More Mindless Sewing

 I carried on with the Butterfly and 4 Patch blocks to get to this point:

I have more HST's cut, but they are of a different print. If I stretch my palette I could make more 4 Patch blocks too. I was ready for a slight change of pace however. The flimsy would finish 36" wide and 42" long at this stage. I did debate whether to go for 48" in length but oddly enough that just seemed to complicated things. Three by six inch flying geese units accommodate both dimensions if I lay them out on their ends:

Which I quite like! And now I get to use up some of my orange remnants. Plus, the way I make flying geese works very well as leaders and enders, or for sewing between the seams of other projects. I don't go so far back as to use templates, but I do work in what is probably now considered an old fashioned method. I cut 7.25" squares from the geese prints and then cut those on the diagonal in both directions to make quarter-square triangles. For the background or sky patches I cut 3.875" half-square triangles. I have a stack of both near the sewing machine now so I can take this flimsy off the wall and go back to one of the other quilts I have in progress. I want one of those to be a surprise for the recipient so you won't be seeing it here until after it's been gifted. 😉

I'm trying to be good about not doing one type of activity for an extended period of time to avoid aggravating my carpal tunnel and other physical issues. Sure slows the process down! (Not that I was ever as prolific as some folks seem to be.)

A Slight Diversion

I didn't feel like pursuing the medallion top I began for Scrap Happy Day (in the previous post). I needed some mindless sewing to do. The Butterfly blocks and some remnants in my stash came to mind.

 Four patch blocks are nice and simple but will make for a more interesting background than a single print might. 

 I just about have enough parts for nine 12" blocks at this point. That would make a 36" square start for another potential medallion style top. I am beginning to run out of the prints I began with so a decision of some sort will need to be made. I suppose a baby quilt is not out of the question. I do like the challenge of figuring out how to make a little go a long way though. 😉

Scrap Happy in March

As per usual, I've sewn up some scrap blocks inbetween work on other projects.

There are 8" Butterfly blocks surrounding a couple of 12" Lego blocks. There's also one 8" postage stamp star off to the left. 

But wait! There's more! I pulled out the scrappy medallion I started way back in August of 2021. So far I've only added another round to it but I think I know what will come next. 

August 2021:

It sort of looks like an overgrown placemat at this stage. It was about 20" high and 26" wide. I had some Chinese Coins units and strips leftover from building this quilt top...

Which is now in the queue to be quilted. There were just about enough to make it all the way around the medallion. I only had to add a few strips from my stash (and substituted some of my own for duplicates in the original pile). 

Now it's about 32" high and 38" wide. I believe I can surround this with stars and then maybe a whole cloth border. That should bring it up to a good size for a child or a lap quilt. That's not going to happen before this post needs to go live however. 😊 ScrapHappyDay is the 15th of each month, wherever you happen to be in the world. It's hosted by Kate and Gun, whose links are below along with all the other fairly regular participants. This month we welcome Viv to the group and look forward to seeing what she's been doing with her scrap materials!

Kate, Gun, Eva, Lynda,
Birthe, Turid, Susan, Cathy,  Tracy, Jill,
Claire, Jan, Moira, Sandra, Chris, Alys,
Claire, Jean, Jon, Dawn, Jule, Gwen,
Bekki, Sunny, Kjerstin, Sue L, Vera,
Nanette, Ann, Dawn 2, Bear, Viv,
Preeti, Edith, Debbierose

The Sketchbook Project and Wm. Morris Updates

 Fire damage to The Sketchbook Project collection hasn't been as extensive as first thought but it's still bad. Books have been damaged by smoke and water as well as flames. So far I haven't learned what caused the fire. Some books will be irretrievable, others can be salvaged. The new library space in St. Pete has begun to take shape. Undamaged books are going onto shelves. Apparently the whole of the Tiny Sketchbook collection was safe (that's two year's worth of submissions I think). Those unloading boxes and assessing damage are wearing N95 masks to protect themselves from mold and smoke as much as anything else.

 

  The GoFundMe drive has raised about 2/3 of the monies needed to get The Sketchbook Project back on its' feet in Florida. Every little bit helps. 😊

Meanwhile, the quilt top featuring the William Morris style prints has been completed.

I'm very happy with the way it turned out. Hopefully the intended recipient will be too! 

I sashed and bordered the blocks with a blue+green Fossil Fern print.The top finished up at about 66" square.

 I took the easy road out and purchased a creamy extra-wide print for the back. 😁 

I've also purchased a new rotary cutter. Actually, I bought two but the first one didn't work out. I've returned to an Olfa cutter that has a slightly plump handle. Turns out you can wear out your rotary cutter, not just the blade - who knew?! The washer mechanism had so much slop in it that I couldn't tighten the blade adequately anymore. I'm having a much easier time cutting strips and patches now. Still have to pace myself to keep from aggravating the tendonitis in my left elbow and the carpal tunnel syndrome in my right hand and forearm but it's progress. As long as I stay out of toxic fumes I'm a much happier camper these days.

Tragedy for The Sketchbook Project

I thought I would give you an update on Starring William Morris today. When I found the following in my inbox this morning I had to take a detour.

On Monday, February 28th, the moving trailer that was transporting the entire Sketchbook Project collection from Brooklyn to St. Pete (Florida) caught fire while driving through Baltimore. We are incredibly thankful that everyone involved in the accident is safe and not hurt.

 We are pleased to report that around 70% of the The Sketchbook Project collection was saved by volunteers and firefighters who heroically moved the books off as fast as possible at the scene. Following, community members from a local church helped move each box of books into their parking lot one by one. The majority of the unharmed books arrived in St Pete today and are safe and sound. We are beginning to assess the damage, but we estimate we may have lost around 7,000 books of the collection and most of our supplies that helped us operate as an organization.

Those of you who have been with me for a long time will remember that I've participated in The Sketchbook Project a few times over the years. Most recently I filled in a Tiny Sketchbook with an abecedary. Prior to that I embroidered travel trailers for each page. Those are the two that stand out in my feeble mind. There were others. 

I found The Sketchbook Project community to be very welcoming. Participating helped me to see my own artistic vision more clearly. I value the growth I've experienced and their ongoing mission to foster creativity in others. My contribution to their GoFundMe drive is minimal, but every donation takes them one step closer to setting up a new library and starting up their programs once more. If this resonates with you I invite you to throw a few pennies in the pot along with me. 😊