Scrappy Trips

Keryn and I managed to acquire a lot of fabric last year  that was very affordable and thus our respective stashes grew , um, quite a lot. Most of this was not the reproductions that I truly love but modern brighter colours that were still really appealing. Now we have to try and use it all!

I decided to make a Scrappy Trips, from Bonnie at Quiltville , found in the free patterns tab. I limited myself to orange, blue and green and a bit of yellow.

Hmm,so far so good, I liked the jumble of different patterns together, even if it was a bit chaotic.

However I wasn't such a fan of the blocks all set edge to edge like this. I tried different layouts but because I'd only made twelve blocks they all looked unbalanced. I was already sick of them and didn't want to cut any more out, so the diagonal orange lines seemed the only solution. And yet it was so busy I just wasn't satisfied. Plus it was too small.

So I scouted through the stash and found a soft yellow that sort of calmed things down a bit and put space into the chaos.

A suitable blue was finally found for the border and this top was done. I don't know why everything was so hard to decide on this project,  but at least I saw it through to completion. I made this pattern years ago and thought it was a real no-brainer to use up random fabric. I think I might need to go back to my browns and reproduction pinks for a while, at least I know how to use them without a struggle!

I looked at the cut offs from the end of the strip sets I'd sewn, and put them together into this little mat.  I like the random placing of the pieces and the different widths, it was good to use them up instead of putting them in the bin.

 

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Border Fabric Found

The stash yielded a half metre of this pretty blue green that suited the blocks perfectly. And it was also half price when I got it, which made me happy. I wish I'd bought more, it seemed to go with lots of other projects too, perhaps a trip back to see if there's any more available?.

I will be making these blocks again, a fullsize quilt would be pretty, or a child's quilt with novelty fabrics fussy cut for the centres....Every project sparks new ideas for future ones, we can never run out of ideas, fortunately!
 

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 I've been sewing away at various projects and making progress on all of them but had no finishes to show for my effort. I just seem to switch horses when I run out of cut pieces or get stumped on a decision. Lots of blocks being made, even new projects started but nothing being finally dealt with.

I count the top as a finish because Keryn and I sell a lot of projects as tops or sets  of blocks, some that I never intended to quilt. I just want the fun of trying the pattern or playing with fabrics outside my comfort zone.

I tried out this puss in the corner block as a way to use some "modern" scraps I had (as opposed to repro) and I made enough for a small top. They finish at six inches, using two inch strips.Twenty was enough to give me an idea of whether I thought they were a good idea, and I did like them. Super easy to piece and fun to combine the different prints.

So I sewed them all together with a scrappy white sashing and now I'm scrabbling through the stash to find a suitable border.

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Goodbye 2025

Well 2025 had a few more events to make life memorable, including emergency surgery for eldest son to remove his gall bladder and Matt having to spend a night bogged in a claypan in the desert (which he now says is an inland sea because of all the flooding rains they've had) until he could be rescued next morning. It would be nice if 2026 was peaceful, happy and with no major upheavals unless it's me winning the lottery.

I spent a week setting a pile of happy blocks into tops. 

Some of these might get borders, but I haven't decided yet. There were 150 of these super simple blocks sitting in a box and some are still left. 

It's a great way to use up scraps and requires no mental effort to cut or piece. I always have a container of cut pieces ready to sew if I don't feel like doing anything else.

I wasn't too sure about the really bright colours, they're not my style at all, but I enjoyed working with them.

My repro fabrics are calling me though, and I think I'll have to pick up one of my 'good' projects and play with my browns and pinks and cheddars for a while.

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Update...

 In excellent news, Matt and Tina got to their new job fine, navigating back roads to avoid flood damaged roads, and settled in. Yay!!  However a fishing trip along the way resulted in an infection developing in his hand that quickly became very serious. Fortunately the Royal Flying Doctor Service has a clinic right on the spot and arrangements were made to fly him to a hospital in Adelaide to get on top of the infection. To say he was not happy is an understatement. Two days of driving and weeks of planning to get up there, and whoosh, he's transported out.

The bacteria entered through a mostly healed three week old wound, ( from an angle grinder!) which upon investigation the doctor found to have partially severed a tendon. A fifteen minute tidy up turned into a two hour joint  and tendon repair. These country type stoics who won't go to a doctor and brush off injuries as "nothing much"  are so frustrating.

After a few days being pumped full of painkillers and antibiotics he was flown back to the job. He has to wear a brace so he can't bend his thumb for at least six weeks and I hope he's going to be sensible, but who knows? Let's hope there's no more drama, anyway.

And people wonder why I do so much sewing? Much better than meditiation or drinking to forget your worries. It honestly keeps me sane.

A set of log cabin blocks on the esign wall, plenty of calming sewing here.

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Back again

 Oh my goodness, I would love to say that 2025 was a better year than last, but that has not been the case. More prolonged hospital stays for some members, housing and job uncertainty for others, health concerns and lots of angst and worry. The only way out is through.

Son Matt and partner Tina have been living with me for a while, but have landed a job in remote south australian outback, twelve hours away. They intend to drive up on Saturday, but due to flood damage part of the road is closed to all tourist traffic and only accessible by 4Wdrive. thats ok, they have a land cruiser, but who knows what they'll encounter. Another section is closed to all traffic but they have permission to go through because they're getting to their job. Who knows what that will entail either. I'm trying not to worry but this is harsh country and the weather isn't co-operating. Send up prayers for their safety if so inclined!

I've used my piecing as sanity therapy this year, more than ever. Some might say I've been compulsive about it, and I'd agree. I can't say I've finished a lot of tops but there are piles of blocks finished and lots of new starts, and lots of fabric used.

Little star top, it's only crib size but I was sick of the blocks hanging around.

Garlic Knots,which was so easy to piece, very quick and satisfying.

I said to Keryn I had this weird superstition that every time I posted, more bad things would happen, and that put me off. She pointed out that the bad things were happening anyway. Thats true, and I don't really believe that because it is just superstition.

However  I have to be careful not to talk about other people's stories because they are not mine to tell, even if they have a huge impact on my life. So I'll try to just concentrate on the things that give me joy and keep me sane and hopefully I can resurrect the blog as a journal, as Keryn seems to be doing.

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Happenings

Shortly after I finished that last blog post my eleven year old grandson Max was in hospital, also diagnosed with type one diabetes. It seems unbelievable to me that there should be three people in the same family with it, but that's the reality of it. He too now has a pump and is coping very well. He's the same age as Rob wnen he was diagnosed but there is such a lot of support available now that it's a big help. 

With all the research I'm sure there will be a cure in ten years or so.

I spent Christmas with Rob and the boys and then came home to enjoy lots of reading, cooking, gardening, sewing and jigsaws.

The new year was spent quietly and I made a few resolutions and some plans. What was completely unforeseen was a woman in a work truck speeding through a Give Way sign and writing off the front of the car I was driving. I had fortuneatly seen she wasnt going to even slow down, so I jammed on the brakes and she hit the front of the car instead of the drivers door. I would probably still be in hospital, or not even alive if I hadn't.

I was a bit shaken up, but my main feeling was one of anger. I coud have had my grand daughters in the car with me, so many aspects could have been worse, so I was grateful for that, but still angry. Now Keryn and I are sharing her car, for which I am also grateful, but it makes life difficult. Hopefully the insurance will be sorted out soon and I can have my own wheels again.

I'm still sewing and cutting and had one finish very early in the year. This is a pattern I made years ago, but I sold that quilt and thought I'd make another. It's very easy to sew and used up a heap of scraps. I meant to make it bigger, but decided to make it a couch size, just so I could get a finish under my belt so early in the year. I must have five quilts awaiting borders, so I could really have  quick finishes, if I just worked on them. The lure of starting a project is strong though, and I'll probably give in soon.The weather is horrible, the garden is dying and being holed up in the sewing room seems the most sensible thing at the momment.

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