave me a run for my money.

I love it.
A lot of the assembly process went completely against the grain for me.  I like all my seams precise and lots of measuring and matchy-matchy.
I didn't work that way for this.  It wasn't easy, but I did it.
I estimated stuff and sewed it on.  If it was too long, I chopped it off.

If it was too short, I sewed on another piece of something.
I decided to ignore any crunched points or wonky seams.
This view of the bottom corner shows the clusterfluffle of partial seams I ran into.  I'm still amazed it all fit together in the end.

It was very freeing, actually.  I may do it again sometime.  After I go lie down for awhile.

In other news, I also finished the 'childhood' round for my applique basket block.  One of my treasured childhood memories is spending time at my grandparents' farm.  They always had chickens, ducks, and geese, along with the occasional cow.  I liked the cows and the chickens well enough, and I loved the ducks, but the geese were not my friends.
As a matter of fact, the geese hated little kids.  Like me, for instance.  They delighted in escaping from their pen and attacking every little kid in sight.  Like me, for instance.  Many's the time I ran for the house yelling "Grandma!  Grandma!  Help!" as a goose chased me through the farmyard, beating me with its wings and biting the backs of my legs and my butt.  By the end of summer, I was usually carrying quite a collection of black and blues.
So, to commemorate those ghastly creatures, such a part of my childhood, I made flying geese to go chasing around the medallion.

Or rather, a bunch of biting geese chasing around the border.   (And I gotta tell you, nothing ever tasted better than the roast goose Grandma would serve for Easter dinner...)

So here's my two medallions, ready for the next chapter.

Next up is log cabins.  I can do that.  Log cabins surely won't bite me on the ass, right?

Linking to all the Gwennie fun.  Come see!