An Unexpected Year 2020

I waited till after the year was over to join the "Best of 2020" Linky Party hosted by Cheryl of Meadow Mist Designs. Gosh, who knows what might happen on the last day of the last hour of this unexpected and unprecedented year?

The quilts/posts chosen for this recap have one underlying theme - Unexpected. 

At Home with Scraps

1. Meanwhile -  I love this quilt because it was, for a long time, just a bag of flannel scraps languishing behind the bag of batting scraps. I had no expectations from this bag of soft, pre-washed and frayed strips. That is why this transformation from a bag of unwanted flannel bits to a darling quilt (chic and modern and minimalist) is one of my top picks for 2020.

Meanwhile

Meanwhile - Backing

I did not have a recipient in mind when I made Meanwhile. Sometime thereafter I had a meeting with Vinny - our investment advisor. He mentioned that his wife was expecting a baby girl. This was thrilling news because they had been trying for a few years. Meanwhile made its way to Baby Saryna.  Last week when I chatted with Vinny over Webex, he was working from home, holding the baby who was happily sucking on her bottle. Vinny mentioned that they use the quilt all the time. I almost wept with joy.

2. Quarantina - I agreed to pattern test not because I love paper-piecing (I don't) but because I love Mell and wanted to support her foray into pattern writing. 

Quarantina - Flimsy + My toes

Quarantina - Detail

In the end, it wasn't so bad. Unexpectedly, I am now more open to trying paper piecing projects. The diagonally divided layout (white and black) elevates this quilt for a top 2020 pick.

3. Pandora's Box - In times of strife and unrest we seek the comfort of familiar and avoid difficult things. Trying to fit together blocks of various shapes and sizes into a cohesive whole was neither simple nor straightforward. With coping strips and filler blocks, the flimsy was completed.

Pandora's Box

Pandora's Box - Detail

I knew it could be done but that it would also look good was a pleasant surprise. With several fun blocks, Pandora's Box has earned a place in notable quilty projects of 2020.

4. Playing with Fire - It was absolutely unexpected to receive an email from a total stranger - Barbara Cline but I happily agreed to particpate in the blog hop featuring her new book - Diamond Star Quilts. I had never attempted a Lone Star Quilt before and I learned that I need more practice (something to consider for RSC 2021). 

Playing with Fire - Diamond Star Quilt

I did not expect to make a mistake but when I discovered the faux-pas, I chose to leave it in. It seemed fitting to mark a topsy-turvy year.  

5. Our (Property) Values - I was just having fun with the houses and their inhabitants, inserting puppies, girls on scooters and children at play. Of course I also poured all my feelings into the post, as I sometimes do.  

Our (Property) Values

Homes for All

Gal on a Scooter, Gal on her toes

Kids at Play

I do love the quilt but the fact that 68 different readers left comments (an unusually high number for a post without a giveaway) makes this quilt the top pick of 2020.

Now Cheryl said five, but I am breaking some rules here. Expect the Unexpected!!!

6. Stars of Solace - With 3,475 views at the time of writing this post, this quilt deserves to be in the Top 2020 Picks. Sent to Bernie for Mercyful Quilts my only wish is that it provides solace to the family.

Stars of Solace for Mercyful Quilts

7. Picket Star Quilt Block Tutorial - The only post in 2020 that exceeds "Stars of Solace" in the number of views is the Picket Star Quilt Block tutorial with over 6,500 views at the time of writing this post.

Picket Star Quilt Block Tutorial

8. Hunting for the Hunter - Who knew that whining about a color could win you so much comment love!!! I was very pleasantly surprised by the response on this post and it was not even a quilt!!! 

Just a wee bit

Hunting for Hunter Green

If you haven't, I suggest that you read about my colorful griping about Hunter Green.

Do I have plans for 2021? May be. Do I have to-do lists? Kinda. But lists are not eye-catching.  Pictures are. So here are a few pictures showing projects in progress. 

Baby Quilt in the works

Chasing a Squirrel

More Picket Star Blocks

Many more Picket Star Blocks

More to come. So much more. Won't you rather discover one blogpost at a time? Me too :-D

If you like my quilts but don't care for my politics, you can stop reading now.

Unprecedented and Unexpected are just two terms that will be used to describe the year that was 2020.  The year of the unexpected pandemic was also the year of rapid unprecedented vaccine development. 

The year of racial strife was also the year when our eyes were opened to the racial injustice in our country.

The year of intense political drama was also the year of unprecedented public engagement. 

This year was so many things - unexpected and unprecedented. But it has reaffirmed my belief that the existence of good and bad side by side cannot be denied. The human body produces antibodies only in the presence of the antigen. Our world is no different. 

It occurred to me that America is like a crime scene and the pandemic year was like a beam of ultraviolet light. It highlighted our failings in stark terms. Although Covid-19 does not care whether you are black or white or brown, rich or poor, the death rates among the Black and Hispanic/Latinos people are much higher than whites in all age groups. 

The rich got richer, the poor got poorer. The well-to-do significantly increased their savings while many families used up all their savings. Those who kept their jobs and could work remotely chose to buy bigger homes away from the city while the service industry workers are on the brink of foreclosure and evictions.

What does it say about us as a society?  That we cannot take care of each other? That we do not believe in "Live and Let Live" but rather live and let die? We will be searching for answers and solutions for a while. The work has only just begun.

If you have come this far, I thank you for your support. I feel loved. I will be sharing with Angela's Linky Party and all other linky parties; see full list on the sidebar.

Linoleum Plus

Here is my first finish of 2020.  I am calling it Linoleum.

First Finish!!!

Try saying "a roll of linoleum" fast if you can :-D
How did it go?

Once upon time, a long time ago I wrote this tutorial.  Some of the resulting blocks became a part of Have a Minty Day quilt.  And yet others waited patiently to become something.

When I saw the Cross Plus Block, I had an idea. What if the colors are reversed?
Then my leftover tutorial blocks can be made into this!!!

All I had to do was find coordinating print fabrics.  Mystic Dawn from Lily and Loom was just perfect.

Block 1

Block 2

Finished Flimsy

Seams Pressed Open

Quilting in Process

Once again I added a skinny white border to protect my points from being eaten up by the invading binding.  A bright orange flannel backing with little rockets makes the perfect contrasting backing.
A striped black and white binding looks sharp with both the front and the back.

Can you see the skinny border?

Cool and Warm

Labelled

Linoleum finished at 41" square and I am very happy with it.  I hope it will make some baby squeal with joy.

Linoleum Front

Linoleum Back

I will squeal with joy when I read your sweet comments :-)

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I was about seven or eight years old when mom took me to an eye-doctor.  I don't remember why we were there. My eyes were fine and she didn't seem to need glasses either.  May be because she wanted to consult with the doctor about her father's appointment or surgery.
As we waited patiently in the waiting room, I saw a person emerge from the doctor's office with a green colored eye-patch over one of his eyes.

Why is his patch green, I had asked.
Because green is the most soothing color, mom answered.
Why is that, the non-stop questioning machine rattled.
Mom replied, because earth is covered with green. It is the most prevalent color in nature and is therefore most soothing to the eyes.

Although I do not know why this seemingly insignificant memory has stayed with me, it is abundantly clear why this memory comes flooding back today when earth is on fire.
Whether the world burns figuratively with war and strife or literally with bushfires, we cannot have enough green to counter that.

It may be just a coincidence that Angela chose Bright Green as the color for January in the Rainbow Scrap Challenge for 2020, but the universe works in miraculous ways.

I started with this block.

Initial Block

Me: What do you think?
Paul: That is a big block.
Me: Yes, it will finish at 17"
Paul (attempted singing): I like Big Blocks and I cannot lie.
Me: Really? Do you like it?
Paul: It looks like a blob.  So solid in the center!
Me: I had the same feeling. I could snowball the inside corners.
Paul: Huh???

I showed him with folded squares. He approved.

Me: Snowballing is a pain.
But wait. I have a special tape, which can make the whole thing a breeze.
(By now I am talking to myself and Paul is no loner part of the conversation)

Diagonal Seam Tape - Gift from Mari

Thank you Mari.
Because of you my RSC blocks will be light and airy as a souffle and not dense like a fruit cake :-)


Here is my Refined Block, with internal snowball corners.

Refined

I made two more.

RSC Green Block 2

RSC Green Block 3

Although I only need 12 blocks to make a lap size quilt, 30 will make it queen size. 

Where do you think I am headed?

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I was engrossed in making and refining RSC blocks.  Meanwhile, my flannel scraps were up to a whole lot of mischief behind my back. 
I do not remember how many baby blankets I have made. You know the self-binding, flannel ones that Jenny (Missouri Star Quilt Company) taught.
Those blankets need two flannel squares - one 40" and one 30", resulting in some scrappy strips that are too small to use and too large to discard.

I had collected those flannel leftover strips in a fabric bag and while I was distracted they conspired to become a flimsy. It was a Christmas miracle.

Meanwhile

Flannel Strips

Soft and Cute

I used the same backing as Linoleum (Blast Off from Connecting Threads) fabric, combined with leftover strips from Paulitiks' flannel backing (that were suffocating in another bag somewhere).
An orange binding made perfect sense.

Orange Binding

Labelled

Happiness

Joyful

I am calling this one Meanwhile.  Meanwhile finished at 43" by 45" and it is so snuggly.
If you have been saving your flannel strips, take a look. They may have miraculously turned into a soft and soothing bundle of love.

I will be sharing with all my favorite linky parties as well as with Angela's So Scrappy Linky Party.
As usual, I'd love to hear your thoughts.