12 Things in 2019

Judy at Patchwork Times is challenging us to pick 12 things we want to complete throughout the year of 2019.  They do not have to be UFO's, they could be something easy such as painting a room in your house, to complete landscaping in yard, or a project you want to finish.  With us just moving it is a perfect motivator for me to get everything unpacked by the end of 2019.  Below is my list.

#1 - Wedding cross stitch for D&D - this has been languishing for far too long, and I am motivated to get it done.  It might take all year, but it will get done!

#2 - Knitted socks - I started these this last year in a class, I want to get both socks done so I can enjoy them!

#3 - Get unpacked and organized - we just moved, and I want to go through and deal with all of the boxes before the end of 2019.

#4 - 1st Snowflake pillow - Finish making pillow, the top is all quilted, I just need to sew on the back.

#5 - Jelly Roll Rug - finish sewing the "rope" part of the rug, and sew it together.

#6 - Pull out front yard landscaping - over a few weekends I think this will be done.  We need to get it done to fix a plumbing issue before it becomes even bigger.

#7 - Organize sewing area - I have a sewing area!  It just needs to be set up, and organized, which includes the closet, putting all of my boxes into it.

#8 - Make 2 Wool Rugs - Pick up wool in Tenn, or order online, and make 2 wool rugs for our room to help ward out the cold for next winter.  I have always liked them, and can not wait to be able to say I made them!

#9 - Signature Quilt - Make a signature quilt for our pastor who is retiring after about 10 years at our church.  He also married my husband and I.

No picture yet, as design is still to be decided.

#10 - Iron/starch baskets of fabric - I need to go through these baskets of washed fabric, remember what quilt it belongs to, starch it or iron it to wait for it's turn to be used.

#11 - Make 4 Rag Rugs - Finish taking them apart and redoing them.  Now to find the box they are currently in...

#12 - Partcipate in a QAL - there are many to choose from.  The first one is Sweater Weather by Cora's Quilts, her mystery quilt later this year, Meadow Mist Designs Mystery Quilt or Bonnie Hunter's mystery quilt.  Lots of choices, I hope to stay up to date with one of them.

No picture yet, as who knows which one I will keep up with yet...

Here is to a productive year, where I hope I am able to do all of these things!

Sharing at:
Patchwork Times

-Christina

2019 UFO Challenge

Below is my 2019 UFO list, for Judy of Patchwork Times' UFO challenge.  I hope I am able to make progress on each and everyone of these quilts throughout the year, and it would be AMAZING if I could finish a few of them also as all of them are gifts, most of them belated gifts.

#1 - Dr. Who Quilt - fabric is half cut.  The next step is to start sewing it together.

#2 - Mom's Quilt - my oldest UFO, over 10 years old.  I have laid it out, and all of the rows are sewn together.  I just need to put the center together and then get the borders on.

#3 - Christmas table runner - the runner has been taken apart to remove the stain, it is now time to put it back together.

#4 - Quit for Grandma - a kit that I picked up.  The fabric has been starched, but not cut yet.

#5 - Ohio State University quilt #1 - for my Grandfather, an alumni of OSU, who watches every football, basketball, and any other sport game rooting for them!

#6 - T's Baby quilt - all cut out, I just need to sew it together and finish it.

#7 - Wedding Quilt for D&D - about a 1/3 of the way done.

#8 - Wedding Quilt for N&B - fabric is all cut.  The next step is starting the piecing.

#9 - Wedding Quilt for C&T - fabric is all cut, and pieceing has been started.

#10 - Wedding Quilt for S&D - fabric starched, and EPP prepared.  The next step is to iron fabric and work on hand sewing the dresden plates together.

#11 - Wedding Quilt for L&B - fabric is cut and blocks are being created.

#12 - Ispy Mystery Quilt for Niece -

I hope everyone is able to be successful in the upcoming year.

Sharing at:
Patchwork Times

-Christina

Stitch and Flip Wreaths Finished

All of the packages have been opened, and the holidays are coming to an end, which means I can finally share what I finished for gifts!

The three outstanding Stitch and Flip Wreaths have been finished and gifted, and I can cross them off of my list!  These were all finished at the beginning of December.

One for my Mother-In-Law

One for my Mom

One for me, which will decorate my house nicely next year.

These are not hard to do, at all!  I just pushed them off, and kept pushing them off.  If you are looking for a simple gift to put together look into these.  This was #1 in my Quarter 4 Finish-A-Long list.

Sharing at:
Confessions of a Fabric Addict
Busy Hands Quilts

-Christina

2019 Planning Goals

With 2019 almost upon us, I thought it would be a great idea to look at how 2018 went before laying out my goals for the new year.

1. Blogging -

• Blog at least once a week, I like Mondays as I enjoy sharing what I was able to accomplish within the last week, and what my plan is for the next week.  - I was doing pretty well for the first eight months on blogging regularly, however due to some things going on in my life it has not been my first priority.  It is always a work in progress.  I have blogged at least once a week sharing my 15 minutes of stitching post, but I have not shared what I'm working on for a few months.
• Comment on other blog posts. - I'm not the best at this, but I do try, even if it is three-six months late :)
• Improve my picture taking skills. - I did not work on this.

2. QAL -

• Follow along with one mystery QAL and keep up.  There are several options throughout the year - Cora's Quilts, Meadow Mist Designs, or Bonnie Hunter's mystery quilt. - I did not accomplish any of this, this year.  My last hope was Bonnie Hunter's mystery quilt and then we started packing and moving right before it started, leaving no time or money for the mystery quilt.

3. Showing Work -

• Enter 2 quilts into a Quilt Show at church in March - I was able to complete this!
• Enter 4 quilts into the local Quilt Show in September. - I did not have enough quilts that meet their requirements to complete this.  

4. Personal Sanity -

• Sew, cut, or iron fabric for 15 minutes each day.  Realistically I will accomplish it between 200-300 days this year, but I am going to strive to do it all 365 days. - I have done very well with this!  I'm above 90% which I feel is great, and I plan to finish the year out strong by keeping it above 90%, which is over 300 days of stitching this year!

5. Organizing/Cleaning -

• Clean off desk - these items need ironing and folding as the fabric has been starched and it will be nice to have it ready for when I start on a project. - My starched fabric is all organized, waiting for me to start working on said project.  All of it is just in a few boxes right now.
• Organize and empty 4 laundry baskets full of fabric, putting fabric away. - I did not organize it, but it is all in boxes waiting for me to pull it out and organize the fabric.
• Organize (at least start) the quilt patterns as they are overflowing. - I did not get to this, but again, it is all in boxes at the moment, and will be for at least the first part of the year.

Overall goal:
My overall goal is not to buy new projects, I have plenty and by working 15 minutes or more a day I will make progress on a few projects this year.  Focus on what I have and use it.  Do not pine over another project.  I am noticing that when I do not touch fabric or work on something crafty for a while I start to look for another project and if it is on sale I buy.

I still bought a few new projects, but my spending and buying has slowed down considerably in the last few months because I'm realizing I have too much, and I need to use what I have before I can buy more.  Moving it all also makes you wake up and realize just how much you have.  I want to continue to focus on what I have and use it, and buy only what I need, if anything.

My word for 2018 is focus.

For 2019, my goals are below.

1. Blogging -

• Continue to blog once a week, but try to increase it back up to two.  There will be some weeks that I will be able to blog three times a week, which would be nice to do on a consistent basis, but I'm not holding myself to it.
• Comment on other's posts.  I am horrible at this and I want to do it to start conversations with people I follow.

2. Personal Sanity -

• Continue to find 15 minutes to stitch each day.  I would like to stay above 90% next year.

3. Charity -

• Make two quilts to donate to charity via Hands2Help at Confessions of a Fabric Addict.

4. Organization -

• I have a new sewing space!  It is going to be amazing.  I have some thoughts on how things should go, so I need to set it up and see if it works for me.  If not, it will be back to the drawing board on how I want things to be.  (My hope it all works out perfectly)
• I have a small closet in my sewing space that I need to organize and put my stuff in, after I clean out what is in there.
• Garage organization will consist of buying wire shelves and organizing the plastic boxes that were in storage onto them before 2020.

5. Unfinished Objects -

• Complete 2 UFO's, which are labeled "UFO" under my WIP/UFO tab.

My word for the year is creating.  I plan to create my space, quilts, time and memories.  I want to create with what I have, occasionally buying to finish a project, but not to buy new projects.  I have learned from moving that I have way too much stuff and I need to cut back and create with what I have, and not drop everything to pick up something new.  I am excited to see what this year holds.

I can not wait to read what everyone else is planning on doing.
Sharing at:
Quilting JetGirl

-Christina

Under Construction Finished

This quilt is another quilt I finished in November, and I am finally blogging about it.

Under Construction was finished on Thanksgiving, right after our family dinner.  It was then gifted the same day, after a quick spin in the washing machine.  The quilt was given to big brother to our Godson, as his toddler quilt.  The pattern and fabric was from a kit from Craftsy, which was too cute to pass up.  The colors compliment his room which is perfect.

The quilt was quilted at my LQS on their long-arm that I rented time on.  I used a simple meander on the whole quilt.

The backing is the best, I found shark flannel, as this little guy loves sharks with a passion.  I'm sad to say that I did not get a picture of the backing though.  This is #33 on my Quarter 4 Finish-A-Long list.

Sharing at:
Confessions of a Fabric Addict
Busy Hands Quilts

-Christina

15 Minutes of Stitching - Week 51

Let us see how this last week went on the 15 minutes of stitching front.

Days spent stitching this week: 5 out of 7
Days spent stitching in December: 18 out of 23
Days spent stitching in 2018: 323 out of 357
Rate of Success: 90.5%
My week runs Monday to Sunday.

This past week did not go very well, but on the bright side my rate of success is still above 90%!  We were busy cleaning our kitchen and lining shelves to maybe unpack a little before I hosted Christmas dinner with my in-laws.  We did not get to the unpacking before they came, and we are almost done with the lining of the kitchen shelves (bathroom, pantry, and linen closet still need to be done).  I'm hoping to finish this year out strong, and stay above 90%.  After the New Year we will be a little more settled and I will have some semblance of a sewing area set up, which will help with accomplishing 15 minutes or more a day.  Who is going to continue into the New Year?  I hope to see you there!

Linking up at:

Life in Pieces

-Christina

Woodland Split 9-Patch Finished!

This quilt was finished in November, and gifted in November, and I am FINALLY writing a post about my finish!

Woodland Split 9-Patch was finished on November 17, 2018, and gifted to our God-Son, just 11 months after he joined this world.  When am I not late on a quilt?  This was from a kit from Missouri Star Quilt Company, and the woodland fabric was too cute to pass up, plus it matched the theme in his nursery.  The pattern was a split 9-patch, which made it easy to come together.  I did learn that there was shrinkage in the precut squares as I starch everything before using.  I had to adjust some cutting measurements, but overall I think the quilt came out wonderfully.

I quilted it using my LQS's rental time on the long arm, and did a simple meander, something that will wash well and make the quilt cuddly.  The backing is minky that I have left over from other projects and worked well.

Woodland Split 9-Patch was gifted on Thanksgiving day as the reciepant was in town!  It is number 32 in my Quarter 4 Finish-A-Long list.

Sharing at:
Confessions of a Fabric Addict
TGIFFriday

Christina

15 Minutes of Stitching - Week 50

Let us see how this last week went on the 15 minutes of stitching front.

Days spent stitching this week: 5 out of 7
Days spent stitching in December: 13 out of 16
Days spent stitching in 2018: 318 out of 350
Rate of Success: 90.9%
My week runs Monday to Sunday.

This past week did not go very well.  There were two nights after packing and moving boxes that I just fell into bed.  It has hurt my rate of success, dropping me under 91% for the year.  I'm still above 90%, but just barely.  We are moved into our new home, more to come on that next week.  We are starting to get settled which is nice, and we have goals for the rest of the year.  One box at a time and this home will become a home.  I can not wait to have my sewing area set up where I can walk in and sew for at least my 15 minutes, if not more.  I hope everyone is finding time during the holiday season as it is for our sanity.  Have a great week!

Linking up at:

Life in Pieces

-Christina

15 Minutes of Stitching - Week 49

Let us see how this last week went on the 15 minutes of stitching front.

Days spent stitching this week: 6 out of 7
Days spent stitching in December: 8 out of 9
Days spent stitching in 2018: 313 out of 343
Rate of Success: 91.3%
My week runs Monday to Sunday.

After a very busy weekend of packing and moving, I fell into bed without completing my 15 minutes of stitching last night.  That is okay, we have those days and I will live.  I am above 90% for the year and it feels great!  The project I have been slowly working on is finished, so I need to pull out my second hand stitching option to do while we are packing and moving.  Things are progressing, which is the whole goal for me, plus having some stress relief from work/home/life/the world.  I hope everyone had a successful week, and is finding time during these extremely busy weeks ahead.

Linking up at:

Life in Pieces

-Christina

December 2018 One Monthly Goal

Well, November's One Monthly Goal did not go very well, as I did not finish on time.  However, I plan to finish the second and third wreaths by the end of the weekend.

Now it is time to think about my December goal, as we are almost a third of the way into it!  The end of the year is coming up quick, and we are moving as we just bought our first home!  So I need something that is easy, but fun and productive.  Also something that does not require a sewing machine set up all of the time.  Well I found a few things, but the goal I am going to work on is to finish this chenille blanket.  I just need to machine sew on the binding and then flip it to hand sew to the back.  If I am able to get this done early, then I want to work on it's sister blanket, which has been ready to go for a while, I just have not started it!



I think this is more than enough, and will help move things along.  What is everyone else working on?  I want to wish everyone a Happy Holidays, and enjoy the time you have to make!

Sharing at:
Elm Street Quilts
Sew Fresh Quilts

-Christina

15 Minutes of Stitching - Week 48

Let us see how this last week went on the 15 minutes of stitching front.

Days spent stitching this week: 7 out of 7
Days spent stitching in November: 29 out of 30
Days spent stitching in December: 2 out of 2
Days spent stitching in 2018: 307 out of 336
Rate of Success: 91.4%
My week runs Monday to Sunday.

By the end of the week it was hard to do my 15 minutes, as we had something going on every single night and I would sit on the bed and almost pass out for the night.  Luckily I was able to drag myself up enough (as I want to finish this year off strong, will I be able to get to 92%?) to get my 15 minutes in and then promptly went to bed.  This next week will not be very different as we have started the moving process, which includes packing lots of boxes, and moving them.  I hope everyone is having a great holiday season, it is going by way to quick already!

Linking up at:

Life in Pieces

-Christina

15 Minutes of Stitching - Week 47

Let us see how this last week went on the 15 minutes of stitching front.

Days spent stitching this week: 7 out of 7
Days spent stitching in November: 24 out of 25
Days spent stitching in 2018: 300 out of 329
Rate of Success: 91.2%
My week runs Monday to Sunday.

I hope everyone had a great Turkey day if you are in the US.  This week went well in finding time each day throughout the week, which helped boast my rate of success.  I had two finishes this week, and this next week I'm looking at finishing three small items.  I hope everyone is able to find time this week, especially as we ramp up for the holiday season.

Linking up at:

Life in Pieces

-Christina

Design Wall Monday

These last two weeks have been a little busy!  Working on paperwork every night, waiting in anticipation in what the seller will come back and say to us, and keeping up a house has been a little busy.  The stress of everything took me down for a couple of days with a lovely cold, but tonight (Tuesday) I am finally starting to feel better!  It is amazing.  So now to quilting.  What have I accomplished?  I was able to get step 6 half done, by sewing my flying geese to the sides.  I was also able to finish and iron all of step 5, which were the flying geese.

I prepped the squares for my stitch and flip wreaths, so they are moving right along on be completed by the end of the month.

My goals for the week include sewing down the squares on the stitch and flip wreaths.  They are currently adhered by the Heat and Bond.

My second goal is to finish the binding on this quilt.  The recipient is out visiting family, and I want to gift it now to save on shipping costs :)

My third goal is to work on cutting out the last of the backing squares for my niece's ISpy quilt, and work on the last of the triangles.  Prepping the squares will be easy to do when moving, which is what I'm looking for, as it is going to get crazy.

My fourth goal is to start preparing to move.  Pull down pictures and patching holes.  Maybe packing some boxes for stuff we are not going to need in the next four weeks.  There is a lot to get done, but I am excited.  We are buying a house!

One thing that I will not be participating in this year is Bonnie Hunter's Mystery as we are going to be in the middle of moving, and I have plenty of other things to focus on.  I am taking classes with her at the Pigeon Forge Quiltfest in a few months, and I need to prep for that too.  I will save the clues and make it later, when I have more time, and more fabric selection/the ability to buy fabric again.

All of this should keep me pretty busy over the next week.  I hope everyone has a great Turkey Day if you are in the United States.

Linking up with:
Monday Making
Design Wall
Main Crush Monday

-Christina

15 Minutes of Stitching - Week 46

Let us see how this last week went on the 15 minutes of stitching front.

Days spent stitching this week: 7 out of 7
Days spent stitching in November: 17 out of 18
Days spent stitching in 2018: 293 out of 322
Rate of Success: 91.0%
My week runs Monday to Sunday.

There were some nights I just squeaked 15 minutes out as we are in the middle of signing lots of disclosures to hopefully buy a home.  We have one big hiccup which is what we are in the middle of right now, once we get a response we know what will be happening.  I also came down with a cold, where I am just not feeling it on any front at the moment.  As we approach the holiday season I am keeping my eyes out and mind open for easy projects that do not require my machine as that needs to get put away soon due to needing the whole table.  I'm glad I have lined a few things up,  as they are things that need to get done.

Linking up at:

Life in Pieces

-Christina

15 Minutes of Stitching - Week 45

Let us see how this last week went on the 15 minutes of stitching front.

Days spent stitching this week: 6 out of 7
Days spent stitching in November: 10 out of 11
Days spent stitching in 2018: 286 out of 315
Rate of Success: 90.8%
My week runs Monday to Sunday.

I was doing well in finding time until last night.  I fell asleep a lot earlier than I expected I would.  This time change has taken a lot out of me this year, and I'm sure trying to find a home does not help during this time.  It is okay, this week will be better, I can feel it already, and making progress on my goals is what matters to me.  Hopefully, if everything goes through, I will have a designated area for my sewing that I am beyond excited about!  I will share when everything is official, but I'm excited.  Let us make it a great week, finding time, and working to finish up some projects before the end of the year, which is quickly approaching!

Linking up at:

Life in Pieces

-Christina

Design Wall Monday

This last week was a lot of gathering paperwork, meeting with banks, and getting things ready to put an offer in on a home!  Now we are waiting, good thing I have sewing to do!  In addition to doing all the adult stuff, I found time to get a little bit of stitching in each day to accomplish some small tasks.  I finished sewing step 5 together, and even started step 6.  I did not iron step 5, so that is the last thing I need to do to check it off the list.

I also took some time and started cutting out the pieces needed for the second round on an ISpy quilt. Originally I wanted to get it done for Christmas, but that is not going to happen, so I believe a big girl quilt for a 5th birthday would be perfect!  I also got the panel for part of the backing and it is perfect, I can not wait to frame it and get it put together!

My goals are changing this week, as my November OMG focuses on something different.  My first goal for the week is to work on my Stitch and Flip wreaths, which are my November OMG.  I need to turn inside out the squares, and iron the interface on.  I would love to find matching thread for the three different wreaths, and start to stitch the interfaced square down, but I might not have all of the time in the world this week.

My second goal is to work on the ISpy quilt for my niece.  I'm going to work on cutting out the pink and purple's for the front and back.  I got about a fourth of the way through the triangles, and backing squares this last week, so making it to half way to being done would be a great goal for the week.

My third goal, is to continue starching this pile of fabric.  I am almost done!  Only two more rounds, then I need to start on the fabric for Bonnie Hunter's mystery quilt.

My fourth goal is to pull and start to collect fabric for Bonnie Hunter's mystery quilt.  The colors were released this last week, and I hope I'm able to find everything in my stash, as I'm limited within my fabric stash.  I can not wait to have mystery season start, even though I will not be able to keep up with everything that is going on around me, but it is still awesome to watch.  I'll try and show my fabric pull next week.

All of this should keep me pretty busy over the next week, which is good as we are in the waiting phase for the seller to respond to our offer.

Linking up with:
Monday Making
Design Wall
Main Crush Monday

-Christina