APQ Reboot on To Do Tuesday 4-25-23

Orphan blocks!

In my last post I introduced my blocks for the American Patchwork and Quilting QAL and mentioned my uncertainty about my scrappy fabrics. After making eight very scrappy blocks, I decided that the scrappiness was a major distraction from the quilt design. So those blocks went to Linda's Home for Orphan Blocks for a future quilt, then I happily picked out some fabrics from stash. Cutting went much faster than picking out and trimming all those little scraps!

New pull for APQ

Since this quilt is for my daughter's new father-in-law, I chose dark reds, rich golds/browns, blues, and dark green. 

Group A blocks complete

Ready for Group B blocks

I finished the six group A blocks and am now working on six Group B blocks. Now that my "too many scraps" angst is gone, I can enjoy the process. 

My pull for the RBD Needle Point block, pattern by Janet Wecker Frisch

My To Do Tuesday goals last week:

✔1. RBD block for the week - Pieces cut but not sewn

✅2. APQ scrappy quilt blocks - Group A blocks done

❌3. Play with machine embroidery - Did not do

Winging It QAL fabric pull

✔4. Winging It QAL starts on April 20 - Fabric pull is ready

❌5. Start quilting Rose Colored Glasses project - Did not start

Today is my final MOHS surgery, this one toward the tip of my nose. The surgeon thinks it won't be as deep as originally thought, I hope he's right. There will be no stitches today, as I will have a consultation with the plastic surgeon this afternoon, and plastic surgery is scheduled for Thursday morning. With that in mind, I am keeping my list light for the week.

Goals for the coming week:

1. Winging It first four blocks

2. APQ Group B blocks

3. RBD block for last week (no block for the last Tuesday of the month)

I am joining Carol at Quilt Schmilt for To Do Tuesday - check out all the posts right here - and Melva at Melva Loves Scraps for her Sew and Tell linky!

Beautiful Mini and Scrappy Celebration on Sunday

Melva who blogs at Melva Loves Scraps recently had a birthday and celebrated by giving away some beautiful mini quilts she had stitched together. I entered her drawing and was among the lucky winners! She sent me this beautiful mini quilt, and I am blown away by her artful work on it. I love the fabrics she used, and the stitching/quilting is magnificent.

Here is the back - I love this delicate print

Look at that this colorful matchstick quilting!

And guess what - it perfectly matches the accent color on my Janome and is just the right size for my scissors and rippers! Thank you so much Melva!

All People Quilt publishes a magazine called American Patchwork and Quilting, and I was a subscriber many years ago. I still have a few that I just cannot throw away. I have recently become interested in them again, but now I purchase the digital copies. Scrappy Celebration Quilt-Along celebrates APQ's 30th anniversary. I resisted joining in until I saw that Carolyn of Quarer-Inch Capers was belatedly joining, so that gave me the push I needed!

The 63-1/2 inch by 72-1/2 inch quilt is from a pattern by Lissa Alexander aka Moda Lissa and is available in the April 2023 APQ magazine. It consists of 12 groups of 9-1/2 inch blocks, and I am currently on group B.

Group A blocks

Although the pattern calls for matching the fabrics within each set of blocks, mine are totally scrappy. I was not sure I liked my decision when I saw the wild scrappiness of my group A blocks, but they have been on my design board for awhile and are growing on me now.

I had these scraps neatly stacked, but Toby didn't like my stacks, so he took a swipe at them

I plan to do more color groups, and hopefully this project will be good to reduce the bulk in my scrap bins - but you know how that goes!

Have a wonderful Sunday!