Checking In

  Today I'm checking in with Sarah at Confessions of a Fabric Addict.  We're making quilts for Sarah's annual project, Hands2Help.  This stack is what I've got done so far.

This is a log cabin lap quilt, for Quilts of Compassion, which helps people after disasters.  The top was a UFO.  Now it will be useful.

Quilts for Cure, which gives quilts to cancer patients, will get this baby quilt made with red squares donated to me by a friend.

Also going to Quilts for Cure is this Tiny Churn Dash.

Lastly, this little quilt will go to Little Lambs.  They have a huge need for baby quilts.  My heart is broken thinking of babies going into foster care. 
That's it so far.  I hope to make more, but we'll see how much time and energy I have once I start babysitting again.
It's not too late to join in!  Check out Sarah's link above to find out how you can help.
Cheers,
Sylvia@Treadlestitches

Make Do and Mend

Welcome to Treadlestitches!
I am not a fan of mending, but this is a sad state of affairs.  I cleaned out the linen closet, and found an old beloved quilt I made many years ago.  Some of the fabrics were good quality, and some weren't.  We also used it a lot, and washed it over and over.

In addition to the bigger rip, there was this one, probably caused by me using a too-small seam allowance.

I can't say I don't have the time to fix this!  Time is something I suddenly have.  So I appliqued larger strips over the rips.

Now it's a usable quilt again!  The mends are big and clunky, but they'll hold up better that way.  The blue "house" was meant to be a barn, in the middle of the "straight furrows".

So that's mending.  I also mended some of my unmentionables, which I guess are not really unmentionable if I just mentioned them.  They are definitely, however, unphotographable.

The last time we went to the grocery store, they were out of almost anything for cleaning or even washing dishes.  I like to have a small sponge-like thing to scrub stubborn pots and pans, just one step down from steel wool pads.  The ones we had were disgusting on the outside, and I had just been throwing them away and buying new.  (Oops!  Not eco-friendly.)  So I'm trying this.  I cut the cover off, soaked the inner foam rubber rectangle in boiling water, and then sewed an old dishcloth over it.

Not elegant, but it works.  The mesh side of the dishcloth helps with scrubbing.  I know I could order things, but I'd rather make do with what I've got if I can.  No one had to bring it to me, I didn't have to wait for my order, and this cost absolutely nothing.

Is using your stash really "making do" if your stash is almost as deep as Lake Michigan?  Here's what I was working on from my stash this week.

The little blocks are all lined up, ready to sew, and my tumbler leaders and enders coming along.

And here's the finished springtime baby quilt.

Do you see all the colorful little bugs in the white sashing fabric?  It's a Me and My Sister print.  I bought a yard of it on sale at a quilt show in February.  (Wonder when we'll have quilt shows again?)

The pattern came from this book, 3 times the charm, also coincidentally by Me and My Sister Designs.

The name of the pattern is Dora.  I changed a few things--cut the white parts wider, added sashings and cornerstones, and made more blocks, but this was the inspiration.

The border came from a big scrap I bought second hand.  I guess that's the making-do part.

The back wasn't wide enough, so I added a strip of the border fabric.  Hey, making do again.

I really loved this back, with these happy colorful caterpillars.  This should be a cheerful donation quilt for a baby girl.
Speaking of babies:

Here are my two youngest grandchildren.  I'm calling them Little Buddy and Baby Buddy.  Their mama has to go back to work in May, but only one day a week, so they're coming to hang out with us.  So is their wonderful big brother, Big Buddy.  I can hardly wait.

We're all being very careful about staying at home, wearing masks if we have to go to a store, and washing our hands relentlessly.  We need to keep the little ones, and all of us, safe.

Stay safe this week, everyone!  Thanks for reading.
Cheers,
Sylvia@Treadlestitches

Linking up with:
Alycia at Finished or Not Finished Friday
Angela at So Scrappy
Sarah at Can I Get A Whoop Whoop
Cynthia at Oh Scrap





 

Hi, Little Friend

Look who came to visit us this week!  It's a Sand Hill crane, one of a group of five (5!)  that dropped into the park behind our house.  I used the zoom on my camera to take this photo from my porch.  The sounds they make are so strange, almost mechanical.

There are wetlands in the area, and we have seen nesting pairs with chicks in past years.

 The sun is shining on the porch this morning.  It's hard to believe it was snowing here yesterday.  Wisconsin weather.  What can you do.

In other news, I finished this little quilt.  Jo Kramer of Jo's Country Junction calls it "Brick House".  She featured it on her blog, and I couldn't wait to try it out.

My favorite block is the one with the zebra.

Here's the back.  Isn't this dog fabric a hoot?

A weird thing happened.  I made a scrappy binding, and included some light blue fabric left over from other baby quilts.  Pictured on it was Winnie the Pooh, writing.  Without any effort on my part, the words from the fabric ended up visible on the edge of the quilt.  Above, it says, "hi little friend".

The next part says "you're a real friend".

And lastly, "some friends are smaller than others".  On the fabric, he was writing to Piglet.
I think this qualifies as a very special quilt, so instead of donating it as I had planned, I will save it for my baby grandson.  Sure, I already made him a quilt, but you can never have too many, can you.  I can't wait to hold him again, and say, "Hi, little friend."

Wanna see my Rainbow Scrap Challenge shoofly blocks for this month?  Okay!

These are so simple and fun.  The best part is dragging out all the different scraps to choose from.  (The worst part is putting it all away after the blocks are done.)

We're living through a really strange time.  I find myself doing weird things to cheer myself up, like opening cupboards just to admire how organized they now are.  I've never been what my sisters and I called "Susie Homemaker".  The house has been reasonably clean, and the meals have been reasonably good, and that was fine.  I don't think there's any danger of me becoming a perfectionist, but I may be raising my standards a bit.
Yesterday, my husband (finally!) put up new blinds in the sewing room.  (We bought them months ago.)  Naturally, I washed the windows first, and even vacuumed the carpet when he was done.  So what should I do today?  Sew like crazy, that's what!  I am going to make a giant mess, and I can hardly wait.
Are you going to make something today too?  I hope you have as much fun as I will!
Cheers for reading,
Sylvia@Treadlestitches

Linking up with:
Sarah at Can I Get A Whoop Whoop
Angela at So Scrappy
Alycia at Finished or Not Finished Friday