May Projects

In the evenings and maybe an hour in the mornings, I have been working on a few crafty projects. 

I have finished the stocking front from the Plaid Bucilla kit, "Santa Says Hello." This is a design from Mary Engelbreit which means it has a bit more challenging work that the norm for these kits.

I really like making stocking kits as they seem to come together so quickly.

 

I have been steadily working on the scrappy set of twin quilts. 

After sewing a few cream strips together to make the first small border on both quilts I decided that just wasn't going to work so have started changing my plan. 

I am "Bonnie Hunter-ing" my design. If you've ever made one of her mysteries you can appreciate how truly scrappy she approaches her designs. I've made one of her mysteries and I think it is influencing my take on this project.

So the first step of ripping off the cream strips and adding a border of  2 1/2-inch squares has been done on one quilt. 

Making the blocks for the second border is probably going to take me all summer!!!

I am going with a teal batik border. The batik print I ordered just didn't make me happy for the border and after much searching on the internet, I gave up trying to find the "Spumoni" Bali pop set from many years ago. At least the teal Hoffman 1895 batik is still available.

I did a mock-up first with my scrappy 1 3/4-inch HSTs from the quilt tops. Everything is always more cute in smaller sizes. 

I started working on a cross stitch project and found this pattern in my bag that I bought while in Wichita Falls, TX, at an adorable quilt shop, The Enchanted Quilt. They only had a few bolts of batik fabrics but I did find this pattern which I thought would look great with a reversal of values...white bunnies on a dark background. Our rabbits turn white in the winter and brown in the summer. 

Several quilts by this designer graced the walls the quilt shop. 

I had not seen her patterns before. Very cute stuff!

May Happenings

I started May with a major project finish, 50 animal ornaments. Bucilla kit, "Noah's Animals," from 1999. I started the kit in 2014 and didn't even finish one animal when I decided to start a different kit. I'm so glad I stopped shuffling this kit to the back of the line and finally stuck to it. A normal ornament kit has six ornaments so this one kit was like finishing eight ornaments kits. It makes me feel so much better to think of it that way since I usually make 10 to 12 Bucilla kits every year.

I'm moving onto another kit that was opened several years ago with the intention of starting it but the white felt in the kit had horrible brown ink smear marks on it. I found out that kits from this time period had washable ink and I was able to wash the ink off and very faintly see a white stamp.Very difficult to work with the white felt...actually I just make it up as I go! So far not too difficult but there are two candy canes with lots or red stripes to stitch...not feeling good about getting to that part.

I missed the third retreat of the Material Girls quilting season the first weekend of May. (We meet monthly, September through May). At the February retreat the group decided as a challenge project everyone needed to complete a UFO by May. Ooops...no way was that happening in my world. So I am aiming for the October retreat...and I am tackling two quilts and a small quilt from the scraps. I finished the two center sections of blocks for two twin quilts.

I had two Spumoni Hoffman Batik Bali Pops I bought at a great price that were the inspiration for these quilts. 

Too bad this colorway is so old now that I had to seek the "retired Hoffman batiks," section of the online shop Batiks Plus. I have ordered from this site several times and love how quickly they get orders in the mail...and they cut a generous 40-inch yard. Greatly relieve to find enough yardage in stock. 

I ordered the middle blue fabric below for the outer 6-inch border. I had to fight my tendency to design a pieced border. These quilts really need to get done and on twin bunk beds in one of my guest rooms. 

Several years ago I had also already started playing with the scrap HSTs leftover from block construction. I can hardly wait to start playing with what looks like hundreds of mini HSTs. I thought I would make some throw pillows or pillow shams when I pieced these but I'm toying with a wall hanging. The guest bedroom could use one of those too! 

And the real challenge to getting any quilting done is gardening season is upon us!!! Last week was all about gathering. Now the slow process of  hardening off the plants for the intense daylight and cooler temps. Memorial Day weekend is the traditional "safe time," to start putting plants in the ground.

While cleaning up around the yard I noticed a boulder toppled on top of my decorative mini Eiffel Tower. I'm going to need some wire cutters to get it out. 

And the bear pictures are starting to pop up whenever I check Facebook. One of my neighbors caught this photo of a very dark grizzly bear about a mile from our houses. This is a three-year-old that is still with its mom. I don't have a picture of her...yet...but she was there and that is how I can confirm this is a grizzly and not a huge black bear The mom is very blond so I'm guessing papa bear is really dark. I been watching this cub and its mother the past two summers so I feel as though they are almost family. I'd like them to remain rather aloof.