Summer Vibes

Paul: Let's go get ice cream.
Me: Sugar is not my friend.
Paul: Of course not. It is your side piece.
Me: Side piece?
Paul: The guy who texts "you up?"
Me: Like booty call?
Paul: Yes, booty call.
Me: It does go to my booty. 
Paul: So you are coming?
Me: I won't say no to a booty call.

Ice cream with Paul - Sweet!

Summer time equates with vacation time for many of us.  Although I cannot take a vacation at this time, I can squeeze in small getaways and get-together with friends.  last week, I got together with Bonnie.

Had we coordinated better, I would have worn Barbie colors too :-D

We ate Mexican food and chatted about thread, quilting patterns and English vocabulary, since Bonnie is a retired teacher and I am fascinated with the English language. 

When I think of summer, I think yellow and orange - the colors of sherbet, lemonade and popsicles. 

But in America, it is certainly the combination of red, white and blue that is quintessentially summer. 

So here is a very summery finish - Captain Hotpants.  The quilt has a rather long and winding story. 

Picnic Quilt?

I have a dear friend, Joyce. She is a mentor, a mother figure, and a confidante.

I met her in 2007, and we became fast friends shortly thereafter. I made her this quilt, which is proudly displayed in her guest bedroom. In 2016, I messed up, and we had a falling out. 

I apologized, Joyce forgave me, and we renewed our friendship in 2022. 

But in the six years that we were apart, many things happened. Nathan, Ryan and Andy (Joyce's nephews) got married. Between the three of them, they added five babies (four boys and one girl) to the family.

So when Joyce visited me last month (after 6+ years), I sent her home with five quilts, one each for the five kids.

Men in Black

One with Everything

Nihal

Cinderella (for the girl)

Jade (for Eli)

 

Two days later, I got a message from Joyce, saying she loves Jade and would want to keep it for herself, offering to pay for it.  

Her exact words are "The more I look at it, the greedier I become and don't want to part with it."

It warmed the cockles of my heart. I suggested that she keep it as an early birthday present from me.

But I also chided her (laughingly) for stealing Eli's quilt.

Eli needed a quilt. It would be extremely unfair if he was the only cousin without a quilt.

Although I do have "quilts on tap" (according to Paul), I was ready to make one.  I was sitting on a pile of improv blocks made for last year's Rainbow Scrap challenge and this was a perfect opportunity to play with some of those improv pieced blocks. 

Turquoise Blocks

Red Blocks

Blue Blocks

I gathered some of the red, blue and turquoise blocks and started playing.

Thank goodness for the Design Wall

Some additions, subtractions and adjustments later, we had a flimsy!!!

Flimsy!!!

And that is how we got Captain Hotpants. Here are some finished pictures.

Finished!!!

Captain Hotpants finished at about 43" by 45". The backing is cute dinosaurs and the binding is red/white check. 

Red and White Binding :-)

Named after the astronaut!

Here are a few close-ups

Scrappy

I love improv!

Yummy

Labelled

I delivered the quilt to Joyce last week and she will deliver it to Eli later this month.

Happy Joyce

Joyce, the model

The colors of summer!

And here is Eli with his quilt. I am told that he and Captain Hotpants have become good friends!

Happy Recipient :-)

I will be sharing with all my favorite linky parties including Angela's. See full list on the side bar.

Oh, there is one more thing. While I was face-timing with Connie, a fellow IB ambassador, she expressed pleasant surprise at the blooming crape myrtle trees here in Northern Virginia. So I took some more pictures for her. But in doing so I discovered some interesting things myself!

Such intense color!!!

Red color blooms in a white tree

Three shades of pink in a single tree!!!

Such a gorgeous pink!

Love Lavender 

I counted five different colors in one yard

August is Island Batik Ambassador's Choice month. So we get to make whatever we want. 

I may have made a quilt or two, with a new pattern release! That blogpost is next.  

As always I am eager to hear from you. Your comments add color to all my seasons :-)

May and June

May's car is parked in June's driveway.

It is May's mess that has led to June's stress. I am not thrilled about it but the sad truth is this - unless we move May's car out of June's driveway, June cannot go anywhere or do anything. 

Angela said that May RSC colors were Sage and Forest Green. With all that was happening in May (international travel, recovering from international travel, catching up with work due to travel, Covid, recovering from Covid, nursing Paul as he recovered from Covid, the Positivity QAL set up and launch, not to mention the devastating news), there was absolutely NO way May could look at Forest Green. 

You know how she feels about Forest Green. 

But we must. Choosing to add light/bright (happy) greens to sage/forest (bitter) greens was the only way to move ahead. 

All the greens - springy and stinky

And here we are. Nine Improv blocks completed!

May's RSC blocks completed!

All the greens are done. May's car is out of June's driveway. Logjam cleared. 

Phew!!! Done

May is taking a rest and June is heaving a sigh of relief. Although June's work list is very long, we can at least begin now.

Paul: So what is happening in June?
Me: I am so glad you asked.

The Island Batik Challenge and Blog Hop featuring the New York Beauty begins June 6.  Check the link for a gorgeous giveaway.

I will be sharing my completed quilt on June 21, 2022. I got the collection Winter Sky, designed by Kathy Engle, coming soon to a store near you.

I must make some progress on my Positivity 2022 Quilt. So far I have picked out the fabrics. Not started cutting yet. 

Whimsical Wings - an older collection from Island Batik

Green and Purple

I will be using a white background. 

Angela has announced that June is dark blue for RSC. I have picked out my fabrics. Hope we can prevent another spillover.

Dark Blue Scraps for June RSC

I have completed a quilt. That post is next.

I will be sharing with all my favorite linky parties, including Angela's. See full list on the sidebar. 

Did May misbehave with you too? Do tell. If not, what do you expect from June? She will be hot (unless you live in Australia, where she is supercool), but no seriously, what does your June look like?

Think Pink

Angela announced that April is Pink.  And nature got the memo :-)

Delicate Pink

Hot Pink

Reddish Pink

Pretty Blooms

It is like the sun and breeze shared a naughty joke and all flora blushed. 

Looks like my fabrics are blushing too. I will be sharing with Angela's linky party.

Starting Point

Plus Background Strips

Cut and Sew

Easter Bunny?

When a pink Easter bunny hopped on to my work, I ate him up :-D 

Voila!!!

I have about a dozen pink blocks. All different sizes. How will I put them together? 

With a lot of mixing and matching, cutting and sewing, adding and subtracting. But I am not going to dwell upon that for now. 

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Because, NOW I am getting ready to publish the Synergy pattern in my Etsy store :-) 

My dear friends, Mari, Bonnie, Wendy, Alycia and Roseanne happily agreed to test drive the revised instructions.  They will be sharing their versions of Synergy next week.

1. Mari of Academic Quilter - Thursday, April 21, 2022

2. Alycia of Alycia Quilts - Friday, April 22, 2022

3. Wendy of Pieceful Thoughts - Saturday, April 23, 2022

4. Bonnie of Institches with Bonnie - Sunday, April 24, 2022

5. Roseanne of Home Sewn By Us - Monday, April 25, 2022

Make sure to visit their blogs to see their versions and leave a comment to participate in the giveaway. 

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In other news, Positivity QAL is coming to 2022.  May 29 - September 4, 2022. 

I will share a free tutorial. No registration is required.  To be eligible for prizes, we need to see your completed flimsy (Level 1 Prizes) on your blog or Instagram. Similarly we need to see your completed quilt before you are entered into a drawing for a Level 2 Prize.  

The Beginning of Mercyful Quilts Initiative

Thank you from Mercy Hospital

Mercyful Quilts Update

Wrapped with Kindness (may need tissues)

A Note from Mercy Hospital

I hope that you will sew and quilt along, and send the completed quilt to Mercyful Quilts.  If you are not in the US, and wish to participate, you are very welcome. You may donate the quilt to a local charity or to a cause close to your heart.  In the next couple of weeks, I will be working on the block instructions and other logistics for the QAL. Bernie and I are also organizing prizes for the QAL.    

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I had been eagerly waiting for the Kwanza Cherry trees to bloom. Two weeks ago the buds were tight and on their marks.

On your marks

Get set and Bloom

I love to walk here

Majestic

I love spring :-)

I  brought some home

I will be sharing with all my favorite linky parties. See full list on the sidebar. 

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For the next Island Batik challenge (May 2022) and another new quilt, to be published in July 2022,  I needed pictures.

Setting up a Quilty Photoshoot is a small production.  Of course, I try to turn it into a date. I make an appointment with my quilt model including plans for inclement weather.  Some breeze is fine, snow is welcome but rain is an absolute spoiler.

On location

Choosing location is always a challenge. So I pick two or three.  To bribe  compensate my quilt model for his time and effort, I pick a restaurant of his choice.  

Just the back for now

Me: Would you like to eat first?
Paul (groggy): Nah, photos first.

Me: I don't want you to be hungry or grumpy.

Paul (grumpy): I am fine. 

Me: You sure? I don't want you to faint and drop the quilt in the water.

Paul (mildly exasperated): I won't. Do you want leftovers sitting in the car while we take pictures?

Me: Excellent point. Silver Diner ok?

Paul: Yeah.

Me: Shall I drive?

Paul: I can drive.

Thank you Paul!

Is this a better backdrop?

I love this location. The tall/blah buildings serve as the perfect backdrop for bright quilts. On the right, you can see the bridge over the small pond, perfect for quilty reflection pictures. 

After the photoshoot and the meal (pancakes and sausage), Paul was more Ted Lasso than Roy Kent.

Paul: What do you think of the new Bridgerton season?
Me: It got more Indian.
Paul: The cast, you mean? 
Me: Brighter fabrics, better jewelry, not enough steaminess.

Paul: The first season was steamier.

Me: Oh yes. I'll just have to rewatch it.

Paul responded with smiles and eye roll, as expected.  Surprisingly, the first season of Bridgerton also coincided with the pink month of RSC2021. 

Wish you a Happy Easter. Hope your weekend is the right mix of brightness and steam :-)