July Teal Rainbow Scrap Challenge and Mail

I have all my July Rainbow Scrap Challenge blocks cut out, except for the kaleidoscope block and a table runner, but this is the first that I have actually sewn. 

Later in the day, I got these made.  My 6 inch finished 9 patches, 4 1/2 inch finished 9 patches and 8" finished 16 patches.   The year is more than half over now, and I have 21 of the snowball and 9 patch blocks, and the 16 patch blocks.  I have 42 of the larger 9 patches and 14 of the smaller ones.  Not too shabby.

I definitely had to dig a little deeper to come up with 24 different fabrics.  Here are the 16 x 2.5 inch strips ready for my rainbow scrappy trip along.

New fabrics in the mail this week from Form and Fabric (http://www.formandfabric.com/).  Another blogger had mentioned on her blog the great deals she had gotten and so I had to look.  I'm glad I did as the fabric is all nice quality, I like all of them, and I got 13 yards for $37.67 including shipping.  I'm happy with the older lines of fabric and not the latest, as you can often get them on clearance, and I figure what the heck, they are new to me.  Mostly, I do scrappy, so if they aren't all harmonious, that's ok with me, too.

To me turquoise or teal is just a different shade of blue, and I got to wondering, since some of the same fabrics were used in both, how much different the teal would be from the blue in the quilt.   I think that it will definitely be no problem to pick them out in the crowd.  

As usual, to see lots more RSC and lots of teal, go here to Angela's Soscrappy blog after Saturday morning.

Happy Fourth of July America

And from Arthur J. Goldberg:
Our fundamental liberties were guaranteed in the Constitution, not for enjoyment by a majority but for the protection of a minority—whether it be one or many, in war or peace, equally for the weak as for the powerful. True patriotism, it seems to me, requires us to guard jealously those liberties for others as well as for ourselves.

“Oh beautiful for patriot dream

That sees beyond the years.

Thine alabaster cities gleam

Undimmed by human tears.

America! America!

God shed his grace on thee.

And crown thy good with brotherhood

From sea to shining sea.”

Deck-ade The Halls - Step 3

This is going to be such a cute quilt.  So far, the gingerbread men, the stars and the ornaments, and each step just gets cuter.    It has been pretty easy, just have to get organized and it's like putting a puzzle together.   Monday DH had his skin cancer surgery on his lip, and he has been very miserable.  Hopefully, each day will get a little better.

More Medical for Husband Little Sewing

Not much sewing going on around here, what with husband, Ernie's, skin cancer surgery last Monday.  Today is more surgery, this time on his lip, so it is going to be another hard day, but hopefully not like last Monday.  The doctor said he had one like that (had to go in 5 times, took almost 10.5 hours) about once a year, or one out of about 600. so hopefully this one will be a 1 timer.   I have cut out the ornaments for my Deck-ade the Halls, and there were many, many corner squares to mark.  I always have just put my ruler down, it slips, I straighten it, and it slips again.  Today, I discovered something that probably everyone knows but me.  I put it down on my mat on the 45 degree line and it was a one time effort each time.   Who says an old dog can't learn new tricks, or another saying, even a blind squirrel finds a nut once in awhile.  That's one of my favorite rulers, by the way.  I use it constantly, probably for every project.  
 

More Barns

Quilty Barn Along blocks 7, 8, 9 and 10.  Just 2 more to go.  There is also a version with a silo, and a tractor.  Will I be tempted?
I finished these up today, yesterday was over 10 hours at the dermatologist with my husband.  He had a skin cancer that seemed to go on and on, they had to go back in 4 times, for a total of 5.  He was in a lot of pain last night, but is feeling better today.   Sometimes, it seems to never end, he has another one next Monday, this one on his lip.  Amazingly, he keeps a cheerful attitude most of the time.

Catching Up!

 Catching up, I may even be an overachiever now in my Flower Patch and Quilty Barn quilt alongs.  I think that I have more blocks done than I need on the Flower Patch quilt along, and I have the small blocks done on the Quilty Barn along, and when I finish 2 more barns I'll be caught up.  There will still be some month left, so I'll probably work on a small quilt for my husband's dresser top, or work a little bit on my Scrappy Lattice.  Today, I did finish these 2 blocks, but I spent most of the day driving back and forth to St. Augustine for lunch with my brothers, my nephew, my daughter and her husband, and my grandson and granddaughter.  It was a nice day.   My husband wasn't feeling very well, but he went along with me, which I appreciated. 

 

Barn Art

The blocks on the right are my versions of block 7 and 8 of the Quilty Barn Along, and the 2 on the left are because I have accumulated a few bonus HSTs.  I think I'll use them for barn 9 and 10, hope I don't regret it when I see what Lori Holt has come up with.  I made her mini design boards too, but mine aren't as cute as hers.  I'm not good with the glue gun, and I think I made a mistake in getting the cheapest $2.98 ones.  Also, I ran out of glue and all that's holding this one together is a fabric glue stick.  It may not last, but at least hopefully, it'll last long enough for my trigger finger to stop being sore. 

Out of the Barn and Back to the Flower Patch

I went ahead and did the 5 leaf blocks so that I could sew the last row onto the flower.    I haven't sewn down the rick rack, will probably wait until all 5 are done so I only have to change the bobbin one time.   I lost some of my points on these.  I had changed to my regular foot and forgot to change back to my 1/4 inch foot.  I guess another senior moment.  I consider myself a lazy perfectionist, an energetic perfectionist would have fixed it, but since I'm a lazy one, I decided that I can live with it, and if I do give it away, probably it won't even be noticed. 

Quilty Barn Along Blocks 5 and 6

I'm moving right along, half done now, but I think even though I haven't quite caught up I need to work on my Flower Patch blocks.  I'm coming from behind on both quilt alongs.

Not a very good picture, but my first 6 blocks.  They are 20 inches square with the frames and sashings, very large to work on, especially in contrast to starting off with the little 6 inch blocks in the barns. 

And One More

Block 4.  I haven't gotten anything else done today, I think I need to work on my house for awhile. 

I have confidence that it'll look better when things are in their correct place.  The inside corners are supposed to fit together in a little pattern, but since it needs the odd placement, that's not happening, plus hopefully more fabrics will look more pleasingly scrappy.   What can I say, I'm trying to use things up rather than purchase, for the most part.