Make-A-List Monday - Light At The End of That Tunnel!

Hi, all!

Monday is here once again (and thankfully my time sense is back on straight so I KNOW it's Monday!) and that means it's time for a little list-making!  But first let's see how last week's list went...

1.  Quilt the three memory quilts.

Done!  I'm so glad to have these finished! 

2.  Ship my friend's quilts to her.

Done!  She's already received them and sent me a picture of one of them on the bed!

3.  Finish piecing the hockey quilt.

Not finished, but progress made...

4.  Start repairing and re-assembling the vintage quilt top.

Again, not finished, but ready to be re-assembled!

5.  Pack up the three memory quilts for shipping.

Packed up and shipped! They should arrive at their 

forever home on Thursday.  

A good week, yes?  And I have almost finished with all my commission obligations, too.  Once that vintage top is repaired and quilted, I will not have any more commissions and won't be taking any more until at least next year.  I've decided I want to make up some of the projects I've had sitting around for fear too long!  It's exciting - now I just have to decide which comes first....

So here's my list for this week...

1.  Re-assemble the vintage top and add a border.

2.  Quilt and bind that vintage top.

3.  Quilt a quilt that will be a farewell gift for someone at church.

4.  Keep piecing the hockey quilt.

5.  Bind two ministry quilts.

I'm going to leave it at that this week, in hopes of getting everything on this list finished.  And then I can play!!!

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

Hugs!

Sarah

Can I Get A Whoop Whoop? Finishes and Near-Finishes!

 

Hi, all!

It's been a fast week, but guess what?  It's Friday!  And that means it's time for us to get our whoop whoop on!  Are you ready?  Let's go!

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It's been a good and productive week around here!  When the world goes crazy, sometimes sewing is the only way to deal with it - and that's good for productivity.

Tuesday I quilted this beauty, and put the binding on too!

Wednesday morning it joined this beauty in a great big box and went to UPS!  It's winging its way to Florida and my friend as we speak!

And Thursday was a big day, too, as I finished quilting all three of these memory quilts!  Binding should happen on Friday, with any luck.

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

Make-A-List Monday - Getting Back To Normal!

 

Hi, all!

It's Monday, and I'm actually starting to feel my sew-jo coming back!  I made progress on some things last week, and it feels so good - and I actually want to work on more stuff this week.  So let's see how last week's list went...

1.  Finish the borders on the third memory quilt.

Done!  I love these three quilts and how each is similar, but not exactly alike.  

2.  Make the backs for those three quilts.

Done!  I didn't get a separate picture, but the backs are that blue fabric on the left side of this picture.

I had some leftover pieces from the shirts that I sewed together into a 7" wide strip of pieces.  I cut that strip into three sections 2.5" wide, then sewed it between lengths of backing fabric.  I made one REALLY  long back that I will load onto the frame all at once, allowing me to quilt all three quilts one after the other without having to reload the frame every time.  I've done this before with kids' quilts - should be interesting to see if it works well with larger ones!

3.  Make the back for Lilli's annual quilt.

Done - although I don't have a picture yet.  

4.  Start working on the half-square triangles for Nathanael's annual quilt.

And here's where my sew-jo started coming back!  I went from a pile of sewn squares...

...to a pretty bunch of trimmed HSTs...

...to a whole quilt laid out on the design wall!  I had hoped to get it sewn together today, but didn't have time.  With luck, that will happen tomorrow!

5.  Have a baking day/Spanish lesson day with Lilli.

Done!  This girl is growing up so fast - and I love spending time with her!

And look what we made!  (Actually she made them while I drilled her on the Spanish words for all the ingredients...)  I just had one while writing this post and they are still yummy, but almost gone.  Maybe we should make some more tomorrow!

It was a very good week!  Now if I can just keep that sew-jo in place, despite a very different situation this week.  All three grandkids have their annual doctor visits this week, each one on a different day, and I'm babysitting with the two who aren't going to the doctor that day for a few hours in the morning.  So less time than usual on the sewing machine, but I have other things I can work on while I'm there.  So here's what I'm hoping to get done this week...

1.  Assemble Nathanael's annual quilt top.

2.  Figure out why Jolene is skipping stitches, and quilt the top on the frame.

3.  Do some very cautious frog-stitching (rip-it, rip-it) on a vintage top to allow for some repair work.  (It takes a lot longer when you have to be really careful....)

4.  Put out fall decorations on the front porch and around the house.

5.  Start piecing Emmy's annual quilt.

I don't know if I'll be able to get to all of this, but it's a good place to start!

And a funny story - when I took out the vintage top to work on at my daughter's house this morning, Emmy asked me if I was working on "another quilt".  I told her "always" and that actually I had about five quilts in progress right now - the memory quilts, the one on the frame, Nathanael's quilt, her quilt, and one for her dad (oops, that's actually seven, eight counting the vintage top!)  She looked at me and very seriously said, "Nana, maybe you should just work on one at a time!"  But I explained to her that because I had been going through a time when I didn't really feel like sewing, but needed to, that having several projects going at once meant that I could switch off when I lost the will to work on the current project.  She just looked at me and shook her head!  But Lilli, my granddaughter who always has several books going at once, totally understood.  It's all a matter of perspective!

So now I really want to know - - - what are YOU working on this week?

Hugs!

Sarah

Make-a-List Monday - Nope, Still AWOL!

 

Hi, all!

Well, it's official - my sew-jo is still AWOL!  But it's Monday, and that means it's time to look back at last week and take stock, and then look at the week ahead and make plans.  So let's get started with a look at last week's list...

1.  Have a friend over for a long arm "teaching day".

Done, and we had a lot of fun!  And in the process, we quilted this large quilt and put the binding on the smaller one.  And I actually put the binding on the larger one by the end of the week....

2.  Cut out another annual quilt.

Done!  No pictures, but I cut out all the pieces for Nathanael's annual quilt, which will be another version of my Supernova pattern.

3.  Start working on the second memory quilt.

I finished the second memory quilt top.... 

and I started on the third memory quilt top, too!  Made a big booboo when I started putting on the borders, though, and had to do some major ripping.  It kind of put me off wanting to sew....

4.  Begin planning repairs on a vintage top.

Didn't get to this one...

5.  Quilt a top for a patient friend.

...or to this one.

My border mess-up really threw a monkey wrench in the works - I was going pretty well before that!  But I'll get back on the horse tomorrow and finish that third top.  After all, tomorrow is another day!

So here's what I'm hoping to accomplish this week...

1.  Finish the borders on the third memory quilt.

2.  Make the backs for those three quilts.

3.  Make the back for Lilli's annual quilt.

4.  Start working on the half-square triangles for Nathanael's annual quilt.

5.  Have a baking day/Spanish lesson day with Lilli.

I'm looking forward to that last one - since Lilli is home-schooling, we get to go at her lessons in some unusual ways.  She wants to make chocolate chip cookies (and we NEED more chocolate chip cookies!) so I've looked up all the Spanish words for the ingredients and the actions we'll be doing.  It will be interesting to see if we can figure it all out in Spanish!

So now I really need to know - - - what are YOU working on this week?

Hugs!

Sarah

Can I Get a Whoop Whoop? A Fun And Fruitful Day....

 

Hi, all!

Friday has rolled around once more, and we all know what that means - it's time for us to get our whoop whoop on!!  I hope you're ready - just remember, it doesn't necessarily mean a finish, just something that you're doing a little happy dance about.  And I hope everyone has had something to whoop about this week!  So let's get started...

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Thursday was a good day in my studio!  A friend of mine who recently got a long arm machine came over and I gave her some tips for quilting, since she hasn't been able to attend any classes yet due to COVID.  She's a member of the quilt ministry, and had been quilting on our machine at church for a while, so she knew some things, but I was able to show her some new tricks, too.  We also went over how to machine bind at the same time...

And this is what we ended up with at the end of the morning - a quilted top for the quilt ministry and a finished baby quilt too!  Piper has a better idea of some simple tricks that will make her quilting go faster and easier, and we had a most excellent time talking, too!  

And then, after Piper left to pick up her kids from school, I finished the second memory quilt top.  Two down, one to go!

All in all, a good day and a good week!

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

Make-A-List Monday - And They Just Keep Crankin' Out....

 Hi, all!

Is it as hot where you are as it is here?  Whew, it's been a scorcher over the past week, with ridiculous humidity levels that make it really easy to stay inside.  Unfortunately, my sew-jo seemed to go into hiding so I didn't get as much done as I'd have liked, but I still had a respectable week.  Let's take a look at last week's list...

1.  Bind five quilts for the quilt ministry.

Done - and I've actually put binding on six more too!  We'll get that stash built back up soon at this rate.

2.  Work on three commission memory quilts.

Started! I have all the HSTs made, the center of one top assembled, and three of the four borders for that quilt have been cut.  I'm a little nervous about the last one, as it needs to be railroaded (cut along the length of the fabric rather than across it) and then the corners matched and mitered.  Wish me luck!

3.  Order any needed materials for this year's annual quilts.

Done!  I picked up a couple of pieces at Joann's, and then ordered the balance online.  I'm excited to get started on them!

4.  Get Jolene back up and running (she decided to take a few spa days right in the middle of a quilting marathon, but Joe will be here this week to get her all fixed up!)

Hooray for Joe!  He fixed her, even though it ended up being major work instead of just a spa day.  I hope you're blessed with a great repairman like I am!

(Oops overnight break here as I fell asleep while writing....)

OK - so here's what I'll be working on this week...

1.  Quilt at least three quilt ministry quilts, then bind and wash.

2.  Complete at least one memory quilt top.

3.  Cut out at least one annual quilt.

4.  Begin planning repairs on a vintage top.

5.  Quilt a top for a patient friend.

There's so much more I could add to this list, but I'll stop there.  I'm looking forward to wiping some long-standing obligations off the list in the next few weeks, with any luck.  

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

Hugs!

Sarah

Can I Get A Whoop Whoop? A Different Kind of Week...

 

Hi, all!

Wow - is it Friday already?  This week has literally flown by, along with the rest of July.  Can you believe that next week it's August, and in most of the country, kids will be heading back to school within a few days or weeks?  I spent some extra time with the kids this week after my daughter reminded me that they start school next week (fingers crossed!) I'm kind of curious how my youngest granddaughter will do back in the classroom full time - she honestly never stops talking!  

But enough chatter (I wonder where Emmy gets it from!) it's time for us to get our whoop whoop on!  Are you ready?  Let's get started!!!!

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Well, my week started off with a whimper instead of a bang, when Jolene decided (about one square foot from the end of a quilt) that she needed a spa day.  Much to her chagrin, it went from a simple spa day to pretty major surgery...

Yes, that's her upper drive on that table!

Joe, my repair guy, had to open her up e.v.e.r.y.w.h.e.r.e to get to the problem, but thanks to his superior skills, she's back to normal! And I didn't have to indenture any of the grandkids to him at the end of the day.... whew!

Hooray!!!  I'll need to get some ministry quilts on there (including that last square foot she left undone...) but she says she's ready to get back to work!

But don't think I was just sitting on my hands while Jolene was out of commission - I put the center of this memory quilt together, and cut some of the borders.  Hopefully this will be assembled sometime today!

And I put the binding on six quilts for the ministry - we're slowly but surely getting our stash built back up again.  Aren't they pretty?

So - - - can I get a whoop whoop?

*&*&*&*&*&*&*

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

Can I Get A Whoop Whoop? Two Big Finishes!

 

Hi, all!

Here it is, Friday again!  How the weeks do fly by - can you believe it's already the last day of April?  But Fridays are special, because it means it's time for us to get our whoop whoop on - are you ready?  Let's go!

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If you follow me on Instagram, you'll have seen progress shots of these two quilts, but yesterday saw the completion of both and they were shipped off to their owner!

This first quilt is a puzzle style t-shirt quilt, with memorabilia from both her own past and that of her two daughters.

For example, this cute little mermaid once graced a pillow in one daughter's bedroom!

I don't know the story behind it, but this is apparently a favorite shirt!

As you can see, there's a pair of these cute reindeer shirts - one from each daughter.  What a fun way to keep these memories!

And in the corner is the pocket from her fourth grade bowling shirt.  Yes, it's still functional - a perfect spot to stash a cell phone or some M&Ms!

The backing of the quilt is made of some favorite curtains - not what I would have chosen, but she loved the curtains and had to replace them so this was a good way to save the memories!

And now the second quilt....

My customer asked for a memory quilt made of her old golf shirts and gear, but wanted something a little different, softer and a little more feminine.  I immediately thought of a pattern from the book my husband gave me for Valentine's Day, Modern Memory Quilts, and I'm happy to say the quilt is a success!

A few of the hexies had to be cut as whole pieces and appliquéd to the appropriate half-hexie pair, such as this "golfaholic" t-shirt.

How cool is it to have a sweater from the birthplace of golf, St. Andrew's Golf Course in Scotland?

There are even pieces from hats on this shirt.  They were appliquéd onto blank blocks after being deconstructed.

Once again those favorite curtains served as the backing material! I love the wavy edge of a hexagon quilt, and was glad I was able to leave it in place while binding.

And both these quilts are currently making their way to my customer.  Hooray!

So - - - can I get a whoop whoop?

*&*&*&*&*&*&*&*

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