2014 Is A New Year!

2014 Guidelines

Refold/organize ONE cube/spot in my stash per month

Work on ONE UFO per month and move it One more step towards completion.  (add borders, set blocks into a top, etc)

Any piece of stash less than 9" WOF goes into the scrap box to be recut into usable units--noodles, 3.5" x 6.5" bricks, 5" charms.  

Finish a UFO before starting a new project (this one is a bit iffy)

I plan to participate in Design Wall Mondays, Stashbuster's UFO Challenge, Rainbow Scrap Challenge and other internet fun.  Even Stash reports!  I may not post to each one every week--but I enjoy them. 

I plan to make quilts for donation and for family. 

I will participate in internet fun.  

I will remind myself its the PROCESS I love the most!

 My word for the year is ENJOY

Yes, I think these will work well for 2014.  Last year I finished 13 quilts.   7 were donated various places.  3 to family.  A few I finished for a friend.  I'd like to say I'll have more finishes in 2014, but then I remind myself quilting is for fun.  And I need to enjoy it, all of it!  Finishing a project before starting a new one is flexible.  And its becoming more doable.   Mostly because I've learned to avoid "Magpie Syndrome".  That need to make every new project I see.  How do I avoid that?  When I see a project I just GOTTA make, I say Okay, but THINK about it.  I let it simmer in my mind.  I review fabrics in my stash, will they work?  I do math calculations, possible resize/redraft the pattern to fit my needs.  And IF, after a couple of weeks, or months I STILL want to make it, I do.  It is put on the list of projects I am going to make.  How is that working for me?  In the last six months I've started seven projects.  I haven't added any new ones to the list, yet.  One project required specific stash additions, that's okay.  One required background fabric, another okay purchase.  The rest are using stash.  I have limited attention span, I flit from one project to the next.  But, they aren't NEW projects.  They are on my list and I like the variety.  

 

Have you thought about where you'd like your quilting to take you?  What you like best?  How about a bucket list?  Have you made one, or started one from it?? Don't think its too hard, or I'll do it "later".  Try a practice block before committing to it.  Ask another quilter for help.  But, above all else, ENJOY what you do!!  

 

 

Design Wall Monday and Weekly Goals

This is what I've been working on--

Trail Mix and Mt Hood blocks.  The 9 patches for Summer at the Lake are made and labeled in baggies.  

 I thought 170+ 9 patches would make a dent in the 30's stash but no such luck.

This is only part of what's left.  Maybe one more quilt from this box and I will put it away for a while.  See everyone's design wall at Patchwork Times.

Weekly Goals--

1. Load and quilt a top
2. finish binding Tilted Rails quilt
3. Trail Mix blocks
4. Mt Hood blocks

Weekly goals keep me organized.   Some people use yearly goals, or monthly goals, or goals that include numbers or lists they cross off.  What works for you??

 

Stash Report Week 52

The final stash report of 2013!

Stash in YTD--149 yards
Stash Out This Week--12 yards
Stash Out YTD--151.5 yards

I'M AHEAD!!  YIPPEE!! 2.5 YARDS!!!

Thank you Judy for hosting the Sunday Stash Report.  Its a great tool, one I'll continue to use in 2014.  See everyone's stash report at Patchwork Times.

Merry Christmas

Merry Christmas from our house to yours!

 

Homemade Tom and Jerry's.  Its not Christmas without having one.  May your Holidays be everything your wish for!
 

 

Design Wall Post and Weekly Goals

This week I made more Trail Mix blocks--

Trail Mix

I also finished the Scrappy Trips quilt--

Scrappy Trips

Next week I will be able to deduct the fabric used for my stash report.  Yippee!!  I also finished quilting a top but the binding isn't on yet.  See everyone's design walls at Patchwork Times.

A few Christmas pictures--

Laughter

Elf Shoes

Stormchaser and NoTeeth

Weekly Goals--

1. Bind next quilt
2. Load another top
3. Trail Mix blocks
4. Catch up Basic Blocks

Two days until Christmas.  The presents are wrapped.  Are you ready??  

Design Wall Monday and Weekly Goals

My design wall ironing board--

 More Mt Hood pieces.  Last night I sewed the binding on the Scrappy Trips top--

One side of binding per night to hand sew.  See everyone's design walls at Patchwork Times.

Weekly Goals-

1. Bind Scrappy Trips
2. Start quilting Tilted Rails top
3. Sew a few Trail Mix and Mt Hood blocks
4. Cut a few pieces to try Summers at the Lake Quilt

Enough, its the last week before Christmas.  I was trying to finish 5 quilts before Christmas, but I may only get 4 done, waiting for the new bobbin case/bobbins put me behind.  Oh well.

Saturday we celebrated Asher's 2nd birthday.  

New Slippers

A card with music--the Chicken Dance Song!  

Mason and Asher peering in the sack.

And then Laura Beth left Asher with the cake--

Is Anyone Watching??

Grandpa Dan says I should touch it?  Really?

YUM!!  And all afternoon they kept telling me NOT to touch it!

A small catastrophe, the string came off Asher's balloon.  Dad to the rescue!

And then the usual pictures I take--

Laura Beth's Head

Nick's back

I'm going to be busy sewing this week.  What are you doing?

Sunday Stash Report Week 50

New numbers this week--

Stash in YTD--149 yards
Stash Out This Week--25 yards
Stash Out YTD--139.5 yards

Stash is ahead--9.5 yards!

I'm catching up.  Friday I quilted the Scrappy Trip quilt, its ready for the binding. I'll load another quilt ASAP and hopefully start quilting it.  See everyone's stash report at Patchwork Times.

If I stay within 100 yards either way I'm happy.  My stash is well loved.   I'm thinking about 2014.   Have you thought about next year??

 

Motivation Friday

Let's see how my goals did!

1. Bind another quilt--YES
2. Quilt another top--NO, waiting for supplies that came today
3. Make brown binding--NO

 What have I been doing?  Well, I finished binding this

Scrappy Strips 76 x 90"

Next I finished binding this--

36 Patch made for 2012 Rainbow Scrappy Challenge  72 x 82'

I'll estimate 13 yds for the Strips and 12 yards for the 36 patches.  The 36 patches were a fun quilt-a-long, I just used whatever I found in my stash that was the right color.  My scrap box stays fairly empty, when it starts getting full I whack it up into sizes I use.  With two quilts DONE DONE this week Stash will take a hit.  I haven't bought any fabric.  

One goal was another top quilted.  I've been waiting for supplies for the Princess, they arrived today.  Whew!!  So in the meantime I STARTED TWO NEW QUILTS!~  I've been doing my best to not start a new quilt until an old one is finished.  No fabric bought for these, they are using my stash.  My newly found box of nickels for Mt. Hood, and my Civil War box for Trail Mix.  

Trail Mix by Mabeth Oxenreider  83.5 x 101.5"

See those little pieces in the trail?  They finish to 1"!  I've been on the fence  about making this quilt.  I studied the images on the internet.  Then I ordered the book (used) and studied some more.  Last night I thought maybe a few test blocks will tell me if I like it.

They are tedious but not hard to make.  There are 5 separate blocks in this quilt.  This project is a GO!  This will be done with other quilters on the Yahoo Group Stashbusters.  Informally---mostly just for encouragement and fun.  And mine can be made all from that civil war box I'm trying to dent!

A few more Christmas decorating pictures--

A log cabin quilt made from Christmas fabric, more muted colors than the Grandmother's Flower Garden.  Made from the box of fabric I had--its a large queen.  Yes, its 8 foot long and its nailed to the wall with big t-pins!  And then I draped some star lights on it.  A Singer Red Eye is in the cabinet, yes she sews but right now she's being used as a printer stand.  Sewing machines are so versatile!!

In the spare bedroom I have this quilt---

Christmas Coins.  Large queen.  After making three quilts from that fabric I shut the box and put it away.  Not much variety in there anymore.  

I have another quilt on the wall--my tree quilt--

My angel pins and other well loved items are on this quilt.  If you look you might see something YOU sent me!  

And because I love Christmas decorations here is a picture of our tree--

We always have white lights over and around our big picture window.  Just so much cheerier during the year.  And lights down our short hallway--these are almost pastel colored--

I shop for lights at this time of year.  We will go through a couple sets and you can't buy lights in June!!  Inside the house we use lights with white wires, they are a bit harder to find.  They're very easy to hang, use Command hooks, there are some just for this.  No holes in your wall, you can't see them (we use the clear).  

Maybe I can get some quilting done yet tonight.  Tomorrow is Asher's B-day party so I need to make a salad and some deviled eggs to take along.  

I'm glad we don't do presents at Christmas, a few for the grands and that's about it.  White elephant for fun.  Mostly just family, food, and fun.

How do you celebrate?

Design Wall Monday and Weekly Goals

I'm planning a new quilt--

Its named Mt Hood and its in the original Nickel Quilts book by Pat Speth and Charlene Thode.  I've made several quilts from the Nickel Quilts books and enjoyed them all.  Pat Speth was the luncheon speaker at the Sioux Falls Quilt Guild in November and I was able to attend.  I learned so much more about using "nickels"--Thank you Pat!!   Several years ago I belonged to an online group that swapped nickels--I'd saved my civil war repros, thimbleberries, neutrals, browns, and threw in some homespuns.  More than enough to make this quilt.  And I have a whole big box of civil war fabrics I can use too.  Please see everyone's design walls at Patchwork Times.

Since last week I've quilted one top and loaded another.  Its cold outside and good weather to sit in the recliner sewing down binding.  I was tugging and tugging on a quilt and it was SO HEAVY and then I figured out why--

Ruby can't resist laying on a quilt I'm binding.  Don't worry, I don't think she has any dog cooties, and I'll wash the quilt when I'm done.  

Weekly Goals--

1. Bind another quilt
2. Quilt another top
3. Make brown binding

I've set a goal to finish 5 quilts before Christmas.  2 are almost done now.  That means I have to quilt about one every 5 days?  And bind one side every night.  They're not Christmas presents, I just want to finish them so I can start 5 quilts after Christmas!  Its a steep goal but we'll see how I do.  

Last week I received an email from Nann saying I'd won a drawing on her blog.  The package arrived looking very festive.  No, I didn't wait until Christmas to open it!

 

4 FQs of beautiful blue snowflake fabric and a book with a quilt block name in the title.  I love to read and I'm planning to put these FQs in my new year quilts.   And Nann is the inspiration for one of my planned 5 quilts.  Click on her name to see the quilt. The pattern is in an Evelyn Sloppy book called 40 Fabulous Quick-Cut Quilts.

I ordered one used from Amazon.  Maybe I need a stash report for books??!! I will change the pattern a bit, isn't that what quilters do--change things??? Thank you Nann for the prize and the inspiration.

The tree is up and lights are hung.  The Christmas quilt is on the bed.

Several years ago I hand pieced hexies from Christmas fabrics.  I worked on other quilts while doing this one, Ken is always watching my projects and it took 18 months to piece.  (He thinks I am crazy)  How many pieces, last time I counted there were over 2,700 hexies.   He cringed the first time I put it on the bed--"what if something happens to it?"  All he could think about is the hours that went into making it.  Its one of my "bucket list" quilts, I'm glad I made it. 

Its almost the end of the year, time to think of next year's plans.  Have you done that?  Don't forget that bucket list, there's no time like now to start a quilt!  

Sunday Stash Report

My numbers haven't changed--

Stash in YTD--130 yards
Stash out YTD--114.75 yards

Stash is ahead--24.5 yards

But there is gonna be a reckoning! 

I'm sewing the binding on two quilts and another is ready to quilt!

STASH IS GOING DOWN!!!

See everyone's stash report at Patchwork Times.

Design Wall Monday and Weekly Goals

All this quilt needed was corner setting triangles, its now ready to quilt.

Brown Diamonds

I've been preparing tops to quilt.  I store the top, backing, and binding in these clear storage bags.  I pin the measurements to the top so I don't have to remeasure to cut the batting.

Ready to Quilt

Four tops ready to quilt, three tops waiting for backing and one top needing binding.  Black Friday I bought wide backing on special, enough for two backings.  I also bought 8 yards of plain navy fabric, its background for a quilt planned for next year using my 30's repros.  I also bought a jelly roll and 1 yd of fabric for binding.  So this is also a belated Sunday Stash Report--

In this week--16 yds

Out this week--0

In YTD--149 yds

Out YTD--114.5 yds

Stash is ahead--34.5 yds!

Looks bleak you say!! NAY!!  There are eight tops ready to quilt!  I'm very very happy with my stash report.  

Weekly Goals--

1. Load a quilt
2. Sew more Merry Go Round Rows together
3. Make brown binding

Never underestimate an old toy.  Asher pushed this duck toy through my in-laws house in a big circle--25 times.  Then--he turned and went the other way--another 17 times.  Yes, we counted.  The last few rounds he drug the duck, I think it was dead!!

Please see everyone's posts at Patchwork Times blog.