Design Wall Monday-April 9, 2018

It was a pretty good week around here with some time to sew! Galen left on Thursday to go with a friend on a bio-blitz in Del Rio, Texas. That is SW of San Antonio not far from Lake Amistad and the Mexican border. While I enjoy going along on some of his trips I am not great at climbing up and down canyons anymore. And yes we do have them in Texas!

Pecos River Bridge near Langtry, TX. This is where they hiked on Friday. We often stop at this overlook when in that area.

 Can't wait to see all his pictures, he has some new lifers and a few that are rarely photographed in Texas! Good trip for him-he gets home today and a great few days for me to spend time sewing and sorting through years of "stuff"! Tilly and Tiki did find it necessary to remind me that they were home and wanted to go chase squirrels in the back yard!

Earlier in the week I had watched a u tube video from Jordan fabrics-Jelly Roll Drag Race. Loved the way theirs turned out so decided to give it a go. They used a full jelly roll in theirs. I had a very tropical looking one that was a roll of 24 and decided to use it. It is not trimmed yet to even it up. I think I will add a border to the sides then one all the way around. It will certainly brighten up someone's day!

On this on they have you cut your strips in half and then insert a 6 1/2 inch strip when sewing them together. Then you get a diamond effect. The one they show in the video  finished is really nice.

You know those waste HSTS triangles we always make and cut off and save for another day? AS I said I have been sorting through years of stuff!  

I think the ones in the top bin are all Halloween. The bottom and assortment of what ever

Left overs from Pineapple Passion quilt. the Bonnie Hunter freebe

The bagged ones are from a red and cream quilt. The others from a lot of various snowball swaps. And yes there are a lot more than these!!!

As I was sorting through scraps and plastic bins I would need to take a break and sit for a while. A good time  to sit at the machine and make more Nine patch-Straight furrow blocks. I would sit and sew 2 blocks each time using the leader/ender method. This is a picture of 10, but 12 are made to add to the pile.

Almost forgot-got the first blocks made for the Kaffe mystery. No pictures, not every one has their kits! You will ust have to take my word!!!!

We had the upstairs (my sewing areas) remodeled in 2016 and am still going through stuff as I put it back. That means bins and bags of stuff. Earlier I had found a container of 2 inch squares sewn together in pairs. Could not remember why. Was it mindless sewing in the motel while they were making dust in the house or was there a plan. Earlier this week I found a bag from that motel stay and it had 2 of Bonnie Hunter's books with pages marked. I think I found my answer. I have a long way to go to get enough of these eventually into 9 patches but they will now be next to the machine and used as leaders/enders!  I believe I have mentioned I am not the most organized person in the world. Never will be but maybe better by this time next year! 

On another note-did get the tomatoes and some herbs finally planted earlier in the week. Also bought some new perennials for the beds. Looks like we have a good crop of butterfly weed sprouting again as well. Most of our new plants from last year made it through the really cold snaps we had but not all. Still giving the ones not showing life a little more time before we replace. Sometimes they surprise us and it just takes a little while to start leafing out.

Busy day a head and Galen gets back today. That means dinner!

Back to small quilts to see what others are doing!

March 2018 Wrap Up

     First of all I hope that those who celebrate Easter and Passover had a blessed day .    For us it felt like the middle of the night going to 7 AM sunrise service. Still quite dark!

  March did go pretty fast. Of course being away the first week helped. We left Port Lavaca the morning of the 5th for Rockport, TX. It was a nice day for the drive. Before we crossed Copano Bay we stopped at Goose Island State Park near Lamar. They were pretty well up and running again after Hurricane Harvey. The campsites had just reopened that weekend. Drove down to the water and Galen got some pictures of the birds in the marshes. Then we went looking for the Whooping Cranes. We only saw a few this time but fun to see them again. Same field as in December. I had taken 2 quilts along to give to Jeanne at the quilt shop in Rockport. I knew she would be giving them to a place on the East side of the bay where we were. So we hunted it down. .Schoenstatt Shrine They are having to rebuild. We get back that way I would like to go onto the grounds. A lot of history.

                          Enough travelog, I should be talking about quilting too! While on the trip I did complete all the blocks for this quilt. You know the kit I talked about the beginning of March that was from 2005! Yes it is now a top. and at the quilters. (36 blocks)

I had made these blocks in February for my February block count but had not put the top together! Another top completed in March and at the quilters!

The Sparrow Quilt Company 2nd stashbuster pattern for March was called On the Rail (35 blocks)

stashbuster series

 I decided since it was blue bonnet season in Texas and I had been collecting blue bonnet fabrics over the years it would be fun to use a little of those fabrics.  And took a picture of the quilt in the blue bonnets. It was a windy day so not the greatest picture!

I also can add 8 blocks for a mystery I am doing plus 9 more blocks for my Quilted in Love yahoo group (Nine Patch-straight furrow ) Others in the group who are also making the block have been sending them to me. This block challenge runs to the end of April. I will have fun putting all the blocks into quilts! My block total for blocks made is 88! I will take that.

I mentioned the blue bonnets are blooming. It is impossible this year for pictures to tell the story! They are something to see. Along the roads, in the medians everywhere you look they are in full blossom. And no year is complete without a few pictures of our girls with the flowers.

                                                  Linking up with Small Quilts Doll Quilts