Under The Needle Update

 I used to be good about posting what was under my needle each month, but it's been a long time since I've had anything to share. However, I've been able to sneak in and out of my sewing room in small 5 minute increments. I'm still cooking for the crew, but we've eliminated breakfasts for them and that frees up some time. I may still cook breakfast for them on occasion when we brand, but in all honesty, after 35 years of making breakfast for the crew, this old body is not missing those 2-3 a.m. wake-up calls. This weekend DH and I fed, put out a lot of hay, and the babies are still being fed twice a day, but the fridge was full of leftovers so I didn't have to cook and DH checked water and sorted some cows, leaving me behind...so I spent some time in my sewing room.

I finished piecing the Moda Bakeshop Sweet Menagerie Jelly Roll top. 

And worked on piecing the back with the leftovers and some coordinating fabrics from my stash:

I also worked on piecing these blocks I worked on last year, into rows:

I'm using a Biscuits and Gravy Jelly Roll from a few years ago. I fell in love with the red main print and I think this pattern is a fun way to showcase it.

My bin of blue fabrics has really gotten out of control. In fact, I'm a little embarrassed to admit that I have 2 bins so in an attempt to make a dent in the overflow, I've been searching for a scrappy quilt pattern. I found it in Bonnie Hunter's Winter Blues:

I love the concept of her scrap users system, but it doesn't really work for the way I sew although if I have a small bit left, I will cut a 2 1/2" strip or a 5" square. I hate to strip things down when I may need a 5" strip or a 8" square. I never really know how I'm going to use my fabrics so it made more work and I've got a lot of cutting of 1 1/2" strips to do, but it was fun sorting through my bins and revisiting the various prints:

I haven't pulled my neutrals yet and I don't have a whole lot of those, but I've got  lots of blue 16-patches to stitch and I hope I'll be able to consolidate my blues into a single bin. Hope springs eternal!

I'll admit that two thoughts ran through my head while I was cutting:

1: Where on earth did all of this fabric come from?

2. I will never need to buy fabric again.

I hear you laughing. But honestly, I'm just not sewing enough to justify all this fabric and even if I sewed every day, I'd never use it all. Not even close. 

I'm still cutting, but I really felt the need to stitch so the strips are piling up:

and happy little blue blocks are beginning to appear:

My SIL and I were talking the other day and she said we needed to have all this fabric so we'd have enough to keep us busy when we retire. A bit later she said she couldn't wait to see this blue quilt finished. I replied, "Don't hold your breath. At the rate I'm sewing, it probably won't be finished until we retire. Come to think of it, ranchers don't ever really retire so I don't think there's any danger of ever sewing up my stash. And I think I'm going to keep looking for blue scrappy quilt ideas because this isn't going to make much of a dent in what I have. 

I'm also binding this baby quilt:

And I picked up the Safari quilt I made for us a few years ago from Jackie last Monday. I usually make the binding before I hand the top off to her, but I neglected to do that so I made the binding yesterday. A scrappy binding would have been fun, but I'm using this print because it's what I have:

 I guess the drought has extended to my stitching as well as the pastures, but it feels good to be working on something again and God's still working so I'm still praying.