WIP Wednesday

I don't know if I am really doing what you would call "work" today, LOL. I did go thru one of my dark blue storage bins and pulled most of the fabric, organizing it a bit for cutting.

The pile on the left is smaller pieces so I am just going whack up the whole thing into 2 1/2 inch strips. I want to do a staggered Skinny Strips quilt for the veteran's home project that I spotted in Quilts and More for my FAB bday party in August. There is a free pattern online at the APQ website under the patriotic quilts---- click HERE if you would rather not go hunting. If I can get some 3 1/2 inch squares out of the deal, fine. Those are always good for 3-D bowties.

The pile that you see on the right is bigger pieces so I am shooting for 6 1/2 inches squares for a Disappearing 4 patch like the one my pal Pat has made shown HERE. Well, that or a Carrie Nelson "True Blue". Jan has a wonderful multicolored version on her blog post HERE . Another idea that I keep coming back to is "Fall Frolic" from one of Evelyn Sloppy's books. HERE is one that I found on a google search. I like the plaid, homespuns idea though so maybe not in blues. ARGH! I hate when they tell you to work in something as limiting as patriotic colors, like every service person wants to be draped in a flag. I can make plenty of masculine looking quilts and never limit myself to RWB or "flaggy" fabric. I rebel!

Having said that, I also need to do a couple blocks for a comfort quilt for a quilting friend's grandson who was injured in Afghanistan and still in critical condition though they hope to begin his rehab in Tampa, Florida soon. Without my getting into specifics about the type and extent of his injuries, please keep young Ben Tomlinson in your prayers if you would. The organizer and fellow Bama Belle Betsy wants 12 inch completed Sawtooth Stars--the "rules" are pretty loose other than that. We are meeting later in the month to assemble the top. I selected a couple of blocks in the variable star section of EQ and printed them off to foundation piece them, just to produce the size needed more than anything.

These plans by no means deplete my supplies of blue fabric---there is the "started years ago" Massachusetts Cross and Crown project after all. Some fabrics are set aside with that one. Some these could go in with it but it's fine that it moves on for something else.

I think I told you that my quilt group was being displaced from our regular meeting place again this summer. The church fellowship hall we use is being used by the ARC camp thru our dates for June and July. Linda C had us to her home yesterday---relaxing day, good food and company. Even better, leftovers so I don't have to cook today unless I want to ----and I don't, LOL. It is up in the 90's again today for the umpteenth day in a row.

Oh, I also said I would make a couple of Overall Bill blocks that will go in a friendship quilt for a friend who will be relocating this fall for another quilt group. I know her so I am happy to help out. She has two grandsons so I said I would do two boy blocks. The organizers will be using the patterns from the Eleanor Burns Sunbonnet Sue book and I had some leftover marked interfacing stuff that they could use.

I was looking thru my quilt library for a trip around the world book that I thought for another quilting friend this morning. I have two books, one the more old fashioned way of assembly and Burns' strip piecing one. I found some other ideas and things to look thru at bedtime reading time. I was also on the lookout for a recent pattern from the June APQ---what size yo yo did Terry Atkinson use in her cover quilt? Nancy has an accu-quilt and was wondering about a die for circles. Answer was extra large clover yo yo circle or use the circle template in the magazine pull out section if you want to do the more conventional method to finish at 2 1/4 inch diameter. They look bigger than that in the picture, I think.

And so it goes---maybe I'll fire up the machine after supper and get back to giant 4 patches, non-mind taxing sewing. Stranger things have happened. Have a good evening in whatever you chose to do.