Late, I'm late for a very important date. Yep, I did not get my blog written last night. Yesterday was the busiest day I've had in a very long time. First up I gathered two friends from our quilt guild and off we went to the Gathering of the Guilds. (GoG) Unfortunately it was an hour away. We had a great time and some of us won some of the prizes/lotto blocks. (Me - it was me who won 12 poppy lotto blocks... story and pictures below.) After getting home hubby and I went to a going away party for some friends. We're very sad to see them leave but they are in their 90s and are going to live near one of their children -- in Nevada! Boo hiss. But we wished them well and will miss them. I was exhausted by the time we got home. So, here I am Monday morning ready to write this week's blog. Let's get on to it -- goals first.
8/3/26
✅Sew down binding on table runner — finished.
✔️Draw out plan for Idiom Challenge, stitch rain and puddles on background — frog planned. Didn’t get much done on rain or puddles as I'm still making decisions.
✅Stitch ears of bunny on Snowman 2 — done.
✔️Pick fabric for Marigold mystery — I have some ideas but not final color plans yet.
✅Start making 6” blocks for Aug UFO Challenge — one block done several more needed.
Here's the finished table runner. It was a quilt-as-you-go project that a friend started. She got fed up with it and gave it to me to finish or .... 11 years later I got it out to finish it. There was a little grumbling and irritation while working on it. I understand why she got it out of her life. I like it but haven't decided if I will keep it or donate it to the Virginia Quilt Museum for their store. What do you think? Is it worthy or not? I don't really need it. And, it is pretty . . .
Next up is the finished Eiffel Tower quilt. Much of the fabric for this project was free to me. Whoopee! The pattern is from one of Ursula Reikes baby books, except I added a row, if I remember correctly. I got the binding done since last you saw it here. This will be going to my local guild's community outreach program.
And here is my beginning plans on Frog Choker -- my idiom challenge project. Well bummer. I have no idea why there are all those weird lines on this pic. Last week I found a site showing how to draw a frog. I decided I would draw at least one frog a day and would then use one of them as my frog pattern. So far, this is the winner. I may change the eyes to make them a little more cartoonish. But I'm happy with it for the most part. You can just see the blue-grey grunge background fabric on the upper left. Luckily progress is being made and it isn't due until mid-September's guild meeting. I'll need all that time to decide and finish this one.
I don't think I explained our idiom challenge. The guild is sponsoring it and anyone can pick an idiom and make a quilt that represents that to them. I chose "Frog Choker." It is an old Southern saying referencing a heavy rain which is enough to choke a frog. Pat was driving us home one day when the skies opened up with a heavy downpour. He called it a frog choker. Voilá -- a perfect idiom. Our idiom quilts can be any size and will be exhibited at the Original Sewing and Quilt Expo in Fredericksburg, September 24 - 26. I have time to really plan this out and do my very best on it. And, for once, I'm not being literal about a challenge. Do you think it would work if I put a choker necklace on my frog too?
So here's this week's goals. I think there are too many items but at least it will remind me what I could be working on!
8/10/26
Make progress on Idiom challenge
Find border fabric and put on Hen & Her Chicks top
Empty two project boxes
Finish string quilt top
Quilt 2 quilts one for me, one for quilt guild
Continue making 6” blocks for Aug UFO Challenge
I'm still succeeding at my 15 Minutes to Stitch.
Week ending 8/2/26: 221 days of 2026.
220 stitching days out of 214 days 99.5%
I thought I would share the poppy blocks I made for the GoG. They are pretty and were really easy. The pattern instructions were sent out multiple times. I couldn't open the one that was in the newsletter but someone had sent a note about them with a link which I accessed.
EXCEPT, no, this wasn't the block that most people used. Okay then. I won 12 blocks so it may be very interesting mixing these different blocks. I think I got 2 of them 👆but most were like this one 👇.
GoG -- that would be a fun event! The frog is cute. Did you win your poppy blocks back? I think I'd use those two in a small project (runner, placemat) and the others in a project of theyir own.
ReplyDeleteDoes sound like an exhausting, but fun weekend. It is hard to watch our older friends move to be closer to family, but still be glad that they have family willing to help them. One of late night sew regulars is moving this fall, her spouse has dementia and she'll need help from the family going forward. Your Eiffel Tower quilt is really cute. Good luck with this week's goals.
ReplyDeleteI haven't heard that saying before, but now all I can picture is frogs out in the rain! It will be fun to see how your frog progresses. I think your blocks look more like poppies, but the other block is pretty, too!
ReplyDeleteI hope it won't be too hot for your friends moving - long way to go
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