January Finish

I can't believe it is the last day of January already. I feel like I have started the year already behind what with being sick the first half of the month. I am getting back in the groove and have got a little bit of work accomplished. While this little two heart table runner was not on either of my 12 for 12 lists, it is something I wanted to get done before the first of the month and I just barely made it. I got it quilted yesterday morning and bound last night.

I also got one from my 12 for 12 to be quilted list done. I just haven't taken the time to photograph it. This is a Sisters Choice block that I made from Thimbleberry scraps.

It has been in my to be quilted stack for several years so it feels good to get it done, finally.

 12 for 12 Quilted list

1 Scrapy Trip
2. Boxy Stars
3. Civil war stars
4. Sisters Choice---------------------------------January Finish
5.Brown and gold runner
6. Blue and Yellow backroads
7. Christmas Ribbons
8. Blue All Around
9. yellow/orange brick road
10. Double nine patch
11. Bowties
12. 30's dancing nine patch



I also got two quilted for friends so I guess it hasn't been too bad a start for the year.


Happy Stitching,

Teresa

Making Plans

In an attempt to stay focused and finish some previously started projects last year I made a 12 for 12 list. These were 12 previously started projects that had got pushed back in a project box or bag that had not been finished. The idea was to do one project a month , hence the second 12. I did real well the first 9 months but had not anticipated how busy I would get quilting for others that last quarter of the year so I only finished 9 from the list. I also got several other projects that were not on the list done so I had a really good retired again year. I still want to do it again this year but I am going to do it a little different. I am going to have two lists. I am going to have a list of 12 WIP (works in progress) that still have piecing to do on them and I am going to have a list of 12 tops that are ready to be quilted. These are tops that I have the back and binding ready and have already taken them out to the quilt shack. Ideally I would like to finish one from each list but that probably won't work every month. So if I can get one finished on the piecing side or one quilted and bound it will be a good month. I am also going to remember how busy my fourth quarter was last year and try to do more than one a month. Ambitious YES, but doable.

12 for 12 WIP list

1.Rick Rack Nines
2. Jacob's Ladder
3. Jamestown Landing
4. Ringo Lake
5.  Mosaic
6. Split Rail
7. Rainbow Challenge 2017
8.  Master Checkerboard
9. Garden Party
10. Floral Log Cabin
11. Alabama
12. Red and Cream

 12 for 12 Quilted list

1 Scrapy Trip
2. Boxy Stars
3. Civil war stars
4. Sisters Choice
5.Brown and gold runner
6. Blue and Yellow backroads
7. Christmas Ribbons
8. Blue All Around
9. yellow/orange brick road
10. Double nine patch
11. Bowties
12. 30's dancing nine patch

I would like to say if I got all these done I would be caught up, but I didn't get the "queen of the UFO projects" title for nothing. It would however put a huge dent in that title. As you can see I am going to be busy and this is in addition to the quilting I do for others and charity projects. Who is with me in trying to finish some of these older projects?

Happy Stitching,

Teresa

Matters of the Heart

I try to do something with a Valentine theme this time of the year. Last year I made a heart wall hanging so this year I thought I would do a two heart table runner.

Then for some reason I couldn't decide which way to point the hearts. I originally planned to point them out but think they look just as well pointing in, so I conferred with good friend Ivy and she agrees out. She says then someone could place a vase of flowers in the center. Good thinking, so now to finish sewing it together and then decide how to quilt them. I hope that is not too big a decision for me. It seems like 3 weeks of being under the weather has effected my brain process.

I am still fine tuning my list and if I don't get in a hurry I am going to be a month behind before I even start.


Happy Stitching,

Teresa 

No Snow

It is a dreary cold no snow, dud kind of afternoon. I am in my sewing room trying organize all this into some sort of civilized chaos. I know this room will never be perfect, mainly because I am not ready to part with too much of it. But honestly I have more started projects than any one person should have. This all started while I was trying to make a list of 12 projects I would like to see finished in 2018. Really couldn't narrow it down to 12. So I am taking a break, yea that happens too often, and am going to go back through my pictures and see just how much I got done in 2017. Maybe that will give me a more realistic incite into what I can do this year.

I may have missed one, but if I am counting right here is 15 quilts plus pillows and wall hangings. I didn't show all the bibs, mug rugs and fabric boxes I made. Nor did a show you all the different wall hangings I made to put in my booth at Antique Basket. Plus I quilted a good many for paying customers and several for charity. So I guess I did get a lot done in 2017. Oh yea, remember all those placemats the guild was doing for Meals on Wheels, 325 yep we got them done with some spares.

Check back later and I will have a list for 2018 plus a couple of bonus items. If I could not start anything new I might get my WIP's (works in progress) under control, but I know that want happen.

Happy Stitching,


Teresa

A New Year

It is a new year and new challenges. The first challenge I am facing this year is overcoming this crud that is going all around. The really bad part is Johnny and I have both had it so we have had to fend for ourselves as best as we can. I think we are on the uphill side of it now but still a ways to go. We both still tire easily. I have not felt like going out to my quilt shack yet this year and that is a big disappointment. Hopefully I will get out there in the next few days.

Last year I made a 12 for 12 list of projects I wanted to get finished and I did great on it until the last three months of the year. I had not anticipated having so many request for quilting projects from others for Christmas. By the time I got all of those finished I was ready for a quilting break and it was time for Bonnie Hunters mystery. This year it was called On Ringo Lake. I was able to get enough piecing time in to keep up with the weekly clues but by the reveal on New Years Day I had come down with this crud so I have not got it put together.

I have started putting it together. If you are following the mystery can see that I am not using the sashing strips. I tried putting them in but they were too distracting for me so I will use them in a border.

Check back later for my list for 2018.


Happy Stitching,

Teresa

Status of Ringo Lake

Steps 4 and 5 are in their little plastic boxes. Both steps used brown, so with the little that was used in step 1, I am hoping that is it for brown. If  not I may have to dig deeper in my stash or bum from friends. I know we have at least one more step before the reveal and I am guessing we will use the aqua and neutrals but that is just my guess. This project has really helped me use up a lot of small pieces of neutrals. I usually by them now in yardage but in the past have bought fat quarter or half yard bundles. A lot of those went away with this project. I'll tell you Bonnie has really got me puzzled with this one, can't figure out how all this is going to go together. My only guess is that step 3 is going to be the border but we will just have to wait and see.

I have not done much quilting since I got past the Christmas rush stuff. I have quilted some placemats  with Cathy and Ivy but I think that is also in a holding pattern until we get a good number needed to finish. If you remember our goal is 325, I know Cathy has a few over 200 completed ready to go. I have four more here at the house to add to that and I know of several others who are binding some that have not been turned in or counted. We hope to have a good count by our January meeting so we can make plans for the final push.

Got to do a little clean up in the sewing room so that I will be ready for step 6 on Friday.

Happy Stitching,

Teresa

Christmas Rush

Finally finished all the quilts I had to do for others for Christmas. I finished the binding on the last one last night and she is coming to pick it up today. It is kind of like a weight lifted off my shoulders. I still have five other quilts to do for folks but no time pressure on these. Until the Bonnie Hunter mystery came out I hadn't done much piecing, but I have managed to squeeze a little time in for this years Ringo Lake. The first step was quick and easy I had it done by lunch time that Friday.

The next Friday I had my mammogram scheduled that morning and other errands to run in town, but I did get started on it that afternoon. However those 200 flying geese did take a little time and with the other quilts I was trying to finish it was Wednesday before I finished step 2.

Clue 3 came out yesterday but for some reason I forgot it was even Friday until about 1:30 in the afternoon. This week we are working with pink again. I got 61 of the right slant done yesterday and have gotten over 30 of the left slant done this morning. I plan to work more on them today. It is too cold to go out to the quilt shack today. I may not make it back out there until Monday when it is supposed to warm up some. Johnny got me an oil filled heater for the shack and I have to say I really like the radiant heat I get from it, so the temperature is not as much an issue now that it is on all the time.

I hope this step will finish the pink because I am about to use up all I had pulled for this quilt. I may have to dig back into my stash for some less desirable shades of pink or go bumming from my friends. Hopefully the next steps will have more of the brown and aqua since we haven't done much with those colors yet. I am really liking my color variation, it remind me of ice cream, strawberry, pistachio, chocolate and vanilla, so mine may be called Ice Cream Sunday on Ringo Lake.


Hopefully I will have more time to blog now that the Christmas rush is over.

Happy Stitching,

Teresa