A little Progress

Well, back to work for me tomorrow.  I need to go back so I can rest.  LOL   I accomplished quite a bit around my house and garden.   Only a little sewing was done during the week but I did make a little progress.

I took a break from gardening one afternoon and made my "Four Star Generals" block with Ranette via Facetime.

I finished the parts for my new mystery quilt one evening.  I had to make 124 HST's and then piece them with the squares I cut last month.  I can't wait to see what this quilt is going to look like.  

 Friday afternoon I pieced this little mini.  It is from the Jo Morton club I joined.  

Saturday I had a sew day at my house to celebrate a friends birthday.  There were three of us sewing on Dear Jane.   We have decided that we will be doing ten blocks a month.  My traditional Jane is pretty well under way and if I stick to the ten a month I would have it done next spring.   I will show you my blocks when I have all ten done.   I made six yesterday and one today.  I forgot how labor intensive these babies are.   Next month I am going to evaluate all the blocks I have already done by putting them up on my design wall.  I know there are a few that stick out like a sore thumb that I need to remake.  

Well, that's it for this week.   

I wish you all a happy, healthy, safe week!

I leave you with my list of goals for April.  I cut it back quite a bit but will add those projects back in as others get finished.

1. 10 Dear Jane blocks
2. 4 Ode to 30's blocks
3. 2012 Designer Mystery block plus flying geese sashing for row #3
4. 25 Applique Baskets
5. 2 Sweet and Simple blocks
6. 1 It's Raining Cats and Dogs block
7. 3 rows of Charming Addition
8. 8 rows of Charming Addition for gift
9. 1 Four Star General block
10. 1 Crossroads block
11. 1 Jo's Club quilt 
12. Silver Thimble Mystery
13. 1 Women's Voices block
14. Country Threads BOM

When all those are completed and if I have time I will work on Cheddar Bow Ties till it is finished.

BOM Progress

I am just slightly overwhelmed with projects that it is starting to get a little stressful.
This is supposed to be fun, right?   I am going to re-think my list and put a few things
on vacation until I finish up some projects.  

This project will NOT be going on vacation.  Joy comes over once a month and we sew on this together.  It is called "Ode to the 30's".  Each month we try to pick two blocks that we can sew up in an afternoon of sewing together.  Here are this months blocks.

Here is another that I will keep up with.  Only two more of these and I can finish this up.  This is the Designer Mystery from Fat Quarter Shop.   

This is one that a local shop is doing.  It is called "Women's Voices".   We will have the option to make a big king size or two lap size quilts.  

I finished up the 31 S'mores I started a few weeks ago.

Here are this months "Crossroads Blocks".  Another one that I don't want to go on vacation.

Here is another "Sweet and Simple" block I finished. 

I started another "Charming Addition" quilt for a gift for my friends father.  I thought it would be the perfect man quilt.  I put on seven rows and figure if I do that every month I will be done by his birthday in September. 

Here is my "Charming Addition".  I added three more rows.  

See!  These are only some of my projects.  I have way too many going at once.  Something has gotta give.  

I hope you all have a great week.   I am off from Tuesday - Sunday for Spring break.   I plan on working around my house and garden and trying to organize and donate items I don't need.   I have been doing this off and on for over a year and I still have way too much.  It's amazing how much a person can accumulate in fifty years.

Sad

Someone I was proud to call a friend passed away suddenly this past week.   I have only known this person about a year an a half but oh how I looked up to her.  She was a wonderful artist, quilter, wife, mother, grandmother and friend.   She was way too young to leave this world.  

Everywhere I look in my house I have a quilt.  Most of the quilts I have on display were quilted by her.  I have so many treasures to remember her by.   I heard that one of my quilts is on her quilt frame ready to be started.  :(

If you are believer I ask that you please pray for her family and friends.  We need to learn to live without her.



 

Mindless sewing weekend

This weekend I had to sew around a lot personal commitments.  I chose things on my list that required little thinking and plenty of cutting and mindless sewing.   I don't think my BFF, (seam ripper), came out to play much at all.  

Friday night I worked on part one of the Silver Thimble Mystery that I am getting from Fatquarters quilt shop in Vista.   I had a ton of squares to cut out in various sizes that aren't in the picture and sew 80 HST's from my focus fabric and background fabrics, which I sewed Saturday night.   I look forward to next months installment.   I have never really done a mystery that I had no clue of what it would look like.   I do the FQS Mystery but they give out so many clues that you have a pretty good idea of what you are making.

After I finished all those HST's I started sewing Cheddar Bow Ties.  I hit the wall and continued on Sunday morning and finished 10 - 9 patches (90 bow ties).   I now have a total of 60 - 9 patches done.   I think I will make 20 more and put them together to see if that is a good enough size for the back of my couch.   

After I ran a few last minute errands I thought I would have time to make 31 more S'mores blocks.  Well, I had time to cut and sew the first round on but time got away from me and I will have to finish next weekend.   I really could have used that extra hour that was stolen from me this weekend.

During the week I managed to finish 7 baskets during my lunch hour.  (No picture)  

I also finished another Sweet and Simple block.  I think this makes nine blocks done.   

That't it for this week.
I hope you all have a great week and find plenty of time to play with fabrics and thread.

Yvette

March Goals

I hope everyone had a great week.  It sure seems like it went fast!!
I made my list of all the projects I want to get to this month.  It seems a little heavy but we do have five weekends in March (YAY) and I am off the last week for Spring break.

Goals:
 Ode to 30's - 1 pieced and 1 Applique block
 Double Delight - Cut for part #2
 Cheddar Bow Ties - Make 10 nine patch blocks
 Afternoon Delight - Month 4 (4 applique and 2 pieced blocks)
 S'mores - Make 31 Square in a Square blocks
 2012 Designer Mystery - 1 block plus one row of geese
 Baskets - Get to 225 finished
 Sweet and Simple - 2 blocks
 Charming Addition - 3 rows
 Five Star Generals - 1 set of blocks
 It's Raining Cats & Dogs - Stitch block 3 and add to other blocks
 Crossroads - 2 blocks
 Country Threads BOM - 3 pieced blocks
 String quilt for charity - 6 blocks
 Charming Addition for B-day gift - 7 rows
 Plaid Obsession - Start string blocks
 Silver Thimble Mystery - Month 1
 Jo's Little Women Club - Mini #1
 Women's Voices - Month 1 & 2
 2009 Mystery - Sashing
 Old Glory - Sashing
 Simply Charming - 1 mini

Whew!   I am exhausted writing all that.   Another goal I have is to finish organizing and cleaning the garage.   Any helpers are welcome!

This weekend I was able to prep both blocks for "Sweet and Simple" and the rest of the baskets I need to stitch to hit 225.   I also cut part 2 of "Double Delight".  I needed 120 squares and 480 triangles cut.  Next month I will be sewing square in a square blocks for hours on end.

I also finished stitching block 3 of "It's Raining Cats & Dogs.   I added this to the other two made and completed row 1.

It was TJ approved.

I also sewed month one of "Women's Voices".  Beth and I started this today and we sewed our blocks together via Facetime on our IPads.

After that we put together this months Country Threads free BOM. 

That's it for this weekend.  

I hope you all have a wonderful, healthy week.

Yvette

Four Day Weekend!

This weekend I was fortunate enough to have four days off.   I sure could get used to that!!!
My friends know that I have to do my work before I play, so on Thursday I did most of
my chores and ran a few errands.   When I got home I decided to prep appliqué.   I like to hand sew when I am on my lunch hour at work and at night before bed.  For the past several months I have been working on these little baskets.   I have 195 finished and need at least 105 more.   I prepped 21 more so that should hold me over for a few weeks.

Friday I did more chores, got my hair done and ran more errands.  After all that I prepped block three of "It's Raining Cats and Dogs".  I am doing this BOM with a local friend and a blogging friend, Grethe.  We are shooting for a block every other month but I think Grethe has taken off on this and has more done.

Here is the block I prepped to stitch.

Here are the other two that I have already finished. 

I also was able to work on another BOM I have going.  This one is called "Four Star Generals".  Here are this months blocks.

and here are all that I have done so far.

Saturday was "Sew Saturday".   Joy and Pam (no blog) came over to sew for the day.   I forgot to take pictures of Joy's blocks.  She was working on her Grandmother Choice block of the week and then started putting together her Farmer's Wife.   Both are just gorgeous.  Pam is a beginner and with a little help from me put together a baby quilt for her nephew.  Here is Pam holding up her first top.  I think she is getting the bug.  

I was working on a row for a charity quilt I am making.  I am using a bin of strings I have from homespuns.   I thought it would make a great boy quilt for the crisis center it will be gifted to.

I also put together this months free pattern from Country Threads.  Here are January and February blocks.

I also worked on an old UFO.  This is Fat Quarter Shop's Designer Mystery from 2009.  I was able to get the center medallion finished.  I also pieced the sashings.   I hope to get this together next month.

Today (Sunday), I ran more errands and cleaned my floors of all the threads from yesterday.  They sure do add up!   I then settled in for Quilt Cam with Bonnie Hunter.   It's so fun to sew with Bonnie!

I worked on "Old Glory".   I had all the red blocks made so today I made all the blue blocks.  All I really need to do is put the sashing strips on and call it a flimsy.

Well, that's all for this weekend.  My sewing is done for February.  I am off to work on my March list of projects.   The good news is we have five weekends in March.  The bad news is that I work two Friday's in March.  (shut up Beth and Nancy).    LOL!  

I hope you all have a wonderful, productive, healthy week.  

Three Day Weekend

Most people in the US get Monday off for a three day weekend.   I work on Monday but I was off on Friday so my three day weekend was a bit earlier than everyone else.    After I finished all my work around the house I worked on the Designer Mystery Block from Fat Quarter Shop.  I finished this months block and added it to the rest.  I love how you can put this together as you go and not have to wait until you make the last block. 

I planned on sewing as much as I could on Saturday.  I started and finished the last block of "In The Meadow We Can Build A Snowman.   It took me seven hours from start to finish.  I still have to add the eyes but can't decide if I should use buttons or embroidery.

 This is the backing I made for it last month using my scrap bin.  

I woke up early this morning so I could run all my errands and get some last minute chores done so I could sew some more.   I added four more rows to my "Charming Addition" quilt.  My goal is to do three to four rows a month.  I am making this one BIG so I can put on a bed.

After that I worked on "Crossroads".  Here are this months blocks and........................................

Here are all the last few months worth.  

In the evening I try to hand stitch.  These blocks are from "Sweet and Simple".  I am trying to do two blocks a month.  

Here all all the rest I have finished.  

Well, that's it for this weekend.  Back to work for me tomorrow.   Only one more weekend in February and I still have eight more things on my list.  Most of them are not too labor intensive so I hope to chip away a little at each of them.  If I don't get to them there is always next month.  

I wish you all a fantastic, healthy, happy week!

Yvette