Squares and Pinwheel Flimsy

Woo-hoo!  I finished the quilt top with a day to spare.

I tweaked several little things as I started to sew it together, including flipping the whole quilt upside-down.  If I hadn't sewed some of the kites together, I'd have mirrored the design, too, so the color went from light to dark from the lower left to the upper right, instead of the direction it goes now.  Maybe I should just look at it on it's side?  LOL

I liked all the dark blue lumped together rather than split that I had previously.  However, moving that last bit of blue from from one corner to another required different yellow fabric than what I had on hand.  Eek! That prompted a last minute trip to the fabric store, quick before they closed for the weekend.  It's hard to find a dark yellow that isn't actually orange.  I bought four different yellows and two of them worked.  Whew!

I'm calling the pattern Squares and Pinwheels.  The quilt itself will be named Sunrise.

Shrinking Blocks

Hard to say if I'll meet my OMG because I keep switching between quilts.  I finished the other quilt backing, so I hope to be sandwiching that in the evenings.  I'm still fiddling around with the navy blue blocks on the baby quilt.  I've taken the plunge and started sewing together the middle blocks.

I had purposely cut the half kites on the large side, which allowed me to ensure the final kites had the color split right down the middle.  The pile of scrap is so pretty - makes me want to do something with that!

I Like Thursday: Laying Low

I like Thanksgiving.  Usually it's because I enjoy getting together with family.  This year, I'll enjoy laying low.  I plan to do some baking or sewing today.

Or maybe I should take my cue from Scarlet?  One last photo before she left for a new home with a friend.  

 

We didn't swap pigs at Dakin like we normally do.  There was plenty of guinea pigs that needed fostering... but we're pigsitting my sister's fosters this week.  Oh, my!  They are two fat-bottomed gals!  Sky and Huayra (it means wind).  

I Like Thursday: Cooking and Quilting

Missed last week's I Like Thursday - nothing to show and tell.  Been busy, though.  Let's see.  I baked a lot - tried three new recipes.  First recipe was for lemon poppy seed bars which were delicious.  I was told this recipe is a keeper.  I used a pair of lemons I picked from my parent's lemon tree.  I'm amazed it produces lemons - the tree is only a few feet tall in huge pot on their back deck.  How cool is that?

I tried out a butternut squash couscous salad recipe.  It was good, but I don't know if I'll make it again.  

On Sunday I made these cranberry scones for breakfast.  Yum!

Honing In

I've spent more time rearranging colors.  This is the latest layout.  I'm cutting some more purples and blue.

Instead of putting contrasting squares and pinwheels next to each other, I've put similar colors next to each other.  I like this better.  It has some problems with the reds - but I'll work with that.  It will get there.

I made one crumb square (see upper right, second block down).  I like really like the square, but not for the quilt.  Too busy.  But if I were to make a quilt with all the same colored pinwheels with crumb squares?  That could be fun. 

I tried a number colors with the navy - anything light jumped out.  Dark works better, and I'm thinking it will calm the quilt a bit.  I like the dark blue, but the dark grey is pretty good too.  So some more playing.  It's getting close.

Sharing with:
My Quilt Infatuation - Needle & Thread Thursday
Wendy's Quilts - Peacock Party

Where Next?

I've moved my half-kite blocks to the wall and spent a chunk of time rearranging them (see prior layouts here).  I like the rainbow layout - it cuts down on the confusion.  I have to blank spots on the left side that will be filled - I just haven't cut those pieces yet.  But it's the lower navy stripe that I'm floundering on.  I'm considering doing them all the same color neutral?  Maybe a rainbow of colors?  What I do not have is a multi-colored fabric (oh, save me from another trip to the fabric store!).  

I'm actually considering making string blocks for it...ooh or maybe crumb blocks.  That would be more work creating those blocks - however I feel that having the same solids there will diminish the impact of the stripe.

Sharing with:
Love Laugh Quilt - Monday Making
My Quilt Infatuation - Needle & Thread Thursday
Wendy's Quilts and More - Peacock Party

Half-Kites in Transition

I've been working on the first baby quilt.  First phase was simply cutting pieces and spreading them out.  Then I wanted to work in more navy blue than just the center squares, so I put a navy pinwheel and a navy square.  I liked the pinwheel better than the reverse square, so I added a few more navy pinwheels, and it became a zig-zag stripe.

Scarlet in Fall Colors

Scarlet is our latest foster guinea pig from Dakin.  Isn't she a cutie?  Such soft fur.  She's still a little bony, but curious and seems quite happy.  She hides sometimes, but every day I see her in a different part of the cage.  Scarlet gets very wheeky when we're in the kitchen.

She eats her hay like it's going out of style.  Still cautious with veggies - loves lettuce and radish leaves.  Carrots now pass approval, along with parsley.  Not so sure about bell pepper yet.  The blackberry was a hit - but I'm not willing to share more of them!

I Like Thursday: Fall Back

It's been frosty in the morning!  I've hauled some plants indoors, moved the gardening stuff back into the shed and the basement.  The year is winding down.  The clocks get set back on Sunday.

We finally hung up the new sign my sister made for us.  

The old one was disintegrating.  I love the new one's size - isn't it pretty with the fall colors?

Pumpkin Show With Lights!

Stormy weather threatened our second trip to the Pumpkin Show.  Good new is, it wasn't a repeat of last year!  No downed trees, all the electricity on.  

The lights were amazing as we approached the estate.  Lots of orange, green and purple.  I enjoyed hearing all the exclamations from the little kids as the took in the jack-o-lanterns and the lights.  Look at this one!  See the owl?  See the bunny?  Is that a cat?

November OMG

I'm hoping I'm on a roll.  This month's goal:  cut and assemble the first baby quilt top. I have all the fabric.  I have two ideas of how I want to piece it.  I have about half the pieces cut.  Once I finish that I can start laying it out to see which speaks to me.

Sharing with:
Elm Street Quilts - November OMG