RSC2021-October report

I haven’t been posting, but I have been sewing during October. Because I got off track with the monthly color, I went off doing my own thing. But here’s an update on my RSC progress, plus some other stuff. I sewed together the top for the zig-zag quilt inspired by Diann at Little Penguin Quilts. I drooled over this last year when she was making it & I’m so glad I did it this year. I decided it’s a big enough lap quilt without any borders, so it’s in the pile for the quilter. Yay!

I also sewed the top for Brick House, which becomes my third top done for RSC2021! I got the idea for this quilt from Sylvia, who was inspired by Jo’s Country Junction, who found the idea originated with Julie of Me and My Quilts. Again, a quilt I coveted in the past & got around to sewing this year. So cute & scrappy.

This friendship star block is a direct lift from Deb A. I saw these blocks last year in the RSC link up & determined that quilt was in my future. I made 2 blocks each month this year & put them up on my design wall. After mulling it over, I decided I want it larger & need 8 more blocks. So this project will continue in 2022 where I’ll make 1 block/month & finish it off then. I love how sparkly it is!

In honor of my friend who passed away at the end of Sept after her third fight with breast cancer & for October’s Breast Cancer Awareness Month, I bought the new Riley Blake fat quarter bundle for this quilt. I pulled out an old pattern that I’ve never made called Helter Skelter by Abbey Lane Quilts & just pounded through it. It went to the quilter at the end of October. My plan is to finish it off & save it for a friend or family member who needs it.

My quilting partner & I made this modern hexagon quilt this month over FaceTime. We also sewed the backing & binding together so it’s ready for the quilter & finishing when it’s quilted. This was a fun challenge to get those hexies lined up. When I showed it to my husband, he asked me why there weren’t blocks in all that open space on each side. I tried to explain modern design but he just asked if we were keeping it or giving it away, cuz it’s not his favorite. I said, gifting.

Also this month, I made this top as a favor for a friend to give her son for Christmas. I used my stash & she bought the backing & is paying for the quilting. The pattern is Dual Screen by A Bright Corner & it’s in his college colors. The pattern was just released & I bought it, so it was in the set of possibles I sent her. She liked it the best, so I was able to make a brand new pattern! It’s also at the quilter right now.

And a flurry of sewing down binding & movie watching has gotten me three finishes this month. “The Beehive” is slated for a Christmas gift & is from an old FQS Sew Sampler box. The fabric has been in a project box for years waiting for the perfect person. Now it’s made & ready.

This is the Festival of Trees 2021 auction quilt to raise money for Primary Children’s Medical Center. It’s in honor of my brother-in-law, an Air Force pilot who died in the line of duty. I’ve been doing a quilt for him for several years now, since it got too hard for our extended family to do a large tree. His widow adds books & my niece adds a small tree to the mix & we pick a theme each year that has something to do with his life. This year it refers to him being in a high school production of “The Wizard of Oz” with a sister. Fabric collection & free pattern are Jill Howarth from Riley Blake.

And this is “The Farmer’s Wife”. My husband gave me the book several years ago for Christmas, & my quilt group started working on it. We did one or two blocks a month so it took us a very long time. Theirs are done in traditional repro fabrics, but of course, mine is a bright modern rainbow! I actually love this way more than I thought I would while we were making the blocks, so I think another rainbow sampler is in my future.