Change of Plans

It is amazing how quickly your priorities can change, with just one thing. This weekend, I have added two additional quilts that I need to get done before Christmas. I was going to make quilts that used the same fabric but different designs for my Grandparents to represent their alma mater which they loved. With the loss of my Grandmother, I feel like it is extremely important to make the quilt sooner than I was planning for my Grandfather. I hope to get it done for Christmas. I’m also going to make the one intended for my Grandmother, but gift it to my Mom (her daughter and an alumni of the same school). With the quilt I was planning to make for my niece that makes the total of quilts to finish by Christmas three. I was looking at my plan for my niece’s quilt and learned that it is wayyy too small for her now, and I have added 88 more blocks than I originally planned, and the back will be pieced. Did I mention none of these quilts are started yet? Opps…

This last week I did not follow my schedule, which is okay. I’m occasionally floating through grief as this loss is still very new to me. I did finish drawing out another quilt I need to get started on as it is for a quilt show in March 2019, and I want to hand quilt it with pearle cotton. It is a variation on Drunkard’s Path. Full name to come.

I attended a paper piecing retreat for any Judy Niemeyer pattern. I pulled out my two started patterns, and was able to make good progress on both. This class came at the perfect time for a good distraction. I have my “homework” for the next class cut out for me. I understand it, so I need to dedicate a good chunk of time to make great progress on other sections so I can use my next retreat time to my advantage.

This upcoming week and a half does not have any deadlines, as simple touching fabric or planning will be therapeutic and good for me. I plan to do a mix of things including tearing out papers from the units I have finished, drawing out quilts/doing calculations, ripping seams, and maybe cutting out additional papers. I am going to try to get my August One Monthly Goal finished before the end of the month, however I am not going to push myself or cry over not getting it done. There is always next month and my priorities have significantly changed.

Next week I should have a great plan in place to get all of the quilts done before the end of the year, and I’ll share it and what I was able to accomplish this week.

Sharing at:
Design Wall

Monday Making

-Christina

15 Minutes of Stitching - Week 34

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 August: 25 out of 26
Days spent stitching in 2018: 210 out of 238
Rate of Success: 88.2%

This week had two nights I was crashing hard when I got home, so with that being said, one night I just could not muster the energy to get up and do a simple 15 minutes. I choose to sleep, which is what my body was telling me to do. A few nights I did not do what I had planned just because I was not feeling it, so instead I did what my mind wanted to do. One night was to finish drawing out a quilt and do the calculations that came along with it. Another night was just pulling some seams apart. Even though I did not follow my “schedule” I was able to be productive on other things that need to get done too. My priorities for quilts have shifted this past weekend, and I need to make a new game plan for the rest of the year. I need to get three quilts done for Christmas, when it was just one before. One small goal at a time.

Linking up at:

Life in Pieces

-Christina

Drunkards Path and Other WIPs

This week I have finished drawing out the quilt I will be making for the Drunkard’s Path challenge for the Pigeon Forge Mountain Quilt Fest 2019. I have made the necessary calculations, and my next step is pick out the fabric from my stash. I bought a few fat quarter bundles when they were on sale at Connecting Threads, a few months back just for this purpose. I will also pull from my stash a little. I’m excited to start on this, but I know it is going to be a challenge for me, as it will be my first time making a quilt with curves.

In addition to drawing out my DP quilt, I have worked on the binding for this cute little quilt. I am a little more than halfway done. I have another one right behind it, so I best get it done. My goal is to have it done by the middle of next week. It would finally be a finish, which I have not had one for a few months.

Tonight, I’m going to start working on these stitch and flip wreaths. They are my August OMG, and we are closing in on the end of August pretty quickly. They should go together fast as I have already made a few so I know the process.

This weekend I have a Judy Niemeyer paper piecing class. We can sew late into the night, get some progress done on my projects, know what to do next (rarely do I actually work on it between classes), and socialize with a group of ladies who enjoy quilting. Who can complain? I sure can’t! I do not know what I will get accomplished in the two days that I will be there, but I think I will work on one project one day and the second project the second day, as I have two Judy Niemeyer projects started….I will not tell how many I have the patterns and fabric for. This way both projects will see progress, and maybe, just maybe I will make progress on them before the next class.

Linking up to:
Bee Social
Love Laugh Quilts
Small Quilts and Doll Quilts

-Christina

15 Minutes of Stitching - Week 33

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 August: 19 out of 19

Days spent stitching in 2018: 204 out of 231

Rate of Success: 88.3%

My week runs Monday through Sunday.

This last week was hard to find that 15 minutes of stitching.  My Grandmother is currently on hospice, and my Mom asked us to come out and say good-bye, which meant I flew from San Diego to Cleveland with a 24-hour notice.  This loss is going to be felt throughout my family, and it will not be easy for the next few weeks/months.  I will be flying back to Cleveland, after she passes in the near future.  With the emotional roller coaster, I have been on, with losing my Grandmother, spending time with family, helping out however I could while back east, and traveling I was lucky to find 15 minutes a day.  Plus, with my mind in 20 different places due to emotions I could not pre-plan my week, which is something I like to do.  The binding on a quilt is slowly getting done, as I do not get a lot of hand sewing done in 15 minutes, and a quilt that has been in my head has finally been drawn out and block counts and information was pinned down.  Right now I am just going one day at a time, praying for my Grandmother and family, remembering the good times I had with her, and stitching to be at peace with this imminent loss.

Linking up at:

Life in Pieces

-Christina

Design Wall Tuesday

I'm a day late, and a dollar short.  It was a rough weekend emotionally, and it is only going to keep going downhill for a little while.  Lucky, I am able to sew to my hearts content, which helps.  With that being said, I was able to finish my goals from last week, and I made great progress on my stretch goal.  Yes, I did not finish my stretch goal, however I was able to work on getting it accomplished.

I quilted and trimmed both quilt tops as seen below.

My goal for the week is to do something I enjoy, which is quilting of course.  I will work on hand sewing some binding if I want to, remove some stitches on some scraps so I can use them with another project, or draw out a few quilts and/or color and figure out the math for them.  Do something to help me find a happy place.  That is all I want to do.  Hopefully next week I will find some peace with what is going on, and I can make goals, but if not that is okay.  It is one day at a time right now.

Linking up with:
Design Wall
Monday Making
Main Crush Monday

-Christina

15 Minutes of Stitching - Week 32

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 August: 12 out of 12

Days spent stitching for 2018: 190 out of 217

Rate of Success: 87.9%
My week runs Monday through Sunday.

This last week went pretty well at finding time to stitch.  Projects are moving along pretty well, and I can not wait to see what I can accomplish this next week.

Linking up to:
Life in Pieces

-Christina

Design Wall Monday

Last week, I was able to finish my goal!  I ironed fabric, cut out the quilt (and trimmed as the precuts were off again), and started to sew blocks together.  It feels really good to accomplish a goal!

My goals for the week are listed below:
My first goal is to get the quilt top put together, plus backing prepped and the binding.

My second goal is to quilt both the quilt above, and the quilt top below at my LQS on Sunday.  When there I will also trim the quilts and prep them to put binding on.

A stretch goal is to put the binding on via machine and then start to hand stitch it down while hanging out with my husband on Sunday evening.  Can I make it?  I hope so.

Linking up with:
Design Wall
Monday Making
Main Crush Monday

-Christina

15 Minutes of Stitching - Week 31

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 July: 29 out of 31
Days spent stitching in August: 5 out of 5

Days spent stitching for 2018: 190 out of 217

Rate of Success: 87.6%
My week runs Monday through Sunday.

There were a few days this week I was only able to squeeze 15 minutes out, however there were other days where I got about half an hour or more.  I was able to finish my goal for the week, and I'm closer than before on getting a quilt done.  I'm excited to see things coming along, and I'm not totally scrambling at the end of a deadline to get something done.  It feels great!

Linking up to:
Life in Pieces

-Christina

August 2018 OMG

My One Monthly Goal for the month of August is going to be finish 3 stitch and flip wreaths.  These have been in progress for a while now, so I thought August would be the perfect time to finish them up and gift them away immediately as they are belated Christmas gifts...oppps.  I do not have a lot of time as I have other focuses at the beginning and the middle of the month so I wanted something that would not take a lot of time to finish, but still finish something to get done!

Here is to a great and productive month.

Sharing at:
Elm Street Quilts

-Christina

15 Minutes of Stitching - Week 30

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 July: 27 out of 29

Days spent stitching for 2018: 183 out of 210

Rate of Success: 87.1%
My week runs Monday through Sunday.

This week went pretty well in the line of finding time to stitch.  There were many nights where I was able to find more than just 15 minutes, which was a nice change of pace.  By finding that time, I was able to get a baby quilt top put together, which is moving things right along.  I hope everyone else found time this last week to accomplish what they hoped to get done.

Linking up to:
Life in Pieces

-Christina