Rolling in the Pink

This week I had a few couple-hour stretches where I was able to make some good progress sewing on my pink scraps. I’m still rolling in the pink scraps (and yes, I listened to Adele when I sewed this week).  Today I’m linking up with the other fun and crazy ladies who participate in the Rainbow Scrap Challenge, so come visit us at SoScrappy!

Above are my 16-patch blocks of 2.5” squares. Every month this year I’ve made ten, so I now have 70 on hand. Since we’ve got 3 more months of color before we begin RSC quilt assembly, I should end up with 100. Or maybe just 90, depending on what the colors end up being. At any rate, that should make at least a couple decent-sized quilts. Or I may save some to use as alternate blocks in a future quilt. So many options.

Next up are my vintage sheet rail fence blocks. These were a blast and a breeze to make. How appropriate, since the weather here has been blasting hot and any breeze is appreciated!

These colors and sheet fabrics just make me so happy! Don’t you love their cheery, blowsy patterns??  The addition of this color to the quilt is really going to round out the palette. All I have left to make for this are the yellow blocks when that color comes up.

And I also knocked out 2 Dresdens, although I’m thinking I should start calling them Dread-sdens. I do NOT look forward to doing them any more. They are getting boring to me.

But I do like the centers and the varied backgrounds of plain pink, yellow and blue.

And I really like the various doilies and vintage crochet pieces and yo-yo’s in the centers.

So now I have 14 blocks, and I will make two more; one red and one yellow. The blocks will then be set 4x4, so the quilt will end up being approximately 76x76”.

I’ve also begun quilting a quilt sewn by my cousin Kim, and she did it all by hand except sewing on the border. I’ve finally convinced her to return to sewing with her reliable old Kenmore. If she doesn’t bring him (Ken, the machine) when she comes to sew, she can use my reliable old Kenmore. The Ken twins. They’ve never let us down.  But I do prefer to sew on my Bernina, Bernadette. (You DO name your sewing machines, don’t you?)  But I digress... getting back to Kim’s quilt; I’ll show a picture of it when it’s done. Hopefully later this month.

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It’s still Apricot Madness here at our house. The poor apricot tree had its tallest branch break just as everything ripened. Then we cut down two more branches (and picked all the fruit) that were going into the neighbors yard, as well as cleaning up the apricot mess for them. We have two more huge branches propped up, and Hubby picked then pruned one that was up on the rooftop.

The tree is in the backyard, mostly, but some branches spread out to the front side yard. Below is a picture of the one large branch that is supported and just now ripening in the back.  We are starting our THIRD WEEK of apricots

Below is a picture of the other branches that are supported by a 2x4 AND by the former broken branch. It had a V at the end, so we used it to help prop up the over-laden branches. Picking on these branches will probably begin today. These will be made into fruit leather, because I am up to my eyeballs in apricot jam, puree, dried and frozen apricots.

view from front side yard

My hydrangea bush finally decided it likes where it’s growing in the front flower bed, although this picture was taken past its prime. I should cut some blooms and bring them in to dry.

My flower pots are looking good, but I only put 7 out in front this year. Please excuse the drip irrigation lines leading to each pot. They rather destroy the aesthetics to a degree, but are so necessary. A couple of the larger pots even have two lines. We have them set to water with the sprinkler system.

And if my porch pillars look a bit rough, well, we are working on them. I have scraped them in preparation for a new paint job. Hubby removed the old rotted wood bases and is replacing them with composite bases (after waterproofing the wood).

The one below has the C-clamp on it. The above one gets it next when the 4th side is added. I hope to get them both repainted this coming week. I will re-do them mostly brown, but want to add some color in, like yellow and orange to match the house and front door.  There is even some pale lime green I may add. I’ve been saving Pinterest ideas, but I don’t know how bold I’m willing to go. We will just have to see!

The contractors finished with our rain gutter re-routing and soffit repairs. My new kitchen light fixture arrived. Now I need to get my contractor out to paint the kitchen ceiling so I can paint the walls. Hubby will then hang the new fixture and take the old window coverings off. The new shutters will arrive mid-August. Slow progress, but progress it is.


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