March OMG Finished!

I did it!  I finished March's One Monthly Goal.  I made the goal of starching, ironing and cutting out one side of a two sided table runner to get a head start on a gift that I will be giving.  This is what I started out with:

This is what I finished the month with:

I finished cutting out both sides of the table runner, and I got a date for when this gift will be given.  It is quickly approaching, so I will be busy this week, but it will be worth it!

Linking up to:
Elm Street Quilts

Now it is time to think what my April goal will be.

-Christina

Snowflake Table Runner Finished!

I finished it!

I started this in July 2017, and I finished it before the end of March.  It did hang in my church's quilt   show, however I did not have the binding flipped and sewn down yet.  Instead I pinned it, which no one knew the difference when it was hanging in the show.  This was started for the Christmas in July blog hop that I participated in hosted by Confessions of a Fabric Addict.  I was able to create a tutorial for it, which is still on my blog and can be found here.

The backing I used was perfect as it tied into the front, and I just really like the fabric in general.  It is a mix of my husband's and my favorite colors, which were our wedding colors :).

The quilting I did on a Bernina Q20, which is fun to play with, and only took an hour to quilt.  The hardest part was getting the tension correct as I had white on the top and blue on the bottom.  I learned that this is was not the best idea, but I still stuck to my guns and I think it turned out pretty good.

This is number 21 on my Finish-a-Long list for Quarter 1.  It is my third finish this quarter, which is pretty good, but I hope next quarter I am able to finish even more.

Sharing at:
Confessions of a Fabric Addict
Busy Hands Quilts
Crazy Mom Quilts

-Christina

Shop Hop

At the beginning of March, I had the pleasure of going on the San Diego County shop hop with my wonderful husband.  We spent a day hitting all 10 stores, doing a little shopping, going to a favorite restaurant of ours, and a brewery for his pleasure.

The theme for this year was Down on the Farm.  At each store you visit, a free pattern is given at the time that your passport is stamped.  All stores also sell a $5 block kit for their block.  I wanted to support each store, so I bought a block kit.  Below are all of them laid out.  There were some cute blocks created.

Of course I made a few purchases, but they were limited as I am on a no fabric buying stint.  I had my list and I mostly stuck to it, which is what I wanted to do.

The first stop was Rosie's Calico Cupboard, where they were having their staff stash sale (that happens twice a year).  I was able to find a few pieces for my rainbow bargello quilt that I am slowly collecting for.  I even started the fabric collection by raiding my fabric stash first!  I still need to buy a lot, but slow progress is better than none!  I also got a cute bag for making a purchase, over a certain amount.  It is the perfect size to put an in-progress project in.

The last stop that I bought something other than the block kit was at Quilt in a Day.  I picked up some fabric precuts in the clearance bin that are in the fabric lines I have had my eyes on for a while now.  I found some fabric for the start of a log cabin quilt I have had on my mind a lot recently.  I also picked up the finishing kit and two more blocks to make a nice layout for all of the blocks put into a quilt.  My husband and I both agreed this was the best layout of the few layouts that were presented to us.

Overall, we had a very fun and successful day, my husband loved it so much he wants to do it again with me next year.  He is trying to call dibs before my Mom for the next shop hop.  It makes my heart sing that he had such a great time, and supports my big quilting hobby addiction.  The theme for next year is notions.  I am excited to see what blocks are created.

Sharing at:
Sew Fresh Quilts

-Christina

15 Minutes of Stitching - Week 12

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

Days spent stitching this week: 5 out of 7

Days spent stitching in March: 22 out of 25

Days spent stitching for 2018: 63 out of 84

Rate of Success: 75.0 %
My week runs Monday through Sunday.

I lost some ground that I gained, there were two nights where I got home from the day's events and crashed hard.  That is okay, the days I did get some stitching time in I was able to make some good progress on some projects.  It is a new week, which means I have a chance to stitch 7 days this week, and I'm going to work hard to do so, as I have several deadlines coming up that I need to get stuff done for. A positive attitude will get me further than a negative Nancy attitude.  I hope everyone was successful and getting what they wanted done, done this last week.  Off to do some stitching for the day!

Linking up to:
Life in Pieces

-Christina

Design Wall Tuesday

This last week progress was made on a few things, but no task was fully finished.  That is okay, the fact that progress was made is huge to me.  This next week there should be several things finished as I am that close.

This week has my goals switched around a little.  I have some deadlines approaching, and I finally got word for the deadline for the bridal shower gift I am making (see goal 3).  I hope to make it a great week!

My first goal is to finish the Snowflake table runner.  I have about a fourth of the binding left to sew down, which is something nice to do before bed as I relax.

My second goal is to finish cutting out Ring of Stars, which is a belated wedding gift.  I am almost done with cutting out the last of the pieces before I start sewing.

My third goal is to iron the table runner fabrics for a bridal shower gift that is coming up quickly (I got the invitation this week), and cut out at least one side of the table runner, if not two.  Getting the table runner started and one side of it cut out is my March OMG so I am working to get ahead of the game, which means I will only do some of it last minute, progress is better than none. :)

My fourth goal is to start on one of three stitch and flip wreaths.  I would like to cut out all of the pieces for one of them, and iron on the fusible to be able to sit down and sew it together next week.

My fifth goal is to start working on these two chanielled blankets.  They are layered and ready to go, I just have to find the thread for the top and bottom and start stitching away.  They are not hard, but they take time.  These are Christmas gifts for my best friends and we are FINALLY getting together to celebrate soon so I need to get them done....opps, very late on these.

Now it is time to make some progress on these goals.


Linking up with:
Design Wall
Monday Making
Main Crush Monday

-Christina

Design Wall Monday

Last week my husband and I took a trip to Texas to visit a good friend.  We had a wonderful time, but it is also nice to come home, and use my machine again.  While we were on travel I was able to draw out a few quilts that have been floating around in my head for a while now.  It is nice to finally get them down on paper.  There are still a few more I want to draw out, but that will be for another travel time in the future.

In the last two weeks I also was able to "finish" my Snowflake Table Runner and Royal Gardens to hang in my church's quilt show this last Saturday.  What I did to finish them because I could not get the binding sewn all of the way down, was I pinned it.  No one would be the wiser, but now I need to go back and sew the binding down.

This week has a few new goals, but some are older that I want to get finished.  I have a plan, and I hope to get most of them fully accomplished.

My first goal is to finish the Snowflake table runner.  I have about three fourths of the binding left to sew down, which is something nice to do before bed as I relax.

My second goal is to finish cutting out Ring of Stars, which is a belated wedding gift.  I was able to iron all of the starched fabric last night, and I have a plan for cutting.  I am almost done with cutting out one of the colors, as it is a two color quilt.

My third goal is to start on one of three stitch and flip wreaths.  I would like to cut out all of the pieces for one of them, and iron on the fusible to be able to sit down and sew it together next week.

My fourth goal is to iron the table runner fabrics for a bridal shower gift that is coming up.  I would love to also start cutting, but I think what I have is more than enough to try and get done.  Getting the table runner started and one side of it cut out is my March OMG so I am working to get ahead of the game, and not doing it last minute, like I have been for a lot of things this year.  I want to change that and get ahead!

In addition to my quilting goals, I have some home goals, which include cleaning out the refrigerator and freezer, cleaning the oven, and starting to clean the carpet by testing out a new product I found.

Linking up with:
Design Wall
Monday Making
Main Crush Monday

-Christina

15 Minutes of Stitching - Week 11

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

Days spent stitching this week: 7 out of 7

Days spent stitching in March: 17 out of 18

Days spent stitching for 2018: 59 out of 77

Rate of Success: 76.6 %
My week runs Monday through Sunday.

I am getting closer to a B-!!!  I am doing much better at making time to stitch, even if it is just for 15 minutes, but the progress adds up over time, as I am seeing some projects close to completion which is amazing.  It also helps my awesome husband is constantly reminding me/asking me have I done it yet, which helps to have that support.  This past week I was able to draw out a few more quilts as I was still on travel, and then worked on bindings, and then started to cut fabric for the next quilt I need to work on.  I could not be happier with my progress so far this year.  I hope everyone is successful in finding time to stitch with Spring Breaks and vacations coming up or happening now.

Linking up to:
Life in Pieces

-Christina

Triangle Medley

I was able to finish the second baby quilt in time for the second baby shower at work.  The quilt is entitled "Triangle Medley."  It is based off of the quilt pattern by Amanda Jean Nyberg (Crazy Mom Quilts) entitled Emma's Sitting Room sold by Connecting Threads.  It also uses the fabric line called Emma & Myrtle created by Amanda Jean Nyberg (Crazy Mom Quilts) for Connecting Threads.

I love how the quilt came out, with simple stipple and loops, perfect for any gender, and softens the look of the hard corners.  I am proud of how well the whole quilt came out, and the recipient loved it.

The backing was another find on Whittles Fabrics, and I felt the circles was a perfect compliment for the quilt.  I bought a little extra and added it to my stash as it is a perfect neutral.  The quilt was easy to put together, and I was able to spend the extra time squaring up the half square triangle units, and what a difference in putting the quilt together that made!

This quilt is number 41 on my Quarter 1 Finish-A-Long list, and my second finish for the quarter.  I will take it, as I am slowly checking things off on the list!

Linking up to:
Crazy Mom Quilts
Confessions of a Fabric Addict
Busy Hands Quilts

-Christina

15 Minutes of Stitching - Week 10

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

Days spent stitching this week: 6 out of 7

Days spent stitching in March: 10 out of 11

Days spent stitching for 2018: 52 out of 70

Rate of Success: 74.3 %
My week runs Monday through Sunday.

I'm still hovering in the C range this week, but I was able to make it up to the middle C range.  I was out of town for part of the week, and I had to plan ahead as to what I wanted to work on.  I was able to extract and put on paper (finally) some designs I want to do, and figure out some calculations for a few quilts I want to do in the future.  I only missed one day because we got back way too late and had been busy all day.  That is okay.  This week is turning out to be pretty good so far too.   I hope everyone else had great weeks last week, with a positive outlook for the week ahead.

Linking up to:
Life in Pieces

-Christina

March 2018 OMG

This month's goal is to start something so I am not starting and completing it by doing some serious power sewing right before I am to give it away.

My OMG is to starch these fabrics, iron them, and cut out one of the two sides of the table runner.  A stretch goal is to start sewing the top together/finish the top, but I also need to be realistic as the first part of the month I will be finishing a few things for a quilt show at my church.

I'm excited to get this idea in my head/sketched on paper into a reality of a double sided table runner.

Sharing at:

Elm Street Quilts

-Christina

Design Wall Tuesday

Last week I was able to get Royal Gardens quilted and trimmed!  It looks awesome!  I just need to prepare the binding and get it on.  The shop hop that I did with my husband was a lot of fun (he even enjoyed it!).  I hope to be doing a post on that later this week.

My goals for the next two weeks are achievable I believe.

My first goal is to finish Royal Gardens.  I need to prepare the binding, sew it on one side, and then hand sew it on the other side.

My second goal is to finish the Snowflake table runner from the Christmas in July blog hop.  I have it layered, I just need to quilt it with my Bernina, and then get the binding on.

Both of these items are entered into my Church's quilt show, which is taking place on March 17.  I have some quick deadlines again.

My third goal is to work on cutting out Ring of Stars.  It is a belated wedding gift (I will not say how old, but I'm sure I will slip in the future).  I would love to get the whole thing cut out, and start sewing the triangles together, as it is my Breakfast club homework, due on the 17th also.

My fourth and final goal for the next two weeks is to draw and figure out calculations for several quilts that are in my head while I am on travel.  This is a great on the road project, and it will help extract these ideas from my head, plus who does not love coloring?

In addition to my quilting goals, I have some home goals, which include cleaning out the freezer, cleaning the oven, and cleaning/organizing the linen closet.  Let's make it two great weeks!

Linking up with:
Design Wall
Monday Making
Main Crush Monday

-Christina

15 Minutes of Stitching - Week 9

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

Days spent stitching this week: 5 out of 7

Days spent stitching for February: 24 out of 28
Days spent stitching in March: 4 out of 4

Days spent stitching for 2018: 46 out of 63

Rate of Success: 73.0 %
My week runs Monday through Sunday.

I'm still hovering in the C range this week, which is okay, I will boast it up and get to the B range by the end of the year.  I have a lot of faith in myself.  I was exhausted last week from everything I had accomplished the week before, so I took it a little easier, and ran out of time some nights to get my 15 minutes of stitching in.  However, this week I am roaring to go, and I hope to make it a successful week again.  During last week I was able to finish quilting a queen size quilt, and I worked on squaring up the backing and putting more zippers on with safety pins.  Good thing I did not poke myself with the safety pins too many times, because sometime this week I get the joy of taking them off the backing fabric and prepare them for the next time I use them.  I hope everyone else's week was successful!

Linking up to:
Life in Pieces

-Christina

Of the Woods

"Of the Woods" was finished two weeks ago and given away for a co-worker's baby shower.  I used the Bradley Street pattern from the Moda Bake Shop created by Suzanne Jackman.

The fabrics were chosen based on how my co-worker is decorating the nursery, which is a woodland theme with accents of coral/pink due to the gender of her baby.  The fabrics came from all over the place, mostly from Easy, but some did come from my local quilt shops.  I threw in some Bambi fabric also, because who does not love Disney?

I am extremely pleased with how it turned out.  The backing I was able to find complimented the quilt, and I am extremely proud of my quilting.  The dark green, is perfect for the binding as it gives it a nice frame around the quilt.

The quilting was done by me on the LQS's long arm that I have the opportunity to rent time on.  I had not free motioned for a while, but it was like riding a horse.  The hardest part after waiting so long was getting it loaded on the machine properly.  I did a simple swirl flower all over the quilt, with the occasional loop thrown in.

This finish is #40 on my Quarter 1 Finish A-Long list, and my first finish for the year!  It feels great to have completed something.

Linking up to:
Crazy Mom Quilts
Confessions of a Fabric Addict
Busy Hands Quilts

-Christina

Big Bed Quilt A-long - February Check-In

Stitched in Color is hosting a big bed quilt a-long, encouraging us to move along/complete a quilt that is a large size for a bed.  I have choose to finish one project and make progress on another bed size quilt.  For the month of February, my goal was to finish the top of Royal Gardens, which is a Queen size quilt.

My goal for February, I was able to complete, and then some.  I was able to start quilting it, and I hope to finish quilting this next week.

For the month of March, my goal for the big bed quilt a-long is to finish Royal Gardens, and to start cutting out the next bed size quilt that I want to get done.

Linking up to:
Stitched in Color

-Christina