Crumb Blocks/Strips Into Crumb Quilts

Agilejack's Fresh Start Quilt

Complete directions for blocks (shown below).

NOT HARD AT ALL!!!

Another idea:

Nine patch crumb blocks with unifying center and border!

Another nine-patch, also on the YouTube video below.

Here's a 9-minute YouTube video from MerryMabelMarket that is no-nonsense, quick, and fun to watch.  She's making 6 1/2 inch color-block squares: 

Hidden Trails - Table Runner from ONE Charm Pack

 

YouTube video is here. Quick, easy, simple.

You need 40 squares.

Trim down 20 of the 5-inch squares to 4 1/2 inches.

Draw diagonal line on the wrong side of 10 of the remaining squares.

Pair each of these with one of the 10 last squares and sew 1/4-inch on each side of drawn line.

Cut on line.

Sew together - "flying geese" on top of two squares.

Poem: It's ok by Amy Ludwig VanDerwater

 

Summer Jaunt #3 - Quilt Shop Hopping thru Dauphin-Lebanon-Lancaster Counties

 Gorgeous summer day, though it did sprinkle a bit later in the day.

Started at TLC Quilting in Middletown, which is really not very far away and quite easy to get to.  Small, but a bit of everything and nice people.  Lots of classes and get-togethers.  Purchased 1/2 yd of white.

Meandered from there through Mt. Gretna and Cornwall.  I never realized that Mt. Gretna is a summer fun/resorty area!  I wish I'd stopped and taken pictures, it was quite nice.  I then headed over to Lancaster County and Burkholder's Quilt shop (where I purchased two more 1/2 yards of white to turn into jelly roll strips).

From there, found the business card of Hammond School Farm Market, which I discovered whilst out jaunting last fall, so headed over to New Holland.  Bought some fresh veggies, chocolate chip cookies, and a whoopie pie, then headed down towards...

Intercourse and The Old Country Store, where I purchased nothing.  Funny, I don't usually purchase much there.  It's to be noted, however, that they have lots and lots of solid colors, including numerous whites, which I haven't been finding elsewhere.

Other than slowdowns/stoppages near/at the intersection of 283 and 30, the ride home at rush house was not a problem at all.

Wish I'd taken more photos!

55. The Forgotten Witch by Jessica Dodge

read on Kindle/phone
412 pgs.

2022

Adult fantasy
Finished 6/14/2024
Goodreads rating: 4.13
My rating: 2
Setting: Mostly contemporary Scotland, some flashes to the past

My comments: It took me months to plod through this story, but I persevered, refusing to give up.  It wasn't particularly well written, although it started out okay, but - for me - kept going down from there.  Long winded, so-so writing and repetitive information just didn't do it for me, although I loved the premise....

Goodreads synopsis:  Helen Kent never dares to step outside her comfort zone. She lives a lonely, mundane life in the city, grinding through her uninspiring marketing job. That is, until a spontaneous online purchase brings her to the little bay town of Oban, Scotland, where a 500-year-old cottage full of secrets and stories awaits her. After Helen unearths the local legend of a 16th century witch, she discovers a set of mysterious journals in the cottage’s library. Thrust into a world of magic she doesn’t understand, she soon realizes there are both light and dark forces at work beyond her control. With the help of a dashing Scottish neighbor and his wise grandfather, Helen discovers the link that connects her to the mysterious events unfolding at the cottage. But when the past collides with the present, she must face her fears and fight for what she believes in—that is if she hopes to unravel the mystery of Fernbeg cottage before darkness descends, again.

54. Beyond Reach by Molly Black

#2 Reese Link, Maine cop

listened on Chirp
198 pgs.

2023
Genre/Level
Finished 6/11/24
Goodreads rating: 4.13
My rating: 3
Setting: Contemporary Maine coast

My comments: This was supposed to be set inn Maine, but it could have been set anywhere.  It kept my attention but wasn't overwhelming "good."  

Goodreads synopsis:  Small town police officer Reese Link, teaming up with her new Maine State Police partner, is assigned another explosive the second warden in the state has turned up murdered. These seem like vengeance killings, but Reese suspects something much darker, more maniacal, and she knows it will take all she has to enter this killer’s mind and outwit him before he strikes again.

Reese Link is determined to do right by her deceased older brother, to fill his shoes in the local police department, and to avenge his murder. She also wants to make her father, a local lobsterman, proud. But the local force is male, and close-knight, and Reese soon learns that being accepted won’t be so easy.

Small town life on a harbor in Maine can be rough. Winters can be cruel and stretch forever, while the working class who inhabit the harbor suffer no fools. Reese knows this town like the back of her hand—but when she teams up with a State police officer, she quickly realizes she’ll have to branch out to other areas, way out of her comfort zone. She will have to learn quickly about all regions of Maine, as she hunts deadly killers wherever they may take her.

All along, she must fight her own demons, shake off the heaviness of her childhood, the depression of this town, and ask is she good enough?

Three Rivers Fruit Muffins

2 c. flour

2 t. baking powder

1/2 cup sugar

1/2 t. salt

  (1/2 t. cinnamon)

1 1/4 c. small fruit chunks

1/2 c. oil

1 egg

1 1/2 t. vanilla

1 cup liquid:  milkes, creams, etc.

400 degrees for 20 - 25 min.

Sprinkle some brown sugar over top?

Eleven Scrap Quilts Using 2 1/2 Inch Strips of Any Length - from The Quilted Forest

The Quilted Forest is a quilt shop in Iowa.  It's my favorite online quilting channel.

 First in a series of 11, The Quilted Forest (Iowa) shows how to make this simple (oh,so easy!) quilt:  I think its a variation of the Rail Fence?

YouTube video of instructions

The second was pretty cool, too!  And super easy.

YouTube video of instructions

The third quilt was a version of the Rail Fence Quilt.  It wasn't quite a simple because you have to really pay attention to colors, making sure the two main colors are REALLY different.

You Tube video of instructions.

Her fourth in the series was the standard jelly roll race quilt.  She used homespuns and flannels for both of these.  For the first she sewed the original strip together end to end, and for the second she sewed the strips together diagonally.  She had a huge amount of strips for the first quilt - it ended up being 120 inches long - so she cut off some of the bottom rows to add to each side to make it wider.  I love the black strip she added.  Brilliant quilt!

YouTube video of instructions.

Strip Quilt Number 5 is using a Moda pattern called Half Step.  On the first she used a jelly roll, on the second she used scraps.   She chose pastels and divided them into like colors.

You Tube instruction video.

The sixth strip quilt is made from a Moda  pattern called Smoothie Time.

She made two - one from her leftover Halloween strips, and one from her leftover Christmas strips.

She made the Christmas one bigger than the Halloween, and added a black border so that it didn't appear too "busy."  I like it.

Unfortunately, there never seems to be a photo of the whole quilt.  Oh well.....

YouTube instruction video.

Her seventh quilt was from her Block of the Month series, December 2022.  It makes a 16-inch block, and uses all scrappy fabrics.  She had so many squares finished that she made this one a REVERSABLE quilt!

And here's the reverse:

YouTube instructional video here.

The eighth quilt is made from a pattern called "Let's Dance" and she made a baby quilt using pastel colors.  It's a HST quilt.

Here's the.YouTube instructional video.

The ninth quilt is a little more work, lots of small pieces with sashing that has cornerstones.  It's really pretty, though!  The pattern is called "Quadrangle

Here's the instructional video with all sorts of hints.

Quilt 10 is a pattern called "Spiny Peaks," and is quite striking, especially done in two very different colors like the black and bright pink.  I think the pattern calls for one of the colors to be white, but I love the idea of using scraps.

Here's the YouTube videoYouTube video showing how it goes together.

Number 11 is called "Type It."  Put together in an interesting way, without a lot of fussy measuring to get the lighter color in the middle to have an interesting "path."

YouTube instruction video.

53. One Little Mistake by Lucinda Berry

listened on Audible
100? pgs.(2:23) only in audio format

2021
Adult mystery novella
Finished 6/7/2024
Goodreads rating: 3.48
My rating: 4.5

My comments: A really good mystery that keeps you frustrated and guessing.  A young mother gets arrested for OUI and endangering her two babies.  She's never been much of a drinker and had only had two glasses of wine.  But she'd blacked out, couldn't remember any of the particulars about anything, including her arrest.  When she goes to AA on the advice of her lawyer she is taken under the wings of a fascinating woman who becomes her mentor.  The story very quickly progresses from there...a very good story, indeed.

Goodreads synopsis:  When overwhelmed stay-at-home mom Alexis finds herself at odds with her husband after she’s charged with a DUI, she is given one chance to get her family back: complete AA and admit her faults. The problem is, she’s never had a drinking problem and has no idea what caused the blackout that led to her arrest. Still, she’s committed to working through the program, if that’s what it takes to be reunited with her two young children. But when she connects with a new friend, Farrah - a confident, successful powerhouse of a woman Alexis can’t help but idolize - she’s empowered to take a closer look at her husband’s role in her downfall. What she finds shocks her to her core, quickly spiraling into something more sinister than she ever imagined.

52. The Half-Orc's Maiden Bride by Ruby Dixon

listened on Audible, I think....
190 pgs.

2022
Adult X-rated Fantasy
Finished 6/7/24
Goodreads rating: 4.05
My rating: Fun to read

My comments: Yes, filled with Ruby Dixon's usual steaminess, this is the story of a 30-year-old clueless virgin and her more experienced husband to be.  You feel sorry for the extremely-tall unloved woman and hate her father...a good way to begin a story, hmm?  There's a pretty decent storyline and it's told in an easy manner....and it's almost a How-To sex guide if you don't mind that kind of thing,  lol!  Very likeable main characters.

Goodreads synopsis:  Lady Iolanthe of Rockmourn Keep expects to be a spinster all her days. She is very tall. She is very poor. And she is thirty. What lord could possibly want her?

But then her father returns with news that he has found a bridegroom for her - one that is impressively tall. One that is strong, and bold, and wealthy. And best of all? He wants Iolanthe. It seems too good to be true.

And when Iolanthe gets her first look at her husband-to-be, she realizes why.

No one mentioned the 'orc' part of things...

Summer Jaunt #1 - York, PA

 Forced myself to get up and going, looked to be a beautiful day!  Final destination was the "Every Quilt Has a Story" Quilt Show presented by York Quilters Guild.

First Stop:  Gifford Pinchot State Park.

I needed to replace my Park Passport which got drowned in a flood.  All out a the visitor's center, but they knew that they had the available at the Campground.  It was Friday late morning and people were starting to arrive to camp for the weekend!  Drove down to see the cabins and yurts, the modern cabins (kitchen stuff and bathroom).  The last time you can get a 2-night stay is next Friday, after that it's weekly and it's actually quite expensive.  Lots of picnicking opportunities.

Haven't stopped at The Finishing Touch in FOREVER, and I'm glad I did because they're closing in a couple of weeks.  Huge sale....60 % off remaining fabric.  Bought 2 yds of a solid orange Moda to add as cornerstones to my Jordan fabrics strip quilt.  $6.60!

"Every Quilt Has a Story"

York Quilt Show at Grumbacher Sports & Fitness Center 

York College of Pennsylvania

3D Vibes

Cindy Leen

Loved it!

Close Up.

Deb Wilhide

EPP Flowers

Table runner.  Smaller hexie than I generally do.  Very cool!

Sue Royer

Just amazine!

Sue Royer

"Mountain Quilter"

Inspired by a photography by Dorthea Lange (public domain) taken in 1937.  The Dresden pate quilt was an artistic addition to the original photography of a "southern Lady."

GORGEOUS!!!

51. The Night I Died by Anne Frasier

listened on Kindle Unlimited Audio
283 pgs.

2023
Adult mystery
Finished 6/4/2024
Goodreads rating: 3.97
My rating:  4
Setting: 

My comments: Anne Frasier certainly knows how to write a good tale.  In this one, single detective Olivia Wells leaves her home in LA to work on a mystery in Kansas.  She was born and raised there, but remembers absolutely nothing before the train wreck that killed her mom and best friend.  There were no huge surprises in the story, but it was exciting and fun to read.  Olivia certainly had a quirky personality, which I really enjoyed, although some of the subject matter was uncomfortable. 

Goodreads synopsis:  A mother’s unthinkable crime and an investigator’s forgotten past collide in a shocking novel of suspense by Anne Frasier, the New York Times bestselling author of The Body Reader . Private detective Olivia Welles hasn’t been to her hometown since childhood, not since the night she died. She has no memory of the world before the car crash, or of coming back to life in the morgue. But now, years later, when fellow survivor Bonnie Ray calls from a Kansas jail begging for help, Olivia feels the tug of a dark and unremembered past. Bonnie looks guilty of murdering her young son—the third child to die under suspicious circumstances. Intrigued and seeking closure, Olivia agrees to investigate. Back in the foreboding town where her heart stopped and started again, Olivia finds an unexpected ally in Will LaFever, a journalist with his own motives for uncovering the truth. Together they unearth more than they expect about Bonnie, her traumatized family, and the crime. You’re lucky you don’t remember any of it, Olivia’s father used to say. But Olivia’s luck is running out. This time, escaping Finney County with her life might be impossible.

A Great Idea

I have a whole bucket full of batik hexies that I sewed together in a four-patch years ago without a clue about how I would eventually sew them all together.

Well, I saw this on someone's blog and I sat up straighter.....

Interesting ideas are forming in my tangled brain.......

Freezing Celery and Onions

I hate to buy a whole package of celery and only use one or two pieces.  The following sounds great and quite easy to do, freezing for a month or two and freezing for up to a year!

Step 1: Wash and dry your celery well.

Step 2: Chop into the desired size and shape. I like to cut my celery into the size I most often use for soup or stir-fry recipes so I don’t have to try to cut it later.

Step 3: Place the celery in a single layer on a baking sheet. Transfer the baking sheet to the freezer. This step prevents the pieces of celery from freezing together in clusters.

Step 4: Once frozen solid (usually 2-3 hours), transfer the celery to a freezer safe container to use within a month or two.

If you want to have your frozen celery good for up to a year, you will need to do a quick blanch on them. To do this, place slice celery in boiling water for 2 minutes, remove with a slotted spoon and transfer to an ice bath to stop the cooking process. Then follow the above steps for freezing it. Blanched celery will last for up to 12 months in the freezer.

Freezing Onions is practically the same:

Here are some tips for freezing fresh onions:

• Prepare the onions

  Peel, remove any brown or mushy spots, and chop or slice the onions. You can also dice them in a food processor.
• Blanch

  If you're freezing whole onion bulbs, you should blanch them first. Blanching time depends on the size of the onion, but should be long enough to heat the entire bulb, from the outside in. Small onions should blanch for three minutes, while larger onions should blanch for seven minutes.
• Freeze

  You can use one of two methods to freeze the onions:

  • Dry pack: Place the onions in freezer bags, removing as much air as possible. Lay the bags flat on a cookie sheet or metal pan in the freezer until frozen, then stack them to save space.
  • Tray pack: Freeze the onions in a single layer on a cookie sheet lined with sides for about an hour, or until frozen. Then, transfer them to freezer bags, removing as much air as possible.
• Store

  Frozen raw onions can last up to eight months, while cooked onions can last up to 12 months. Store them in an airtight container, freezer bag, or wrapped tightly in plastic wrap or aluminum foil

50. Yours Truly by Abby Jimenez

listened on Libby - borrowed from the library
416 pgs.

2023
Adult romance
Finished 6/1/2024
Goodreads rating: 4.33
My rating: 3.75
Setting: contemporary Minnesota or Wisconsin or somewhere like that

My comments: Very likeable main characters, both doctors who don't seem to have to work very much, Jacob who has extreme anxiety, Briana who is newly divorced and very distrustful of men, which carries over to the big misunderstanding/miscommunication climax that happens in every one of these romance novels.  It was this part that lowered by rating.  Lots of complex issues in this story, and most of it was quite delightful to read.  There was one short, steamy moment, but other than that this was pretty clean.

Goodreads synopsis:  Dr. Briana Ortiz's life is going downhill. Her divorce is about to be made official, her brother is running out of time to get a liver donor and that promotion she wanted so much is almost certainly going to that new doctor she can no longer stand. However, just when all systems are programmed for hate, Jacob Maddox flips the scoreboard by sending Briana a card. One that proves that Jacob, in fact, is not the Antichrist.

Bri and Jacob continue to write to each other... And so, he decides to give Briana the best gift imaginable, and she can't help but wonder how she's going to resist this quiet and attractive newcomer... especially when he asks you for a favor you can't refuse.