January 2018 OMG Finished!!!

Yipeee! I finished my OMG for the month!  It has been a while since this has happened, and my goal of 15 minutes a day has definitely helped with this.  I was able to cut out my cousin's son's baby quilt.  He is over a year old now, but I have moved it along to hopefully finish it within the next few months.  Here is a picture of the cut out pieces.

It is going to be a simple rail fence quilt.  The binding is also cut and will be ready to go before I even get it all put together.

Now it is time to think of what my February OMG is going to be.  There is a lot of deadlines coming up, so there might be one of those, or I might stretch myself and work on something else along with my deadline quilts.  Decisions, decisions.

Sharing and looking at others at:
Sew Fresh Quilts
Elm Street Quilts

-Christina

Monday Design Wall - A Day Late

After coming down with a nasty migraine Sunday night, I am starting to feel human again.  As a result Monday Design Wall is a day late, but at least it is still happening!

This last week I did not do as well as the previous week.  I was able to get about half of a baby quilt cut out, and I attended my mastery class for my new machine, where we got to play with a bunch of stitches and features on the machine, and made a cute luggage tag.

I was also able to get tamales done!!!  And made some serious progress on cleaning the house.  This week will still have some more, but more about that at the end of the post.

My quilty goals for this week include:
Number one priority is to finish cutting out my cousin's son's quilt, post about finally getting it started, and finishing my OMG by completing this.  (I hope to get this done tonight!)

My second goal is to iron, cut fabrics, and get blocks put together for a baby quilt that I need to have finished by February 15 (maybe even finish putting the top together?).  I have a date as to when I am going to long arm it, which is February 11th, and I think I can get this quilt done before then.  I still need to order the back, which is going to happen this week, before Friday.

My third goal this week is to start quilting either a pillow sham or table runner that I made for last year's Christmas in July's blog hop with Confessions of a Fabric Addict.  During my mastery class for my new machine, we are going to play with the Bernina Stitch Regulator and learn how to use it.  Then put those skills to something you want to work on.  I might as well be productive with a WIP.

The fourth goal/stretch goal for the week is to iron and cut out the second baby quilt I need to have done within the next month.  This all depends upon how much time I have this week between cleaning and family stuff left to finish the 1st baby quilt to then work on this one.

In addition to my quilting goals, I have some home goals, which include cleaning the kitchen, catching up on dishes, vacuuming, putting away Christmas, reorganizing craft hill, and maybe trying out the carpet cleaning product I want to try.  Wow!  That is a lot, but I have some amazing support from my husband and I think I can, plus lots of focus.

Linking up with:
Design Wall
Monday Making
Main Crush Monday

-Christina

15 Minutes to Stitch - Week 4

Let's see how I did this last week.

Days spent stitching this week: 3 out of 7

Days spent stitching for January: 16 out of 28

Days spent stitching for 2018: 16 out of 28

Rate of Success: 57.1%
My week runs Monday through Sunday.

Hmmm, I did not do so hot this past week.  I kept getting comfortable on the couch about half way through the evening and just fell asleep.  That resulted in not doing 15 minutes on a few days, and then Sunday after a day of cleaning and laundry, I came down with a nasty migraine that has knocked me on my feet the last two nights (hence why this post is a day late).  I am roaring to go now, and this week is going to be fantastic!  I have a baby quilt to do that is being quilted the 2nd Sunday of the month, so I have to get busy on making the top.  I hope everyone was more productive then me this last week!

Linking up to:
Life in Pieces

-Christina

Monday Design Wall

Which is actually posted on a Monday!  I must be getting back in the swing of things.  I am getting things cleaned up, slowly but surely, and we finished the pork tamales!  Last round of tamales will be corn, and there are three batches because each batch does not yield as much as the beef and pork ones.

Enough about home stuff, let us see how I did!  Great actually!  I made progress on my Royal Gardens, I cut all of step 5 out, before I went to my sew day.

Then I was able to lay it out during my sew day at my LQS, and I got 4 rows sewed together.  I now have a nice big triangle to my quilt done for the center!  It is going to be amazing when I get it fully put together.

Tonight I was able to start cutting out my cousin's son's quilt, that is a year late, and my OMG for January.  If I stick to my 15 minutes a day, I will be able to get it all cut out by Wednesday night.  Focus.  I was not able to touch my third goal of working on Stitch and Flip wreaths, but that is okay, they will get done soon.  My fourth goal was to calculate how many pieces I needed for my Storm at Sea, which I was able to do, now I just have to start cutting and putting together as I got the templates from my Mom.

My goals for this week include:
Number one is to finish cutting out my cousin's son's quilt.  Post about finally getting it started, and finishing my OMG by completing this.

My second goal is to finish cutting out the borders for Royal Gardens, step 6 in the directions.  This will take a few nights to do if I'm just spending 15 minutes, but can be knocked out in an hour tops if I just focus.

My third goal and final for this week is to iron and cut fabrics for a baby quilt that I need to have finished by February 15.  The date was just given to me as the baby shower at work was just set.  It creates a fast turn around time, but I have almost everything I need, including my layout (I am making it smaller than the original pattern), except the back, which is already picked out.  I just need to order it.

This week I plan to finish all of the tamales I planned to make over the holiday season, along with a lot of cleaning that needs to happen, including cleaning out the fridge, cleaning the bathroom, and putting away my baking supplies.  I'm excited to focus and get lots done!

Linking up with:
Design Wall
Monday Making
Main Crush Monday

-Christina

15 Minutes to Stitch - Week 3

Let us see how I did this last week.

Days spent stitching this week: 3 out of 7

Days spent stitching for January: 13 out of 21

Days spent stitching for 2018: 13 out of 21

Rate of Success: 61.9%
My week runs Monday through Sunday.

I was not very successful this week, I actually dropped down from a C- to a D- (F).  Each evening I would work on something not stitching related, but housework and it just took a lot more time than I had planned.  Week 4 is a new week, and boy are some deadlines coming up quickly.  I am hoping to meet them, but to do this I am going to have to accomplish 15 minutes or more each day.  Time to get started!

Linking up to:

Life in Pieces

-Christina

Monday (Tuesday) Design Wall

It has been a few weeks since I did one of these posts.  Feeling under the weather did not help me in getting these out, but I'm going to be back in the habit starting now!

In the new year I have started trying to spend 15 minutes a day working on something towards completion, whether it is by ironing fabrics, cutting, reviewing directions, drawing out patterns, or sewing (hand or machine).  I have not been all that successful at doing this on a regular basis so far, but I am working on adding it to my daily tasks once I get home from work.  I do a weekly post on the challenges for the week regarding finding time, and what I was able to be productive on.  Then I link up to Kate's blog at Life in Pieces.

Last week I took a class with Bonnie Hunter!  It was wonderful and I had a blast with my Mom.  Below is the start of my Scrappy Bargello.  I might try and get this done for my church's quilt show in March.

This week I am going to be working on several things.  I have a sew day with a group of ladies at my LQS this week, so I hope to make some progress on a few projects.  Plus, spending some time every day is going to help move some projects along.  I am excited as to what the week holds for me, and I am going to continue to use my word of the year, which is Focus.  I have several quilts to finish in the next few months, and I will need to focus to get them in the done column.

The first thing I will be working on is Royal Gardens.  It is a quilt I started last July/August for Breakfast club at my LQS.  I want to get step 5 done, and start step 6, which includes sewing it together.  It will be my first time sewing a quilt together on point.

The second thing I will focus on is cutting out the baby quilt for my cousin's kid, who is a year old now.  I am a little late, but I would love to get it finished before I see them next, which will be in the next month or so.  Plus, my January OMG is to cut out the quilt.

The third project I will move forward is completing belated Christmas gifts for the women in my family.  I gave out IOUs for the stitch and flip wreaths.  I did not get them done before Christmas and then fell ill directly after.  Now that I feel better I am trying to get caught up with everything.  I still need to cut everything out, and then start sewing after that.

Speaking of trying to get caught up, I still have tamales to finish making (I did not want to make them while sick and risk infecting someone else), deep cleaning the house, and putting away Christmas decorations.  Not everything will be finished this week, but some things will get worked on.  My goal is to get the house back in order from the holidays by January 31.  I believe I can make it, but I am going to focus on getting it done.

The last thing I am going to work on this week is counting how many of each unit I need to cut out to finish this quilt.  My Storm at Sea was started in September, and it is my January UFO for Judy's UFO Challenge.  I will not get it finished, but I can at least try and get all of the pieces cut out and ready to be sewn together.  Next week will be cutting.  I also want to try and get this fully finished to put in my church's quilt show in March, and if not by then, by the city quilt show that happens in September.

One last thing, I have created my WIP/UFO page on the top of the menu.  The running joke between my husband and I is that it is my wall of shame, granted I have no shame because there are four to five or even more times the projects that I have not started waiting for me to get to them.  There are 25 projects on that list, if I can finish 3-4 projects, plus the others I plan to get done this year I am going to feel really good about everything.  Check it out.

Linking up with:
Design Wall
Monday Making
Main Crush Monday
Bee Social

-Christina

15 Minutes to Stitch - Week 2 2018

This week was spent a lot better in working towards 15 minutes a day.  Let us see how I did.

Days spent stitching this week: 7 out of 7

Days spent stitching for January: 10 out of 14

Days spent stitching for 2018: 10 out of 14

Rate of Success: 71.4%
My week runs Monday through Sunday.

I was successful this week!  I had to be creative because over the weekend we were out of town.  I was able to work on some blocks I need to take apart so I can use them for another project.  The early part of the week I needed to prepare for my class with Bonnie Hunter on Friday, which was amazing! I hope this next week will be just as successful.  Positive thinking will get me further along than no positive thinking.

Linking up to:

Life in Pieces

-Christina

Finish-A-Long Quarter 1 2018

My list for the first quarter of 2018 is long, but I think I can make progress on a lot of these items, maybe even finish some of them.  By focusing on each project I will make a lot of progress, but time will tell. Now onto my list.

1. Stitch and flip wreaths. Make 3-4 stitch and flip wreaths for belated Christmas gifts for 3-4 people last year. They are not hard to do, it is just finding the time.  (I gave them IOUs for these beautiful wreaths).

2. Baby quilt for my Cousin's son who was born in the middle of January 2017.

3. Knitting a purple shawl - deadline long past, but I will use it in my office, especially when it gets cold and drafty.  If is a great knitting project to do in front of the tv.

4. Cross stitch Marriage record for C&T (late present).

5. Wedding quilt for C&T (late present, at least they know it is coming).

6. Handiwork (something I have been trying to catch up on for the last year, I just need to use one of my off fridays and sit down and do the minor repairs on most of the items).  The pile is getting larger each quarter.

7. Make rugs, this includes ripping what I've done out and restarting as I found a different pattern I want to use (belated Christmas gift...we won't say how many years late).

8. Charity Quilt top for Prayers and Squares at my Grandmother's church.

9. 2nd Charity quilt top for Prayers and Squares at my Grandmother's church (I started these before I got married, which means they are almost five years old.  I just found them in one of the last boxes I still have to unpack).

10. Wedding quilt for D&D (late present, at least they know it is coming).

11. Quilt for one of my Grandmother's (shhh, it is a surprise for her).

12. Mom's quilt (this one is even older.  I got the kit in college and got frustrated with it because my 1/4 inch seam was off and I was doing a horrible job at cutting).

13. Wedding quilt for N&B (this wedding was last year, 2017, shhh, it is also a surprise).

14. Christmas Table Runner  (this was going to be a present, but Christmas Eve my cat decided to play with my soda on the table and spilled some on it, so I could not gift it due to running.  I tried to remove the stain, which did not work so it is all taken apart to replace what was stained, and now it is time to put it back together).

15. Second Christmas Table Runner (still to be finished for a Christmas present).

16. Bonnie Hunter's En Providence Mystery Quilt (I've printed all of the clues and my fabrics picked out, I just have to actually start on it.  I do love the reveal, and I'm considering making it just a tad larger to fit on a queen size bed).

17. Knit scarf for my husband.  He saw the scarves I made for my grandparents for Christmas, and wants a few scarves.  As a result I am going to get this one done, and have the other two made for next winter.  It is made with a simple pattern.  Knit stitch about 30 stitches across and then 70" long.

18. This quilt is for charity.  I hope to have it done for 2018's Hands to Help hosted by Confessions of a Fabric Addict.  I am making it with orange and browns, and I have all the fabrics ready to go, I just need to start.  Photo is from Confessions of a Fabric Addict.

19.  This quilt will be for charity.  I hope to have it done for 2018's Hands to Help hosted by Confessions of a Fabric Addict. I am making it with purples and greens as the latices, and I just need to start.  It is going to be gorgeous I think.  Photo credit goes to Confessions of a Fabric Addict.

20.  There was a mystery quilt a long with Cora's Quilts called Gathering.  The fabrics are gorgeous and I have finished all of the cutting, I just have to put each step together.  It will be a throw size.

21.  Finish table runner from a block that I drew out for the 12 Days of Christmas blog hop, hosted by Confessions of a Fabric Addict. It just needs to be layered, quilted and bound.

22. Supplement my blog post for the 12 Days of Christmas over at Confessions of a Fabric Addict by making a pillow. It will be a 12 by 12 pillow with a single snowflake on it, appliqued and quilted down. I have no picture, everything is cut out, I just need to execute it. I was not able to complete it, so I'm going to work on it and get it done so I can present it as a tutorial this year.

23. Supplement my blog post for the 12 Days of Christmas over at Confessions of a Fabric Addict by making a pillow. It will be a 14 by 28 pillow with three snowflakes on it. The snowflakes will be appliqued and quilted down. I have no picture, everything is cut out, I just need to execute it. I was not able to complete it for the 2017 blog hop, so I'm going to get it done and present it as a gift idea for this year's blog hop.

24.  Finish Sweet Tooth Queen size quilt.  Started as a Breakfast Club project, I want to finish all of the blocks and put it together.  It will be the first quilt I have made for our bed.

25.  Finish Sweet Tooth baby quilt.  I had left overs from the two kits I bought to make the queen size, so I decided to make just one of each of the twelve blocks and combine it into a baby quilt.  I think it is going to look awesome when it is done.

26. Chenille this panel of Mickey for a birthday gift. It has been layered, I just need to sew rows and finish it off.

27. Chenille this panel of Disney Princess for a birthday gift. It has been layered, I just need to sew rows and finish it off.

28. Chenille this panel of Dory for a birthday gift. I just need to sew the rows on it and finish it off.

29. Chenille this panel of Belle for a belated Christmas gift. I just need to sew the rows on it and finish it off from there.

30. Chenille this panel of Belle for a belated Christmas gift. It matches the one before, the only difference is the minky on the back, and I'm sure the binding will be different. I just need to sew the rows on it and finish it off from there.

31. Chenille this panel of Little Mermaid for myself. This will be the last panel to be chenilled as I come last.

32. Finish snowflake pillow (shared at 12 Days of Christmas hosted by Confessions of a Fabric Addict), and make a second one for a Christmas gift and creating a tutorial. I received several requests during my blog hop stop for a tutorial for this one. I like it enough that I won't mind re-creating it.

33. Dr. Who quilt, finish as I have started cutting it out. This was an intended gift for my husband on Valentine's Day almost two years ago.

34. New baby quilt, pattern and fabric has been picked out. I just need to put it together.

35. Seth's toddler quilt. The pattern and fabric has been picked out, it just needs to be put together.

36. Natalie's wall hanging. The fabric has been picked out and the idea is in my head. I just need to put it on paper and figure out how to do the blocks as I do not have a pattern for it.

37. Storm at Sea quilt I started at the San Diego Quilt Show last year.  I have it all drawn out as to what I want to do, making it about 60" by 60".  This is the small quilt because I plan to make a scrappy teal/blue/green one that will be even bigger.  My Mom bought the templates, so I just need to borrow them from her to get cracking.

38. Proud Mary is from Splash of Color by Jackie Kunkel.  She was to come to the San Diego Quilt Show, however her class was cancelled.  All of my fabrics are picked out, I just need to finish ironing them and then start the cutting process.  

39.  Royal Gardens was started with Breakfast Club semester #2 for 2017.  I have the blocks put together, I just need to do the setting triangles and then put it together.

40.  J's Baby Quilt is for a co-worker's new baby, due in March.  They are having a girl and the theme is woodlands for the nursery.

41.  S's Baby Quilt is for another co-worker's new baby, due in March also.  They do not plan to learn the gender, so it will be a gender neutral quilt.  I bought a kit to use, and it is going to be so cute.

42.  L&B's Wedding Quilt is for when they got married in July 2015.  The fabric is starched, I just need to iron the fabric and then cut and make the quilt.

43. S&D's Wedding Quilt is for my sister-in-law and her husband, who got married in November 2016.  The pieces are waiting to be put together by English Paper Piecing (EPP), and the sashing squares are all cut, and starched, I just need to iron and put them together.

44.  On Ringo Lake the 2017-2018 Bonnie Hunter mystery that is absolutely gorgeous!  I have all of my fabric picked out and starched, I just have to get working on it.

45.  Meadow Mist mystery quilt was revealed in December.  I have the fabric picked out, and I have since the start of it, I just have not had time to start on it.

46.  Scrappy Bargello was started within the last week when I got to take a class with Bonnie Hunter. It was a fantastic class!  I have it all planned out, and everything is cut, I just have to sew!

47.  OSU Quilt #1 for Grandma is to make semi-matching quilts for my Grandparents to each use on the couch while they are watching games for their alma mater.

48.  OSU Quilt #2 for Grandpa is to make semi-matching quilts for my Grandparents to each use on the couch while they are watching games for their alma mater.

49.  Bel Canto is a mystery that was held at my local quilt shop for Strip club.  It is designed by Daniella Stout, and the reveal happened in December 2017.

I am looking forward to encouraging everyone on making progress on their lists.  I am linking up to Throw a Wrench in the Works for the 2018 Finish-A-Long.

-Christina