Day 66 of my Passing the Days blocks is called Cotton Reel.  I had to to look that one up.  At first I thought of cotton fields but as it turns out a cotton reel is a small object used for holding thread while sewing.  So there ya go.  You could make this a really colorful block to represent several thread colors or choose one color family as I did in my version of the block.

The block I chose for Day 68 is Ribbons.  We use a lot of different color ribbons to represent a lot of different things.  I guess because day 68 fell on Memorial Day weekend I was put in mind of the days way back when when yellow ribbons adorned many trees as a sign of welcome to returning soldiers who fought in Vietnam.  "Tie a Yellow Ribbon Round the Old Oak Tree" was the song of the day.  When I did a little research the yellow ribbon has been around for a really long time-going back to the days of the Puritans.  It has long been used by mothers, wives and gilrfriends to show that they are thinking about someone they love who has gone off to war.  It does seem fitting for this weekend of remembrance.

When making this block choose two colors that have some contrast.  Too high of contrast and you kind of lose the ribbon look.  Also pay close attention to the pressing directions as this really aids in putting the block together.

This brings me up to the block I made on Memorial Day.  I will be changing the number of this block as I changed how I am counting them.  So previously this was block 65 but now it becomes Block 70 Remember.

As always you can find the patterns for these blocks by clicking on the link:
Passing the Days pdf Patterns

I hope you have an awesome day and
Happy Quilting!!

You may notice that I am sharing days 62 ad 64 today.  As I mentioned yesterday since going to Phase 1 of reopening I will be making blocks every other day so will number the day for that block rather than continue in numerical order.  So Block 62 is another puzzle I shared Old Maid's Puzzle now we have Bachelor's Puzzle.  I chose a blue for this block as all I could think of were Bachelor Buttons.  Those sweet blue flowers that dot the landscale in the summertime.

I decided I wanted to add a second fabric to this block so found a scrap that had little square dots that perfectly matched the blue.

This block went together pretty quickly.  I did find that fanning the seams when joining the units together helped it to lat flat.

For block 64 I got my inspiration from thinking about water. 

One thing to be aware of with this one is the trimming of the Flying Geese units.  Note that the midpoint on these needs to be 1 3/4".  This is not the size I shared directions for in the General Instruction sheet so make note in the pattern the size difference.

And turned to trim the second two sides....

I have the Bloc_Loc ruler in the size I need for these which made it quick and easy to trim them all.

You can find the pdf patterns for these with all of the others in this series by clicking on the link:  Passing the Days pdf Patterns

I hope you have a blessed day and
​Happy Quilting!!!

I love how the simple things can bring such joy.  Pinwheels are one of those things, even when choosing quilt blocks to make.  Block 58 is Double Pinwheel-so double the fun.  Orange and Golden Yellow just say happy to me so that is what I have chosen for this block.

It has been a while since we worked with these Split Quarter-square Triangles so let me walk you through my process again.  The specific instructions can be found in the General Instruction sheet available for download with all of the patterns in this series.  Now on to the block.  First we need to join the two smaller triangles.

I find it best to sew these starting with the tip of the triangle fed first to my needle.  It just keeps those tips lined up nicely.

After pressing those two triangles I lay the larger one on top.  The main thing I watch here is that the tips of all of the trinagles meet perfectly at the top.  I dont worry so much about lining up the sides-or even the bottom.  Sometimes it can be helpful to press a fold into the large one so that you can see that the middle of it lays right along the seam line of the two small triangles underneath. 

I use the large triangle on top as my guide since I know its size is perfect.

When it come to trimming these they usually do not need more than a touch-up. 
I do line up the diagonal line with that long seam and place the midpoint mark, which in this case is the 1 3/4" mark of my ruler at the point along that line where all three fabrics meet.  When I first experimented with these I admit to feeling a lot imtimidated by them, but now, I consider them friends in my quilting toolbox.

For block 59 I once again am thinking about childhood games.  Did anyone else play Old Maid?  I thought of it immediately upon seeing the name of the block. 

The name of this block is Old Maid's Puzzle so I took my inspiration from the color of the dress the Old Maid has on in the card game.

Since there are a lot of Half-square Triangles in this block I just want to remind you how important it is to line up the diagonal line on your ruler with the seamline  when you trim these to size.  This is one of the keys to achieving those sharp points.

Block 60 is a milestone of sorts.  This block fell on the first day of our county being allowed to enter phase one of reopening here in Oregon.  Hopefully that means we will be able to move on to phase 2 in 21 days.  So to celebrate this milestone and the ones still to come I will now only be doing a block every other day.  When we enter Phase 2 I will do a block every two days and then in Phase 3 a block every 3 days. Hopefully we will not have to go backwards in this process, but if so my blocks will follow the pattern I have now set.  This will be a good change as I have other commitments that will now start needing my time as well.  Not to mention my husbands summer break will begin in June and we do like to get outside and play together.

So block 60 is called End of Day.  I wanted something that indicated an ending, and this block fit the bill.  Taking photos of sunsets is one of my favorite things.  I love sunrises too.  But there is something about the fading light, when colors start to fade as darkness approaches...and then those wonderfully spectacular wows of color that can suddenly appear.  So I looked through my stash and came up with a couple of fabrics that are tonals-which simply means they have gray added to the main color to tone them down from their vibrant form.  

All of these blocks can be found by clicking on the link below:
Passing the Days pdf patterns

Wherever you are at in these days of uncertainty I hope you are well and I hope you are finding things to bring joy to your days.

​Happy Quilting!!

I am sharing this block out of order as today is Memorial Day and I want to get this one out there as I remember the sacrifices of those who have chosen to serve our nation over the years.  I have named today's block: Remember. I used a red, white a blue color scheme to represent with the colors of our nations flag.

This block does have some small pieces and there are lots of points to match, but it is amazing what one can do with a little patience and few tips, and a little spray starch.  
When sewing this part of the corner units the seams lock together nicely to give a nice, sharp point where the two fabrics meet.

I find that I prefer to flip the units over so that I have the seam at the top as I sew.  In this photo the unit under my needle has been flipped and the one at the bottom of the photo is before I flip them over.  Looking at the piece on the bottom you will notice that the seam faces away from my needle and so to keep things lined up nicely it just helps to sew those locking seams first thing.

It has been awhile since I shared photos of my favorite method for making the Flying Geese units.  The General Instructions sheet I provide takes you step-by-step through the process but sometimes it is helpful to see it in photos.  So the first step is to lay out two of the small squares on top of the larger square, draw a diagonal line down the middle and then sew 1/4" on each side of that drawn line.  Notice here that the top small square is pointing away from needle-I make sure that it is lined up this way when sewing both sides of the line.

Next I cut these apart on the drawn line.

Press them open and lay the two remaining small squares on top as shown here.

It all looks pretty funny as you are sewing them-repeating the process of sewing on each side of the drawn line.

When these are cut apart and pressed you end up with four Flying Geese which then need to be trimmed to size.  I just love Bloc_Loc Rulers for this process.  The indentation in the ruler fits snuggly against the seam and "locks" the ruler into place for trimming.  So I first trim two sides...

Then rotate everything and trim the last two sides for perfect Flying Geese.

For this block we have some points we need to match.  One little trick is to use a dab of glue from a glue stick to hold those points as you sew.  Another is to use a pinning method I have shown before.  Start by sliding a pin into the very tip of both points you are matching; coming in from the back of one, then out through the front side and into the front side of the other and out the back.

Then you slide the two pieces up on to the pinhead so they are snuggle together.

With that main pin in place, slide two pins, one one each side of the main pin, close beside it as shown here.  I slid one pin in a little further than needed just so that it was easier to see both of these pins in the photo.

Before sewing, remove the main pin.  Then sew until you reach the first pin, stop with your needle in the down position and remove the first pin before continuing to sew your seam.  Take just a couple of stitches and remove the second pin in the same way.  I have broken a needle or two in my time by sewing over pins so am very careful not to do that.

The other tip I have as you sew this block: sew SLOWLY.  Very SLOWLY.
For a copy of the pdf for this block visit my Passing the Days page by clicking on the link.

I hope you all have a blessed day as we celebrate this day of remembrance.

Well, doesn't that look like fun!  I know some places are experiencing summer, we had a very brief visit, but tonight are under a frost advisory and we have a fire going in our woodstove.  Such is  life in our neck of the woods. 
Block 57 just had to have a playful touch as it is called Air Castle so I started with the polka dot fabric and picked out colors that went with it.  I was delighted to see that the purple even had a matching yellow-green.  Always a delight when my scraps come together this way when none of them are from the same fabric line.

Originally I was going to use the polka dot for all of my background pieces, but when I laid it out I thought it just looked to busy...

So I switched out the corner HST's for a "quieter" background fabric and I like how the star design becomes more of a standout feature.

Click on the link below for a pdf copy of the pattern.
Passing the Days pdf patterns

I hope you find something fun to do today and
​Happy Quilting!!