So How Did March Go?

Well, March is in the can!  As always, I had grand plans for the month but did I get any of them done?  Follow along and see...... 

So my plans for the month were:

1.  Pat Sloan's "March Block-A-Day" with my own WIPs instead.

The first of the two WIPs I decided to give the B-A-D treatment to this month was "Roll, Roll, Cotton Boll",  a string mystery quilt by Bonnie Hunter.  I started on the project back in 2018 and had been working on the blocks for this since Christmas.  I got the String blocks done in January and started on the pieced blocks for it in February.  The good news is that B-A-D was GOOD for these blocks since I was able to finish them up in March!

When DH and I visited his mother in North Carolina last week, I had hoped to lay out the blocks and maybe get the center of the top sewn up while away.  

Unfortunately that didn't happen.  Part of that was also going to be to piece together the borders so now that also still has to be done.   I am happy though that the big step of the pieced blocks is all complete!

The second of the B-A-D WIPs to work on this month was to finish up the blocks for the APQ Scrap  Happy QAL that I started last September.  Once again the good B-A-D news is that those blocks are all done too!  

Here are most of them filling out my design wall.  The pile of blocks on the left side of the table are an additional block for each column.  I also can't fit the last column of blocks on the wall so for now they are sitting on the right side of the table.  

There is also an outer border of neutral squares that I have done some of the cutting for too.  Putting the columns together will probably be used as the new leader/ender project while I resume work on the next thing from the March "To Do" list.....   

2.  Raffle Quilts and Memory Quilt

I had two deadline quilts to work on this month.  The first is that last year, I got it in my head to want to make a raffle quilt for my community garden's opening day.  I found the perfect pattern and some sale fabric turned that idea into making two quilts.  I started on them last year, stalled and then vowed to get them done this year.  Unfortunately the B-A-D WIPs kept me busy in March so all I've done is to pull out the project box and review what I had started last year.  

I had told the garden's Steering Committee that I was committed but not guaranteeing the quilts for this year.  So it remains to be seen if I've made enough progress that I can push and try to get them done.

Unfortunately that means that the Memory Quilt for a friend is once again on hold.  Since it's a project I really need to focus on, I think that won't happen until May or until the Raffle Quilts are completed.

3.  APQ UFO: Modern Twist

I signed up for the APQ UFO challenge and this month was #11 which for me was finishing up the quilting on my Planet Patchwork "Modern Twist" mystery.  I also took this one on our recent trip to NC because I thought I could handle quilting it on my Featherweight if given the opportunity.  

It's the top quilt in that bag.

Unfortunately, that opportunity didn't happen.  Looks like this will be the second month in a row that I didn't touch my challenge UFO project.  I really need to work on this one at some point because the "To Be Quilted" pile has been growing by leaps and bounds lately and I have to get better at tackling it.  I might see if I can still try to do some quilting on this in April as a warm-up for quilting the raffle quilts.

4.  Finishing Up the Christmas Quilting:  Christmas Ribbons 

The last item on the March "To Do" list was to finish off the last of the Red & White Christmas quilts.  The hope was to get my "Christmas Ribbons" project quilted and bound (it's the bottom quilt in the bag pictured above).  

What I was able to do in March was move this forward a bit and get it layered and basted so I could also take it on the trip to NC.  However like "Modern Twist", I didn't get to quilt it while away.  However, I was able to make an adjustment to the label area pieced into the back.  This is another TBQ that I might try to take a stab at quilting while working on the raffle quilt piecing. 

One Last Thing.....

While this had not been on the March list, another benefit of traveling by car for our trip is that these days I also take along a hand work project.  As I packed up my things for the trip, I decided to try to get "back on the horse" with one of my Cross Stitch projects.  

This is "Maybe Wine Will Help" by Peacock & Fig.  I picked it to be the companion piece to the Dimensions "My Doctor Says I Need Glasses" piece I finished and hung last year.  

I had gotten stalled on "Wine" because when I last worked on this, I had counted wrong when starting that center flower and it was positioned too low near the letters below it.  I had done a big portion of it hoping I could figure a way to "make it work".  NOT!!  So before the trip, I bit the bullet and frogged all the work I had done on it.  

I was too tired on the drive down to stitch and we were too busy during the visit for me to work on it.  So I didn't get to restart it until we were on the drive back.  Good news is that it's going well now so I hope to keep this up and get it fully finished (stitched and framed) for April.

So no need to do an April "To Do" list as everything not finished this month moves forward to that list.  Which means, well everything here, LOL!!!  Did you get your March goals completed and what's cooking in your studio for April?