Playing in the Scrap Bins

So far it's 6 blocks by 7 and that's not big enough, so will be adding another row in each direction, and probably two to the length. I looked in a couple of books to see a good "average" twin size and they are all over the map in sizes. We don't have a twin bed in the house, but I would think something around 63 - 67" wide and maybe 81 - 85" long. These quilts will be donated to a very large rescue mission and they requested twin size, but they don't want them too big because they have a storage problem, but at the same time, they need to cover a bed.

I ended up only working on the strings today. I've been working out of one container of scraps, but there's all different sizes mixed in, so I was trying to sort and sew at the same time and it took most of the day. When I finally finished the 14 blocks I did today, I sorted the container into strips and strings, strips that need to be cut smaller, and a couple of piles of fabrics that need to be cut into something -- mostly larger rectangles and squares.

As I was going through magazines again last night, I came across another tumbler quilt. I love scrappy one-piece quilts and even bought the Shar Jorgenson template for the tumbler quilt way back in the early nineties, with all those good intentions of some day making one. Well, today I got the template out (amazing that I actually found it!), had to remove the plastic cover from the plexiglass -- never even had it out before -- and put it on the cutting board. As I was cutting some fabrics for the strings today, I cut some tumbler pieces. I don't want any more than 2 of the same fabric in the quilt, and I want to make a relatively large quilt, so for now I'm just going to be cutting pieces as I work on other projects. When I get enough cut, then I'll start them as a leaders/enders project.

Here's the journal cover I made the other day. I didn't do a great job of centering or allowing enough "give" for the spline, but I'm happy with it just the same. I think my friend will like it. And, I'm definitely hooked on making them. I think it'll be a good project for granddaughter, Briana, 9, to work on this summer at Grandma's house.

And this is the jacket pattern I bought from Lisa Bongean last week at Festival. I like it's simplicity. And all the girls in the booth were wearing one and they looked great.

Gratitudes:

The weather was beautiful today (even though I spent the entire day inside!)

JR and Pita exchanging chew bones (they play a game -- JR always wants the bone Pita has and Pita always eventually gives it up for the bigger one!)

CD players, digital cameras and computers -- what amazing inventions.