I Like Thursday #158

Welcome to I Like Thursday! Please visit LeeAnna over at Not Afraid of Color to link up to more like minded bloggers. Happy Autumn! It's the first day of Fall so I put up the Autumn wreath. I hate to see the summer go but I won't miss the heat and humidity. I like Fall but not Winter. The days are definitely getting shorter and today is so dark and dismal! We had a thunderstorm earlier. It's a good day to stay in and sew!

LeeAnna's prompt this week is about favorite movies. I could watch Dirty Dancing every day of the week. If it's on some channel, I'll park myself on the couch and watch it. I own the DVD but rarely watch it that way. I love a lot of the 80's movies. I love the John Hughes movies and have seen The Breakfast Club too many times to count! They're fun and remind me of my younger days!

We're heading into Halloween season so I'm already displaying my new table topper. I really love how it looks!

 I've been working on my string blocks most days. I have 43 completed but will need to make 21 more. Once you start, they get easier and quicker to make. It's so fun looking through my fabric and finding the right color for the next string. It's great to use up that stash!

It's been a quiet week which is always nice! Enjoy the weekend!

Weekend Sewing

I'm having a quiet weekend. It was cold yesterday but warm and humid today. I decided to try and catch up on a few things. I thought I'd sew down the binding on this antique quilt.

I chose this repro dark olive green fabric with gold specks. I'm not sure why I settled on green but after I bought it I was having doubts. I decided to just sew it on and get something done! I liked it better once it was sewn onto the quilt. It looks better than I expected.

I have a few quilts that have had the binding sewn down by hand but no labels. I took some time to make 3 labels so now I have no excuse to finish up those quilts! I don't consider my quilts done until the labels are on and they've been washed. Almost there!

I Like Thursday #157

Welcome to I Like Thursday! Please visit LeeAnna over at Not Afraid of Color to read more like minded happy and uplifting posts. Our prompt this week asks us what other crafts do we enjoy other than quilting. I think everyone familiar with my blog knows that I knit. I like to make socks and lace shawls. However, years ago, I used to do cross stitch. There was a store near me that stocked all sorts of fun cross stitch supplies. I bought a huge book and loved this adorable picture of a fireplace and knitting basket plus the kitty! I think it was called counted cross stitch since the fabric didn't have the design stamped on it. I stopped when my kids were born. It was harder to keep track of the design and I found knitting more practical. I knitted baby afghans and sweaters which I actually used. I wonder where my supplies are stashed?? I'll have to take a look!

Every year, once we hit September, I feel everything changes. If you look closely, this tree already has some leaves changing color. It happens way too fast in my area. It's very cool (68 degrees) and the air is crisp. I wore a jacket when I went out this morning.

We got eggplant! Most of the summer had passed and there was nothing growing. All of a sudden, we got 2 good sized eggplants. I can't wait to cook them!

I went to World Market and found this mochi. I love it! If you've never tried it, you're missing out. They're soft like marshmallows and so sweet and tasty. Green tea is one of my favorite flavors. This is always a fun treat to buy.  

It's been a quiet week which is always good. Enjoy your weekend!

String Blocks My Way!

String blocks have become my new project. They measure 10.5" square and I've made 15 blocks so far. I looked up different ways of making them. I didn't want to use freezer paper or paper piecing. I didn't want to use a muslin base either. I was looking for the easiest method out there. I found someone who used a square ruler block so that's what I decided to do. Once you get the hang of it, it's pretty easy.

I'm making each middle string 2.5 inches wide. I have a 10.5 inch square ruler. I just lay the strip over the ruler to make sure it's long enough. 

I work from the middle to one end. Again, I cut a strip and make sure it's long enough to cover the ruler. I made the strips varying widths. Some strips are 2 inches while others are 1 inch. I just sew and iron the seam to one side. Then I reverse the process and work to the other end.

You end up with this messy piece of strips. It doesn't look very nice!

 Once it's trimmed using that same 10.5 inch ruler, this is what you get! So easy! I'm using up my scraps but also cutting strips off of larger pieces of fabric. It's sort of mindless but fun. I like seeing my scraps being used although I doubt I'll ever use them all!! I'm hoping to make 64 blocks.

I Like Thursday #156

Welcome to this week of likes! Please visit LeeAnna at Not Afraid of Color to read more of these likes.  Our prompt this week was regarding clouds and watching clouds. I remember as a child laying down in the grass and watching the clouds move across the sky. I haven't done that in ages! I do like to see the clouds at sunset and just took this picture last week. I love seeing the pink color early in the evening sky.

Since it's now September, I bought my first box of pumpkin spice coffee! I had never tried this brand before. I like it! It's a flavor not a sugary sweet addition to the coffee. I just might have to buy another box!

I went to JoAnn's looking for a Pigma Micron pen. They didn't have any but I bought these two towels instead! There's always something to buy at JoAnn's! I needed something new for Halloween.

I brought Lily to the veterinarian this past week. I couldn't get her out of her carrier! She got into the very back of it, curled up as tight as she could! I don't think she liked hearing the dogs barking in the

 reception area. She got her shots and slept all the way home. I think she was grateful to be in her own house once we got back.

Have a wonderful weekend! The weather is gorgeous today. Let's see how long it lasts!

A Couple of Finishes

Happy Labor Day! It's raining and on the cool side but that's okay! I got to sew today and we need the rain very badly. I finished my crumb quilt top a few days ago. This is one big quilt! It measures 110" X 90"!  It's huge! I didn't realize it was going to be so big. I decided to add sashing and cornerstones and I think that just added to the size. My longarm has a 12 foot frame so I'll be fine! I'm glad I added that yellow fabric. I think it adds a lot to this quilt top.

I quilted my table topper yesterday. I thought it would take a few days but it only took a few hours. I quilted lines one inch apart in the middle portion. I echoed lines in the triangles along the edge. The yellow/orange triangle has 3 arcs per side that were space half an inch apart. 

For some reason the quilting on the black kite shape doesn't show up so I took a closeup picture. I made arcs along each of the lines with a little wishbone in the middle. Nothing too crazy but enough to make it look nice! It's a little too early to put up Halloween decorations but I'm ready this year! I'm starting a new project. I hope to have a few pictures next time I post.

I Like Thursday #155

Welcome to I Like Thursday! Please visit LeeAnna over at Not Afraid of Color to find more uplifting and fun blogposts. Our prompt this week was to remember what school supply you looked forward to buying at the beginning of the school year. I'll have to say I couldn't remember that far back! I got the idea to look up vintage pencil cases. When I saw this, I remembered having the whole set! I had the binder and pencil case but mine had a blue background. I loved the look of these pennants. I do remember looking forward to buying new colored pencils. I have no idea what brand. Those pennants brought back some great school memories!

I finished my crazy socks! It was fun using up small balls of yarn but I still have lots left! I guess scraps are a problem in lots of hobbies. Whenever I wash homemade socks, I dry them on a form. That's why they look so nice!

I'm starting to think ahead to the holidays. I bought this cute little charm pack from Kimberbell. I'm leaning towards making a table runner. Not sure yet.

I had the best drink this past weekend! It was peach flavored sangria and it was so good! We went out to dinner and I couldn't pass it up! Very refreshing!

That's the week that was. Have a wonderful weekend!