August Leader/Enders

Broken Dishes

4 inch finished blocks

I now have 61 Broken Dishes blocks. My goal is 300. I know I have more blocks to add to the mix. I have a box of Broken Dishes in all different sizes. 

You may or may not remember that recently someone sent me a whole lot of 2.5 inch unfinished HSTs and HST parts.  Right now I am working with the HST parts as leader/enders.  I sorted the parts by color and then sorted out pairs. Then I matched up pairs with a similar set of pairs. 

I then used some light pairs within the HST parts to complete the HSTs but quickly ran out of light HST parts. So I have been cutting sets of four light HST parts from scraps with my Easy Angle ruler. This is the kind of stack I have next to my sewing machine for the first round of leader/enders.  When I match up my light HST parts with the ones given to me I match up the corners of light/dark and then sew along the diagonal of the light one. Basically that makes it so I hardly have any squaring up to do. I just need to trim dog ears.  But when I use light pieces from the parts given to me those do need squaring up. 

I've webbed a lot of tops this month so at the end of each column added to the web a set of four HSTs for a Broken Dish block was sewn together. 

Then they go into a bin for ironing and trimming. Then they go through as leader/enders again to make the Broken Dishes blocks. 

These are the bags of HSTs that had papers attached. I have now removed all of the papers and the bag on the left have been ironed. I'm not going to do anything with these until I reach my goal of 300 Broken Dishes. I might need to sort through these for pairs to make more Broken Dishes. However, I think most will go into making the traditional Depression Block to finish at 8 inches. 

And sew on...

Monday Musings at Brenda's Songbird Designs

***

Packing up today to leave tomorrow between 5-5:30 for a trip to University of Iowa for John's surgery. I expect to be gone for a week. 

Tuesday September 01, 2026

MANDIBULECTOMY

INTRAORAL LESION EXCISION WITH OR WITHOUT ALLODERM

TRACHEOTOMY

Performed by Zaid Al-Qurayshi

 

Hat Tricks

I've been crocheting some hats for Christmas gifts for kids on the Rosebud reservation. I have a bin of old yarn I have been using left over from the days I made things for my grandkids. 

I've been trying different patterns looking for an easy one I could work on while I'm with John in the hospital after his surgery. I usually just take along my kindle loaded with books but sometimes a lot of reading makes me drowsy.  So this time I'll crochet and I'll read. 

I wanted a pattern that could be easily worked without many increases/decreases, row counting, etc. In a hospital I can be easily distracted and lose my place. 

This one was pretty easy. I did add 3 rows of single crochet at bottom for a little band on this one. 

This one is really easy so this is the one I will take along to work on. I think I will take a big skein of yarn like red or black along with little bits of leftover yarns and make the band with leftover yarn and add a couple of stripes around in that same color just to spice things up a bit. 

Can you tell that I like variegated yarns? 

And sew on...

Slow Sunday Stitching at Kathy's Quilts

 

Rail Fence Top

It's a top!

Rail Fence

40 x 50

The blocks are made of 5 - 1.5 x 5.5 rectangles and came out of a box of 1.5 inch width scraps. 

I completed the block set in March 2025 and they have been in my SAR (Some Assembly Required) bin since then. 

And now the top is in the TBQP (To be Quilted Pile). 

And sew on...

Rainbow Scrap Challenge ScrapHappy Saturday

 

Hollow Nine Patch Top

It's a top!

Hollow Nine Patch

52.5 x 73.5

This block set has been in my SAR (Some Assembly Required) since June 2025.  I dug out most of my kiddo sized block sets from my SAR to assemble this month in preparation for a future quilting marathon of kiddo comfort quilts. 

I've made Hollow Nine Patches in this quilt with 4 inch squares. 

And sew on...

Finished Or Not Finished Friday at Alycia Quilts

 

Another "Gingham" Top

It's a top!

"Gingham"

54 x 72

Several months ago I sorted through a lot of charms/5 inch squares received from others over the years. 

One of the sorts was black, whites and grays. 

I had a lot of squares left over after I picked through them for this quilt. Most of the leftovers are multicolor on black so they are fodder for another quilt someday. 

And sew on...

 

Small "Gingham"Tops

Two "Gingham" Tops

There are several different patterns out there for "gingham" baby quilts. 

I received baggies of squares for these from RyLynn so all I had to do was assemble the tops.

The green one is made of 4.5 inch squares and the blue one is made of 5 inch squares.

The green one is 32 x 44 and the blue one is 31.5 x 40.5. 

And sew on...

***

I just finished three books in the 38 book Clint Wolf mystery series by BJ Bourg - But Not Forgiven, But Not Forsaken, But Not Forever.  I wanted to continue on reading the next book but decided to move on to one of the other books I have downloaded to my Kindle. 

Oh joy! Sherron and Sandi spoiled me this week with boxes of goodies. And I am thankful. I need to sew faster! I think next month when we return home after John's surgery I need to have a quilting marathon. I think I will line up some tops and backings and see if I can get a few pin basted. It's getting colder and wee ones will be needing some quilty hugs!

 

A Fan Flower Finish!

It's a finish!

Fan Flowers

55 x 70

Free pattern Fan Flower Quilt at Tilda's World. 

I started making blocks in December 2023. It is one of those free patterns meant to be used with a fabric collection so it was kind of confusing to follow. I finally labeled each of my fabrics with a number to correspond to the number of the fabric used in the pattern and I had a much easier time. 

I finished the top in October 2025.  

This month I started big stitch hand quilting with perle cotton #8 in a variety of colors. I don't usually get anything hand quilted in the hot summer months. This year I bought a portable room air conditioner and so we had cool air in the living room. 

And this is what is on back.

And sew on...

Slow Sunday Stitching at Kathy's Quilts

Oh Scrap! at Quilting Is More Fun Than Housework

Monday Musings at Brenda's Songbird Designs

A Small Top

It's a top!

36 x 36

I've had that little piece of fabric in the center for a long time. I think it might be Maisy Mouse? I haven't watched cartoons or read children's books in a long time so I'm just not sure. 

Well, anyway, I still have quite a few small blocks that Jenny sent me a few months ago. I decided some of the 3 inch finished pinwheels would make a nice border. I chose ones that were made of 30s reproduction fabrics. 

One of these days I need to have another quilting marathon and get some quilts finished and donated. 

And sew on...

 

Cheerios Top

It's a top!

Cheerios 

(orange and yellow version)

40 x 60

Cheerios was one of my 2024 Rainbow Scrap Challenge (RSC) blocks to use 4.5 and 2.5 inch width scraps in the color of the month.  In 2025 I divided the blocks into 4 piles for comfort quilts - greens, yellow and reds, purples and blues and pinks, and yellows and oranges.  I was kind of surprised I had so many yellow blocks.   I have already finished and donated the green and yellow and red versions. The purple, blue, pink version is a complete block set waiting for assembly.   The yellow and orange version needed a few more blocks. So I made six more blocks this week and assembled the top.

And sew on...

RSC ScrapHappy Saturday

 

Courthouse Steps Top

e

It's a top!

Courthouse Steps

45 x 60

I've been making 7.5 inch finished Court House Steps blocks all year as a Rainbow Scrap Challenge (RSC) project to use scraps from the 2 inch width scrap bin. Earlier this month after I made my yellow (RSC color for August) blocks I noticed I only needed a few more blocks so dug into my scrap bin for scraps to make 8 more blocks. 

Then I assembled a top.

And sew on...

Finished Or Not Finished Friday at Alycia Quilts

***

I know Autumn is right around the corner when my Japanese Anemone border bursts into bloom. 

***

Oh joy! Julie sent me a colorful box of perle cotton threads and a magical piece of fabric full of hummingbirds and butterflies.  Donna sent me a box of colorful scraps. My little six inch ruler got a work out sorting scraps by width. And I had fun looking at every piece.

***

I finished a book! But Not Forgotten by BJ Bourg. It is Clint Wolf Mystery series book 1. There are 38 books in the series. I've started on book 2. 

Story Time Tops

Story Time

each 41 x 41

I received a baggie of charms/5 inch squares from Ry Lynn and on baggie was written  "Story Time squares".   There were 48 gray squares and there were 48 plaid squares. I wasn't familiar with Story Time quilts so went hunting and found a free pattern for Storytime Squares Quilt.

I divided the squares up for two quilts and used yellow sashing in one and...

...blue in the other. 

And sew on...

***

The rain left for a day and the butterflies and bees came dancing around again. So instead of weeding as intended I decided to take some photos. I hope someday to document my gardens in a scrapbook full of photos, seed catalog pages and seed packets and info from old herbals. Then when I am too old or ill to make it out to the garden I can look through my scrapbooks. 

And sow on...