Here Be July, What???

So I will begin with quilt #4 for GD #2 of the 7 for 7 Grandchildren adventure.

This one is complete!!!!!!!!!   

The next one has a back made, not sure if big enough though, and the other 2 have fabrics picked out for their backs, but not assembled.

Girl Scouts sure have changed since my days.  GD #3 got to design her own  sneakers!  She was the top seller of cookies in her troop? 

When I heard about the Tiny Prick Project, I knew I needed to join in! 

I picked this quote because of my asthma.

click to enlarge, should work for all the pix

People like to show their favorite craft storage ideas. This is mine. 

A dishwasher utensil caddy.  I hoard these things. I put cardboard in the bottom so the pens don't fall out.

So my adventure into journal making has me coffee dying paper, above, and RIT dying, below.

Because I am not sure if the RIT is colorfast on the paper, I am hesitant to use them in any I give to the grandchildren.  BUT look at that yellow!!!!!   I was getting no where with the yellow watercolor paint, so when this idea jumped on board, yeehaw!

The coffee versions above....Roxy Creations  mentioned it in one of her recent You Tube videos....so I went, via her link to  Medieval Mirage and her YT video of how to coffee dye paper in a limited space. 

I couldn't get the water boiling fast enough to try this.  

Jarf's instructions===Use instant coffee in a spray bottle, spray each paper as you add it to your tub. 

Vicky's version==== I have some instant, but I also have used grounds.  

~~~I put the hot water in a bowl with the grounds, stirred the mess around, then poured the coffee through a strainer, all 10 days or so worth that I had on hand.  It was very very dark...more like dirt.

~~~Then I just poured the coffee onto 200 sheets of binder paper, that I sort of spread out in the Costco sheet-cake-plastic-lid that I have been using for dying paper. I didn't bother rinsing out the past color experiment residues, either.

The paper sucked up the first cup of muddy coffee very quickly.

I added more mud....then I had to add just water!

The blue lines of the binder paper started to bleed almost immediately.

The BEST part is....the paper separates as it dries. Even stacks of 50 sheets!

I only tore one piece of paper...ONE!  As the stacks dried, out in the sun, I was able to split them up into smaller stacks. It took almost 24 hours to get them all dry, or mostly at least, so there won't be any mold issues.

Are the papers attractive? Not really.  But they are grungy, they crackle, they are still usable. AND I can always try again with the same paper, and maybe even spray it on as directed!

Though I haven't been posting much, I have been having fun!!

Wild Life

#7, The Boy, is getting his legs under himself!

From my chair.....

zooooomm in.....

look at that poor Crow being poured on!

This is usually about all I see, the Hummerzzz

This is Jane Doe, she survived the winter, but you can still see her ribs.

I actually didn't see them as well until I cropped the picture so you could see the heart on her side...

click to enlarge

This ABC quilt [made from a fabric panel] needed 4 names added, since the family has grown since I made this, 2013. [i think]

I left the pen marks to show the girls that even with all that Grandma knows, she makes mistakes too. Ashley has it back up on the wall at home and is waiting to see if the girls notice the mistakes....haha

It wasn't until I was cropping this picture, that I noticed that even though I wrote "Malory" backwards, I had stitched the letters forwards....except for the Y. 

I stitched it bassakwards.

And this is the second of the 7for7 Grandchildren quilts, sent home and snuggled under already!

Here is the first one. Can't find my copy of the quilt-covered-kid, so you get the 'covered in laundry' version.

Stitchy Stuff

Back of second quilt to be finished of the 7for7 Grandchildren Quilts.

All animal fabrics, since this one is for our animal whisperer. Most of these prints are from my quilty friends, those generous women who sent me lots of fabrics for these, and other quilts.

As you can see, I used the fabrics as whole as possible.

The snap tape I am using for the opening for these quilts, since they will be used as duvet covers....or not. Up to the child. They may be used for tents...should I tell them they can possibly crawl inside the quilt???

A patch. I came across this one in the black hole  foot stool. 

There is a 'plain' version posted on IG.

I have signed up for Jude Hills "last class". Patchwork in Perspective.

AND during the March Mending Mayhem on IG, some wanted to swap "patches" to be used as...patches on...well....anything. 

This is the debut patch, made by a fellow Scot, a thistle fancier, and an 

Overall's wearer, on the cover of my "Patchbook." 

Patchbook cover

Not sure if those pix will stay, I just copy/pasted pix of Overalls. 

click to enlarge

This is what I mailed off the my swap-pal. I laughed when I realized we BOTH used flamingos on our patches. I also gave her a xmas card I didn't send in 2018, because it's a little more 'arty' than many on my holiday list. AND I crocheted her a "thistle", that I made up as I went along. 

Anyway....the timing of the swap/mending event and Jude's class made me think about other bits I have made...and how much I enjoy making wallies, and after all, patches are just small wallies...right?  

So I am going to make weekly patches, and keep track of them in this 

re-purposed storybook. [not a favorite of mine, of course, just a blah one]

Patchbook inside flaps

This is the inside front cover, collage bits added, including the cover to a Spring Catalog from a wonderful seed company.  The bitty card came with the patch that is gracing the front of the book, for now. I pinned it to the cover. 

It may stay, it may change.

The next few pages are these, to give you an idea of how I will make this a "planner" style re-purposed book.  Blank stickers to cover stepsisters frowny faces, for writing on. The paint blobs are from another online class.  [I didn't get much further than that, I just don't handle a paintbrush like I do a needle.] 

First 7of 7 Quilts DONE

Side one

Oh my, I can't believe I finally finished one of these!!!

This is Rhiley's, #3 granddaughter, of the 7 of 7 Quilts For Grandchildren.

Side two

 I pieced all the backs from all the scraps too.  I didn't cut up the scraps, just used them as they came from my generous Quilt Friends. Rhiley wanted a blue quilt back, so I started with the Bird Panel and went around and around.  

I haven't added a label, so it isn't 'officially' done. I will just sign it somewhere with a perm marker.

Since these quilts are made to be duvet covers, I needed to add a place to open them.  After a LOT of thinking I went with snap tape. So it wasn't stiff [zipper] or have strings [ties] or bulky buttons [button holes].  I also stitched it into the side seam. Most covers I have seen, are open at a short end, which leaves the opposite end the part that goes under your chinny-chin-chin.  

And that is where the quilts wear out. 

Since these quilts won't have a 'wrong' side, here is a shot of the inside seams.

Because we like to see that part too.

Now the other 6 of the 7 should be a tad bit easier, since I have worked out the assembly parts.....

Whales Of Puget Sound, Southern Residents

My daughter heard the whales, Southern Resident Killer Whales, where on the west side of Vashon Island. We are on the west side of it too!

So off she went to take pix, she hoped! I will get better pix from her soon, but for now, the phone camera taking pix on camera camera.

Since her past years sidekicks are in school now, her niece, Granddaughter # 6, Griffyn, gets to be introduced to this activity. Looks like she is doing her part at the beach. Being a kid.

I have to admit that these clothes lines in what is now my sewing room, are fantastic!! I have 3 lines and 2 pipes running across the room. 

the green part under the wallies is blocked out mess

I can hang the WIP's, like the wallies, above.

And I can hang quilts [or backs, in this case] from them to take pix of.

forgot to rotate

I have all 7 [for 7 Grandchildren] of the quilts measured, and draped over the pipe lines, along with 5 of the 7 backs I have constructed so far. A couple of them, at least, need more fabric stitched to one end or a side to get them up to the correct measurement. 

That is the second pipe with quilts and backs.

These 2 backs, above and below, need more on the sides.  They were made from some fat quarter sets I have had for some time. So at least this part of them is matchy matchy.

This is back #6 in assembly mode, below.  

All blues. I was sent another box of fabrics, which included a lot of blue strips!  Perfect!

Thank You Karen, Deb and Diana for the fabrics!!

Quilt Tops, 7 for 7 Grandchildren

This is number 7 of 7....yipee!!!!  

Same quilt, slightly cropped view.  There is a window behind the top. Despite the rainy day, the light still shows through.  

I really like being in this room for sewing!

Now I need to complete all the backs. I have 4 started...I think. 

Max [#7] will still get one of these, because I want them all to have these. I have made other quilts for  some of the girls over the years, here and there, but not all of them. Until now.

However....Max will also get a different quilt as per his daddy's wishes.

With trucks, trains, and automobiles.

I have been working on the pattern, to be paper pieced. That link takes you to the block Marcia designed for me, and I test-stitched, for her! 

{just looked at the date on that one, May 4, 2004!!}

Paper piecing is slightly different  from English PPing, 

that is so popular right now [2018]

The EPPing link will take you to Pinterest and a whole mess of both methods.

I love designing my own patterns/blocks, when I do use a pattern. Which I am not for these 7 for 7 quilts.  Though they do resemble "I Spy" quilts, because of all the different prints.

Oh, Max's pattern...? You will have to wait and see.

I Voted!

Since the mail in ballot we get doesn't have the nifty sticker, but does have this strip you remove before mailing, I added my own sticky application. 

A safety pin.

Yesterday was my husbands 55  birthday. His employer gave him this card.

This is something that my husband always does, so this means a lot!

#7 of 7 quilt tops is in the final stages of assembly, and several backs are being fiddled with also. I have been working on the wallies I posted last time, since I want to have them ready if there are fundraiser needs. 

An interesting thing also happened yesterday. My SIL wishes I were making a "real quilt" for Max. One involving a block design, I think is what he wishes. Like Flying Geese, or Nine Patch, that sort of pattern.

Hummmm.

Six, Wallies and Whales

Quilt top #6 is assembled!  It happens to be the top for this guy, who is now a whopping one month.  

Recently, like this last week, Dan suggested I move the sewing room into the dryer room. This used to be the 'playroom'.  We didn't heat this room, so we really didn't use it to hang laundry, nothing would dry. 

[except for July and August]

It's nice being in this bigger room.

the 7 for 7 grandchildren quilt tops are stacked on the left, under the table

the stack of blocks for #7 are on the left side of the machine

Look at all that wall space~!  I didn't put things on the walls in the other room, because Stephanie had painted them, so I just enjoyed her art. 

Guess I will need another foam board, like the one behind the iron board in the next pic.

Dan doesn't want to deal with millions of holes from pins, someday.

the stuff to the right is the laundry...oh and the basket.

I have a new view, of the garden.  

I will miss the other view of the birds in the hedgerow. 

But, there will be birds out there also, and the deer, Jane Doe, was out there as I stitched up the stack of #7's blocks.  

{It was the first stage, 

block 1 to block 2 X a bunch.}

Wallie 1 is cats. In the middle stage of completion 

I am also working on more Wallies, in case the grandgirls need fundraiser items.

We have 3 in Scouts [at the moment] and 1 earning for 5th grade Camp, not to mention any possible PTA doings. So far, 1 troop is brand new, so they are selling chocolates and nuts to earn.  And the 5th graders are selling donuts!

Grandma, she gives cash. OR....maybe these will sell. When they are done. I am hoping to involve the girls in the sales, learn to earn it yourself!

Wallie 2 is the yellow backed one, all kinds of things wondering "which way did they go?" Only basted down.

Wallie 3 is the top, smaller, bright bright one. Only basted too.

I was going through albums, looking for Steph's baby one, and found these pix.

My mom had put them together.  Click to enlarge. These were from the 1987 to 1989 album.  I posted the pix on FB, hoping the Orca Network will be able to ID these. My niece chimed in and said, "I remember going on that trip!"

These are phone pictures of the photos, since we can't take them out of the sticky pages without damaging them. 

I think these are from one of the Southern Resident Orca pods. The salmon eaters. The Transient Orcas usually have pointier dorsal fins. The T's, as they are known here in Puget Sound, are the big game hunters. They eat seals, dolphins, sea lions.  

So now you know, not all Orca's, or Killer Whales, are the same.