Oh man, I was so sick last night and this morning (nothing major - just something bad I ate) that I couldn’t even begin to think about doing a blog post until almost this (Saturday) afternoon. But I’m here now.
This week, my sewing time was grabbed in bits and chunks and a brief hour here or there. My first priority was to get my Haunted House Halloween quilt basted. And I did. No pictures of the fully pinned quilt, but here’s a quick shot of the spiderweb, which was my first quilting priority.
I’ve also started stitching on the house and tree branches, but there’s not much to see yet. I will do a more thorough job of picture-taking next week. My goal is to get this done and bound by the end of the month so that I have all of October to enjoy it.
Naturally, I did some string block (6.5”) sewing. I got 45 done this week - three groups of 15. As you can see, I did one group of brown strings. I have plenty brown strings left to sew at least one, and maybe two, batches of 15-block strings. Then I’ll pair them with matching novelty fabrics and donate to Quilts for Kids for kits.
For my “Fall Finishing Frenzy” this year, I’m keeping my string blocks until the end of the year. My goal is to do 600 by December 31, and I want to see how tall that string pile will be! In the meantime, I have 105 blocks sewn so far, and I’m pinning the sets up on my design board to keep an easy tally. I’ll show a picture of that next week as well.
Finally I had time to tackle the Little Bricks blocks that I made as part of my Rainbow Scrap Challenge blocks back in 2023. I made one entire kid quilt with green blocks back then, but I have enough blocks to make two more little quilts. I laid out, then webbed this first top of mainly pastels.
The Little Bricks blocks pattern comes courtesy of Sylvia at Treadlestitches. They measure 6”, finished size. Next week I’ll sew together the bright Little Bricks blocks. Then I can sew up a backing and have three more little quilts to layer up and finish.
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That’s all I have sewing-wise from here. but I have to take a moment to comments of the shooting that took place this week here in Utah.
It’s so gut-wrenching when another horrific shooting takes place, especially when it’s in your back yard, so to speak. (My daughter graduated from UVU and we are familiar with the campus). While I had no agreement with or anything but disdain for most of Charlie Kirk’s beliefs, I certainly believe in his right to express them without fear or retaliation. He was a human being with an adorable little family, for heaven’s sake. Then some whack-job just snuffs him out because he could - he owned a gun and possessed a lot of anger. This type of slaying will continue until and unless we realize we have to put sensible controls on firearms. The type and quantity even allowed should be limited, ownership should be strict and registered, and penalties for abuse need to be swift and permanent. But I’m just one helpless voice shouting into the wind.
PS - my comments on the blog are no longer being sent to my email (this just happened out of the blue). I didn’t realize that I’d even had any comments on last week’s post until I physically checked the blog. Does anyone know how to correct this?
26 comments:
What fun little quilts this week. And thank you for the sensible and sensitive current events comment.
Ceci
I love your Little Bricks quilt! The colors are wonderful. I agree with you about how terrible gun violence is in our country. No one deserves to be killed for what they say, no matter how reprehensible the ideas are. Il
The spider web is fabulous! I'm also trying to finish up my Halloween quilt so I can enjoy it this year. And the Little Bricks! So cute!
What pretty projects your are working on--
Well--here in the state of Florida-starting on about Sept 25th--it is now legal to carry a gun in plain sight and even over the shoulder for the bigger guns--yep--I could be shopping in a grocery store and anyone can walk in with a gun--in plain sight now and there is nothing that can be done--God help us --
hugs, di
So sorry you were feeling yucky overnight - and so glad you're better, too! Hooray for reaching the quilting stage on your Halloween quilt - I'm excited to see it. And the Little Bricks top is such fun, too - love the colors you put together in that one. And thank you for your wise words. There must be an answer to all of this ugliness, but I don't know what it is. 🩷
your haunted house looks like a lotta fun - love the colors!!!
this week there was a school shooting here, too, but it fell out of the national news in a matter of hours and soon the local news dropped the story, even though the victims are still in critical condition - because the zone was flooded by other rages ... anywho, with four grandchildren in public schools and two adult children who are employed by school districts (principal and teacher/counselor) and every day is filled with anxiety about their safety - will they all make it home?
I hate all these shootings that keep taking place and I too think there has to be gun restrictions of some sort - I don't know how but something needs to be done it is getting out of control. There is just too much hate in this country we are so divided and I have a feeling it will get worse before it gets better. I hope you are feeling better now.
Hope your digestive system gets back in working order. Blogger has strange burps and the "help" section is not terribly helpful. (What I'd like to know is WHY the burps occur.) Meanwhile, your string block goal is ambitious and you've reminded me about Little Bricks (perhaps I'll remember). Thanks for your comment on Charlie Kirk's death. I agree.
something happened on blogger? as all my comments have been coming in the spam folder for ages now.
Glad you are feeling better. Being sick is NO fun! Your Little brick 2023 will definitely bring smiles...it's so cute. :)
Comments haven't appeared in my email for several years now. No idea why.
So sorry you had tummy troubles - hopefully you're feeling better now.
It seems that every day the news out of the US is getting worse and worse with no end in sight. I wonder what it will take to bring the country back to what it was - or if it ever can be at this point. What one man can do in a few short month defies logic.
My comments are not even showing up in spam. I’m attempting to answer them here on the blog itself where everybody can read them. But it feels so much less personal and more exposed. Let me know privately how/if this gets to you! xo
Thanks, Pat. My hat is off to Sylvia of Treadlestitches; she presented the pattern a couple years ago.
Thanks, Ceci. I’m answering here because the comments have stopped coming into my private email, but also because I don’t have your email to respond personally. At any rate, I appreciate you taking the time to comment positively!
Thanks, Sylvia. You get the all the credit for my love of Little Bricks!! As for the gun violence, it will exist as long as crazies can get guns (or run for President, come to think of it…)
Hey Sue! Long time no see! Did you go to Garden of Quilts this year? I totally spaced it. NEXT YEAR, though!!! xo
OMG, I used to like Florida, but now I think it’s even wackier (government-wise) than Texas. There is no logical reason for everyday citizens to be toting guns, open carry or concealed. We’re becoming more barbaric every year. How discomforting! The idea makes me shudder…
Well, I’m so heartsick over all the gun violence. Now it’s even extremists turning on others who aren’t “properly wacky enough” (had to go back and put that in quotes) for their liking. I think I miss the old days when politics were snooze-fests of boring politicians (except for the mostly white male part).
Isn’t it pathetic that a school shooting - little babies! - are being shot at and the media is so jaded that they barely even cover it?!? This isn’t a path that civilized society can continue on! We have grandkids in school, too (and ex-husband is a retired elementary teacher). Yes, we all worry about them, and for the same reasons.
I think you’re right (unfortunately) about things getting worse before they get better. But I can’t bear to think about how bad it could get before someone comes up with a way to rein society back in.
Yeah, I’m just fine now, thanks. As for Blogger’s “help” section, I’ve yet to come up with an answer, much less a solution. When life gives you lemons, sew string blocks. My new motto! LOL.
I’m taking a page from your book, my friend, to answer emails right here in the comments section. Do you think that’s what they’re ultimately forcing us to do? And as for your other thought, about whether we can ever “put the genie back in the bottle”, I’m doubtful too. And to mix my metaphors, it’s going to be hard to get the creeps to crawl back under their rocks now that they’ve been exposed to the outside!
So much scrappy fun going on - especially having a goal of 600 string blocks. Wow!! I'm 100% with you on the topic of the shooting BTW.
I do hope you are back to perfect health by now. Ah, those little bricks, I wonder how many of us made these RSC blocks each month? I have two quilt tops done of bricks, they still need quilting.
I remember that you sewed the Little Bricks too! In fact, didn’t you sew them in different orientations for a different setting? Between you with your closet clean-out and me with my finishing frenzy, I think we both have enough on our plates to last us quite awhile!!
I wonder how many times we’ve just had to shake our heads at the tragedy of another senseless shooting, knowing nothing we do or say will change the minds of those in power. And how many times more we’ll have to do it. Madness. But at least we can keep ourselves gainfully distracted by sewing up goodness for others!
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