It's A Top! Wonky Log Cabin

Wonky Log Cabin

It's a top!

42 x 56

This month the theme in my sewing space is Strings and Things. So far I've worked with bright strings and finished one twin sized top.   Continuing on with bright strings I made 14.5 inch Wonky Log Cabin blocks. 

For the centers I used multicolor on black 4 inch squares. They are left over from many long ago I Spy swaps. 

Most of the strings are from quilt back trimmings or yardage end cuts that are wonky or less than 1.5 inches wide.  I rarely do any cutting to make strings...they just happen.  When I was making the last top with bright strings I set aside any fun kid strings for this quilt. 

I spy...

And sew on...

Oh Scrap! at Quilting Is More Fun Than Housework

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CELEBRATE! (my word of the year)

April 11 - My refrigerator quit working on April 10. I was able to save the contents because I have a chest freezer and another refrigerator out in the breezeway. I shopped online for a new one, saw they had two in stock so ran into the store to purchase one of them. I hate shopping but thankfully because of my online research I was in and out of the store in no time with a new side by side to be delivered April 13. When I got home I saw FedEx had delivered my Dinnerplate Dahlia bulbs I ordered as a treat for myself a long time ago. 

April 12 - I received a surprise package with some fat quarters and larger pieces of yardage. That was a wonderful ending to a stressful day. I moved my sewing machine and all the other things I moved upstairs to be near hubby back downstairs to my sewing room. I also had to move furniture out of the way to clear a pathway for refrig delivery. I also had to move out and unplug old refrig and figure out how to turn off water hookup for ice machine. Then I measured to be sure old and new refrigerators  would fit through doorways so I would not have to remove doors or anything. Delivery folks evidently don't do that.  After an exhausting day I almost cried when I received that surprise package. 

April 13 - I had the best delivery guys ever! I mentioned that I had to make sure old and new refrig would fit through doorways. The info I received mentioned that if appliance does not fit through doors the delivery folks would just leave me with my old refrig and drop new one off in the garage.  Well, when I measured I forgot to include the handles of my old refrig in the measurement. Ugh. So delivery guy said he would have to leave me with my old refrig. and he would bring in the new one. I asked him if he knew how the handles came off and he said he couldn't help me with that. He further explained that the policy had just changed a short time ago due to a complaint and he was very sorry. I was going to get a hammer and just break the handles off at that point. Meanwhile he said they were going to unload and bring in the new one that would fit through the door because handles were not on it. I went to look online as to how to take handles off my model of refrig but internet was not working. Ugh! I felt like crying. And actually I may have. Then suddenly one of the delivery guys came back in with an electric screwdriver, said nothing, and took off my old refrig handles then they hauled out my old refrig and brought in the new. When it came time to hook back up the water line to refrig they said they didn't do that. I was confused because the store said they would do that (but delivery is contracted out to a different company) and made me buy a new line because they said delivery and installation would not use old lines. I thought I actually paid to have them deliver and install.  So, I went to get my pliers to hook things up myself using the old line since new line would have to be threaded behind cupboards to under the sink. Delivery guy grabbed pliers from me and went ahead and hooked up water for me and waited for me to turn it back on and make sure everything worked okay. I gave both guys a small tip and they thanked me and said that made their day since they both really needed that. And I thanked them and told them they don't know how much I appreciated them helping me out when they really weren't supposed to. I'm not really a huggy type person but I felt like giving them both a hug right then and there. But I didn't. I just told them thank you, thank you for their kindness (doing what they weren't supposed to do for me) and told them they were the best and wished them a wonderful rest of their day. 

A String Flimsy

It's a top!

60 x 80

Most of the strings were quilt back trimmings. 

The black center string has all sorts of positive phrases. 

It has been a rough couple of days. First the riding lawn mower had a flat tire and then it would not start. Then the internet was out for a day. Then last night our refrigerator/freezer quit working but good thing I noticed before I lost all the food. I have a chest freezer and second refrigerator in the breezeway. 

But you can't be sad or upset when doing mindless sewing with all these bright colors!

And sew on...

Finished or Not Finished Friday at Alycia Quilts

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CELEBRATE! (my word of the year)

April 9 - Finished a book - Double Jeopardy by Sheldon Siegel.  It is book #14 in the Mike Daley/Rosie Fernandez legal thriller series.   I've read all 14 in the series so far and I think I have two more to go.  I didn't think this one was as good as some of the others in the series. 

April 10 - Worked out in the gardens most of the day-- planting and weeding and clearing beds. For a long time  I watched a flower fly aka hoverfly (they look like little bees but aren't harmful and are important pollinators) that landed on my arm. I must be a lot sweeter than I look because it spent a long time licking my arm. Or maybe it was the salty sweat?   I also spotted a Tiger Swallowtail butterfly. They are so beautiful.   I also harvested asparagus and had it for dinner. 

 

Special Delivery

30 Quilts

in bundles of 5

I will be handing them off this afternoon to Elise with Fostering Crossroads. 

Only about 1/3 of these are from last month's quilting marathon. The rest were finished last year. I am still going to mail about the same amount of quilts in small batches over the next few months to a coordinator for both Wrap-A-Smile and Quilts Beyond Borders.   And I am making more. 

And sew on...

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CELEBRATE! (my word of the year)

April 7 - After the rain stopped, the winds died down a little and the sun came out I walked out to see what was new in the gardens. I spotted my first butterfly of the season - a Red Admiral (Vanessa Atalanta). I couldn't believe it. It seems a bit early for butterflies but I did a little research on them in Iowa and found they do start to appear in early April. I didn't have my camera with me but here's a link to Iowa State University and some basic info on Red Admirals if you are interested.

April 8 - Quilt delivery!

 

Strings

I've finished using strings to make 48 ten inch finished string blocks with black centers. Now blocks are ready for assembly. 

Before I put the bright strings away I started a set of 12 Wonky Log Cabin blocks with 4 inch black centers.  These will finish at 14 inches. I only have one more round to go on these. 

And sew on...

Oh Scrap! at Quilting Is More Fun Than Housework

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CELEBRATE! (my word of the year)

April 6 - I finished another book -a bit of a tear jerker - The Five Wishes of Mr. Murray McBride by Joe Siple. A centenarian finds purpose when he meets a boy with a terminal illness and a wish list. 

 

This And That

Twilight Flock

6 inch blocks

I was busy with my quilting marathon in March so I did not get any Rainbow Scrap Challenge blocks made. This month I need to catch up on a few blocks and colors. I made my yellow blocks and had a few other 2.5 inch scraps near my cuting mat so turned those into Twilight Flock blocks too. 

Bow Ties

3 inch blocks

I had red and purple blocks cut but now sewn together. I don't think there will be any yellow ones this month. I don't have that many yellow scraps.  I've been making these for a couple of years and I think now I have over 600 of them. 

Boo Boo Patch

3 x 6

That's my name for the blocks because I made a mistake when making them. I sewed two 1.5 inch width scraps together and mistakenly cut the strip sets apart at 1.5 inch instead of 2.5 inches. Of course I also figured out incorrectly the length of the strip I needed in order tto cut them apart at 2.5 inches too. So Boo Boo Patches is what I ended up with and continue to make. 

Windmills

4 inch blocks

I make these from 1.5 inch width scraps or 2.5 inch width scraps. 

Lil' Baskets

4 inch blocks

Switch Plates

3 x 5 inch blocks. 

9 Patch 

Potato Chip 

6 inch blocks

And sew on...

RSC ScrapHappy Saturday

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CELEBRATE! (my word of the year)

April 5 -- After a couple of days of snow, rain and wind it was a nice sunny day. Everything that was in bloom before the bad weather is still in bloom! That's definitely a cause for celebration!

Ear worm:

Here comes the sun, doo-doo-doo-doo

Here comes the sun

And I say, its alright

     ...the Beatles

 

Fan Flowers

I finished another set of Fan Flowers. Two more sets to go.

Free pattern Fan Flower Quilt at Tilda's World. 

I blogged about the first set back in February. 

And sew on...

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CELEBRATE! (my word of the year)

April 3 - Received a surprise package in the mail. There were two sets of vintage blocks in there. More on that with pics later.

April 4 - Celebrated seeds by planting some! - tomatoes and brassicas and basil and perennial scabiosa are planted and under lights now in a corner of my sewing space. Peppers are already there on a heating mat and sprouted. Sweet peas are getting out of hand and ready to plant. I have them on a card table in my living room near the deck now. Before we had the two days of rain, snow and high winds I was taking them out on the deck for a few hours each day to harden them off. 

 

Things - Coins

Strings and Things is the April theme in my sewing space.  

These strips kind of qualify as both. For awhile now instead of throwing everything into the string box I have been cutting two inch strips if possible from strings in saturated colors. Then I have been matching up pairs of strips, sewing them together and then cutting them into 3 inch width pieces and sewing back together for coin strips. I now have quite a few strips in different lengths and colors. 

I will continue to work with the strips I have cut and then assess what I have and whate size quilt I can make. I'm hoping maybe a twin sized comfort quilt.   I have not ironed them yet because I want to nest seams when I put the top together and so at this point don't know which way to iron each strip set. 

And sew on...

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CELEBRATE! (my word of the year)

April 2 - I am thankful for my continued good health. If I didn't have it I would not be able to take care of my husband John at home. At home I have been making sure he gets the best of care. He continues to improve. 

April 3 - I am thankful I am retired. It has been snowing and windy all day. I don't have to go out in it to get to work and home again. I know I'm a good and safe driver but not everyone is. I used to dread being on the road in bad winter weather. No dread now!  Also, since I'm retired I am able to stay home and take care of John. I LOVE retirement! My last day of paid employment was Feb. 28, 2017.  My first job (not counting babysitting) was at age 15. On weekends and in the summer I worked at a soda fountain.