Jax and Buckeyes and Demented Rails - it's getting a little chaotic here...

This week I managed to make another Centennial star and another Jacks, bringing the April total of each to three.

Then I even managed a couple of Buckeyes, which means I think my total April output may be better than March.

Meanwhile, I was also steadily stitching away my triangles for Totally Demented, and even doing a bit of leader/ender sewing for Checkerboard Rails.

That's the view just to the left of my sewing machine - checkerboards on the left and demented triangles on the right.  So far I'm keeping them straight and not sewing the wrong bits to each other, but no guarantees.

I got curious about what the blocks are going to look like, so I started playing.

The pattern is here, and looking closely, there are four blocks in each quadrant, so I laid out enough bits to see what the center of the quadrant was going to look like where those four come together.

I'm starting to vaguely wonder if working on those quadrants simultaneously might be a good plan.  If I build each out from the center, I could theoretically bail out when I think the quilt is big enough (or when I just can't stand piecing another triangle...)

Yep, this is going to be fun!  As long as I don't think too hard about how many of those little blocks I'm going to need...

And now it's an Official Project -

the bin has been labeled.


Linking with SoScrappy for ScrapHappy Saturday, and with Quilting is more fun than Housework for Sunday's Oh Scrap!  Come see all the gorgeous scrappiness!

And the award for Procrastination goes to...

Me.  Definitely me.  I actually got a bit of sewing done, and remembered to take pictures, but lost steam before getting a post put together.

Hey, look!  Honest to goodness RSC blocks -

A couple of Jacks, and a couple of Centennials to add to my growing collections.

And I'm still drifting along on my Storm at Sea (aka Sea of Tranquility), with the end in sight.  I think I actually made too many of the largest squared block (and there's no down side to that), and I just lack a few of the diamonds.  I think I have enough of the smallest squared block, too, though I'm going to count carefully again to make sure.

Layout is next, and picking out what to use for setting triangles, since I'm 99% sure that I'm setting this on point.  (If I don't set it on point, I'll have to redo the layout and block count from scratch and there's no stinkin' way I'm falling for that...)

There were also some HSTs for Demented, but I didn't bother to take a photo, since one stack of HSTs looks remarkably like another.  You can use your imaginations, I'm sure.

Remember this quilt?  I've been slowly but surely hand-quilting it for all this time, with occasional help from my little buddy.

Turns out he really likes sleeping in that hoop.  I set it aside the other day when I finished the center portion of the quilt because it was too big for working on the borders.

 Look who's enjoying the imaginary cat nest.

Linking with SoScrappy for ScrapHappy Saturday, and with Quilting is more fun than Housework for Oh Scrap!  Both are terrific places to spend the weekend!

It seems like forever...

In the spirit of catching up -

Though I didn't get much done for March's RSC light green sewing, I'm trying to do better with April.  So far, all I've got is a block for Squared Away, but hey, I'll take it!

When I went to save that picture, I noticed that I only had photos of the January and February blocks for Squared Away - no March.  Now I'm trying to remember if I even made that block.  (March was one of those 'the days are just packed' months)  This is further complicated by the fact that the Jan and Feb ones have disappeared into some sort of safe place.  (You know, that "I'll just put these in a safe place" so you don't lose them?  Yeah, that one.)

I took a moment to play with Libby's Mystery - I'm way way behind on that one.  The reveal is really interesting, and I'm going to sit down with all my bits for some big fun.  She also gave us a really intriguing bonus block that I'm eyeing with great interest.

My big push right now is Sea of Tranquility for my granddaughter.  I'd done the math for the number of blocks I needed, both for a good-sized quilt and for a wimpy-chickenout-can-this-be-big-enough-please quilt.  Last time I counted, I was still quite short of the number of blocks that I needed for the wimpy one, and was feeling guilty about even considering settling for the smaller version.  That resulted in the project going back into its box while I chided myself.  It's really a struggle for me to work with a limited colorway - this Storm at Sea pattern I'm making is all just blues, greens, and blue-greens, and while it's probably good for my soul or something to work outside of my comfort zone (my comfort zone being the use-all-the-colors zone), it's damn hard.   And since there was no real deadline, I could just blow off my foot-dragging.
Periodically I've pulled out components and pieced more bits and stuffed them back into the box without counting.
I finally decided that my desire to make the quilt was stronger than my desire not to work with the limited colors, so I pulled it all out and started counting the blocks I had finished.

And woohoo!  I found that I'd pieced enough blocks that I'd blown right by the wimpy count and was just short of what I need for the size I actually want to make!  I spent a good part of today making more diamonds and squares, and enjoying the process again.
Next thing I know, I'll be crawling around on my design floor, laying out the blocks.
Dithering about setting triangles can't be far behind!

Linking with SoScrappy for ScrapHappy Saturday, and with Quilting is more fun than Housework for Oh Scrap!  Come join the fun!

Finally catching up with the Mysterious Libby!

Finally got some sewing time to devote to Clue 4 for Libby's Mystery Quilt.  It was an easy clue - just some HSTs.   In moments I was done!

So then, of course, I had to play with these new toys a little.

And another just like it, only with values reversed.

How about two more?

Oh, and throw in some yellow while we're about it.

I didn't have time to add another color, but I plan to do that after the reveal.  I'm looking forward to seeing what the Mysterious Libby has in mind!

Company's coming, so I've been picking up stuff in the studio, so there's room to walk around.  And the great organization project continues, as I fold and stack.

My new rule is that if I touch a piece of fabric, I fold it neatly and add it to its proper stack when I'm done with it.  And I spend 15 minutes here and there just grabbing, folding, and adding to stacks, in between working on fun stuff.  Little by little, I'm going to get my rainbows in order.
I've already found some bits of favorite fabrics that I thought I'd used up.  It's like running into old friends!

Linking with Libby for Mystery Clue 4.  Always late to the party...

Mystery time - now with triangles!

I squeezed in a bit of time at the studio this afternoon, so I grabbed my Mystery bits and followed Clue 3.  Some rather large (to me, anyway, but I'm all about the small stuff) triangles were called for, and naturally I had to play with them.

Why, yes, I did add a third color.  I seem to be adding a color with each clue.  (I'm starting to wonder how many clues there will be...)

And since there are now bars and HSTs in play in this mystery, I fiddled about with both parts.

I'm looking forward to Friday and the next clue!  And trying to decide what color to add in next - Purple?  Orange?
Maybe both?

Come check out Libby's Mystery Linky party and share in the fun!

With just a touch of lime

Well, the RSC color for March is a springy limy green, so I dug up through my pile of green bits to see what I could come up.

First up is an Orts block.  (Go here for a link to the pattern and a peek at how I'm constructing these blocks.)

I keep having the best of intentions of making more than one of these blocks each month, but here it is March and I'm still at only one-per.  Though there's a fair bit of March left, so maybe it could happen.

Next up were my beloved Centennial stars.

I enjoy planning and making these blocks enough that I'm starting to stack up some 2 5/8" squares for the centers for future blocks.  (It's an awkward size, but apparently there's some magic math involved that I'm totally willing to accept.)  Any time I'm cutting a 3" strip for something, I lop off a 2 5/8" piece and square it up.  I'm a firm believer in multitasking when I've got a rotary cutter in hand.

Speaking of multitasking - I'm slowly but surely piling up bits for Totally Demented.  My supply of 2.5" squares is being raided for sewing triangles, plus I'm cutting more 2" HSTs to add to the ones I'd already been stockpiling for my flying geese blocks.

Those poor flying geese - I've been dreaming of a flying geese strippy quilt for the longest time, but I keep cannibalizing the parts for other projects.  Most of my finished geese blocks ended up in my Gwennie medallion quilts, so I made some more.  But most of those got sucked into Long Time Gone (aka Are We There Yet), so I had to start over again.  Now my triangles are getting drafted into yet another side project.

Someday my geese will come, but it doesn't look like it's going to be anytime soon...


Linking with SoScrappy for ScrapHappy Saturday.  Come see all the limy goodness!

A little bit of mystery

With a free afternoon and no snow falling, I finally caught up with Libby's Mystery today.
It was an easy clue she gave us - just sew the rectangles together.
So I did.

And then, I had to play with them, of course.

And then, since I've never been one to leave well enough alone, I cut out some more pieces from another color.

And then I had even more things to play with.

Meanwhile, I was working on this.

Which, to my joy, became this -

Burgoyne is officially Surrounded.  I sincerely love this quilt (it looks even better in real life!), and I'm so grateful to Cathy for making hers and inspiring me to make my own.

Now I just need to think about a border.  I definitely want to run some neutrals around the outside edge, in order to float the whole thing.  It's just a question of if I want anything else.  You just know I want to make some fun fantastic pieced border that will be way more complicated than necessary, because that's what I do.
We'll see if I can restrain myself...


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