Under the Needle: June

Is it just me or did June just whizz by? Somewhere along the way, I did manage to make some progress and get some stitching done. It doesn't happen every day, maybe 2 or 3 days a week most weeks, but that's a good balance for me. It might just be 30 minutes, but every once in a while, I manage to sneak in a couple of hours. 

 My big accomplishment this month was getting all of the HSTs made for the Land of Enchantment quilt. SO many HSTs, but I enjoy making them. They may be my favorite unit to make because of their versatility.

I also pieced all of the blocks, but that's the extent of my progress in June. There are 3 different blocks in this quilt.

I did pick up 3 quilts from Jackie earlier in the month and stitched those bindings to the fronts

I finished 2 of them this month...the Jungle Jam quilt

And the Summer Farm Stand quilt 

So I didn't accomplish a whole lot, but I feel good about getting those 2 oldest UFOs finished.

I've just got 3 more tops ready to be quilted and then that'll be the end of my UFO tops so even though I have a few projects lingering in bins, I'm feeling the urge to start something new. I may have already begun. 😉

Online Fabric Swap

In December 2023 I joined a red and white fabric swap hosted by @redrainbootshandmade on Instagram. I sent in (5) 1 yard cuts of fabric, cut into (56) 5" squares and received 70 (4 of each print) in return. This is what I sent in.

I made this quilt that I posted about HERE and still have some charm squares left over. 

Last year, Julia also hosted a blue swap, but I didn't get in on that one.

This year it was a low volume swap and I signed up for 8 groups. I love low volume prints. I have a good variety in my stash, but they are smaller cuts so I did a little shopping for the swap. I bought some of these with part of a gift certificate, and some were sourced online, on sale

Julia is offering 2 pretty patterns, but of course, you can make whatever you wish. There are so many options with charm squares.

The swap groups filled up in 2 hours so I'm glad I was able to take part. The variety I got back was so good!

It's been a while since I made a low volume quilt, but there are quite a few on my radar. I made my You Make Me Smile quilt 3 years ago and gifted it to our girl. 

It's still one of my favorites and I'm hankering to make another.

Summer Days

 We have been chipping away at our fence project. There is more to do, but fence project #1 is complete! Building fence in mountain country is challenging

Especially since we're in our 60's and no longer spring chickens.

Most days, I'm DH's sidekick, but our boy's been helping with the big jobs like grubbing cactus, pounding pipe and stretching the wire.

I gathered and stacked wood

Even little E is a part of the apprentice program

She's learning about hard work (she helped Pap grease all the gates)

A dip in the water trough is the perfect treat after helping Pap.

I was hauling water to the chickens and when I turned around, Pap had her in the water. 😂

The barn is also the best place to  build memories 

Pap is handing down skills to the next generation

Atta girl!

Will she remember the summer she was 4?

Probably not

But according to her

Today was 'the best day EVER'!

Clever girl to recognize that the best things in life are not things

Pancake Poppers

 I ran across this recipe on Pinterest last week and I thought it sounded like something grandchiddlers might like.

Pancake Poppers

And it just so happened that little E was here bright and early on Thursday morning and she agreed to be my taste tester

More please!

I made half of them according to the recipe and then I added cinnamon to the remaining batter.

I may be making these a lot. 😋

Summer Farm Stand Quilt

 Today I've got another old, recently finished, UFO to herald in the first day of summer.

 I think it was around 2010 when I found a bin of fruit and vegetable fat quarters at a quilt shop in Buda, Texas and I bought 20 of them.

 I hadn't been making quilts very long and I didn't know what to make with them so they sat for a long time and when I saw the Chandelier quilt pattern, I thought they would be a good fit. So in 2018, I finally started making blocks. I used this crackle print as a background for a rustic feel, but then I ran out of it and I just let the unfinished top sit in the back of the closet.

I finally decided to just pull something close from my stash to finish it off

Then it sat again because I couldn't decide on a backing and I was determined to use something from my stash. I have always loved this print, but I didn't have enough so I used what I had for a strip down the middle and added a green gingham to each end.

Sandy quilted it with a design called Dusty Miller

And I bound it with a green from my stash

It's just a small lap size at  61" x 61"

We've been so busy with other projects that I didn't get a garden in this year so a quilted garden is all I have to harvest.

Catalina Salad

This has been a family favorite for close to 30 years. I don't even remember where it came from. I've served it as a side dish for barbecue and grilled chicken, but we often just make a meal out of it. It was requested on Sunday and made a perfect addition to our fried fish dinner.

And, no, it does not photograph well, but I promise it tastes better than it looks. 😂

Catalina Salad

I large hd Iceberg lettuce, torn into pieces

Freshly grated sharp cheddar cheese

Diced tomato

1 can Ranch-style beans

Fritos

Catalina dressing

*And yes, I know that there are no measurements. This is one of those recipies where you just measure with your heart. 😉

This can't really be made ahead of time because the beans and dressing will make the Fritos soggy so only make as much as you think you will eat.

Father's Day Fish Fry

 On Sunday I wanted to celebrate the incredible Dads in our family and DH suggested a fish fry. A few weeks ago he had gone to visit his younger brother in Texas and he took him fishing

We figured Sunday was a good day to taste test their catch. Our son and his family came in the morning so the boys could work on fence. Yes, they worked on Father's Day. LOL. My in-laws came too and then we put the boys to work as the official fish fryers

E kept everyone entertained as we put the finishing touches on dinner

Around here it's all hands on deck to keep everyone fed

The menu included fried fish, hush puppies (my 1st attempt was successful), corn on the cob, cole slaw and Catalina Salad 

with Summer Berry Pie for dessert.

I got busy and forgot to take more pictures, but I'm always so grateful for time spent with family.

Jungle Jam Quilt

 Today I've got a baby quilt finish to share. It started with this bright jungle print I've had in my stash for over a decade. 

It's a magical jungle with unicorns and dinosaurs and walruses and horses mixed in with typical jungle animals, but when you're little, anything goes and I thought it was a cute print with fun primary colors. Plus, I remember it was in the clearance bin of 1 yard cuts at the local quilt shop. The backing stripe also came from the same bin.

I just pulled fabrics from my stash for the coordinating fabrics. Sandy used a fun variegated thread and quilted it using a design called Quirky.

I actually pieced the top probably 6 or 7 years ago, but I wasn't thrilled with the design and it sat in the back of the closet until last month. When I packed it as we moved last fall, I decided it was time to finish it.

It's 40 x 40, smaller than I usually make.

Our little local library is staffed entirely by volunteers and supported 100% by the thrift store next door, but they welcome donations that they raffle off so I'm thinking I'll donate this little quilt to them.