Sunday, May 30, 2021

Monthly Mini, etc., etc.

It was getting down to the wire and I needed a monthly mini made quickly! I rummaged through the sewing room and came up with 4 mini basket blocks that hadn't made the cut in a mini quilt a few years back. The baskets were from Kansas Troubles fabric, so I went to some bags of scraps given me by my retreat buddy and found the one of Kansas Troubles fabric. That was my beginning. I told myself I had to make my mini from the 4 basket blocks and scraps from the bag. This is what came of it.

It finishes at 10 1/2" square, and is all machine quilted, stitch-in-the-ditch. I did the binding on it while Zooming with Chookyblue and friends for her Chookshed's 9th birthday. It is lovely to sit and stitch and laugh with gals from across the globe. When I came out of my sewing room after two hours of visiting hubby said, "it was so good to hear you laughing" (have been under the weather lately and not laughing much). Linking here with Wendy (Constant Quilter Blog), our motivator and mentor on the monthly minis. 

I am surprising myself a little that I am keeping up relatively well on the BOM and BOW I am doing. The BOM is totally caught up and I have 2 blocks to catch up on with the BOW. That is doable. Here is the progress to date.

You may notice in the lower set of blocks that a few weeks ago I did begin throwing a bit of cheddar into the blocks. The lighting on the bottom isn't great but that is cheddar. I am going to toss a piece in here and there. At the moment I think I will use it only in the center of a block, but that rule could change if I decide I don't like it.
 

I received a surprise bundle in the mail yesterday. I didn't think to get photo of everything, but there was fabric, and Aurifil thread, and then there was this.This sweet little patriotic cross-stitch piece was made by my dear friend Kris, of Lavender Quilts blog. She mounted it to a lovely piece of weathered cedar fence for a great rustic look that I love! Thank you so much, Kris! It will be loved and enjoyed!

 

 

Things have been blooming around here, and I love things that bloom! Fourteen of my sixteen lilac bushes have been laden with blossoms and the air has been laden with their fragrance. It is delightful. I went out last week and cut three stems from each bush. It made two full and fragrant bouquets.

 

Even my Hoya houseplant has been blooming, and this is the first time in the 20 years or so that I've had this plant that I have actually had 2 bloom clusters at the same time. And speaking of blooms, I have decided that due to the extreme drought conditions in our area, this year I am going to lay weed barrier over my annual flowerbeds, and just not plant. It takes so much water to keep them going in the raised concrete beds around our home. I will keep my roses and raspberries going, but let the other beds have a rest this year. I will have more time to tend to my houseplants, more time to quilt, and I will be saving water. Wins all around! I do have a couple of pots on my deck filled with plants that have been gifted to me, and those flowers will be enjoyed during our many dinners on the deck this summer.

The sunset over the farmyard was glorious this evening. I was in my sewing room and whenever I glanced out the window the colors had deepened and spread farther across the sky. I finally had to jump up and get photos. The camera never does justice to the depth of color, but here is a washed out version of what I saw.


I was trying to get this posted before midnight Saturday, but I didn't quite make it. I got tangled up trying to choose the winners of the drawing for the little quilts, but it is all sorted out now.

Barbara will receive Mud Pies and Sharon S. will receive Labor of Love. Congrats to the two of you, and I wish you all a beautiful weekend, and my friends in the states a wonderful Memorial holiday! Be kind and be creative. :)

Until next time, 

Janet O.

30 comments:

  1. Mmmmm.... I can almost smell those lilacs! :-) Lovely basket quilt and those little basket pinkeeps are cute! Hopefully I'll remember to make some soon! lol! Super nice of Kris to send you that stitch...it's perfect!

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  2. Another delightful mini. Those baskets are just adorable and the blue four patches and blocks frame them wonderfully.
    Hooray for laughter - the best medicine of all.
    Oh my your lilacs are incredible. I can just imagine how they smell. I have to get some for my yard somehow.
    My friend gave me a cutting of a Hoya plant. They smell incredible when blooming. The flowers looked like porcelain to me when I saw hers, they are so unusual.
    I like your idea of skipping the beds to save water, energy and time. Good for you

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  3. I love your mini. I was rushed on this too. I dug through orphan blocks and chose one for my mini. I love your star blocks. Hugs

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  4. Your mini is so fun!!! Good job keeping up on your blocks, each one is so pretty!! I miss lilacs...I do not see them down here as much; what a lovely palette!

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  5. We can’t grow lilacs here, too hot and humid. Crape myrtles are the Southern substitute. I can almost smell yours!

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  6. oh love your lilacs....i "lifted" a few stems from the lutheran church to have in my apt and they did smell heavenly...beautiful sunset...

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  7. Such a sweet little Basket mini, Janet!! Thanks for the reminder that I have double pink and brown blocks to make some progress on. Congrats to Barbara on her Mud Pie win and to Sharon S. for winning Labor of Love!

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  8. Your mini turned out great, Janet, and I love that you gave yourself the challenge of working with a limited basket of scraps. Quilts made this way turn out the best, IMO! Good on keeping up with the sew-alongs. I had intended do do the stars but never got started ... We are also in severe drought here on the West Coast. I use a low-tech great water system from my washer for most of my watering. My tiny veggie bed gets fresh, though. I hope you are feeling better.

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  9. Beautiful pictures today, I sure enjoyed seeing them. I like your little baskets quilt. I need to do something like that with some blocks I have left over.

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  10. That is a super-sweet mini, I adore the tiny cakestand blocks! You are doing so well with your BOM and BOW blocks, I had thought of following along on the stars BOM but it didn't happen. Gorgeous lilacs,they obviously love your climate. I think you are wise letting some of the garden beds lie dormant for a year, sometimes we just need to give ourselves a break too! Hoping you are feeling better by now, laughter is a great healer, so get together with those who bring laughter to your heart often!

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  11. It’s always fun to dig into leftovers and turn them into something! Your mini is gorgeous as always. Glad you’re getting some garden joy—our rainy season never appeared and we are not watering our lawn much. I’d like to rip most of it out anyway!

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  12. You definitely have a green thumb and I definitely do not. Lovely flowers! Your mini is great and I love the cheddar you are putting into your blocks. The little cross stitch piece you received is adorable. 🇺🇸 Have a great week and congrats! To your quilt winners, even though it wasn’t me!!

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  13. Your lilacs are beautiful!! I can almost smell them from here. Love your hoya...I used to have one and I just loved to see it bloom. :0)

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  14. Another beautiful mini. It's a really interesting complex looking setting and the little baskets really pop. I admire your thoughtfulness in terms of your gardening decisions, and win win win is right. The sunsets are amazing. The lilacs are WOW! You live in a beautiful corner of the world for sure! I have never heard of a Hoya plant. I will have to file that away in my brain;).

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  15. I love how you can take 4 small blocks and design a wonderful quilt that is do interesting. Glad you found your KT bag of fabrics. Your lilacs are gorgeous. My favorite flower. Sunsets can be breathtaking with the mountain silhouettes.

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  16. I'm so impressed how you can whip up beautiful little quilts in such a short time. The tiny baskets are too cute.
    Good for you to keep up with the BOM blocks. It wouldn't seem like several blocks a month would be a challenge but I know from experience that it can sometimes be hard to get them done.
    The little Liberty card is adorable. I think it would make a fun, small quilt.
    We don't have lilacs at this house. Seeing yours makes me miss their wonderful fragrance. They are one of my favorite spring fragrances (along with honeysuckle, lily of the valley, and lavender).
    Your sunset photo brought to mind your lavender/violet and coral quilt.

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  17. What a wonderful post Janet .. your Hoya is stunning as are your Lilacs. I think I have lilac-envy here.😉 I love your monthly mini & the cross stitch that your friend gifted you is just delightful & goes wonderfully with your decor. Have a great week Janet. xx

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  18. Chookies zoom is always a fun catch up

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  19. What a great mini! I just love your little basket blocks in that setting. Good for you for keeping up with your BOM projects. So clever to mount that sweet patriotic cross stitch on a piece of rustic wood. Your lilac bouquets are so beautiful! I had a Hoya plant that my granddaughter took when we moved. Always loved its waxy blooms :) You get the most amazing sunsets! Can't wait to receive Mud Pies. Thank you so much!!

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  20. Great mini! Love all your blooms! Envious of the lilacs.

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  21. Your last minute mini is AMAZING!! I love lilacs and the house next door has one that drapes over our old fence!! It's interesting, here on the Oregon coast in Bandon we have not had much rain either. The cranberry bogs may suffer this year. We are on a well with a very high aquifer, so high that we never have too water the lawn and it grows so fast from the water feeding it below that Kelly has to cut it twice a week this time of year!! Happy you enjoyed your surprise!! Happy Memorial Day!!

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  22. Another sweet mini—love those tiny baskets! I had no idea Hoya would bloom like that and with such a beautiful flower. I retired one of my flower beds last year and filled it with maintenance free shrubs. I’m glad I have less work to do. I will miss the flowers though. Enjoy your extra time!

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  23. This fabulous mini is even more beautiful on your post than it was on the "Zoom" screen! You amaze me at how you just "whip something up" with leftover blocks. This one is a real treasure. Those tiny baskets are the sweetest! It was so great to finally chat on screen. I think I might finally be embracing technology. The sunset photo is gorgeous. Thanks for another super monthly mini!

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  24. What amazing things you're able to come up with from four blocks and scraps! Nicely done, keeping up with your BOM and BOW ... I always struggle with that! That Kris ... she's such a dear heart! Love the sweet little cross stitch! Your blooms are GORGEOUS! I've never seen a Hoya before. I had to look that one up! Good plan for your outdoor flower beds this year. Anytime you can come up with a win/win plan, go for it!! Beautiful sunset shot ... your landscapes captures are always gorgeous. But I totally get your frustration with the comparison of the camera shot vs. the real thing! It's never nearly as luscious! Congrats to your winners!! :)

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  25. Those baskets are just so sweet. I love how your mini turned out, Janet. You always amaze me with your last minute creations!
    And all those lilac bushes sound so amazing. I love lilacs and we have all of two bushes. It’s so sad that they bloom for such a short time. Your bouquets are probably making your entire house smell scrumptious!
    We need a scratch and sniff button!
    Glad you were able to zoom with Wendy and your friend in Australia. Laughter is such a cure-all.
    I’ll be back home next week and will finally have time to call and catch up!
    Xxxx

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  26. I'm so pleased the zoom session could fill you with laughter as it is the best medicine........I know you say that mini is 10 inchs and it's soo cool but when you held it up on the camera it is so tiny and you realise even more how tiny those pieces are.....welldone......

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  27. Love your basket mini quilt......shows that you work very well under pressure!!

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  28. I love your new mini! It's so fun to give ourselves a challenge of using blocks from the orphan bin, and scraps from a bag and let the creativity run wild!
    So many gorgeous flowers at this time of year... I can smell the lilacs from here!

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