The End of the Red

I say this every year in January, but hasn’t this month dragged on For.Ev.Er? Why is January so dang long, and spring just flits by in an instant? A question for the ages.

But we had a delightfully bright color, RED, to work with this January, and it has Sparked Joy for many of us. Yes, that is yet another reference to Marie Kondo. I think that her Joy Sparking will be the subject of punchlines in no time. Maybe even by the end of this never-ending month.  In the meantime, to spark your own Joy of the color red, why not hop on over to Angela’s blog and check out the Rainbow Scrap goodness??

Here is a recap of what I finished in the Red Department this month:

Top Rows, L-R:

10    Cracker blocks, 7.5” unfinished

12    Lover’s Knot 9-patch blocks, 6.5” unfinished

1      Row of Tumblers (plain and selvages) - about 8 selvage tumblers

5      Anvil blocks, 8.5”

Middle Row:

6      Strip blocks, 9.5” (plus one at 8.5” that ended up in the Parts Department)

1      Scottie Dog Quilt (or scottie god quail, right Louise?) made for donation

Bottom Row:

1      Bitcoin block, 4.5x12.5”

2      Crumb blocks 6.5” sewn, then added to last year’s to make 3 Crumbcakes blocks

4      Selvage 4-patches, 8.5” each

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

This week I also finished two flimsies, as shown in my last post. They are Saguaro Sunset and the last of the selvage blocks (from last year’s RSC) that have been sewn into a pink-y flimsy. Both of them are now basted and ready to be quilted. Come hell or high water, I’m going to finish Saguaro Sunset by the end of the month to claim it as my finished January OMG (One Monthly Goal).  Oh look, here is Saguaro Sunset now, just shining away on the basting table, waiting its turn under the needle!

And just for fun, I want to show you part of Cousin Kim’s latest quilt. Lately she’s been finishing the quilt bindings at home, then gifts the the quilt and I never get a finished picture. But I wanted to show you her Jelly Roll Race quilt. When she finished sewing it together, we checked my stash for possible backings and found half of this amazing duvet cover I’d bought last year at a thrift store. It matched the colors perfectly.

The floral is the duvet cover, of course. Every color in the stripes (not all are shown) is represented in the floral print. It was meant to be. I quilted it for her in a simple stipple and snapped this picture before she took it away.

And finally, it’s time for some Gratuitous Cat Pictures. You’re welcome.

Alfalfa (Alfie)

As the picture above shows, Alfie is an alert and energetic cat. He has two speeds; ON and asleep. If he were a person, Bruce and I decided Alfie would be a cross between Robin Williams and Steve Martin. A wild and crazy Little Rascal!

Darla

And this is Miss Darla. She is sweet, shy cat with a squeaky voice. I haven’t quite figured out who she would be if she were a person. On one hand paw, she’s very girly and diva-ish and loves to cuddle. On the other, she is very athletic (jumping down 3 stairs in a single bound) and sneaky and can bop Alfie around when they tussle. Any ideas who she is? Do your pets have equatable human personalities?