March Goals

 Now that the sew along is officially launched, which was the official order of business in yesterday's post, I will take today's post to do the usual first-of-the-month housekeeping - outlining potential projects for the month ahead.

First up for me is to quilt this quilt for a bride-to-be. The wedding is later this month, so I mustn't delay. Our youngest is her maid of honor; the girls have been friends since before they started school. DH and I regularly get together with the bride's parents for cards or for going out to dinner. Even through the quarantine, they have been in our tight circle. Mother of the bride Dorothy selected this quilt from my closet, thinking it closely matched her daughter's color choices. I will share more complete pics as I work through the quilting and binding.

I will also be keeping a close eye on the Spring Dreams Sew Along that I'm doing with Sharon and Dee. I referenced the sew along in the intro, and you can click back to yesterday's post for full details. I made and finished the quilt top for the sew along, and I have a second quilt in the beginning stages to sew on while we work through the next couple of months. Here's a sneak peak at it. 

Beyond those two projects, I intend to put at least 2 more quilts on the long arm for quilting, maybe three. That will be some huge accomplishment, won't it? I find that the more of these I do, the less intimidated I am. It helps when the machine is running smoothly, too.

I have two quilts waiting in the wings. First is the Falling Stars quilt, a 2-star quilt I'm fashioning to imitate a picture and - the best part - made with those luscious Kaffe Fassett blues. Mmmm, good. Second, is another duplication quilt; I saw a picture of a red and white stars quilt that caught my fancy, so I fashioned some blocks to replicate it. For each quilt, I have made at least two blocks, so I just need to get back to them, get my assembly lines established, and then crank out the stars. Here's a look at the early blocks for each quilt.

Exciting stuff, right? I am really looking forward to working on these this month.

Another idea has been niggling at me - making an Irish chain quilt in honor of St. Patrick's Day. Wouldn't that be a fun little adventure?

Now, some new things have crossed through my information sources in recent days. First, did you know that March is National Quilting Month (NQM)? I did not. Who in the world comes up with these things? Well, whatever. I think it is only fitting that we should recognize this official designation in some way.

Of course, the sew along is one way. I hope any readers out there in bloggy-land will feel free to join in. 

Another way to get involved is to hop on board the month-long event called Sew the Scrap Out of March hosted by Meg at Tea and Brie on Instagram. I have as a goal to continue efforts at taming the scrap situation around here, so maybe I will dive in and play along. Actually, she attempted to run this challenge last March, but, you know, pandemic alarm sorta' blew up her plans and everyone else's. Here's a look at the number 1 scrap quilt I'd like to get back to working on.

A second NQM Instagram event I discovered is one called IG Quilt Fest. Hosted by Amy Ellis at Amy's Creative Side. She has a different topic scheduled each day for the entire month. Looks like some fun, and there are prizes from sponsors Fat Quarter Shop, Aurifil Thread, Riley Blake Designs, Moda, and Olfa. 

Celebrating quilting. I try to celebrate that every day, but it's nice to have a reason to bring out the party hats and noise makers!

Happy Quilting, Friends!