A Final Finish!

It feels really good to report that I have one more finish to tally up for this waning year. I spent yesterday afternoon adding the borders onto the Quilter's Planner Snowflake Sampler quilt, and I am loving how it turned out.

Despite how yellowed the picture appears, the background is crisp white, and the border is soft pink. The blocks are made from the leftovers of an early-2019 project using Memoire a Paris by Lecien Fabrics. I found the border fabric and the backing in my stash, and may get to quilting it in the new year.

This finish (quilt top finish, that is) represents a first: participating in and finishing a quilt-along - on time! Whoa! This is quite an accomplishment for me. I had no intention of even making this quilt, but the block for January was sooo alluring, and I had that gorgeous fabric still out from the previous project, so I made one block. Which, apparently was enough to hook me, because that one block turned into two the next month, and two more the following month, and so on all year long. It's all good, though, I mean, look how gorgeous!

This picture shows the backing fabric I will use. Trust me, it is purple. I can't seem to get my colors to look right at all.

Here's a closer look at the border fabric. Both the backing and the border fabrics have been in my stash for a long time; I am glad I had them - they both work so well with this quilt.

And that is a wrap on 2019. I spent a long while last night updating my finishes for 2019 in the pages section of the blog. I feel as though the year has been quite productive, and I am really proud of the projects I made. Having the Tin Lizzie 100% operational is going to make a big difference in my life this coming year. Can't wait!

Goodbye, 2019! You have been oh, so good to me! Thanks for all the fun!

Happy Quilting, Friends!

Works In Progress

I think I start too many projects. Emphasis on START.

On Monday I had a full day set aside on which to sew with Frienzies, and when I went to the sewing room ostensibly to get my stuff ready to go, I had a heck of a time deciding which project to work on.

Aaahh!

I could not make myself focus! I truly want to work on them all, and of course that is impossible, so how does one pick? If I would finish one before starting another, I wouldn't waste so much time deciding.

It came down to choosing out of five options - three needed the sewing machine; two required hand-work. I will tell you what won out after I show you the five contenders.

First, I thought about taking the jelly roll squares - a red pile and an off-white pile. They would have been fun to sew together into the quilt top. Above, the individual blocks are laid out on the bed creating a pleasing red chain one direction and an off-while chain the other. Here's when I started it.

Next, I considered taking Diagonal Madness. It is always fun to sew Kaffe Fassett fabrics with the Frienzies, as so many of them have their own Kaffe stashes and quilts. The diagonal placement of the colors and squares requires attention; could I muster that with the Freinzies? Here's when I started it.

Another contender was the Quilter's Planner sew-along quilt. All the individual blocks are made and now the quilt top needs to be constructed. The background comes together in long strips. The directions have lots of numbers/measurements. I knew I would be talking and visiting - not concentrating, in other words. Again, could I muster that? Here's when I started it.

I have been working diligently on my Roman Holiday table topper with my big-stitch quilting. I have every intention of finishing it before Christmas, so it was a definite contender. I did take it along with me on Monday, but I did not take a single stitch on it. Here's when I started it.

The winner was Lake Effect, the 10-year project that I have basically avoided for about 3 months now. I was at a place where a break just seemed right. I am currently all revved up to do some back-basting, and this was how I spent my Monday. And, happily, several pleasant evenings since. *smile*

While I do seem to lose a lot of time spinning my wheels with indecisiveness, eventually, I manage to focus.

Of these five WIPs, I honestly think I can get Roman Holiday completely finished, and quilt tops for Diagonal Madness and Jelly Roll completed this month. I will allow myself to save the Quilter's Planner for December, and of course, this Lake Effect will take years. I have called it a 10-year project; I am just two years into it, so I have plenty of time left. No hurry, for sure. The fabric was purchased in April of 2017; here's a 2018 post about hexies for Lake Effect.

How do you overcome indecision in the sewing room? Help a girl out with suggestions!
Happy Quilting, Friends!

September Quilter's Planner Blocks

Just a real quick post today to show you the September blocks for the Quilter's Planner Sewalong. Each month participants make two blocks for the sampler quilt. Simple and easy. I have been using leftover fabric from that 9-patch quilt I made in January; it's called Memoire a Paris by Lecien. Very fine cotton that feels sooo good.

The photo below shows the magazine with the quilt that we are making. Quilters who participate can submit their monthly photos to groups on FB and IG, which I have been doing. It is so interesting to see all the variety.

As promised, short and sweet. I have a to-do list a mile long to get busy on!
Happy Quilting, Friends!

Quilter's Planner August Blocks

I carved out a bit of time yesterday to put these easy August blocks together for the Quilter's Planner Sew-Along. With each month's latest addition, I find myself very eager to see this quilt coming together. I absolutely love my pastel florals from Lecien fabrics. Just three more months of block-making, then in December, the quilt construction takes place. Looking forward to this finish!

The folks at the QP headquarters have a Facebook group as well as an Instagram group. If this interests you, search these out to feast your eyes on all the various interpretations being made in this sew-along.

What if I decide to work ahead?? I don't think that would be a terrible thing, just saying...

Happy Quilting, Friends!

Quilter's Planner July Blocks

I had a chance to make my July blocks for the Quilter's Planner quilt-along. This was a fun block to make, and honestly, I have really enjoyed making all the blocks. I have looked ahead to the August assignment; I am getting eager to see this come together. *wink*

All of my blocks together on the design wall look very pleasing. I might break down and work ahead.

Sharon is coming today for sewing. We have been off our game this month with any given Monday being booked up by one or the other of us. It will be pleasant getting to visit - and sew - with her.

Happy Quilting, Friends!

Quilter's Planner May Blocks

I took some time Wednesday afternoon to make the two blocks for the Quilter's Planner sew-along. I'd been keeping up really well, so I didn't want the month to get away from me before getting these done.

I really have enjoyed making these blocks, and have done a good job of keeping the mess under control. My past experience with sew-alongs is that they result in fabrics and messiness strewn from one end of the sewing room to the other. I have made the extra effort to keep this project under control this time. The picture below shows my storage tub; I keep all the fabrics and finished blocks contained in the tub.

The blocks are getting bigger! This month they measure out at 10.5 inches. Below are all the blocks to this point. May's blocks are the biggest. (There are two of each except for that star on the bottom.)

Here are some closer looks at just May's blocks.

The fabric I am using for this project is Memoire a Paris by Lecien. It is all left over from a 9-patch quilt I made in early January. The resulting quilt will have a wonderfully soft, dreamy, romantic quality; perhaps my anticipation of this is what keeps me on deadline with this sew-along.

That's all for today, Peeps! Have a great Thursday!
Happy Quilting, Friends!

Quilter's Planner Sew Along

When the year began, I wasn't particularly interested in participating in the sew along being sponsored by the Quilter's Planner. I had splurged on the planner, and really enjoyed the goodies that came along with it, but from previous experience with BOMs and quilt-alongs, I really did not have a very strong track record.

The top picture is my planner, which came with two cover options. Because I had some of the Bonnie and Camille fabric, second picture, I selected the one featuring their navy floral. My collection of it is limited, but the whole line is quite scrumptious,.

At about the same time I was getting used to using my planner, I was making the quilt you see above. It's a simple 9-patch quilt using an entirely different sort of fabric, this from Lecien called Memoire a Paris. I had begun with a whole fat quarter pack and plenty was left over when the 9-patch top was completed. Those leftovers remained folded ever-so-neatly on the cutting table, and while I was dreaming up my next project, the pretty QP January blocks began appearing on my social media feeds. Without even thinking, I grabbed some Memoire a Paris fabric and made the January block.

Ah!! I loved the way this block turned out! It is so soft and feminine and I could make a whole quilt using blocks like this! As impulsively as I made the January block,  I decided to use those leftovers to make the blocks for this sew along.

And I love making them! Each month I devote an afternoon or an evening to making two blocks, and because I adore this fabric so much, I just love doing it. Take a look at my additional blocks.

January only required one block, but February, March and April have each had two blocks. Above are the blocks for February.

These are the March blocks. You can sorta' see a glimpse of the quilt on the cover of the accompanying QP magazine.

And now I have finished my April blocks. I am enjoying creating this quilt, and I look forward to the blocks for the rest of the year. I may even go all rebellious and work ahead! *grin*

The fun is in the creating. I have no grand plans for this quilt, yet I know I am going to love it when it's finished. I am definitely loving the construction. All the creativity of fabric selection, fabric placement, designs and maybe even substitutions - I get a thrill from this whole range of decision-making. It may well be the part of quilt-making that I love most.

An additional fun element with this particular sew along is that the folks at Quilter's Planner have a Facebook group and an Instagram account; they invite sew along participants to share their blocks each month. I love seeing the vast variety of blocks - fabric choices certainly are all over the quilting spectrum. You might go online and snoop around for them to see what you think.

Happy Quilting, Friends!

Surprise Block

There I was just minding my own business, happily sorting through piles in the sewing room with occasional breaks to check on all the quilts in cyberspace. And then WHAM!! I saw a gorgeous block that some nameless quilter made for the Quilter's Planner Sew-along - I. Was. Hooked. This block just had to be made!

The little stack of Memoire A Paris from the last quilt I worked on was still out on the cutting table, just waiting there to be put away. Ha! As soon as I saw the block online and what it was for, I just pulled this fabric and proceeded to make this block.

So, to back up and give details...The Quilter's Planner is a splurge I made late last year in an effort to put some order into my life (don't laugh!). I wrote about it here, if you need to review. It came with lots of quilty treats, one of which was a magazine with patterns for each month and a resulting sampler by year's end. Another feature was that these blocks can be made in a sew-along in which you make a predetermined block or two each month. This Ohio Star block is the pattern for this month. Drool...

Also, after purchasing my planner I was encouraged to go online and register it with a website set up just for planner owners - it's sorta' like a club, I guess. This affords me access to additional goodies. I follow the same on Instagram, and that is likely where I saw the block that inspired me.

So, while I had absolutely no intention of doing this sew-along, the urge to make this block overcame me, and I like it so much that I will probably go ahead and make a few more to see if I am equally satisfied. I have a pretty bad track record with quilt-alongs, in that I have started many and finished only a few, and those were not finished on time.

Here are two finished examples: Wishes and Tell It to the Stars . As far as unfinished ones, I need only look at the Blockheads I and II to see good intentions skewered to bits. I am sure there are others, but I'm not going out of my way to dig them up at this time. Basically, what I am telling you is that I hold out very little hope that I will actually follow through on this quilt-along.

Well, today has been exhausting! I started back to OUC - two classes of freshman comp - I walked 2 miles on the gymnasium walking path, logged over 10,000 steps on the Fitbit, and it was my birthday so DH took me out to dinner at a cool little restaurant in Chillicothe called The Pour House. All in all, a very fun, albeit busy, day.

Hope you are getting things done!
Happy Quilting, Friends!

Getting Organized

Now don't laugh because I know it seems hard to believe, but I really do try to be organized. I admit that I often don't know what book I'm supposed to be reading for book club, and I have been known to show up on the wrong day for appointments or at the wrong time. Planners, used properly, ought to correct those embarrassing lapses.

In the midst of my haphazard social obligations, housekeeping duties and work-in-progress sewing room, some organization does occur. Honest!

And I am already planning to be even more organized in 2019, because look what has arrived in my life. This planner is massive! I am glad I ordered it early, for it will take me 3 months to study it and figure out how to use it. I might check to see if an owner's manual was included. *wink*

For a couple of years, I have honed my record-keeping and planning skills in smaller planners purchased at Office Max. They have served me well, and I have grown used to using them, well, mostly.

After seeing this beautiful planner all over Instagram, I investigated further to see if it would suit me. The accompanying bonuses sure look promising!

Apparently, after investigating, this planner won me over, for now it awaits the start of the new year and an even better-organized me.

Well, that's the plan, anyway.

Happy Quilting, Friends!