Welcome 2016!

A new year is well underway, and I am finally taking the time to welcome it on my blog.  With only a few posts last year, we'll see if I can do a little better this year.  My 2016 UFO Page and list is updated, and I am ready for the long weekend.  I have a little housework to do, and some lingering Christmas decorations to take down.  Once those are complete, my plan is to sew.

For this year's UFO Challenge, Aunt Marti has made January a "free" month.  That means we will only be numbering 10 UFO's this year, and January and December will be months we can finish any project we choose or just take off.  That works out well for me, because I have several projects that I need to get completed before my other quilts.

First is a quilt repair.  I have had this quilt for waaaaay too long.  Since it belongs to someone else, I just need to get it completed.  So today, my plan is to power through it.  Once I get it completed, I can get the monkey and chip off my shoulder for having had it so long.  I think knowing I should be working on it instead of other projects has kept me from my sewing room.

The picture really doesn't show the work involved.  In addition to putting new batting and replacing the back, I needed to fix several of the diamonds or replace them.  When I unquilted it and held it up to the light, I found 253 holes from where it was worn!  Oh My, what had I gotten myself into?  I've fixed over half of them now, and need to finish the rest and requilt it.

Once I get it finished, I need to finish the binding on my Cute Critter quilt.  I am almost finished with the binding, and ready to mail off.  Maybe just another hour or so.

In 2 weeks, I will be taking a Tuffet Class at Tennessee Quilts in Jonesborough.  To get ready, I would like to make a Pocket Full of Rulers Bag by Bella Nonna and Bionic Gear Bag by Sally Thompson to carry all of my stuff.  Completing these bags will have the added bonus of getting several more things off my project list.

I've made a ruler bag before, but my Mom liked it so much, I gave it to her.  Here are some pictures.  Now I need to make another one for me.

And this is a picture of a Bionic Gear Bag made by Sally Thompson.  See all the pockets?  I love those.  View her video to see all of the other features of this bag.  

And finally for the month, I plan to make 2 tuffets by Tuffet Source.  One will be completed at class, and the other will need to be completed when I get home.  I plan to have 2 matching tuffets for the playroom.  When I am sitting on the couch, I would like to have them for my feet.  When the boys are playing games, they would like to have them to sit on.  Here is a picture of one made by Sharyn Cole of Tuffet Source.  I'll post pictures of mine when they are finished.

All of that said, yesterday I agreed to make a t-shirt quilt for someone.  I need to decide on the layout for this quilt, and get started on it.  If I can finish all but the tuffets this weekend, I can get started on it this weekend.  Otherwise, my goal is to get started on it later this week.

That's my plan for this weekend and the rest of the month.  Come back to see my progress.  I've actually scheduled blogging time into my week, so I will hopefully be blogging once or twice more this week.  Until then...Happy Sewing!

Thawing Out...Maybe!?!

Has it really been more than a month since I made my last post?  It seems time has flown by, but I guess a vacation followed by being snowed in for nearly a week and a half will do that to you.  We have finally thawed out, but more ice is in the forcast for tomorrow.

The Great Freeze started just two days after I returned from the West Coast and sunny California.  While I was traveling and there, I continued to work on my Buttercream Summer, but I don't feel like I made any great progress.

But since I've been home, I've been working on my Summer Solstice UFO.  I would have had it finished, if my iron hadn't died.  I needed to press all of the blocks to attach the sashing and cornerstones, but the iron made a terrible electric smell as I heated it up.  So I immediately unplugged it, and I have moved on to a new iron I got as a birthday present 11 years ago. Then...I ran out of sashing fabric!  Ughh!  I was 1/4 yard short, but fortunately I found some more. It is the same star fabric I used for binding my Stars of Spring quilt, and this time, I bought the whole two yards that were left.

For now, here is the progress on quilt.  All 90 blocks are complete...I just need to finish the sashing and add a blue border. I plan on working on this tonight, but if I don't post this now, it may be another month before I get it posted!

Blessings!

Just sit and sew!

If you want to get results, at some point you just have to put the computer away so you can sit down and sew.  And that is exactly what I have been doing this week.

Last Saturday, I was working on the binding for the Stars of Spring quilt I completed over Christmas.  I was thinking about the lovely ladies in my Mom's quilt group, and wishing I had a group.  I went to the computer and found that there was a guild meeting close by that very day, and I headed over.  I was so warmly received, and very inspired to work on my quilt when I got home.  They even introduced me to a nearby quilt store I didn't know existed!

Energized by the meeting, this week I have finished the binding on my Stars of Spring Block a Day challenge quilt.  I used the Shortcut binding tool by the Franklin Quilt Company.  Using it, I was able to completely bind the quilt on the machine.  I will post pictures using the tool in an upcoming post, but for now, you can visit The Quilting Squares website to learn more.

I have also been working on my January UFO, which is the Summer Shoo Fly Block a Day from 52quilts.com.  I have made great progress this week, and I am finished with most of the red blocks.  I look forward to starting the blue blocks, and really seeing the quilt take shape.

In order to finish the binding on the Stars of Spring quilt, I bought a yard of this yellow with stars.  I liked it so much, I went back on Wednesday and bought another yard to use in my Summer Shoo Fly quilt.

I also picked up 18 fat quarters to bolster my selection of pinks and purples in my Winter Log Cabin Block a Day.

And last but not least, I added a panel.  My thought it that I will use it in the center of the back of my Summer Shoo Fly quilt, but I haven't decided for sure.

So with the finish and purchases, my totals for the year are:

Added this week:         7.25 yards

Used this week:          17.00 yards

Net Used this week:     9.75 yards

Added YTD:                7.25 yards

Used YTD:                 17.00 yards

Net Used YTD:            9.75 yards

Thank goodness, I finished the quilt this week.  It was good to put the computer away and sit and sew!

Happy 2015!

Happy New Year!  

I know...I'm a day late, but I spent yesterday fighting with my Mom's longarm machine.  I've been trying to quilt the Spring Block A Day quilt.  I'm almost finished, with 3 rounds to go.  We had to pause to fix the machine though.  My goal is to get it finished before we leave for my sister's house this evening.  Here's a picture before I got it on the machine.

I'm excited to get home, and work on my #2 UFO for Aunt Marti's 2015 UFO Challenge at 52quilts.com.  It is the 2014 Summer BaD (Shoo Fly Blocks).  I also need to work on my log cabin BaD, and try to stay caught up.  I'll also be working on completing the Temple Sentimental quilt repair and the Keepsake Quilt for my Mom's quilt group.  I really enjoy spending time with those ladies, and wish I lived closer so I could see them every week with Mom.

That's it for right now.  I'll try to do better at making blog posts, but no resolutions about it.  Have you made your list of projects you want to complete in 2015?

Blessings,

Joy