‘Tis the Season to be Jolly

….. and I’m trying to fake it until I make it! Some sunshine would go a long way towards being jolly, and so would a little self control when it comes to chocolate. But this too shall pass, so I’m rolling with it and keeping busy. 

All in all, it was a fun and productive week. I’m just going to talk about all the things in the order that Blogger deigns to upload my photos, so let’s buckle up!

What a shock, I do believe they maintained their chronological order!

Last week, I may have mentioned that several of us women in the condo community decorated the clubhouse. I didn’t take pictures at the time, but on Monday morning of this week I was back there for a quick HOA Board meeting for us to decide the new responsibilities of each board member. (I’m going to be the Treasurer). Anyway, here are some photos I snapped of the clubhouse decor so we have references of what-goes-where for future years. 

Clubhouse fireplace and mantel

Christmas Tree and reflection of Karen and Carol working on hanging more decorations 

Side table in conference area

On Monday and Tuesday, I sewed more zipper pouches, adding six instead of just five to the total. 

Here are all thirteen that I made this year. 

One evening my Weight Watcher friends and I got together for our monthly card game (Hand and Foot). We try to make our December meeting a light potluck and inexpensive gift exchange. This year, my contribution to the buffet was this fruity Christmas tree. I snapped a photo of it in my kitchen before I wrapped it and carted it off just in case it didn’t survive the ten minute car trip (but it did). 

And here are Ruby, Annette and Ellie at the buffet at our friend Lory’s house. Not shown: Lory, Lisa, Linda and Shauna. We all had fun, and that’s where a lot of the zip pouches were given, each person choosing their favorite. In return, I got hand soaps, a Christmas mug, socks, an amaryllis bulb, and more. 

Later in the week, I spent an afternoon basting kid quilt tops to their backings. Some are more recent quilt top finishes, but one dates back to the beginning of the year before we moved from the house to the condo. I really want to get them finished before year end. 

A green scrappy top from January

Recently finished Bright Blocks

An RSC2024 scrappy quilt top finished in November

Pink and light neutral string top constructed in May

My plan is to focus on quilting up those four tops ASAP. I don’t have any parties or gatherings after Monday next week, so my hope is to get them done, labeled and photographed to show here on the blog next week.

There was one quilty finish this week for my friend Maureen. This panel quilt finished at 27.5x34”. I quilted it in wavy lines for a watery effect. Maureen loves cranes, the color green, and Japanese art in general. 

It can be used as a table topper or wall hanging (I added hanging tabs on back). I will also be giving her a matching zipper pouch filled with biscotti. That’s the biscotti I plan to start baking this afternoon after we get home from the Community Christmas Brunch at the clubhouse. I was going to make another fruity Christmas tree to take to the Brunch, but it will be a hastily-assembled fruit salad in a bowl instead. 

Have a fun and festive week as we head toward Christmas! May you enjoy every moment of it!

Linking to Scrappy Saturday for the Rainbow Scrap Challenge. 

Working as An Elf for Santa

I wonder how many of the women who read this blog are the primary “Santa’s Helper” for Holiday merrymaking in their family? I used to love to do it all; decorating, shopping, baking, wrapping, sewing, writing cards or the “annual letter” - and all while being married (hubbies can be work too, amiright?), raising three kids and holding down a full-time job. I bet many of you did, too. Were we wonder women or something?

For Bruce and me, our respective first marriages failed, and together we blended the last of the unfledged teens into a new family. In time, they too fledged and we were empty nesters. It was easier and simpler as the years passed to downsize the tree, decorate minimally, and hand out cash and gift cards at Christmas to our kids and ever growing list of grandkids. And forget the baking, cooking and sewing! 

But we’re changing things this year. It’s been an expensive year with the move from the old house to the condo, and the subsequent remodeling and furniture purchases, etc.. Bruce and I both agreed that it’s now the time and season -literally and figuratively - to slow down, be more deliberate and enjoy the spirit of Christmas. This December, we’ve reached our stop on the Big Spending Train and we’re getting off. 

We started by cutting our gift budget to about 1/3 our usual amount and informed our adult kids. Surprisingly, or maybe not-so-surprisingly since we tried to raise good humans, they were beyond cool with it. One asked me to bake biscotti, another one requested a quilt (done!) and another one wanted some old family pictures and such. 

And so that’s the theme of this post. I’ve been working as a secret elf for Santa! 

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In the Sewing Department of our Santa’s workshop, Elf Cathy finished sewing together this quilt top of bright scraps:

The size is 40.5” x 50.5”, and the top has been put on the Sewing Department Schedule to be basted for quilting next week. The eventual quilt will be donated to Quilts for Kids. 

Next, the assignment was to complete between 10-12 quilted zipper bags for gifting over the next couple weeks. Elf Cathy was able to completely finish seven of them the first week. They’re all box-bottomed and of varying sizes. Shown below on their sides, not the most flattering view. 

The remaining five zipper bags are all cut out - fabric, fleece, lining and tabs, and ready to be assembled next week. 

As for the Cooking Department, the elves have worked out a four-variety selection of biscotti, a modest ingredient shopping list, and a timeline. And already a whole turkey sits in the freezer, waiting for its turn to shine golden brown. (Oooh, I’m making myself hungry!)

The Decorating Department sent an elf to help the North Pole Homeowners Association decorate their clubhouse. As a reward, an old wreath with jingle bells that was being thrown out was brought home by said elf to be used on their front door. 

The seasonal merriment has just begun here, and life is good! How are your elves faring?

Linking to the Rainbow Scrap Challenge.

Goodbye November!

Did you have a nice Thanksgiving (for those who celebrate)? Ours was lovely, although there was one cooking fail on my part. But no matter - it’s not worth bothering about until next year when I vow to review the recipe before starting! (Facepalm). We had our lovely friend Maureen over for the day. She lost her husband two years ago on Thanksgiving and was grateful to have a place to come and eat and visit with friends. We had a lovely afternoon and evening.

My friend Ruby was back for a week (between trips) and offered to be my quilt holder-upper for the photos of It’s a Jungle Out There. Unfortunately, it was late afternoon when we remembered, so the courtyard was in shadow and the pictures are mediocre and don’t really show off the vibrant colors. But you’ll get the idea. 

I had a doctor appointment this week to get cortisone shots in my knees (the cold is killer on them) To say that my doctor was excited was excited to receive the quilt was an understatement. Dr. Doug (as I call him) has been my doctor - and he delivered my daughter Megan - since I moved to Utah in 1983. That’s over 40 years of marriages, raising families, health issues (mine and his), trips and pictures from around the world - particularly Africa for both of us - comparing vegetable gardening tips, and we have the same political beliefs and proclivity to throw in some colorful language now and then…. Well, it’s been a great run. 

He loved the bright colors and the African fabrics. He thought is was so clever to “disappear” the tiger motif to assure it was an African jungle, not a generic jungle. Dr. Doug was leaving right after my appointment to spend time down in his St. George condo (3.5 hours south of here) with his family. He was taking the quilt there because it’ll match their bright decor. He must’ve hugged me at least three times! So very appreciative. We both teared up! THIS is one of the reasons we quilt, isn’t it? Spreading joy. 

The backing is pieced, and doesn’t show off very well. The purple mottled effect in the backing’s companion fabric is much more pronounced in this stark photo than in real life. The quilt finished at 61x77”. 

I also finished sewing together this Color Sticks top this week. I’ll send it off to Cynthia Brunz for her Many Hands, Many Hearts charity, since the pattern was hers and I do want to contribute. The top finished at approximately 45x63”.  It’s shown here sideways (as if you couldn’t tell) on the design board. 

On Friday, yesterday, I spent the day “Decking the Halls”. We packed up all the fall decor and dragged in the Christmas and winter decoration totes from the garage. I’m so glad we had weeded our collection of  Christmas things down last year in the old house. We kept just what we loved. Late in the afternoon I did run out to a local home decor store that was having a 20% off sale on Christmas decor for the last two days of November. I picked up some new things to fit the condo. I still have more decorating to do, like going to a garden center to get a fresh wreath for the front door, but that will happen today or Tuesday. The priority today will be going to the grocery store.

I’ll leave you with a picture of little Darla, snuggling on Mommy’s lap one night last week. She didn’t even mind the hot pink iPad cover she had to share my lap with!

Have a good week and stay warm and treat yourself well. The rush to Christmas has begun.  I’m linking up with Scrappy Saturday

Another Scrap Quilt Finish

Last week I said this wouldn’t be a good sewing week, and I was right. I did get some sewing in, but I’ve spent a lot of time with the HOA Board at our monthly meeting, and then the planning and physical set-up at the clubhouse for our annual meeting. The meeting starts at ten this morning, and I’m in a bit of a frenzy. But everything is planned, checked and double-checked. Regardless, I’ll probably only begin to relax once it’s in the rear view mirror. 

As for quilting, I finished up the scrappy youth-sized quilt (52x60”) that I started at the last Quilts for Kids workshop. 

It looks wonky because, again, I hold it up on the design board with pins across the top, but the bottom  half is just hanging. I love this cheery quilt! 

Now the design board holds the Color Sticks blocks that I’ve just plastered up there. I’ll begin sewing these this afternoon when I get home from the meeting and festivities at the clubhouse. It’ll be a good way to unwind. 

I’ll have more info about this one next week, along with (hopefully) pictures of a couple other recent finishes. 

My in-process quilt top for the moment is this scrappy coin-ish quilt top. Each month this year for the Rainbow Scrap Challenge I sewed a 60” long column of  scraps from the color of the month. The column widths varied depending on the scraps I had on hand. Now I’m sewing them together with a gray solid strip separating each column. I’m leaving out pink and dark blue,  but I’m sure those strips will find an eventual home with other scraps in the new year. Anyway, here’s a pic of it draped over the ironing board. 

Bruce isn’t going to the HOA meeting this morning with me. He hates meetings (and who can blame him) and he’s supposed to avoid being in crowds because of his compromised immune system. He is driving me to the clubhouse an hour before the meeting, though. I usually walk the two short blocks, but this time I have too much to carry. So a ride it is. And then he’ll pick me up when I call him after the cleanup. Then we might get out for a nice afternoon walk, weather permitting. It’s getting to be about the time of year when we’ll have to start doing our walking at the mall in the early mornings! 

We are planning a quiet Thanksgiving here at home with probably just the two of us. I’ve invited our friend Maureen, who is a widow, to come join us for the day. Her only nearby family (if by nearby you mean a three hour drive) are on a road trip and may or may not be in the area. Naturally, Maureen would want to be with her family if they are. So whether it’s two or three of us on Thanksgiving, it’s all good!

Have a happy and enjoyable Thanksgiving, my friends. And be safe if you’re traveling. 

Three Finishes and a Flimsy

My sewing machine has been humming this past week! We’ve had rain, wind, snow and cold, so it’s been nice and cozy staying indoors and getting things done. Mostly, by “things” I mean quilts, but we also had the fireplace insert installed on Tuesday. Here’s a not so good picture I snapped last night . The kitties love their warm beds in this weather! Oops, I forgot to remove the paperwork that the installers left on the mantel. Oh well - real life, right? 

So last week for our regular Sunday sewing session - which we call the Church of Bernina - Ruby was still gone. So it was just Cousin Kim and I. We had decided ahead of time that we would sandwich up (baste together) quilt tops while we listened to NPR in the morning. We got four of mine done. She has three to be quilted, but they’re too big for me to quilt on my machine, so she is having them done by a local quilt shop. After lunch, we sewed for awhile and then spent a couple hours finishing up a puzzle we’ve been working on for a long time. During the afternoon we listened to Christmas music. Ruby doesn’t care for Christmas music, so we took advantage of her absence to play it. We will play some during the month of December, but will alternate with regular favorites as a compromise for all of us. 

So all week I had plenty of quilts to quilt and bind, and managed to finish three of them. So get comfortable and let’s get started!

First up was this blue scrappy one I selected from my box of scrap “kits” to sew up last January and February. In looking through my blog posts from earlier this year, I could find the post showing the selection of the scrap kit, but no pictures of the finished flimsy. It was in February that we listed the old house for sale, and I had to disassemble my sewing studio and design wall for showings. And then we packed and moved in a short period of time, so it got buried. 

Here is the Blue and Brown quilt. Catchy name, eh? Hehe. It measures 41x53.5” and is quilted in a basic stipple. The backing is part of a blue sheet that Ruby had given me.

This quilt is the start of a new pile of donation quilts for Quilts for Kids. Here’s what the backing (striped sheet) looks like.

Next up was my October Rainbow Scrap Challenge experiment with my few black-and-bright scraps. To them I added solid blue, then some red and gold. Meh.

This bright little number was quilted with loosey-goosey-loops (my “technical” name for it) and finished at 40x49.5”. The navy starry backing, shown below, came from the fabric haul my friend Pat gave me last May.

The third and final finish for the week was my Stay at Home Round Robin quilt (SAHRR) from earlier in the year. I love this little quilt!

I quilted it with vertical serpentine stitches and bound it with the same blue striped cotton sheet as the first quilt shown above. It finished at 45x50.5” and will also be donated to Quilts for Kids.

Man, it feels so gooood to be back in the saddle again with my quilting!! But wait! There’s more! 

I had ordered some fabric several months ago to make this wall hanging or table topper for my friend Maureen.  She had given Bruce and me a cute antique side table and me some clothes. I had made her some jam and given her a cookie jar she loved that matched her collection of Americana art (a Mammy cookie jar), but wanted to do one more thing. So here is the flimsy. 

Maureen is also very much into Asian decorating, and these greens are her colors. I ordered the fabric on Spoonflower. The crane fabric was cut into a panel size. I added a stop border of plum and a wider border of a matching Japanese wave fabric. The green piece pinned to the left will be the backing and border. That’s on the docket for the coming week, along with the fourth sandwiched quilt to be quilted. 

If I get those two done, I’ll be happy, because this coming week is going to be a busy one with the HOA board. We have our regular business meeting on Monday and the Annual Meeting next Saturday with all the residents, and I have a small presentation and a couple poster board displays to prepare. 

Today Bruce and I are having a Barnes & Noble (book store) date. Our closest B&N moved to a new location that is even closer to us. We like to go for coffee and to read magazines, so we’re excited to do that in this new location. We’ll likely start our Christmas Shopping (gift cards) there as well.  

Life is good!

Linking to Scrappy Saturday at the Rainbow Scrap Challenge. 

Thank Goodness for Sewing Therapy!

OK, my burning question of the week (politics aside), is - has anyone else been experiencing issues with Blogger? Every comment has all of a sudden been coming across as No-Reply. Every single one, even those of you who have been reading and commenting for years. And that means I can’t reply. Have you had that issue on your blog (if you have one)?  How do we get it fixed? I’ve searched everywhere on my Blogger dashboard, inquired of Blogger and Google, and have gotten no answer. Any assistance would be greatly appreciated!!

Getting back to sewing. . . .  Again, thank goodness for sewing. It’s been one hell of a week in American politics, as you are all no doubt aware. Being of the blue persuasion myself, the results have been a gut punch, a kick in the butt, a head-scratcher and whatever other body part cliches you want to throw in. All I can say is that if Trump does what he’s threatened to do, the red voters will be suffering along with everyone else. No, that’s not a good thing, but at least we’ll be able to say “I told you so” smugly while we all shake our heads and wring our hands together (more body part cliches). 

Now let’s REALLY get back to sewing. This week I finished all the remaining blocks - I needed 78 - for this Quilts for Kids scrappy quilt top started last Saturday at the workshop. Here is the finished top.

You can see in the photo above that the white pieces form a pattern, a sort of stair step, when they come together in the correct way. That’s the pattern you get when you’ve sewn every block in the same orientation. But we didn’t do that, so it’s a free-for-all in this top. And by “we” I mean most of us who didn’t get that part of the instruction in our workshop. But in the end, who is really going to care? I’ll sew the next one the correct way.

And there will be next ones. I took a couple days and went through all my bins and bags of novelty or multi-colored scraps and chunks and cut them up. If the scraps were large enough to cut 2.5x8.5” strips from, I did that (top right in the picture below). The shorter lengths were cut into 2.5x 4.5” pieces (top left). If those shorter pieces contained four or more of the same print (which came from different scrap pieces), I separated out the fours to make windmill blocks (bottom left). Chunkier or odd-sized scraps were cut into 3.5” or 2.5” squares. All of those together take up less than one shoebox-ful of space and are ready to go for future use. 

As a reward for all that work, I ordered 2 yards of four different bright solid colors. I’ll be able to use the solids with these cuts and wherever needed as I work through the large box of quilt “kits” and scraps I’ve set as my 2025 goal. I’ve also narrowed down my selection of potential 2025 Rainbow Scrap Challenge blocks to about 6, but I’d like to cut it down to 4-ish so I can concentrate more on finishes. Have you made any 2025 sewing plans? I’d love to hear about them. 

Oh, and I have finished trimming the quilted It’s Jungle Out There quilt and have made binding. But my friend Ruby, who is the tallest among us and is my quilt holder-upper, is gone for a couple weeks visiting family, so I won’t finish it or get glamour shots until later in the month. 

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We had the electrician in this week to prep the fireplace (install electrical) so that the insert can be installed on Tuesday. It will be the same manufacturer (Chaska) as our unit in the old house, which we loved. It can actually heat up a room (the remote control has lots of settings) instead of the heat going up the chimney. We never really noticed much of a bump in our gas bills, either. 

From manufacturer’s website

The kitties are anxiously awaiting its snuggly warmth! Have a good week!

This and That

It was another great week full of friends, family, sewing fun and weather - from rain to sunshine to cold temperatures and stiff breezes. Autumn colors, the crisp air and falling leaves remind me how much I really do love the coming cozy months. I wouldn’t want it to stretch out longer than the season typically lasts, but as a respite from the stifling heat of the summer, it’s an invigorating change. The only thing that could have made it better was lots of chocolate. Enough said!

Last Saturday when I left you, I was headed out to a Quilts for Kids workshop. It was more sparsely attended than usual, but fun nevertheless. We were at The Quilters Lodge in Sandy, and it was good to see some friends (hi Sandy and Patty!) that I haven’t seen for a few workshops.  It was a scrappy, kit and tutorial workshop, and I was able to sew all 78 of the kit blocks that measure 4.5”x10.5”, unfinished. I have yet to sew them into a top, which will measure approximately 52x60 when complete.

Does anyone know if there’s an official name for this block? It’s really ideal for kid quilts because it can be made with interesting novelty prints and the solid constant can be varied from quilt to quilt (blue? red?) as a unifying element.  These blocks will go in line to be sewn up, but my goal is to have it made up as a quilt, along with a half dozen others, in time for our first meeting in January.

Some quilting was done on the It’s a Jungle Out There quilt; endless crosshatching this week. It’s larger than my usual quilt size, so to avoid wrestling it through the harp of my Bernina 570QE, I’ve been trying to quilt it in creative ways that keep the bulk of the quilt sandwich to my left. I hope to have it finished by next week, but I may be glued to the TV more than usual next week, so we’ll see what the quilting and political gods have in store. I’m sure I’ll be on pins and needles in more ways than one.

I got a wild hair to sew some string blocks, which was *not* on my dance card for the week. But nevertheless, when the (metaphorical) dust cleared, I had 62 string blocks (6.5”) sewn, and a deeper appreciation for the music of Billy Joel and the late Hilary Stagg (check him out on YouTube, especially Dream Spiral and Sweet Return).  

Half of the string blocks still need their papers removed. I only got half done while watching The Los Angeles Dodgers clobber the NY Yankees in Game 5 of the World Series, clinching the title. Apparently, I still bleed Dodger Blue! But anyway, this finishes my block sewing of dark/neutral scraps for October’s Rainbow Scrap Challenge. For the rest of the year I’ll be concentrating on turning blocks into quilt tops and quilt tops into kid quilts. 

Alfie and Darla got some new toys this week. Their particular favorite is a stuffie, Lambchop (“the Legend” according to its tag). They had no respect for The Legend, batting it around, carrying it around in their mouths and tossing her up into the air. And then looking so innocent. HA! 

But even these ferocious creatures eventually succumb to warm sunbeams. Here they are, recharging their batteries. 

And that’s it for this week! Keep your fingers crossed that The Orange Menace is sent packing come Tuesday, and that he can be a man and accept his defeat gracefully peacefully. 

Sewing and Remembering What I Forgot

I’m confessing. Last week I forgot to post some blocks that I’d sewn. My whole post last week revolved around working on things “behind the scenes” and not having much to show for it. But I DID have some blocks to show. I just forgot about them! The four blocks were right up on my design wall, waiting for a photo op that never came - until this week. 

So, may I introduce you to three Color Sticks blocks, the last of these necessary to finish a 35-block quilt top when they’re sewn together. 

It would be nice if I pinned the blocks up uniformly, wouldn’t it? That bottom one really is even, I promise. Maybe I messed up the pressing? I was taking pictures hurriedly during commercial breaks in the World Series Game 1. Yay Dodgers!! Anyway, the quilt will be sent to Cynthia Brunz at Quilting is More Fun Than Housework for her charity when I get them sewn together.

And the final Scrappy Stars block was completed (fourth block done last week). I’m really looking forward to getting some of my Rainbow Scrap Challenge (RSC) blocks sewn into tops beginning in November. 

I’ve also been working on those black-and-bright scraps. This little quilt top was the result of pairing the rail blocks with solids. I’m not enamored with it, but I used colors I had sufficient amounts of, so it’s good enough.

I’ll take it to Quilts for Kids today - we have a workshop this morning - and probably baste, quilt and bind it there for donation. I’d love to just start donating tops, but I’m one of the few members in our chapter who is willing to quilt their own quilts. So even though it’s tougher for me to do that in my cramped sewing room, I can make do - or quilt it at a workshop.  This top is 40x50”.

The colorful four-patches are all sewn, and I’ll use all 40 of them in a top with some solid purple alternating blocks. Here are the first four (of ten) rows pinned up on the design board. 

I’ll be working on this one too later this morning at our workshop. 

Bruce and I have begun taking daily walks around the condo community and even venturing farther afield in the neighboring streets and general area. The weather has been lovely, although it has become much cooler. The colors are glorious and the skies have been deep crystal blue. I keep forgetting to whip out my phone to take pictures, being more interested in getting my step count with the phone in my back pocket! It’s been a wonderful week with lots of free time to spend - a nice change. Next week promises more of the same, so I may even do some batch cooking to stockpile some pre-cooked meals for winter. But then, I may decide not to ruin a perfectly good week with too much cooking, ya know? 🤣

Life is good. 

Behind the Scenes

Most of my creative work this week - and I use the term “creative” loosely - was behind the scenes. Or maybe I should just call it not picture worthy.

Last Saturday afternoon I basted two quilts. The first was It’s a Jungle Out there, and the second was a rescued quilt top from the grandmother of a friend of Ruby’s (Julia). Ruby, at the request of Julia, had cut out the good part of an old worn quilt into a top about 45x55”. It contained pieces of fabric (most likely clothing) ranging from the 1940s through the 1970’s and was haphazardly pieced with random seam widths. Ruby trimmed it, added a white 5” border and made a red gingham backing. On Sunday I quilted the newly-basted vintage quilt (no pictures) and Ruby took it to Julia to trim and bind, which was going to be a basic teaching moment for Julia to learn to do those tasks. 

I also quilted the inner panel of Jungle; the checkerboard blocks will be done this week. I’ll have pictures next week. The final uninteresting thing I did was to hem two pairs of palazzo (wide leg) pants for my daughter-in-law. I still have one pair of my own to do. These are a royal pain in the posterior.

But I did get to some fun sewing only just yesterday. Here are some of these blocks on the design board. I’m working with my black scraps this month in keeping with our October challenge of dark neutrals for the Rainbow Scrap Challenge. 

I had to re-work the sizes of the strips and blocks to accommodate the scraps I had. The center black-and-bright strip is 2.5”x5.5” and is bordered by two solid strips of blue cut at 2”x5.5”. Sewn together they yield a block that is 5.5” unfinished or 5” finished. I’d like to get an entire kid-sized quilt top, but I don’t think I have enough of these fabrics to do that. So I’ll probably alternate them with brightly colored solid squares. We’ll see how it pans out. I saved my wider cuts of black-and-bright fabrics to make 4–patches from 3” squares, which should also measure 5.5” unfinished or 5” finished. Who knows, maybe they’ll end up in the same quilt (some ideas are noodling around) or maybe not.

Other than that, it was just mostly mundane stuff this week. I had a dental appointment to have a crown replaced, played cards with friends, did some HOA presentation planning, and assorted other Suzy Homemaker tasks. It rained for two days, which was lovely. It’s supposed to be sunny today, though. I will probably get out in the courtyard and pull the remaining annuals and bring in the flower pots and patio furniture. Bruce had a mostly good week too, and even Zoom’ed with some old Army buddies. So, that’s it from here. Short and sweet, just like me! :-)

Life is good! 

Quiet(er) Week

It wasn’t a quiet week, just a quiet-er week. We still had friends visit, two appointments to get each of the cars new sets of tires, a contractor visit to measure for a gas fireplace insert, my Weight Watchers workshop, cards with friends, a meeting (actually two) to plan for the upcoming annual HOA community meeting and getting the grocery shopping done. When I had downtime, I was sewing.

This week I finished all my brown string scraps into blocks. I know this picture looks suspiciously similar to last week’s picture of the brown string blocks, but this time, they are stacked in piles of 15. Fifteen is the quantity most useful to our Quilts for Kids chapter to pair with a fun solid fabric and make into a 30-patch top with two borders. There are a lot of cute fabrics with dinosaurs and animals that have browns in them, and I imagine these will be well received for boys’ quilts. 

So, here are my 92 brown string blocks. They still have their papers on…

When these were complete, I put away the brown scrap drawer and took out the gray and the black scrap drawers. I spent several great hours fondling and sorting each drawer. 

My scraps typically come from several sources: my own sewing leftovers, generous friends, the giveaway tables at the annual Worldwide Quilting Day event we attend in March, and from my local Quilts for Kids group. Our chapter is always getting fabric donations, and the scrappy bits aren’t usually suited for kit-making for the members. There are a few of us who take the scraps and turn them into blocks and tops. 

So this month for the Rainbow Scrap Challenge, we’re working again on dark neutral colors, or light neutrals if that’s how your stash leans. Personally, I’m tackling black and gray in October. I decided to postpone string sewing of those colors until next year so I can work on other ideas. 

Over the years I’ve saved Black + Bright scraps, and have several small yardage cuts as well. Within the scraps were these two blocks (the four-patch needs its center seam sewn) that inspired me to make more of the same. So, the first step will be to measure and cut the black fabrics and solids to see if I can eke out a couple quilt tops from what I have. Should be a fun change from the strings! I’m not sure yet what I’ll focus on for the gray scraps, but that’s for later in the month. 

Today I’ll be basting several - hopefully between 2 and 4 - quilts for quilting over the next couple weeks. It feels soooo good to have the time and sewing mojo to be creating again!

Also, it occurs to me that I need to snap some photos of the season here in our courtyard and the condo community here as autumn advances (awesome alliteration). Were due to have beautiful weather, more akin to September, for at least another week. I probably ought to get the garden cleaned up and some bulbs planted as well, but there’s always next week!

And a gratuitous feline picture for you - Alfalfa living his best life in the morning sunshine.

Darla is more camera shy. She’ll usually yield the morning sun to her brother, but she gets her share on my side of the bed in the afternoon. Here’s an oldie but goodie of Herself. 

Have a happy and healthy week!

Autumn Leaves, Sewing String Blocks, Kitchen Remodel Before & After

It’s going to be a picture-heavy post. It was such a beautiful and busy week and we took lots of photos along the way, so let’s get started. 

This week I was able to sew about 32 string blocks from my brown scrap strips. The top pic is from last week, the bottom one was taken after the 32 blocks were sewn. I think there’s at least another 30 blocks’ worth in there to sew up, what do you think??

Here are the string blocks I finished, shown in piles of five with the foundation papers still on. The two on the right side are singles. 

The It’s a Jungle Out There quilt top is done and I’ve snapped a picture. But I had to hang it sideways on the design board to get it all in the frame. So it looks a little wonky on the right side because that’s really the part that was hanging below the design board before I turned the picture. 

I doubt if I’ll be able to start quilting it this week, but maybe I can get it pin basted. The backing is mostly sewn and ready. But I want to finish off those brown string blocks first and then figure out what other things I want to sew in October in the way of black and gray scraps. I’m linking up to Scrappy Saturday at Angela’s blog. 

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So that’s it for my sewing for this week, folks! So if you’re not interested in the remodel pics or those of our mountain day trip, I won’t be offended if you take your leave at this point. 

BEFORE

Let’s look at some “Before” pictures first. We bought this condo, built in 1980, and moved in at the end of March of this year. It was very clean but very dated, with virtually everything original to the build. These before shots were taken on a whim just to have them, and I did no staging or picking up (obviously) first. And there was much still to unpack. 

Above you can see that the kitchen had a layout with a peninsula. Behind the peninsula (below) it was too small an area for more than one person to comfortably move without bumping into each other. The work area lighting was recessed fluorescents behind a now-yellowed plastic grid. 

The cabinets were dated, but well-made and solid, and were likely pricey in their day. Our remodel contractors all marveled at the quality construction of them. We did save one upper set (above the desk area in the last “before” picture below) and had them mounted in the garage for more storage. 

The corner cabinet above the appliance garage in the photo below (click to enlarge) had a spice cabinet built into the door. The larger knob on the bottom right opened the entire door to the corner storage area behind, but the little knob on the bottom left of the front panel opened to reveal spice racks built into the door itself. I hated to see that go - it was so cute and clever. 

There was no lighting over the sink or the area beyond the peninsula that functioned as the eating area. It was so odd! 

Standing in kitchen vinyl floor area, you look out into the dining or family room or gathering area. The entry hall is the area with the welcome sign on the wall over Bruce’s cool old upright radio. The carpet was a mess by the time the movers had unloaded (even with the runners they used). There was an electrical outlet in the middle of the floor (no longer to code), and this high traffic area carpet always looked dirty. We knew right off that its days were numbered!

Finally, you can see the inoperative trash compactor at the end of the peninsula below, taking up valuable storage space. The pantry, which you can barely see on the right side, we kept as is. It just got a fresh coat of paint with everything else. 

AFTER

Well, this first picture isn’t *quite* “after”, because the painting had yet to be done and the fan over the range hadn’t been installed. But you get the idea. 

In the pic below you can see the fan hood installed and the painting complete. I realized a couple days ago that we never got hardware for the pantry doors to match the cabinets. We will remedy that very soon! And we absolutely love the breakfast area under the microwave. The doors open to reveal a toaster, coffee grinder and all the necessities for breakfast-making. Everything is hidden just by closing the doors. And see how the coffee pot (which does fit in the cabinet but can’t be filled if stored there) is plugged in to the underside of the cabinet? There is an electrical strip behind all the under-counter lighting. 

Between the breakfast bar and around the corner (below), there are nine hidden electrical outlets! The backsplash tile is allowed to just shine. 

The window covering for the kitchen window (that has a deep plant ledge), is a duette roman-style shade.

I wanted some open shelving here for my cookie jars and other pottery, below. I’ve finally found some baskets on Amazon to fill the space under the countertop there to hide the clutter. It’s where I throw mail, coupons and other things. All I have to do now is order them!

Same area, different angle, looking out into the family room area. The room is bright, and the sun sometimes makes the sage wall appear greener than it is. Hopefully some of the other pictures will be more true. As you can see, there is nothing up yet on the accent wall. I’ll probably move our big round clock (currently in living room) there and add smaller framed pictures or art around it. 

One last picture of the island, showing the dishwasher and refrigerator along the outer wall.

We had plantation shutters installed in the other three windows of this area. 

Moving on to the (unfinished) family room/sitting area/ gathering place…..

Why yes, that’s Alfie, our tour guide showing up late, as usual. ;-). 

The standing lamp is just a placeholder until I find a more decorative floor lamp. And I need to add seasonally appropriate cushions and another side table, and, and…. But these things don’t happen overnight. It has potential…

The following three photos are not part of the remodel per se, but the entry did get a new plant shelf and light fixture. It will likely be painted in the same sage green as on the family room accent wall. 

The old radio faces the front door. As you enter, you You go left into the living room or right into the kitchen/dining area. The entry wall and hall got new light fixtures to match the kitchen’s pendant lighting. The entry landing is flagstone which I love, and it matches the fireplace which I don’t love. 

Bruce and I have spent some time scraping lichens off some of the fireplace stones. Lichens aren’t at all harmful, and some would argue they’re lovely and natural. But I wouldn’t be among those!  I’m considering giving the six black stones a color wash to tone them down and more closely blend their color with the other warmer-toned rocks. And when all the year-end seasonal decor is put away, I’ll be searching for a proper mantel clock! 

We are going to replace the (original) fireplace insert with a new one this fall. Which means I’d better get busy figuring that out so our feline overlords won’t miss their winter evenings in front of the fireplace!

So that’s it for the house pictures. As we begin working on other areas of the home next year (master bedroom and both bathrooms), I’ll bring you along. 

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There are years in the mountains of Utah that the colors rival that of New England. While this year was not one of those years, the trees were spectacular nevertheless. I’m just going to upload a few without much commentary of our day. I’ll be getting more pictures (of Bruce, Ruby and me) when Ruby’s daughter sends them. If there’s anything worth sharing, I’ll do it. But for now, here’s a sampling of some of the lovely sights we saw as we traveled around the canyons of the Salt Lake Valley and east to Park City. It’s Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid territory! 

Rock face at Timpanogos Cave area, Alpine, UT

Guardsman Pass, Heber Valley

Trailhead at Cascade Springs

Underground springs bubble up to the surface and form the headwaters of Cascade Springs, above. The springs feed into Deer Creek Reservoir and are some of the 82,000 miles of streams and rivers that that provide Utah’s drinking water. 

Coming down Big Cottonwood Canyon, almost ready to drop down into the Salt Lake Valley

Backlit aspen trees. Is there anything more beautiful?

This was our view as we sat in our camping chairs and feasted on sandwiches and fruit. It’s looking down on the Heber Valley.

I think that just about wraps it up from here. I hope you have a wonderful weekend!