Friday, September 21, 2018

Seven Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest

You’ve all probably seen or at least heard of the 1970’s classic film One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest, starring Jack Nicholson. The title is actually based on an old rhyme about geese (for quilters, that would be flying geese, hehe)

One flew east
One flew west
One flew over the cuckoo’s nest

So, this week in my sewing room (AKA the Cuckoo’s Nest), seven birds flew over. And all of them are in shades of dark blue (mostly), the color of the month for our Rainbow Scrap Challenge. If you follow the link to Angela’s Scrappy Saturday linky party, you can see what the other cuckoos, er, I mean quilters, are sharing from their nests!


Since I planned for this quilt to have a preponderance (I love that word!!) of blue, and had only made two birds back when we did light blue in January, I had seven more to stitch up this month. Mission accomplished. Here is the entire flock of nine bluebirds, hanging out together. 

They were a bit worried being out in the open like this, given that two felines (who shall remain nameless) live in the house. But we got the picture snapped and the birds tucked safely back into their work-in-process cubbyhole. 


The birds will be interspersed with Irish Chain blocks for a queen-sized quilt. My plan is to stitch as many of the remaining 28 Irish Chain blocks as possible next week. I need a total of 32 and have only done 4. So, the chain blocks plus sewing my crumb blocks in the remaining medium-to-dark blue scraps are on the agenda.

I’ve also basted the Orange Lozenges quilt (no picture) and started the quilting on it. That will finish up this week as well. And right now the design board has the second half of my bow tie blocks on it, so I’m hoping to get that flimsy pieced this week. No pressure. Gulp.

But getting back to this week, there was more than just birds flying out from under the needle. I sewed a replacement block for my Squared Away Sampler to match the first one, so here they are together. The wild and crazy one I showed last time is resting comfortably in the Parts Department.


And then I laid waste to my blue scraps and strings by making twenty (20!!) of these 8.5” quarter log cabin blocks.  These are just so much fun to make! 

Right now I have all 120 of the planned blocks I think I may need for a quilt, but I’m going to go ahead and sew some more dark green blocks next month so I’ll have some color placement options. When all is said and done, any extras not used in the quilt will go into the Parts Department. I’m hoping that I can find enough good stuff in there this winter to piece together a Parts Department Inventory quilt.  

And are you beginning to think of the projects you want to work on for the Rainbow Scrap Challenge in 2019?  I’ll have my crumb block project carrying over (working title is now Crumb Cake). And one other project is assigned to the lineup. But there are several more vying for a place. I’m trying to vary my projects by piece size (crumbs, strings, chunks, small squares, etc). And I need a project or two to help me use some light neutrals and black/white prints. So it’s a fun process to try to “piece together” a working plan, while tackling items on my Must Make or Bucket lists.  

18 comments:

  1. I love your bluebirds - what a fun quilt that will be! And I'm curious what quilting design you're using on the orange lozenges. I really like your replacement block for the Squared Away Sampler. It looks to me like a double basket design. Do you know what that design is called or where I can get it? Thanks Cathy.

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  2. I love your Preponderance of Bluebirds! So cheerful. Good idea to be thinking about next year's RSC in terms of different scrap sizes. String and crumb blocks are on my list, with several more elaborate blocks still be pre-pondered.

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  3. Great preponderance of bluebirds ;)) Beautiful birdies, the color accent are lovely!

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  4. Great to see the bluebirds again, my favorite. I didn’t know the rhyme, however, the elevatoreons ago I worked at the same VA hospital where Ken Kesey had been a patient. I only worked in research, but one time a huge disoriented man grabbed my wrist and wanted me to take hin in the elevator. I got away fast.

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  5. Sweet birds! I'm loving the blues you have used, very cheery.
    Soon, my dear online friend...I will be sewing again, and posting! My new(ish) sewing room is almost ready to sew in. YAY for me! I'm still placing things and organizing so my daughter and SIL can move more of my furniture up. Right now I am concentrating on cutting my scraps into sizes that will be useful (thanks to Bonnie Hunter for the tutorial on what she does.)

    I'm looking forward to get sewing again, and it's just in time for the fall and winter temperatures where I won't be outside as much!

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  6. I love your bluebird collection, Cathy! They really have a pretty collection of blues! That floral is my favorite - is that your "inspiration" fabric?

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  7. Lovely bluebirds of happiness ;)). I will be looking forward to seeing how they fly with the Irish chain blocks..and you know I love your lozenges...hugs, Julierose

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  8. I love the bluebirds of happiness too! So sweet!

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  9. love how your are feathering your nest with beautiful blue birds!

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  10. Delicious! Bluebirds with a touch of lemon. However, if you let your cats play with them you could make a feather quilt instead.

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  11. The birds are looking great - can't wait to see them all together! Ditto for the quarter log cabin blocks. These may be on my RSC project list next year...

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  12. with your inspiration I might do birdies for next year's rsc :)

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  13. For me, your birds are to die for. I even put aside my fear of paper piecing and ordered the pattern. Maybe I'll join the RSC group next year. I have found I get more focus if I accept a challenge.

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  14. I just adore your little birds!

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  15. Bluebirds of happiness????
    I like the logs and think they are fun too. You are going to have one wonderfully scrappy, wonderfully colored quilt with those.

    Can't wait to see what 2019 brings.

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  16. Blue birds - my favourites!!!!! I've never seen a real live bluebird (despite them living not to far from here) so I'm more than happy to see your little sweeties.

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