Pointless Quilt Block Sewing

The title is a bit of a pun.  I made several more of the "square in a square" blocks. But I have decided to go a bit "folksy" with it. I am cutting the blocks down to nine inches square and loosing all of the points.  The "quilt police" insist that your points be "perfect."  Ha! So I decided to make my blocks pointless. I used more layer cake squares and some turnover pieces.  But some of the layer cake squares were cut into fourths to cover corners.
Okay, I admit it. I am playing and just having fun with it.  I started quilting to have fun.  So here are my fun squares and the "bonus" pieces

I have five squares and ten "bonus" pieces.  Yikes!  the bonus pieces have points?  I will have to solve that problem. Ha ha...I already have a plan.

Oh and if you are "doing the math" and wondering about the number of bonus pieces - two of them aren't shown as I don't know if I will use them.  They had "oops" cuts made on them.  Of course, with the "plan" I may still be able to use them.
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Blocks -and a Trip around the Sun

My blogging has been somewhat sporadic lately.  My life has been busy - but fun.  I am truly enjoying my retirement years. While I have had to learn to live on less, I am enjoying the adventure.

This week I made several blocks of the "Sort of Square in a Square."  These were made with stash fabrics by cutting smaller squares to put in the corners and sew on the diagonal. I am letting these be somewhat free form.  All of the "squares" in the center are not square. I think it looks more interesting this way.

These are not trimmed yet....and I could lose some points. But remember - free form - it is okay. There is the one I started with added to this mix (lower left) I used the leftovers from the corners to make bonus squares and got the very bottom square. And I have a few more bonus squares.

Notice the oddness on the top two?  That happens when making the square in square this way. I consider it a bit more visually interesting.

I also celebrated another "trip around the sun" - also known as a birthday.  I have a friend who is a traditional weaver, spinner and Saori freestyle weaver.  On her traditional loom, she makes these amazing rainbow dish towels.  After looking (and lusting) for many months, I decided to get one for my birthday.

These are nicely sized. Mine measures 27" by 15 34/" 

I am considering using it as a table scarf rather than as a towel.  I am messy in the kitchen and would hate to mess it up.  Since it is cotton, if I had to (gasp) bleach it out, the colors would fade or possibly be lost. And if you are lusting too...her shop is HERE. Right now there are none of these in stock but I know she has some on her loom.  So use the "convo" thing on Etsy to let her know you are interested.

And finally,  I bought myself two classes on Craftsy for my birthday.  I got an email about a sale on "anything in your wish list" for $19.99 or less.   Imagine my shock when I found two that I wanted for only $9.99 each.  So I am "Improving my Knitting" and learning "Tunisian Crochet"
Sadly the sale is over, but I decided I do suggest that you go over and start a wish list on the site.  Hopefully, you will get a special sale on your birthday too.
Full Disclosure:  I am a Craftsy affiliate and using these links to purchase classes may result in compensation to me.  That said, I do love most of the Craftsy classes I have taken.  And if you ever buy a class you find disappointing, Craftsy has a money-back guarantee that I have used in the past.
Remember, learning helps to keep your brain active. So it is a great thing to do.


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Back to Real Life - One Block and 5 Qts

Finally my "make it" mojo has kicked back in.  After rehearsing and performing for so long, I needed a nice rest.  
Yesterday I started it....but let's go backwards.  Today I had a thought of how I want to use the Color Daze batiks and the Nocturne "turnover" fabric that I won from Moda.  Amazingly simple, but also nicely effective.  I made one block:

I haven't trimmed the block yet but it will be square - ish.  LOL.  I am not one to worry about perfection. I love the beauty of imperfection in handmade items like quilts and weaving.

Now, back to yesterday:  I had two heads of cabbage and some daikon radishes in the refrigerator. These were bought with a plan: Making Kimchi.  So, that is what I did. Here are five lovely quarts of kimchi. Four of them are cabbage (just plain old cabbage - not Napa) and one is all daikon radish. There is another partial quart of the radish version in the refrigerator...but I had to eat some of it yesterday.

This batch fermented nicely.  When I pushed it down in the jars after fermenting there were lots of lovely bubbles of the fermentation gases.  It is all now safely ensconced in the fridge.  That is the issue if you want to limit the fermentation. You must refrigerate it to slow down the process. 

Mmm.. I can hardly wait to put some of this over some rice.

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The End of the Run (photo heavy)

As many of you know, if you have been keeping up with me,  I was in a musical with the local theatre company.  The show was Cole Porter's hilarious romp Anything Goes.  I was in the Ensemble cast as a passenger on the ship.  I got to sing onstage in a real production for the first time ever.  I loved it.  Here are some pictures with various cast members.

The full cast singing "Bon Voyage" 

One of the "Angels" and Chris aka Elisha Whitney

Georgia aka Evangeline Harcourt and "Billy Crocker" 

Yes the sun was in my eyes and they are closed (oops.)
Ellen played both "the reporter" and a passenger on the ship.
She is a real darling.

My friend and once upon a time my duet partner.
I love working with this lady. She played one of the "angels."

Goofing off backstage

Lord Evelyn Oakleigh and the Debutante Hope Harcourt

Reno and Erma  

The Fabulous Kelli  as Reno Sweeney- the Sensuous Sermonizer
I rolled her hair for every performance. She is one of the
sweetest ladies I have ever worked with. 

During the Sailor's song "Lady Fair"  I danced with the lady in the wheelchair.

Some of the "guys" backstage. 

The Ship's Purser - He was so funny. What a great guy.

My "drinking buddy" for the song Public Enemy Number One

The end of a run is bittersweet.  I will miss seeing these folks (and the rest of the cast and crew) many times a week.  However, I will have time to get back into my creative "making stuff" groove; and that is sweet. While there are no upcoming shows that I see myself auditioning for, I may help backstage or with concessions occasionally.


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