Design Wall Tuesday

Wow!  What a difference a few weeks make.  I am working exclusively from home now, I am restricted from working in the field (due to me being due in a few weeks), and our state has been under a Shelter in Place mandate for the indefinite future.  With the impending birth of our first child I will admit, it has been an emotional roller coaster for myself, but also for my husband on many different levels.  The changes with our birth plan that have taken place, and that will take place, the thought of loosing my birthing partner (what some of the hospitals did in New York), mourning the fact we won't have a baby shower to celebrate the fact we are bringing a new child into this world, the fact that our parents will not be meeting our new child for who knows how long, and scrambling to figure out what do we need to buy now to make sure we are prepared for baby due to shipping delays, and people buying out items such as baby wipes.

During this time, I have been able to escape into the sewing room for even just 15 minutes a day has helped.  Yes, tears have happened, but I'm working through the emotions and my husband and I have had a lot of discussions and planning between us.  Somethings we have clued my parents in on due to contingency plans involving them, like if I get COVID-19 the CDC can remove my brand new baby from me until I am well.  I do not want my child going to someone else's house, baby will go to Grandma and Grandpa, or if my husband contracts it, who is going to be my birthing partner (my Mom).  I want to be as prepared as I can be.  Thanks to my little escapes into the sewing room, I was able to complete my One Monthly Goal, which was to finish sewing all of the yellow on for my Niece's iSpy quilt.  I even got the stretch goal done of getting the next round ready to be sewn on.

It felt great to make progress.  Now I need to figure out what will be my April One Monthly Goal.  Good thing I have a few days to figure that out.

My goals for this week are simple.  My first goal is to continue work on my niece's Ispy quilt.  My goal is to work on sewing the 2nd round on the blocks.  I have them in a total of five piles, and I would like to sew through three of the five, and start trimming them.  My stretch goal is to get them all trimmed and ready for the next step, whether it is for the last round of triangles or de-papering.

My second goal is to continue working on the house.  This will always be a goal, or at least until we are fully settled in.  We are working on the front as some of the dirt has dried out after our three week stint or rain, finish cleaning off the table, and figure out what we need to purchase before baby comes home.  My stretch goal is to work on the 2nd bedroom, cleaning out 5 bags/boxes/piles.

I hope everyone has a great week!
Sharing at:
Love, Laugh, and Quilt
Small Quilts and Doll Quilts

-Christina

March 2020 One Monthly Goal Finished!

Well I was able to finish my one monthly goal, just in time.  My goal was to finish sewing all of the yellow onto the blocks, and my stretch goal was to trim and prepare them for the next round.  Here are all of my blocks prepared and ready for the next round of sewing that will take place on them.

I feel pretty accomplished!  Now, time to decide what to do for my April OMG, as that begins in just a few hours!

Sharing at:
Elm Street Quilts

-Christina

Another Chenille Blanket Finished

What a crazy week it has been, but I have a finish to share that has been just been waiting to be shared with everyone.  I was able to finish this Chenille blanket that I had intended as a Christmas present in 2018 for my best friend.  It got pushed off to 2019, but I did not finish it until the end of January of 2020.

Why did it take me so long to finish?  Great question, I had a knot in the thread and I had about an inch left on the binding to finish.  I got frustrated with it, and left it and just did not come back to it until a year later.  When I picked it up to finish it, it took me about 10-15 minutes.  What a nice easy finish it was.

It was made using 3 of the same panels placed carefully on top of one another, and some nice minky on the back.  I washed it the day I saw my best friend as she was coming over to visit, and I pulled it from the dryer, took pictures of it, and gave it to her.

Quilt Stats:
Finished size: 34.5 inches by 41.5 inches
Started: March 29, 2018
Finished: January 30, 2020
Gifted to my best friend for Christmas (a month late).

Off to go find the next project I am going to work on!

Sharing at:
Confessions of a Fabric Addict
Alycia Quilts

-Christina

15 Minutes of Stitching - Week 10 2020

Let us see how this last week went.
Days spent stitching in the week: 7 out of 7
Days spent stitching in March: 8 out of 8
Days spent stitching in 2020: 68 out of 68
Success Rate: 100%
My week runs Monday through Sunday.

Finding time each week is getting easier.  I know it will change between a month to a month in a half from now, but the progress has made it totally worth it for me.  I am beyond excited about the projects I am working on, and seeing how my goals are being exceeded every week motivates me to do even more.  If only I could use some of my energy to clean my sewing area!

Fabric followed me home during the San Diego Quilt run.  More than I thought would to be honest, but most of it was on sale.  I was able to find the two or three fabrics I was looking for at the first store we went to.  I also did not have enough time to weight the scrap packs I bought, so that yardage will be added next week.  It was fun to see how some shops have changed within the last year.  No fabric went out, as I did not iron or quilt anything.  I do not know if I will be able to recover from what I bought without a fabric gain at the end of the year.  I have a few things I would like to purchase, and then I'm cutting myself off, until who knows when.  I hope this self imposed cut off will work.

Fabric out this week: 0.00 yards
Fabric out, in 2020: 8.46 yards
Fabric in this week: 37.25 yards
Fabric in, in 2020: 103.31 yards
Fabric difference in 2020: gain of 94.85 yards

I hope everyone had a great week!
Sharing at:
Life in Pieces

-Christina

Design Wall Wednesday

This last week was great!  I was able to be productive quilting wise, and around my home.  I almost got all of the blocks that I set out to sew sewn.  Below is all I had left Sunday night.

I finally got Christmas put away!  After having it sit around for a few months, it is finally picked up from my living room.

In addition to that, my Mom and I went on a quit run for San Diego County, and we had a lot of fun.  In addition to having lots of fun, of course we found many things that came home with us.  Below is my haul from our adventure.

I also picked up all of the quilt blocks for the quilt, and some of the stores made more blocks to make the quilt bigger, so I can make a 4 by 4 quilt, instead of 3 by 3.

My goals for this week are simple.  My first goal is to work on my niece's Ispy quilt.  My goal is to finish sewing the first round of yellow, iron all blocks, trim and glue down the second round of yellow.  My stretch goal is to start sewing all of the second round of yellow.

My second goal is to continue working on the house.  This will always be a goal, or at least until we are fully settled in.  Who knows how long that will take.  The big goals for the week are catch up on washing dishes (almost there), finish our registry for baby, moving the stuff for our master closet back, and working on our front yard.  A stretch goal is to go through paperwork from the table, that is in a box now.

I hope everyone has a great week!
Sharing at:
Love, Laugh, and Quilt
Small Quilts and Doll Quilts

-Christina

Baby Chenille Blanket Finished!

I finished it in less than a month!  But, it has taken me the whole additional month to blog about it.  Opps, Fridays seem to get away from me.  I finished a co-worker's new baby blanket, and it has already been gifted.

It was made using 3 of the same panels placed carefully on top of one another, and some nice minky on the back.  The binding was a flannel I had in my stash (yes! used some stash to finish this)  Once it was washed and dried it turned fluffy and perfect for the new addition to the family.

Quilt Stats:
Finished size: 34.5 inches by 41.5 inches
Started: January 8, 2020
Finished: January 30, 2020
Gifted to a co-workers baby

Off to go find something else to finish!

Sharing at:
Confessions of a Fabric Addict
Alycia Quilts

-Christina

March 2020 One Monthly Goal

My goal for the month of March is to continue making progress on my Niece's Ispy Quilt.  I have this pile of blocks that are prepped and ready to go.  My goal is to get all four yellow triangles sewn on to all of the blocks needed for the quilt.  I have completed about half of them, and the stack in the picture below is what is left.

This is what the blocks with yellow triangles will look like soon.

This goal involves sewing, ironing, trimming, glueing the next set of triangles on, and sewing again.  My stretch goal is to get all blocks to the point where I am sewing on the first round of purple or pink triangles for the third square.

I'm ready to get to it!

Sharing at:
Elm Street Quilts

-Christina

15 Minutes of Stitching - Week 9 2020

Let us see how this last week went.
Days spent stitching in the week: 7 out of 7
Days spent stitching in February: 29 out of 29
Days spent stitching in March: 1 out of 1
Days spent stitching in 2020: 61 out of 61
Success Rate: 100%
My week runs Monday through Sunday.

With making stitching time a habit every night, it has been very nice.  I'm surprised my success rate is still at 100%, but I also want to go work on the projects I'm working on as I have the urge to finish some things up.  Maybe it is pre-baby nesting, but for quilting?  Whatever the reason may be, I'm happy for it.  I also love seeing progress made on various projects.  I almost have one quilt top that will be quilted after baby comes and I am healed.  I hope to have at least another one done and ready to be quilted by then.

No fabric followed me home again this week!  It feels amazing to be honest.  I do know that next week will be a different story as my Mom and I are going on the San Diego Quilt Run.  I'm excited to spend time with my Mom.  We both do not need anymore fabric, but I'm going to try really hard not to buy much.  I have a few goals (border and binding needed for a quilt top), and some background fabric for a table runner, but I do not plan to pick up a lot of extras.  Except the kits to make the blocks for the run, and maybe some clearance items, if I really need it.  We shall see what follows me home.

Fabric out this week: 1.01 yards
Fabric out, in 2020: 8.46 yards
Fabric in this week: 0.00 yards
Fabric in, in 2020: 66.06 yards
Fabric difference in 2020: gain of 57.60 yards

I hope everyone had a great week!
Sharing at:
Life in Pieces

-Christina

Design Wall Wednesday

This last week was productive.  I did not finish all of my stretch goals, but that is okay.  I was able to get the last border on the Christmas table runner, and I found the backing and was able to cut that out.  I just did not get a picture of the finished top.

I was also able to sew through this large stack of blocks.  It is over 60 blocks, which was what was ready for me to sew on.  I then ironed, and started to trim them.

My goals for this week are simple.  My first goal is to work on my niece's Ispy quilt.  I would like to get the stack I created trimmed and ready for the next round of sewing, and start sewing the first round on the last stack of blocks I have to do.  My stretch goal is to finish the pile that I will be starting.

My second goal is to layer the Christmas table runner as I am close to finally finishing.  It will be an easy project to do in April as I will not need to be on the ground to finish it as bending and stooping is starting to get difficult for me.

My third goal is to continue working on the house.  This will always be a goal, or at least until we are fully settled in.  Who knows how long that will take.  The big goals for the week are catch up on washing dishes, putting away Christmas, finish our registry, moving the stuff for our master closet back, and working on our front yard.  A stretch goal is to work on cleaning up the table, with the final goal of finishing this project.

I hope everyone has a great week!
Sharing at:
Love, Laugh, and Quilt
Small Quilts and Doll Quilts

-Christina

February 2020 One Monthly Goal Finished!!!!

My February 2020 One Monthly Goal is finished!  You can see my original goal here.  I finished putting together all of the blocks and sashing pretty early on in the month.  I only had about 5 blocks to finish.

Then I laid out the quilt, and started to sew the top together.  My original goal was to only get three rows put together.

Well, I did more than that.  I was able to complete my stretch goal with more than a week to spare as I was able to get the whole quilt put together.

The only thing I am missing is a border.  I am trying to pick it out, put it on, and prep the binding.  I will be quilting it after baby comes and I start to heal, as right now my bump will get in the way of the quilting machine when I need to lean over the rails.

Now it is time to think of what my March OMG will be.  I have a few ideas I am tossing around.

Sharing at:
Elm Street Quilts

-Christina

15 Minutes of Stitching - Week 8 2020

Let us see how this last week went.
Days spent stitching in the week: 7 out of 7
Days spent stitching in February: 23 out of 23
Days spent stitching in 2020: 54 out of 54
Success Rate: 100%
My week runs Monday through Sunday.

I found time each night this past week.  I even started thinking of what project(s) to work on that would be great to do during my hospital visit after I have our child.  With that thought, I might have a problem.  It does relax me, if that counts?  It also depends upon if I have the time that I'm not resting as I know Grandparents will be visiting a lot during that time.  The drive to finish some outstanding things this year is strong still, and I'm excited to see what I am able to accomplish.

This past week I had no fabric come in!!!  That is great news.  I had some fabric get used up.  I will slowly decrease the gain that I have created at the beginning of the year and my goal is to come out with using more by the end of the year.  We will see how well I do with that.

Fabric out this week: 0.46 yards
Fabric out, in 2020: 7.45 yards
Fabric in this week: 0.00 yards
Fabric in, in 2020: 66.06 yards
Fabric difference in 2020: gain of 58.61 yards

I hope everyone had a great week!
Sharing at:
Life in Pieces

-Christina

Design Wall Wednesday

This last week I was able to get to all of my quilty goals, which feels amazing.  I was able to complete putting this quilt top together.

I was then going to stay stitch it, but after measuring and thinking on it, I am going to add a decent border around the edge of the quilt to make it just a little bigger.  Now I need to go find a green fabric that will tie it all together, and think about the binding that I want to use.  A different color, like blue or should I finish it in the same green?  I might buy some extra fabrics so I can audition them.  What do you think I should do?

I then pulled out another UFO that is a semi fast finish.  It is the Christmas table runner I started over two years ago, and "gifted" to my grandparent-in-laws.  I hope to finish it for them soon to give to them.  This past week I was able to sew the blocks together, and added two of the three borders.

My goals for this week are simple.  The first goal is to finish the top of the Christmas table runner.  I need to sew on border 3, and then I would like to layer it and prep it for quilting.  The quilting will be simple with wavy lines, but I think it will look great.  Unless I do straight line quilting, which is also an option.

My second goal is to work on my niece's ISpy quilt.  I would like to make progress on 50 blocks.  They are all prepped for the next round of sewing, and then iron them.  My stretch goal is to prep them for the next round of sewing.

My third goal is to continue working on the house.  This will always be a goal, or at least until we are fully settled in.  Who knows how long that will take.  The big goals for the week are creating and sending out the invites for our BBQ and baby shower, catch up on washing dishes, putting away Christmas and working on our front yard.  A stretch goal is to work on cleaning up the table, with the final goal of finishing this project.

I hope everyone has a great week!
Sharing at:
Love, Laugh, and Quilt
Small Quilts and Doll Quilts

-Christina

15 Minutes of Stitching - Week 7 2020

Let us see how this last week went.
Days spent stitching in the week: 7 out of 7
Days spent stitching in February: 16 out of 16
Days spent stitching in 2020: 47 out of 47
Success Rate: 100%
My week runs Monday through Sunday.

I'm still on the 100% train.  I know in a few months this trend will change, but that is okay.  I love making progress on a long term UFO.  I am motivated to move some quilts to the finish line this year, and I'm excited to be working on it so early in the year.

This week on the fabric front, I bought fabrics I need for a quilt-a-long that started late last year, and will be going on for the whole year.  I hope to get caught up, but first, I had to get the right Kona Solids.  I was not able to get them all, so some online ordering will need to happen, but that is okay.  I think this next week I will have more out then in as I plan to work on a table runner, and maybe even use up some scraps on something new I planned out by just playing around.

Fabric out this week: .13 yards
Fabric out, in 2020: 6.99 yards
Fabric in this week: 9.81 yards
Fabric in, in 2020: 66.06 yards
Fabric difference in 2020: gain of 59.07 yards

I hope everyone had a great week!
Sharing at:
Life in Pieces

-Christina

Design Wall Wednesday

Within the last week I was able to get a totally unfinished quilt top into a 80% put together quilt top.  To get that much done in a week is amazing to me!  Yes, the bigger blocks help it go together a little quicker than smaller blocks, but it still feels great.  I was able to get my goal and stretch goal completed before the end of the week, which feels amazing to be able to do.  It helps I blocked out a good chunk of time on Saturday, while my husband had friends over.

We also make some progress on the front yard, and have a plan of attack so maybe we will be done with it before the baby comes.  We are going to try!  We attacked the corner, and removed a wall of roots, and the brick wall that was part of the planter bed.  This week we want to fully remove it, and start digging it out to get it to the level it needs to be.

My goals for this week are simple.  The first goal is to finish working on my February One Monthly Goal.  My goal is to sew rows 6 and 7 together and finish the quilt top.  Once the quilt top is completed, I need to stay stitch around the whole quilt as there will be no border to hold all of the seams together.

My second goal is to pull out a long term ufo, the Christmas table runner.  Last month I was able to get the blocks re-done, and my goal is to get them sewn together, and start on border 1.  My stretch goal is finish border 1 and 2.  The picture below shows the stain from some Pepsi that was spilled on it, that is why I have to re-do stuff, as I took it apart and replaced the two pieces that were effected by the spill.

My third goal is to continue working on the house.  This will always be a goal, especially as we prepare to have a family get together at our house, get ready for baby, and continue making our house a home for us.  I really am going to finish putting away Christmas this week.  I just need to move some boxes and label a few more, and then I'm done.  I would like to caulk some floorboards to help prevent critters from coming in, work on transferring closet items back to our new closet, and work on the outside, including vent replacements (keep the critters out), front yard and the orange tree.  My stretch goal is to work on cleaning off the table and put things away around the kitchen.

I hope everyone has a great week!
Sharing at:
Love, Laugh, and Quilt
Small Quilts and Doll Quilts

-Christina

15 Minutes of Stitching - Week 6 2020

Let us see how this last week went.
Days spent stitching in the week: 7 out of 7
Days spent stitching in February: 9 out of 9
Days spent stitching in 2020: 40 out of 40
Success Rate: 100%
My week runs Monday through Sunday.

Wow!  I can not believe I have yet to miss a day, and we are in February already.  I have the motivation to find a little bit of time each day as I am moving some projects that much closer to the finish line.  They are real tangible items!  Now if I could set 30 minutes aside, 15 to work on my current project and the other 15 minutes to work on taming my scrap situation that would be wonderful.  One thing to remember, I will get there!

This week I fought temptation, but I bought some new fabrics on clearance and some to round out the look I am going for on a project.  That is okay, I was able to move some fabric out this week, and I'm proud of it.  I do not know if I will break even this year, but I have a few more purchases to make before I am cutting myself off for a long time.  Or until the end of the year, unless it is something I need to finish a project.  Positive thoughts and I am moving things to the done pile this year, which feels amazing!

Fabric out this week: 1.07 yards
Fabric out, in 2020: 6.86 yards
Fabric in this week: 6.63 yards
Fabric in, in 2020: 56.25 yards
Fabric difference in 2020: gain of 49.39 yards

I hope everyone had a great week!
Sharing at:
Life in Pieces

-Christina

Design Wall Tuesday

This last week was very productive.  I did not realize how close I was to being done to layout the quilt I'm working on.  I finished all of the blocks, plus made the sashing.  I learned that I had to make one triangle square in the end, but it was not bad.  I then was able to clear a space in our sunroom (okay, more like piled stuff in another area), and laid out the quilt top.

Here it is.  I found one block that was twisted, so it is already on the repair table being fixed this week!

I also found some time to cross stitch, and I have gotten pretty far on a famous saying from Harry Potter.  I hope to hang this in our kid's room, as I know they will always be up to no good!

My goals for this week are simple.  The first goal is to continue working on my February One Monthly Goal.  My goal is to sew rows 1 through 3 together before the end of the week.  My stretch goal is to sew rows 4-5 together.  If I work diligently on it, and not run into any hiccups, then I believe I will have a finished quilt top by the end of next week.  That would be amazing to have my One Monthly Goal finished early this month!

My second goal is to continue working on the house.  This will always be a goal, especially as we prepare to have a family get together at our house, get ready for baby, and continue making our house a home for us.  I really am going to finish putting away Christmas this week.  I just need to move some boxes and label a few more, and then I'm done.  I would like to caulk some floorboards to help prevent critters from coming in, work on transferring closet items back to our new closet, and work on the outside, including vent replacements (keep the critters out), front yard and the orange tree.  I want to pick out our crib/nursery set.  My stretch goal is to work on putting items on our registry, work on the guest list, and work on the kitchen.

Wow!  I feel like that is a lot, but if I put my mind to it I will be okay!  I hope everyone has a great week!
Sharing at:
Love, Laugh, and Quilt
Small Quilts and Doll Quilts

-Christina

February 2020 One Monthly Goal

I am really excited for my One Monthly Goal this month.  It is something that has been outstanding for over 5 years, and it was meant to be a present 5 years ago.  I am ready to get it closer to being finished, and a finish this year would be fantastic!

My goal for the month is to finish all of the blocks, and sashing for Ring of Stars.  In addition to that I am going to lay it out and sew three of the seven rows together.  My stretch goal is to get the quilt top put together.

I think all of these things are doable.  I am going to have to be careful laying out the quilt, on the ground, and then picking it up as I get further along.  But, I believe if I do a little bit each day and not over do it, I will be just fine.

Sharing at:

Elm Street Quilts

What are you working on?

-Christina

15 Minutes of Stitching - Week 4 and 5 2020

Let us see how the last two weeks of January went.
Days spent stitching in the week: 14 out of 14
Days spent stitching in January: 31 out of 31
Days spent stitching in February: 2 out of 2
Days spent stitching in 2020: 33 out of 33
Success Rate: 100%
My week runs Monday through Sunday.

Finding time has been easy each night these last two weeks, especially since I have not been reading before bed, instead I have been stitching.  It helped that I have made a self imposed deadline too, which I was able to meet.  By spending 15 - 20 minutes a day, I can see progress being made.  I wish I could carve out a little more time for stitching on the weekends, but right now I will take what I can get.  I feel like this might be a great year of finishes, which will be nice as I have a few very old things looming over my head.

Week 4 of stash watch was great in the in, as I did not have any in fabric, and made progress on finishing some things up, so I was able to have a decent amount of fabric out.  Seeing these numbers helps me have hope that I can know that gain of yardage down to very little or 0 by the end of the year.  With some careful planning, and care not to buy much this year I think I can do it.

Fabric out this week: 3.98 yards
Fabric out, in 2020: 4.76 yards
Fabric in this week: 0.00 yards
Fabric in, in 2020: 33.63 yards
Fabric difference in 2020: gain of 28.87 yards

Week 5 of stash watch was not so hot in the fabric in department, but I had a little chunk go out during the week.  It was a lot of little things, but that amount is better than nothing.  I got the motivation over the weekend to work on some outstanding projects, and I'm planning on when I am going to quilt them already.  When I do that, a large amount of fabric will go out for the backings and bindings.  I'm excited to see what the year has to bring, especially on the stash watch front.

Fabric out this week: 1.03 yards
Fabric out, in 2020: 5.79 yards
Fabric in this week: 15.99 yards
Fabric in, in 2020: 49.62 yards
Fabric difference in 2020: gain of 43.83 yards

I hope everyone had a great week!
Sharing at:
Life in Pieces

-Christina

Design Wall Tuesday

It is a new week, and I ran out of time to post last week.  So time to catch up.  I was able to finish the binding on this cute little guy, and wash him.  It is now all fluffy and ready for its new owner.

I also finished this one up, as it was a Christmas present for my best friend.  It has been sitting for over a year to finish it.  All I needed to do was fix the knot in the thread, and then tie off for the binding.  I was also able to wash it, and it has already been given to its new owner, who loves it dearly.

Over the weekend I had to come up with my One Monthly Goal for February, as it is a new month!  How did January fly by so quickly?  I pulled out a UFO, that I am ready to get done.  It is a wedding gift, that is about 5 years late.  I was able to complete a few blocks, and will continue to work on it this next week.

My goals for this week are simple.  The first goal is to work on my One Monthly goal and finish all of the blocks for the wedding quilt.  I only have three left, and work on the sashing part.  My stretch goal is to finish all of the sashing so I can start to lay it out.

My second goal is to continue working on the house.  This will always be a goal, especially as we prepare to have our baby shower at our house, get ready for baby, and continue making our house a home for us.  I really am going to finish putting away Christmas this week.  I have sorted all of the boxes, and organized how I want them to be.  I then found some random items, and they just need to be put away in the correct boxes.  I want to create a list of things we are going to accomplish around the house before our baby shower, and pick out our crib/nursery set.  My stretch goal is to work on putting items on our registry, and work on the guest list.

I hope everyone has a great week!
Sharing at:
Love, Laugh, and Quilt
Small Quilts and Doll Quilts

-Christina

January 2020 One Monthly Goal Finished!

I finished my January One Monthly goal, and even finished my stretch goal!  I was able to sew all of the lines, chenille it, and completed the binding on this cute baby quilt for a co-worker's new baby late last night.

I think it turned out well.  Tomorrow it will be washed and gifted next week.  Just a month late!  Now it is time to think of my February 2020 One Monthly Goal.

Sharing at:
Elm Street Quilts

-Christina