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?

From Miamas with Love

I have a new finish, a giveaway and an announcement. But first I must tell you about this book - "My Grandmother Asked Me to Tell you She is Sorry" by Frederik Backman.

My favorite!!!

Full of heart, hope and more...

Elsa, who is seven, (almost eight) had a bad day at school.  Three older girls tore her Gryffindor scarf and threw it in the toilet. The very same day, Elsa's Granny breaks into a zoo and throws turds at the police when approached.  The following conversation happens.

“I didn’t want you to remember this day because of the scarf. So I thought instead you could remember it as the day your Granny broke into a zoo—”

“And escaped from a hospital,” Elsa says with a grin.
“And escaped from a hospital,” says Granny with a grin.
“And threw turds at the police.”
“Actually, it was soil! Or mainly soil, anyway.”
“Changing memories is a good superpower, I suppose.”
Granny shrugs.
“If you can’t get rid of the bad, you have to top it up with more goody stuff.”
“That’s not a word.”
“I know.”
“Thanks, Granny,” says Elsa and leans her head against her arm.
And then Granny just nods and whispers: “We’re knights of the kingdom of Miamas, we have to do our duty.”
Because all seven-year-olds deserve superheroes.
And anyone who doesn’t agree needs their head examined.

(This is an excerpt from "My Grandmother Asked Me to Tell you She is Sorry" taken From Simon and Schuster website).

From Miamas with Love!!!

Miamas is a kingdom in the Land of Almost Awake and that is where all the stories come from. And that is exactly where this quilt comes from. I have named it "From Miamas with Love". 

Shall we count the sheep?

Penguins and Puppies

The Birds whispered to the Llama...

How many cats does it take to make a quilt?

A Monkey and a Panda walk into a quilt...

I heart you

Kitty with a Ball of Yarn :-)

Sunny Days

Joyful

Scientifically Speaking

It is a zoo in here...

Scraps from Bernie - Put to use

Scrappy & Happy

Pieced over many months, I sewed scraps in between projects. As the year draws to an end it was time to wrap up this storybook of a quilt.  It isn't easy to put together blocks of varying shapes and sizes. But that is exactly my superpower :-) 

Labelled

Purple Backing + Turquoise Binding

Walking Foot Quilting - Squiggly Lines

Pieced Backing

Clearly I am in love with this book - "My Grandmother Asked Me to Tell you She is Sorry" by Frederik Backman. I cannot recommend it enough. After I had listened to the audiobook thrice, I bought the physical book. It has made me think and laugh and cry - often at the same time. 

Paul: So you are a quiltmaker from Miamas?
Me: No, I am a knight from Miamas. Quilting is my superpower :-D My quilts tell my stories.
Paul: How big is your quilt?

Me: It is multi-dimensional.

Paul: Multi-dimensional? How?

Me: It has four sides and all four sides have different lengths.

Paul: Don't you mean crooked?

Me: You could say wonky but I prefer multi-dimensional.

Like Granny said in the book, "You have standards and I have double standards. So I win."

Paul: Who is getting this multicolored and multi-dimensional quilt?

Me: Mom. I am taking it to India with me.

Paul: I am sure she will love it.

Me: Also she can show it off to others and she won't even have to say - "my daughter is so talented"

Paul: That is what others will say...

Me: Exactly!!! You are so smart :-D 

I love this shot!!!

I love this model!!!

"With Love from Miamas" finished at about 68" by about 77", but let's not quibble about exactness here.  Its multi-dimensional aspects are perfect for family snuggles :-D  

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

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I am thankful for your love and support.  But when you leave me a comment, oh my goodness, you make me giddy with gratitude.

To celebrate Thanksgiving and promote my giddiness, here is a giveaway for you. Two FQ bundles (5 fat quarters each) from Island Batik's Bellingham Bay Collection, designed by Deb Tucker’s Studio 180 Design.

Prize Bundle 1

Prize Bundle 2

To qualify for a prize, please leave me a comment, telling me your favorite book this year.  I will announce the winners on December 5, 2021.

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RSC Progress - The flimsy is completed and basted. 

Basting my Lovely

As I am quilting it now, I am also thinking about binding choice. 

Quilting in process

I am thinking turquoise will look lovely with the floral backing. But light or dark? What do you think?

Floral Backing

Binding Choice

I am leaning to the light one, which is so not me. May be I should go with pink instead :-p

I will be sharing with Angela's Linky Party. 

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My Etsy Store - All items are 20% off from Wednesday, 11/24/21 through Monday, 11/29/21.