Needed Distraction

 
Not a squirrel. I needed to do something other than work from the scrap bin. So I quilted a scrap quilt from two years ago.

Listening to audio books while quilting is definitely the way to go. I just did a simple meander. The quilt pattern is Emma Grace by Villa Rosa Designs. It is about 41 x 45 inches and has a flannel back pieced from scraps also. The flash from my phone kinda washes out the colors. I used a really really really old floral fabric for the binding - which hasn't been hand sewn on yet but I'm still calling this a finish. This quilt is my 10th finish for the year.

Now I'm ready to keep working on the trapezoid blocks. I have almost half of them made.

Back to my back yard...my yellow roses opened up...soooo pretty!

And the close up I didn't take last week...

 

Getting Bored

 
I got bored with string blocks so switched over to the trapezoid blocks. I don't know which is worse, making 144 string blocks or 238 trapezoid blocks. Current I have 53 string blocks made and about the same number of trapezoids. I think I need a finish of some sort to help a bit with the boredom. Maybe if I quilt another small quilt or table topper that will help my attitude....nah.

I am caught up on my Threadology blocks. Four more weeks and I'll be able to finish up this quilt.

I have been trying to work in my back yard a bit. It is soooo overgrown but kinda pretty at the same time. I'm getting the first blooms on my roses...which is always the prettiest.

The red roses are as big as my hands...and I have really big hands.

The yellow buds look like long stem roses. I'm really tempted to cut them to create a bouquet for the house. But I know a cat who would think they were a wonderful appetizer. 

 I wish I'd taken a close up of the rose on the bottom right. This variegated rose gets more orange as the summer progresses.

LOVE the close up of this iris. Not bad for an iPhone picture.

And (happy dance) my lemon tree is blooming. It's been really sad looking and bloomed last November (way too early). I wasn't too sure how it was going to do this spring. It was also full of bees (more happy dancing).

You know I'm bored with quilting if I'm willing to do yard work.

Not Much Progress

  
This is all the sewing I've done in the last week...

...and that was done about an hour ago.

I did get a little bit of yard work done, cleaned the house including cleaning the inside windows, met with my financial advisor, had friends from the Bay Area come for an over night visit and worked a few hours as a volunteer at a local Garden Fair.

Sometimes life gets in the way of quilting.

 

Progress

 I'm still working on string blocks, but I'm a little tired of showing them and I'm sure you are tired of seeing them. I'll show them again with there is something a little more interesting to see.

I got caught up on my Aunt Addie’s Blue Ribbon Quilt (the official name of the Kathleen Tracy's 2019 mystery quilt). Don't look to too closely at those points, they are going to disappear when I sew the whole thing together. The dark blue one really stands out doesn't it?

I'm almost caught up on the Threadology quilt. The two large blocks are sewn, the smaller ones are cut out. Hopefully I'll have time to put them together tomorrow.

I've made at least one large block and two small blocks with all of the various fabrics I have (10 different fabrics).  I've used up almost all of the fat quarters. I have large cuts of five fabrics but I don't want to repeat the fabrics too much - there are still three blocks left (6 large and 12 small).

This week is the Northern California Quilt Rush, I may hit a couple of the local shops to see if I can find anything that will coordinate - I'm not sure about adding another color or what color to add. Then again maybe having repeats won't be that bad.
 

Paradise, CA

  
This makes me happy...

Debbie's Quilt Shop in Paradise, CA has re-opened! She is a few doors down from her old shop.  She is having a "fire sale" and getting ready for the Northern California Quilt Rush which is April 10-13th. The link is to her Facebook page where you can see some of the quilts that have been made with the house blocks that were sent by people from all over the world! I've always loved Debbie's selection of reproduction fabrics so when I heard she was open again I knew I had make the drive (about 100 miles) even though it was pouring rain the whole trip. I definitely showed my support with some significant retail therapy.

It was a little strange driving up the canyon road to Paradise, it has rained here so much this year that every thing was really green...until you took a closer look. The ground cover was green but the trees were black and still bare when they should have had leaves and or blossoms. It was very sad to see all the white crosses for those who died in the fire as you enter the town. Once in town it was surprising to see totally burnt out buildings right next to building that didn't look like they had any damage. Then there would be a whole block that was leveled by the fire and shells of burned cars next to new construction. I am very happy the town is rebuilding but it looks like it will be slow.

Another thing that made me very happy was winning Melissa Corey's Terrific Tuesday Giveaway. I won this wonderful bundle of fat quarters from the Fat Quarter Shop.

I want to play with all of my new fabric but I'm determined to make the three scrappy quilts I've started. I'm still making string blocks...I think I figured out I need 90 of them. I currently have about a third of them made.