Happy 250th!!

Another sluggish week, but I am getting back into the sewing groove.  I realized that part of my problem is that I do not have work prepped to go when I don't want to think about what to do.  I know I will need a lot more applique hearts for the blue medallion quilt, so I will work on prepping those.  That is something I can prep and sew even if the sewing table is mostly covered in scrapbook stuff.

Need to prep more hearts.

As much as I have been wanting to finish the New & Improved D9P, I couldn't because I had no where to sandwich it.  We are working on giving the office/guest room more privacy.  This involves changing out the double doors with window panes into a real wall with a real door which involves a lot of dry wall dust in the space where I usually sandwich quilts.  Since we were having family over for the 4th, I took advantage of the lull in work and did a heavy duty cleaning and then sandwiched it before I got distracted with something else.  Whew.

Just need to finish quilting and then bind!

My numbers were not quite right and I had to add a sliver of backing to one side before starting quilting, but l didn't agonize over perfection.  I am just trying to finish.  For a brief moment I thought I'd finish this Red, White, and Blue quilt on July 4th, but after cleaning, cooking, hosting I just ran out of steam.  It was nice to have some down time with family even though I have to remind myself that it is okay to take the down time. 

Little S made cookies!  Yum!!

2026 15 Minutes to Stitch

15 minute days this week = 5/7

15 minute days/June = 20/30

15 minute days/July = 4/4

15 minute days/2026 = 148/185

Success Rate 2026 = 80%

No stash movement this week.  

  

2026 Stash Totals

Used last week: 0 yards

Used year to date: 43.79 yards

Acquired recently: 0 yards  

Acquired year to date: 35 yards

Stash movement for 2026: 1.14 more yards acquired than used

Linking up to:

Kate at Life in Pieces 

Donna at quiltpaintcreate

Frederique at quiltingpatch

Angela at soscrappy  

Slow Week

I was busy, but most of it wasn't sewing.  I worked on making order out of the mess in the sewing room, getting the annual summer scrapbook/photo process underway,  training for our new reading curriculum, and reading.  It is summer and I am trying to max it out!

Round 2 Done!

When there was space on the sewing table I got the next round of the baby blocks done.  Using the 2" blocks for the next border was a lot easier to math out than the 3" appliqued heart blocks.  The hearts will be next because the farther out I get, the more blocks I have to have.

Light Blue Crayon Done!

A few days later there was space on the table again, so I made the pastel crayon for the RSC.  My first idea to use light blue was spot on - there was plenty.  I even got to use an odd triangle left over from Dear Jane as the crayon tip. 

Filling up my crayon box!

I think I need to take the Scrappy Spools off of the design wall, so I have space for current projects.  That's a good project for this week.

   2026 15 Minutes to Stitch

15 minute days this week = 3/7

15 minutes days/June = 19/27

15 minute days/2026 = 143/178 

Success Rate 2026 = 80%

No stash movement this week.  

  

2026 Stash Totals

Used last week: 0 yards

Used year to date: 43.79 yards

Acquired recently: 0 yards  

Acquired year to date: 35 yards

Stash movement for 2026: 1.14 more yards acquired than used

Linking up to:

Kate at Life in Pieces 

Donna at quiltpaintcreate 

Frederique at quiltingpatch

Angela at soscrappy  

Forward Progress

The binding was added and the Red & Yellow Pinwheels are completely finished, but didn't get a new picture.  Teacher E chose that one for a friend and it is already gone.

The binding was red.

I finished taking apart the red & green D9P that I didn't like.  I changed the color scheme to red & blue and that made all the difference.   

Yuck!  Even my perfect backing couldn't make me like this.

There were large blue squares and some neutrals in the random scraps from my MIL.  They were slightly smaller than the red squares, so I did some trimming to make it all fit. I would have preferred a more consistent neutral, but since I am working with what I have I am still very pleased with the makeover on this quilt.

Before the blocks were joined.

The baby blocks are joined.  Whew!  Never doing those again.  The hearts won't work as a next round because they are too big and need to alternate for a better effect.  My next idea is to use 2.5" blocks and mix the blue randomly.  There were some in the original bag, but I will need a lot more, so I can add more shades of blue.  I can adjust the width of the sashing to make it all work.  

Coming together slowly.

With all the activity this week I did not get as much sewing done as I would have liked, but I still made progress.  

2026 15 Minutes to Stitch

15 minute days this week = 5/7

15 minutes days/June = 16/20

15 minute days/2026 = 140/171 

Success Rate 2026 = 82%

I am so close to breaking even!  

  

2026 Stash Totals

Used last week: 3.37 = 3.07 yards for the new and improved D9P + 0.3 for pinwheel binding

Used year to date: 43.79 yards

Acquired recently: 0 yards  

Acquired year to date: 35 yards

Stash movement for 2026: 1.14 more yards acquired than used

Linking up to:

Kate at Life in Pieces 

Donna at quiltpaintcreate 

Frederique at quiltingpatch

Angela at soscrappy  

Summer Mode - Finally

I'm still not sleeping in, but at least my body is starting to relax.   

30 year old UFO in a sandwich bag!

Even though I knew I should work on the Baby Bricks, I pulled out another UFO to consider.  The more I thought about it, the more I realized that this was truly my oldest UFO not the one I finished last year.  I started this soon after we moved from Russia to Guatemala which was late 1996.  My stash fit in a small cardboard box.  I remember wanted to make a "row by row" quilt in blues with each row being a different block.  According to the contents of the bag, I had an entire row of 9 patches on point, a few appliqued hearts, quite a few baby blocks, and some related scraps for future blocks.  

very rough idea

Not knowing what else to do, I kept making baby blocks with the fabrics that were already cut. Then I realized a row would not show off all of this work.  So what if I changed the plan and made the baby blocks into a larger block as the center?  I could adapt the other blocks and build borders around the baby blocks.  I cut and sewed just enough more to form a decent sized rectangle.  Working with 2" rhombuses is not for the faint of heart.  I can check baby blocks off my bucket list now!   

finally done

I got as far as I could on than baby blocks since joining the rows was stressful and made a few machine applique hearts (no more handwork for me!) and called a halt on that project.  I switched over to finally sandwiching the baby bricks quilt and while I was at it I sandwiched the impromptu red & yellow pinwheel quilt.

flannel back - paint sample style!

Since I was on a roll, I started quilting.  I got the baby bricks done in an afternoon.  I wasn't sure about the mix of flannels for the backing, but I am desperately trying to use what I have.  It works!   

This one turned into a great little quilt.

I really had no idea how to quilt the pinwheels with a walking foot since my "go to" diagonals would not work and the backing would show everything.  I started with straight lines through the yellow blocks following the angle of the triangles with yellow thread.  Then I used red thread and kept with the straight line theme, but with wider intervals on the smaller side of the yellow blocks.  

more flannel - thinking of Little S in Spain!

I knew I needed to change things up, so when I continued the next morning.  I used the red thread again, but at a right angle to the yellow lines on the larger side of the yellow blocks across half of the remaining section.  Then I switched it up again with a concentric chevrons in the last section.  All that to say - something very different for me, but I think it turned out well and it gave me confidence to try new things.

2026 15 Minutes to Stitch

15 minute days this week = 6/7

15 minutes days/June = 11/13

15 minute days/2026 = 135/164 

Success Rate 2026 = 82%

A whopping migraine kept me from sewing one day, but otherwise it was a great week in the sewing room!! 

More stash movement this week.  Baby Bricks were never counted out so I get to count out the front and back!  Woohoo!   And the backing for the Red & Yellow Pinwheels.  Another finish or two and I'll be breaking even.

  

2026 Stash Totals

Used last week: 4.41 = 3.17 yards for Baby Bricks & 1.24 yards for Red & Yellow Pinwheel backing 

Used year to date: 40.42 yards

Acquired recently: 0 yards  

Acquired year to date: 35 yards

Stash movement for 2026: 4.51 more yards acquired than used

Linking up to:

Kate at Life in Pieces 

Donna at quiltpaintcreate 

Frederique at  quiltingpatch

Angela at soscrappy  

Impromptu Top

I was more tired and busy than I thought I would be this week, so I pulled out the triangles from Guatemala that I had unsewn since they are so wonky.  I matched them back up and sewed them carefully and then trimmed to the largest square I could get consistently from the newly formed HST.  

HST ready to iron

I didn't think about it too much, but just kept sewing and using what I had to make it big enough to at least be a baby quilt.  

white sashing works well

There were four HSTs that were still pretty wonky, so I trimmed them smaller and turned them into corners for the borders.  That worked perfectly. 

red & yellow borders from my stash are a surprising good match

This came together pretty quickly.  I even have a backing ready.  Maybe this week I'll sandwich this one and the Baby Blocks and get them quilted.

2026 15 Minutes to Stitch

15 minute days this week = 6/7

15 minute days/May = 21/31

15 minutes days/June = 5/6

15 minute days/2026 = 129/157 

Success Rate 2026 = 82%

I mathed out Scrappy Spools (2.51 yds) and this week's impromptu top (1.93 yds), so I have some movement.

  

2026 Stash Totals

Used last week: 4.44 yards for Scrappy Spool blocks & turquoise HST quilt top 

Used year to date: 36.01 yards

Acquired recently: 0 yards  

Acquired year to date: 35 yards

Stash movement for 2026: 8.92 more yards acquired than used

Linking up to:

Kate at Life in Pieces

Donna at quiltpaintcreate

Frederique at  quiltingpatch

Angela at soscrappy  

School's Out

The last week of school went very well considering it is tough to keep everyone focused when we are completely off our normal routine.  I have lots of tricks up my sleeve and everyone was happy.  No absences because they all know I will make the day worth it!  The ultimate compliment!!

Wednesday's Fun: Bottle Rocket Launch = Science + Teamwork

I was totally exhausted after 10 hour days, so no sewing took place on the school days.  I did make more progress getting the classroom cabinets emptied than I thought I would and the kids pitched in to get the decor taken down.  All in all I am in a better position for Monday than I anticipated.  Woohoo!

This morning I woke up and sewed!!!  I got the last of the Scrappy Spools made.  Since there is no hurry on those, I have plenty of time to get them pleasingly arranged before I add the spool ends.  

Scrappy Spools are Done.  Any odd balls?

There are a few that I think don't have the same "look" as the others.  I need another eye to either verify what I think or let me know that I am overthinking it. Please take a look and let me know if you think there are any they aren't quite right.  Usually I don't care, but this time I do - I think.

I know there are only 3 flag blocks.  That is correct according to the instructions.

Next up for the weekend is my Crayon for the RSC.  This one will be pink since I made orange by mistake in April.  Update: Finished bright & early Sunday morning so I am adding it here. 

2026 15 Minutes to Stitch

15 minute days this week = 3/7

15 minute days/May = 20/30

15 minute days/2026 = 123/150 

Success Rate 2026 = 82%

I could count out the Scrappy Spools now, but I haven't mathed that out yet.  A good project for later this week.  I love quilt math!

  

2026 Stash Totals

Used last week: 1.66 yard for Chicken Girl's pillowcase & tote bag

Used year to date: 31.57 yards

Acquired recently: 0 yards  

Acquired year to date: 35 yards

Stash movement for 2026: 13.36 more yards acquired than used

Linking up to:

Kate at Life in Pieces

Donna at quiltpaintcreate

Frederique at  quiltingpatch

Angela at soscrappy  

Maybe It's Time for a Break

My busy weeks were busier than I thought, but all is well.  The wedding was great and my dress worked just fine.  It paid off having sewing prepped because I was able to sew little bits all the way up to the wedding weekend/Little S coming back home from college.  

Hmm.  Something is wrong!

The following weekend Little S was headed to France for a "semester abroad" for intensive language studies and she is also planning plenty of art during the trip.  So anyways, there was a lots of prep for that and I was still working and I had to prepare a sub plan for taking another day and a half off.  It all worked out, but no sewing took place until she left.

Then I finally got back into the sewing room.  First, for a good rearrange to accommodate a shelf Little S brought back and a new to me shelf that has been waiting for months in the garage.  This is the time of year that teachers are cleaning out so I also scored a rolling 10 drawer cart in white which coordinates better and Teacher E will take my colorful one.  I have a few other ideas for the room, but they will have to wait for summer vacation.  For now I am happy to get the mess under control and get back to sewing.

Chicken Girl and her Chicken Apron!

I sewed with my student two days after school to finish the pillowcase (no photo) and make the apron we had been planning. She picked the fabric for this project.  She already has a good eye for colors.  She is determined and has been practicing at home on all kinds of random things.  I could see definite improvement in keeping a straight line and threading the machine herself with confidence.  I love it!

Fresh eggs in exchange for sewing lessons!!

My progress this week was more of the Scrappy Spools.  Only 6 more blocks and 2 of them are already mostly prepped.

Lots of progress here!

This is the last week of school and we only have 4 days, but they are full.  Plus, our hallway is getting new cabinets (Why?? The existing ones are fine and the district is in financial difficulties???) so I have to pack up ALL the cabinets before checking out for the summer.  This blog is not called "packrat" for nothing!  In my defense, it all gets used and I rarely have to ask the parents for anything.  I am already figuring at least 1-2 days after our one post-planning day next Monday.  All that to say, I'm not sure where my energy level will be, but hoping for 15 minutes each day and prepping accordingly.

2026 15 Minutes to Stitch

15 minute days this week = 6/7

15 minute days/May = 17/23

15 minute days/2026 = 120/143 

Success Rate 2025 = 84%

The pillowcase was my fabric, so I can count it out.  

2026 Stash Totals

Used last week: 1.66 yard for Chicken Girl's pillowcase & tote bag

Used year to date: 31.57 yards

Acquired recently: 0 yards  

Acquired year to date: 35 yards

Stash movement for 2026: 13.36 more yards acquired than used

Linking up to:

Kate at Life in Pieces

Donna at quiltpaintcreate

Frederique at  quiltingpatch

Angela at soscrappy 

Cleaned Up and Ready to Sew

Another busy week, but I feel like I had more direction in my sewing than recently, so I am pleased.  I got my regular machine back from the shop the week before last, but didn't get it set up until today.  I had gotten used to the back up machine, but I was glad to pack it up.  The table top has also been cleared more. 

3 spool blocks ready to sew, triangles waiting for a home

I finished the orange crayon for the RSC and will make a pink one in May to account for my color error.  I am really liking the crayons and am so glad I decided to do this as my first foray into the RSC world.

Love it!

I finished the last Scrappy Spool blocks that were prepped and got more ready to go.  I thought this was going to be a project that I just kept working on over the years, but I think there is a good chance that it will be a finished top by the end of the year.  

One more added since this photo.

One of my students received a sewing machine for Christmas.  Her mother asked if I would be willing to teach her how to use it.  Yes!!!  We have been working through the projects that I used when I taught sewing at the library years ago.  She is so motivated she goes home and keeps making things.  I cannot charge for something I enjoy so much, so they bring me fresh eggs from their chickens or fresh bread made with hand ground wheat.  That is a win for me for sure!!!   

Making a tote bag.

Not sure what this week will bring.  State testing at school and my niece's wedding next weekend.  I am taking 1.5 days off immediately after testing to do wedding things.  We'll have house guests and family in town, so that is the priority.  But I have left myself ready to sew when I get back to it!!

2026 15 Minutes to Stitch

15 minute days last two weeks = 5/7

15 minute days/April = 25/30

15 minute days/May = 2/2

15 minute days/2026 = 105/122 

Success Rate 2025 = 86%

Dribs and drabs got used, but nothing major.   

2026 Stash Totals

Used last week: 0.0

Used year to date: 29.96 yards

Acquired recently: 0 yards  

Acquired year to date: 35 yards

Stash movement for 2026: 14.97 more yards acquired than used

Linking up to:

Kate at Life in Pieces

Donna at quiltpaintcreate

Frederique at  quiltingpatch

Angela at soscrappy 

Orange is the New Pink

A busy few weeks led to less sewing, but random progress was made.  To get to one of my trainings I had to go right past a LQS that services Berninas.  That made the decision easier, and I dropped off my machine on the way back.  I also finished dealing with the fabric from my MIL.  Most is put away, but the strips still need to be trimmed down to a standard width, which is a good job when I need something mindless.

More orange scraps than I thought.

Since I had some clear space, I started to work on this month's RSC.  I wasn't sure if I had enough orange scraps to make a crayon with no repeats, but I was successful.  The tip needs to be cut to size and added on, but progress is good.  However, in the middle of sewing I had a thought that orange was not this month's color.  I double checked and sure enough - it should have been pink!  Oh well, when the month is orange I will make a pink crayon.  

Orange crayon almost finished!

2026 15 Minutes to Stitch

15 minute days last two weeks = 11/14

15 minute days/April = 22/25

15 minute days/2026 = 100/115 

Success Rate 2025 = 86%

No stash movement.   

2026 Stash Totals

Used last week: 0.0

Used year to date: 29.96 yards

Acquired recently: 0 yards  

Acquired year to date: 35 yards

Stash movement for 2026: 14.97 more yards acquired than used

Linking up to:

Kate at Life in Pieces 

Donna at quiltpaintcreate 

Frederique at  quiltingpatch

Angela at soscrappy 

Scrappy Spools are Stacking Up!

More of the same this week.  I have worked my way through almost all of the Scrappy Spools that I had prepped, so I need to get more of those ready to go.  I haven't taken a photo in a while, but here you can see the progress.  I started the year with just one of each style block.  I am having fun picking through my smallest scraps to find just enough to make each block work while sticking to a deliberate overall look.  

When I am not sewing I have been unsewing.  Some of the fabric I brought back from my MIL was orphan blocks or trimmed ends and things like that.  She doesn't have access to cotton like we do here, so not everything can be repurposed for what I sew.  So when I don't have papers to grade, I am unsewing while I watch TV in the evenings.  

While unsewing the cat fabric, I was reminded me of the orange & blue blocks that I don't have a plan for.  Maybe they could work with the cats??  I think the idea is right - pieces blocks with a solid block, but the theme is wrong and the cat scraps are too narrow.  But it does give me some more ideas.

I also got most of what I brought back from her in February put away - finally!  Just a few stacks left that are strips that I want to cut down and put in my drawers of pre-cut strips and squares.

2026 15 Minutes to Stitch

15 minute days this week = 7/7

15 minute days/April = 11/11

15 minute days/2026 = 89/101 

Success Rate 2025 = 88%

No stash movement.   

2026 Stash Totals

Used last week: 0.0

Used year to date: 29.96 yards

Acquired recently: 0 yards  

Acquired year to date: 35 yards

Stash movement for 2026: 14.97 more yards acquired than used

Linking up to:

Kate at Life in Pieces

Donna at quiltpaintcreate

Frederique at  quiltingpatch

Angela at soscrappy 

Shouldn't Have Been That Hard

I finally finished the bean bags for the corn hole set that will be a wedding gift for my niece.  The board was already painted grey and I planned to have navy bean bags to go with their backyard, but it turned out I didn't have any fabric that would work with navy and grey for the second set of bean bags.  I kept trying different fabrics, but nothing worked.  So I finally gave up on navy and just went with gray and black and that worked.  That's a big check off the list.  Hmm.  As I am writing I realized I just wrapped the box and didn't get a photo. Maybe tomorrow when we gift the set.

Fabric on the Table ....

It was a long weekend, so I worked on cleaning up the sewing room a bit.  I found more fabric that I brought back from Guatemala.  I worked on organizing it right away.  It was a lot of random pieces, so I'm making a guess on yardage.

Fabric on the Floor!

2026 15 Minutes to Stitch

15 minute days this week = 7/7

15 minute days/Mar = 25/31

15 minute days/April = 4/4

15 minute days/2026 = 81/94 

Success Rate 2025 = 86%

Some stash out for the bean bags for the wedding gift corn hole set.  

2026 Stash Totals

Used last week: 0.94 for 8 bean bags with lining 

Used year to date: 29.96 yards

Acquired recently: 5 yards more from Guatemala 

Acquired year to date: 35 yards

Stash movement for 2026: 14.97 more yards acquired than used

Linking up to:

Kate at Life in Pieces

Donna at quiltpaintcreate

Frederique at  quiltingpatch

Angela at soscrappy 

Unexpected Project

Well, this sewing project was certainly not on my radar.  My sister was recently diagnosed with breast cancer and has started chemo. She was asking my advice about hats, head coverings, etc.  She teaches at a local university and her daughter is getting married in early May. So her impending hair loss and appearance is on her mind.

She ordered some hats and we found this cute DIY reversible chemo cap.  Of course, I had to try to make one.  This is the first attempt - mostly following the video pattern.  It was way too small.  It said adult, but this was definitely more for a child.  I tried again adding 1 inch to all sides of the pattern pieces and that turned out much better.  She kept it and I didn't get a photo.  

This is an easy pattern for intermediate sewers.  I think it would be okay for beginners, except that the video instructions don't really work and the cutting of the ties is not efficient. Also, the post and the pattern and the pattern instructions do not seem to go together.  If anyone is really interested I can tell you how I made it work more easily.  The second one took about 1.5 hours, and I think a third would be even quicker, especially if working with yardage and not scraps.

Going back to school after Spring Break was rough.  It was also an odd week and most days I did not a really break all day, so I was just plain exhausted coming home each day.  One day I was asleep by 6:30.  The others, I set the timer for 15 minutes and worked on the Spool blocks.  Good progress, but no photos.

2026 15 Minutes to Stitch

15 minute days this week = 6/7

15 minute days/Mar = 22/28

15 minute days/2026 = 74/87 

Success Rate 2025 = 85%

Some stash out for the chemo caps.  

2026 Stash Totals

Used last week: 1.3 yards for 2 chemo caps

Used year to date: 19.09 yards

Acquired recently: 0 yards   

Acquired year to date: 30 yards

Stash movement for 2026: 10.91 more yards acquired than used

Linking up to:

Kate at Life in Pieces 

Donna at quiltpaintcreate  

Frederique at  quiltingpatch

Angela at soscrappy 

Spring Break Sewing Frenzy

It sure felt good to sew, sew, sew over Spring Break sewing.  I worked on a lot of things, but stayed focused on the priorities.

I finally altered the dress for my niece's wedding in early May.  I found the dress for $5 when thrifting last fall.  Everything about it was right, except it was too big.  I thought I could work with that.  The solution turned out to not be what I originally thought, but by basting and trying and unsewing and trying again I finally got it.  Having Little S home to give opinions on each step was helpful. I am not a shopper and I don't wear dresses, so even though this was not easy it was worth the trouble to me.  My goal was to finish this week come and I did!

Baby Sapphire Jubilee

I also made myself finish the baby sapphire jubilee quilt.  It only needed binding, so I just used the same fabric as the backing and called it done.  Binding actually comes right after piecing for my favorite parts of quilting!

The backing is perfect.

Next up was the patchwork hearts for the exchange for the Savannah Quilt Guild meeting Little S and I will attend.  She needs to finalize the interview part of her research project and it felt right to participate in the monthly block exchange.  A nice change of pace for me.  The pink heart will have a disclaimer that it needs finishing.

Heart Blocks for Exchange

Unfortunately while doing the top stitching around the edge of the pink heart, my machine gave a "thunk" and stopped stitching properly.  The needle will not move side to side.  I'm glad the more important things were already done this week.  I will have to figure out what to do about the machine.  Turning it on and off again - repeatedly - did not work. 

"FQs" ready for gifting

We thought it would be nice to do something for her interviewees, so I picked a variety of fabrics and made some FQ type bundles to give them.  

RSC Crayons all caught up!

I also got caught up on the RSC.  My red crayon is finished!  

I did a lot of prepping of Scrappy Spool blocks to use as leaders & enders.  It was a good thing too!  I used up way more than I imagined and will have to prep more.  Being very intentional about using the spool blocks as leaders & enders has really advanced this project.

2026 15 Minutes to Stitch

15 minute days this week = 7/7

15 minute days/Mar = 16/21

15 minute days/2026 = 68/80 

Success Rate 2025 = 85%

Worked on overdue numbers over Spring Break.  All is well.  It was important that I help my MIL eliminate some of her stash while we were visiting.  I do like having "her" fabrics to work into special projects.

2026 Stash Totals

Used last week: 4.70 yds for Baby Jubilee + 0.43 yds for Heart Exchange Blocks + 2.5 yds for 10 FQs

Used year to date: 17.79 yards

Acquired recently: 30 yards brought back from MIL in Guatemala  

Acquired year to date: 30 yards

Stash movement for 2026: 12.21 more yards acquired than used

Linking up to:

Kate at Life in Pieces

Donna at  quiltpaintcreate 

Frederique at  quiltingpatch

Angela at soscrappy