Next Up for FMQ - Dumpster Diving 11 - Mischief Maker

Next up for FMQ is Dumpster Diving 11,

the final quilt in my series.

Since this photo was taken,

I have unstitched the border strips

and stay stitched the outer edges instead.

Here's the plan for my FMQ . . . sans the border strips.

These are the threads I'll use.

Keep in mind this character was the inspiration

for this quilt's name . . . 

Over time, I have fallen out of love 

with this scrappy pieced backing

for this particular quilt.

So when Lynne went shopping last weekend

and texted me photos of a possible backing

for her almost finished Allegretto quilt top,

I knew instantly that it would also be

PERFECT to back DD 11-Mischief Maker.

Her shop didn't have enough yardage for both of us

so the shop owner told Lynne she'd reorder the fabric

and call me once the bolt arrived.

Given the uncertainty of timing and availability

I went online Sunday and found the 2007 fabric

with enough still in stock to back Mischief Maker.

The macaws, toucans, cockatoos, parrots,

peacocks, and parakeets/budgies literally flew cross country

 from CA, landing at my house Wednesday evening.

After the requisite trip through 

the washer and dryer . . .

And this freshly pressed back meant

 it was time to . . . 

. . . pin baste Mischief Maker.

I am so excited about this turn of events.

Quiltdivajulie

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“I try not to match too much.  You know, if there’s a blue coat and a blue shirt and a blue tie.  I try to stay away from that.  I’d rather have a blue coat and a yellow shirt and a pink tie.  I don’t like to look too matching.  You know those mismatched socks kids wear?  That’s my idea of a good suit.”

Craig Sager

DD 11 Blocks for August and More

Dumpster Diving 11 - Mischief Maker

August block one - red violet

Dumpster Diving 11 - Mischief Maker

August block two - blue violet

Here are both blocks together.

Sixteen of twenty blocks are done - yes!

Four more to go - brown, red, yellow, and gold.

* * *

For those who have read posts here for a while,

you are already aware that my "new year" 

begins in August.

Early signs of season change

mixed with back to school sales

trigger my need to revisit existing plans

and plan out future projects.

This year is no different

in terms of the "annual triggers" 

although I can honestly say

I have not done any "back to school" 

stockpiling what with staying at home.

Here's a recap of the key plans.

ONE

The biggest decision I've made 

with regard to existing project plans is

to to put my Kitchen Table Quilt project

on hold until April-May of next year.

I had planned to photograph each finished quilt

outdoors on our round patio table

during its month so there would be

seasonal context and a changing background.

That plan ended earlier this year

when COVID turned things upside down, 

younger son decided to move home,

and the renovations began.

TWO

Speaking of renovations -

DH has completed the installation of the floor!

Next step is to clean up no longer needed tools, etc.

and then he'll start installing baseboards.

We're all seeing the light at the end of the tunnel.

THREE

A while back I added a page on the blog

for some of the HST quilts I've made.

At the bottom of that page

there's a list of ten more HST quilts

that are currently underway.

Some are actually cut out and ready to sew

and one is almost a top ready to back.

I'll be sharing posts for those

later in the fall or early next year.

* * *

I've also been doing some planning 

for next year's Rainbow Scrap Challenge.

For now, I've chosen three projects

that will use scraps, 

fabrics from the resource boxes,

and occasional yardage.

(gotta use that stash)

SCRUMMY ("delectable, splendid") 

will feature scrappy baskets, 

something I've wanted to do for a long time.

(one 15" basket block per month for 12 months)

SPOT ON ("exactly correct, on-target") 

will revisit Moments in Time from Quilty 365 v1.

(twenty 4" blocks per month for 10 months)

JOVIAL ("high spirited merriment") 

 inspired by the Scrap Snap Quiltalong shared by Kari V.

(eight 6" blocks per month for 10 months)

 We'll see how things progress.

* * *

Linking this post with RSC 20.

Click HERE to see what the others

are making during this "purple" month.

Quiltdivajulie

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“Most of the successful people I've known are the ones who do more listening than talking.”

Bernard Baruch

Dumpster Diving 11-Mischief Maker - July's Monthly Update

Here is where things stood a couple of weeks ago

 with Dumpster Diving 11 - Mischief Maker.

Twelve blocks made with eight more to go.

You may have noticed the blue vinyl table corner 

in several of my recent photos - this is how it looks 

with some of the items from the Christmas corner 

stored underneath.

 

(they'll leave once the renovations are done)

The table is one DH and I use for 

stretching and at-home PT.

(normally it is out from the design wall

by a foot or so - it sits in the open space

between the wall and my cutting table)

Here is my "dark blue" block for July.

(the colorful seaweed-y print is the almost very last

of a fabric purchased for one of my very first quilts)

And here is my "brights on black" block for July.

I absolutely LOVE this mish mash riot of colors.

And then there were fourteen blocks on the design wall.

(newest two pinned on point atop the others

since it's too hard to reach higher 

and there's no room to go lower right now)

Going forward there will be 

a block with yellows and one with golds.

There will be a block with reds 

and a block with warm browns.

And there will be a block with red violets 

and one with blue violets.

* * *

By the end of October 

all twenty blocks should be finished.

THEN it will be time to get them 

laid out (4 x 5) and sewn together.

* * *

I've linked this post with the Rainbow Scrap Challenge 

Click HERE to see what some of the others

are sharing this week.

Quiltdivajulie

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"Friends are those rare people who ask how we are, 

and then wait to hear the answer."   

Ed Cunningham

Dumpster Diving Prep Work

There has been a lot (!!) of computer time the past few days

with massive edits for the organization

where I serve as Board President

and another group of edits/thoughts/suggestions

 for Lynne's work-in-progress Zebras quilt tutorial.

In addition to all that focused brain work,

 I've felt lethargic/distracted and unable to sit and sew.

So I've been cutting fabric into little pieces instead.

June's color for the  Rainbow Scrap Challenge is PINK.

(much more fun than May's dark green)

I'll make one block with the darker pinks in the first photo

and the second block with these lavender bits.

Dumpster Diving 11 - Mischief Maker 

will be colorful if nothing else.

Next I tackled the boxes of fabrics and scraps 

gathered for Dumpster Diving 10 - Blue Springs Road.

After I piece the two RSC blocks shown above,

I want to work on Blue Springs Road's 

bits and pieces as leaders-enders while I

piece the remaining spiderweb blocks for Feisty.

But that meant the gathered long strips 

had to be cut into smaller bits first.

I had planned to use black on white in the design

but as I sorted through the box of blues

I discovered more than enough of these

blue and whites - so I'm going to use them instead.

The stash of yellow strips were also cut into smaller pieces.

This particular Dumpster Diving quilt 

will feature longer segments to play into the feel

of the free download called Spring.

Here are all of the segments ready and waiting

for me to pin them into pairs

that can be kept beside my machine 

for easy leader-ender stitching.

I also tackled the stacks of pink and aqua yardage

that had been set aside for Dumpster Diving 10 - Do Tell.

My goal was to cut 3-5 strips from each of the fabrics

and then get them back on the shelf where they belong.

Mission accomplished for this one.

(I won't sub-cut and worry with  pinning pairs for Do Tell

until that process is completed for Blue Springs Road)

After making the various RSC placemats using 1.5" strips

along with the RSC Dumpster Diving 11-Mischief Maker blocks,

I had a pile of leftover pieces that didn't work

with any of the other planned Dumpster Diving quilt projects.

I started putting those random leftovers in one box.

It didn't take long to realize there would, indeed,

be a thirteenth quilt in my Dumpster Diving series.

I've named No. 13 Surplus, for obvious reasons.

Here's a look at the accumulated strips (so far).

Oh yeah, I'm obsessed . . .

(you can click on the labels at the end of this post

to read previous posts for any of these projects)

Quiltdivajulie

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“The most basic of all human needs is the need to understand and be understood.  The best way to understand people is to listen to them.”   

Ralph Nichols

May's Blocks for DD11 - Mischief Maker

One 12.5" dark green block for May's RSC challenge

is finally finished for Dumpster Diving 11 - Mischief Maker.

I used most of my better-liked greens

back in January and "dark green" seemed so gloomy

that I opted to go with sage greens instead.

For my second block I went with salmon.

It reads darker in this photo than it is in real life.

Here are the two blocks together.

These colors are more true-to-life.

You'll need to double-click on this one to enlarge it.

Five months' worth of DD11 blocks are done

with five more sets to go.

THEN it will be time

to play around with layout options.

Quiltdivajulie

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“The greatest compliment that was ever paid me was when one asked me what I thought and attended to my answer.”

Henry David Thoreau

Introducing Miscellany - a New Project

Photo by Rachel Hauser of Stitched in Color

I'm not sure how I happened across this blog post

but I am entirely taken with this quilt.

(photo borrowed from Rachel's website, 

shared here as the inspiration for my version)

I chose the white with turquoise for my consistent background.

(I thought about going scrappy but that would take away

from the other bits of color in the top)

The mottled batik to the right is a solid candidate for binding

and the fabrics to the left will become a scrappy back.

I ordered the background as I didn't have more than a yard

of anything that was suitable and this will need more,

likely much more, than a single yard.

The rest came from the stash.

So here's my plan . . . 

I'll play along with the RSC colors for the rest of 2020

(starting with darker green scraps shown above)

since the placemat project is finished 

and the Mischief Maker blocks

generate all sorts of interesting bits and pieces.

I'll continue on into RSC 2021 until

I have enough blocks to piece my top. 

This is going to be FUN!

(that small box is for potential scraps

to be used with future months' color groups)

* * *

Rachel named her quilt Confetti.

I've named my Miscellany.

(a miscellaneous collection or group 

of various or somewhat unrelated items; the

anglicized version of miscellanea; ca. 1565–75; 

< Latin miscellānea hash, hodgepodge; 

noun; use as neuter plural of miscellāneus)

Quiltdivajulie

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“In a good conversation, one person talks while the other listens.”
Charlie Brown

18 Meals on Wheels Placemats

These placemats are for a local group's

gathering for Meals on Wheels recipients.

I've been making mine as part of 

the Rainbow Scrap Challenge 2020.

These four were from January's bright greens.

This was the second group from January 

using yellow green instead of light green.

(they asked that we use darker colors

so they won't show food stains as easily)

Red orange and yellow orange -

these two are reversible with strip pieced backs.

Left - Dark Blues with Bright and Dark Reds

Right - Teal / Aqua / Turquoise

One more blue and red mat plus three

that include the remaining RSC20 colors -

Yellow, Dark Green, and Purple

(plus Pink which appears in 

most of the early placemats)

After using up several boxes of scraps 

from previous projects,

random yardage for backings,

and many lengths of leftover bindings,

I'm calling this particular project completed.

Between now and Halloween I'll pass these placemats 

to the woman who brought the project to our attention.

I can only imagine the riot of colors

they'll have once all of the donated placemats

are together in one place come November.

* * *

This post is now linked with this week's link party

over at The Rainbow Scrap Challenge blog.

Click through to see what the others are doing.

* * *

And check back on Monday to see my new project

that will carry over into RSC 2021 . . . 

Quiltdivajulie

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“Grandfather says: When you feel powerless that’s because you stopped listening to your own heart – that’s where the power comes from.”

Gianni Crow