Return Journey to Normal

There’s quite a way to go to get back to “normal” pre-Covid days. I’m not even sure what will constitute the New Normal, but at least positive changes are afoot. Now that we’re vaccinated and have safely navigated our post-vac waiting period - and now that spring is here! - our lives have taken noticeable turns toward freedom of movement outside the house. If we need to run an errand, go shopping or whatever, we do. We don our masks and avoid clusters of people, and we do wash our hands thoroughly when we get home. But I’ve actually been to the mall once, and we had son Shane and DGD London over for pizza one night, then we visited Wheeler Farm and visited the animals, walked and hung out for a couple hours. We had planned to go out to dinner one night, but I was feeling lousy on Thursday and Bruce was under the weather yesterday, so we haven’t done that yet. I’ve been struggling with arthritis and my Covid weight gain, so am back to dieting (*sigh*). With a little luck we can resume regular WW (formerly Weight Watchers) meetings and weigh-ins this summer. The virtual meetings just aren’t for me. 

But enough of that. What keeps me occupied almost every afternoon is sewing. There are always errands and appointments and housework for the mornings, but afternoons are for sewing and reading (and occasional napping). This week, I started off with some light and bright blue sewing for the Rainbow Scrap Challenge.  Here are my two Spring Star blocks.

And these are all the blocks I’ve made so far this year - two of each color every month. Each block is 12.5”.

I also got my waffle blocks sewn. Each quadrant of the waffle blocks is a block in its own right, but I’m sewing them together in fours. So, here are my three (twelve) blocks for April. They are 10.5” each.

With those blocks finished, I could move on to sewing up light blue toddler-sized quilts for Quilts for Kids. I showed you this first one in the piecing stages last week. Now, The Princess and her Monkeys (thanks, Katie) is a finished 42x48” quilt.

I was pleased with how well the light blue string blocks blended in. Since there weren’t enough of the princess or the monkey squares, I had to add in a few fillers, but they were cute things like birds, a hedgehog and such. 

The back was a piece (Stonehenge?) from my stash and the quilting was a simple flowing loop design. Most of the kids quilts I quilt are either loops or stipple because they’re so easy and quick.

This next quilt came together very quickly, so I don’t think I had anything to show before this week. I’m calling it Alphabet Monkeys, and it used up all the remaining sock monkey fabric (Praise the Lord!) I had on hand.  The blue- and white-background pieces were width of fabric, so I just arranged them pleasingly and divided them with red 1.5” strips. There was a enough of the monkeys-in-squares multi-colored fabric to make five blocks, and they were added in as another row near the top.

Alphabet Monkeys finished at 42.5x47” and was quilted with a stipple. For the backing, I used one of those 100% cotton alphabet/number curtain panels I thrifted last month. Perfect!

And the next light blue kids quilt went from an idea to a quilt top this week too. Here’s the finished top, but let me walk you through this a bit. The scraps from Quilts for Kids were the three blue and orange sea critter scraps you see below - in those exact sizes and configurations. They dictated the color scheme.  Other QFK scraps were a width-of-fabric (wof) strip of the blue dolphins, which I divided into two strips, some blue waves on white (not wof) and a 2.5” strip of gray anchors (at the very top). Oh, and those orange chevron scraps that had been trimmed from a QFK quilt backing - hence the odd orientation. To those I added some leftover chunks of Tula Pink Saltwater scraps in blue and orange from my stash.

It’s not the most beautiful quilt ever, but it works and I’m pleased with it. It measures 40x45.5” and will get quilted this coming week. I may even try some waves or curls or something. 

I’ll also be sewing my last set of light blue RSC blocks this week. And another item that’s moved to my priority list for the coming week is the purple 4-patch posy blocks. I want to get them sashed and sewn into a top. We have a QFK workshop in 2 weeks, and I’d like to have that one done by then.

And lest you think I forgot about those ugly 9-patch blocks from the 80’s that I showed you last week, think again. I got them all sewn together. Let’s take a look (if you’re brave enough. Warning; they’re U.G.L.Y.!!). First up, the pinks and blues. They’re on the design wall with some denim-colored cotton chambray that will be used as the backing. I had originally thought that I could use it for sashing or bordering them, but I wanted something to make these blocks sing. Heck, the chambray didn’t even get them humming, so it’s banished to the backing. 

I will probably still cut these 9-patches into Disappearing 9’s, but I’m thinking of bordering them with a light cream (or ??) first to add some other non-pink or blue fabrics into the mix. I’ve talked to several of my QFK friends, and one (Cyndi) thinks she may have something that will work as a border with these. We’ll see. So far, the best option from my stash is a Kaffe fabric turned backwards (wrong side), but I’ll be da**ed if I’ll use my Kaffe for this quilt. I’ve also scouted some fugly 80’s pink and blue floral prints on Etsy. If Cyndi’s fabric doesn’t work, that’s what I’ll order.  So this one is on hold for a couple weeks.

The next groups of ugly 9Ps are these green, gold, etc. blocks.  About 4 of them were the originals, and the rest I pieced from scraps to coordinate. These actually didn’t turn out too terribly badly. And I have that yellow which should help pull it all together. Not sure if this will be sashed 9-patches or a Disappearing 9P.  

Oh! Bruce ordered an early birthday present for himself. He got another guitar - a little one that he can play with his prosthetic arm. He has some “set-up” work to do on it, but it plays easily for him. Terri, I know you’re smiling here, but I have to admit to the world that Bruce has GAS. That’s Guitar Acquisition Syndrome (and he also has its sister disease, BAS - Banjo Acquisition Syndrome). He has promised me that he will begin selling off or giving away some of the instruments that he can’t play anymore. Right. I won’t hold my breath, though. I think our kids may have to figure that out some day!! (Just like they’ll have to do with my fabric.....)