Putting Things Together

My company left Sunday and so I've begun putting together my Borgasmord.  I have 5 of the 8 rows assembled and in person it looked more chaotic, I was afraid that if anyone asked I'd have to point out stars, but in the picture I can see the stars more readily, I like how pictures can give you more prospective on things. 

I'm starting to hope believe that scrappy delight could win out over mishmash nightmare in the finished product.

My niece and I made our trip to Ikea while she was here.  She hadn't been before and of course neither had her kids, but they all loved it.  While we did the upper floor the three girls stayed in the children's center, then we got them out, had a delicious lunch and did the bottom floor.  The kids wanted to return to the children's center, but it was too crowded and they had lost their spot.   I got this chair, some seat cushions, a bit of fabric and a couple of other small items.  My niece and the kids all got some goodies, too.  I put this chair together myself, I was pleased with the chair and with myself.   My DH has had more issues than usual the past few months and so I'm having to do things that he would have done in the past.  I could have asked one of my grandsons or waited for a visit from my brothers, but I decided that "I am woman".   Now it is on to replacing a shower head and a toilet seat and I know that I can do it, lol.
PS  I even sat in it to sew together my Borgasmord and it didn't fall down.

Borgasmord With Que Sera Sera Piano Key Border?

"Borgasmord" I think that many times about things that are random and varied and that I like, and people always look at me like I'm crazy (When I say it out loud).  Do any of you remember Morris and the Underwood ham commercial?  When I was making this I thought of it and thought that may just be the name of this quilt (my scrappy Star Struck).  I liked the scrappy border on this quilt and thought what if I did a Jelly Roll Race type start with my 2 1/2 inch scraps and then at some point stop (I did 8) and cut them into sections to use for a piano key border.  I was afraid when I was gathering scraps that I wouldn't have enough, but I think I have enough for a coin strip down the back, to keep me knowing up and down when I make the bed.  Genius, or at least I hope so, lol.  Now that I have a method and a name, do I have a copyright, another joke.
(As you can see, if I don't have the TV on I have too much time to think my weird thoughts)

As I was cutting and sewing I also found myself singing Que Sera, Sera, do any of you remember that song with the beautiful Doris Day?  Thus, the second part of my possible title, do you think it's too much and I should just stick with Borgasmord?

It made a nice tidy little stack if I do say so.  Next question, will the finished quilt be a scrappy delight or a mish-mash nightmare.  The suspense is part of the quilting fun.

56 - Not Bad

A few each morning while everyone else was sleeping.  Now I have 56 - Not bad at all.

Now on to borders, I'm figuring on a 2 inch border, a scrappy piano key, and then a slab border.  Scrappier and scrappier.

Sandhill Cranes and Scrappy Star Struck

Yesterday we got quite a rain and when we got home there were 7 sandhill cranes enjoying the puddles in the pasture behind our house.

The last big storm had some wind and you can see the dirt where the trees were, and behind the living tree you can see where they bulldozed the dead trees. 

Sometimes it's hard to see where one starts and the other ends.  I think there are 3 in this picture.

The first 9 blocks of my Scrappy Star Struck.  Unfortunately, I think some of my lights are too dark and some of my darks are too light, but I'll persevere and I don't think I'll mind too much in the end, it is scrappy after all.  I need to find more scraps and cut more though, next time I'll know that when you use the chisel die on the accuquilt for this quilt you need to cut all the fabrics the same.  No folding them right sides together and then cutting, I have a pile of chisels that won't fit in as they are cut wrong.  I'll find something else to use them for though, so not a big problem.

Mail Call and Shopping

I answered a question on Ravelly1's blog and today I received this really pretty fat quarter.  Not bad for a good guess, and it matches the skillet I bought today, too.

I got this set of king sized flannel sheets on ShopNBC, supposed to be regularly 99 for about 29 dollars, and free shipping.  I think convervatively that comes out to about $1.50 a yard for good quality flannel.  Partially, it is destined for the back of my Star Struck, but I'm sure it'll be on the back of 1 or 2 others, also.  I pictured honeysuckle as more yellow, but peachy is ok with me, too.  The King Tut thread was in my package that came from Hancock's of Paducah.

This was the rest of my Hancock's order, all on sale for $3.98 a yard.  The stars on my Star Struck will be scrappy, but all the small triangles will be the red and grey.   The peacock feathers are for the border, and the gold polka dots for the inside border.  I see another scrappy binding in my future.  I can't wait to see it, do you get that way when you're working on a quilt?

Scrappy Lattice Finished

My Scrappy Lattice is finished and I love how it turned out, Old-Timey looking as all get out.  It may be one of the two or three favorites that I've made.

Sorry about the bad lighting.

It's huge on every side, but it hasn't been washed yet.  I don't think it'll be too small if it shrinks a few inches.

The back, not gorgeous, but it's flannel and cozy and the band of scraps lets me know which end is up.   I won't have to write in sharpie pen "short" so I'll know how to make the bed, that's what I do to some sheets and mattress pads.  Everything about this quilt is scrappy, even the binding.

Soscrappy's First Blue Saturday

This is 12 of the 30 string blocks that I'll need to do another lap sized Roll Roll Cotton Boll from Bonnie Hunter of Quiltville.  I thought that since it's been put away awhile and Angela from Soscrappy is having blue this time for her Rainbow Scrap Challenge that maybe it would be the kick in the behind that I need to get back to working on my string blocks.  Unlike most quilters, I don't like to do string blocks much, although I love the looks of them in a quilt. 

These are some of the leftovers that made me decide to go for another one.  This one will be pinks, blues, browns and from the looks of things, some greens.

The little HST's will be light blues and dark blues, and there will also be some dark blues in the blocks, it's been so long that I'm not sure where at this point.  If you want to see some more blue from quilter-bloggers who actually know what they are doing, Soscrappy has a linky.  Click on this.

After Quite Awhile, More Pillowcases

Not very good lighting on my pillowcases, the one on the right is very washed out.  The backdrop is my Scrappy Lattice that I basted yesterday and the pillowcases I made today.  They are for my niece's little girls, the ones who are getting new quilts when we see them later this month.

PS.  Here are a couple of good tutorials for the pillowcases.  I didn't do the band trim and I also topstitch the cuff after I sew it on to the body of the case.  I don't like little gobs of fraying material lumping up inside, so I encase it in stitching.  You can see the topstitching on the first two cases since I was too lazy to change my thread and did it in gray.  

 http://www.maryquilts.com/pillowcase/

 http://quilting.about.com/od/quiltpatternsprojects/ss/easy-pillowcase-pattern.htm

Happy Fourth of July and Shopping

Happy Fourth of July

I ordered these fabrics from Connecting Threads to make the light stars on the Star Struck (From Bonnie Hunter of Quiltville) that I am planning.  I decided first to cut a few from my scraps and I couldn't believe it, especially after having used mostly just my scraps for my Scrappy Lattice, but I got all that I needed from my scraps.  I guess I'll have to save these for something else.

Then I decided to cut my darks going first to the scraps, and I had more than enough of that, too.  I have some sale fabric from Hancock's of Paducah coming that I will use for the small triangles so those won't be scrappy. 

Today I got up early and went to a quilt store in the Orlando area, Sewing Studio in Maitland, and took advantage of their 40% off everything sale.  I didn't know that I would be standing in lines for about two hours, but I did save some money on these.   I went straight to the 50% off area and these were all from there.  It started out over $200.00 then I got the 50% off, then they took off the 40% and it ended up at $61.00 including tax.  I think that I got about 19 yards.  Not bad.  I decided that if I get time I'll use the pinks to make pillowcases for the 3 little girls that I made July quilts for.   I think that they use the previous pillowcases that I made for them all the time, so I think it'll be nice for them to have a change.   I hope that all who celebrate it had or have a great Fourth, and that everyone else has a great day.

Quilts In Use

Kerri, my brother's daughter, her husband and her 4 youngest children are visiting her dad in Georgia from Iowa.  Her 3 youngest girls look to be resting well after their approximately 1200 mile ride, with the quilts and pillowcases that I made them 3 or 4 years ago.  They are the recipients of 3 of my July quilts, as they are outgrowing their toddler quilts.  Oh, to be able to sleep anywhere.

Hat in Hand

Here I am back after a break from blogland.   I felt too guilty for being so behind on responding to comments that people had been kind enough to leave and was feeling a bit overwhelmed with all I had to do.  I missed being part of things though, it's not the same having a blog and not sharing.   I apologize in advance for the fact that I'll likely get behind again in spite of my good intentions.  I've been seeing the "Blogging Without Obligation" logo on my blog and I don't think it's entirely true, but

it kind of made me feel better, lol.