Friday, February 18, 2022

Nothing Going on Here Except Sewing

It’s been a really busy sewing week. It was a nice week overall, too, with Valentine’s Day (we don’t do anything special), some snow that quickly melted, getting our Federal tax refund and just the usual errands and play time. 

I got serious about sewing some of my aqua/teal blocks for this month’s scrappy color for the Rainbow Scrap Challenge. I’m linking up to Scrappy Saturday.

First I made four Bear Paw blocks; one each in 12” and 9”, and two in 6”:


Next up, 12 bullseye courthouse steps blocks:


I sewed seven 6” string blocks, but didn’t get a photograph. I will need to use them to round out this stringy quilt top that’s just pinned up to the design board for now.


As it is, it’s only set 6 across by 7 down, but I’ll add another column and row so it will end up 7x8, or 42x48”.  Oh, I also sewed a row of tumbler blocks. They’re hanging vertically on the right of the string blocks, but each tumbler row will sit horizontally in the rainbow tumbler quilt. Half the tumblers are a single piece of fabric and half are cut from crumb-pieced chunks. You may have to click on the picture to enlarge it to see that detail.

I hope to get the aqua strings quilt sewn and quilted this week and also the little quilt I made from the bits and chunks I showed last week. Here is that top, ready for pin basting:


The border isn’t as dark/stark in person as the camera makes it look. Some colors just can’t be captured correctly. It measures 40x44”.

I had a great package in the mail yesterday from Jo at Jo’s Country Junction. I volunteered to sew kids quilt tops into finished quilts for her Community Quilts program. I can finish them off and donate locally, directly to our Salt Lake City Quilts for Kids chapter, of which I’m an active member. The package contained 22 quilt tops! One was so large (72x54), that I separated it into two quilts measuring 36x54”. I’ll likely add side borders to bring them up to 38-40” in width. So, 23 quilts in all.

Anyway, I got backings pulled for every one of them from my stash. Whew! That made a dent in my backings. No, let me rephrase that. That made a giant hole in my backings! So I didn’t feel the least bit guilty when I found a good sale and ordered 17 yards of fabric for more backings!!  Watch for those quilts to finish up over the next few months. 

And as usual, I’ll close with an update on my Stay at Home Round Robin challenge quilt for this week. Gail, the SAHRR coordinator and this week’s hostess, called for appliqué this week, with an alternate of rail fence blocks for those who preferred that. Here is my progress quilt after this round.


If you didn’t see my post about it (design decisions and process), that’s HERE. And this week’s SAHRR linkup is here at Gail’s blog where you can see all the wonderful creativity of all the participants.

Have a good week, friends! If you need me, I’ll be in my sewing studio…..





17 comments:

  1. Loving the string blocks colors--I am wanting (needing!!) to make some string blocks...but trying not to get overloaded at this stage of my healing. (I actually slept well last night!! yay!
    Really cute bear paws those lil ones!! And the Courthouse blocks look great...
    You've accomplished a lot this week--hugs, Julierose

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  2. OMG, 23 kids quilts to finish. You are a glutton for punishment. Lots of lovely aquas swimming around your studio.
    Pat

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  3. Pretty bear paws blocks and I love those crumb-pieced chunks tumblers.
    WOW 23 tops!!! You will be busy, Cathy and the Children soon will be happy. Great aqua week!

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  4. Well you might have guessed that I follow Jo Kramer’s blog too and am in awe at what she accomplishes on the Charity Quilt front. Very sensible decision of hers to outsource donated flimsies directly to folk who are happy to complete them. But 22 tops! Crumbs, I think I would have fainted! However, you have obviously risen to the occasion, so good luck! I look forward to seeing the resulting masterpieces. Hopefully Jo will also send some backing fabrics your way too. Your weekly aqua blocks are great. The string blocks quilts in progress looks lovely. Also your Round Robin. Happy quilting!

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  5. The Aqua is looking good! I especially like the strings.
    I pulled a stupid move yesterday; You'd think I'd know better, but anxiety got the better of me. I am trying to get my last (last minute) project finished so I can get everything off in the mail. I was quilting the quilt for my granddaughter. The feed was stubborn in one spot, so I shoved, I mean encouraged, it to go through, but my finger was the only thing that cooperated, and I basically sewed it. A really bad word was heard throughout the house. Now, I have a very pretty bandage on the tip of my finger. I did not spill on the blanket. Today I will try again and since my finger is wrapped, I likely won't get it near the needle. Oh! I broke the dang needle pulling my finger out. Stupid, stupid!

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  6. What a great collection of scrappy blocks and projects! I'm especially crazy about your string blocks. And you already know that I love your SAHRR quilt with that fantastic applique border!

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  7. Sewing, sewing and even more sewing. With all your own projects going on, and 22 donated tops to finish, guess you won't surface for some time.

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  8. Those bear paw blocks are really great in all their different sizes! I love the string blocks, too, and the way you've combined them with other multi-colored blocks. Good luck with the charity quilt tops - I know you'll do amazing things with them!

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  9. Hi Cathy! Ahoy!! I just LOVE the newest addition to your round robin piece. So, so, SO cute. All you aqua/teal blocks are fab and I am especially partial to the bear claws. Twenty-three quilts! That is just fabulous. You are a true gem. {{Hugs}} a bunch! ~smile~ Roseanne

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  10. Loving those AQUA/TEAL scrap blocks, Cathy!! You are SEW sweet to help Jo with her Community Quilt program! I'm glad she's relaxed about how long it might take for you to finish 22(23) charity quilts. She sent 7 last year and only 3 have been finished, thus far. This year's H2H program should take care of a few more!!

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  11. So many wonderful projects! I'm having fun playing with aqua this month as well.

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  12. All your teal blocks look so festive! I keep trying to ignore the courthouse/bullseye blocks, but seeing your teal versions makes me want to go make some.

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  13. I was just saying how much I like the single color string blocks over the multi colored ones! And there you go and show how to use them both! Well. That opens up a whole new road to scrap usage! Thank you!
    Your SAHRR is fabulous! Love the appliqué sea creatures’

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  14. As always, such scrappy joys! The one-color plus multi string blocks are very eyecatching. And, LOL -- there you are in the high desert making another ocean-themed quilt.

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  15. So many fun teal/aqua projects! I have a stack of string blocks to use, so I'm going to borrow your idea and make single color string blocks to use with them. Thanks for that. And your SAHRR -- WOW!

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  16. Your String quilt would look wonderful with those tumblers as borders.

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  17. 23 quilts? Well then - you'd better get out there and hustle up some more because I don't think you have enough!!

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