The clue for row 6 for the 2024 SAHRR is numbers and letters. Fifty-four forty and fight came into my mind immediately. Then I thought of a nine patch or a four patch. Letters didn’t even enter my mind. All the rows after the center were based on a three-inch square. Where this was the last row, I could make a six-inch square and it would fit. Fifty-four forty or fight won, and it is a nice corner block.
There was one ten inch by twelve inch piece of fabric that had to go into the border. That left some three inch by six inch spaces to fill. There was just enough hand dyed fabric left to fill this space.
The quilt top is finished. It is a mass of orange and purple. Really not the colors that I usually work with. The quilting will bring it all together.
This is what is left from the sample and the hand dyed.
I decided to make a Mile A Minute quilt with the scraps, instead of storing them in a box, never to be seen again.
The small scraps are in the box. Strips are on the left, and partially finished squares are on the right. When sewing a Mile A Minute, you take a strip and small scrap without looking and sew them together.
Two finished Mile A Minute blocks. I will keep making them until all the fabric is used up. It will make another baby quilt. The size really doesn’t matter. That’s the way of a Mile A Minute quilt. Nothing matters except a straight seam and pressing. It is a great way to use all the leftover partially filled bobbins.
Row 4 on the SAHRR was a square in a square. You would think that it would be an easy one to finish. Somehow, it took all week to just get it done. The problem was the cat fabric. I wanted to include it in this row. The cats were too large to fit into a square in a square. After a lot of thinking, I decided to just put a row of cats in the top and bottom borders of this round. By the time it was finished, the clue for row 5 was posted. There are more cats left to go into other rounds.
Row 5 is the number 4. We could do 4 of anything. This was easy. Four patches in the corners. All four sides of the quilt were the same. There are four colors, purple, orange, white and black. It went together quickly.
There was even a spot for the orange polka dot fabric. The most difficult part of making this quilt is using the small amounts of fabric from the sample package that I won. Also using colors that I don’t usually use. There is one ten by twelve piece left that has not been used. It will have to go in the next row, along with the small left-over pieces.
Years ago, I inherited a partially made hexagon quilt from my mother.
She had some hexagons prepared. I added some of my fabric and finished it. It is a two-generation quilt.
One of my daughters watched me working on the quilt. She started making hexagon quilts when she went home. When my quilt was finished, I gave her the leftover hexagons and she made a three-generation quilt. The hexagon quilt is the only type of quilt that she makes.
While visiting another daughter last summer, she mentioned that her sister was going to teach her how to make a hexagon quilt. I offered to teach her and the next thing we knew, we were at Joann’s buying fabric. She has made a wall hanging for her son and is working on a bed quilt.
A week ago, both daughters came for a visit. We had a hexagon party. We chatted and sewed on our quilts. The top quilt is made from the daughter who has been quilting longer. It is finished. The bottom quilt is the first quilt of the other daughter. It will have another row.
Quilting is fun. The reason why they are laughing is because of this piece of fabric.
The background fabric is a mixture of white-on-white fabric. This white on white is dog paws. The other white on white fabrics are scattered throughout the quilt. The dog print white on white starts at one corner and meanders across the quilt, around the flowers. It’s as if a dog walked across the quilt.
more hexagons
Now that the blue quilt is finished, a new quilt has been started.
Three of my daughters and a daughter in law are quilters. It is a joy to share my passion with them.
The row 2 prompt for the SAHRR is triangles. I thought of lots of patterns including a fox head made of triangles, Then, I was reminded of my favorite block, the cat’s cradle. It is a block that has triangles but is made of two squares, two small rectangles and one larger rectangle. It looks difficult but is very easy to make with the Creative Grid Cat’s Cradle ruler. The ruler lets you make this block in six different sizes. 
The last time that I used the ruler, I made enough blocks for a quilt with enough left over for another quilt which is not made yet.
All the cutting instructions for each size are on the ruler. 
I had three small pieces in the sample fabric. I was able to get twelve small squares from these pieces. Hand dyed fabric would be used with the rest. I also had a light piece of fabric that had been stamped in a class at the Vermont Quilt Festival. That would be cut into rectangles. More hand dyed would finish the larger rectangles. I needed twenty-eight cat’s cradle blocks with four corner blocks. The squares and rectangles were cut very fast. 
With a little bit of sewing and trimming, the blocks were finished.
The blocks are three inches square.  
There were several ways to turn the blocks. The triangles looked best this way.
I’m beginning to like orange and purple.
In the evenings, I sew hexagons. All the pieces are in the basket. The pieces are all cut and in baggies according to which section they belong. I can work on different sections and then put them together.
At first glance, the prompt for round two was easy. Just use two colors. I could use any blocks that I wanted. As my quilt was using purple and orange, those would be the two colors that I would use. 
My first plan was to make purple and orange triangles all around the block. I’m using the fabric sample package and small yardage hand dyed fabric. That plan couldn’t be used as there wasn’t enough yardage. I did make some triangles for the corners. 
There was enough fish fabric to use in the round. This quilt will be the most unusual one that I’ve ever made and not at all like the quilts that I like to make. I was really stretching using purple and orange and using cats and fish. Sometimes it’s good to get out of your zone.
I didn’t intend to start something new with all the ufos that I have to finish. I follow Laura Kate’s blog, Daily Fiber, and am going to do this year’s round robin. I’m always a week behind because I don’t belong to the group and just jump in with the block of the week after Laura Kate posts hers. It’s interesting to see how the other ladies design their blocks. 
I decided to use only what is in my stash this time. Years ago, I won fabric sample fabric at the local quilt shop. There isn’t enough fabric to make anything, so it has been sitting in the drawer for a long time. There are two color ways.
The teal and blue are colors that I use, but the orange and purple are not. Which one should I choose?
I decided that if I didn’t choose the orange and purple it would go to the bottom of the pile again. Then, I went to the hand dyed drawer. There are lots of fabrics that go with the orange and purple fabric. I pulled out a few to see how they would look. 
There are still more that I can pull if I run out.
The block this week is the signature block. My plan is to use a fabric from the hand dyed and one from the fabric sample on each round. I’ll choose the colors as I go. The purple is from the sample and the orange is from the hand dyed.
 
The center is one 9″ block. I couldn’t cut up the angry birds. They are cute. Hopefully, this will be big enough for a baby quilt. 
Happy Birthday, Miss Molly. It’s not proper to tell an older lady’s age, but Miss Molly is now 14 years old. She is doing very well for a lady of her age. Her job as quality control inspector is on hold for a while until her mom can get back to the sewing room. It’s been one virus after another for a long while. now. There has been no finished work in the sewing room this far in 2024. The best is to come. Miss Molly and I will get back to work as soon as we can. 
 
Miss Molly with her friend, Cooper
Miss Molly checking out the big bag of Kaufmann Japanese fabric. It passed inspection
This has to be for me. 
Miss Molly posing for her applique 
I have been working on the hexagon star, It is a long-term project. Hand work is slow. I still have 35 small flowers and 7 large flowers to make before I can put it all together. 
Angela Walters third class on dot to dot free motion quilting has come. I have finished the first class but will try to do the other two soon. 
I have a lot of PHDs. Projects Half Done. It seems as if the results of Covid have hung around and I flit from one thing to another. I’m determined to finish a few of my PHDs. 
Two of my community quilts have been basted and are ready for quilting. 
This quilt is made of leftover blocks. I’m not sure how I will quilt it. Maybe each block separately or maybe with a cross hatch across the whole quilt.
In January, I am taking an online course with Angela Walters. It will be dot to dot machine quilting. I will use this quilt for the class projects. 
This postage stamp quilt came back from the long arm quilter and is now bound. I’m breaking my rule of giving all my quilts away and keeping this one. I’ve started another box of 1 1/2″ squares to make another one, which I will give away.
I did finish this table runner. 
Two quilts came back from the long arm quilter today. They need binding. These two are made with the Robert Kaufmann Japanese fabric. I have almost used it up. 
Flying Geese
Cat’s Cradle
This is a bonus quilt. 
There are many more quilts waiting to be finished. I’m still working on the Hexagon Star quilt in the evening. It will be a long, long term quilt. 
I have had a time out. Very unexpected. When you see the pink strip on a Covid test, you are in denial. No. No. It can’t be. But it was, and I spent quite a few days on the sofa and sitting in a chair. I’m very thankful that it was as easy as it was, even though my energy has gone. I hope that it will come back soon. I’m finally warm enough without heated corn bags.
I decided that even though I couldn’t sew, I could do something worthwhile while sitting in the chair. I pulled all the folders from the library shelf and the file cabinet in the office.
This is a small portion. Many more on the table. I went through everyone and only kept what I thought I would use. I worked in slow speed, and it took me over four days to finish this project. I have a box of empty folders and sleeves. I also found several projects that will come back to the top of the list when I can get back into the sewing room full time.
Then I asked for You Tube quilt shows on the TV. I spent quite a bit of time with Kate from the Last Homely House. The word homely must have a different definition in England than here as her house was not homely in a bad sense. It is beautiful. Maybe, it means home-like. I felt like I had a chat with Kate every time that I watched. Her website is not a tutorial, but just a friendly visit with a friend. There was another lady that I visited. Every time she started to talk, one of her neighbors decided to mow his lawn. It didn’t bother her a bit. A grandchild came in on one show. She gave the little one a hug, sent it on its way and continued talking.
I had a community quilt on the sewing table. It had been there for a while, and it bothered me. Frankly, I was overwhelmed with thinking about it. It was ready to quilt. Angela Walters was another quilter that I watched. She said that that the reason there were so many quilt tops unquilted was because people didn’t start. That was obvious. Then she showed an easy quilting pattern that worked up fast. I went into the sewing room and quilted one row with this pattern. Then, I walked out and shut the door. The next day, I quilted one more row. The quilting consists of a star and a curvy line. Every star is a little bit different.
Amazingly, the quilt top was quilted and ready for binding. The binding strips are cut. Another day, I will sew them together and press. If I have enough energy, I’ll sew the binding on the quilt. If not, I’ll do it another day. As long as I do a little bit each day, I will finish something eventually.
I used all my energy today to take Miss Molly to the spa. They left her coat long this time because it is winter. She is very soft and fluffy. Her black saddle has turned to gray and red. She has examined this quilt and approved.
I’m working a little on the Hexagon Star. A friend sent a picture of a Hexagon quilt, and the border is exactly what I will use after the star is finished. This is a very long-term project.
The quilt that I made at last year’s retreat came back from the longarm quilter. I didn’t like the quilt when I sent it to her, but her quilting made it come alive. It may be a keeper for me, rather than a giveaway. The binding is on and ready to tack down. Maybe, fifteen minutes at a time. Eventually, it will be finished.
It was good that I had to slow down and do things a bit different for a while.
Summer is over. The days are getting crisp. Most of the yard work is finished. All the deck furniture is in the shed. The plants that summer outside are back in the house ahead of the frost. The new AC, which I only used three times, is covered for the winter. Some of the gardens still need cleaning up, but they will be ok even if I don’t finish the job. Maybe, I can get back to the sewing room and finish a few quilts.
I had been working on the star hexagon quilt. It is relaxing to sew hexies together in the evening while watching tv. All the parts to the center are finished and mostly together. I’ve started on the star points. Then, I decided to purge a little bit from the attic. I found a box of frame parts.
There are enough pieces in the box to make 21 little quilts. Years ago, my husband made the frames, and I made the little quilts. I sold a few and gave most of them away. I did keep a few to hang on the wall.
The frames in the attic are the leftovers from that project. Making the little quilts is easy, but I have never made the frames. This will be interesting. Setting the star hexagon aside for a while, I have made all 21 little quilts. They are all hand quilted and ready to go into the frames when I make them.
Thia is a few of the little quilts. I still have to gather some of the supplies to put the quilts into the frames. Also, the courage to do woodworking. I may find another passion. Or I will decide to never do that again. Most of the frame pieces are painted white, but some are natural wood. I can paint them to coordinate with the quilt.
I was able to make two community quilts from the $1.00 strips and the gifted fat quarters. Miss Molly really liked this one.
They are both alike. After seeing the picture, I’ve decided to add a blue strip to the top and bottom borders. I think that that will look more finished. During the last week, I also matched backings with most of the tops that are hanging in the closet. Now that I will be spending more time in the house, I can add the batting and finish some of them.
Two of my machines are at the spa and ready to come home. They were both working fine but hadn’t been checked over for a while. One of them will travel to Maine to be with one of my daughters. She has just started making the most awesome hexagon quilts and decided that she finally needs a machine. The other one has an embroider unit. I have a lot of quilting patterns and will probably embroider a quilting design on the community quilts. It would be quicker and easier than free motion quilting.
I have enough work (fun) ahead of me to last the whole winter.
Miss Molly quilts 