Bitcoin flimsy and more

 Several days of progress on different projects. It feels good to get things going.

This is my bitcoin flimsy.  Bonnie Hunter released the pattern in 2021 and I really liked the arrangement and the ability to use up the bag of 1 1/2 inch strips I had.   But I didn't want to keep making more and more, and saw a modified arrangement using long strips of a background in between the vertical rows by Nann of With Strings Attached.  It made for a great combination.  I found a nice red small print which accentuated my color combination.  I do like the Thimbleberries and Kansas Troubles.   But I have added some brighteners to increase the contrast. This is a twin sized quilt top, but no destined recipient yet. 

And as a new month comes, so does a new block for my Stash Bee.

This one had lots of 2 inch squares. 

And lastly, I have a few blocks to show for my New York Beauty: They are a fun detour from the other blocks and require different skills with paper piecing and curves. 

Keep on quilting. 

Another retreat

 I had the delightful opportunity to go on another quilting retreat.  This one is in rural Wisconsin southwest of Madison, our capitol. I love this one where you can see the sunset over the fields and farms. And the weather was warm, which I had not quite anticipated.  And the air conditioner was turned on when only in the 70s.  Oh well.

But the food, the comradery, the shared ideas, and the hours of quilting.  So great to get things moving on projects. We had trivia and campfire songs, and lots of fun together. And I forgot the good food, although my stomach was revolting at the time.

Anyway, here are some of their projects:

This was an exchange project. Many of the knick knacks are personal and titles on books , family photos, etc. Very cool! Love the arched center.

A found set of blocks from a free table 

Fat cat designs of a Southern Gentlemen from last fall.

Things I worked on:

Quilted my small flag quilt to send to Mom for her door. 

It was a free pattern from Buttermilk Basin without the applique, a UFO from the past.

The binding was handsewn once I got home.

Another flag banner which had been left as a top last year.

Also hand sewn binding at home.

This is Bonnie Hunter's Bitcoin pattern with large strips of color in between.  

It was a UFO from 2021:     link for the  bitcoin start

I ran out of the pieced parts and will had 2 more strips: 

one pieced and one solid making a twin quilt.

These blocks were comprised of the hourglass blocks leftover from another wall hanging. 

Blocks were made over a year ago.

I left the back of odd blocks at home. 

So it will end up longer. 

Something new!

 No, not a new purchase.   ( I have visited a few quilt shops this summer though.)  I have the beginning of a new project to show. 

I have been sewing away at it for a couple of weeks.  ( This was the project that I was cutting/trimming on when I sliced my fingernail. No fabrics were injured or dripped with blood while the injury happened.)

The pattern is called Bitcoin by Bonnie Hunter.  Bitcoin pattern

 Kathy of Kathy's quilts in Canada who showed the  beginnings of her RSC project where she was using the July color of purple for a few rows.  I checked it out and fell in love with it for all my scrappiness accumulating.  Kathy has also added more for August and I think it will be a very colorful quilt. 

These are the start of my new addiction using strips I had hanging around.  I am not much of an organized scrap girl.  I feel I don't ever really know pattern or size I am looking for.  So I save my pieces in whatever size they are. 

After I got into a system of sewing groups together and going to the ironing and cutting board in stages, I produced quite a few. I enjoyed the randomness and would go scout out more colors to add. Of course, I needed to cut the strips and the fabric piles grew. 

But I pulled out a plastic shoebox and started stacking them as I kept going.  

Here are what they look like on end. 

This is how my arrangement looks at the present time to give you an idea of how the pattern goes.

Mind you, I am not a brights girl. These are more of my country pallet of colors.  I have thrown in some pinks and purples to add pizzazz and made sure to vary with lighter colors and darker ones.  I try to assemble strips for the contrast, not the color combinations. 

I have not decided how big to make it. The box above are more than what is laid out, so I have quite a few done. 

I did also finish up another set of my curved log cabins for RSC for August. 

The rest are some inspiration from our quilts at the Wisconsin State Fair. They hang all the large ones from the ceiling. Two of these are from my guild in a nice air conditioned building with the flowers are bakery are other needlework treasures and photos.