Trying to Find a Gear

Did you ever try to learn to drive a standard? Remember that feeling of not quite getting the car into gear and searching for the sweet spot that would take you forward (or backward, for that matter). Well, I feel like that's where I've been of late - sitting between gears waiting for something to click.

That said, I finally made good on my remake of the yellow braid for the mug rugs to be given with the Christmas gifts for our shut-ins.

And I got over my fear of leaving too many trimming scraps on the table. I cut three roughly 8" x 6.5". The last one that's sitting on the top of the pile was too narrow so I reoriented the cut and got a fourth slightly smaller rug out of it. 

A few of the larger trimmings will likely become small HSTs to use in another one. You'd think that I don't have any yardage 😏.

A lonely little pile of forgotten HSTs made up quickly into these, which I quite like. They are approximately 6" x 8", which I hope is big enough.

And, I used some 1.25" scrappy strips to play with Log Cabin blocks. I quite like these as well and have the makings of one or two more ready to go.

Now that I have a few tops made I'm going to see if I can't get them quilted and take them with me to bind when we are away in August for a few days. It's always nice to have a bit of hand stitching to pick up. It's not a ton of progress but it's something, and I'll take it...M

Fair Season Has Begun

On the weekend, we took a quick trip to Beachburg to see what we could see. They host an agricultural fair annually that has been running for 168 years now (which seems incredible to me) and it's been a while since we went, so I was keen to see what we could see.

Much of the livestock showing had happened a day earlier, but there was a barn with some animals on display so we were able to enjoy that.

and a judging circle that was busy with young 4H members learning their way around a ring. This little fellow was Patches II and his turn was coming up. He had a lot of personality.

The biggie for me was getting into the handicrafts exhibit hall to check things out.

For a small fair I thought that they had a great showing of items, particularly quilts. 

And the workmanship was second to none.

Originally, I thought that this was a temperature quilt but I've since realized that it goes by another name - Postcard from Sweden? It was beautiful hung up high in the rafters.

As was this appliqued Christmas quilt.

The one that we were keen to see was this paper pieced fish quilt. Just a week earlier we learned that the young gal who runs the diner that we go to most Sundays for breakfast is a quilter and made this for a girlfriend's 40th. 

For a first effort I'm thinking that she did amazingly well. She will be thrilled.

And this was the last little fellow to catch my eye. He was a winner too, and you can see why.

What a terrific beginning to fair season 2024...M

We're Going Four It!

This post might just as easily be titled 'Crazy Loves Company'. 

Last weekend I saw where Roberta had pinned this gorgeous scrappy quilt called - what else? - Scraptacular by Edyta Sitar from Laundry Basket Quilts, so I sent Roberta a note saying how I have admired it for a long time and was saving to start it for a day when I was truly crazy. 

This was one of three quilts in a Go Four It quilt along held in 2015. Yup, I'm at the leading edge of quilting trends...

Well, crazy or not, here we come. Before the weekend was out, we had decided that we were jumping in with both feet. 

I recently came across a new print by Betsy Chutchian so it will be the large floral for the alternating strips. We're still sorting out what the other main colours will be.

There are 480 little square-in-a-square scrappy blocks with four patches tucked into the centre, so before committing to this I made a few test blocks. They finish up at 2 1/8" so you sort of want to be sure. Scrappy, tiny - I'm in!...M

Lemons or Lemonade?

Not surprisingly, there's another squirrel loose in my sewing room, a yellow one this time. 

All it took was an email from a friend who asked a group of our quilters if we would consider making quilted bookmarks for Christmas bundles that she gives to shut-ins - she needs about 40. Soon the idea of also making mug rugs came up, so naturally, I had to head to the scrap bins to see what I could start. I've also been pinning ideas like mad.

A braid seemed like a quick and easy place to start, and it was. Not sure exactly what size to make my strips (I want the mug rugs to be about 6" x 8") I cut them 2" x 6.5".

And very quickly I had this, which I love. 

If I trimmed and didn't waste any of the edges I would end up with a piece about 7.5". But even though they are scraps, I just can't bring myself to trim them to 6.5" wide and waste some of those corner pieces so that I can have the braid running across the mug, not vertically. Stall.

So, after I slept on it I'm changing gears (squirrels do that a lot). I will cut this strip in half and add borders to each piece to make a set of placemats for the Holly Bazaar. Then, I will cut another shorter set of strips to make mug rugs and get that braid running in the direction that I want. Not exactly what I was planning, but when life gives you lemons, make lemonade!...M