RSC20 -- Working on Sand Castle Blocks

Here are the four Sand Castle blocks I made this week.  Sand Castle is a Bonnie Hunter pattern.

I only need a few more black/grey blocks and I can start assembling the quilt top for my Sand Castles quilt.  I know I'm supposed to be working on orange this month.  (There are a few orange 4-patches used here.)  I'd like to work on finishing some of my RSC projects vs. starting new ones this year.

We celebrate LEAP DAY here!  We found that the extra day in the year is a good time to celebrate our EXTRA CHROMOSOME.  This year it's the slogan, "It's okay to be different."  Different Down Syndrome support groups all over our state have big events planned.  We will be going to see the Cleveland Cav's tonight.  Shhh!  It's a secret from our homie with the extra chromie.  He will be getting a special court side recognition.  I'm sure I'll be on the jumbo tron with him.  Hopefully my husband will be able to get some great photos.

My son's orange hat was at the top of the list today.  It's old and the entire fold in the hat is worn.  This will be it's "last chance" mending.

I fluffed through these neutrals so that I could make some kite blocks.  I love fluffing fabric!

I also worked with my orange scraps.  I didn't get any kite blocks (another Bonnie Hunter pattern) completed, but all the pieces are cut and sub-assemblies have been formed:

My husband always has ongoing projects as well.  He was trying to "sneak" another big piece of equipment home this week...again...  Our son and I were supposed to leave for speech.  We left a little later than usual.  I found this in the driveway on my husband's truck:

It's a really big (to us) band saw.  He has plans for it.  I really don't care when he goes out and buys this stuff.  I can buy the things that I/we need.  I only worry WHERE he's going to PUT it.  Guess he'll be bringing home more stuff to build another building.  LOL.

It seems like quilters just LOVE their pets.  Here's a picture of one of our cats.  This kitten was born on my birthday, 8/20.  I was calling it Morris.  Our son re-named it Yellow Mellow.  He's a cutie, but I still can't pet it.  It is coming to the food bowl while I stand there.  It's a month or less away from me petting it.  It does love to mimic it's older sibling, Cooper.  Cooper likes to lay down in front of me while walking so that I stop and rub her belly.

Here he is on his warm, sunny spot on a cold (20 degrees F) winter day.  Our winter has been quite mild this year.  Woohoo!

I'm linking up at Angela's blog, SoScrappy for the RSC20.

February OMG Link Up

It's time to link up my February OMG finish.  I'm so happy to have a fun first finish for 2020.

I'm linking up at the One Monthly Goal February Finish Party at Elm Street Quilts.  Thanks to all the cheerleaders and motivation!

Here's my first quilt finish for 2020.  The quilt is called Catchin' Some Rays.  Happy Valentine's Day!

All of the fabrics were from my stash.  We got a fresh 4" or so of snow on Wednesday night.
I haven't done a one-fabric back lately.  I liked this pink print for it.  This quilt is quite girly.

Here's a close-up of the double bubble quilting design.  I really like the texture of this quilting.

The pattern was designed by Barbara Jones.  I swapped out the applique flowers that Barbara suggested and replaced them with EPP hexagon flowers because I wanted to learn how to make hexie flowers.  The original pattern can be found in McCall's Quilting January/February 2013 issue.

Check out all the other fine finishes at the Elm Street Quilts February Finish Party.

Slow Sunday Stitching -- Linen & Threads SAL February Clue Complete

I had more time to stitch this week.  Here's the progress on my Linen & Threads project:

I finished this in Global Studies this week.  Here it is in class:

I love this local school district's modern classrooms.  My project is on the "couch" in the front of the class.  There are tables and chairs.  There are outlets and charging stations a plenty.  The rooms seem "open" with the windows.  In the back of the room the tables and chairs are elevated.  It's very different from when I graduated in the 80's when the chair was still attached to the desk.

You can get the free pattern on the site Linen and Threads.  There are several free samplers on there.  This particular one is called "Friends and Family".  The 2020 Linen and Threads Mystery Stitch A Long (SAL) is a mystery sampler that was inspired by antique Quaker and Vierlande samplers.  It includes both traditional and new motifs and allows the stitcher to personalize the sampler with initials to celebrate his/her own friends and family.

I'm linking up at Kathy's Quilts for Slow Sunday Stitching.

More Carrots -- RSC20

I had time to make the other two carrots for my Veggie Patch Quilt.

The quilt is called Veggie Patch.  I found it at Katie Mae Quilts.  She had an adorable fruit pattern the previous year.  There is a cute candy quilt in the making for this year.  Check it out!

I'm linking up at Angela's blog, SoScrappy for the RSC20.

Linen & Threads SAL -- Slow Sunday Stitching

I had more time to stitch this week.  Here's the progress on my Linen & Threads project:

Each month a clue is released.  It is a 12-month project.  You may join in at any time.  You can also go back and print mystery patterns from previous years.

I'm linking up at Kathy's Quilts for Slow Sunday Stitching.  Come join the fun.  There are so many talented people stitching along.

I posted this and forgot to mention my Slow Sunday Stitching project FINISH!!!

Here's my first quilt finish for 2020.  The quilt is called Catchin' Some Rays.  Happy Valentine's Day!  I started this project because I wanted to learn how to make EPP hexie flowers.  I'd carry around my neat little plastic tub of papers and fabrics neatly cut with my Accuquilt dies.  I'd be so happy when I finished a flower.  Then I appliqued the flower parts onto the block.  It was such a relaxing project!  I LOVE this little quilt.  You can read more about it and see the back here.

When I took this photo we had about 3" or 4" of snow.  The temperature has been between 11 degrees to 35 degrees this week.  Yesterday was a great day to stay in and sew.  We have only missed one day of school due to snow this year.  I'm still holding out hope that we will get one or two more.  It has been a very mild Ohio winter thus far.  No school tomorrow due to Presidents' Day.  I hope to get a little machine sewing done tomorrow...fingers crossed!

RSC20 -- Orange Carrots

I haven't had much time lately to sit down and sew at my sewing machine.  I really enjoyed making these two carrot blocks today.  I made the peas block during the summer of 2019.  I've decided to continue this quilt when the colors of the month match what I need.

Each month I printed off the instructions for each block.  The quilt is called Veggie Patch.  I found it at Katie Mae Quilts.  She had an adorable fruit pattern the previous year.  There is a cute candy quilt in the making for this year.  Check it out!

I'm linking up at Angela's blog, SoScrappy for the RSC20.

Finally -- A Friday Finish -- Catchin' Some Rays

Here's my first quilt finish for 2020.  The quilt is called Catchin' Some Rays.  Happy Valentine's Day!

All of the fabrics were from my stash.  We got a fresh 4" or so of snow on Wednesday night.
I haven't done a one-fabric back lately.  I liked this pink print for it.  This quilt is quite girly.

Here's a close-up of the double bubble quilting design.  I really like the texture of this quilting.

The pattern was designed by Barbara Jones.  I swapped out the applique flowers that Barbara suggested and replaced them with EPP hexagon flowers because I wanted to learn how to make hexie flowers.  The original pattern can be found in McCall's Quilting January/February 2013 issue.

I'll be linking up at Elm Street Quilts later this month.  It was my February OMG (one main goal) to finish this quilt.

Linen & Threads SAL -- Slow Sunday Stitching

The new clue for the stitch along at Linen & Threads came out February 1st.  I made some progress on that project this month.  I'm loving this blue floss on the oatmeal Aida cloth.  There are little gaps here and there because there is a space to put initials.  I don't have that large of family.  I think I may find some sort of design that is similar in size and put in each space.  I need to see how this mystery plays out.

Each month a clue is released.  It is a 12-month project.  You may join in at any time.  You can also go back and print mystery patterns from previous years.

I'm linking up at Kathy's Quilts for Slow Sunday Stitching.  Come join the fun.  There are so many talented people stitching along.

My Husband's Project

My husband has been working in the bathroom of the new house.  I LOVE what he did with the sink cabinet!!!

It's sentimental because the wood is from the trees that we took down in 2006 and 2007 from the house I owned before we got married.  We took out 26 hardwood trees.  He has since then made a HOMEMADE sawmill and milled the cherry, red oak, white oak, and black walnut veneers.

The slate fronts are made from the shingles from an old barn that we dismantled that was on his grandparents' property (where we live now.)  They also match the slate inlay pieces that he cut into the tile that made a design around the bathroom.  He is soooooo talented!  I love all the extra sentimental aspects.  The WHOLE house is designed like this.  It's a slow process, but oh so worth it!
Most people don't get it.  But we do and that's what matters.

Buddy Up Tennis

Owen is in the orange shirt with one of the awesome volunteer coaches.  I just love it when other people take photos of him and and I find them on the web!  We love Buddy Up Tennis.

February OMG

I've been too busy to sit and sew at my machine.  I did not meet my January goal of finishing this quilt.

I put the binding on 1/20/20.  You can read about it in this post.  It's time to get this binding pinned and stitched on by machine!



The quilt is called Catchin' Some Rays.  The pattern was designed by Barbara Jones.  I swapped out the applique flowers that Barbara suggested and replaced them with EPP hexagon flowers because I wanted to learn how to make hexies.  The pattern can be found in McCall's Quilting January/February 2013 issue.

I'm linking up at Elm Street Quilts for OMG!

Apron Progress -- Slow Sunday Stitching

I made a lot of progress on the stitching of my pre-printed cross stitch/embroidery apron this week.  This was a kit that was partially started by someone else that I found in a bin at Goodwill.  Here it is during my biology class break.

This is a close-up picture of the stitch I chose to use to outline the holly leaves.  It is just a simple stitch by stitch thing.

I also used the wonderful suggestions from this group and tried the stem stitch around the mushrooms and on the pot.  I like it too!  

I'm also loving the stem stitch down the middle of the pine needles.  Thanks for your suggestions!

I'm linking up at Kathy's Quilts for Slow Sunday Stitching.