An Out Of Season Mini

Last September, Lori (Humble Quilts Blog) hosted her annual small quilt Quiltalong called Land That I Love . Though I am normally all on board for anything in red/white/blue, I was longing for some fall weather and decided to pull autumn colored scraps from my basket and use those to sew along. I made the top last fall, but I just barely got it quilted. So I am terribly out of season.

I will be linking this with Wendy (The Constant Quilter blog) for our monthly mini parade. Check out the link for the other marvelous mini makers and their creations.

I almost bound it in a matching, subtle brown, but I couldn't do it. The quilt wanted a warm color that stood out, so terra cotta was the winner.

This photo shows the quilting. Not crazy about the way I decided to quilt it. After the fact, I decided the feathered wreaths in the center were a little highbrow for this humble quilt. But I'll live with it. The pieced blocks are just stitched in the ditch.

My version of Gay Bomer's Heartfelt has come back from the quilter. I am really happy with it. I will show you an angled view so you can get an idea of the quilting, and I will give you some better peeks after I have the binding completed (just a little ways into the second side--very slow binder here).

That sums up the quilty portion of this post. I just want to take you out on the farm for a moment. 

Tell me, are you familiar with the word "gambol"? Because that is what the baby lambs do every spring, and it is so fun to watch. The other day I stood at the kitchen window and tried to zoom in with my phone--picture quality not the greatest, but it was the best I could do, under the circumstances. You have to catch them when they are in the mood. Look at the lambs in the background of these 4 shots.

The lambs will just be running along and all of a sudden they will leap up into some of the funniest positions.

Dictionary definitions will say things like "frisk or jump about playfully". The lambs have it down to a science. And that, my friends, is gamboling!

There are no photos of the babysitting llama this year, as Coco has moved on to a better world.

There is a dirt road that runs along the north side of the farm, and that is where I often go to take walks at dusk. That is my favorite time of day to be out walking. Whether I am facing east or west, I have a mountain range in front of me. These photos were taken early this week. 

This was the sight just after the sun dipped behind the end of the Wellsville range to the west. This is the mountain range I see from my sewing room.

When I turn around and head for home, I am facing the Bear River range to the east. This is the range we see from our family room or deck.

Until next time, be creative and be kind.

Janet O.

Leader/Ender At An End

These Windmill blocks have been a leader/ender project for me off and on since October 2014! This was inspired by Kathie Holland at Inspired By Antique Quilts blog (which no longer exists). I sure miss Kathie!  The blocks finish at 4". They are going to need trimming before I start sewing them together, but I am finally finished cutting and sewing blocks. This is as far as I am taking this.

I purposely did NOT try to keep like colors apart from each other. This is the most "just throw it up on the wall" I have ever done. The lighting wasn't great at night when I took this photo, but all of the colors are a couple of shades of blues, along with deep reds and blacks--and a wide range of neutrals. There are "make do" blocks all over the place. One block has 5 different fabrics. Betcha' can't find it. ;)

The shapes are cut using one of the mini acrylic templates from a set of 12 by Bay Creek Quilting. Most of the set are jelly roll friendly.  This photo of the set was lifted from the Bay Creek website. The second from the right on the top row is the one I used here. You have to cut with all of your fabric either right side up, or all of it right side down--also, always face the ruler the same direction. I once cut a bunch facing the wrong way, and I included three of those blocks in this quilt. Can you see the 3 windmills spinning the wrong way?

About the only other sewing I have done since my last post involved using up leftover sashing strips and scraps from the purple Heartfelt quilt. I got the blocks (1 1/2" finished) assembled and now I am debating, "To border, or not to border?"

I have a lovely purple paisley I had wanted to use, but it has lots of red in it, and they just didn't do anything for each other.

So many things other than quilting have been going on, and during a minute here and a minute there, along with much help from family on their Sunday visits, this puzzle finally got finished! Hubby insisted I be in the picture. Love those sea turtles!

I also finally got my father-in-law's history printed up for the family. It has taken me a year to get photos and documents found and added to the history he had written when he was 70. It took the history from 25 pages to 160 pages! I hope he would be pleased with the final result. This Tuesday will be the 102nd anniversary of his birth. He has been gone for almost 15 years.

So many people are trying to do good things to help the situation in Ukraine--and the people who are fleeing. I have been trying to support the efforts of others, including DD#2, who is a "cookier".  She made these lovely cookies based on the Ukrainian eggs, or pysanky. She has made and sold hundreds of these cookies via her Instagram account and word of mouth. I can't eat them, but I bought some and delivered them to friends and neighbors. They are so pretty!

Chookyblue has been quite the social butterfly lately, with Zoom parties almost every week. So fun to visit, even if you can only join in for a short time. I caught the tail end of it this time around, but I was glad to have a chat, while I unpicked some seams that looked like I had done them in my sleep. I probably had!

I wish all who observe Easter a blessed day of celebration. If you would like to watch a brief, but thought-provoking Easter message, click the link #Because of Him.

Leaving you with another shot of sunset over the mountains. I was driving home the other night and about 1/2 mile south of my home I had to stop (in the middle of the road) and take a picture. I knew if I waited until I got home the color would be gone--and I was right. And yes, we have had a wet and snowy week.

You should be able to click on the photo to enlarge it.

Until next time, be creative, and be kind.

Janet O.