Saturday, September 15, 2018

Forever in Blue, Jean

I’ve had Neil Diamond’s song “Forever in Blue Jeans” running through my mind today. (You’re welcome for the ear worm). Referring to the punny title of this post, I don’t even know if there’s a Jean who reads this blog. And I don’t want to be in blue forever anyway. But for this month, those of us participating in the Rainbow Scrap Challenge are concentrating on our darker blue scraps, from mid-range all the way to navy. And black or other dark neutrals if we have time. Angela is hosting Scrappy Saturday again and we’re glad that she has missed the worst of Hurricane Florence. But the inundation of the Carolinas is underway. If you live there, I hope you’re safe and dry.

Last week I forgot to post a picture of my some of my blue sewing. So, here’s the remedy for that. Selvage Squares - 17 at 6.5” and 3 at 4.5”. 


And as often happens. the Block Lotto block for the month of September happens to be the same color as the Rainbow Scrap Color - blue in this case.  Here are my two blue blocks. Aren’t they cute?


These are for donation to the group because I was one of the winners of the California Poppies blocks last month. Forty blocks toward a bright quilt! Stay tuned.

Moving along, I made the remaining four blocks I needed to complete the next round in the All You Need is Love quilt I’m making for my daughter Megan. Three “lollipops” and one friendship star.  


The lollipops on the left side are sewn to the main piece; the rest of them and the stars are just stuck up on the design board.  I will finish sewing that round and then put it away until later in the month or perhaps October.  But for fun, I pieced a few of the black and white checkerboard squares that will comprise the next round. What do you think..... will that be OK? Or should I do it in navy and white??


The hearts, all 54 of them, were pieced when we had the pink RSC month, so by the end of October I should have the next two rounds added on. The final row after that is an 8” block, yet to be decided. I’ll get more serious about it during the 4th quarter, since it’s a Christmas present.

I was playing with the collage maker that’s installed on my iMac, getting used to its functions since all the other free sites have either changed to paying sites or are so gooped up with ads and crap that they’re virtually unusable. 

Anyway, remember that awful block I pieced last week - my wacky take on this month’s lovely Squared Away block? Let me refresh your memory.... see the mess block at right? Well, when I put it into a collage maker, with just three blocks across and four down, with a bit of turning, it looked like this:
That might really look nice with more blocks - a full-fledged quilt. I’m going to at least tuck away the idea.


So what did I work on all week if there are no more blue blocks?  Well, I finished two quilts! YAY!!!

This is a safari-themed baby quilt that measures 46.5 x 55”. It went together so quickly! The fabric (all except the yellow) is an older line, Origami Oasis, by my favorite designer, Tamara Kate. I love the green block stuck in there with the blue. I truly was one block short of the blue (didn’t want to cut into the leftover stripe for the back) and had just the one green block.


I franken-pieced the batting, and quilted it with straight diagonal lines. Here’s the back.


It’s meant to be a gift for someone, but I’m not sure we’ll be getting together. So, it may end up in the donation pile.

My second finish was Linked Squares. All I had left to do on this one was finish the second half of the quilting, which I did last Sunday, and then bind it. 


Linked Squares finished at 64x80”. The binding is a great black and white stripe, and the backing fabric is a piece of abacus fabric I picked up somewhere on the cheap to use for an RSC quilt back. This was my Finish Along Quarter 3 goal #2 (see list HERE).


I’m planning on this being a donation quilt, but will wait and see if anyone else in the family asks for a quilt this year. 

And since we’re working with blue, I’ll add these pictures of my brother Steve’s hot rod, Hellion (named for our mom, Helen, who loved being called Hellion). Steve got all his stuff packed, loaded and delivered home right on schedule. 

Here’s one side of the 1930 Model A, looking from our front porch out to the street where it’s loaded onto a trailer.


And the other side of the car, looking from the street back to the house. Hellion had a rumble seat, but it’s been removed to accommodate something or other. Personally, I prefer accurate restorations, but Steve is all about hot rods and dragsters.


Now that Steve and his stuff are gone, I’ve got two guest rooms that will be getting refreshed over the next few months. The bedrooms, which are both along the front of the house, will get new double- or triple-paned windows. That will complete the replacement of all the windows upstairs, and all that’s left for next year is my studio window and a new screen door my studio outside door. 

Also, we'll be ripping up the carpet in the yellow “girly" bedroom so that the hardwood floor there will match the “African” bedroom/library and the hallway. Then I’ll have the ceiling, closet doors, and wood trim painted white (from the existing gray). I’ll complete that refresh by painting the wood-grain ceiling fan white and making a new quilt and jelly roll rug.  In the African bedroom, there are two walls to retouch or repaint since the futon we gave to Steve really scratched up the walls. I’m getting tired just planning it all..... the older we get, the more happy I am to pay someone else to do the work!!

12 comments:

  1. I bet that car attracted a lot of attention as it went to his destination! Congrats on your finishes. And I agree, your "mistake" would make a very lovely quilt!

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  2. Your Linked Squares quilt is great, Cathy! I love how that went together! That's a cool idea for your "mistake" block, too - just goes to show that nothing in quilting is ever really a mistake! Have fun with your refurbishing (wink!) - we need to be doing some of that painting at our house, too, and I'm not looking forward to it.

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  3. Your ear worm brought back the memory of seeing Neil Diamond in concert during my college years. He encored the chorus of that song 7 times. Thanks for the memory.

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  4. i love neil diamond - great blue work

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  5. Congrats! on getting SEW much accomplished this week. Not one completed quilt, but TWO? Nice work!!! Best of luck with those home projects.

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  6. Well you're certainly back on track with TWO completed quilts. Plus five gazillion selvedge blocks. And yes, I love the friendship star, but I won't be tempted again.

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  7. Wow, have you been busy. I think the design using your wacky block is terrific. I have a ton of home refreshing projects that need attention, but my husband doesn't do that kind of stuff well (on purpose, I think) and I haven't been able to find a handyman to do it, at least not one I can afford. And it's still hot right now (88° yesterday) when it shouldn't be, so nothing much is happening.
    Pat

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  8. Wow, two finishes! Woo hoo! The animal quilt is very cute but Linked Squares is my favorite! I love seeing it all quilted up, and the b/w stripe binding is just perfect. Congrats on both finishes!

    And speaking of b/w, I think the checkerboard looks terrific that way. Navy would work, too, but I'm partial to black and white. Then you can use more of the stripe to bind it, maybe? Do you have more of that? I'm binding a quilt today with a b/w stripe and admit it's making my eyes a bit buggy...

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  9. This Jean reads your blog, but for some reason does not remember that song, will have to look it up. And I do LOVE to wear BLUE and JEANS. What fun that you can now claim your house your own again, and get some decorating in as well, even if it may be by check rather than by personal elbow grease.

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  10. I had Blue Velvet as an earworm so now I guess I can change it up a bit.

    Wonderful design opportunity with that switched pieces block.

    I'll leave you to dithering about the All you Need is Love border. I'm not good at border design or medallion quilts.

    I wasn't going to make those lotto baskets but everyone is saying they are easy so I might have to give them a try. I'm not in love with stack and slash type blocks or applique but I do love baskets.

    And congrats on the finished tops. Way to go! Time to pick a new RSC block as a replacement?

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  11. So many great projects! I think Love Is All You Need is going to look great. I like the black and white checks - the black is not solid, so it lightens things up a little. Neat idea to try to collage your "iffy" block into a new design - I like it! I'm with you, I like the old, restored cars better than souped-up versions!

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  12. Oh wow - as always you astound me!! As for my vote re the black & white - I like it. I wonder if you could repeat some black somewhere else too....just to make it blend in?

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