Saturday, August 29, 2020

Purple Roundup for August

All year I’ve been making a single-colored quilt every month, following along with the Rainbow Scrap Challenge (RSC) color of the month. I call them Creature quilts just for fun in naming them, plus they are donated to Quilts for Kids to provide creature comforts. Well, for purple August, I needed another color in addition to purple to get the quilt up to a good size. Long ago I chose orange as the additional color because it’s one of my favorite colors, I have tons of orange scraps, and I love purple and orange together.

Originally this was going to be Creature From the Molten Volcano, but the sad truth of my scraps was that there was no volcano to be had. Or sewn. It was just not a viable creature. So, like Elvis, it left the building, folks. And who entered then? Why, it was the Creature from the Sunset Savannah! (YAY!!) I present to you this quirky creature...


The very loud Creature from the Sunset Savannah finished at 44.5 x 52”. It’s my 33rd quilt finish this year, which is one more than all of last year combined. Of course, most of my finishes have been smaller (less than 60” on all sides), but some have not. They are mostly just utility quilts for donation, and sometimes when I take pix, they look a bit wavy. But they’re always square and look much better once they’re laundered and get their lovely crinkles. :-)

Creature From the Sunset Savannah was the last project I wanted to get done for the Rainbow Scrap Challenge’s purple August. As I usually show at month end, here is my recap of blocks made from purple scraps. As usual, I’m linking up to Scrappy Saturday.

There were a total of 65 blocks this month, although one of those Beachcomber blocks (top left) isn’t pictured. I can’t wait to start a new color next week! (Can you believe that it’s almost September?) I think we’re due for either yellow or red.

I’ve spent a lot of time in the kitchen preparing and freezing vegetables from the garden. No pictures of that this week. So much has been going on..... our friends/neighbors from across the street moved away (only a couple blocks, but still, waaaaaaaah....); doctor appointments this week for Bruce, and ... he finally got his new robo-arm yesterday! Hooray!!


He’s supposed to wear it 2-4 hours at a time for at least a couple times per day and practice using it. He says it’s a bit heavy, but they say he’ll get used to it. Of course, the grandkids (and sons and sons-in-law) are all having fun making jokes like “be careful when you scratch your eye!” (and worse, as you can imaging with guys -  potty humor). One grandson asked if he could catch fish with it! I’m sure the questions and entertainment value of the grandkids’ questions and observations will be priceless.

And since the picture above makes it look as though Bruce only has one robotic arm and nothing else, I want to show you that all is well with his left arm too, LOL.

Since they had to amputate Bruce’s right arm above the elbow, he will not be able to have any finger function in a prosthetic. So they said that this double hook which grasps (opens and closes) and articulate like a wrist (spin) is the best option. He’d have fewer movement options with a phony skin-look hand. He will wear a t-shirt under it and should be able to wear a long-sleeve shirt over it in cool weather. You can see in the above picture that the length of the prosthetic from shoulder to elbow is a bit long. They’ll shorten that down the road. So, Bruce has been practicing. And every time I walk by him, he gooses me with it!  hehehe 

So, after my purple sewing was done, I turned my focus to working on the quilt I’m making for my DIL’s mom’s Christmas present. Here is the first block of Tyrol. Can I say how much I love this???


And then there were two, then three, and then FOUR!


There will be 1” sashing between the blocks (the pattern calls for 2” sashing, but I’m trying to reduce the amount of white). I also have a colored border planned. This is from the free pattern by Melissa Corry called Florabelle Bloom.

I have sixteen blocks left to sew. My goal is to sew four (or more if possible) per week in order to finish the top by the end of September. I’ve been sewing these slowly and carefully to maintain all the points. That’s a new experience from the slapdash method I use on the Creature scrap quilts!

That’s about it from here. Have a good week; be safe and wear your masks in public. 


22 comments:

  1. WOW that new Tyrol is simply gorgeous--beautiful colors in those blocks, Cathy;)))
    Glad to see that Bruce is practicing and doing well...must be challenging though...

    Your Purple Creature is amazing...I love quirky pieces like that..such fun...
    Take care stay safe and best wishes for Bruce, too;))
    Hugs, Julierose

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  2. Your Tyrol quilt blocks are lovely, no wonder you are enjoying making them. Good idea to make a few blocks a week, I find making a whole quilt’s worth of blocks quite tiring. Your collection of purple blocks and Creature from the Sunset Savannah is a definite winner! Well done to Bruce, he has such a positive attitude, good for him. ⭐️

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  3. All beautiful. Kiddos for posting hubby’s picture. I had a brother with both arms amputated at the shoulder.

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  4. So much goodness in your post, Cathy! First: hooray for the arm! Hope all the adjustments go well. I'll bet that animal print had been languishing in your stash waiting for the right occasion, and I'll also bet that you are relieved that that occasion arrived. Lots of great RSC purple blocks. Are you going to combine the blocks of their different colors? And, finally: Tyrol is a great design and I really like your scrappy blocks. (Now I'm going to check out the pattern.)

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  5. SEW much PURPLE and a new arm for Bruce? Looks like a good month at your house!

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  6. Love having the update on Bruce, and love you and your family having such a sense of humor about it all! I'm sure he will discover all kinds of ways to use his arm as he gets used to it. Your Creature quilt is just great! Orange and purple are a wonderful combination!

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  7. the tyrol quilt is going to be so pretty! those colors are so lush. Loved the arm update, yeah, boys....o0.

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  8. a scientific medical miracle!!! so cool
    LeeAnna

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  9. You did amazing with purple this month! Great news on the arm and I'm sure he and the grands are going to have a lot of fun with the jokes. Boys.... =).

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  10. Your hubby's robo arm looks snazzy and I might wonder, too about catching fish! He looks pretty chill with it and I hope the adjustment period goes quickly and well. (Then again, if he is already goosing you, it seems well underway!) The Tyrol quilt is very pretty...uh oh...I don't need another project! And as always, the creature quilt is fun and I'm sure someone will enjoy looking at all the different patterns and shapes and fabrics it offers. But 33? Wow! I'm impressed!

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  11. Lots of purple and the cute floral blocks are so pretty. Thanks for showing us the new hand, and I do hope your hubby soon has it working well and feeling comfortable with it. How kind of him to pose for cyberspace I'm sure most of us had no idea what a prosthesis looks like, now we do.

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  12. Best wishes to the both of you! An amazing couple! You crank out 33 quilts mostly for donation, and your DH just keeps on being Bruce! I hope his healing and rehab continues on the Good Road!
    I’m really partial to your creature quilts, but anxious to see Tyrol also! Looking forward to seeing your Red blocks next month...or will they be Yellow? Stay healthy and have a good week,

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  13. Your Tyrol blocks are GORGEOUS!!! You're doing a fantastic job of maintaining your points too! Good job! Great to see Bruce getting acquainted with his new hand & arm. I'll bet he thinks it's really funny to goose you all in the name of "practice"! Lol!!!

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  14. I always enjoy your end of the month RSC roundup. You get so much done, it puts me to shame. I loved the fabric pull for Tyrol and the blocks are looking good. Bruce's sense of humor (and yours, too) are no doubt making his rehab go smoothly. I'm sure he will adapt to the new arm in no time. Looking forward to the cooler temps of Sept, but not what's coming later. Our quilt group is having it's first get together since March in mid-Sept. Let's hope our Covid numbers stay low now that the college kids are back in town.
    Pat

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  15. It's so nice to put a face with the name! Good to see you Bruce!!!
    I love your Creature quilt this month. Of course, I am partial to purple, so of course this is my favorite one yet.
    The Tyrol blocks are beautiful! Your DIL's mom is one lucky woman to be the recipient of this quilt. I can't wait to see your next four!

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  16. Love those blocks!!!! I bookmarked that pattern from when you mentioned it last week; I love it and know I will go back to it. So glad Bruce is adjusting to his bionic arm.

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  17. Tyrol is going to be fantastic! And I really like the Creature from the Sunset Savannah! Great way to combine purples and oranges. I do get a glimpse of the mountains in it, too, but clearly they are not active volcanoes. Had a laugh at the thought of Bruce goosing you with his spiny claw! I hope he's not wearing it to sleep because if he goosed you in the middle of the night I think we'd hear the shrieking from here :)

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  18. Hi Cathy! Bruce looks just fabulous and in great spirits. The goosing you made me giggle - I'm glad he has kept his spirits up and his sense of humor. {{Hugs}} to both of you. I love all of your purple projects but even more, the Tyrol blocks. Ooh-la-la. That is going to be really gorgeous when it is finished and all together. ~smile~ Roseanne

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  19. Bonnie Hunter of Quiltville blog recently used 1" sashing and commented on how difficult it was... If she is anything like me, my seams wobble! But I know she's younger, and sews more than I do.

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  20. Creature from the Sunset Savannah - love it! Great combo of purple and sunset fabrics; I hope someone loves it to death! Thanks for the Bruce update. It's uplifting to hear good news! The Tyrol blocks are going to be fabulous!

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  21. I like the whimsical sunset Savannah. In any case, normal is boring :-)
    I love love love your Tyrol blocks. The fabric is so yummy, especially the green one. Bruce is such a good sport - letting you take pictures and sharing with all of us. He is looking good and I am sending him healing vibes and best wishes as he continues his journey with jokes and smiles.

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  22. Oh goodness - I can only begin to imagine the ribbing Bruce is getting from the family and what a blessing that he takes it all in good humour. Sounds like he's putting it to good use too (re goosing you every chance he gets). Can certainly see the devil in his eyes in those photos!
    I'm sorry that purple month is over....

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