September progress report and October goal setting

I have felt behind this month since it started.  But looking at my list, it looks like I got most of what I hoped to finish completed.  October is already proving to be a difficult month.  It seems like every email and phone call I receive is adding one more thing to the calendar.  I guess I will really have to focus on my tasks instead of just working on what I want to like the free spirit I was in early September.

September UFO's:

• Summerville DP blocks - My Lazy Bum secret partner chose this as my project for September's UFO challenge.  I am happy to report that they went from these plain Drunkard's Path blocks to 2 table toppers and a potholder.  I literally finished them up this morning, the last day of the month!

• Swoon - I wanted to get 6 more blocks done. Well I fell a little short, I only got 4 done.

September NewFO's

• Commission quilt - I've took on a commission quilt for a friend and hoped to get the top completed and I did! I now need to piece the backing and get it basted and quilted.  
• 60 degree ruler mini quilt - I finished my candy corn table runner.  The tutorial is HERE.

Now for October

October UFO's:

• Handstitched Medallion - My Lazy Bums group has decided that this month's challenge item should be blue or aqua.  I have several quilts on my UFO list that would fall into this category, but I decided to take a little liberty and choose the one I most want done before Christmas, my Handstitched Medallion quilt.  It has a little blue and some aqua, and I hope that the group won't consider me a cheat for choosing it.  Honestly, it has a lot of work left to be done, and other than attaching the binding, all of it is handwork and time consuming.

• Swoon -since I didn't finish up the blocks in September, I hope to finish them up and get to the flimsy stage this month.
• Commission quilt - get it backed and at least basted.

October NewFO's

• Wicked Blog Hop - I seriously have a problem signing up for things.  I actually tend to binge-commit.  I say no to half a dozen things, then all of sudden I feel like I must reward myself by saying Yes to something and I may continue and go a little crazy. (I buy fabric the same way.) I signed up for the Wicked Blog Hop at the end of the month, so I will be creating something with a Halloween theme to it.
• Pattern testing quilt for a dear friend
• Sewing mat for another dear friend
• One Block Wonder QAL quilt - I almost forgot to add this one!  I can't host a QAL without making one myself, right?

Wow, that's a lot!  Wish me luck this month, looks like I will need it.

Thanks for reading today as I list myself into a frenzy,

Jen

Linking up with:

June progress and July goal setting

I am so lucky to have my husband.  He took the girls away to the mountains for a night this past weekend so I could have a little alone time before a week of "Camp Mommy", followed by 3 weeks of vacation with the girls.  I had a lovely evening out with a friend, then spent nearly all of Sunday working on my "Gigantor" Impromptu quilt.  (It is still unfinished, but close.)  I was so immersed in quilting that I completely forgot about all the end of the month link ups, etc.  Oh well.  I can still report my progress and set my goals for next month (what few I have).

June UFO's:

• I made very little progress on my Beginner QAL quilt.  In fact, I decided piecing the backing was ridiculous.  So I took a coupon to Joann's and picked out some pink backing fabric.  Perhaps in July I will get it basted.
• I DID finish the SID on my Handmade Medallion quilt.  I will get back to the hand quilting soon.

June New FO's

So here's a quick summary of New FO's I wanted to tackle in June:

• new ironing board cover - DONE!  But I haven't taken a picture of it yet.
• sewing machine mat and cover - Mat in progress, cover not started

• Swoon - cutting of colors done, need to finish the cutting of background, and get going.  I realized when I made the Swoon block for the sewing machine mat, that the cutting for the HST's is a little tight.  Of course, that was AFTER I did all the cutting of the colors.  So when I go to put them together, I will have to be very careful.
• Impromptu - pieced, basted, and partially quilted!  This one is nearly done!  If you've been following me on Facebook or Twitter, you've already seen a sneak peak.  But I can't wait to show you the finished quilt!  It would be so nice to finish up before we leave for vacation but I doubt it will happen.  I have to be realistic, right?

July UFO's

• Finish "Gigantor"
• Baste Beginner QAL quilt

July New FO's

• Bring some kind of hand project with us on vacation - this will probably be some form of hexi's because I have a ton of the precut papers.
• Have fun

Today was Day 1 of "Camp Mommy" (where the kids are at home instead of at a summer camp). It has been interesting.  While giving the girls a sewing lesson in the garage this morning, Lizzy managed to lock us out of the house!  That was around 9:30.  The rest of the day went alright, but I wonder what will happen next.  I am now wearing a house key, just in case.

Thanks for reading today,

Jen

Linking up with:

New beds need new quilts, right? - WIP Wednesday

It's been a few weeks since I gave a WIP Wednesday report and I have a whole bunch of things going on right now.

I've spent the last few days preparing Olivia's room for some new furniture.  That entailed moving some furniture to storage, a few trips to the Salvation Army donation site, and a lot of just moving stuff around.  I've now added a couple of Advil to my daily diet.

If you ask her, Olivia says she's not ready for a big girl bed, but she's getting one anyway.  She's been in a toddler bed for almost a year.  Between the recommendation that we show that room with a real bed in it when we are ready to sell our condo, and a perfectly timed visit from my mother (who needs a bed to sleep in too), we went ahead and bought beds (yes bed(s)) for her room.  I am an advocate for buying bunk beds, but then keeping them as twin beds until your kids are old enough for bunks.  Since I only have 3 kids, this gives us an extra bed for sleepovers or guests of the larger variety.  Hmm, new beds need new quilts, right?

I'm also teaching my last two art classes for the year at the elementary school this week.  My kids will finally learn how to paint like Picasso!  We are emulating some of his later work when he painted views outside the window of his Cannes villa.  Oddly, there are more birds painted inside the window, than the view outside and they are part of our study.  I will post pictures when Ashley's class is done.

What little sewing time I've had the past few days has been spend on the Impromptu QAL.  I got all my cutting done, the larger blocks complete, the 9 patches complete and have just started making them disappear!  Here are some not so special pics of the blocks so far.





This pattern is coming together so quickly that more than once I've thought about adding a few blocks to make it king sized for my bed.  It would certainly go with the June for Jen theme as I currently don't have a quilt for my own bed!  And I just adore this Good Fortune fabric by Kate Spain, even the orange in it.  I guess I will see how the rest of the construction goes and contemplate whether or not I can really quilt a king sized quilt with my machine.

This Wednesday...

Completed Projects:

• Bee Blocks - Guild BOM blocks (2 blocks)
• Star of Africa - February Block is DONE!
• Quilt for Hands 2 Help Charity Drive - DONE!
• Item for the "Say it with Flowers" Blog Hop - DONE!  see it here

On-going Projects:

AKA - "stuff I plan to touch this week or next".

• Bee Blocks & BOM blocks - Simply Solids (1 blocks), We Bee Learning (1 block), Make it Modern (2 blocks), and Lucky Star BOM (2 blocks), 
• Star of Africa Bee - March, and April, and now June blocks need to be completed.  I ran out of Steam a Seam (my go to fusible) and Joann's was actually OUT of it.  I bought something else, but I am not sure how it will go.
• Handstitched Medallion Quilt - I'm just doing some SID this month, hand quilting will still be in progress.
• Impromptu QAL - Cutting is done, piecing is in progress.  This one is really coming together quickly!
• Swoon - cutting has commenced!
• Do I want to make a mini for the Modern Mini challenge??  That's just crazy, right?
• June for Jen items - ironing board cover, sewing machine mat and cover.

Back, Back, Back Burner:

These will likely be touched sometime in the future - I should really rename this category to "I want to remember that I have these projects, but realistically they won't be touched till 2015 because I'm too busy doing other stuff"

• Beginner Quilt Along at Quilting Gallery - Piecing the backing is in progress
• Discontinuity 2 - gotta make it bigger for big girl bed.  On hold for now.
• Curves Class goodies - there are a few more projects I want to try, but they are on hold for now.   

This week's stats:

Completed projects - 2 plus blocks
New projects - 4 WOW!
Currently in Progress - 7 ish

Don't forget to link up any blocks you have been working on to the Building Blocks Tuesday post!  Oh!  And, I put together a Facebook page for Quilter in the Closet.  I'm not entirely sure what I will do with it yet, other than post random thoughts, but "Like" it if you want.

And as always, thanks for reading,

Jen



Linking up with
 

May progress report and June goal setting

Have you ever noticed that sometimes when you are SUPER busy, you are also more productive in general?  I feel like I have had a lot fewer sewing days this month, yet I am very satisfied with what I've accomplished.

And the best part is that I'm not just talking about my sewing list.  I've also made a few dinners and even exercised a couple of times!  GASP!  Yep it is true.  Esther at Threads on the Floor, who I find inspiring in so many ways, once mentioned that she had started a Couch to 5K program on her new phone.  I have had the app for a while and even made it through the program about a year ago before I promptly stopped exercising completely.  Well, I started it up again and it feels good.  But, this is a quilting blog so let's get back to that sewing list....

May  UFO's

I was determined to do something with my fusible rose project - a project that started back in, oh the beginning of 2011.  Now that I have the blue and white OBW done, this was probably the oldest UFO I had.  I am happy to report that it just needs the binding sewn on!  I would love to show it to you, but I have to save it as a surprise for my day on the "Say it with Flowers" blog hop  - June 4th will be here soon!

May New FO's

I wanted to start and finish my quilt for the Hands2Help Charity Quilt Drive and hooray!  It is done!

It just needs a label and it is off to Happy Chemo.


Now for June.....I'm declaring June for Jen!  I've made a few charity quilts and quilts for others the last few months, and as good as that feels, I plan on being a bit selfish in June.  Since I haven't actually started any projects for myself in a while, June is going to be heavily weighted on the NewFO side.

June UFO's

I will continue to work on piecing the backing for my Beginner QAL quilt.  I am using this is a leader/ender type project so a little gets done every week, but I fully admit that this one isn't really striking my fancy these days.

I have also decided to go back and machine SID some of my Handstitched Medallion Quilt.  After reading some blog posts about hand quilting not keeping the quilt layers together forever under some circumstances, I felt I needed a little reassurance.  I don't know yet what I am going to use the quilt for, but just in case it gets more wear and tear than is meant, I would at least like the layers to stay together, especially since my quilting is not 10 stitches per inch quality.

June New FO's

I was glancing around my sewing space (AKA the dungeon) the other day and I noticed a few areas of need.  For example, I have completely worn holes into my ironing pad cover and what isn't holey is somewhat scorched.  I desperately need a new one.   I could buy one, true, but I want to make myself one.  I've got tons of fabric, even some home dec weight stuff.  Surely, I can figure it out, right?

I also need a sewing machine mat with pockets and it would be really nice if it had a thread catcher component.  I keep shoving all kinds of stuff underneath my machine's quilting table, but it looks terrible and sometimes it isn't even convenient to go digging under there.  I should also make myself a machine cover while I am at it.  My machine came with one, but it is pretty plain.

I am also going to get started on some of those bucket list quilts that I've been putting off way too long.  The Swoon craze is nearly over and I haven't even started mine.  I'm going to get started this month if it kills me.

I've also shown interest in the Impromptu QAL at I'm a Ginger Monkey.  My interest generally comes from having at least 2 layer cakes languishing around with absolutely no plans for them.  The Impromptu pattern is cute, looks easy, uses a layer cake, and would be perfect for the big girl bed I ordered for Olivia's room!

So here's a quick summary of New FO's I hope to tackle in June:

• new ironing board cover
• sewing machine mat and cover
• Swoon
• Impromptu

A quick look ahead to July.....we are going on vacation!  I hope to have made enough bee blocks, etc. to pre-schedule posts for Building Blocks Tuesdays, but other than that posts are going to be rather sparse.  I want to take a hand sewing project with me, but I doubt I will post any progress until we return at the end of the month.  

Thanks for reading today,

Jen

Linking up with:

April progress and May goal setting

Whew!  April sure did come and go quickly.  I can't believe how quickly!

Let's get down to business.

April UFO's

I wanted to finish my Beginner QAL quilt, and Les Amis Baby Quilt.  Well at least the later is done:

And the BQA quilt did progress in some ways.  I put on the final borders and started piecing the backing.  Some of the pieces are rather small.  Why I don't take my own advice about these things, I will never know! I'm holding off more pictures until it is done!  The suspense isn't affecting anyone, I am sure.

April New FO's

I was certain that I would start on my Hands 2 Help Charity quilt.  Our quilts are not due until June,but I wanted to cross something off my to-do list well in advance.  Yeah, that didn't really happen since I was actually given a perfectly reasonable deadline to make my friend's baby boy quilt.

I am happy to report that progress was made on this one!  It is all pieced and the SID is finished!  I am really hoping to finish this one for a Friday finish, so I'm going to hold off on pics of it too.  Here is where I last left it with you guys.

 Can't wait, can you?

May  UFO's

I am determined to do something with this:

Since I have a spot on the "Say it with Flowers" blog hop that starts towards the end of the month, it seems only fitting that I dust this UFO off and do something with it.  It's only been a few years after all.

May New FO's

Well now that the baby boy quilt is almost done, it's time to do my charity quilt for Hands 2 Help. I've decided on the design, and it is all ready for cutting!


Thanks for reading today,

Jen

Linking up with:

March finishes - April Goal Setting

I thought I would post this a few days early since I'll be shredding up the ski slopes this week with the family.

So how did I fair for March's goals?  Not particularly well.  As I anticipated, March was a busy month.


March UFO's

My Beginner QAL blocks went from this:

 to this:

Progress, yes, but not really that much of it.

I also wanted to finish my Les Amis quilt, but only got as far as finishing the SID.  Now I need to get started on quilting the feathers.


March New FO's

I decided to just focus on projects from my Curves Class, and I was successful in finishing a few of the projects before I needed to move on to other things.  These sure were fun!

1. My Rainbow Road table runner, 2. droplet journal covers, 3. Clamshell journal cover, 4. drunkard's path pot holder, 5. drunkard's path pot holder, 6. Summersville DP, 7. For my Valentine, 8. Clamshell Journal cover

Now for April......

April UFO's

It would be silly not to try to finish up the same two UFO's from March.  I am only one step closer, but it is a step in the right direction, right?

So Beginner QAL quilt, and Les Amis Baby Quilt.  Check, check!

April New FO's

As you know, I recently signed up for the Hands 2 Help Charity quilt drive.  Our quilts are not due until June, but I think things are only going to get busier leading up to summer vacation.  Better to get that done now.  I will be pleased with myself that I crossed something off my to-do list well in advance.  Perhaps it will give me the momentum needed to start a few other projects on that list.




Well, I should still be pretty busy, right?

Thanks for reading today,

Jen

Linking up with:

February Finishes - March goal setting

Wow. I totally missed WIP Wednesday yesterday -- too busy doing other stuff this week.  Not much progress was made on my list, so I'll just catch up with you next week.

Today is a great day to go through some of my finishes for February, and set my goals for March.  Rather than have several posts, I just combined all of them into this short one.

February UFO's

For February, I was hoping to complete my One Block Wonder quilt and work on my Beginner QAL quilt.  Well, the OBW got done, so yeah!

The Discontinuity quilt was a NewFO in January, and I also really wanted to finish it up in February, and yeah, it is also done!  Never mind that I started another one :)

February New FO's

I really wanted to FINISH the Les Amis quilt for February as my New FO, but I only got as far as finishing the top, basting and quilting a few lines of SID.  I had to put it aside to complete my bee obligations.

March UFO's

Ooh, tough call here.  There are a few UFO's that have been calling out to me in the middle of the night.  No, really!  But, I fear March is going to be a pretty hectic month around here, so I am just going to go easy on myself and keep the Beginner QAL quilt on the list.   I MUST also finish up the Les Amis quilt and get it sent off.

March New FO's

I am actually going to put off the Baby Boy quilt I need to make (my friend isn't due until July), and just focus on projects from my Curves Class.  I didn't finish a single project while the class was actually going on, and Rachel is only available until March 30th to answer any questions for me.  There are several quilts and a bunch of small projects I really want to try out, so that will be my New FO focus this month.  Hopefully, I will have a handful of things to share in the end.

Well, I think that is plenty, don't you?


Thanks for reading today,

Jen

Linking up with:

February Goal Setting

So, when I woke up this morning I saw my own shadow and crawled back into bed.  Does that mean that I will have 6 more weeks until I meet some of my sewing goals?  I hope not!!  Although 60 more minutes sleeping in bed might have been nice - just saying.

UFO's

January got a little mixed up.  I was inspired to work on a different UFO than I originally planned, but I did finish one!

So that still leaves the one I intended to do, undone.  February???  Actually, I am happy to report that my Blue One Block Wonder is partially quilted!  So yes!  February.

I would also really like to get my Beginner QAL quilt moving somehow.  The blocks are finished, but need to be sashed and put together.  I haven't decided on a sashing fabric yet.  I will also need to figure something out for a back, baste and start quilting the darn thing.

New FO's

I'm telling you, January got mixed up!  I intended to start my T-shirt quilts for the girls, but only got as far as cutting out a few muslin foundations.  It also completely slipped my mind that I would be going to the Road to California quilt show and would be starting this new project:

I am calling it, the demon quilt.  Just kidding.  All 723 pieces have been sewn together to make the top.  It has also been backed and basted.  Unfortunately, I really feel that all those seams need some SID.  Badly!  And since there are so many of them, I imagine it is going to take me a fair bit of time to quilt this one up.  Thus, it is another February goal.

I must also finish another baby quilt this month, so that is this months New FO.  I have sketched out the design and done the math.  I just gotta make that first cut.  The first cut is the deepest, though!  I am planning on using Les Amis from my stash, which I adore.

So that's actually 4 quilts I hope to get quilted this month.  That really seems like a lot for such a short month!  I am going to give it my best.

Thanks for reading today,

Jen

Linking up with:

FO challenges, HO!

If I could sum up my New Years Resolutions into a few words, they would be "Just keep it up"!

When making my quilty resolutions for 2013, they seemed to fall into 3 different categories: general intentions, UFO busting, and NewFO's I want to make.

The general category:

• get your scrap organized! - I am pretty comfortable about how I have my yardage organized, but my scraps are literally stuffed into a couple brown paper grocery bags.  Terrible, I know!  They really need to be organized by quality (I plan to use the low quality fabric for Ashley to practice on), size, color, etc.
• Continue practicing Free Motion Quilting - there is ample opportunity for this as I hope to do at least 2 Quilt As You Go projects!
• Continue having fun in blogland - I have committed myself heavily for the first few months, but then things ease up a bit.
• Actually attend a LA Modern Quilt Guild meeting - the group meets on Monday nights about an hour away and it is pretty difficult to tear myself away from the carpool, but I think I should do it at least once to see what I've been missing.

UFO Busting:

• I've made a new page of the "Master List" of UFO's for me to work from.  These are projects are in some state of "started", and I want to return to.  I've given away several and even trashed a few from prior lists.
• The first UFO from the list that I am going to tackle is the Blue One Block Wonder quilt.  The top is done.  It needs to be backed and quilted with a simple design.  I plan on donating it when done.  Yes, I am totally taking an easy one for the first month!
• Also this quarter, I hope to finish up my Beginner QAL quilt and How Far Will You Go? quilt (obviously, I didn't get as far as I hoped on this one).

NewFO's:

• Time to use up all those fabric scraps I've been saving and make quilts for the girls.  These scraps are taking up important "new fabric" space, so they have to go!  This is the NewFO, I plan on working on this month.
• Swoon quilt - I bought the pattern a year ago, and probably enough fabric to make 10 of them.  I just have to begin.
• 2 baby quilts for friends who are expecting soon
• A quilt for my own (king sized) bed.  Now that I have a few little things for myself, it is time I have a quilt for my own bed!  I have the pattern picked out, and some fabrics purchased.  Time to begin!
• Weekender bag - this one looks tough!  But I bought the pattern, so..??
• Then there are the bees and BOM's I've joined: the Make it Modern Bee, Simply Solids Bee, We Be Learning Bee, the Skill Builder BOM, and the Lucky Star BOM.  I am also continuing with the Star of Africa Bee, because I love those ladies so much!
• More to come, no doubt!

So then, how do I plan on accomplishing these items?  With the help of blogland, of course!

For my UFO busting, I plan on linking up monthly with the Lovely Year of Finishes group at Sew Bittersweet Designs, the Project UFO 2.0 Group at Cut to Pieces, and quarterly with the 2013 Finish Along at She Can Quilt.

For the NewFO's, I might as well join along with Cat Patches' New FO Challenge, and see how it goes.

A kind soul asked, "why link up with these "parties" at all"?  Well, if you are new to blogging, they are an excellent way to increase the traffic to your blog and show off your work to others in the net-community.  Now, I have stopped being concerned with "traffic" per se, but I love meeting new friends!  And I've been lucky enough to meet some great ones by them finding me via linky parties.  Who knows who I will meet next, right?

Jen