Today is the day we start the Dirty Dozen game again and I’m ready, how about you?
The number for July is —— 5.
Grab your project numbered 5 and get to work on finishing it. You have the whole month to work on it and then you’ll be rewarded with that feeling of accomplishment a finished quilt brings. Number 5 for me is a stack of blocks – once again my love of making blocks has ended with 10 blocks stuffed away in a zip lock bag. And they are really quite homely – don’t know what I was aiming for but here they are.
And here is Connie’s Number 5 – applique! I would hate to do it but would love to have it when finished!
She has 57 circles finished! Now maybe a narrow sashing between blocks? And did you notice her blocks are kept in one of her cute project bags? We will show you our finishes by the end of July. I’ll be looking for your finished project in my email.
If you don’t know how to send a picture, ask for help – everybody’s computer is different so I can’t help you. I only know how to do my own – sometimes. And you cannot post pictures to the blog site – I am the only one who can do that as owner of the blog.
Connie is working on Oak Leaves and Acorns in some new fabrics and changing things up a bit. I made a charm pack of 4 patches last night in record time using Lori Holt’s fast method. It was a wonderful and quick way to make four patches that are all different and it worked perfectly! I’m going to do it again – I have dozens of charm packs to use up,
And – drumroll, please! Betty is 2 years old – her birthday was June 29. She has such a sweet personality but she could knock me over in one happy greeting! She’s a big strong girl!
I walked across the road to Tim’s cornfield to see if it was going to be knee high by the fourth of July. Hahahaha! It’s as tall as me – 5’3″ – I couldn’t even see over the top of it!
And here’s the ditch as of yesterday afternoon.
Bill is back this morning and will continue to bring fill dirt. Think what a job this is going to be to seed it down.
So that’s it for today, July 1.
NUMBER 5 is your Dirty Dozen number for July. Finish it and send me a picture to post.
And don’t forget to BE STILL.
I haven’t seen any ads to check off. Want to do my part.
Angie from Baltimore – I think Kayla is working on that now.
Mary I love your #5 DD ! Also, Connies project. I’m moved now but have so much to do, most importantly Get rid of MORE stuff. My double garage is full and it’s all mine. Most will have to go to Goodwill one mike down the road !!!
Of course I’ll keep most of my sewing stuff but most other stuff must go. Even getting rid of a lawyers bookcase that belonged to my grandparents. Great fir holding books but most of my books must go too. I’ll get my DD numbered soon. Mary glad your blog is back up and working
Donna O – where did you move to??? Other people just can’t help sort stuff but I would be happy to come one day if you could use me.
I love your Dirty Dozen! I don’t want to start something new! Must go look at number 5 is for me! M
Betty is so sweet. Happy Birthday Betty.
Mary is there a link on Lori Holts fast method? Thx
Donna – I failed to do that but a reader sent it in this morning. Try it, you’ll love it!
Dirty Dozen here we go!! I like your blocks, Mary. They will make a nice quilt. Anxious to see what you o with them. Several friends of mine made the blocks Connie has and the quilts are great. My concentration on DD this year is charity quilts. I make quilts for a battered women’s shelter here. Anything to bring love into their lives is welcome.
Happy Birthday to Betty. Labs are great companions. I am living with my seventh lab, the last four being rescues of various ages and some older than the rescue group thought. We raised three from pups and they are fun but full of a lot of piss and vinegar—sort of like having young beavers in your house.
I love your corn pictures. Those fields are so dense now you can hardly walk in the rows.
Have a great day. Can’t believe this is the 4th of July weekend. Stay safe and stay healthy
Jane Dumler – you don’t know how I chuckled when you said “sort of like having young beavers in your house!” Haha!! Labs are truly wonderful and we will have another black lab rescue in the future for sure. Thank you for making quilts for the womens’ shelter – they need them, I’m sure.
Mary, your blocks for #5 are anything but homely! I love them! Are they maybe 10” blocks?
Happy Birthday to Betty! She has such a sweet face and kind eyes.
Mary, I just want to thank you for your perseverance with the blog and your continued show of love and devotion to your readers. You are an inspiration as a follower of Christ, a quilter, and a friend. There are so many of us that you bring joy, Inspiration and happiness too, I guess that’s the same as joy but I think you understand. How are your knees working, are they all you hoped for?I hope you have a good summer and that you and yours will remain healthy, safe and spiritually lifted. Thanks again Cindy Nelson
Cindy Nelson – I’ve always said my service to the Lord is doing what I am able to do – there are so many things I can’t do at church and in my life that I believe that if something a person does that can bring joy or pleasure to another person, that’s one’s mission. I think this blog is one of my missions if, as it seems, people enjoy it. Same as playing piano at church – I can’t teach Sunday School, I can’t go on missions trips, I can’t pray in front of a group BUT I can play the piano! Luke 10: 25-36, the story of a neighbor, can be summed up like this: helping a neighbor is an act of prayer. Helping can be translated to “being a friend and caring about others”. I am so glad the blog has straightened out but I live in fear and anxiety that I’ll turn it on one day and it will be unreachable again. Thanks for the kind words, Cindy!
Mary and Cindy, so well said and just what I love reading during uncertain times ahead. It’s the calm, it’s the inspiration , it’s the connection the comments of readers write to tell me God sure loves Quilters for all they give to others. Your service Mary is the peace we all need to say each little kind gesture brings others so much joy.
Betty is so beautiful! Happy Birthday to her! What are you going to do with what you have put together from those Charm squares? I had better get one of your Charm books out and see what to do with a number of them that I have – maybe DD #5!! Taking it easy with sewing as I had the cortisone shot on Monday…it is starting to feel better! But will take awhile I suppose so I had better not push it!! Looking forward to seeing what Connie does with the new pattern!
Kathy Hanson – I know how painful tendonitis can be so it’s best to rest it for a few days – your assignment from me it to read and if you find a good book, I want to know what it is. I haven’t had a really good one for a long time!!
Thanks, Mary! I have been only doing small piecing and no bindings since the injection. It is getting better and I don’t want to rev it up!! I have been reading quite a few Tami Hoag murder mystery’s lately. Have been enjoying them.
Happy Birthday to sweet Betty from Pepper n me!
I found a finished small top yesterday while looking for left over half square triangles so may get that pressed n ready for quilting.
After a dreary, rainy day the sun 🌞 is shining this morning, weather news says it won’t last long!
Your blocks are far from homely. I like them and will be anxious to see how you do. I am excited about the DD’s and will go check my # 5. Thanks for your patience and determination in sticking with the blog that we love🥰🥰. We are getting ready for a hot week here.
Today I went out to the garden and there is a pink flower with 5 petals like the prairie mallow but the leaves don’t look like your picture, each leaf has 5 sections. I was so excited that mine had come back and now I’m not so sure. It’s pretty but not the pretty dark pink like your picture. Hope the DD will get me moving after not getting much done for 3 months. This is such a great idea.
Mary here is a link to the Lori Holt four patch.
https://beeinmybonnetco.blogspot.com/2012/08/bee-in-my-bonnet-row-along-row-one.html
Hope this helps.
Love the quilts and blocks.
Thank you Rita!
Thank you!
I have a question about filling in the ditch. When the dirt has leveled the ditch, is gravel or payment going to be put over the dirt? Won’t grass just grow on this new dirt in a few years, leaving you with mowing again? These are city girl questions!!
Connie’s #5 is wonderful. I have about 800 of what I call “squircles” appliqued onto neutral charm squares – these are squarish circles, and I threw in a few that are MUCH smaller & a bit bigger for interest. I did all the appliquing a few years ago while I was doing tests for suspected ovarian cancer. I did those plus put together a full size bed quilt of nine patches with stars in the centers during all the appts. Thankfully, it turned out I didn’t have ovarian cancer – I woke up in recovery, got up & dressed & went right home, after a complete hysterectomy! Threw the nurses into a tizzy. Got the full size quilt finished (it was gorgeous). I gave that to the husband of a very sick woman we knew, who didn’t have much time left in this world. She absolutely loved it. I never put the appliqued blocks into a top. Now I need to do that, and its one I’ll keep for our king size bed.
Thanks to Rita in Iowa for posting the link to the Lori Holt 4 patch tutorial. What a slick way to make a lot of 4 patch squares. I will definitely give it a try.
I absolutely “love” your number 5……it’s not homely, it’s right up my alley. I can’t wait to see it finished!
Bring on #5. Its raining today. Any chance of purchasing the pattern for your watermelon table topper? So cute Thanks for keeping the blog. It’s so fun to read all the time.
Hi Mary, I love your blocks: such warm country colours! My nr. 5 is a disappearing 16 patch topper, so here goes!
Our corn isn’t as high as yours yet. I’ll go and ‘measure’ it this evening!
Happy birthday to Betty, wishes from Loretta. She is beautiful, I can’t believe she is 2 already.
That corn is impressive, it must be the black Iowa dirt.
Love your blocks and Connie’s.
I’m so thankful to have a sewing machine, iron and the skills to use them. Can you imagine how awful our world would be without them? Some days it feels like our world is imploding. Thanks to all of you for sharing.
where is the water going to run now that the ditch is filled in???
Susie Q – the ditch is a hump so the water will run towards the highway – there’s also a big tile under that driveway. The ditch never did hold water unless we got about 5” at one time which is unusual.
Oh Mary! I like your #5. It’s lovely. Mine is from the early 80’s. I started a picnic quilt from worn and out grown blue jeans. It needs to grow some and then be tied with no batting. Thanks for giving us all a kickstart.
Aww sweet Betty! The ditch work is pretty exciting for those of us who mow. Enjoy.
My #5 is a chicken wall hanging I started in the 90’s, and have always intended to finish it because its so cute. The workmanship, however, is just so-so, I guess because I hadn’t been quilting all that long. I am not going back, though. Just going ahead to finish. I have run out of the background and will now have to come up with something else for the ending strips. Can’t wait to get it done.
I really like your #5 blocks and Connies circles.
It looks so different without the ditch along the road. Seems like you could put in more corn rows there. Just sayin’.
Betty is beautiful.
Yippee! My number 5 is a small summer/patriotic quilt that is a throw back to my Debbie Mumm days! I practiced my hand quilting on it, but never put a binding on . “Sew”, I should be able to get it done by Saturday, in time to display for the 4th!
We got another 1.23″ of rain last night, I can only imagine what your ditch would look like if you got that rain!
I think I need to take a pix of my hubby “out-standing” in our corn field on the 4th. He is 6′ 1″. That should be a new tradition for us, to guage how tall our corn is by the 4th.
I actually like your homely blocks, can’t wait to see what you end up doing with them.
Going to see how Lori Holt does her 4-patches. I have lots of charm packs to use up! HUGS… and stitches
Happy Birthday Betty! What a great did. Your #5 is outstanding. Love it and you will too when it’s finished. Haven’t looked at my #5 yet. Connies project bag is a great idea. Did you ever give directions for it or a pattern? How is Connies knee?
Linda in NC – Connie likes Riley Blake’s instructions for project bags. She can report on her knee if she reads this.
Arlo says woof to Betty for her second birthday. Arlo was 3 on the 5th of June, they both are big strong babies, not a mean bone in their bodies.
It’s so good to be able to follow your adventures again.
Ginny – I love to hear what you guys are up to – so glad George is there to help!! Woof to Arlo!
Oh my gosh, I have a shoe box of red/ white charm squares that I am doing circles like Connie with… here I thought I had an original idea !
#5 hopefully will get completed in July. Was a block exchange…. from 1992 !!! Do you think it is time to complete?
Stay safe ya’ll.
Nikki M – yes, this project is just what you need right now to keep you busy!
Hi Mary, my DD is put binding on my sister’s quilt and applique hearts on the cuts I accidentally made in the back! Fortunately, none on front of quilt.freezing in New Zealand,cold, wet day so perfect for quilting.enjoy the 4th of July,take care, best wishes from sandy
Love your homely blocks will be great. Got my DD’s picked out. Very hot & dry here. Happy Birthday Betty!’
Mary, I love your #5. My favorite is reproduction fabric. My #5 is a thangles project of Jo Morton fabric from our local quilt shop. It was a block of the month in 2011-2012. I found it the other day while looking for some star fabric, can’t believe it. I have five units done 2 small blocks for each month, it is adorable and I can’t believe I never finished it. Now I have to get a move on!!! Just love Betty. Labs are my favorite. We adopted our Rocky from a friend that didn’t want him anymore. He’s been gone since 2004 and we just loved him, such a great personality. I think he was the runt of the litter, way smaller than Betty. Finishing the binding on a baby quilt and then onto #5. Thanks for the inspiration.
I don’t think your blocks look homely at all! They have the vintage look I’m always aiming for, but can’t always achieve.
What is Lori Holts fast way to make four patches?
Jane Eildert – go online and look it up. There’s a great tutorial on her website and it’s not mine to tell.
Oh, I am so excited and have really been looking forward to the “Dirty Dozen” challenge!!! I made myself wait to open this blog post until I had gathered together the projects that I wanted to work on and numbered them. I then raced upstairs to open up the blog and found out it was #5! I raced back down to get the #5 packet and I’m starting out easy which is good–I have a quilt to bind which I’ve had forever and I also put a tablerunner fabric kit in there of this month’s Iowa Shop Hop fabric. I can’t wait to get started!!! Also, love your beautiful black lab–such gorgeous eyes!
Just a short time ago I discovered the blog is back, with a new name. I’ve missed you so!! I was checking on it every day, but not in the right place, ha,ha. Anyway, it’s hotter than you know what in Michigan, so yesterday I set up my machine on the picnic table and sewed a binding on a charity quilt. It was so pleasant out there until the sun came around, and heated us up again.
Got all caught up on all the posts I’ve missed, the farm pictures are beautiful, as always, and love all the “finishes” everyone has sent in. Should be joining the fun with the DD, but am a terrible procrastinator, and would never keep up. I know, any progress is good.
Linda Baker – since I had to buy a new domain name and everything the only way to let everybody know was on FAcebook. Glad you found me again!
Happy birthday Betty! I like yours and Connie’s blocks. I decided to do the DD with you this year. I got all my projects together and in their bags. My number 5 needs backing, quilting, and binding. The top was finished back some years ago. I bought backing yesterday at a friends shop. She just opened in February and got shut down in March. What a time to open a new quilt store! It’s hot and humid here. The Saharan dust left but heat came – we’re had a 107 temperature heat index. Time to sew!
Happy Birthday Mary! Wishing you many more years of spreading joy. As they say, “You are almost a firecracker.”