Make-A-List Monday - Headed into Deep Summer!

Hi, all!

I hope you had a fun and safe 4th of July weekend!  Ours started out with a Hamilton watch party with the kids on Friday, then continued on Saturday with a (masked) trip to the farmer's market and out to breakfast, then brisket and fresh corn on the cob for supper and then watching the neighborhood fireworks from our front lawn!  All in all, it was a lovely way to celebrate, and we didn't miss the crowds or huge celebration at all.  

And now it's Monday, and time to review last week and look ahead to the new one!  First thing on last week's list was to continue working on the blog hop project, and it's coming along nicely...

This pic was taken after spray basting, then I stay stitched around the whole piece and did some stitch in the ditch on my domestic machine.  Now I've loaded it on the quilt frame and it's ready for some quilt-y love tomorrow.

I was also working on squaring up/blocking the whole cloth piece I will be using for Emmy's annual quilt.  I did that by loading it onto my quilt frame, being sure the the edges were placed at the same place on the two bars.  Then I pulled it taut and spritzed it with water, allowing it to dry in position.  Once it dried, I rolled it up to a new section and repeated the process.  I'm pleased to say that it appears to have squared up nicely!

I didn't take a picture of it, but I've got a large stack of fabrics pulled for Lilli's Harry Potter quilt, AND I managed to find both black and white solids to use in it, despite what appears to be a major shortage around town!

I think I have a plan for Nathanael's quilt, but I also have a back-up idea that will take a lot longer but that I really want to make!  And since I just ordered the pattern, it probably is the way I will go.  Of course, it will be green!

And praise Jesus, I got the pool noodle installed over the attic door frame!  I even tried banging my head on it, and it works really good at bouncing my hard head off without damaging it.  

And it was a mask-making kind of week around my place - a few for a friend who works in a doctor's office, more for a family that realizes they are going to need masks to stay safe these days, and even a couple for a very little guy!

This was the smallest I've ever made a mask, and I was a little worried it would still be too large.  I used my considerable Nana skills to get the little guy to try it on, and I was pleased to see that it fit just fine!

And I tried a new recipe for our Hamilton watch party, originally called Mango Royale, but which I renamed Mango Continental in honor of the day.  I took the original recipe and made it a little bit more keto-friendly - it was a total success!  Basically it's a browned-butter graham cracker crust, topped with a layer of a whipped cream/cream cheese and keto-friendly sweetener mixture. Next comes a layer of mango puree, a sprinkle of graham cracker crumbs, then repeat the whole process.  Totally delicious!!!

And now for this week.  

I need to finish the blog hop project and write a tutorial for it. 

 I'd like to start piecing Lilli's quilt.  I just need to decide which block to start with!  

Now that I've got some head protection in the attic, I need to move some boxes in there so the guest room is not a catch-all for stuff I haven't unpacked yet. 

I want to work in my front flower beds, cleaning out all the weeds and putting down fresh mulch.  It's the wrong time of year to plant flowers, but I can at least get the beds clean and ready for when I can!

So now, the question is - - - what are YOU working on this week?

Hugs!

Sarah

Can I Get Whoop Whoop? A Bit of This and That...

Hi, all!

Happy 4th of July weekend, at least if you are here in the US!  This year certainly seems to be going by in a flash but here we are at Friday again - and that means it's time for us to get our whoop whoop on!  Are you ready?  Let's get started!

*&*&*&*&*&*&*

This week has been a crazy one, and I've been working on a lot of things, but haven't finished much lately.  Or rather, I've finished some small things, continued working on some big things, and done a little dreaming about future possibilities!

I made a prototype clear mask that is much easier to make than my last attempt....

...and made some pretty masks for a friend of mine!

I continued working on the blog hop project - quilting has started!

And I fooled around with some scraps on my cutting table.  After seeing this pic on Instagram...

I remembered some scraps on my sewing table - the remnants of my Moongate quilt - and yesterday I played with laying them out to see if I'd have enough to do something similar.  And I do!  So they are tucked away for a future project.

And best of all, yesterday when I went to Joann's to get some muslin for a quilt back, I lucked out and got some Kona black, which had just come in to the store that morning.  I have been looking for it, or actually any 100% black cotton, for a week or more, and can't find it anywhere.  I think it's being diverted for mask making.  But I sure was glad to have the chance to get 3 yards for my stash!

And one last thing - I'm trying to quietly start a revolution, so I put up a challenge on Facebook - #WhoDoYouMaskFor.

For ten days, I'm going to share a picture of someone I wear a mask for, with an explanation of why.  I'll also challenge someone else to do the same for ten days.  There are so many people in my part of the country who feel that wearing a mask is an infringement of their personal rights!  I'm hoping to open some eyes and change a few hearts and minds.  Feel free to join me if you want!

So - - - can I get a whoop whoop?

*&*&*&*&*&*&*

And now it's your turn!

What's got you whooping it up this week?

What's making you do a little happy dance?

Share!  We want to dance right along with you,

And it's always more fun to dance with friends!

The party will stay open until Sunday midnight.

Hope to see you there!

Hugs!

Sarah

I May Have A Scrap Problem.... A Sneak Peek and Some Inspiration!

Hi, all!

I want to play in my scraps so-o-o-o-o-o much - but I'm working on a project for an upcoming blog hop that I must get done first.  Here's a sneak peek of what I'm working on....

It's still a work in progress, and there are some kinks to work out, but I'm liking the way it's coming together.  It is scrappy, though, so I don't feel like it's cheating to put it on here today!

And now for this week's inspiration (which has been coming hard and fast on Instagram - there are some fabulous scrap quilters on there!)

Let's start with some string quilts!  Here's a great array with so much variety - and now can you understand why I want to play with my scraps?

Now, I don't know about you, but I always love a good I-Spy quilt, and this one is a beauty....

Simple squares next, but the color gradations really makes this quilt!

I've been looking at this next design, and I *think* it's four log cabin blocks, with the colored strips being made of pieced scrappy strips.  I REALLY want to give this one a try! (Ooh, and I may have just the leftover pieces to do it with - the scraps from my Moongate quilt!)

Here's another great quilt using squares - I think two sizes of squares, maybe 2.5" and 4.5"?  Once again, I could so easily make this with stuff I've already got cut, so maybe I should drag some of it out....

And in honor of the Fourth of July, how about a quilt with stars and stripes?  This looks like it would be so much fun to make....

So I've now done my job enabling your scrappy sewing habit - go enjoy yourself!

Hugs!

Sarah