2017 Quilt Plan

Judy at Patchwork Times is starting to get back into quilting (Yay, I'm glad she can find joy in it again!), and has challenged us to look into our closets and find some UFO's to finish in the year of 2017.  She is going to draw a number for the month, and the quilt that corresponds to that number per your UFO list is the quilt you will work to finish that month.  I know that not all of these quilts will get done over the course of the year, but if I could make some headway on a lot of them that would be better than where they stand right now.  With that being said, here is my list:  (sorry no pretty pictures, check out my 2017 Quilt Plan tab and pictures will be updated as the year goes on)

1. Wedding Quilt - L&B
2. Wedding Quilt - D&D
3. Wedding Quilt - S&D
4. Wedding Quilt - C&T
5. Mom's Quilt
6. Table runner - T&M
7. Table runner - J&B
8. Wedding Quilt - N&B
9. Dr. Who Quilt
10. Table runner - N&B
11. Little House on the Prairie quilt
12. I-Spy quilt for Niece

Extra quilts:
2 Charity quilts - Ties for Love
Bargello baby
Texas star quilt
Quilt for Grandma
Quilt for Grandparents - Ohio State
Kit for bed - Sweet tooth by Jaybirds quilt will also be made
Bonnie Hunter's mystery quilts - En Provence and Allietare and 2017's
QAL that I hope to stay on top of making when the clues come out

A long list.  Now to get my tension fixed on my featherweight so I can start sewing.

Happy New Year!
-Christina

Goals for 2017 - Quilting

Yvonne from Jetgirl Quilting has challenged us what will be our goals for the 2017 year. My goals are:

1. Work on and or finish Wedding presents - there are quilts for C&T, (quilt to finish), T&M (table runner to finish), L&B (quilt to start), S&D (quilt to work on), J&B (table runner to finish), D&D (quilt to work on/finish?), and N&B (quilt to gift at their wedding).

2. Complete Dr. Who quilt for my husband

3. Finish a quilt for Mom

4. Participate in a QAL, and keep up with the clues as they are given

5. Make tutorial for blog to help spread the quilting word

6. Start to organize stash/cut up scraps from previous quilts and keep up with new scraps

7. DO NOT buy fabric or kits unless it is needed to finish a project (it is a goal, but in reality it probably won't last too long).

8. Finish Bonnie Hunter's mystery quilts

9. Organize pattern library, or even start to

10. Get out more in the blogging community, which means I need to comment and post on other people's blog posts, offering words of encouragement and offering advice from what I have learned.

11. Post more about the process of making something on my blog, instead of just showing a finished project.

It is a long list, but if I stick to it I could make some really good progress. I want to have this year be a year of growing my blog, as it will be my second year blogging. There are a few things I need to work on personally, such as finding balance between home life, like up keeping our place and time for quilting and blogging. I was lacking balance last year with my blog, updating on what I'm working on vs what I have finished.

I'm looking forward to what other people's goals are for the new year.

Happy New Year!
-Christina

Finished Jester Costume

After we returned from the 2 weddings we attended, I had to jump in and make a jester costume for my husband for a Medieval dinner that was held at our church during the Holiday season.  I think it turned out very well, very mismatched, exactly what the director wants.  I bought the socks and shoes and the hat was given to us, and I took it from there.

This was my first time making a costume/clothing piece and there were not some pretty words coming out of my mouth at times.  The pattern was a medium, and my husband is an XL, so I enlarged the pattern by cutting a few extra inches here and there around the pattern.  I did not need to do that everywhere, and I had to do a few seams to take things in.  I also got to work with elastic for the first time, and let us just say there were more naughty words said during this part of the making. In the end, everything turned out very well, and EVERYONE loved the costume.  Who knows if there will be a next time that I make a costume, but at least I can say I tried it!

Linking up to Crazy Mom Quilts and Confessions of a Fabric Addict for Friday posts.  Now it is time to go and put the finishing touches on my 2017 quilty goals/quilt list to finish.

-Christina

December OMG

I failed my November OMG, the month flew by way too quickly, plus being out of town for two weeks did not help.  Is it just me or does the end of the year tend to speed up?  My December OMG is going to be different, as this is something I need to get done now.  A co-worker is getting married this month, and I am making a table runner for the happy couple.  I have the fabrics and the pattern is drawn out, plus my cutting instructions.  I just need to starch, cut, and put it all together.   Not too hard right?

This will be the first thing I do once I get this jester costume I'm currently working on done.  Pants are done, now to get the shirt and neck collar thing done.

If I have even more time (maybe new years weekend will give me a little more sewing time than normal), I need to get a baby quilt done for my cousin's baby, who is due to make his appearance in the beginning of January.  The fabrics and quilt pattern are all picked out.  I just have to starch and cut the fabrics and put it all together.

I love the backing print I found, so cute!  Both of my goals are also on my quarter 4 goal list.

Linking up with Elm Street Quilts.

-Christina

Oh Where, Oh Where Have I Been?

Well, that is a long story.  The first weekend of November was my sister-in-law's wedding, which took place in Tennessee.  We flew out there and was able to hang out with my in-laws and lots of family before the big day.  Then the happy couple got to leave to go on their honeymoon, and we helped my in-laws babysit our niece before we had to fly back to California.  Here we are as guests at the wedding, doesn't my man look good in his bow tie.

While in Tennessee, we had a blast!  I got to indulge in going to a few quilt and yarn stores.  My goal at the quilt stores was to buy fabric for Bonnie Hunter's mystery quilt  entitled En Provence as she had just come out with the colors.  Boy did I find some great finds.  I of course was not a good blogger and can not produce footage of my visits to various quilt shops, however I can at least tell you where we went.  The quilt stores were Pappy's in Maryville, TN, Gina's Bernina Sewing Center in Knoxville, TN, Ready Set Sew in Chattanooga, TN and Hyderhangout: Quilt Fabric and More in Cleveland, TN.  I enjoyed each one of these stores for different reasons, and of course I did not leave without buying anything.  I do love supporting locale quilt shops.

While we were down in Chattanooga we went to the Ruby Falls, and had an awesome adventure, just my husband and I exploring.  Here is a picture of us in front of the falls.

If you do not know about Ruby Falls it is in an underground cave, and we were approx. 1100 feet below the top of Lookout Mountain.  The tour was fun, and we got to check out an amazing natural feature.  I also like the building they built from the limestone they pulled out while excavating what they were originally trying to find, which was the Lookout Mountain caves that had been sealed up by the railroad that had come through, and from the tour trail they built.  We also wanted to go to a Civil War battle ground in Georgia, but we are going to save that for the next time we are out.

We also visited the Appalachian Museum which is north of Knoxville in Norris.  It was awesome, especially all of the old quilts and buildings they have there.  I will be doing a separate post in the next week of all the pictures I took there.  I love history.

We then left Tennessee to return to California to have about a 12 hour turn-around to drive four hours north of San Diego to the hills of Santa Barbara for a camping wedding for my best friend for college.  There I finished jewelry for the wedding party the day before (talk about cutting it close), and had a great time.

By the end of these two weeks we had traveled across county, slept more nights on the ground then we remember doing as kids, celebrated two different marriages only six days apart and had a wonderful time.  But, as a result we were exhausted.  We returned, unpacked, organized and started to recover to only have it be Thanksgiving already.  Then I got sick and now we are here on December 3rd, deep in the holiday season.

I still owe three things between the happy couples.  Two wedding quilts and a cross stitch marriage record.  They know the items will eventually come, so I better get working.  But first, I need to get my husband's Jester costume for our church's medieval dinner done for the dress rehearsal and performance next weekend.  I'm cutting it a little close, big surprise, as I am always behind it seems.  Positive thoughts.

When we got home from the trips, I was able to put all of the fabrics I bought and my stash and created this color pallet for the mystery quilt.  I can not wait to start as I love the colors (Clue 1 and Clue 2 have been published), but I have other things that need to get done.

Time to work on that Jester costume.  Wish me luck, as it is my first time making clothes....

-Christina

Big Finish

I know, I have been away for over a month.  Where has it gone?  That is easy....but I will get to it in my next post.  I have some lovely pictures to share, but first a big finish!  I finished the wedding cross stitch for a wedding we attended at the beginning of November.  I was able to finish it while we were still there, and right before we left I was able to put it in its frame and wrap it up for the bride and groom.  I think it turned out gorgeously!

Ta Da!  Here it is:

The picture quality is not that great as we were using our phone cameras throughout the trip, and by this time I had run out of room on mine so my husband took this one...but his case makes his pictures not that great.

He insisted he get one with me holding it, and I obliged, even if it is a little begrudging.

Linking up to Crazy Mom Quilts and Confessions of a Fabric Addict for a Whoop Whoop of getting it finished just in time!  To finish this cross stitch was also one of my Quarter 4 goals.

Check back tomorrow to hear all about what I have been up to.

-Christina