Design Wall Monday 9.22.2025

 I'm doing another quilt with 3.5 x 6.3 inch (cut) bricks and 3.5 inch (cut) chips. It's the staggered brick wall. I'm going to insert the print between the bricks. Here is my starting point and quite a few of the fabrics are from the free table at guild.

The novelty measured 40.5 inches so that meant I could only sew 6 full bricks across for 36.5 inches. I opted to make the rows first.

I then rowed it together and placed the novelty towards the top of the quilt.

I wanted it a little bigger so I added a small 2.5 inch (cut) border. The black might be a little harsh but it was what I had/found in the stash.

pattern: Brickwall with novelty inserrt.

Sharing today with Judy at Design Wall Monday.

SoSrappy Saturday 9.20.2025

Today is the third Saturday of September of the colors light blue and light green. I've put a pause on blocks for two of my RSC2025 blocks...the 2025 Stash Buster Challenge Block and fish...so I made a few more Happy Blocks. There is always room for more Happy Blocks!

pattern: MaryJ's Happy Blocks

Sharing today with SoScrappy Saturday.

Finish or NOT Friday 9.19.2025

I have my Brick-a-Brack quilts finished! 

I noticed the smaller the quilt...the quicker the cutting, sewing, quilting and binding!

The green/white version (aka Michigan State University Spartans) and 

the blue/yellow version (aka University of Michigan Wolverines).

pattern: Brick-a-Brack. Here is a post that blogs about this quilt.

panto: serpentine

Sharing today with Alycia at Finish or NOT Friday and 

Kelly at My Quilt Infatuation's Needle and Thread Thursday.

WIP Wednesday 9.17.2025

I pieced the green/white Brick-a-Brack quilt to a flimsy. Green/white are the colors for Michigan State University.

Since I am a graduate of The University of Michigan and the school colors are maize and blue, I dipped into the blue fabrics. This is my fabric pull already cut and ready to sew. Well, almost ready...I still need to cut the yellow background pieces.

In a jiffy, I had the maize and blue Brick-a-Brack into a flimsy, too. I decided to make this one shorter so if someone at guild wants to make one for donation, the guild long armers will quilt it pro bono. (The girls only accepts pro bono quilts that are under 60 inches - it has to do with the physical limitations handling large amounts of fabric causes. Old shoulder injuries, if I am not mistaken!)

pattern: Brick-a-Brack. Published in the April/May 2014 issue of McCall's Quick

                Quilts. Here is a post that talks about the quilt.

Sharing today with The Inquiring Quilter's Wait Loss Wednesday.

Design Wall Monday 9.15.2025

The 3.5 inch dive continues...

This time I am using a combination of the following cuts: 3.5 inch squares, 3.5 x 6.5 inch bricks, 6.5 inch squares, 3.5 x 6.5 inch background, 3.5 x 9.5 inch background, 3.5 inch x WOF background and 5.0 x WOF background.

I had orginally downloaded this pattern many years ago but unfortunately, it didn't make the move. I must have moved it around the sewing room for 5+ years and finally thought that I would never make it...

pattern: Here is a Pinterest link I found that tells more about this quilt.

EDIT:   This quilt is call 'Brick-a-Brack'

Here is the fabric draw for a green/white version of this quilt.

I decided to make the inner portion slighter larger.

It seems like I unpicked and re-sewed the inner portion a number of times until I decided to leave it as...

Sharing today with Judy at Design Wall Monday.

SoScrappy Saturday 9.13.2025

Today is the second Saturday of September of the colors light blue and light green. I was away from the studio the first week of September so I am presenting to you my Happy Blocks, in light blue. I had just enough of the light blue to make these 5 blocks. It appears that I have 'found' my animal stash of 4.5 inch cut blocks.

pattern: MaryJ's Happy Blocks

Sharing today with SoScrappy Saturday.

Finish or NOT Friday 9.12.2025

 I finished the VA lap quilts! Bernice will be so happy to receive not one but two!

Lap quilt #1 was made with the 4.5 inch squares that were in my baggie.

pattern: 4.5 inch cut squares, set 12 x 12 to finish at 48 x 48 inches

panto: serpentine

Lap quilt #2 was made with leftover 4.5 inch squares from the baggie plus a little from my stash.

pattern: 4.5 inch cut squares, set 12 x 12 to finish at 48 x 48

panto: serpentine

Sharing today with Alycia at Finish or NOT Friday and 

Kelly at My Quilt Infatuation's NTT.

WIP Wednesday 9.10.2025

I'm getting back into sewing mode!

I finished sewing the first VA quilt for my friend Bernice. She says 'they' are very strict and the quilts are to be 48 x 48.

Instead of giving Bernice back a few leftover squares, I went into my stash to make another VA lap quilt. I had left the 2 patches pieced and had to iron them.

I then sewed the 2's into 4's.

I tried to keep a little better organization to the scraps and sewed this one into a flimsy.

I did play a few rounds of 'bobbin chicken' and LOST. I also played 'batting chicken' and LOST. There will be NO buying of lottery tickets today! :)

Sharing today with The Inquiring Quilter's Wait Loss Wednesday.

Design Wall Monday 9.8.2025

Our third and final campground in Gaylord, Michigan. Saturday was 48F and rainy so we broke camp and headed home. This was Friday before the rain.

My FIL decided to gift my son a few of his truck/tractor/car models he has collected through the years. We packed them into the Wrangler and it filled it up! Hubby decided to just stopped along DS's road to deliver the models. I thought the Menard's parking lot would be better but I was out voted!

After a late lunch/early dinner, we arrived home with plenty of sunlight to unload the motorhome. Sunday was our day to clean the motorhome/ Wrangler/ laundry/ grocery shop/ mow.

Home again home again jiggity jig!

Onto the sewing room...

As I was waiting to leave for vacation, I sewed together a few four patches for my friend Bernice. She is collecting quilts for the local VA and her quilts need to be 48 x 48...no deviation! She supplied a baggie of 4.5 inch squares.

I sewed into two's...

...then four's and now I need to join all the squares together.

But wait...hubby still wasn't ready to leave. So instead of handing back a few squares, I dug into my stash. I found a few already cut and then cut a few more.

But wait...first I need to go to Ann Arbor and pick up Baby (my piecing machine). She was at the spa while I was trolling around Upper Lower Michigan and the UP. 

Sharing today with Judy at Design Wall Monday.

Finish or NOT Friday 9.5.2025

Thursday September 4, 2025 saw us traveling around the UP of Michigan.

Our first stop was Benny the Beard Fisher. He's located on private property, Northwoods Outfitters in Germfask, Michigan. He was pretty cool and he is my first Thomas Dambo Troll. Here is a link to my Google search that shows many sites for more information on Thomas Dambo and his troll sculptures.

We then went north to Grand Marais, Michigan. We stopped at the beach. We did walk out to the water but 'Mother Superior' (Lake Superior - her nickname at Northern Michigan University) was very angry and we opted to eat lunch in the Jeep.

We followed the scenic drive west and stopped at the Log Slide Lookout. I do believe this is part of the Pictured Rocks.

As we made our way East back to St. Ignace, I also noticed the Lake Michigan was kicking up waves. I took this picture somewhere along US 2 West.

After supper, we visited the Bridge View Park again because it was darker. :) I took this picture right before the headlights turned off on the Jeep. I thought it was kinda cool. :)

Now onto the quilting...

I did indeed quilt down the Thick Sticks quilt and got it bound! It's now part of the 3.5 inch Trunk Show...

I went on the wild side and chose red for the binding...

pattern: Lisa Sutherland's Thick Sticks

panto: serpentine

Sharing today with Alycia's Finish or NOT Friday and

Kelly at My Quilt Infatuation's NTT.