A Quilt For Danny - Pieces Of The Santa Fe Trail Quilt Finish

Pieces of the Santa Fe Trail quilt

Jenni's new father-in-law Danny is on the right

In March our daughter and her now-husband John took a trip to Abilene to meet his Dad. John ended up surprising Jenni with a JP wedding (read about it here), and her new father-in-law, Danny, was their witness. On that trip, Jenni had a quilt with her that I had made for her to donate to John's former church which they attended on Sunday, and when Danny saw the quilt he said "I'd sure like to have a quilt too!" Jenni and Danny instantly bonded, and she asked me if I would mind starting a lap quilt for him. Of course I would love to! I chose fabrics and a pattern and began to cut a few pieces. But for some reason the fabrics and the pattern did not feel right, so it all got shuffled aside as I worked on other projects.

The recent When Pigs Fly Challenge (see all the projects right here) gave me an opportunity to look at UFOs and I found this flimsy and decided it would work perfectly for Danny! This flimsy was finished in January 2022 for Melva's Pieces of the Santa Fe Trail SAL.  I was first attracted to her SAL after reading Wendy's post in May 2021 and ultimately joined the SAL in September. You can read about the flimsy finish here. 

The flimsy was not large enough for a lap-sized quilt, so I added a

couple of borders using the same fabrics I used in some of the blocks.

The backing was pieced from some of my vintage stash plus a panel from the "Elizabeth's Dowry" line by Marcus Fabrics (originally intended for a quilt I never made) that coordinates with the front fabrics.

I did a meander with Longmire and bound it with the same green check as the border.

I hope to post a photo of Danny and his quilt after John and Jenni visit him again.

Jack carefully inspected every seam

Quilt Details

Pattern: Melva's Pieces of the Santa Fe Trail blocks

Finished size: 59" x 73"

Laundered size: 57" x 70"

Fabrics:

Front: Several fabrics from Elizabeth's Dowry

Back: Panel and fabrics from Elizabeth's Dowry; vintage fabric from stash

Binding: Green Plaid from Elizabeth's Dowry

Threads:

Piecing: Superior Threads So Fine #50 in 502 Genoa Gray

Quilting: Top - Glide 10WG1 in Linen; Back - Superior Threads Magnifico in Ingot

Batting: Quilters' Dream Cotton Mid Loft

I am linking to Brenda's Monday Musings and Melva's Sew and Tell!

Monday Morning Mood - Happy!

Everett was hiding and did not join us for the family photo! 

How was your weekend? Mine was a very happy surprise. Early Saturday afternoon my husband asked me to stop what I was doing in the kitchen and go into the garage. As I walked out I heard "Happy Mother's Day", and there was our son Jeff who had driven up from south Texas! I couldn't even talk - I did the ugly cry - lol! He came by himself to spend the night, then our daughter and son-in-law and The Littles came a couple hours later (after a soccer game and a birthday party!) Jeff made burgers on the Blackstone, and we stuffed ourselves and laughed and talked for hours. He left yesterday around noon after his Dad and I took him for a drive through the hills north of us. It was a wonderful weekend!

The Littles demanded that we do another quilt while they were here - lol! I told them no quilt this time, but they could go pick out some fabric they liked, so the sewing room was in chaos after they left. I will do some scrap and stash reorganizing this week.

Here is my list that got away from me last week:

✅1. Doctors appointments - cardiologist for Hubby and surgeon for me - Done - good report for Hubby and great report for me.

❌2. Finish Rose Colored Glasses project. It starts next Monday and my day is Tuesday May 16 - I had planned to do this on Saturday afternoon, and that plan got scrapped - lol!

❌3. APQ Scrappy Celebration - finish B blocks - No progress.

❌4. RBD blocks - No progress

❌5. Winging It blocks - No progress

Winging It ready to go!

After my post for Rose Colored Glasses Blog Hop tomorrow, I want to do some stash straightening and catch up on my projects without distractions, so I will take a little vacay from blog posting and reading. I may drop a quick post about a Fat Quarter bundle I won from Island Batik - yay!

I hope all of you have a wonderful week! I am linking with these awesome blogs:

Melva at Sew and Tell

Brenda at Monday Musings

Carol at To Do Tuesday

Lazy Week Vibes

Planted a few herb, green bean, and flower seeds in my tiny garden

as companions for the tomato and pepper plants

This past weekend was fairly lazy, but I did get a few things done. In the backyard veggie garden, I pulled up a million rogue morning glory seedlings (I let the vines stay up too long last summer and I guess they spread their seeds), spread some Osmocote under the peppers and tomatoes, and planted some seeds. I planted Painted Lady Runner Beans, dill, basil, milkweed, creeping thyme, bush green beans, and zinnias. Hopefully some of it will come up. I potted up some flower plants for the front flower bed and looked at the bags of mulch waiting to be spread. Hubby is waiting until I feel better. I actually feel fine but I tire easily, so I guess we will wait a few more days.

I got all the pieces cut for the butterflies for Winging It. I got a start on the three blocks I am behind on the RBD block challenge. And I looked at the B blocks for the APQ Scrappy Celebration - does that count? Here were my goals for last week:

❎1. Winging It first eight blocks - Done - finished the first 8 and have cut pieces for all others

❌2. APQ Scrappy Celebration Group B blocks - Did not do

✔3. RBD blocks catch up - Fabrics chosen

And for this week: 

1. Doctors appointments - cardiologist for Hubby and surgeon for me

2. Finish Rose Colored Glasses project. It starts next Monday and my day is Tuesday May 16

3. APQ Scrappy Celebration - finish B blocks

4. RBD blocks

5. Winging It blocks

My hubby had a heart attack in May 2012 and had an ICD (implantable cardioverter defibrillator) implanted. He has a very low "ejection fraction" and is in a treatment plan with a great group of doctors in Plano, about 60 miles south of us. We has an appointment today, so we get to visit the "good" grocery stores in the north Dallas area - looking forward to that!

I had a great follow-up appointment with my surgeon last Thursday. He said my skin graft is looking great (to me it looks awful). He said I should be able to treat the incision normally after my next appointment on Thursday.

We have a chance of thunderstorms all week, so you know I'm happy!

Enough about me! What is going on in your world this week? I am linking with these lovely hosts:

Monday Musings hosted by Brenda at Songbird Designs

Sew and Tell hosted by Melva at Melva Loves Scraps

To Do Tuesday hosted by Carol at Quilt Schmilt

Winging It QAL Dithering

Original fabric pull

How often do you change fabric pulls? It seems to be a "thing" with me. I had a perfectly good fabric bundle and a light background picked out for this project with the intention of a quilt for ME! But right before I started cutting, I spotted some aqua fabric I had purchased to make a quilt for my husband's sister, and within minutes I had created a pull for a completely different look.

My SIL complained to me a couple years ago that I had made "everyone in our family" a quilt but not one for her. That is actually not accurate, but the aqua fabric with its dragonflies fits with the Winging It theme, and her favorite color of aqua will be the background.

First block for Winging It

This QAL started April 20 and is hosted by Wendy Sheppard of Ivory Spring. She terms the QAL "Low Demand" with four blocks a week for 8 weeks. The pattern makes a 69 x 79 inch quilt, and I like the options for prints or solids in varied colors for the butterflies. I would like to do one in various black prints for myself! If you want more information about the pattern and/or QAL, just click on the Winging It logo in my sidebar.

No makeup on this one, so you can see bruising from previous MOHS surgeries. 

I had successful surgery on Thursday with general anesthesia. The surgeon took skin from a spot right below my right earlobe (beneath the earring in this photo) to graft to the MOHS surgery area on the left side of my nose. I will see the surgeon on Thursday to see how the graft is healing. Most likely I will have a slight "dent" in my nose that will smooth a bit over time.

I have had only a few little aches and did not need the pain medication prescribed, but my energy level has been pretty low, so I am giving myself an extra week to complete my To Do Tuesday list! 

Goals for the coming week:

1. Winging It first eight blocks

2. APQ Scrappy Celebration Group B blocks

3. RBD blocks catch up

Linking this post to the following:

Monday Musings hosted by Brenda at Songbird Designs

Sew and Tell hosted by Melva at Melva Loves Scraps

To Do Tuesday hosted by Carol at Quilt Schmilt

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!

Turn The Beat Around - Cross My Heart Quilt Finish

Turn The Beat Around quilt finish - it was very windy!

Here is my finish of the Cross My Heart pattern by Wendy Sheppard. While I was putting my completed blocks on the design wall, I forgot to turn a couple of the heart blocks upside down, and a song lyric came to me -"Turn it upside down" from the Gloria Estefan song Turn The Beat Around and suddenly I had the perfect name for this quilt!

Inside shot - no wind here!

My dear quilt holder's arms were beginning to ache!

Wendy's pattern version

I first saw this quilt mentioned on Wendy's Instagram feed, and the pattern was in the February 2023 edition of  American Patchwork and Quilting magazine. Wendy and APQ hosted a sew-along, and I was in! I had been looking for a pattern to make for my daughter-in-law and loved this one, especially with those little 9-patch units and the upside down hearts.

Fabric pull: with my DIL's love of eggplant-y purples and soft tones,

I decided on a rich dark purple background with light prints for the hearts.

Flimsy

Backing and front

For the binding, the same dark background and a small zig-zag with variegated thread to stitch it

Close up of Ginger Heart panto

After laundering, the dark purple had a slight fade into a denim-like look, and Rosie approved!

On Saturday, our grandson and his girlfriend participated in a race and finished the half marathon! Afterward we met them, along with Susan and our son and granddaughters at an Icehouse near downtown Dallas. It was a beautiful 72 degrees, no wind, and we sat outside shaded by live oaks.

Susan loved her quilt and called it a "blanket" - lol! She was very happy with the colors.

This is the text she sent me after she got home, and her cat Cali has already claimed it!

Quilt Details

Pattern: Cross My Heart by Wendy Sheppard of Ivory Spring and Instagram @ivory_spring

Finished Size: 69" by 69"

Laundered Size: 66" by 66"

Fabrics:

Eggplant background and binding: Joann's Fabrics

Hearts and 9-patches: from my stash

Superior Threads:

Piecing and quilt front/back: So Fine 50wt - Genoa Gray #503

Binding: Rainbows 40wt - Desert Rose #80

Quilt Pantograph:

Ginger Hearts from Urban Elementz

I am linking up with Melva's Sew and Tell and Brenda's Monday Musings.

2023 SAHRR - Starting Block

30" square Delectable Starburst

Today is the beginning of the 2023 Stay At Home Round Robin (SAHRR), hosted by the fine folks listed alphabetically at the bottom of this post. Click on each one to see their introductory blocks!

SAHRR is a fun event that starts with each person having a center block (or orphan block), and borders are added by way of a "prompt" or suggestion from the hosts. Starting next Monday a prompt will be given each week for you to use in any way you like, and on March 13 there will be a parade of the final quilts or flimsies. There are several event sponsors, so there will opportunities to win a neat prize! Find out more by clicking on the logo above.

 

Pattern inspiration photo from Pinterest

Our posts today feature our center or starting blocks. Mine is called Delectable Starburst, and I first saw this photo of it on Pinterest. Clicking on it did not give me the pattern, so I searched all over the internet but never could find it. Then I tried to figure out the pattern myself but had no luck with this and finally gave up. A few weeks ago I was looking at photos I had saved and came across this ponto and fell in love with it again. I decided to send a message to the person who posted it on Pinterest. And after a few weeks I got a response!

I can't tell you how delighted I was to find that yes there is a pattern, and the pattern author, Carole Dietrich, very graciously refused payment and gifted me the pattern! Her only stipulation is that I do not distribute the pattern and to send her a photo when I make it. So you can see that I really want to do justice to this beautiful block!

Color inspiration photo

Toby approved the fabric selection

For colors, I chose the ones from the afghan bed runner I made last summer (read about it here). I love the variegated yarn with its brown, purple, gold, rusty orange, and various shades of gray. My SAHRR plan is to make at least a throw-sized quilt for the bed. Carol's instructions for making this block were excellent, and there were tips included that were very helpful. I was amazed at how everything went together, and it made 30 inch square.

2021 SAHRR All Roads Lead Home At Christmas

This is my 3rd year participating in SAHRR. My quilt for the 2021 SAHRR is one of my favorite quilts -  "All Roads Lead Home At Christmas" - and it graced the guest bed during the holidays. You can find the inspiration for the center block here at the blog of Pieceful Thoughts by Wendy.

2022 SAHRR flimsy

My 2022 SAHRR flimsy was originally a block called "Christmas Logs" from Moda's Countdown to Christmas 2018. I had intended to finish it for this past Christmas and forgot all about it!

Jack is checking for loose threads.

If you'd like to join in SAHRR for this year, it isn't too late! Just click here for information and jump right in - there are prizes to be had! Be sure to check out all the other starting blocks and check heck next Monday at any of the blogs listed below for the first prompt!

Anja at Anja Quilts

Chris at  Chrisknitssews

Emily at The Darling Dogwood

Gail at Quilting Gail

Roseanne & Sue at Home Sewn by Us

Wendy at Pieceful Thoughts

I am linking my post to the following blogs:

Quilting Gail

Monday This and That

Monday Musings

Sew and Tell