Sunday Slowdown with Dear Jane

 

I got motivated yesterday to put Dear Jane on the frame. It has been years since I finished the top. Maybe during Covid? I've been terrified that I would mess it up with the quilting. It is rainbow of course, in a trip around the world setting. 

I searched back through the blog to find the overall photo of the flimsy. It was started in 2013 and finished in 2021. Feel free to use the labels at the bottom to see the long slow work in progress of this one. 

I needed to extend the frame though for the log cabin quilt, and so that required a bit of manual labor. I usually keep my Handiquilter at a shorter size, but the table is adjustable with leaves and it can get quite a bit longer. 

I am trying to put most off the quilting in the white areas which will help the colors to pop out. So far  am using a combination of micro-stippling and outlining. Each block just gets its own treatment. Whatever it seems to need. As much as I would love to hand quilt this one, I just need to move it along after all these years. It isn't perfect for sure. As I revisit each block, I am finding all the little imperfections. And you know what? I love it or all its imperfections. I had to hand stitch the corners where the corner kites met up with the side triangles. There were bit holes where the set in seams didn't meet. I also replaces a small goose in one corner that had gotten singed with the iron. So far there is only one bit of machine quilting that was so bad I decided to tear it out. That was orange peels that I tried to outline on the focus fabric. It stood out way too much!

So one row is done. I am saving the setting triangles for now, at least the ones on the top and bottom. I've got school work to get done today and then I need to work ahead because we will travel next weekend for the celebration of life. After that it will be a week and a half on a bus, so I plan to stich lots of hexies while we travel from one school to another. I hope that your Sunday is restorative and relaxing. I know that a big portion of the US is dealing with ice and snow right now. It isn't cold here, but we are watching the cabin weather and It is quite chilly. Anna is at Virginia Tech and she has been sending us daily updates. Fortunately, she is able to work from home on her graduate school work, but her fiancé Jordan has to drive for his job so I hope that things have been cleared up a bit before the new week starts. 

Yesterday I was able to finish sewing the Saltwater Taffy blocks together. I have an empty project tote now! Also a lot of extra 2 inch strips that I can turn into the sizes that I am using or this year's Rainbow Scrap Challenge blocks, both the Dot Blocks and the Propellers use 2 inch wide units. This one might want a border. I will wait a bit on this one before making finishing decisions.

 Just one more blue week to get done what you can for RSC January. Remember, its all about making things with scraps, that doesn't mean you have to use them all up. It is all part of the cycle as you use up the old to make room for more. I am going to link up with Slow Sunday Stitching and Kathy's Quilts. Even though I am finishing this one up on the machine, it represents to much hand stitching of melons and diamonds and more. Snow storms are a great reason to stay inside and soothe the soul with needle and thread. Please stay safe and warm inside if you can. 

Scrap Happy Saturday - Blue Oveload

I had made so many blue blocks this month, that they were in danger of overloading any future projects. I will have to make a monochromatic quilt soon to balance things out. I did make a monochromatic quilt last week, but it is pink for a baby girl. These whirling blocks were just leader and ender nine patches that I had on hand. Each got a quick frame and then I finished every thing up last Sunday. There was supposed to have been a shower at work on yesterday, but it got postponed. The mom-to-be is already home on bedrest, so If they don't schedule it soon, she will need to bring the new baby with her to the shower!

I also made two loaves of sourdough bread last weekend. Three day weekends are such a lovely respite. It helps me envision the joys that will be retirement. 

My scraps are mostly under control. The blues are still a bit bursting at the seam. I might make a few more crumb blocks and try to whittle those down a bit today. I am clearly a color sorter when it comes to scraps. These are unprocessed bits along with corresponding yardage. There are also drawers that live under the longarm for strips and squares in 1.5, 2 and 2.5 inch sizes. I don't tend to use anything larger than that, but if I do, it comes form yardage. The yardage has gotten used up to the point that it is hard to be able to finish a quilt with what is there. Both Anna and Sydney have requested quilts for May. That is going to require a bit of stash accumulation. They are both fairly specific about what they want. 

For today, I have enough blocks finished for Saltwater Taffy which I started sewing together last weekend. I thought I would be able to sew a bit more on that during the week, but I had ALL the 8th graders for career planning lessons ALL week. By the end of each day, I was SO done. Kurt is back home again for the weekend. He was with his dad for the last week and a half helping him to get settled into his new apartment in a continuous care community. We will be back next weekend for the celebration of life and from there I will go straight to my bus tour. That means that I need to enjoy this weekend because it is the last time I will be at home during the day for a few weeks. 

How are your blue blocks coming along? Mr. Linky is below. Please share your progress. 

ScrapHappy Saturday

It is a three day weekend and I think that I can finish all the blocks for Saltwater Taffy before it is time to go back to school on Tuesday. I decided that there should be 180 blocks, and it is getting close. One of the blocks had a corner rotated wrong, but thanks to a couple of observant commenters last week I was able to fix that. Design walls are such a good idea! I would have missed the mistake completely without the chance to put it up there and let it simmer. The aspect ratio isn't right, so I will still have to do a floor layout to get the block distribution laid out, but at least for now I know that I just need to fill in that last corner to get enough blocks. 

My scraps have gone a long way, but if I use up any more, there will be way too much blue at the end of the year compared to the other colors. Some colors are just that way. Perhaps I will do a monochromatic quilt at some point? There is a baby shower at work next week, but it is going to be a baby girl. I could easily whip up a boy quilt today and make a dent. For now I sewed up crumb strips for the Cash Register Confetti quilt and string blocks for the New Moon blocks. I haven't made the actual blocks yet because I am still deciding on sizes. My trial blocks were pretty big and I usually enjoy small blocks. I might make a few more test blocks to settle on all the details. I won't start turning the made fabric into blocks until I am sure about that. For now though, they are fabric and not crumbs. That feels so much more accessible and organized to me. 

The start of a new term for school is always busy, but thankfully the three day weekend will help me to find some balance. I am not super excited to have three classes at the same time, so it will take a bit of planning and a lot of diligence. But that is not a problem for today. How are your sewing plans looking for the weekend? I know that not everyone gets to enjoy a long weekend, but I hope that you will find some time to play with your scraps for a bit. 

Weekend Sewing Progress

 

It was a busy weekend of sewing. Knowing that a new term for my graduate classes was starting soon, I wanted to devote as much time as possible to creativity and color. I am feeling a bit overwhelmed today with everything new starting all at once and so I am taking a breath and celebrating the progress that the weekend brought. I had to clear off design wall space by scrunching up the hexies to make room for more churn dash blocks. I think I am at 119 now of the 180 that are needed. I just kept wanting to sew one more block last night until I started sewing the units all turned around and had to unsew a couple of blocks in a row. That was a definite sign that it was time to call it a night. I used up all of my 2 inch propeller and dot blocks and had to pull out crumbs and strings to use as leaders and enders. That is a lot of blue!

Everyone was dragging at work this morning. Coming back to a full week after a lovely and relaxing holiday is never easy. Getting up and doing again this week left us all feeling a bit jet lagged. Next weekend is a short week for Martin Luther King day, so that will help everyone to get back into the groove. I have lots going on, and nothing on the list is getting crossed off as I sit here typing to you all. But it has given me a chance to clear my mind and take a deep cleansing breath. I hope that you all have a week that helps to fill your creative needs. It is far to soon to be looking forward to next weekend. One day at a time! Can you hear the big creaks as my brain shifts gears? I will now go and practice some scholarly academic creativity. 

ScrapHappy Saturday Number 2 of 2026

 

We are a week into the new year! I hope that you are finding time to sew and enjoying some new projects or making progress on your existing blocks. I have 78 out of the 180 blocks that I will need for Saltwater Taffy. I've been alternating between batches of churn dashes and chains. It looks like chain blocks are first up this morning. The four patches use 1.25 inch strips, but I made a big batch of strip sets, so I will just need to sub cut a few of those. 

I was out of 2 inch dot blocks, so I switched to 2 inch bricks for leaders and enders. They make whirly blocks that I will set on point. I haven't done any math to figure out how many of each color to make, I just used up whatever 2 inch leftovers there where in the drawer. 

It was a long week back to school, but everyone is back into the swing of things again. I think we have two full weeks before MLK. I've got some evening events and going into classrooms to look forward to in the next couple of weeks. After that, I am taking a bus tour of 12 private schools in Florida. That should be a lot of fun. Each school will wine and dine us and give us a tour before we move on to the next. It is a lot of school to miss, but it will be worth it to have so much insight to share with my student.

Use the linky below to share your progress so far in the new year. I always enjoy seeing which new projects you all pick out as well as the ones that get revived or rolled over. All of the above options are great choices. As long as it uses scraps, the it accomplishes the goal.

Minis and Organization

I wanted to hang some mini quilts near my octagonal thread shelf. Kurt saved some extra wood trim that I used to stabilize the backs. I just sewed a folded square of fabric into the binding on the back of the two top corners and then used the small wood scrap to perch the quilts across a couple of thumb tacks. They are very small quilts, so they didn't need much support. 

I don't seem to be able to throw away bonus half square triangles. After going crazy with the new loc block ruler, I have plenty of tiny little blocks for mini quilts, coasters or mug rugs. These little guys are 5 inches each. They are so cute that I almost hate to use them. I added some hand quilting which I thought finished them off nicely.  

My project totes are all nicely organized for the new year. I have them numbered and try not to start a new project until I have emptied a tote by finishing off an old project. Most are ongoing projects, but some are collections of subunits. Typically I try to have one tote for each size of subunits, so one each for crumbs, strings, 2.5, 2 and 1.5 inch squares or strips. I don't have a 1.5 inch project right now since I finished the log cabin quilt for the cabin. I might cycle a new project back in when something else gets done. There isn't space for any more totes, so I have reached the limit of my capacity. I think that 12 projects is plenty for me to keep track of. 

1. Show Me the Receipts - crumb paper piecing strips (I am thinking of re naming this one Cash Register Confetti) 
2. New Moon - String block circles
3. Salt Water Taffy - Churn Dashes and Chains in Aqua 
4. Tiny Tuesday - 3 inch miniature blocks
5. Christmas Wedding - red and green double wedding ring
6. Sweet Irene - 2.5 inch 16 patch blocks
7. 2 inch nine patches
8. Large Bricks - 2.5 by 4.5 inch
9. Little Loggies - Paper pieced mini log cabin blocks
10. Small Bricks - 2 by 3.5 inch
11. Triangles - Bonus half square triangle blocks
12. 10.5 inch squares for quilt backings

Right now I am working on Salt Water Taffy, but I just saw a new idea that I want to try out for the 2 inch nine patches. And so the cycle continues...

 

ScrapHappy Saturday - 2026 Edition

After focusing on finishing projects before the end of December, a new year is always a great time to think about fresh starts. I finished 9 quilts this year, and made one rustic quilt ladder from a cherry plum tree that was struck by lightning. There should be links to each finished project on the "My Quilts" tab. 

This year I will focusing on making blocks from my strip bins. I keep 1.5, 2 and 2.5 inch strips in drawers under my handiquilter and pull from them on a regular basis for new projects.

These blocks came from the 2 inch bin and used up strips that were at least 12 inches. Each block needs to 5 inch strips and 2 squares.  I pulled a contrasting square  and then stacked up the block kits to use as leaders and enders.

Here are my blue blocks so far. 

What are your plans for the Rainbow Scrap Challenge this year? Think about what kind of scraps you have and then come up with a block that will put them to good use. It doesn't have to be fancy (though it can!). It just has to use up some scraps. January is blue this month. Pick a block and jump in! There will be a new color each month, and by the end of the year you will have enough blocks to make a quilt or two. There will be a linky party here each Saturday so that you can visit other people making beautiful rainbow scraps blocks. Be careful though, sometimes it is hard to resist the temptation to make just one more set of scrap blocks. I put a few more details on the RSC26 tab, along with updated tracking sheets if you would like to make a plan. There is also a grab my button widget in the left hand margin if you would like to add my button to your own blog. If you add it in an HTML widget to your own blog, then you should be able to use it as a direct link to come back on Saturdays to see what scraps others are using up!

A Brand New Year

 

Welcome to 2026! Last year was a bit much. Here is hoping to a bit more calm in the new year. January is going to be blue for the #Rainbow Scrap Challenge. I try to start out with a big color when every one is feeling fresh and energized with new year resolve. 

I am using these dot blocks as leaders and enders. I have quite a few done already. It feels like a weekend, but I still have a few more days to sew before school starts again. 

I will spend some time organizing my thoughts today. First up is updating my "My Quilts" page to include my finishes for 2026. I usually make a collage of the finishes for the year. That will happen after I remember what got done. I usually make a collage for each year. It is a nice way to remember. 

I started the day today by pulling out a UFO that was supposed to be a quilt for the daybed in the guest bedroom. That is where Ryan is currently living, so no rush on this one. It was going to be a monochromatic mini churn dash and chains. I quickly got bored with just aqua and started adding in other colors. I have decided to call it Saltwater Taffy and include pink, orange and lime along with the turquoise. The blocks are 5 inches each, so it will take quite a few of them. It is a bit chaotic right now, so maybe a bit more aqua will tone it down and tie it together? 

One of my friends from work had a little get together this afternoon, and tonight we are taking Sydney's new boyfriend out to dinner. This is the first time we are meeting him!  

Last ScrapHappy Saturday of 2025

There is a new button for Rainbow Scrap Challenge 2026. The AI version got the majority of votes, which makes me sad, but it is objectively better than the version that I devised. In the upper left margin, there is a button image with some HTML code in the box below. Just copy that code, and then paste it into an HTML widget on the menu of your own blog. Feel free to use the image in other ways if you do not blog. 

2025 is ready to draw to a close. I hope that means that everyone is ready for the first ScrapHappy Saturday of 2026 next weekend! It is officially time to dig into your blue scraps and settle on a project or two for the year. 

I am off to a late start today as we are celebrating our delayed family Christmas. 

We spent the morning doing Christmas crafts to make t-shirts of the cabin crew complete with Bill the groundhog that Anna designed on her cricket. 

ScrapHappy Saturday - 2 More Saturdays in 2025

And sew the countdown begins! Just two more Saturdays left this year. I will be back tomorrow with a new logo, rollout directions for 2026 and the color for January! Next week, please come back with an end of year wrap up. It is time to celebrate all the great rainbow scraps that you have turned into blocks, projects or quilts during 2025. Misterlinky will expire in 30 hours, so I will get that all straightened out and work on finalizing my plans for the new year. For now, we have had a change in plans and I will work on finishing up a few more projects and tidying things up around here. I dug a little deeper into my project bins and found one more block collection that was nearly complete. These Irish chain leader and ender blocks needed just 5 more blocks to be enough for a small top. Kurt is asking for more smallish cuddly quilts to use at the cabin. I pulled out all the 2 inch strips in brown and sewed them together like binding to make a couple of borders. I always think of brown and green for things at the cabin. 

Then I cut up a stack of flannel shirts that Sydney and I have been collecting from the Goodwill store. They had to be super soft and have the tag color that means they are half off this week. Size large or extra large is preferable. The green and red plaid was a set of XL men's PJs that were half off of 5.99. That is a lot of fabric for $3! It seemed like 14 inches was the largest width that I could consistently cut from sleeves and such, so I just made rectangles that were 14 inches by the longest size I get get. I have a pillowcase full of smaller bits that I can still use for other things. 

Then I cleared out the very last of the extra batting to sew together this collection of random softness. Karen Brown from Just Get it Done quilts calls is Frankenbatting. That is an appropriate name for what turned out to be a perfectly serviceable quit filling. I do have an entire roll of brand new batting, but I didn't want to open it up until all the odds and ends have been used up. The quilt is loaded on the frame and I got a few rows of fans quilted before Kurt made it home from the airport yesterday. 

Kurt had not planned to fly anywhere this week, but he got an emergency call from his dad on Wednesday morning that said, "Come, NOW".  Christine is his dad's wife. They were both widowed and then got married about seven years ago. You might remember that she got sick at Thanksgiving. Unfortunately she never really got better and passed away while Kurt was on the way. He stayed with the next few days with his brother to get arrangements started and we will all drive up together on Monday to bury the ashes. We are still playing things by ear based on when the arrangements come together. Kurt's brother and wife both stayed there and we will try to stagger out support so that he doesn't have to be alone right away. There will be a celebration of life at the end of next month. They had both planned to move into a continuous care facility next month, and the boys are both helping to work out those plans. They were both incredibly organized and pragmatic about planning, but it still seems to be complicated to get everything done following a death. 

I will spend the weekend here getting a few things cleaned and organized. Our washing machine broke last weekend and we got a new one delivered on Tuesday. It is both a washer AND dryer in one and it has been getting quite a workout to catch up and get everyone ready to pack and travel to colder climates. The laundry room needs reorganization as well which will keep Kurt occupied for a few days. 

So, if you have made it this far, let me recap. Come back next week with an end of year wrap up and then be ready with new plans for #rainbowscrapchallenge 2026. I feel ready for a new start and hope that you do to.