What Are Quilters Blogging About Today?

Last February, at our sleep-at-home retreat, I started making half square triangles for a yellow and grey quilt with bees and honey fabrics. I thought using the less desirable prints in smaller bits would showcase the others nicely. So, I made a bunch of HSTs.

Then I sewed them in pairs, intending to make pinwheel blocks.

At the overnight retreat at Febuary Hill, when I finished the potholders, the top to the Christmas mat, and the bird quilt top, I pulled out the pinwheels to figure out a design to use them. I pinned them on the design board as ...

Now that the quilt show is over and my basement is cleared out again, I am turning my attention back to Safelight. We have plenty of funds, case sets and cards to do a nice delivery next week. For new readers, this project is one that readers and I have done annually for 7 years. Most of those years have seen at least 2 deliveries. See the kickoff post Safelight Project 2024 to learn what the spa bags are all about, and the domestic violence shelter they support.

After our last delivery in February, I received this wonderful letter from ...

This past week, I got an email from the shelter director at Safelight, Morgan Abendroth. She wrote “We have used up our last spa bag and I was wondering if you are still making them. They are such a great addition to welcome clients into shelter. We would love to get more if that is possible.” I had asked them to let me know when they were down to a dozen, but with the holidays it got lost in the hustle and bustle. 

In previous years, we have come together as a community to assemble spa bags for new residents ...

Last week and this week, the Safelight Project was finished up. In the mail in the last days of the project, more case sets arrived from some wonderful readers. These lovelies came from JoAnn S and Joan S.

These arrived the same day from Holly S and Chris L.

And these wonderful sets arrived from Elana G.

While my friend Lynne was over doing her quilt, we sat at the table and put the tissues inside the tissue cases, then put them inside the cosmetic cases to get started on the assembly. We also put the cards and small lotions ...

Well, I thought I was being cute on Tuesday with the video, but it didn’t get the response I thought it might. It was supposed to be a clue to let you all know a new mystery quilt along is coming in January, but only a couple of readers figured that out. I couldn’t do one last year, and I was hoping to get everyone excited for a new design. So, here is the announcement for real, coming in January, Scrap Dance Quadrille Mystery Quilt Along! The pattern is done, I just have to finish sewing the first ...

Our guild area meeting was last week, and we got a nice start on our quilts for the local Safelight domestic violence shelter. Our goal is to make 20 quilts for their bunk beds. This project could really be ongoing, as the resident is allowed to take the quilt with them when they move to a new place to live. This could be weeks or months later, and the quilt is theirs to use as long as they are at the shelter. Some want the quilts, others don’t, but they have the option. Over the past couple of weeks ...

It is the last Sunday of the month, and Autumn arrived this week with beautifully cool days. The garden is winding down, but I am still harvesting a lot of tomatoes! This was a couple of days worth, with lots of little cherry tomatoes and another Cherokee purple.

The hydrangea is covered in dark pink/green blooms as is usual for it in the fall. Here and there are lighter color ones, but most are the darker ones.

I have one beautiful lavendar one that has been blooming for over a week now. It is a lovely pure lavendar color ...

Last week, I did some blocks for the Safelight quilts project that my guild’s local area is coordinating. I used a couple of pretty prints, so I could do blocks with florals and whites. Making a lot of half square triangles at once means allows the prints to be mixed between blocks.

I wanted to show the ladies what I had in mind. Here are the florals with white tone on tones.

One question asked is could white backgrounds with tiny prints be used. The answer is really no. As you can see in the quilt top below that ...

With the summer winding down, I usually bring out my August placemats and table topper for a new tablescape. This year I haven’t been motivated to set a nice table, other than just the basics for me and My Sweet Babboo. So, maybe you’d like to see a couple of past tables with these patchwork linens from my Colors of August sewing from a couple of years ago. The pattern is on the link, with a second link from that one to show you the finish. I also did an improv table topper with the leftovers, that you ...

This week has just been so busy, with car club events, playing pickleball, quilt meetings and lunch with friends. It is no wonder that I have little accomplished in the sewing and crafting room for the week. On Thursday, I went to a quilt area meeting then stopped by the Quilts of Valor sew day. I picked up this fabulous top, batting and backing that I’ll quilt for them. This striking eagles panel is surrounded by pieced blocks.

I did manage to get it loaded on the longarm, and I’ll show you the quilting when it is done ...

Strong storms roared through our area on Sunday night, with driving rain, thunder and lightening.   The winds were howling up the coves on both sides of our home for some time, and the noise was frightening.  The next day brought the damage to light.  We were counting our blessings that we only lost two trees, and neither of them hit the house.  One branch broke off and lodged itself high in an adjacent tree.  This branch will just have to come down on its own as it is about 50 ft off the ground.

The forest behind the house has ...

It seems that everyone is really busy right now, with more things to do around the house, working from home, video conferencing, kids home from school, and trying to be sure we have what we need for an extended home stay-cation.  I saw another blogger call it a ‘corona-cation’, and that seems like a good title too.  I hope you are all staying safe and well. So, now that we are spending more time in our sewing and craft rooms, I wanted to find a way to inspire your creativity and sewing time.  I keep thinking about the rabbit that ...

Cards and case sets are coming in for Safelight, and it is exciting to see this project take off so quickly.  We hit our donation goal within 48 hours of the first announcement, and have now gone well over.  I knew that the shelter was completely out of bags for new residents, so I wanted to get some done right away.  I ordered the bags online, and put in a bulk order for some of the items from Dollar Tree.  That shipment will have the sunglasses backordered, and the other items are estimated to arrive on the 23rd.  I’ll ...

Making small gifts for Safelight this month along with stamping a couple of cards for very special friends kept me busy at the stamping bench. If you are not a stamper, please read on for an update on this year’s Safelight Project.   Isn’t this stamp adorable?  It is called Darby Love, and is also available from Impression Obsession without the heart, called Darby (affiliate links).

I stamped him in red and mounted the image on red card stock.  Then I added the sentiment.

Pretty paper on part of the base creates interest with the image offset to the ...