2013 - A Year of Quilts in Review

Last year around this time I was jumping on the UFO Challenge bandwagon.  I kept up for about the first half of the year - and continued to work away for the rest of the year on some oldies but goodies.

Now it's time to take a look at what's left and decide what I what to do with them.  And also a time to celebrate what I've accomplished.

Black & White 

I don't have a finished photo of this, but it is now happily living in Halifax with my son Sailor Boy. Finished in July.

Bookmarks

I finished all of these, and donated them to a local agency that offers literacy classes and supports.

Shirt Stripe Boxes

I don't have a finished photo of this quilt either!  Finished in October 2013.  I haven't decided what to do with it yet.

Cross Stitch Pillows

 

Done!  But, alas, in a bag.

School of Rock

Completed this in January - and until a couple of weeks ago, it was hanging on my living room wall.

Cranberry Garland

An October finish - this one is earmarked for my mom.

Courthouse Stars

This one is now on our bed!  Hubby really likes it.

Virginia Bound

Done - I have a few thoughts about who I may give this too.

Heart of the Home

Done - aaaaaand in the closet.  Not sure of the future of this one yet.

June Goals - Mission Accomplished!

GOALS FOR JUNE 2013

• X 5 Grandmother's Choice blocks
• X finish ANY quilt
• X Sampler pillows
• X 4 Dear Jane blocks
• X start a Leader & Ender project
• + 3 hot pads
• + 3 dish towels
• + mini ironing table
• + Week 1 Scrappy Stars QAL

I'm pretty happy with my progress so far this year.  I haven't always completed all of my goals, but I am making progress. So I haven't always stuck with the idea of nothing but UFO's but anything new I have started, I have finished -- so no new UFO's are being created! That's progress!

Five Grandmother's Choice Blocks

This week's Grandmother's Choice BOW is Star of Hope

  

  

Finish ANY Quilt

Okay, so it's not a big quilt, but it is finished.  

Sampler Pillows

 

4 Dear Jane Blocks

I actually did many more than four.  I don't know if I took photos of all of them or not.

  

 

  

 

Start a Leader and Ender Project

I've had this bowtie quilt cut and ready to go for years.  It's about time I started stitching it together. I'm pretty sure I have a few more blocks than this finished.

3 Hot Pads and 3 Dish Towels from the Zakka 2.0 SAL

I only took a photo of 2 of the hot pads, but I did make three.  I gave the tri-coloured one to one of our admin assistants at the office.  The other two I sent out to Nova Scotia to Sailor Boy's girlfriend.  I was intending to send the dish towels out as well, but I haven't gotten around to it yet.

 

Mini Ironing Table

This has certainly changed my sewing life.  It's so much faster to make a 90 degree turn and press a seam.  It was simple and inexpensive to make.

Oh My, Scrappy Stars QAL

(no photo - yet)

I spent most of last weekend cutting the fabric for this QAL, and have started sewing the parts together.  The instructions for this were posted on Thursday.  It's a tremendous amount of work - I hope I can keep up!

I guess I can think about my July goals -- the 2nd half of 2013! -- tomorrow.

WIP Wednesday

Just about done!

I finished the quilting and tied in all the thread ends.  Now to add a binding and label.  I have no idea what I'm going to do with this, but I enjoyed the process of paper piecing these blocks using nothing but scraps.

I ordered some summer reading last week, and half of my order arrived today.  I read two Marie Bostwick books in the last couple of weeks, as well as a Clare O'Donahue.  Can't wait to read both series!  

Currently I'm reading:

Quilt Themed Fiction and Machine Quilting

I've been doing lots of Quilt Themed Fiction reading lately - three in one week, and I've started on my fourth.  I would recommend any of these:

And after hearing so much about this book on podcasts over the last month or two, I started reading this:

I did get my quilt basted yesterday, and started quilting it last night.  I had everything required - quilt, sewing machine, iPod loaded up with podcasts, and wine coolers.

Some Sunday Stash and Slow Sunday Stitching

Okay - there was some serious stash enhancement this week.  After all - there was a big sale on at The Greenwood Quiltery. I snuck in there on Tuesday, looking for a little linen, and left with a rather large bag.  But, I also found a great thrifty find on Friday!

I needed pink and green thread for my B.L,D towels, so my plan was to check a couple of thrift stores which are on the way to the Lens Mills store, and see if I could score some cheap thread. I had a coupon for 30% off thread that I printed from the Lens Mills website, so I was willing to go with "new" thread, but because I only needed a little, well....you know how cheap I am.

First stop was St. Vincent de Paul store.  Some quilter has made a significant donation here, because I've been scoring quilty stuff every time I visit.  This time was a brand new table runner kit.

 Linking to Dreaming in Patchwork

You can see that the Copyright on the fabrics is 2013 - and all six of the fabrics are from a collection called "Neutral Love" from ConnectingThreads.com.  The kit is not on the website (I had to know what the retail price is!) but I still think I got a great deal for $5.

But no thread.  So next stop was the BFM, where I did find two sandwich baggies full of threads - pink AND green - and a 1/2 yard of a white on cream print - a neutral always finds a home in my stash, and a couple of hard cover quilting books. 

I was up at the crack of dawn this morning and immediately sat down with my morning coffee and some Slow Sunday Stitching.  I stitched the centre appliques in this Dear Jane block:

Linking to Kathy's Quilts

The stars are appliqued as two separate pieces.  Thank goodness for "That Quilt" or I'd never figure out how to have made this block.

Yesterday was a good Dear Jane day.  Here are two more blocks I finished:

I'm very happy with how Starburst came out. The points are as perfect as I am likely to ever get!

....which sort of makes up for Papa's Star.  I was dreading this block (likely why I left it to almost the very end)! At least two if not three of the star points are going to get snipped off when I add the sashing.  But it's good enough for me.

No big plans for Fathers Day here - we walked down to a neighbourhood restaurant this morning and treated Hubby to brunch.  Now we are ready for a nap. 

I did warn Itty Bitty that he was helping me baste a quilt today.  I've accomplished all of my goals for June (with the exception of the next two BOW's from Grandmother's Choice). So I'm gonna DO it!  I am going to finish a quilt!

Friday Finish - another UFO Bites the Dust!

A partner for this pillow:

The House by the Side of the Road

by Sam Walter Foss (1858-1911)

There are hermit
souls that live withdrawn
In the peace of their self-content;
There are souls, like stars, that dwell apart,
In a fellowless firmament;
There are pioneer souls that blaze their paths
Where highways never ran;-
But let me live by the side of the road
And be a friend to man.

Let me live in a house
by the side of the road,
Where the race of men go by-
The men who are good and the men who are bad,
As good and as bad as I.
I would not sit in the scorner’s seat,
Or hurl the cynic’s ban;-
Let me live in a house by the side of the road
And be a friend to man.

I see from my house
by the side of the road,
By the side of the highway of life,
The men who press with the ardor of hope,
The men who are faint with the strife.
But I turn not away from their smiles nor their tears-
Both parts of an infinite plan;-
Let me live in my house by the side of the road
And be a friend to man.

I know there are brook-gladdened
meadows ahead
And mountains of wearisome height;
That the road passes on through the long afternoon
And stretches away to the night.
But still I rejoice when the travelers rejoice,
And weep with the strangers that moan,
Nor live in my house by the side of the road
Like a man who dwells alone.

Let me live in my
house by the side of the road
Where the race of men go by-
They are good, they are bad, they are weak, they are strong,
Wise, foolish- so am I.
Then why should I sit in the scorner’s seat
Or hurl the cynic’s ban?-
Let me live in my house by the side of the road
And be a friend to man.

Twenty-Eight to Go!

E7 - Bread Basket

I have been avoiding this block since the very beginning.  It's not perfect, but it's done.  That's all that's important!  

I referred to the website "That Quilt" for a tutorial on how to make this block.  I'm so glad that this resource is out there!

The next two blocks I've got planned are a snap compared to this baby!

Some Slow Sunday Stitching

I did a little bit of hand stitching today - there was a couple areas of appliqué on these two side tris: RS10 Grandma Nan's Bodice and LS6 Susie Q. 

I did do a little more handstitching on the binding on one of my sampler pillows.  This is the front and back of the same pillow:

The verse is from "A Child's Garden of Verse" by Robert Louis Stevenson (1885).  It's called Happy Thought.

I've got the front of the second pillow quilted - but I am all out of batting! Can you believe that???  Looks like a trip to the fabric store is in order before I can quilt the back of the second pillow.

And I have started one of my pre-cut quilt kits.  This one has 80 bow tie blocks.  I just used random scraps - no rhyme or reason to the fabric choices.

I'm linking to this post to

Slow Sunday Stitching at Kathy's Quilts