Amarillo Skies Revised and the Long Distance Runner

I participated in an online fabric swap last year hosted by redrainbootshandmade. I loved the wonderful variety of all the 5" blue squares that I received but struggled a bit with how I was going to use them. Julia, the swap host, offered a pattern to go along with the swap, her pattern was called "Amarillo Skies". It is a great pattern but revised my version a bit to include a blue/gray sashing (stashed fabric that's at least 35 years old!) and stars at the block intersections.  I'm happy with the results, now to find that perfect backing fabric. "Amarillo Skies Revised" measures 62" X 74". While I was stitching ASR I was also piecing a runner, L-E style. 

This is the result, a long distance runner for sure! Made up from long ago pieced 4-patches (1.5" squares) set into a square-in-a-square setting, this runner will serve those sitting at the kitchen island. It measures 113" X 17" and has 1,222 pieces (but who's counting?!?) that all came directly from the stash, nothing was purchased special for this project.

I even managed to piece a backing (and batting) from what I had on hand. Waste not, want not! 

And, just like that, quilting has begun! It's too hot to do much outdoors right now.

How are you staying cool this summer?

Life is Good!

 

Snow Happens...

How does that saying go: "life is what happens when you're busy making other plans"? Well, sometimes SNOW happens too! The best laid plans, one for a retreat weekend with my quilting friends at a not-too-far-from-here state park, was preempted this past weekend for this forecasted snow event. Since the retreat was supposed to commence on Friday I jumped right in at home. Disappointed, but resolute, I pushed forward with determination to  make the weekend count!

Working solely from precut Tumbler scraps I was able to get this lap quilt (58" X 70") pieced by the end of the day on Friday, the snow began falling in the early afternoon. This is one of many that I've made this way (Leader-Ender style). I will quilt it up later this year and pass it along wherever it can be best used. The scene at the top was taken outside the sewing room window on Saturday morning. We had about 4" of the white stuff and it was done snowing by dawn. 

Our son and his family drove out to our house for some outdoor fun: rural-road sledding and snowman construction. Gregory had already called it quits by the time Frosty was complete and was indoors with Nana making hot chocolate!

Staying snug and warm inside, the remainder of Saturday and Sunday (church was canceled) were spent getting "No Scrap Too Small" joined into a 60"X 80" flimsy. Another lingering UFO comprised of 4-patches that had gone together L-E style for the past year, at least, were finally set together; I'm calling this one done. ✔

Here's the 10" block. Each one has 43 pieces, the bitty 4-patch sub-units finish to 2". I loved using them up and combining them with Low Volumes that I have squirreled away. All in all, it was a productive weekend.

Naturally I missed my friends, but it's not like I was alone in the sewing room, not at all! Our group has already rescheduled and have our collective fingers crossed that the snow won't return again, at least not this season. 

And sew, the decks are cleared and could that be an entirely new project already in the works? You betcha! This weekend was a perfect illustration of the fact that we are not in control, He is. So, it is up to us to turn an unexpected event into something else, something positive; to learn and to be thankful for whatever comes our way. Sometimes the unexpected might just be white flakes falling from the sky, and that's okay. What a great lesson! 

Life is Good!

The Confetti Chain and Other Warm Weather Happenings

This is what I'm calling "Confetti Chain",  as it stands right now, 24 blocks. I hope to add the same number more; making it a generous 60" X 80" quilt. Eventually.

Here's the basic block unit laid out. Each block has forty three pieces! I can't remember where I ever saw this and I can't find a source. My version uses lights and darks out of the 1.5" scrap bin for the 4-patches. The background is all different low volume prints (one of my fondest weaknesses) cut into the following: 7 - 2.5" squares, 2- 2.5" X 4.5" rectangles and 2- 2.5" X 6.5" rectangles. That's it. I keep these going by the machine all the time and stitch them up leader-ender style as I am assembling other things. I needed to get this together so that I could fold it up and get it off the design wall for now to start auditioning different projects that are also in the works.  

The birds are out in force! We've got five baby bluebird hatchlings in the birdhouse and various birds nesting everywhere around us! It might be hard to tell in the photo but this determined Mama decided to build her nest and start her family directly on top of a flood light under our eaves! We have to be careful not to turn that light on accidentally when we go outside after dark; talk about a rude awakening!

And this... totally unrelated to anything else in this post. Those of you who've followed this blog for a long time will remember when Mason, our oldest grandson, was born. He's now almost driving age and serving as a Jr. Swim Coach for his neighborhood pool this summer. Our daughter sent me this picture yesterday. Here is Mason holding one of the youngest swimmers that he coaches; at a meet last evening. Could this moment be any sweeter? I don't think so, at least not for this Nana. 

Don't forget- today, June 13th, 

is the day; make it count!

Life is Good! 

One Stitch At A Time

During my bone-mending "sabbatical" from this blog I have been stitching away. Smaller, close to my body movements such as cross-stitch and piecing didn't over-reach my capabilities. I HAD to do something other than sitting still and reading! This Blackbird Designs sampler spoke to me. I'm drawn to "bee" patterns especially, maybe because my first name is actually Hebrew for bee. 

This began taking shape on the design wall at the same time. The smallest pieces are totally out of my 2.5" squares bins, and the background squares and recs are from my Low Volume stash. This is a fantastic L-E project; I love the secondary design that is emerging. I'm not sure how much farther I'll go with these 10" blocks; if I stopped now it would be a good table-topper size for our breakfast area (but will I?). These blocks grew as this, below, was being joined:

and sew it goes,

buzzing through the projects here, 

one stitch at a time...

"His labor is a chant,

His idleness a tune;

Oh, for a bee’s experience

Of clovers and of noon!"

excerpt from: "The Bee" by Emily Dickinson

Life is Good!

Finally, A Finish!

No, not a quilt finish but a finish nonetheless. I believe that I started this one the summer before last but it's done, in a frame and ready for its close up! I had to laugh when I read Mary's Country Threads blog the other day and she referred to quilters who've taken up cross stitch as "jumping ship"! I haven't gone all in, as in totally overboard, but I do stitch to unwind in the evenings and have an outing to a cross stitch shop planned for tomorrow! Maybe I'm in deeper than I thought. 😉  It's been hard to get into the sewing room the past few days what with getting the perennial garden weeded and cleaned up for new growth emerging, and tending to the sourdough! Seriously, keeping up with the starter and using it on a regular basis is like a adopting a baby! Last week I did a big batch of cinnamon rolls and this week I've baked rustic whole wheat loaves as well as bread bowls for soup.  

Whole Wheat

Bread "bowls"; these were yummy!

I did manage to get another (2024) BOM block together in an effort to stay ahead. I'm still working backwards (2023) too, as time allows. I'm also piecing blocks L-E style at the same time; stay tuned for those; they're cute. 

    What's on your "finished" list lately?

Life is Good!

Removing Bricks

"Zippity Doo Dah" is all quilted, off the rails, trimmed up and ready for binding. This quilt measures 76" X 64" and removed 192 light colored 2.5" X 4.5" "bricks" from my precut scrap bin. That might sound like a big number, but I still couldn't manage to even get the top on the bin; it remained full-to-overflowing. I knew that I could do better. As I posted last week and the week before, the Potato Chip quilt took shape, leader-ender style, as I was piecing a different top. 

 

As of this morning the Potato Chip quilt (on the wall) is fully pieced and measures in at 64" X 80"; a good, usable size. This little endeavor helped to remove 640 bricks from the bin! I'm on a roll, and now, not to be defeated by my own scraps, I'm moving on to another design while still working out of the same bin! Yay! You can see the blocks on the table and how they combine; again, using light/dark contrast to make the columnar setting stand out. I was inspired here; this scrap quilt design showed up in my Pinterest feed and the time was right. I guess this must mean that I'm working on a series~ a first for me!

So, the brick removal continues and with any luck at all, the bin's contents will begin to dwindle. Another 4, 5, or 6 hundred and I should be in pretty good shape, at least I'll be able to place the lid on this bin and hear it snap shut! Oh, happy day!

Sew, what's next?

Life is Good!

How One Good Thing Leads To Another...

Have a look at the fast-accumulating Potato Chip* blocks that are appearing, L-E style, as I continue to set together the Stitching Kindness quilt. That one is currently residing on the design wall as the rows are being stitched which is why these blocks are currently occupying the design floor. I just love the happy, chaotic, scrappiness of this one. The original idea behind this leader-ender diversion was to empty out the 2.5" X 4.5" scrap bin. As you can see, even with this many blocks done, I've barely made a dent. ↓

Which makes me think that perhaps I need to make another one after this. Yep, I can see why this one was called the Potato Chip block; in my case, I can't (or shouldn't) stop at just one!

 Life is Good!

* See here for previous post.

Betcha Can't

What to do with a full-to-overflowing bin of 2.5" X 4.5" bricks? Grab a fistful and put together some Potato Chip blocks! I found this free pattern somewhere on the Internet, it was all the inspiration that I needed and this has become the perfect leader-ender  project, going together sew quickly I can hardly believe it myself; plus, this is so much fun! I should easily be able to get a couple of good-sized quilts from this bin alone. Scrap busting! 

Here's one block, easy-peasy.

And here are four blocks joined, for reference. The only thing that you need to pay attention to is light/dark placement and turning every other block a quarter turn to make the design come together. Go for it!

Betcha can't stitch just one.

😉

For those who asked, I had to so some searching; this is the picture that I found on Pinterest, 

the one that inspired me. I'm sorry to say that I can't give credit to the quiltmaker, that person is unknown to me. 

Life is Good!

Seeing The Light

My last post was a November "wrap-up" post and today we are mid-way through the month of December; that's a good indication of the busy-ness of this season that's upon us. I'm sure it's the same at your house. I'm ordinarily very organized regimented(!) about my approach to decorating the house and preparing for Christmas. Typically, I assign a task a day in the beginning of December and then shoe-horn in all of the other extras such as baking, wrapping and card-sending. I encountered a huge stumbling block to this approach right off the bat this year. The pre-lit tree that goes up in the foyer (usually on the first Sunday in Advent), our Chrismon tree, decided to be miserly with its illumination this year, only choosing to allow a portion of the bottom third of the tree to shine. After an inordinate amount of time trying to trouble-shoot the problem Mr. Goodneedle got out his wire cutters and turned that tree into a no-longer-pre-lit version of its former self. We went out and bought strands of lights. 

Our Chrismon tree, shining brightly again in all of its glory. This task took much longer than its allotted time and was almost a week beyond my original schedule. It was right about then that I realized that this self-imposed schedule of mine was driving me crazy; (and not only me but, I'm sure Mr. G. too, although he never said anything) it was at this particular moment that I saw the light (and I'm not talking about those minis strung on the tree)! What was the rush this year? For the first time in as long as I can remember there will be no holiday hosting this year. A calm descended over me when I realized that I could carry on at a slower pace and truly enjoy these days leading up to Christmas 2020, I don't know that I've ever enjoyed the process more! 

In the days since my "awakening" I've slowly placed the nativity in the dining room and put the garland on the mantle. I've become reacquainted with our nutcrackers and other collected decorative objects that only come out once a year. I've addressed and mailed all of our Christmas cards and parcels. The gifts are wrapped. Just this past Sunday our family room tree went up. It has ornaments representing our lives together since we were married: (and even some from my childhood) our children, our grandchildren, places we've lived and friends and family who are no longer with us. It was cherished time on Sunday placing each treasure on the tree. 

This is the first ornament we hung as a married couple, back when our tree was small and the ornaments were sparse. 💓

And, this year, I've had time to sew- a Christmas (for display next year) quilt! I have enjoyed every moment spent on this one. These are the blocks of the day that Moda introduced in October, the Stitch Pink initiative; I chose to stitch mine up in Christmas fabrics, Moda's "Naughty or Nice"  fabric collection.

I was in love with the little elves...

...and tucked them in wherever I could!  I chose to make this wall quilt square and only used the patterns for the first twenty five blocks, but I have them all downloaded and in a notebook. I've decided to do the same with their current Winter Frost sew-along. Today's snowman block is simply adorable!

While I was stitching and joining the blocks another tumbler quilt was growing under my needle, leader-ender style. I've got a head start on donation quilts for next year already. How many projects can you work on at one time? I suppose, if I'm being honest, I'd have to say that I'm working on three right now- consecutively. 

Somehow, this cute and fun little scrappy is clamoring for attention too! Isn't it a-MAZE-ing? I've decided that I'm going to make a huge stack of these blocks and let the grandchildren assemble them on the design wall; won't they like that? Anything that makes a dent in the overflowing scrap bins makes me happy~ and sew on and sew on.  Lots more has been going on around Chez Goodneedle too, including some really fun adventures. I can't remember a time when I've actually sat and spent time sewing in December before this year, the leisurely pace comforts and sustains me. Baking is on today's agenda. Stay tuned; rest assured that all is well and that there's a wonderful peace attached to opening one's eyes and seeing the light!

It's just taken me forever to realize that!

Life is Good!