Say Goodbye to July

I've been making some progress towards my finish goals. I sat down for some marathon sewing and got all but 40 blocks done on my Blue Ridge Beauty quilt. 

Just look at that stack of blocks. All 142 of them!

The remaining 40 are simply the two halves of blocks so with 40 quick seams they will be complete. Then it will be time to arrange them on the design wall and get the rows sewn together. Anxious to see this one! It will be a big one!

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I've been working on my Be My Neighbor quilt top and decided to stop after 9 blocks. I just finished the borders and will get her basted into a sandwich and ready for quilting this week.

She measures 60" X 73" without the binding so it will be a nice throw size. Although this was a fun project, I just lost interest. This will likely be my last block of the month - new start that is.

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And I am still plugging along on my hexagon flowers. I have over 65 flowers done but have a few more cut so it will be larger than originally planned. I just love working on these! 

I hope you are stitching up a storm. The weather is hot and now is a good time to get sewing before harvest time and we will be busy outdoors again. 

3rd Quarter Finish-Along Goal List

It is time to round up all my "hopes" and "dreams" for finishing these next 3 months! I love reviewing and rearranging what I have boxed up, pinned on the design wall, and listed in my own UFO list in order to re-prioritize for the upcoming quarter. Of course, new ideas and priorities come up, but this is a good starting point. And it helps get the mojo working again.

1.) My current obsession, and number one go-to is my Hexie Flowers from Kingfisher Stitch-Along. I have no idea when I will have these finished, but I cannot pull myself away from them. I anxiously anticipate the evenings when I can sit with them and "play". It has been fun digging through the scrap bin looking for the perfect contrasting color for the centers. And cutting one  2 1/2" strip off a fat quarter makes the 6 hexagons needed for each flower. I currently have all the hexagons folded and stitched on paper and am now sewing the flowers together. A few of the diamond backgrounds are cut out and I have a couple appliqued on. All are being hand sewn and I will likely continue this way to the finish. 

2.) Be My Neighbor - this was a Block of the Month with Moda a while back. Did you participate too? I really want to get this pieced and sent to be quilted. I have been debating on making this last block (not pictured) the final one and just completing as a smaller throw - just so it is finished! 

A finish is recorded here!

3.) On Ringo Lake - a carry-over from last year. All the units are completed. Now I need to block out some time for some marathon sewing to get the blocks completed and sewn together. I really love the colors of this one and am anxious to see her finished! Which really is a priority because by the time this quarter comes to a close, Bonnie Hunter will likely be announcing her next mystery.

4.) La'Carlene Medallion - only three more rows to add and this one is ready for the quilter to finish. Yay! I will feel so accomplished! My commitment has been steady - all those lemoyne stars are hand pieced. Medallions are NOT easy projects! Every row must fit exactly or the next row will be off. Argh!

5.) Blue Ridge Beauty - this is my 20-minute challenge project. (See Stashbusters Yahoo Group) This challenge has not been working out for me because I find when I get started on it, I cannot stop. It must be the OCD in me. Anyway, I would love to have this in the flimsy stage by the end of September.

 

6.) Edyta Sitar's Block of the Month - love, Love, LOVE anything designed by Edyta! I have fallen behind on this project but hope to catch up and have it ready to be quilted so it is on my bed by winter! Have you seen her new book, "Sew in Love"??

7.) Red Robin Runner - another hexie project along with my other favorite subject - birds! I have all the hexies done and appliqued. I only need to applique the borders (vines, birds, and berries), assemble, and quilt it so it can sit happily on my table..."little Robin, sing me a song..."

And she is finished here!

8.) Turkey Tracks flimsy needs to be sent to be quilted. It will make a nice throw size, and will make a nice gift for my dear Aunt Wick. Cool name, eh?

9.) Sunflower Dresdens - I have to include this since fall will soon be in the air by the time this quarter is up. All the plates are finished. I just cannot decide on a setting. Stay tuned! This may get a little involved...

10.) Christmas Celebrations Tree Skirt - the finish is getting nearer as all the wedges are completed. They need to be sewn together and be quilted so it is ready for the Christmas tree this year!

11.) Country Bride Wedding Quilt- it just needs to be quilted. (made in 1998 so this is my oldest UFO) I will have it sent out because I have given up on the thought of hand quilting this monster sized quilt top. The backing and binding are all ready as I will put on the finish touches (binding and label).

12.) Round Pillow - our little chair in our bath needs a new cushion. I want it to be edged with piping so this will not be a quick project. I have not done any piping in years so my skill level will cause me to take extra care and time to apply. At least I won't have corners to deal with since it is a round piIlow. I already have the fabric and pillow form - otherwise ... I would just go and buy one!

13.) Washi Dress - I have always wanted to make this pretty little dress and since my darling grand daughter does not like wearing dresses, the fabric I was going to use for her will now go towards my washi dress! Yay! It will make a nice lounge around the house piece. A fun project as it has been years since I did any garment sewing for myself. What a treat! Maybe I'll make two?




14.) Mary Mayhem's One Day Mystery - although this does not technically begin until August 12th, I have the fabrics selected and the pre-sewing started as she has directed. This will be my third project from Mary, and I have not been dissatisfied with her mysteries. So Sunday, August 12th is a designated sewing day as I try to keep up with her clues for an outstanding quilt top to be done in one day. Yeah, right! Okay, maybe two or three. Either way, I want it done by the end of this quarter.

15.) Pumpkin Seeds - how can I forget this one? The top was finished last year and I just found it hanging in the "to be quilted" section in the closet. It only needs to be quilted, so it is time to take it out and get it finished for fall enjoyment.  I have lots of fall fabrics to use for a pieced backing. A flannel backing may be nice too.

16.) Thimbleberries leftover Vintage Stitches Blocks. My Vintage Stitches quilt was finished years ago but I did not make it reversible. So these blocks were waiting for a setting to be made into another quilt. There was a discussion about an Irish Chain challenge (see Stashbusters Yahoo Group) so this was my answer to putting these blocks together. Plenty of scrap thimbleberries fabrics were found to make this complete. The top is now finished and is ready for the quilter. Maybe I can machine quilt this one myself. Phew! I better get busy...

Reported Finish is here!

17.) Car Set Covers and Tote Bag - Our car was just brought home from the dealer after being serviced and cleaned so now is a good time to get these done. Easy projects so I should get this one done on a free weekend.

18.) Snowballs - this is a carry over from previous quarters. I pull it out to work on when I am in the mood for some mindless sewing. I've been matching up the light units with the dark units. I think I may have 100 more to do. I may just sew up what I have and see how big it is. If it is large enough for a throw I will add some quick borders and be done.

19.) Pincushion Doll - I found her several years ago at a flea market and since she was so very dirty (and her skirt was old but not original) I decided to tear her apart and make a new skirt. Her base is completed as you can see. I used some heavy muslin and filled her with walnut shavings so she has some weight. Now I need to make her actual skirt so she can go back up on my shelf for display.  

20.) Liberty Garden Table Runner - another quick project that I think I would like to finish this year. I have several table runner kits in the cupboard that it would be a good idea to pull one out each quarter and finish them up. Not only are they quick to finish (in comparison to the above quilts) but they also make nice gifts.

21.) Cotton Theory Table Topper - It is all cut and ready to go. I have not done this technique but I am sure it will open a new world of possibilities. 









If I get all these done, that will finish half of all my UFO projects. Just think what my next list will look like! Actually since there is no penalty for not completing an item, I was ambitious in my goal setting. This gives me wiggle room for choosing a project in case a need arises.

You too can join us at She Can Quilt blog's 2018 Finish-A-Long. There are prizes to go along with your goal setting! How is that for incentive? I hope to meet you there!

It is Summertime!

Although there are some things I detest about this time of year (heat with humidity), there are also many things I love about Summer. One of these is garage sale season! I have severely limited my visits since moving (the memory is still painful because there was a 15 year accumulation) but it is still fun to randomly hit on a few to see what I can find. Today was one such day, and what I found was serendipity! 

I am always on the lookout for things for my sewing room. So, today I came across a sweet little sewing basket stuffed with goodies. All for 75 cents! Who can pass up the fun of  looking for little treasures for that little amount of cash? I sure can't! 

Aside from the basket being made in Japan (hey! a nice little memento from the land I visited a few years ago!) I also found:

• several spools of thread - it is getting pricey these days so a find of decent quality thread is a bonus.
• a cute little "hat" crocheted pincushion - I will keep any pincushion if it is clean.
• a packet of needles - labled "A Little Gift for You from Dillons Food Markets", complete with a needle threader.
• a package of Majesty crewel needles, made in England.
• a couple of cards of buttons - white, pearlized.
• dozens of garter fasteners. I am from the pantyhose generation and I am so glad I did not have to wear garters! Unless, of course, you want to dress for a sexy occasion, but I digress. I kept 8 of them just so my grand daughters might ask what they are. 
• and an unusual pair of scissors. They read "Clauss U.S.A.". They have a set screw between the handles to adjust your cutting, along with cut-outs on the blades. For cutting buttonholes I presume.  

This was definitely worth the time and money. It is all put away and I now have a little basket tote for my ongoing hexie project with Kingfisher Stitch-Along!

I hope you are finding some small treasures to make your sewing experience fun and enjoyable. Please feel free to share in the comments below. I would love to hear from you.

2nd Quarter Finish

Mary Mayhem offers a New Year's Day Mystery each year. I have participated the last 2 years because the end result has always been a satisfying one. They are usually not too complicated and finish rather quickly so it is a great way to begin the new year. 

This year's pattern was called "Zigs and Zags". I chose leftover fabrics from Bonnie Hunter's "En Provence quilt. (and I still have many leftovers) 

I added two white vertical strips in the center to make the top a little larger before adding the borders. 



You can surely see why it is called Zigs and Zags.

She finishes at 64" x 77" - a nice throw size for a twin bed. Not too heavy and just right for summer nights.
 

A close up of the quilting is shown. Do you also use white batting in your quilts with white backgrounds?  I do! I learned this lesson the hard way. (grin)

I used up 6 yards for the top and 3 yards for the backing and binding - all totaling 9 yards of stash busted.

Although I have been busy with other projects (see previous post), this is my one completion for my 2nd Quarter Finish Along Goal.

I hope to make better progress now that the outdoor work slows a bit. I will be posting my 3rd Quarter goals soon.

You may be interested...
There is a new one day Mystery Quilt project coming up on Sunday, August 12th. Mary presently has a link posted for the supply list, cutting instructions, and a few preliminary tasks, so check it out. Then on Sunday you will get a "clue" each hour for your completion by the end of the day. So plan ahead, get the crock pot plugged in, and sew on! What a great afternoon!