Make-A-List Monday - A Productive Week!

 

Hi, all!

Wow, last week was very productive!  I guess I just need to know I have a very limited amount of time and lots to do to get motivated.  So without further ado, here's last week's list and what I did...

1.  Baste and quilt the special project quilt.

Done!  It's all ready to go, and I'll share more about this one after it is gifted.

2.  Make a back for the reindeer quilt.

Done!  And I managed to make it using fabrics I already had on hand - win/win!

3.  Make a back for Emmalyn's annual quilt.

Done - and not only Emmalyn's quilt, but Nathanael's too!  His is the one on the far left, and hers is the next one over.  The tops are hiding underneath the backs, because the kids play in this room when they are at my house.  And aren't my "to-be-quilted" racks great?

4.  Assemble the dinosaur quilt top.

5.  Choose an additional fabric to make borders to bring the dinosaur quilt to a more usable size.

Done!  I added the plaid border to make it a full lap size quilt, and I love how it makes all the colors just pop!

6.  Make a back for the Harry Potter quilt.

Done!  This was a tricky one, because I didn't have nearly enough of the Hufflepuff fabric to make the back, but with some serious quilt math and some extra black fabric, it all worked out!

7.  Decorate the front porch for Halloween.

Done!  I'm happy to bring the Life Was Good Dude out of retirement for my new front porch!

8.  Deliver the donations to church.

Done!  No picture, but it was a big load of great stuff that had accumulated at my house over the summer.  Hopefully we'll be able to start meeting together again soon....

9.  Organize house documents for the new owners.

Done!  Everything is in labeled file folders, and I know exactly which companies I have to contact to transfer lifetime warranties to the new owners!

And I worked so hard and fast, I got all of that done by Thursday!  So nice to have my motivation mojo back.  And I even sorted out my scrap basket of shame before Thursday!

And once all that was sorted and stashed away in the appropriate color drawers, I found that I had a lovely, clean, organized work space for a change!

So with my extra time, I decided to start on one of the prototype quilts for the String Therapy tutorial series!  I pulled out my warm tone bright strings, trimmed them into 1.5" widths.......

...cut them into varying lengths, no longer than 22"...

...and after sewing the strips together, this is what I've got started on my design wall!  I'm having fun with this one, and can't wait to see how it ends up!

OK, so that was last week.  And a good time was had by all!  This week will inevitably not be as productive, because come Wednesday I will be working as a registrar for early voting.  But I do have a few things on my plate that I'd like to get done...

1.  Keep working on the strings project.

2.  Finish repairs on the old house.

3.  Plan and execute meals for while I'm working.

4.  Find a hand project to take with me for quiet times at early voting.

Not much of a list, but not much time to play this week.  It's ok, though - I feel like it's really important to make it as easy as possible for people to vote this year, and if working the polls can help even one person, it's worth it! I hope you've made a plan to vote this year - maybe you have even already voted.  Encourage those around you to vote, and maybe take someone to the polls!  Voting is your right, your privilege, and your responsibility.  Cherish it!

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

Hugs!

Sarah

Make-A-List Monday - Two Hurricanes??? Seriously???

Hi, all!

It has finally arrived - the week of our vacation - and what is currently churning its way through the Gulf of Mexico?  Not one, but two - TWO! - hurricanes!  2020 strikes again.  But we are hoping they will turn away from where we are going to stay, and rain or not, storms or not, we are.going.to.the.beach!

But enough of that.  Let's see how last week's list went!

1.  Deconstruct clothing items for the two customer quilts.

Mostly done.  I've deconstructed all but a couple of blocks that the customer brought this weekend.  This cute piece is from an outfit that one of the girls wore when she met Bill Clinton!

2.  Start building the blocks for those quilts.

The big blocks for one quilt are almost all done!  I should be able to get the last one finished before we leave, and some of the blocks for the second quilt too.

3.  Set up additional lighting in the quilt room.

Done!  This turned out to be a more complicated job than I thought it would be, because I forgot about the sloped ceiling!  But I was able to take the lamp apart, remove a segment of the pole, and rewire it.  Now I have two of these, one on each end of my quilt frame, bouncing light up onto the ceiling!  Now I can quilt any time of the day or night...

4.  Deal with the stack of scrappy leftovers that are cluttering up the sewing table!

Whoops - didn't get to this one at all...

5.  Plant some autumn bulbs in the front planter at the new house.

...but I did do this one!  Lots of crocuses and other pretty things - can't wait to see them come up!  I'll post pictures when they do.

6.  Put the Harry Potter blocks together into a quilt top.

Woohoo!  This top is finished!!  And now it's folded away so I can work on customer quilts.  But it will be quilted soon - as soon as I figure out how to quilt it!

7.  Make a list of necessary (sewing) items for vacation (so I don't forget something important - like the power cord for my sewing machine!)

I forgot to take a picture of it, but it's written on one of the whiteboards in my studio.  What did we do before we had whiteboards?  I love those things!

So all in all, a pretty productive week.  But there's still a few things I'd like to get done before I leave for vacation, so here's what's on my plate for this week...

1.  Make the blocks for the second t-shirt quilt.

2.  Pack up all the supplies needed for a week of sewing if we have terrible weather at the beach!

3.  Figure out everything I need to tell the house-sitter about our new house!  For 13 years I had a list that I printed out about our old house with all the pertinent info, but now I need to start from scratch!

4.  Pack up everything we need to take with us. 

5.  If time permits, cut out another Plaid-is quilt kit just in case.  It would be a shame to run out of stuff to sew on vacation!

Lots to do this week, but I keep humming a little vacation song while I work so I stay motivated!  Now if those hurricanes will just magically go away, or at least go in the opposite direction from where we will be...

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

Hugs!

Sarah

Can I Get A Whoop Whoop? Progress Made, And New Projects Started...

 

Hi, all!

Friday has rolled around once again, and that means it's time for us to get our whoop whoop on!  It's been a busy and full week around here, as I imagine it has been wherever you are - but hopefully you've got something to whoop about this week.  So let's get started!

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Last week I shared Lilli's annual quilt as a work in progress, and this week, while it's still a work in progress, it is also a finished quilt top!

Lilli wanted a quilt large enough for her queen size bed, and I didn't want to lose the row with Hedwig and Hogwarts, so I eliminated one row of the original pattern.  I also added a 4" border and cornerstones of a Golden Snitch fabric.  This thing is massive!  But I think she's going to love it.  For now, though, I need to put it away for a while so I can work on a job for a customer...

This is the beginning of a t-shirt quilt, one of a pair for sisters.  It contains items from babyhood to high school years, which makes it fun to figure out ways to feature smaller bits of fabric.  In addition to the two missing blocks (I ran out of time today) there will be strips of fabric rather like coin blocks between the rows of t-shirt blocks.  This was done not only to utilize all the fabrics, but also to get it to the size requested by the customer.  It's always fun to come up with a new design!

And speaking of new designs, have you seen this quilt by Jen Kingwell?  The pattern is called Boho Heart, and I must have it!  I don't think it's for sale in this country yet - I can only find it on websites from Australia - but I'm keeping it on my radar.  I so enjoyed making my Gypsy Wife and Long Time Gone quilts, and I definitely will be making this one too!

So - - - can I get a whoop whoop?

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And now it's your turn!

What's got you whooping it up this week?

What's making you do a little happy dance?

Share!  We want to dance right along with you,

And it's always more fun to dance with friends!

The party will stay open until Sunday midnight.

Hope to see you you there!

Hugs!

Sarah

Make-A-List Monday - Wishin' and Hopin'...

 

Hi, all!

Monday, Monday... the start of a new week and a new list of tasks!  I had a busy week last week but didn't even look at my list after I wrote it, so I have no idea if I met any of those goals... so let's find out!

1.  Make a plan and write estimates for two new customer quilts.

Done!  The customer liked the idea and the price, so I'm good to go this week.  Here's a pic of what I have planned...

The white areas will be for t-shirts and memory fabrics.

2.  Finish the castle block for the Harry Potter quilt.

I not only finished the castle block, I finished all of the blocks!

3.  Start cutting out the dinosaur quilt blocks.

Cut out, kitted up and ready to go on vacation!

4.  Spend some one-on-one time with Emmy and Nathanael.  (School starts Thursday!)

Done!  They are so much fun, and growing up so fast!

5.  Assemble a new a birdbath and install it in the planter.

Done!  Isn't it pretty? (And just look at that stinker of a squirrel!)

6.  Start working on one of the customer quilts.

Not started, because I didn't get the go-ahead from my customer in time.  So there's something for this week!

7.  Do yoga or tai chi exercises at least three times this week.

Completely forgot about this one.  That's what happens when I don't look at my list!

But wait - - - that's not all I did this week!  This morning I went to our old house and met a contractor, who put in the columns at the right and left of the juliet balcony.  Apparently prospective buyers were freaked out by the fact that it just hung up there, despite the fact that it's been on there for over 50 years!

I also weeded the front flower beds and put out fresh mulch...

...and put some pretty (silk) flowers in the planters on either side of the front door (because I can't kill silk!).  A brand new welcome mat sure does brighten up the entrance!

I also weeded and re-mulched the planter by the walkway to the front door.  I think it all looks much better now!  

And that explains the title of today's post - we are wishing and hoping for just-the-right person to come and see our house and love it!  We've had lots of showings, and we're hoping that the addition of the staged photos will generate some new interest and maybe some second looks from people who are interested.  Keep your fingers crossed and say a little prayer!

OK, so now it's time for a new list.  Here's what I'm hoping to get to this week...

1.  Deconstruct clothing items for the two customer quilts.

2.  Start building the blocks for those quilts.

3.  Set up additional lighting in the quilt room.

4.  Deal with the stack of scrappy leftovers that are cluttering up the sewing table!

5.  Plant some autumn bulbs in the front planter at the new house.

6.  Put the Harry Potter blocks together into a quilt top.

7.  Make a list of necessary (sewing) items for vacation (so I don't forget something important - like the power cord for my sewing machine!)

Certainly enough to keep me out of trouble, and who knows what else I'll get done?  Stuff always comes up, doesn't it?  

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

Hugs!

Sarah

Can I Get A Whoop Whoop? The Gang's All Here!

 

Hi, all!

Can you believe Friday has made it here again?  Seems like these weeks are just flying by - but time does fly when you're having fun.  And I have been having some serious fun this week!  Friday means it's time to get our whoop whoop on, so let's get started!

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You all probably know that I make a quilt each year for each of my grandkids and give it to them at Christmas time.  It's a fun way to commemorate their year - the quilt usually has something to remind them of what they were like, or what they liked, that year.  There's a label on the back that adds a few memories and remembrances so that someday their kids can look at them and know a little bit about what their parents were like as kids.   This whole process starts around mid-summer (hopefully) and this week I've been working on Lilli's quilt.

Lilli LOVES Harry Potter, and this year she requested a Harry Potter quilt.  Thankfully, Lorna at SewFreshQuilts did a HP quilt-along last year, and I knew that would be the perfect quilt for Lilli.  I had lots of bits and bobs of Kona solids, so I pulled the colors I needed and got started.  

I've shown several of the blocks in the past few weeks, but this week I managed to make Hogwarts Castle...

Hedwig...

Professor McGonagall...

Severus Snape...

Then Hagrid joined the bunch...

And here's what I've completed to date!

Because Lilli wanted a quilt large enough for her queen-size bed, and I didn't like the fact that the large pattern was so long a whole row would be lost at the end of her bed, we eliminated a row (Dobby, Voldemort, and the train) and plan to put one of the blocks in that row - the Hogwarts crest - on the back.  I still need to make that block and the words "Harry Potter" to go across the top of the quilt, but I hope to get to that this weekend.  

So - - - can I get a whoop whoop?

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And now it's your turn!

What's got you whooping it up this week?

What's making you do a little happy dance?

Share!  We want to dance right along with you,

And it's alway more fun to dance with friends!

The party will stay open until Sunday midnight.

Hope to see you there!

Hugs!

Sarah

Can I Get A Whoop Whoop? Lots Going On!

Hi, all!

Well, here it is, Friday again, can you believe it?  The weeks are just flying by, it seems.  But Friday means it's time for us to get our whoop whoop on, so let's get started!

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First up is this t-shirt quilt for a young man who just lost his dad unexpectedly.  One of his mom's friends commissioned this quilt and I was honored to be part of its story.

Pretty blues make this a cheerful quilt, and one I hope he will enjoy for many years to come.

I love the texture simple straight line quilting gives a t-shirt quilt!

And then I finished this quilt.  

This was fairly quick and easy - the customer had already made the top, and provide the backing (minky) and an old flannel sheet to use in place of batting.  All I had to do was quilt it and bind it.  This is the fourth t-shirt quilt I have finished for her - one for each of her grandchildren!

And then I got busy cutting out Harry Potter blocks for Lilli's annual quilt....

Hagrid...

Hedwig...

Snape...

..and Professor McGonagall!

And I even got a chance to pull fabrics for a Plaid-ish quilt - Lilli helped! - and got them all cut and ready to take on vacation!  Unfortunately it didn't make a dent in my 5" squares drawer, though.

And just for fun, here's picture of my sweet puppy, Fly!  She won't usually pose for pictures, but the day I was taking pics of the first t-shirt quilt, she just sat there and smiled!

So - - - can I get a whoop whoop?

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And now it's your turn!  

What's got you whooping it up this week?

What's making you do a little happy dance?

Share!  We want to dance right along with you,

And it's always more fun to dance with friends!

The party will stay open until Sunday midnight.

Hope to see you there!

Hugs!

Sarah