Home, Birds, and Kitchens

Homeward Bound

Home is in Wisconsin, the land of Badger Red and White.  There was no doubt that this block would be in Badger Red and White.  Once a Badger, always a Badger.

Honeycomb

Of course I made this block golden yellow, with dots to mimic a honeycomb.  Now that I look at it, it kind of is disturbing to me.   There is something about groups of circles that I find slightly unsettling; I guess they are too much like white blood cells or something along those lines.  This will be the honeycomb, white blood cell block.  Blergh.

Hovering Birds

Did you know that the Pied Kingfisher hunts by hovering above water?  Did you know that this black and white bird can swallow its prey mid-flight and thus can fly over great distances of water?  Well, now you do.  Got a little David Attenborough on you just now.

Hovering Hawks

My hawks are Red-Tailed Hawks.  These are North America's most common hawks and can be found in open areas because they prefer fields and deserts in which to hunt.  The Red-Tailed Hawk displays aggressive posture when it holds its body and head upright while its feathers are standing erect.  But, then, you probably would have figured that was aggressive behavior if you saw that in the wild and wouldn't need me to tell you this.

Jackknife

Last time I was home, my dad gave me a black jackknife.  It's a great knife with a blade that will actually be big enough to slice an apple with when I go hiking.  That's the thing about why I like that knife; it isn't a cute girl knife, but an actual knife that will perform a function and doesn't have to be cute.  It replaces the cute girl knife I got from a now ex-boyfriend.  For some reason it was pink and way too small to be of use. You could kind of poke at an apple with it, but that was about it.  Oh, but so cute!  Seriously.  Not everything made for women needs to be pink and small.  Sometimes a welcome gift is one that actually works.  Rant ends here.

Kitchen Woodbox

I made this block out of kitchen chairs.  I cheated a bit to use more of the print, rather than have a solid white center.  I like it this way and wish I had kitchen chairs that looked like this.  Someday.   Someday.

Smitten - Blocks 10-12

Booyah!  Three more blocks done for the Smitten quilt.  I also have all the pieces cut for a fourth block, but I've decided to put that away and take out a few more Spinster blocks.  It's all good.

FNSI - February results

Warning, this post contains gratuitous kitty nipples and should only be viewed by adults who can handle that sort of thing.  Please know that no cats were hurt in the making of this post, but were rewarded with scritches and cheese.

Scout is bringing sexy back. 

Sam is properly horrified by this display.

Tonight for Friday Night Sew-in, I finished up two more blocks for my Smitten quilt with much assistance from the cat army. Here the word "assistance" is defined as "annoyance."  I kid, I kid, their crazy amount of interest in fabrics that much be cut accurately with sharp instruments is endearing.  Well, not really, but they clearly need some attention so I called it quits after two blocks.  We are going to spend some quality time on the couch discussing why we all have needs and boundaries that should be respected.

Grapes, Hills, and Honey

Grape Basket

I know that grape things are purple.  That's what I learned in grade school and an elementary school in a small farming community can only provide the best education possible.  However, I usually get green grapes at the store and when I went on my winery tour, the Chardonnay grapes were green.  Huh.  Still, I see purple grapes now and then. I just think it is funny that grapes aren't usually associated with the color green.  But, then, there was that Sesame Street sketch I watched as a kid which featured greedy Greg grabbing the green grapes so, really, there's no telling what color this block should have been.  If you can tell, I'm feeling homesick.  It's been that kind of day.  Mom and dad, expect a visit from me at session end.

Evening Star

 I decided that I really needed to make this block over again.  I liked my previous Evening Star, but the flowers were just a little too big and I knew that it would eat at my every time I looked at it in the finished quilt.  Rather than give me years of worry, I decided to do it again.  I am very pleased with the result.

Hill and Valley

Wow, I must really be homesick right now.  The name Hill and Valley makes me think of my grandparent's farm in Wisconsin.  They retired from farming before I came along (or shortly thereafter) and I never got to visit it while it was their working farm.  I did get to visit it as my grandparents remained on friendly terms with the purchaser.  I remember my grandfather pointing at the neighboring hills and telling me that my dad planted trees on them.  I hope those trees are still there.

Honey's Choice

I'm the only Honey around here, and my choice is to make this block bright orange and yellow.  I make very good choices, don't I?

Friendship, Gardens, and Fancy Gentlemen

Friendship Block

 I am in the zone for these blocks.  If I didn't need to go to work and sleep occasionally, I'd probably spend all my time picking out fabric for the next block.  This is the Friendship Block, made for my friend MOS whose birthday is in October.  The birthstone for October is the opal and this imitates an opal nicely.  This is also rather ironic and I think MOS would find it amusing that I used such a delicate pink for her.  She's a jewel-toned kind of gal, but I thought that this would be fun in a "aren't you really a delicate spring flower" kind of way. Please don't tell her I did this.

Garden Path

 OH. MY. God.  How much do I love this block?  I love it.  I really, really love it!  How does your garden grow? My garden grows green - so very green. And, people who are making their own Farmer's Wife quilt may notice that I redid the center square to avoid y seams.  I'm clever that way and I really don't like y seams.

Gentleman's Fancy

My first instinct with this one was to laugh uncontrollably.  Gee, how do I interpret what a gentleman fancies? I made some lust-type jokes to myself and then told myself to grow up because sewing is serious business.  Anyway, I am a sucker for a gentleman in a grey suit.  A fancy gentleman would wear a jaunty dotted tie.  Fancy, indeed.

Next up, a remake of a block I decided didn't work with the others.  Not all of my children turn out well when compared to their far more stellar brothers and sisters.  

My back hurts.

January - Modern Block of the Month

My back does not hurt from any of my quilting activities.  I'm sore because I'm still doing clean up in the yard from our snow and ice event of two weeks ago.  Yesterday was a gorgeous day that was chilly but sunny and it was perfect for hauling branches across the yard and making a very big pile.  There is a rumor going around that our homeowner's association is hiring a wood chipper to take care of everything. I'll give it a few weeks then make arrangements for my very big pile to go away.  Unfortunately for my back, I only finished the front yard.  The back yard and its many fallen branches await.  They won't get picked up today.  I'm going to make tuna casserole (because I make an awesome tuna casserole) and do some cleaning here.  Oh, and watch some football and maybe address my neglected Spinster Quilt.

Until then, here are some more improv blocks.  These are great to do when you want to sew, but can't be tied down by accuracy.