To Do Tuesday 1-31-23

It's icy here in far north Texas! We were out and about yesterday morning just as the freezing rain began, and we saw SO many accidents. Early afternoon, the ice pellets began coming down in earnest, and we even had "thunder-sleet"! I would rather have snow, as the ground is now covered with a very slick layer of icy sleet, and more is on the way today and tomorrow. The temperature will stay below freezing until Thursday, and we will stay inside until the ice melts.

Today I am joining with other bloggers as we show our projects, plan, and encourage one another. Carol at Quilt Schmilt is our gracious host, and you will find the link to her linkup at the end of this post.

My daughter's sweet little kitty, "Roo"

Last week ended up being more busy than I anticipated, as I stayed with The Littles on Friday while our daughter traveled to New Orleans with  her boyfriend for a "Krewe Ball". I was there from 6:00am until 6:00pm, when her ex arrived to pick them up My husband took me then picked me up, so it was a long day for both of us, but we were very happy to help out, and Jenni had a blast! As you might imagine, I was exhausted on Saturday! That is a photo of one of her two kitties - the other one was hiding!

Cross My Heart flimsy!

These were my goals last week:

✅1. Work on Cross My Heart flimsy - Done, and I have a flimsy!

✔2. Work on SAHRR prompt - Although no actual sewing, I did do some planning!

❌3. Work on Sewcialites 2 blocks - I have not made any blocks yet, nor have I decided on whether to use a new fat quarter bundle or just go scrappy.

My playlist for the coming days:

1. Piece a backing for Cross My Heart

2. Get busy on SAHRR

3. Catch up on Riley Blake block challenge

4. Make two Sewcialites blocks

5. Play with whatever catches my eye!

I am linking with Carol at Quilt Schmilt - click and go see what everyone else is up to this week!

I Like Thursdays 1-26-23

Welcome to my list of likes! I like the snow! After a day of rain/ice pellets/ snow, it finally turned to all snow and we got about 1/2 inch on Tuesday night. The temperature hovered at 32, so all of it was gone by morning.

My likes mainly involve my family, my kitties, weather - and food - lol! We loved this baked spaghetti I made on Sunday. I used this recipe with a few tweaks. We had it again Monday, and it was even better!

I liked our time with our daughter and her new beau at The Stix Icehouse. My heart is happy seeing her so happy. We haven't seen her smile so much, well, ever!

I am not as big an Eagles fan as my husband - they are OK but not my favorite band. However, my husband ordered a Blu-Ray of their 2018 tour, and I LOVE it! There were two "new guys" in the band - Vince Gill and Deacon Frey (pictured above), who filled in for his Dad, the late Glenn Frey. Deacon has since left the band to pursue his own career. He is so cute! He reminds me of the dashing Jon Snow on Game of Thrones.💖

LeeAnna sends out some optional "prompts" for each I Like Thursday post, and today's prompt is:

"What are your favorite colors? Do you wear them or decorate with them?

Is there a specific color your family would say is your favorite?

Has it changed in the last few years? Is it influenced by the seasons?"

My favorite color is blue. I don't really know the correct terminology (I'm sure Helen at Word Weaver Art could help me out here!) but I like the variations such as periwinkle, cobalt, royal, and teal. For decorating, I tend toward neutral gray paint that blues will complement. My favorite color has varied some, but never far from blue. For a long time my favorite color was Depression glass called Ultramarine, and I still love that color. As far as seasonal colors, in the fall I am always ready to welcome gold, pumpkin, and rich brown, but I like to add in blue. My wardrobe does not have enough blue in it - the clothes I am attracted to  (leggings and shirts) don't always come in blues!

How about you? Do you have varying favorite colors, or just one? And do you decorate or wear your favorite color?

If you have a minute, visit LeeAnna's blog and see other affirmative posts!

To Do Tuesday 1-24-23

It's time for To Do Tuesday, when bloggers link up posts about their goals and accomplishments or progress at the blog of Carol, aka Quilt Schmilt! Thank you for hosting and helping to keep us accountable, Carol!

Today we are supposed to get rain mixed with snow - I'm excited! We do receive occasional snow here in far north Texas, but not enough for me! It should be a good day to stay in the sewing room and make some yummy soup in the crockpot!

Speaking of crockpots, Wendy at Ivory Spring is hosting a  Crockpot Weekend SAL on January 27-29. You can find a free pattern and details right here. I will be participating with some HSTs I have all ready to go. She has suggested crockpot meals for each day. Hubs is not a big crockpot meal fan (I don't understand!), so I'll probably do a crockpot loaded potato soup one day and a crockpot cocktail wiener appetizer the next.

These were my goals for last week:

❌1. RBD challenge block #3 - Not done, but there is no block for this week, so I will stay caught up.

❌2. Apply the SAHRR prompt for the week - Prompt for Spools was given yesterday, and I am still contemplating.

✅3. Make Cross My Heart blocks - Done and started on sashing.

A peek at Cross My Heart before sashing

Thank you for your prayers for our DIL. She is scheduled for her lumpectomy on February 2 and will likely have a few weeks of radiation afterward. I know she and my son are sleeping better since the ultrasound biopsy was clear and now she is not anticipating a mastectomy, but she is still understandably anxious about the outcome. I am in process of making the sashing for her quilt and hope to get the flimsy done in the next couple of days. We will take it to our grandson (who is an hour away from us) so he can deliver it next time he goes home for a visit.

Upcoming for this week:

1. Work on Cross My Heart flimsy

2. Work on SAHRR prompt

3. Work on Sewcialites 2 blocks

Be sure to check out other bloggers at Carol's linkup right here!

It's Monday! What Are You Reading?

Yay I finished another book! Now if I only knew who recommended it - if it was you, please give yourself a shout-out. I have resolved to remedy my book recommendations/documentations this year.

UPDATE: It was Patricia of Faith, Trust, and Breast Cancer - thank you Patricia!

Maybe you have noticed that my taste in books is all over the place. Above The Bay Of Angels is one of many books by British author Rhys Bowen, and I found this book to be delightful! It was engaging and satisfying and well written. The plot revolves around a female servant who becomes a cook in the kitchen of Queen Victoria. Although it is fiction, some aspects were based on fact. With our lovely heroine there is a bit of intrigue, some romance, a behind the scenes look at a royal kitchen, and  murder!

Within minutes of finishing Above The Bay Of Angels, I looked on Kindle Unlimited for more books by Rhys Bowen and downloaded The Tuscan Child. I'll start on it this afternoon with a glass of wine!

I am linking along with other bloggers to Kathryn's It's Monday! What Are You Reading?

I Like Thursdays 1-19-23

Celebrating good news! L-R: Grandson, DIL, son

Joining today with LeeAnna and other positive bloggers! My first like is a big one. Our daughter-in-law recently had a diagnosis of a small carcinoma in one of her breasts. Another area of concern was found during an MRI biopsy, and so she had an ultrasound biopsy. Yesterday she received a phone call from her oncologist, and the second area of concern is benign! Although she still faces surgery, she and my son are very relieved that the prognosis is so much brighter.

I like that our daughter is happy, maybe truly happy for the first time in any relationship. Here she is with her new beau who she met in her divorce group at church. They are attending church together and enjoying play dates together with their kids. We are having lunch with them on Saturday. He has already texted us that he is looking forward to meeting us and told us what an amazing daughter we have!

I like that God cares about our pets. A couple of weeks ago, my big ginger boy Jack Nicklaus had some tummy issues, and I was quite worried about him for a couple of days, to the point I was awake at night praying for him and down on the floor looking under the bed to check on him. Whatever it was righted itself, and he is back to his normal state of crying for attention and lying down on whatever I am working on in the sewing room.

LeeAnna's prompt for the week was this: Do you make lists? How do you do them, on your phone or a scrap of paper, or some other system?

Well the answer is YES! Lists make me happy and many of them are on Excel spreadsheets, which makes me even happier. In fact I have a folder on my desktop labeled "Spreadsheets and Lists" (see above photo.) I also have a small binder on my real desk in which I write down some of my project details and information about books I'm reading. And I have sticky notes scattered around the house!

Here is a "list" of just a smattering of my lists:

1. Weekly grocery list

2. Thanksgiving/Christmas To Do List

3. Daily temperature and precipitation lists

4. Song list

5. Former residences addresses list (we have lived in 19 homes starting with a tiny apartment when we married in 1969)

6. Various NCAA football lists

7. Projects for my husband

8. New recipes to try

9. Holiday menus

10. Projects lists

How about you, do you likes lists? If so, what is your "system"?

To Do Tuesday 1-17-23

RBD Block #2 Fanfare by Jill Finley

As I was preparing this post, it's a good thing I looked at the list I posted last week, because I had forgotten all about the block for the Riley Blake Challenge! I hurriedly finished it up so I could check it off my list - lol! I am linking today to Carol at Quilt Schmilt!

Here is RBD block #1  - The Cottage Garden by Beverly McCullough.

I have suffered from brain fog this past week. My husband and I are still recovering from our colds, with coughing and low energy. The Cross My Heart quilt was shuffled aside - onto my longarm table to be exact. It's a good place to store projects when I'm not quilting! I was unable to do anything on it this past week, but that's OK.

Jack was very helpful this past week. Here he is checking for loose threads on the SAHRR block.

Here were my goals last week:

✅1. Continue to work on SAHRR block - Done and posted about it here

✅2. Make RBD challenge block for this week - Done and pictured above

❌3. Try to finish Cross My Heart quilt

My playlist for the coming week:

1. RBD challenge block #3

2. Apply the SAHRR prompt for the week

3. Make Cross My Heart blocks

I am linking with Carol, who is our gracious To Do Tuesday host! Do take a few minutes to visit her blog and see what other bloggers are up to this week!

2023 SAHRR - Starting Block

30" square Delectable Starburst

Today is the beginning of the 2023 Stay At Home Round Robin (SAHRR), hosted by the fine folks listed alphabetically at the bottom of this post. Click on each one to see their introductory blocks!

SAHRR is a fun event that starts with each person having a center block (or orphan block), and borders are added by way of a "prompt" or suggestion from the hosts. Starting next Monday a prompt will be given each week for you to use in any way you like, and on March 13 there will be a parade of the final quilts or flimsies. There are several event sponsors, so there will opportunities to win a neat prize! Find out more by clicking on the logo above.

 

Pattern inspiration photo from Pinterest

Our posts today feature our center or starting blocks. Mine is called Delectable Starburst, and I first saw this photo of it on Pinterest. Clicking on it did not give me the pattern, so I searched all over the internet but never could find it. Then I tried to figure out the pattern myself but had no luck with this and finally gave up. A few weeks ago I was looking at photos I had saved and came across this ponto and fell in love with it again. I decided to send a message to the person who posted it on Pinterest. And after a few weeks I got a response!

I can't tell you how delighted I was to find that yes there is a pattern, and the pattern author, Carole Dietrich, very graciously refused payment and gifted me the pattern! Her only stipulation is that I do not distribute the pattern and to send her a photo when I make it. So you can see that I really want to do justice to this beautiful block!

Color inspiration photo

Toby approved the fabric selection

For colors, I chose the ones from the afghan bed runner I made last summer (read about it here). I love the variegated yarn with its brown, purple, gold, rusty orange, and various shades of gray. My SAHRR plan is to make at least a throw-sized quilt for the bed. Carol's instructions for making this block were excellent, and there were tips included that were very helpful. I was amazed at how everything went together, and it made 30 inch square.

2021 SAHRR All Roads Lead Home At Christmas

This is my 3rd year participating in SAHRR. My quilt for the 2021 SAHRR is one of my favorite quilts -  "All Roads Lead Home At Christmas" - and it graced the guest bed during the holidays. You can find the inspiration for the center block here at the blog of Pieceful Thoughts by Wendy.

2022 SAHRR flimsy

My 2022 SAHRR flimsy was originally a block called "Christmas Logs" from Moda's Countdown to Christmas 2018. I had intended to finish it for this past Christmas and forgot all about it!

Jack is checking for loose threads.

If you'd like to join in SAHRR for this year, it isn't too late! Just click here for information and jump right in - there are prizes to be had! Be sure to check out all the other starting blocks and check heck next Monday at any of the blogs listed below for the first prompt!

Anja at Anja Quilts

Chris at  Chrisknitssews

Emily at The Darling Dogwood

Gail at Quilting Gail

Roseanne & Sue at Home Sewn by Us

Wendy at Pieceful Thoughts

I am linking my post to the following blogs:

Quilting Gail

Monday This and That

Monday Musings

Sew and Tell

I Like Thursdays 1-12-23

Today is my first time linking with LeeAnna of Not Afraid of Color for her weekly linkup of likes and positive posts. Thank you Leeanna, for hosting this and for so kindly answering my endless questions! I have read I Like Thursdays on many of your blogs and enjoyed them so much, and I decided that 2023 would be a good year to join in.

The first thing I like (top photo) is having our dining room "back to normal" after having to move the table to accommodate our Christmas tree. Our dining room is the only place we can put the tree. We will probably buy a smaller tree next year and find another spot somewhere!

I like this granola. My daughter gave to me, and although

I thought I preferred my homemade granola, this one is delicious!

L-R: Rosie, Jack, Katy, Toby

If you have seen my photos on Instagram, you know I like seeing my kitties comfy!

I like having a small TV in my sewing room. 

My husband surprised me with this TV for Christmas. As you can see I don't have any cord management in place yet. And another thing I like is what is showing on the TV - The Philadelphia Story!

LeeAnna sends out "prompts" which may be included in I Like Thursdays posts, and the one for this week relates to calendars - do you use one, what kinds do you like, and how did you choose it? Is it digital or wall or a diary type sitting next to your laptop? Or do you have another system to remember things?

Well, my answer is pretty simple - I use the one on my iPhone and the one in MS Outlook on my laptop. And most of the time they actually sync! But I really need a wall calendar, because there are so many times I miss seeing a paper calendar and all the days at a glance. I remember Mom always had a big, long calendar from Citizens Security Bank that hung on a door in the kitchen that hid a pulldown ironing board, if you can imagine that. She always hated that pulldown and never used it, so I think she was trying to hide it - that calendar was big! I think I miss having that, because I keep looking around in my kitchen for a calendar, just to see what day it is! I did buy a 5-subject small notebook to use as a planning calendar, because I refuse to spend money on ridiculously priced planners. (Famous last words - I'll probably buy one at some point!)

Be sure to check out more positive posts at Not Afraid Of Color!

To Do Tuesday 1-10-23

Another beautiful sunrise yesterday morning!

I'm excited to link my post today with Carol at Quilt Schmilt and other bloggers for To Do Tuesday! There were 32 bloggers who joined Carol last week on her first week as TDT host. You can join the fun by clicking on the link in her blog post!

Everett and Delaney at Mooyah. Yes, Everett is wearing a headband!

We met our daughter and The Littles on Saturday at Mooyah and enjoyed some good burgers and fries with them. Our daughter was happier than we have seen her in a long, long time (actually - ever!), mainly the result of meeting a new "friend" in her divorce group at her church. They have attended church together, met for lunch, and texted quite a bit. It has been a long and difficult year for her, so she certainly deserves some fun in her life!

Kaleidoscope

I did pretty good on my goals last week:

✔1. Make the starting block for SAHRR - I didn't make it, but at least I picked fabrics, a pattern, and started cutting!

✅2. Piece backing, sandwich, and quilt Kaleidoscope - Done and posted here!

✅3. Make RBD challenge block - Done!

✅4. Get started on Cross My Heart QAL - Got all the pieces cut and started on first blocks!

Toby giving me the side-eye because I haven't finished my starting SAHRR block

And my playlist for the coming week:

1. Continue to work on SAHRR block

2. Make RBD challenge block for this week

3. Try to finish Cross My Heart quilt

Go to Carol's linkup to see lots of inspiration right here:

To Do Tuesday at Quilt Schmilt

It's Monday! What Are You Reading?

Yes it's Monday, and my body is feeling it. Not that we party on the weekends or even get out much - lol -  but I have been sidelined with a cold, and I never catch colds!

Today I am participating in It's Monday! What Are You Reading? hosted by prolific reader Kathryn at The Book Date, where we share what we have read and what is on our future reading list. I am still into "light reading". At some point I will need to read something with more substance, but for now I am content with pleasant, mindless reading. 

Snow Bells Christmas initially attracted me by the cover - covers are pretty important to me! It looked like the perfect read for me around the holidays, and it was. I felt that the main character was more likeable than some have been in recent books. Sylvie is taking a Christmas vacation from her job as a fabric designer. Of course she is coming off a breakup, and of course she rents the perfect house, and of course she meets the man of her dreams almost the minute she hits town, and of course there are some truly silly complications. But the author writes engagingly and without sappiness about Christmas holidays in snow (very attractive to me!), the cozy and friendly small town, and traditional values. I also enjoyed the connection to quilting via the fabric design process rather than the making of the quilt.

Snow Bells Christmas is the first book in the Snow Bells Haven series by De-Ann Black, and I have the second one, Snow Bells Wedding, in my queue. I also picked another book by the author, The Sewing Bee, and those two might be my last light reads for awhile!

Go to Kathryn's linky to find many good suggestions for your future reading!

Kaleidoscope - A Rainbow Scrap Challenge Quilt

I bet you're surprised to see a finish! I kind of surprised myself.

The week after Christmas I pulled out all the RSC blocks that had been residing in my closet since I stopped doing RSC (Rainbow Scrap Challenge) in July 2021. After two years of RSC, I had strings, Scraptastic Stars, scrappy Irish chains, and Geese Migration blocks. In that post, I dubbed myself "The Scrap Whisperer" (you can read about that here). The scrap whisperer returned and became a scrap shouter, so I arranged strings and Scraptastic Stars into an acceptable design, and this is the result.

As soon as my husband saw the flimsy, he said "It looks like a kaleidoscope!" 

The backing is pieced with fabric from Good Neighbors and a bright turquoise from Joann's.

I needed to get it quilted quickly, so instead of using a pantograph, I did

an all over meander in light blue, which blended very well with all the colors

This wildly scrappy and colorful quilt is truly a "scrap" quilt

and even  has "Frankenbatting" as the middle layer. 

Scraptastic Stars is a free pattern from Melissa Corey, and you can find it here. I would love to eventually make a larger quilt using only these, because it makes such a pretty quilt, but the pattern is so labor intensive for me, and I'm not sure I have the patience. However, it would be a good time for me to practice "leaders and enders", so we shall see.

I hope the recipient enjoys looking at the text prints and fussy cuts

Yesterday I delivered the quilt to our daughter, who will give it to one of the pastors at Grace Avenue United Methodist, the church she attends. The pastor told Jenni that she likes to have a quilt or two in her office at all times to take to anyone who is undergoing chemotherapy or who is in the hospital. So I have finally found a local place to accept quilts! My hope is that whoever receives it will feel comforted.

Soft and crinkly after laundering Washed with two color catcher sheets - no bleeding! 

Quilt Details

Finished size: 59" x 71"

Finished size after laundering: 56" by 68"

Patterns: Scraptastic Stars and string blocks

Fabrics:

Front: All from my scrap bins

Back: Flower in the Round from the Good Neighbors collection by Amanda Jean Nyberg and 

turquoise with dragonflies from Joann's Fabrics

Binding: Dark turquoise stripe from Joann's Fabrics

Superior thread So Fine #50:

Piecing: #503 Genoa Gray and #402 Pearl

Quilting: #470 Big Sky

Binding: #519 Barely Mint

I am posting to these linky parties:

Melva's Sew and Tell

Brenda's Monday Musings

Joy's Monday This and That