Tickled Pink

It’s Saturday again, and do you know what that means? Trick question with a trick answer. I have a dentist appointment later this morning to get a crown put on a cracked molar. We went a few days ago for our semi-annual cleaning and all is well there. But my tooth had cracked a couple months ago. I know right when it happened, but I couldn’t see or feel anything except a crunch in what should have been soft chocolate chips. *cough* (Those chips were probably pounds #7 and #8 of my Covid Plus Ten Gained. Six of those are now lost again). But anyway, it’s nice that I can go and just wait at the dentist while they make the crown right there. I’ve got a good book I’m reading (American Dirt by Jeanine Cummins), so I can be doing two things at once.

So, today is also Scrappy Saturday at the Rainbow Scrap Challenge (RSC). We’re linking up, as usual, over at Angela’s So Scrappy blog and sharing our progress in knocking back our pink scraps.

First up for me this week was making four Zipper blocks. I had two from last week (the top two) that I changed the accent colors on and I like them better. I plan to do a few of these every month, following along with the RSC color of the month. Since they’ll finish at 6x9”, I plan to make a quilt that’s 10 blocks across by 8 down for 80 blocks and a quilt that’s 60x72”.

Next up were the 6” Twin Sisters blocks - 14 of those.

Then one Scraptastic Star, which is 16.5” unfinished.

Here are the six Scraptastic Star blocks so far. I’m liking this! By the way, this is a free pattern at Melissa Corry’s blog. You can find it here.

And like the Energizer Bunny, I just kept on going. Here are my Split Nine blocks for June. There are 12 of them at 6.5” (unfinished).

And in case that’s not enough pink, I also worked on my Block of the Month block for June at the local quilt shop. Coincidentally, it was also pink.

And here are all of those BOM’s together so far.

That’s not intended to be a final layout. There are three more blocks to go (they measure 12” finished each). I’ll probably add a bit of sashing and use it as a donation quilt because I’m not crazy about it. 

There is plenty more pink to sew - a quilted scrap bucket in pink, all my string blocks and then a Creature quilt. I have started gathering all my pink scraps and pink orphan blocks and miscellaneous pieces. First stop is to pin them up on the design board to see what I have and what size I’ll be working toward. This is going to be a big one. That print on the right below will be the backing. 

In looking at the photo, I think I want to surround that star with those hot pink cracker blocks somehow to make one central medallion/focal point. I’ll also add either hot pink or white strips for the purpose of dividing sections and giving the eye a place to rest. That’s all part of the process, and I’ve got a couple weeks to play with it. This should be a fun one. 

I’ve read that a lot of bloggers are not enjoying the new Blogger changes. I’ve had absolutely no trouble with the new format. Everything is pretty much the same for me (I’m on a one year old iMac) except the initial dashboard. Some buttons are a bit different, but I find them pretty intuitive. And I’ve had no changes or issues with the way my pictures upload. 

Now I’ll finish off the blog post today with some pictures taken a couple days ago. My roses are going gangbusters (except one bush, which is sitting its May bloom out for some reason....). So I’ve got more pictures, just to make Sally jealous. 

Backyard climber with irises

Rose Tree at the front porch

Miniature rose in front planter

Orange Asiatic Lily just opening up

More roses near the front porch

Delphinium in front flower bed

Pink roses, hostas and delphiniums in front planter

It’s going to be another sweltering day here (like yesterday; in the mid-seventies F at 9am). So after the dentist there will be no yard work - just sewing the day away in my cool basement studio. 

Meeting Author Debbie Macomber

What a thrill it was to learn that best-selling author Debbie Macomber (The Cedar Cove book series, the Blossom Street book series and many others) was going to be in town at Borders Bookstore in Murray, less than a mile from my house! So tonight I went down to Borders at 6:30 p.m. and got in line for her reading and book signing at 7:00 p.m.

There were about 25-30 of us there, and Debbie was so personable and fun. The set out chairs in a semi circle around her, and Debbie handed out free gifts to everyone, took questions (rather than doing a reading), and just laughed and talked with us. Then we got our books signed and pictures taken if desired.

Debbie inscribed my book: "To Cathy, What a wonderful smile you have! May all your wishes come true! Debbie Macomber (2 Tim 1:7)"

I'm currently reading her latest release, Twenty Wishes, and that is the book she signed for me. After the signing most people left, but for those of us left talking to her (about 8-9 of us), she invited us to join her for coffee in the bookstore's cafe. There we sat and talked and joked about all sorts of funny things - like how hubbies give us the eye when we bring home more stash. Debbie said she once bought out the shelving from a yarn store that was closing and now has filled it all - and then some! Now I ask you, is she is kindred spirit, or what?!?

1% Well-Read Challenge

After reading Susan Elliott's blog Plays with Needles, I visited and signed up for the 1% Well Read Challenge.. The goal of this challenge is to read 10 books in 10 months from the 1001 Books You Must Read Before You Die list (hence the 1% number). The Challenge runs from May 1, 2008 through February 28, 2009.

I'm considering this to be additional books for me, because I've already read a couple dozen from the list. There is a spreadsheet here that lists these 1001 books.

My ten selections were based on books I already have and that are actually already in my reading queue (which will take me another 20 years to finish, LOL). I'm just moving them up in line!

1. The Color Purple by Alice Walker
2. Cider House Rules by John Irving
3. Billy Bathgate by E.L. Doctorow
4. The Handmaid's Tale by Margaret Atwood
5. Love in the Time of Cholera by Gabriel Garcia Marquez
6. Cry, The Beloved Country by Alan Paton
7. Sense & Sensibility by Jane Austen
8. Wuthering Heights by Emily Bronte
9. The Shipping News by E. Annie Proulx
10. The Age of Innocense by Edith Wharton

I also have, and will read:

11. Portnoy's Complaint by Philip Roth
12. The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald
13. Pride & Prejudice by Jane Austen
14. Ragtime by E.L. Doctorow
15. Neuromancer by William Gibson

Of course, I have two other books that I need to finish first: Back on Blossom Street and Twenty Wishes, both by Debbie Macomber and both are part of her Blossom Street series. They're relatively lightweight, which was my intention. I've been home several weeks now, "decompressing" after quitting a very stressful job and my favorite pastimes are stitching and reading. Life is good!! :-)