Out of the scrap bin...

The brown scrap bin yielded 150 slab blocks at 6.5" and looks like I will get three quilts from this pile of scraps. I've added bits from larger pieces and fat quarters, but the brown bin is now empty! How long that will last is anyone's guess.

This first top was designed around an orphan block that someone donated to our guild. Many donors are people who cannot quilt for health reasons, or from families who have lost their quilting mother or grandmother. The block is 18.5" so was perfect for my 6.5" blocks. I had plain ones also so used them to give some space to this orphan. Putting the slab blocks around it was pure fun. 

This top is 63" square and going to the guild community outreach group for quilting. I did make some binding, also leftover scraps, that will work and have some brown backing that will do this one and the second one on the design wall. Photo of it later...

 

Busting the Blues -- top is done!

 I actually burst into tears when this top was finished. Partly because it was a lot of sewing and my UFO list isn't getting smaller, nor the list of folks needing quilts. And partly because it turned out better than I thought it would.

 

Process was sped up by doing the piano keys border a speedy way. I took all my scrap strips and put them in piles according to their length. Then I made strip sets out of the piles, keeping the starting ends lined up and ending wherever. Then I trimmed them to 5.5" chunks, like this ||||||||||| and sewed the chunks together until I had four pieces long enough to do the job. Lots easier than sewing individual 5.5" pieces together, and fast. My BabyLock goes like crazy.

I've a blue backing, but later. Just need a break for working on this insane stash buster. 

Oh, the photo was also taken in indoor lighting, so the blues were greyish again and the greens were neon. I tried to fix it, but made it greener. Next time. The close-up picture shows the color a bit better.

Pink Scraps flimsy

The top is done. Now I need to find the backing. I used almost all the pink scraps but there are still more. Do they multiply in the dark like coat hangers?! I think so. Anyway, my plan for quilting this is just wavy lines but since I've not made anything like this before, do I need to stabilize it first? Will the squares go wonky if I don't?

Now I must get something on the longarm before anxiety hits that there are too many tops and not enough 'dones' in the closet.

BTW, we are having storms like I've never seen storms in our part of the world. Here is one picture. Scary! These storms, with tornado warnings, are happening at least once a week this month, sometimes more. They are over our two largest cities and along the route in between.

Brown Scraps I progress...

 

This top is finished. I need to quilt it and am not using scraps on the back. I thought there was some wide backing in my shelves but no, so went online to look only to discover that no one will sell me 2.5 yards or meters. The checkout rounds it to 2 or ups it to 3. I might try a local store that is doing curbside service, but really wanted to get this one from Hancock's in Kentucky. Their prices and low shipping costs make it about half of what it costs anywhere else. However, they are not shipping to Canada during this pandemic. So my brown scraps, now nicely assembled, will have to wait for a while to get finished. In the meantime, the fabric, etc. for a dozen or so baby quilts are lined up saying "Make me" so I'm not twiddling my thumbs!

I am a bit worried about 'going back to normal' though. Having extra time to quilt and do other things is nice and I've started getting annoyed at any kind of interruption. Oh dear, that is not a good sign!

Two kinds of 'cold' and other issues...

The past few weeks have been challenging. My hubby caught a cold (rare) and about the third day nearly passed out. ER couldn't find the cause. Nasty cough and now much better. About 3 days behind him, I got it, no passing out, nasty cough though and now nearly better. My sister's hip healed nicely but other things are happening. Not good. She may not survive. We are praying and hoping to be well soon so we can go see her.

Our son and his gal are in the Philippines and left Lake Taal just before the volcano erupted. He is so thankful they got out of there. No wonder I felt prompted often to pray for their safety.

Our oldest son is working north, was -48C (-55F) there all day yesterday. And it is -30 C here (-22F). Praying for his safety too. Global warming anyone?

However, I did get the final borders on this medallion. I like it. The next thing is deciding how to quilt it. The binding is ready... look on the right side to see a short strip preview. This quilt took forever, mostly procrastination. Also, my mind works this way: we were supposed to be in FL for the past two weeks and had that happened, I would not be working on it anyway, so I didn't... at least until I got sick of looking at it unfinished. It is about 60" square.

Our home is warm, hubby doesn't need to go to work, we have lots of groceries, and it is supposed to hit -36 here tomorrow then warm up to -25 the next day. Positively balmy!

Getting there...

This charity quilt top is finished. I had several 2.5" x 8" pieces left and decided to join them for the binding. A bit of extra stitching and pressing, but I like it. The picture shows the binding pinned around it. I measured and when I did this, it was about 4' short. So much for my math skills. 

After taking the photo I thought another border done this way would look cool, but shook my head. It is already about 74" x 80" and supposed to be a large cuddle quilt, so it is big enough and my body is protesting the piecing marathon of the last few days. I'll gather batting and cut the backing tomorrow. 

My thought is white for the quilting and I'll use a panto. But white? Boring. If i had time, I'd go look for a variegated with white and those colors. Why do I keep thinking of more work to do!! LOL.

We just came home from two weeks on Vancouver Island. I was afraid I'd be bored, wanting to quilt, etc. but it was a wonderfully relaxing time. Took lots of pictures (more inspiration) and visited friends. Nice to be home yet didn't realize how badly I needed a holiday. We stayed in a lovely suite in a two-story walkout with full kitchen, etc. but I didn't cook once!