Dabbling at Many Things

Summer quiltmaking means a season of touch and go projects. There's at-home sewing time at a sewing machine, and on-the-go handwork. 

At home, I'm going through scraps - pieces too small for a Scrap Snap Quilt - to sew pairs and quads. 

They will eventually become another Scrap Vortex Quilt, a free design by Amanda Jean Nyberg that's still available on her CrazyMomQuilts blog. This is how far I've gotten... and have a long way to go.

In 2015 I made a 88" X 92" Scrap Vortex quilt that's now on our guest room bed. Making another Scrap Vortex is a good way to empty scrap bins again. 

When on the go, I'm hand-appliquéing. For the first time, I'm using 80-weight Aurifil thread, and it's wonderful! 

It's so fine, yet strong, and color 5021 is proving its "hide-ability" with each of the solid colors I'm appliquéing. These are blocks for the Central Florida MQG Chip and Charm Challenge. 

So far, I've appliquéd 63 five-inch squares.

When I bought the spool of 80-weight Aurifil from The Craft Table, a shop owned by my friend René, I also bought a variety pack of Applipops. They're steel rings that can be nested together and pressed to make turned-under edged circles for appliqué. 

I've used a couple sizes of Applipops to make little circles for this project that's on my design wall. I don't know yet where it's going, but I'm having fun using the 100 fat quarters of Superior Solids I won from Benartex in March!

The project is for the South Florida MQG Curve Around Challenge due in November. I'm the chapter's challenge chair.

I've also been using my serger and my new favorite Morrison Top and Dress pattern by Blue Dot Patterns to make several tops. I like the style because of the cap sleeves and front pleats that help hide my "fluff." This orange print is a Kaufman knit from Fabric.com. Bring on summer!

Lastly, after looking closely at the quilt from Grandma's house that my cousin kept (see it in this post), I replicated the block after finding it in the third edition of Encyclopedia of Pieced Quilt Blocks. It's a version of the "Radio Windmill" block and is called "Arabic Lattice." Grandma's old quilt is pieced with half of the blocks like this, and half of the blocks in a mirror image. 

Did you notice how I wrote the block name in the picture? I found an old Scrabble game at our grandparent's farmhouse and snagged the alphabet tiles for photo play.  

Book Recommendation

Be Frank With Me is Julia Claiborne Johnson's first novel. It was a delightful listen centered on a young boy - Frank - who's "unusual," to say the least. He's extremely intelligent, can spew facts like an encyclopedia, and his interactive skills are nearly non-existent. (Think Dr. Shaun Murphy in the TV series "The Good Doctor.)

When Frank's mom, a one-hit wonder novelist who desperately needs money, must knuckle down to write another book, her publisher sends his assistant, Alice, to Bel Air, California, to attend to Frank, chauffeur, cook and clean. What Alice's quickly learns is that she must learn to deal with difficult people, and that secrets are being kept that she wants to know.

Linda's score: 4.4/5.0

I hope your summer is starting with lots of good things, especially being able to spend long-awaited time with loved ones. Linda