My Helper

Jackie “helped” me organize the patriotic pieces on the design board.

So proud of herself. 

Pelican Rainbow

My 10-years-younger sister had a mild heart attack a few months ago*

and a milestone birthday in May

so it seemed the perfect time to make her a quilt. (Kind of a long-distance hug, stretching from California to Pennsylvania.)

Jennifer asked for rainbow colors and pelicans - a favorite of our mom’s. 

I was surprised at how difficult it was to find pelican fabric - the print above was pretty much my only choice. I guess pelicans have gone out of style in the last 30-odd years. 

So, it wasn’t a big surprise that there were no quilting designs with pelicans either. But there is now! My quilting pal contacted the company she gets her pantos from and they custom made a pelican design for us. So awesome - I’m still amazed. Doesn’t it look great??!

The quilt was delivered Friday and Jen called to say she loves it. Success!

* Jen’s doctor says she will be fine and the damage is reversible, if she quits smoking (done), takes her meds (done) and stops eating salt (harder, but working on it).

Leia’s Graduation

Leia graduated from 5th grade on Wednesday 

with a short ceremony - she also received a perfect attendance award for the last quarter -

lunch in the park and a class bowling party. 

Then she had to go back to class for 2 more days

until school was officially out for the summer. I’m guessing not a lot was accomplished but  rulz are rulz. 

Leia’s both excited and apprehensive about going to a new school next year. We keep telling her everything will be fine, but I don’t think she believes us yet. 

 Cousins, celebrating the school year’s end

Grateful

I’ve been making dozens and dozens of half-square triangles (HSTs in quilting lingo) so I can make this wallhanging - 

 I need 120 3” HSTs for this. If I counted right . . .

HSTs aren’t difficult but each one has multiple steps and it gets boring and repetitive and boring and that got me thinking how grateful I am for things that make the job easier and faster.

Like little girls who love to iron, especially when there’s spray starch involved.

 Quilt-In-A-Day Ruler 

And friends who talk me into buying things I’m not really sure why I need, and those things cut my HST-making time in half from my previous favorite method.

 It was good knowing you, Bloc-Loc

I’m grateful for strangers in the blog-o-verse who post videos reminding me I have that super cool ruler. And other blogs who forever change how I make these blocks - no exaggeration - by showing how to make 8 HSTs AT ONE TIME. It’s amazing and magical (and fast and easy and no bias edges to stretch out of shape).

So I’ll be over here in my corner, making fast HSTs forever, ‘cause now I want to must make this too. 

Quilt Run Swag

For the past five years, the shops we visited on the quilt run gave us goodies - colored ribbons, hard candy, simple quilt patterns we could print off their website. 

This year, the shop owners upped their game. Way up. A beautiful new website; cute patches and other sewing-related goodies; a water bottle in Orcutt (always handy); and my favorite - premium passports, offered for a small fee (the free version was still available), that included a sturdy tote bag with custom artwork and a “gift” pin at every shop. Sweet!

They also changed the prize for turning in a completed passport - a nice pair of embroidery scissors!

The changes made this year’s run feel like a brand new event. Kudos to everyone involved and I can’t wait to see what you come up with for next year!

Fairy Quilt

It took us just over 2 hours,

but Marie chose both a pattern (“In The Meadow” from Bear Creek Quilting Co)

 Labels so I remember what goes where

and fabric (all from my stash! Whoohoo!)

to go with the fairy panel

I found on the quilt run.

We got a bit slaphappy toward the end

pulling out random fabrics, checking for”value” (light, medium or dark)

and throwing most of it on the ever growing reject pile. 

But we finally figured it out and we’re both happy. It probably won’t be done by her birthday (June 13), which was my original plan, but it will definitely probably maybe be done before Christmas (her expectation). 

Liberty Octopi

After futzing with this most of the day, I’m calling it done.

At 40”x52” it’s on the small side for a lap quilt but about right for hanging on a wall. I experimented with making it bigger 

but the octopus print is no longer available and the flower fabric - which is from the same line - is too pink frilly overpowering. Thought about using it for backing but I dislike it too intensely even for that. Should make a great pillowcase for the little girls though!

Quilt Run #6

It took two days but quilt run #6 is done. 

On Friday, I drove three friends 386 miles - almost exactly 13 hours and a full tank of gas - so we could shop 7 of the 10 quilt stores on the Central Coast Shop Tour. (We actually hit 8 stores since who could pass up Birch in Paso??)

 Quilt panels for Isaac, Marie, Rachel and Me!

That covered the northern section of the run, Buellton to Paso Robles.

Then I bribed hubby with lunch on the beach to go with me to the last three stores in Ventura, Carpinteria and Santa Barbara. (He brought along a good book ...)

 Orange background fabric and a few jellyfish for the under-construction aquarium quilt. 

My goal this year was to only buy things for which I already had a plan.

 A 4th of July wallhanging or two 

None of my usual “but it’s so prettyyyyyyyyyy” purchases. 

 Christmas snow globe quilt

And I pretty much stuck to that. (I was surprised too.)

 Background fabric and a few more Shibori squares for the Jewel Box/Treasure Chest quilt

These background fabrics will go into the ‘some day’ pile 

but I couldn’t say no to such great deals, especially that awesome narwhal print at 50% off.

The only true, ‘must have because it’s pretty’ purchase was this - 

and Jackie’s going to LOVE it.

Cake Bake

Leia chose baking a cake over going to the movies today

so when my 25+ year old stand mixer gave out*

 Hiding Groot is one of the girls’  favorite kitchen games

we had to make an emergency Target run for a new hand-mixer.

Leia loves her new toy mixer and the cake seemed to meet everyone’s expectations. Looking on the bright side, maybe I’ll get myself a pretty red mixer to replace Old Faithful. 

* The motor is still good but the beaters no longer lock in place, which seems like a recipe for disaster (ha! baking joke😜). I’m bummed; I love that mixer. 

Victory!

The plan seemed simple enough. Combine this fabric

and this block design

to make a quick(ish), stash-busting quilt. 

First I sewed the pieces together backwards. Or sideways. Or something. Not right, at any rate.

Didn’t notice and made two more blocks.

Put them together on the design wall and thought, “hmmm, that’s odd”. Looked at the original pattern again and said multiple combinations of not-nice words. Loudly.

I really, really didn’t want to rip out the finished blocks. Tried turning them this way - nope -

and this way - still no -

and finally, this way. Victory!

I love it when a plan (finally) comes together.