Tuesday, December 18, 2012

Floribunda Is Done!


 
 
 
Added For the Tuesday Archives
 
This was a Bonnie Hunter Quilt-A-Long project from last year that is now finally quilted and bound.  I finished it up on Monday after having a binding crisis over the weekend.  The striped fabric used around the edge was the original binding I picked but wanting it on the diagonal (candy-striped) I realized too late that I didn't have enough.  Having bought the fabric over a year ago I didn't think I'd be able to get more and didn't want to wait to try order more.  So the solution was to alternate some solid yellow (the one featured on the back) with the stripe to make it stretch.  I like it although my first choice would still be to have it all in the stripe.
 
Added For the Tuesday Archives
 
Here's the back:


I got the idea for the "framed" design from Lerlene Nevaril's book "Over Easy: Creative Ideas For Pieced Quilt Backs".  The small floral print that comprises most of the back had been purchased years (and years and years) ago so had to also be stretched to fill out the back.  The simple solution was to add the yellow insets.  Then I decided to add some of the front background florals as well, partly to use up the scraps and partly, well just for fun!

Fun facts about this project:  it has survived three weather extremes:  I had started this project shortly before the earthquake that hit the east coast last year and continued working on it when Hurricane Irene came right behind that.  It was shortly after Hurricane Sandy that my tax class ended and I could go back to this.  Ah, memories!

When it didn't get finished last year as hoped, it went on my 2012 UFO Challenge List.  It was my #2 which Judy pulled in May.  Well, better late than never!  And at this point it's my only completed Challenge project (although a couple of others were layered or worked on).  Can't wait to throw this antique inspired bit 'o sunshine over the end of the bed (or my legs) in the spring (or perhaps on one of the cold dreary winter days ahead).

Next challenge: to make some of these cute crocheted pillows to go with it.  The design is by Beata who blogs at RoseHip and the pattern for the squares can be found here (or from the link on her sidebar).

Wednesday, December 12, 2012

Back In the Saddle Again....

I am finally back!  I've been away all Fall because I had taken an income tax preparation course in the hopes of getting work for the upcoming tax season.  I thought I'd be able to take the course (3 hours a day, three days a week) and still quilt.  But between the extra time spent after class reviewing concepts with my classmates and then the need to commit to a lot of study time, at the end of the day, I really didn't have the head space left for quilting. Then Superstorm Sandy wound up extending our course an extra week.  After I passed the course came another two week nail biting period waiting to be called for an interview.  So far, I haven't been hired so now I really want to get back to the quilting -- both to bring my life back to normal and to take my mind off the waiting.

Compounding all that was the fact that I had a couple of home dec projects I wanted to get out of the way before focusing on the quilting and I had a very long list of all the UFOs I still want to try to get done before year's end (yeah right!).  Now I am really feeling all the missed machine time.  So after knocking out two of the home dec projects earlier this week, the first quilt project is up -- finishing Floribunda!


The quilt stitching is my kryptonite -- it's the one part of the process that I'm most unsure of and usually procrastinate on. Which is funny since I set out to be a machine quilter from the time I started quilting and have always quilted my own quilts (over 40 to date).  Actually now, it's not so much the actual stitching that I fear but choosing a good stitch design and finding the balance between enhancing the quilt and what I am capable of executing at my current skill level.

I wasn't too scared of this one:  It was only lap quilt-sized, I had already picked an all over stitch design for it, the fabric prints and block design used in the top were busy enough to hide a lot of sins and I already had my thread picked out.  So I did some practice sketching and quilt samples and then got it on the machine.

I got a little more than a quarter of it done today so figure I should be binding it by Friday at the latest!  Yippee Ki-Yay (and with work continuing, I don't need that last part)!

Tuesday, July 31, 2012

Patchwork Times UFO Challenge Updates

I totally missed reporting on the July UFO number this month which was #3.  That's probably because I didn't work on it at all.  For me it was supposed to be to layer and quilt my Merrimac Dresdens!


Unfortunately it didn't even get layered since I've been working on the BOMs and the DWR.  I have decided on the quilt stitch designs and have the backing but until it is layered it can't even be added to the ever growing "To Be Quilted" pile.


 In fact, most of my Challenge list projects are tops that need to be quilted.  Today Judy issued the the August number which is #7 and for me that is my Aunt Grace BOM.






Considering that I've been focusing on BOMs lately, maybe I can get this one done before summer's end?  I'm not so sure given my PTUFOC completion track record is 0 for 7.  Like the Dresedens, I have given some thought to how I want to quilt it and have the backing but until it is layered it too can't join the "To Be Quilted"stack. 

To add insult to injury, I've got two projects I'd like to start this month.  At this point I'm going to plead the fifth and not make any promises. Hope you are way more up to date on your projects!

Monday, July 23, 2012

BOM Rehab #7

Ahhh, it's good to be back in Rehab!!!  Can't imagine any real addicts saying that!

It's been a long road back to quilting and Rehab for me but it feels good to hold the rotary cutter in my hand again, hear the hum of my sewing machine and feel the pull of the needle through cloth again.  As I noted in a recent post, I am pleased to announce that before going AWOL, I did get the last Rehab project reported on done!


The red border blocks for the "Civil War Chronicles" BOM were finished by the end of May and the top put together in early June.  This one will be quilted when its number comes up on the Patchwork Times UFO Challenge list.

As also noted in that post,  Judy picked #12 for the June PTUFOC which for me was the "Jan Patek House & Garden" BOM that I had signed up for in the Fall of 2010 and is the last BOM I have in house.

The original plan was to spend June starting it as well as catching back up on the "Heart & Home" Wool BOM that I had started Rehab with.  So now that I am now ready to get back on track, this will be my weekend work. To help myself along, I prepped the long background and motifs for the "House & Garden" block on Friday and the "Heart & Home" house block on Saturday.  I worked on the hand applique "Garden" banner block on Saturday & Sunday and finished it early enough to get the wool one stitched up by machine Sunday evening. 




Once again, glad to be back in Rehab.  Why don't you come with me over to Sinta's and check out what other BOM Rehabbers are up to?  Or better yet join us!  The completion of my Chronicles project is proof that Rehab works!

Friday, July 13, 2012

How To Bottom Out In Style

Here's a review of what I did just before I took my unexpected break.  As I said in the previous post, I think the break was brought on by over committing myself to one too many projects and then becoming overwhelmed by all the tasks I had committed to both in and away from quilting.
  
Before I completely flaked out, I did get some things done.  All through April and May I had been attending BOM Rehab hosted by Sinta at the Pink Pincusion blog and in the later weeks had worked steadily on the border blocks for my Civil War Chronicles BOM.  I am pleased to say that not only did I get the blocks done but I also got the top finished by the first week of June.


Yes, it's a big 'un!!  The quilting of it was already on my UFO list for this year's Patchwork Times UFO Challenge because I had originally expected to complete this in December of last year, so we'll see if its number will come up in the near future.  I have been entertaining ideas about how I will quilt it and look forward to getting that to a finish before the end of this year.

And speaking of the UFO Challenge and BOM Rehab:  Judy had pulled #12 for the June PTUFOC and for me that is the Jan Patek House & Garden BOM that I had signed up for in the Fall of 2010 (and the last BOM I have in house).  I had hoped to spend June starting it as well as catching back up on the Heart & Home Wool BOM that I had led off Rehab with but when I went off the rails that desire went with it.  I am now ready to get back on track for this to be my weekend work. Look for future posts where I begin work on these two and rejoin the BOM Rehab group.


Another commitment I had made was joining the String Thing Along to work on my Denim Blue Lagoons project.  I had thought that maybe working on this wonky project with my sons would be a quick start for the summer.  But I have to admit as the school year came to a close and they started their summer vacation, it was a lot harder to get in gear than expected.  Just before I went AWOL I had them sew up enough strips sets and I had de-boned and cut up enough denim jeans to make one third (five rows) of each of their quilt tops.


While I really want to get these done for the fall (they will be HEAVY quilts), I'm going to let this one rest awhile so I can I FOCUS (there's the quilt word of the year again!) on other tasks.

I also see that the last time I had posted about my Autumn Double Wedding Ring project was back in April.  I had really worked on this for a good clip and at the time thought I'd bring it to a top but then got distracted by all the other commitments I did or wanted to make (more on that in a few).  But I wanted to note here that in the second week of May I did get those last two rows done and cut the half and quarter block pieces that will be inset between the rows to create a straight edge to attach the outer border to.  This has been sitting on my design wall ever since.


Even as I took on other projects, I really wanted to get back to this one.  The next step for this is to put all the rows together to form the center of the top.  After that, it's cutting the outer border, adding applique to it and attaching that to finish the top.  The DWR Chat Group at Connecting Threads-Quilt With Us has been very active lately, so I hope to get to post on this there when I get back to working on it.

Another thing that led to burn out was realizing that two other commitments I wanted to take on were just not going to get done.  The first was that I had purchased a wholecloth kit that I had planned to hand quilt for my own Jubliee Quilt Project.


Since my Jubilee year was actually last year, my goal was just to get this one started for the first anniversary of my Jubilee year by my birthday in May.  But as the date got closer and closer and the projects piled higher and higher, I realized with some disappointment that there was NO WAY I would get to this one!  So it is shelved for the time being, perhaps even for the year.  Since it is also one of the last four projects on my original Bucket List, maybe tackling those can be a FOCUS for next year?

Another thing I had to delay was my plan to work on Barbara Brackman's Civil War Block of the Week blocks from 2011.  I've done many projects with Civil War Repros in the last two years (you can click on the label link on the sidebar to see them all) and have really enjoyed delving into the history of this period through the quilt projects, t.v. shows and reading.   My plan was that after I had finished the Civil War Chronicles top, I would use all the accumulated scraps and remaining yardage I had collected (o.k. and maybe even buy a few more pieces if needed) and make a few of Ms. Brackman's blocks each week in the hopes of having all 52 done before she took then down, which I thought would happen in July.  But the Chronicles top took longer to complete than planned and once again, as the July deadline got closer and closer, I realized that I just could not fit in another task.  The good news is that it now says on the blog that the blocks will be up for the rest of the 2012 year.  Since working on these is also on my Patchwork Times UFO list, I will wait until that number is called to FOCUS on this.  The back up plan is that Ms. Brackman will have a book on the blocks coming out in 2013 that I definitely want to get.  So if I do not get the blocks done by the end of this year, I will wait for the book and work on them then.   

So I think that brings me up to date.  I am looking forward to getting "back on the horse" on all of these projects.  Watch for news on them in upcoming posts!

Ending Radio Silence

Whew!  It's been too long since I've been away.  Two things led me astray:  quilting overload and life commitments.  It's hard to admit but I feel like I over committed myself to too many quilting projects at once and pushed myself to the point that I then couldn't even think about sewing.  I really, really wanted to do everything and then wound up feeling like doing nothing!  Heck, I haven't even read any quilt blogs in all this time (and boy will I have a lot of catching up to do when I get back to it)!!

My youngest son graduated Middle School in June and since I volunteered there, there was a lot of graduation events to help with.  In addition, we had been on pins and needles awaiting word of his high school assignment.  Back in March we found out that his first choice was entered into the selection system wrong by someone assisting the guidance counselor which caused him to be matched with a school not on our list and as a result all his other choices were also ignored.  To correct the error, we had to go through a very lengthy appeal process to get his actual choices considered.  In the end, two weeks before graduation, we got word that he was accepted to his first choice!  A call to the school confirmed that the late acceptance meant we missed out on attending the orientation held for new freshmen but the school mailed us the information that was issued at the event.  So now we are in prep mode for the transition and next year I will be the mother of TWO high schoolers and my oldest will be graduating!!

As July has progressed, I have finally been getting the itch to get back into the swing of things.  The perspective I  gained from my time away is that I must pull back a little and re-commit to my quilt word for the year which is FOCUS.  I have done well when I am able to concentrate on or give priority to one project at a time and now I have to get back to that.  This doesn't mean I won't still have multiple projects going (it's already too late to change that!).  It just means that in the moment, I need to be better at narrowing my attention to the task at hand and getting it to an acceptable stopping point (if not completion) before moving on to the next big thing.  It would also help if I really try to limit how many irons I commit to placing in the fire at any one time.  That i must say is a very hard task to say the least with all the quilting goodness and potential out there.  But I realize now that I can only take on so much at once if I am to avoid burn out.

So stay tuned for upcoming posts on what I did get done before I went AWOL and what I will be working on over the summer. Hopefully I will also be back to visiting some of you soon too!!

Tuesday, May 1, 2012

The May UFO is #2

Judy issued the UFO for May:  it is #2 and for me that is Floribunda!


That project was Bonnie Hunter's reproduction of a quilt she found in an antique store.  This must be one of those quilting serendipity moments because I am supposed to go see Bonnie Hunter this weekend at the Northern Star Quilter's Guild show.  I'd love to be able to see it done by then but I can't make that kind of promise considering my track record so far. But I do believe it's an easy quilt to finish and hope it will jumpstart all the stitching I am behind on. 

Speaking of which my UFO progress so far:

The January UFO #5 Safari Stars and WAK Tryptich:  The former still layered and awaiting quilting.  The latter has not had any further composition work done on it.

The February UFO #1 Autumn Double Wedding Ring:  I have made steady progress on this and am now down to the last two rows of arcs to be pieced to the centers.  An update post can be read here.

The March UFO #8 Bouncing Colorblocks:  I did start the quilting.  All the ditch stitching is done so I just need to do the "fancy stuff" in the blocks and sashing blocks.

The April UFO #10 Brrr! Park:  Still layered and awaiting pressing and quilting.

Once again I am hoping that this will be a good quilt stitching month.

Monday, April 30, 2012

BOM Rehab #6

Good Thing I Cheated!

I was disappointed last weekend when I only got four of the Chronicles BOM border blocks done.  I really wanted to get twelve done so that one side of blocks would be complete.  So during last week I worked on the remaining eight blocks for the first side so that when the weekend came I could start, on schedule, the blocks for the second side.  And I did get the eight blocks done so now sixteen blocks are finished.



However, the weekend turned into an unplanned bust for quilting.  My DH is a UPS driver and will be eligible for retirement in four years and his union rep announced that they were holding retirement seminars in the coming weeks.  He called to reserve two spots in one scheduled for May 12 in Elmsford, NY and when the union rep called back, he told us there was also a session being held this past Saturday in Farmingdale, Long Island so we opted to attend that one instead.  Calling home after it was over, our son told us my MIL had called---she was in town for a wedding and wanted to come by to visit on Sunday!  We had planned to do our monthly warehouse club shopping that day so had to switch and do that on Saturday instead (fortunately we saw a Costco in the area where the seminar was held so dropped in before heading home). Needless to say with company coming that also meant some straightening up and meal planning and after hosting Sunday, I was too pooped to pop, uh, sew.  

So thank goodness I did cheat or I'd be a lot further behind!  But now a new challenge:  I will be attending the Northern Star Quilter's Guild Show in Somers, NY this coming weekend (click on the guild name for the show announcement and the word "show" for the schedule of events).  The good news is that Bonnie Hunter is their featured guest speaker!  I love Bonnie and she will be giving two different lectures, one on each day of the show so I will be attending both days.  The bad news is that means there will probably be no quilting this weekend either!  So this week will have to be another cheater week:  the plan is to try to get 32 blocks made this week to finish up the blocks for sides two and three to stay on schedule.  I'm hoping to make up the triangle sheets today and eight blocks a day for the rest of the week.  Then next week I can focus on putting all the center blocks together for the top,  finish the last side of blocks that weekend and complete the top the week after.  It's a good thing that FOCUS is my word of the year!

Hope your BOM Rehab plans went a little more smoothly than mine.  For the rest of you:  have some BOMs but are not participating in Sinta's BOM Rehab?  Why not?!  Click over to her blog and see what every one is catching up on.  I promise you'll be inspired to get them done!



Design Wall Monday 4/30/12

I was supposed to link last week and did a post and then forgot to link!  You can see that post here.  As for last week, another row of arcs are done!


Only two more rows to go and then I can start putting the rows together and work on the borders.

Also I noticed that the applique in the dark brown center was not oriented the way I had originally planned: 

I debated whether I could live with it but found it a little jarring even among all the busyness surrounding it so decided to go ahead, remove the arcs already attached and reposition them.



There, that's better!

To see what everyone else worked on this week, click over to Judy's Patchwork Times blog.  There is always exciting projects happening in the quilt world!

Tuesday, April 24, 2012

Design Wall...uh, Tuesday

I had prepped this for Judy's Design Wall Monday linky and then forgot to post it! Oh, well a Tuesday post in the wilderness it will have to be!

There was almost a DWR Crisis last week! It was supposed to be an easy week with only three centers in the current row to add arcs to.  But a full blown crisis was anticipated when I went to do the second center and thought I only had four arcs left! 

At that point I had one more center to do for the week and (correcting the information I reported in my Design Wall post last Monday) I still had three more rows still to do after this week's blocks were done.

A while back, I had added a gold melon to some arcs and then decided not to use them for the row I was working on at the time.  For balance, I had decided that arc/melon set should go at the bottom of the quilt and added it to one of the green centers down there.  However, based on the sequence of fabrics I have used so far for the red connecting corners, it now looks like I put the the wrong set on that last row.  The good news was they were just what I needed for the row I was working on so the new plan was to take that arc set off the green center and use it on the last center and then make up one more set of arcs to finish this row.

Except when I went to check the project fabric stash I found these:


Arcs, beautiful, already made arcs!  Thank goodness!  I still took the arc/melon set off the green center and used it in the current row.  And although the balance of the melons used in the top will not be exactly what I would have liked in this area, it is what it is and what it is will have to be.  More importantly, I now don't have to make more arcs or push the estimate up of when I will finish this top.  I do expect to run out of the red connecting corners shortly but have no problem with cutting more of those as I work on this during the week. When all was said and done, here's where I was:

Whew!  Crisis averted!

Monday, April 23, 2012

BOM Rehab #5

a.k.a. A Slow Rehab Week

It was a slow weekend at Rehab this week.  Partially because I restarted an old WIP/UFO allowing me to finally join the String Thing Along.  It is a project that I am sewing with my sons so it took time away from Rehab during what was already a busy weekend with a lot of errands to run.

The plan had been to prepare enough triangle sheets to finish twelve blocks--the number I needed to add to the four made last week to complete the border blocks for one side of the Chronicles BOM.  I did get the sheets and triangles made but after running errands, I only had time to get four blocks done.


So this week's output looks a lot like last week's.  With another four blocks added to the four from last week, half of a side is done and I have a stack of HSTs and squares ready to complete the rest!

The Rehabbers have a lot of great projects going on so check out what everyone is catching up on over at Sinta's Pink Pincushion blog.  Who knows, you may see a project that you want to restart or take on!

Sunday, April 22, 2012

Bonnie Hunter at the Northern Star Quilt Guild Show May 5 & 6, 2012

Just found out that Bonnie Hunter will be lecturing and giving a workshop  at the Northern Star Quilt Guild Show that will be held on Saturday May 5 and Sunday May 6, 2012 in Somers, NY!!!!

The workshop is on Monday, May 7th on her "Jared Takes A Wife" Quilt.   It is already full (darn!) however, there is also a wait list.  Bonnie will be giving lectures on both show days at 11 AM on her "Scrap Savers System" on Saturday and on her "Scraps and Shirttales" books and methods on Sunday.  There will also be a lecture on Saturday by Tom Hennes who is the Founder and Chief Designer of Thinc Design, the design group that did the "Infinite Variety" red and white quilts show with the American Museum of Folk Art last year.   

You can view the the show schedule here and the vendors here.

I am excited to attend this year.  I have long wanted to see Bonnie in person but she is usually too far away for me to go.  The last (and first) time I attended this show was in 2009.  I got to meet a quilter I knew from blogging (Renee from Quilted Artistry) and saw a great presentation by Susan Cleveland

This one should be a fun event so I hope to see you there!

Friday, April 20, 2012

Finally Catching Up on Another UFO and Joining The String Thing Along (The Short Version)

I finally did it!  I had planned since last summer to put my sons back to work sewing up strings for the Denim Blue Lagoon Blocks.

 This project was on my original "PHD (Projects Half Done) Challenge" list last year.   And I made plans again and again to work on it but was never able to meet my deadlines.  Then at the start of the year I saw the String Thing (Quilt) Along announced and I thought "now's the time".   But up to now, I've been too busy sewing other projects to clear enough work space to enable me work with my boys.  However, I've been a little better organized lately and then a timely cable service outage this week (which meant no after school TV, internet or phone) has helped to make my dreams come true!  Wednesday afternoon, I was finally able to get my youngest son to resume sewing some strips for me so I could cut them into the 60 degree triangle units I need for the blocks and cut diamonds out of the old and outgrown jeans I've collected until we have enough blocks for two twin size tops.
The pattern I am using is from Fons & Porter and theirs was originally made up in batiks. When I started this back in 2009, I wanted to make heavy winter quilts for my sons so decided to use up scrap strings and denim from their outgrown jeans.

For the full story see the post at the String Thing Along here.  I am excited to be trying to get yet another WIP/UFO to the finish line!

Monday, April 16, 2012

BOM Rehab #4

As noted in my last post, I've had to switch my Rehab allegiance from Wool back to the Civil War...Civil War Chronicles that is!  And when it comes to this project it can only mean one thing---HSTs to inifinity and beyond!  This project has consistently called for a lot of HSTs and the border blocks are no exception.  Sixty-eight blocks with ten 1-1/2" finished HSTs in each block.  Do the math and you guessed it, over 600 HSTs to be made!  My saving grace throughout this project has been to make them with triangle sheets.  As I've noted before, I use Quilt-Pro's "Triangle Magic" software but you can also use Brenda Henning's "Triangulations" software as well.

I've printed out most of the sheets already (two got crumpled coming through in the printer and have to be re-done).  For the whole border, I have a total of 33 sheets to sew up: 24 letter size in the red/cream color combo and 9 legal size in red/brown combo. The page size printed was chosen based on how many squares print on a page and what would yield the closest amount to what was needed without having too many extra or short.  With so many to do, I've decided to just attach a few sheets at a time to fabric for sewing up.  I also have to cut 2" squares to complete the block and did a stack to get me started and will cut more as I go along.



I started by sewing up one sheet of each and that yielded four finished blocks and leftover HSTs in the dark combo ready to be added to future blocks.  Needless to say I've got a couple of weekends of work ahead of me before this gets done.  I also still need to start putting all the center blocks together to form the center of the top.  This project is also on my UFO  List for Judy's Patchwork Times Challenge but that pick will be for the quilting only.

Want to see how everyone else is recovering from BOM overload?  Click back over to Sinta's Pink Pincushion blog so we can all share our BOM joys (finished blocks!) and misery (how many more do I have to go??)!

Design Wall Monday 4/16/12

DWR Update

I didn't get to post an update of the blocks finished last week since there was so much going on.  That week was an easy week with only three centers to work on.  That was then:


This past week was a whole 'nother story both for quilting and for life.  I thought the week would be easy due to it being Spring Break for my sons and with my DH on vacation.  Instead it was a week of sickness (just a cold and not me but still...), car repairs and company.  Despite all the unexpected issues, the quilt work must go on (for the sake of my sanity).  So at week's end, this is where I am now:


Whoo, hoo, only three more rows of arcs to add on before I can start putting the rows together!  And this week will be another easy week of only three centers to do (and everyone back to school and work).  The final borders of this will be straight so there are half centers to be added in around the edges before the final border will be put on and that also will have applique applied to it.  I am still estimating it will be June before the top is finished but at least it's still on schedule.

To see all the other the projects that people are working on, click back over to Judy's Patchwork Times blog and take a gander at all the lovely craftiness that goes on in the quilt world every week!

Monday, April 9, 2012

BOM Rehab #3

The latest block for the wool Heart and Home BOM was finished early for this week.  It was a simple one and I was able to make it up on Friday.


But now it looks like I'll be breaking off from that BOM for a little while to go back to working on another:  the Civil War Chronicles BOM.  When last I worked on it I had finished all the blocks up to the last month.


When I received the last kit in December, it was missing one fabric.  That was a big issue at the time because:
  1. The fabric manufacturer was going to have to reprint the fabric to supply the BOM vendor with the fabric for the kit.
  2. The earliest estimate of its arrival was February.
  3. The missing fabric was the most important one for the blocks that had to be done and there were sixty-eight to make to complete the last border of the top!
Needless to say it has been a nail biting period.  Until now that is.  The fabric came in on Saturday.  Happy Dance!

The fabric that just came in is on the left, the rest of the kit sent in December is on the right.
Since I had originally wanted this top done by the end of last year, I am going to go back to working on it for next week's Rehab report (and probably for a few weeks after that too).

See what everyone else is Happy Dancing about this week by clicking on over to Sinta's to take a look!

Saturday, April 7, 2012

We Interrupt Your Regularly Scheduled Program For This Special Announcement....


The Chronciles red fabric has finally arrived!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!


Looks like I've got something new to work on for the BOM Rehab!

Thursday, April 5, 2012

This is a Segueway...

 ...and no, not the scooter type!

I made this block for Brenda of the String Thing Along.  She asked on this post for donation to go towards a charity quilt so these blocks will be on their way to Canada(!) tomorrow.  There is also hope that the finished quilt might convince a non-quilter of the beauty of string quilts---oh, that it will be true!  Then we can bring yet another person over to the quilty side!

For me though, it's a warm-up.  I had big hopes that I would have already been participating in the String Thing Along as I have a big, overdue project (do I have any other kind?) that uses strings.  Fortunately, my day is coming real soon.  Stay tuned......

* * * * * * * * * *

Edited to add:  See the finished quilt that was donated here!

Tuesday, April 3, 2012

BOM Rehab #2

Here is block 2 of the Heart & Home BOM and Sinta's BOM Rehab:

I am loving working in wool.  I have two more wool projects set up with fabrics and threads that I hope to get made up before month's end for spring decorating.  More for the list!

Monday, April 2, 2012

UFO Challenge Update

The bad news:  I am now 0 for 3 in terms of finishing UFOs.  The good news is that while nothing is finished everything moved up a notch this month:

January UFO (#5):

Of the two wall hangings that make up that UFO project, the Safari Stars, the one that was already a top did get basted.

February UFO (#1):

Once I realized the the DWR would take longer than expected, I've committed to weekly work on it.  So as of Friday I did get a third row of arcs done so now am here:


March UFO (# 8):
The Colorblocks quilt also got layered this month.

While I am a bit disappointed that I didn't get it quilted, there is more good news because the new UFO for April is #10 and that for me is:  Brrr! Park!

As you can see this one is already layered (and has been for three years) and now will need a good pressing before quilting!  For me, this means that April will be a very quilty month---all quilt stitching almost all the time.  I say almost because I will still be working on the DWR arcs and I have been working on my Heart & Home Wool BOM blocks for Sinta's BOM Rehab Challenge also on weekly (actually weekend) basis so stitching will take place for that as well (and I will post about that later today when the Linky is up).  Quilt stitching  is the one thing I need to gain more confidence in so it is good that this will be the focus this month.

Hope you got a lot done this month.  If not, let's watch our UFOs bloom into finished quilts this spring!