Saturday, June 30, 2018

Time for a cool change

(The monthly scrap giveaway is at the end of this post!)

Is anyone else melting?  Good golly, it's hot.  Apparently something like 160 million of us here in the US are experiencing the same heat wave. I wish that just touching these cool aqua scraps would cool a person off, but no, it doesn't work that way.  Thank goodness we get to make cool things from them, right?

Today I just want to share an update on my aqua RSC projects.  Aqua is a great color and it was fun to work with these pieces.  True fact: the main decorative color in my house is aqua, including my kitchen.  It's both calming and invigorating, depending on the light.  And somehow it looks different every time I look at it.

On to the projects! Let's start with the hollow 9-patches:


I stopped at ten of these little blocks, but it was difficult.  They're just so cute!

Next up are the patchwork scrap stars:


This month I used a black and white print scrap and a bright floral scrap for the stars.  They kind of blend in this picture, but in person they look great.

Finally, there are the aqua galaxy stars:


The quest for perfect centers continues, as you can see.  A better person than me might remake some of them, but I think they're good enough.  I just like the colors against the dark blues.

So that's this month's progress!  I feel like things are moving along pretty well. All progress is good, right?

Now it's time for the scrap giveaway for this month! If you recall, for this year I'm giving away the remaining scraps of each color after I finish the projects for the month.  Here's what I have to give away for this month:


There are a lot of scraps here, and some pieces are pretty big, but some of them are fairly small as well.  Who really knows what's here?  I do know that it's more than a pound of fabric.  I'm also including an unopened small spool of aqua Aurifil thread and a handful of both 2-inch and 1-1/2 inch squares.

This giveaway is now closed!  Thanks to all!

If you live in the US or Canada, and you would like to have this package full of goodies show up at your door at no cost to you, just leave a comment on this post!  Really!  Just for fun, tell us how you're keeping cool in this massive heat wave.  I admit to needing some new, non-boring ideas.  Popsicles are really not cutting it any more.  I'll use the random number generator on Monday night, July 2, to choose a winner. 

Everybody drink lots of water and stay cool!  And if you're in Canada, a happy Canada Day on Sunday!

Sharing at soscrappy for RSC18

68 comments:

Daisy Rae said...

Love the colors!
I go to the woods and try and find some cool there - very peaceful as well. Of course I take my handsewing...

Jo said...

You have been busy with all this sewing. Love the aquas.

Jayne said...

I'm staying indoors and getting inspiration by catching up on great sewing blogs. I love the aqua. Hope I can be included in the draw as I do have a US postal address

Lee said...

I’m not really succeeding in staying cool, but working on my creative pursuits help distract a little! Thanks for giving me the idea to make hollow nine patch blocks! I’ve been doing some simple piecing to make blankets for charity and I love the look of this! ❤️

Dad Mom said...

I think Aqua is my new favorite color . Your blocks are beautiful .

Ramona Johnson said...

Love your aquas!!! So refreshing. Trying to stay cool has been a challenge. So I am staying inside with the air conditioning going full blast. I’m going to hate to see the electric bill next month. ;-)

Amy said...

My sewing room is in the basement, so in the Summer, it's a great place for staying cool. The Winter is another story... It's fun to watch for your RSC blocks every month. The aquas are my favorite!

MissPat said...

I had a hard time with the aquas. I second quessed myself a lot, debating whether something was too blue or too green. So I could use your leftovers. I'm going to compare your photo to my collection. I'm going to fellow quilter's air conditioned house for sit and sew today and tomorrow. I often go to the public library and sit and read, but they are closed for renovations. Otherwise I sit in front of the fan and drink lots of iced tea.
Pat

piecefulwendy said...

Those blocks are really cute. I'm melting here, definitely not staying cool. However, I had a blended vanilla latte yesterday and that helped quite a bit. Frozen hot chocolate, maybe? My quilt room is cool, so I'll be spending time there today.

Karen - Quilts...etc. said...

love the aquas and I am low on them. It is very hot here too almost 97 every day I'm afraid I am keeping cool by not going outside in the afternoon unless I know I will be in A/C - I hate being like that I used to enjoy the heat too now I just sit in the A/C

Charlene S said...

Lots of ice water and ice tea combined with indoor activities.

Barbara said...

I wear shorts and tank tops, and sew in the basement sewing room!

Deb said...

Staying cool is tough in this hot weather but sewing works for me. I really feel guilty if I sew all day so I try to do one household activity early in the morning and then I reward myself by sewing the rest of the day - with a glass of ice water and lemon by my side!

Jan said...

I'm with you, aqua is a very versatile colour and adds a little zing to any quilt (or room). After seeing the blocks you made, I'm ready to head to my sewing room and begin (yet another) project! Thanks for sharing.

Judi Smith said...

Just looking at those light aqua colors make me feel cooler! I love the hollow 9 patch. Working on those blocks with the fan on will take me to the beach with summer breezes and iced tea!

theresa said...

where I live it has not been hot yet. I will lay in a hammock under the trees right now, but when it gets real hot I am inside with the air conditioner on.

Margie said...

Don't have a lot of aqua in my scraps. I love the little stars. Am staying indoors and trying to decide which project to work on today.

Edith said...

All your aquas do look cool, I love how you've photographed these, really cute. It's not so hot up here in Calgary, maybe you need a Canada vacation to cool down.

Marjorie said...

I love the colors too. However, here in the northwest, some days I wish I still had the furnace on! I like to make a lot of quilts for donation so these scraps will be able to Fabulous Addition. Wish me luck.

Janna said...

Beautiful blocks, love the colors!

JoanG said...

Love all those hollow nine patch blocks. I think I need to do some of them for my charity quilt efforts. Here in South Carolina I'm just hanging in the air conditioning and sewing. No outdoor stuff unless it is early morning. Hot weather always means smoothies made with frozen fruit to keep cool. I'd love to win these pretty aqua scraps.

Kathy E. said...

Your photographing skills are awesome! I need to pick up some pointers here like a mini clothesline between deck railings and tacking blocks to trees...what great ideas! I do love your hollow 9-patch blocks and need to make a whole bunch to use up scraps. How do I keep cool? It ain't easy! I'm in my 7th year of hot flashes and I keep a portable fan next to me whenever I sit down. (I have one in several rooms, even on the porch.) Along with a tall glass of icy water, I manage to keep the sweat down to a dull shine.

Frog Quilter said...

I'm staying inside with the AC on.

KaHolly said...

Super aqua blocks! Today is actually our first day of warm way up here, so I’m going outside to drink it in! Send us more heat!

Katie Z. said...

These are my favorite color of scraps! Your blocks are gorgeous,

I am also weary of the unrelenting heat. I’ve wilted!

Lynda said...

I love me some aqua - living in the PNW we are not having any problems keeping cool, it gets downright chilly at night!

PaulaB quilts said...

Aqua is my favorite color and makes my brain feel cool. I love your hollow nine-patches. The white center makes them feel airy and even cooler. Having a breeze, even from a fan, cools me off best.

Charlotta said...

I’d love your aqua scraps. Aqua is one of the colors I’m using in a big bed quilt for my niece I’m just starting to pick out fabrics for! I don’t have any brilliant staying cool ideas. I wear loose shirts and stay indoors in the a/c!

Mary said...

I love aqua, too. It's not summer here yet (So Calif) but I like taking a shower and pitting on something loose. Then sitting down with a tall glass of iced tea and a good book.

Tu-Na Quilts said...

Oh, those aqua scraps are beautiful. I am making a postage stamp quilt and sure could use them. ND hasn't had the heat wave yet. Or maybe I'm just use to the hot. When I want to keep cool, I head to our lower level. Actually, my sewing room is there so I don't lack for something to do.
kthurn(at)bektel(dot)com

PJSimpson said...

I've been collecting aqua fabric to make a quilt for my daughter. She loves aqua and has even found an antique aqua typewriter to decorate a favorite chest. She lives in upstate central NY and the heat wave has even hit there - 94 today and 97 expected tomorrow.

LIttle Penguin Quilts said...

I always enjoy seeing your blocks, Mari! They are all beautiful in aqua. No need to put me in the drawing - I have more scraps than I can use up! :)

Mindy Sebastian said...

Trying to scrounge up some aqua for this month and I struggled -- I could use these scraps! (And I adore it with the dark blues!)

Be sure to drink LOTS of water! And popsicles. But not crappy plastic ones, make your own - then you can at least feel healthy while you sweat, right?

JanineMarie said...

I like all of your blocks, but oh those hollow 9-patches! Such a great use for scraps. And turquoise! Are you sure you want to give those yummy scraps away? You could make a whole turquoise quilt. Just sayin’. (No need to share with me.) I’m staying in the cool this weekend sewing a quilt that I can’t quite share yet. But soon. I already set up my pressing station in the basement so I don’t heat up the house. Then I need to catch up on all the blogs I missed while I was on vacation.

Chopin - A Passionate Quilter said...

I believe that we started with the 98-100 degrees since May! It is horrible now with the African Dust! I won't be walking for a few days! This reminds me of the 2011 summer with over 90 days of 100+ This does not count the high Heat Index - South Texas the new desert!

I like your Galaxy Stars! Pretty

BillieBee (billiemick) said...

Loving the blues.

BeachQuilter said...

I love the cool colors! No great cooling off ideas, I stay inside and do do a lot of sewing!

PamsPretties57 said...

Hiya!!! I stay in the AC as much as possible. I limit my time in the car because I don't have AC there. I could really use those scraps---I have absolutely NO aqua in my stash. Thanks for the opportunity to win these lovelies. Take care, blessed be, hugs!!!
pamspretties57 at gmail dot com

Linda said...

I keep cool by sewing in my long tshirt pajamas! ljbisme at msn dot com

quilt for fun said...

These are my very favorite colors! I'm staying cool by staying inside in the air conditioning as much as possible. I have to go out to walk the dog, though.

Unknown said...

What great colors. These are the colors I am using "just for fun" this summer. Each summer I choose some fabric to make something I love with and this summer it just happens to be a "coo colored" set of fabrics. A big mug of cold water with lemon squeezed in and lots of ice also helps keep me cool in the summer.

tac73 said...

Great cool fabrics and projects! I like to cool off by going to the mountains. If I can’t manage that sitting in front of a fan with a cold glass of iced tea & lemonade would have to do.

Lisa J. said...

Up here in Ontario Canada we are experiencing a heat wave as well. Do you have the horrible humidity?
The aqua blocks look so lovely and cool.

OhioLori said...

Definitely HOT here in Ohio too! We don't have AC...so Fans are our friends! lol Iced tea....and an ice cream break now & then is sure nice too. Do have big shade trees that help.. LOVE the scraps!! My Grangirlie's fave colors...and I.m working on a quilt for Christmas.. & these would be soooo welcome! Thank you for chance to win your give-a-way :D

WhatIfWeAllCared? said...

Swimming, iced coffee and lots of cool showers!!
Those colors are gorgeous and maybe would cool down my apartment ❄

Batiklvr said...

Aqua is my favorite color! Love your aqua galaxG star blocks. ImI drinking lots of sweet tea & taking cool showers to beat the heat!

Jollygirl said...

Right now, staying col in the Pacific Northwest isn't a problem. Apparently we are one of the areas not having a heat wave. In the past, when temps are in the high 90s and low 100s, we put a big bowl of ice cubes in front of a fan. Then we aim the fan at us and get a bit of cool air with moisture in it. Not as good as air conditioning but it helps.

Marly said...

Lovely blocks! I’m intrigued by the galaxy stars; are those Y-seams?

Unknown said...

Love the colors. Looks hard but given me some ideas. Staying cool with AC and 8fans.

Darlene said...

My favorite stay cool idea is go in the basement and fondle fabric, the coolest room of the house.

Unknown said...

Staying inside and munching on frozen lattees plus lots of water......time to work work small quilt pieces

Unknown said...

Surrounding myself in cool colors. Aqua is one of them.

Nance in Reno said...

Staying indoors doing crafts and reading. Blue is my favorite color and is very soothing.

Nance in Reno said...

Staying indoors doing crafts and reading. Blue is my favorite color and is very soothing.

Unknown said...

Iced tea and air conditioning!

Joy said...

Aqua is a great color. So frrsh.To stay cool I like to sit by the water and watch the boats go by. When I have had enough I go home to the air conditioning and sew sew sew. Makes me appreciate the cool even more.

Unknown said...

Love the colors! I especially liked the stars in the 16 patch. We swim with the grandkids to try and stay cool.

Joy L. said...

I just love your aqua blocks. What a cool colour!

suzanprincess said...

If winning the West had been up to me, the U.S. would still end at the Mississippi River--got heat rashes as a toddler, and still cannot take the heat; it's AC or die for me! I love your hollow 9-patches and want to make them all, but have zero aqua fabric, so would put your leftovers to good use. susanprincess at att dot net

Unknown said...

Love the aquas! They're my absolute favorite for quilting because they're refreshing. I enjoyed seeing your month's progress - gives me some motivation on this sunny summer Sunday. Oh, question - "hollow 9 patch," I haven't heard that term before. What makes it different from a regular 9 patch?

Pam @ Quilting Fun said...

Wow! Those aqua scraps are the best. I follow you regularly and every month say to myself I am going to make those little nine squares! Soon! Love them! Watermelon and cold clothes. And wine!

Unknown said...

I love the blocks you've made. Aqua is so refreshing. I enjoy looking at your progress with your projects.

Alice said...

I am spending large amounts of money on electricity because I refuse to scrimp on the air conditioner. Also, I'm eating lots of watermelon and ice cream! Your blocks look awesome!!

jbettyb said...

Your aqua blocks are lovely. Some years ago, I made a mostly aqua and turquoise twin sized quilt for the room our twin grand-daughters use when they visit. A very fresh colour!

SandraC said...

I don't know which of your RSC blocks I like the best! I think next year I will try the hollow nine-patches. Yes, it's hot....but I don't have any tips for keeping cool :(

Julie A Hutcherson said...

Hi, Mari! Your blocks are fresh, cool and sweet.

Mari said...

Willow, you are no-reply so I can't send you an email! The 9-patches are all one color with a white square in the center, making them look hollow. Just my term, nothing "official."

Kate said...

Lots of very pretty blocks! You used up a few scraps in those. Stay cool this week!