Hospital Sketches BOM: Catching Up

Oh no!  Even using machine appliqué hasn't saved me from falling behind on Barbara Brackman's Hospital Sketches BOM!

The May block - Currants and Cockscombs - was a little intimidating.  Forty-eight 5/8-inch circles to prep!  Once all the pieces were prepped (freezer paper and starch method), I just needed some long stretches of uninterrupted time to stitch everything in place.

Fortunately, some of that time came my way this weekend.  I stitched and listened to a wonderful audiobook:  All the Light We Cannot See by Anthony Doerr.

I highly recommend it!

Four blocks completed.  The June block, Pineapple, should go more quickly.  I already have the fabrics picked out, so I just need to make some patterns and I'll be on my way.  Maybe I'll even finish before the end of the month and can start on July's block - Mountain Laurel.  

Yes, I'm all about enjoying the appliqué process, but I don't want to get too far behind and run the risk of adding another UFO to the pile!

Quilt Block Fun on the Tiny, Scrappy Side

I'm still playing along with the Tiny Tuesday weekly quilt blocks - also known as the Rainbow Scrap Challenge Sampler 2019.  

I kinda wandered off on my own again this month, making some blocks that weren't part of the "official" challenge.  I've been inspired by Judy Hopkins' 501 Rotary-Cut Quilt Blocks.

I have found this to be a great resource for quilt blocks, with clear instructions for cutting and piecing the blocks.  Best of all, each block has multiple size options, so you don't have to do a bunch of math to get the block size you need!

The book has inspired me to attempt several of the 4.5 inch size blocks to see if I can:  1. accurately piece the block, and 2. successfully make the block using scraps.  My fingers still struggle with some of the fiddly bits, but I'm getting better at working at these TT blocks.

The first Tiny Tuesday block this month was the Block with No Name from Cynthia Brunz.  I was inspired by Cynthia's use of stripes for the center strips - I knew I had the perfect blue striped fabric in my scrap bins.

The following week, I decided to try the Great Blue Heron block from Judy Hopkins' book.  There is a great blue heron who is a regular visitor at our camp, so this is in honor of him.

The third week of June happened to include the Summer Solstice, which is marked by another Judy Hopkins block:  Summer Wind.

Since this is the last week for blue scraps, I wanted to try something red, white, and blue in honor of the approaching Independence Day holiday.  I love this fabric - it reminds me of fireworks - and I had enough scraps to put together this block called Gentleman's Fancy.  

That's my scrappy story for the week, but there's more scrappy fun to be had at the weekly RSC link-up!

Let the Summer Fun Begin!

Hi blog!  I've missed you!  Life has been keeping me away from you, but I'm back and ready to share some stitching fun.

Summer started out with a family trip to Wisconsin.  Even though I grew up in Florida, I was born in Wisconsin, and both my parents have extensive family history there.  Somehow, I wrangled both boys and my dear hubby into making this trip to visit family and family history sites.  We had a great trip and made lots of great new memories!

Once we got back from our trip, it was back to work and back to stitching.  I needed to make a fourth orange Tiny Tuesday block.  I struck off on my own for this block, as this Hayes Corner block (upper left) tickled my fancy.  

Once the orange Tiny Tuesday blocks were wrapped up, it was time to dig into a new batch of scraps.  Dark blue is the Rainbow Scrap Challenge color for June, and I jumped in and made a blue Burgoyne Surrounded block.  

Next up - Ring of Stars blocks.  They look pretty good in dark blues!

Sugar Bowl blocks are still on the menu, too.  After finishing these RSC blocks, there was a noticeable decrease in the pile of dark blue scraps and chunks!

And so my RSC blocks for the month are done.  There are still Tiny Tuesday blocks to make each week, but now I can direct my stitching time to catching up on my Hospital Sketches blocks.  Of course, there's always temptation inspiration to be found in the weekly Rainbow Scrap link-up!