Congratulations he is a cutie.  Sorry you are not closer to have weekly snuggle time.

Jo

Gorgeous, hoping the girls will be able to feel the love that was stitched into the quilts.

Jo

She's very practical and has a good grip on reality.

Cris in MT

Cris, you might be interested to know about how my fingers are wading through scraps, preparing to tackle my new life as a creator of small quilts. I'll use photos instead of lots of paragraphs.

First project will be a busy one requiring lots and lots of scraps: I'm cutting up what I hope will be too many.  Project will be re-named "Taking Off".  (Has a different name in the book. Something about a cherub but I certainly am not a cherub.)

 Isn't it cute? Basically a square measuring 30" on each side and I am having lots of fun fishing out the bold and bright colors from my collection of odds and ends. Since my left shoulder is still a pain in the you-know-what I am using my cutting machine for 95% of the scrap trimming after I bought a new die. I noted that there are minimal pastels in this quilt in the photo and I am following the example shown.

Author's instructions on how to make the "improv" pieces are quite strict in that you do not want to accidentally create Log Cabin blocks or Rail Fence blocks so you have to constantly be alert to avoid falling into that trap. Never accidentally match things.

So make sure the fabrics have varying sizes and sort them by "Bits"  (palm-sized), "Pieces" (sort of dollar bill sized or a bit larger) and "Strings".

I have emptied out my batiks from the collection I had for color wheels (no going back on that) and am gradually digging out other bags and boxes of scraps from other projects. I found I was criminally short of blues and greens and so I went to JoAnn's and picked up a some FQs and was pleasantly surprised at the nice quality.

You sew girl!

it's fun watching you develop a new project!

Looks like you are having lots of fun exploring this new technique. It will be nice to see what you create.

That is going to be one humdinger of a wall hanging when you are finished!  So bright and cheery  At first glance, I saw kitty heads going up each side of the "hill".  Do you need any scraps?  Mine keep reproducing and I have plenty to share.

If you think your Illinois scraps will play nicely with my Ohio scraps then feel free to send a few along and I will give them a home. Who knows? Perhaps they will breed here.

Oh, Judy!  It looks like you're having so much FUN!  I'd love to study the pictures more closely, but I had the first cataract surgery yesterday.  I'm amazed at how well I can already see out of that eye but am not pushing it too far either.

Keep in mind that I can be your go-to person for blue scraps.  I have three drawers stuffed to overflowing with blue fabrics.  I could thin the herd without even knowing it.

I'm developing this theory lately that I could give away half of my stuff and still have way too much.  And that would hold true for every room in the house.

Anyway, I'm excited for you to be able to enjoy quilting still by making small quilts.  I love your set-up, too!  It looks so tidy at the moment; it can't possibly stay that way!

Hugs!

Cris in MT

Congratulations on your first cataract surgery, Cris. We are so fortunate to live in a time when cataracts do not doom us to a future of misery but are now a problem that can be corrected.  This is a great time of year to have your eyes fixed .... so many pretty things to see as the flowers start showing off.

I have a theory (my own theory, not scientifically proven) that some people are born with a genetic tendency to unclutter, to "shed stuff". This is the sense that too much of "stuff" just gives them ants in the pants (or whatever you want to call it) and so this kind of person just does not accumulate things like your "three drawers stuffed to overflowing with blue fabrics". Perhaps Lynne has "two bags of 1930's feedsacks" for all I know.  Or Suze might have a box full of stripey fabrics of all widths, colors and shades of gaudiness from pastel to circus themed ....

Anyhow, it turned out that I didn't really have that many scraps any more. (One book carton-sized box of strings , one tote bag full of pink and purple scraps leftover from who knows what from years ago plus the leftovers from making color wheels.)  I welcome Lynne's offer of scraps because I recall seeing photos of her basement treasure trove some years ago, a well-organized place where she creates all of those charity quilts. I suspect that sometimes she is ankle deep in scraps so rather than have her trip over the odds and ends she can clean up the floor and send them to me.  LOL