Six and a half inch quilt blocks

Hey Mary and Jeni,

Over the last year I have started playing with quilt blocks that finish at 6 inches. Partly because that is the size for most Treadle-On block exchanges and partly because I saw some cute ones while trolling the net and decided to try them out. 

First of course was stars.            >         

Those were because I was making them for a raffle quilt for the River Rat Toga. I can't show you that quilt. (It is a secret until the raffle) but I can show you an assortment of the stars that went into it. 

After that starry fun time I started working on scrappy 6.5" squares.  I became addicted to them.  I bet I have made close to 200 so far. 

I had to find ways to use them up.  

Lots of runners and covers for my vintage sewing machine cabinets. (I try to keep the cat claws from scratching them.)

< First this lap quilt with black and white striped sashing. That only used up 35 of them. 

Next this sample from a class with   >  Jan Mullen  at  the Quilt Market many years ago.  I decided it needed a frame of scrappy blocks.  I found a WOF strip of the background blue for a wide outer border to tie it all together!  That got rid of 14 more.

< This little table topper was made with scrappy blocks from two different projects.  The angled blocks were from my friend Deb P. who was making a paper pieced quilt from a Judy Niemeyer pattern.  

The straight ones are leftover from a Treadle On block exchange  (TOBE) of Modern Blocks. The colors were perfect to go together!  To make it the size I wanted I had to add in a few extra strips.

Then I used up 10 more in a sewing   machine mat.  It was tricky adding the tool pocket that hangs over the front.  I had to make 4 half square blocks for this design

Enough with the scrappy squares! 

<  I noticed these little flower blocks on another blog - I forget where.  They were making tulips mostly which I didn't care for but then someone made one of these!  

I loved them. I did NOT worry about making the little triangles all the same. It is nature after all and Mother Nature loves diversity.

Yes I have 4 now but don't have a picture. The fourth one is blue.

Next I ran across this cute dragonfly  > pattern at the Moda Bake Shop.  It is designed by Jen Daly.  The pattern shows both 6.5" and 12.5" options.  

I have been saving this shimmery fabric from Maywood Studio for years.  It is perfect for the dragonflies.  And the background is a Benartex Fossil Fern that reads SKY to me.

< And then, just as I thought there couldn't be any more cute little 6.5" patterns, Bonnie K. Hunter came up with these little fishies for this summer's leaders and enders.  

Hers were made smaller than 6.5".  

Well that's OK I know how to enlarge a simple pattern like this.

Most of these 3.5" units were plucked out of my scrappy boxes so I didn't have to even make the HST's.

 

Well if there are fishies then there must be Kitties.  These cute little cats are from a pattern from my friend Helen Howes in England. She calls the pattern Counter-Change Cats.   The pattern can be purchased and downloaded from her at https://www.helenhowestextiles.co.uk/kitsandpatterns/patts.html 

I have had the fabric ready to sew these for several months and just started playing with it lately.  The curve is really fun to sew.  It is amazing how nicely it lays flat.  Just go slow when you sew it.

Whew!

I'm glad I got all these 6.5" blocks off my chest.  Now I can go a do a little sewing.

Hugs,

Nancy

What happened eleven years ago tonight.

Eleven years ago July 18th was a Sunday night.  At about 11:00 I heard the phone ringing.  My first thought was who would be calling me at this time of night.  My second thought was...maybe it's Meritcare hospital in Fargo and they have a kidney.

I didn't think it would really be the hospital because I had been waiting for 5 years and had given up on ever getting one.  

But it WAS!

I was told I was the backup patient in case the person in front of me on the list was unable to pass all the last minute tests to qualify. I was told not to take my evening .81mg aspirin and asked when did I last eat and warned don't eat anything more and be in Fargo at 7:30 in the morning.  

Just in case.

About 15 minutes later I got another call.  The decedent donor had two good kidneys and I was now primary for the second one. 

I don't remember if I was excited or scared or calm.  I told Jim and I know we got ready.  Really I don't remember much until we got to the hospital the next morning. I remember they took 16 vials of blood from me.  I remember I had some kind of heart test.  An EKG?  I remember waiting and waiting.  Hungry and thirsty.

I didn't get into the surgery until after 7 in the evening. I remember being wheeled into the operating room and Dr. Mistry asking if I wanted to see the kidney before the surgery.  Hell NO!

Then it was the next morning and it was over, or just beginning.  The rest of my life.

Eleven years ago. July 18 2010.

Ah, the Elliot neck in full view.