Make-A-List Monday - Time to Re-group!

Hi, all!

Monday is here again, and I feel the cold wintry draft caused by people putting up their Christmas decorations - do you?  My husband is adamant that we not put ours up before Thanksgiving, but all around me I see them going up, and when I was in Target today, they were putting out trees and Christmas decorations.  So like it or not, we're moving into the holiday season!  I'm trying really hard not to feel too rushed with everything I want to get done, and my list always helps with that, so let's see how last week's list went....

1.  Quilt the dresden plate quilt.

Done!  Of course, I haven't taken pictures of it yet, because it's been cloudy around here, but here it is on the frame...

2.  Make progress on the My Small World quilts.

Done!  I've done the larger sets of flying geese, shown below, and I've made and tested a paper piecing template for the smaller ones.

Nathanael's....

Emmy's....

...and Lilli's!

3.  Make a back for my Patchwork Forest QAL quilt.

Done!  I not only made a back, but I finished the whole quilt!  Unfortunately no pictures of the finished quilt, but here's the top for your viewing pleasure...

4.  Quilt one customer quilt.

Done!  This is a real beauty, and hopefully the weather will cooperate tomorrow for some full-length shots...

5.  Quilt at least one quilt for the quilt ministry.

Done - sort of!  We had a big pile of quilts that needed binding and washing, and I did that in lieu of quilting another one this week.

6.  Start prepping for the quilt ministry Christmas party - a special sewing day as we all work on our own Patchwork Forest quilts!

Done!  We've got a huge pile of fat quarters cut and pressed, but there's still plenty to work on this week.

7.  Start deep cleaning the house before upcoming Christmas parties (oh how I hate cleaning!).  I should probably start by making a list - and checking it twice!

It was a good weekend for it, so I started my Christmas preparations by painting the risers on my stairs, which had been looking pitiful. See, when I painted the treads right after Christmas last year, I put painter's tape on the white risers - and when I pulled it off, several layers of latex paint came off with it, revealing the oil based dark brown paint underneath.  So two layers of primer and a layer of semi-gloss, and they look so much nicer now!

8.  Keep up with any quilt ministry needs that come up.

No quilts were given away this week, which gives us a good chance to catch up a little bit!

So a good week all in all, with lots accomplished!  Good thing, too, because there's so much more I want to get done!  Here's my list for this week...

1.  Bind my Flight of Fancy quilt.

2.  Take lots of quilt pics when the sun shines!

3.  Make some class samples.

4.  Make two pillow covers for a quick commission job!

5.  Write up an estimate for a new commission.

6.  Make progress on my Birch Bark quilt.

7.  Make progress on the My Small World quilts.

8.  Put one of the annual quilts on the frame (maybe?)

9.  Keep up with any quilt ministry needs that come up.

Definitely more than enough to keep me out of trouble, right?  And so much more I could work on, but I'm trying to reward myself with little "me" moments too.  And I've already got my next one planned out - I'll fill you in on it if I find the time for it this week!

And now the question is - - - what are YOU working on this week?

Hugs!

Sarah

I May Have A Scrap Problem... Small World Progress and Inspiration!

Hi, all!

It's starting to get holiday-busy around here, as we plan and clean and decorate - but thanks to the #mysmallworldsewcial quilt-along, I'm managing to get in some scrappy sewing every week!  This week I did the easiest part of this month's blocks, the 2.5" x 4.5" flying geese.  Each quilt takes seven of these blocks, and here are mine for all three quilts...

Nathanael's...

Emmy's...

...and Lilli's!

The next blocks I have to make are a little bit intimidating - nineteen 1.5" x 2.5" flying geese!  I am thinking about paper piecing these - they are just so tiny, there's no room for error. So I'm thinking they might be more accurate if I paper piece them.  We shall see!

And there's been lots and lots of great inspiration on the internet this week...

I'm not quite sure why I love this quilt, but I do!  All those different blocks just make my heart happy.

And isn't this pretty?  I just learned how to do a herringbone pattern, and now I want to make this one!  

And this may be the next Christmas quilt I make - I just adore that giant snowflake!  Paired up with simple patchwork, too - just perfect!

Have you all missed Crazy Mom Quilts as much as I have?  I was so excited to see her pop up in my Instagram feed, especially with this beauty!  

I seem to be on a patchwork theme this week, but isn't this cute?  I love the scattering of traditional blocks in this quilt, too - it gives the eye a place to stop and rest.  

Last but not least, an oldie but a goodie - this quilt is stunning in purples, isn't it?  I could clean out a few tubs making these....

Inspired yet?  Go forth and use. up. those. scraps!

Hugs!

Sarah

Make-A-List Monday - Crunch Time!

Hi, all!

Wow, last week really flew by, didn't it?  And we are now officially into fall and the busy season - Halloween is this week and then stuff starts happening fast and furious!  I've been setting up Christmas parties this week, getting them on everyone's "save the date" list. But all the regular stuff goes on at the same time, so let's see how last week's list went...

1.  Quilt and bind the t-shirt commission quilt.

Done!  More pictures soon...

2.  Paint a backdrop for my Trunk or Treat display.

Done!  And I have lots more pictures I'll be posting on Friday!

3.  Sew the centers on the special request quilt.

Done, and it's on the frame ready to be quilted!

4.  Make progress on the My Small World quilts.

I finished the rest of the blocks for the quilt-along (month of 10/15-11/15) and here they are in all their glory!  Top to bottom, they are: Lilli's, Emmy's, Nathanael's.

5.  Prep for my Joann's class this week.

Done!  And it was a great first class - a good way to dip my toe in the water of teaching.  These are the blocks we pieced!

6.  Keep up with any quilt ministry needs that come up.

Done!  We gave away a few quilts this week...

These three went to a father, mother, and sister of a young man who died very unexpectedly while on a mission trip with his parents last week.  The father is the pastor  of a church our church partners with in Oregon.

And this quilt went to a gentleman diagnosed with stage 4 cancer last week.

And just in case you missed it, I had a "squirrel" moment and made this cute little pinny from scraps left over from the blocks I made for the My Small World quilts...

So that was my week!  I got lots done, but still have more to do than I can possibly get done, so here's my list for this week...

1.  Quilt the dresden plate quilt.

2.  Make progress on the My Small World quilts.

3.  Make a back for my Patchwork Forest QAL quilt.

4.  Quilt one customer quilt.

5.  Quilt at least one quilt for the quilt ministry.

6.  Start prepping for the quilt ministry Christmas party - a special sewing day as we all work on our own Patchwork Forest quilts!

7.  Start deep cleaning the house before upcoming Christmas parties (oh how I hate cleaning!).  I should probably start by making a list - and checking it twice!

8.  Keep up with any quilt ministry needs that come up.

I definitely won't have time to get up to any mischief this week!  And there are so many things I could add to this list - but I'd rather have a list I can finish than one that depresses me.  So we'll stick with this, and if I have any spare time, I'll pull one of the other projects to work on.  

So now, the question is - - - what are YOU working on this week?

Hugs!

Sarah

I May Have A Scrap Problem... My Small World and Squirrel!

Hi, all!

The leaves are falling, the temperatures are cooling down, the sweaters are finally out of storage - it's the best time of the year!  More time for quilting, too, and that means (maybe) working through some of those scraps that accumulate so fast.  And I've been working on it this week, for sure!  

I have finished this month's blocks for the My Small World quilt-along - five square-in-a-square blocks, three churn dash blocks, five orange peel blocks, and five bordered square blocks.  And since I'm working on three of these at the same time, one for each grandchild, I'm very pleased to show you all 54 finished blocks!

 Here are Lilli's, with a definite blue vibe....

Emmy's, as usual, are her favorite color - rainbow!

And here are Nathanael's - I may end up calling his The Emerald City!  But the boy does love green!

And after I finished, while I was cleaning up and putting the leftovers back in their place, I found a small pile of 1" squares. Now, I don't usually save 1" squares (yes, there is a size of scrap I will throw away!) but I've been seeing two things on Instagram repeatedly lately - tiny pincushions and talk about using interfacing as a foundation for very small grid layouts.  So I dropped everything (SQUIRREL!) and made this cute little teeny tiny pinny....

Isn't it adorable?  I purposely took the picture on my cutting mat so you could see the size - less than 2" square!  I can see how these little pincushions could be addictive - it took about half an hour to make and it's just so. darn. cute!  It will be handy to keep on the bed of my sewing machine to hold the pins for matching seams when piecing a quilt top, so that they don't get swept off on the floor.

If you're curious about the technique, you can find a quickie tutorial for it on this post.  That post contains a couple of techniques, and the fusible interfacing tutorial is the second one.

So - - - what are you doing with your scraps this week?  Anything interesting?

Hugs!

Sarah

Make-A-List Monday - Halloween Is Coming!

Hi, all!

Here's Monday, all bright and shiny and ready for all kinds of new mischief!  I do love the feeling of a fresh start, don't you?  But before we look at new projects, let's see how last week's list went...

1.  Work on (and hopefully complete) a commission t-shirt quilt.

Well, I didn't complete it, but the top and back are ready to be sandwiched and quilted later this week!

2.  Bind and wash three quilts for church.

Done!  And of course, I forgot to take a picture...

3.  Continue working on the special request quilt.

Well on the way to being finished!  I still need to appliqué the circles on the centers.

4.  Make progress on the Patchwork Forest Q/A quilt when the prompt comes out on Wednesday.

Due to a failure to correctly read the instructions for the week, I more than made progress on this project - I finished all the blocks!  And then I couldn't resist laying it out!

5.  Prepare for, and teach, my first Joann's class (if enough students sign up!)

No students signed up for the first class (not surprising since they haven't had any classes offered at my Joann's in quite a while) but I do have some signed up for one this week!

6.  Make progress on the Birch Bark quilt.

I cut the strip set into blocks and rectangles, but I haven't had a chance to sew them together yet.

7.  Make progress on the My Small World quilts.

All my orange peel blocks are sewn together! Aren't they cute?

8.  Keep up with any quilt ministry needs that come up.

Done!  We gave away a few quilts this week...

This quilt went to a woman recently diagnosed with cervical cancer...

...and this quilt went to a woman who is a paraplegic, living alone without family.  She loves butterflies and bright colors, and I'm happy to report that this quilt has both!

And how about sweet baby quilts for two new babies?

Lots accomplished last week, but there's still lots to do!  But isn't that true for all of us this time of year?  And Halloween is just around the corner, which means I need to prepare for Trunk or Treat too.  Here's what I'll be working on this week...

1.  Quilt and bind the t-shirt commission quilt.

2.  Paint a backdrop for my Trunk or Treat display.

3.  Sew the centers on the special request quilt.

4.  Make progress on the My Small World quilts.

5.  Prep for my Joann's class this week.

6.  Keep up with any quilt ministry needs that come up.

Plenty to keep me busy there, but if I get all that done, I can always work on the Birch Bark quilt or start assembling my Patchwork Forest quilt!  So many options, right?  Ah, but life isn't boring, that's for sure!

So now the question is - - - what are YOU working on this week?

Hugs!

Sarah

I May Have A Scrap Problem... Great Techniques Make Life Easy!

Hi, all!

It has been a busy week around here, but I did manage to make time to work on all three of the My Small World quilts!  This week I made fifteen orange peel blocks, five for each of the three quilts.  All of these blocks were made from 5" squares I had cut from scraps which made me very happy!

These green blocks will go in Nathanael's quilt...

...while these blue beauties will hang out in Lilli's version.

And for Emmy, whose favorite color is "rainbow", there's a lot of lovely color!

These blocks were quick and easy to make, thanks to a great book I read years ago...

First of all, if you don't already have this book, I highly recommend it - Lara has lots of fun projects in the book that all use her super-easy raw edge appliqué technique.  Her trick?  Using Mod-Podge for fabric to seal the back of the pieces to be appliquéd!  The edges don't fray and can be appliquéd with a raw edge and yet will hold and look good.  Much much easier and quicker than turned needle appliqué!

So that's what I've been working on scrappy this week - I'm almost through the required blocks that are due 11/15, so I'm still ahead of the game!  

What have you been working on these days?  Are you having fun playing in your scraps?  Do tell!

Hugs!

Sarah