Red Wrap-up

Hello friends, and welcome to another Saturday edition of scrappy sewing and stuff. We had a lot of rain here this week, and I could practically stand in the yard and watch the weeds grow. But I beat them back on the east side yard yesterday (well, I pulled their guts and roots out - take THAT!!)

But today is Saturday, and my focus this morning is on red scraps. Angela’s weekly Scrappy Saturday post for the Rainbow Scrap Challenge is featuring all sorts of red eye candy, so come on over!

This week I finished up my red Friendship Star Variation blocks - 16 of them this time.

Before I finished all the red ones, I tried pinning up what I had so far just to see what it looked like....   Interesting, eh?

Then I took most of my red scraps and crumbs and made it into a slab..... which was backed and quilted and turned into a 12x18” (or thereabouts) quilt for the Best Friends animal shelter.

I added that to the other six quilts (at their small, random sizes, they are more like placemats or quiltlets) that I made this week. The pinkish-maroon tiger one was supposed to be for Darla, but when I put it down in front of the fireplace for her, she laid everywhere except on the quilt. Alrighty, then! So it will go as a kennel quilt for another more appreciative feline.

And I finally got the picture of my grandson Easton in the Jedi costume I sewed for him the week before last. Here he is with R2D2.  Yep, he’s a good looking kid. And he`s graduating this year and will study mechanical engineering at college.

Moving along.....  I’ve had some red and white scraps that were sent to me about 10 years ago by a crazy quilting friend. They are really red and off-white, and there were three prints left of about a half yard each. Using some red hearts for borders and a few other scraps that I had in my stash, I whipped this baby quilt top out.  It’s 38x42”

The checkerboard fabric was difficult, and I struggled to come up with anything that looked halfway decent. Next week I’ll quilt it and add it to the donation pile. Someone will appreciate it.

I’ve basted my Rainbow Dresdens, and after deliberating for days, will begin quilting it this weekend. My goal is to finish it before month-end.

And now for my RSC totals for Red March.

3 Bookshelf Blocks (12” square each)

In this collage we have one red crayon, one selvage/scrap column, 2 Geese Migration blocks, 24 Bowties, 13 Plus blocks, 26 Friendship Stars, and a slab (that went into the kitty quiltlet). I didn’t do strip blocks this month because I already have them in red.  That totals  (with the bookshelf blocks above) 62 red blocks and one quilt top.  Not a bad sewing month.

Health-wise, it could have been better for DH. His forearm is still sewn to his abdomen and the checkup a couple days ago shows that is going well. They will be able to detach it in 2 weeks.

Have a good week!

Have You Read Red Books?

The color of the month for March at the Rainbow Scrap Challenge is Red (even though we were all thinking green yesterday, LOL).  This was a crazy busy week, but I did manage to get three bookcase blocks sewn.  And everyone else was busy, too. Come check out the ravishing red goodness at Angela’s Scrappy Saturday link-up.

Here is the first block, where I used mostly wine-reds.

Then there was this one, where I got to use some of the selvages donated to me by my friend Angie Helman at Quilting on the Crescent. Some of those scraps were donated to her by Sally Trude (you know, Molly’s problematic human). And last year Katie at Zana’s Nini’s sent me some as well. Thanks ladies! All in all, a group collaboration!

And my favorite.....

Together, they look like this:

This shelf will be finished off with two pink blocks when we get to that color.

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Other sewing:  I finished a Jedi tunic with under-shirt (a dickie), a belt, and sash/tabards for my grandson Easton. He is attending ComicCon today, Saturday. I told him the only charge for my materials and labor was that he send me a picture in full regalia. He has pants, boots and a light saber to go with the tunic, etc. I expect him to be dashing, and will definitely post a picture next week.

Here are six Broken Dishes Star blocks that I made this week for the Block Lotto.  I haven’t posted them there yet, but will get to that today.  We were asked to do them in 2 shades of blue (with the star being darker) on white. Sorry for the bad picture.

Bruce had the first reconstructive surgery Tuesday on his right forearm. First, the oncology surgeon removed the final (we hope) 1x4cm patch of cancerous tissue, then the plastic surgeon got to work. The first area was covered with a large skin graft from his leg.

The second area, which needed skin and tissue was handled differently. Basically, they used an old fashioned procedure where a skin flap from his abdomen is used to cover the patch on the arm. They had to cut the patch in a U shape and attach 3 sides to his arm while leaving the 4th attached to the abdomen. This will give the patch time to “settle in” on the arm and grow its own capillaries (etc) - like transplanting sod, LOL. Then, in 3 weeks, the patch is cut from the abdomen and the final side sewn down on the arm. His tummy is then “tucked” to cover the missing skin/tissue. (I volunteered to have my tummy tucked, but they weren’t interested).

So, for 3 weeks Bruce has his right arm sewn to his tummy. Nice, eh? (Can you sense the dripping sarcasm?)  It will be a loooooooong three weeks. Oh, and that surgery day was also my birthday. I can definitely say it’s one I won’t forget, but if Bruce is now cancer-free, that is the best present ever.

The sun has definitely been shining brighter here.