Progress and a Win

 I'll start with the win since I think it is very exciting. Last week I participated in the first Villa Rosa Designs blog hop. One of the blogs and prize participants was Electric Quilt. You guessed it, I won a copy of the EQ8 software! Now I can throw out all my old grid paper. ;o)

I have always wanted this software but never purchased it for two reasons: 1) it's expensive; and 2) I spend way too much time on my computer already. From what I've seen / played with, the software is not too difficult to learn however I think I may purchase one of their online classes just so I get all the tips and tricks.  

I finally worked on my January UFO Challenge project last week. One table runner and one wall hanging are ready for quilting.

The runner is 10 x 43 inches, and the wall hanging is 27 x 28 inches. I've never "finished" a wool quilt before. I think the quilting will be pretty easy - I do plan to add light batting and a cotton fabric back. I'm not sure what to do about the binding. I'm guessing fabric. It should be interesting finding something that will work with all the wool.

February's UFO is Bon Appetit with Ash. Hurray! I really need to get it finished and off the design bed.

The next Project QUILTING challenge is 54-40 or Fight. 

Hmmmm. I have some ideas. I'm not as excited about this one as I was the last two. Look for another post this week when I link up the finished project.

Wow!

 January 23 and I already have 7 finished items for the year! Ok, I know most are small but I'll take what I can get.

If you missed Pinkalicious scroll down. I have the week off, challenge #3 will be released next Sunday. That means I need to get caught up on other projects.

Another kinda sorta squirrel and my second finish this week is this little Xmas quilt.

I didn't cross stitch this...I think it was in one of last year's estate sale bins or the Quilts for Kids's free table...don't remember. All I did was add borders, stitch in the ditch and add the binding. I'll donate it to the guild's quilt show boutique.

I decided I need to stop staring and start quilting even if I had no clue what to quilt.

I have three passes done. All ruler work so very slow. I did some free motion curlicues in the border but did them all wrong. I haven't decided if I'll leave it or fix it. I'm going to have to turn the quilt in order to quilt the borders, so I'll decide then.

I was bad at last week's Quilts for Kids meeting. I picked up fabric for four more kids quilts and a bunch of stuff from the free table.

Lots of goodies.

Soft flannels...I'm going to leave these whole and practice some free motion swirls

This just needs to be quilted. I'll donate it to the guild boutique also.

Love these! Twelve finished blocks. 

On the free table, yummy sewing themed fabric.

I'm not sure about this one. The background and all the leaves are already made. If finished it will also go to the boutique.

 

This is a cute canvas panel. Not really kid's quilt worthy but I'm going to quilt it. Some little boy will love it even if it is not cuddly.

Lots of plaid! I'll square up the blocks sew them together and add the red as a border.

Hmmmm....I may have seven finishes already but my project number is up to 22, and quilts in the closet is also 22. I need to get busy.

Pinkalicious

 

I am the most unromantic person alive however I have more Valentine themed quilts than any other holiday. Go figure.

When I saw Missouri Star's Inside Out Heart I immediately wanted to make it but felt like I had too much going on so with a LOT of will power I didn't chase that squirrel...until...Project QUILTING's challenge #2. I did a happy dance when I saw Pink Tink. 

The quilting was done on the Juki. I'm really pleased with how the feathered heart turned out - it is the first one I've ever done. The hearts and meandering in the outer blocks, not so happy. It wasn't until I had the binding halfway sewn on that I had to stop and slap myself upside the head. I forgot to lower the feed dog when I was doing my free motion quilts. No wonder it felt like the quilt was fighting me the whole time. 

Regardless, I'm still doing a happy dance. There is something about hearts and pink that just calls my name.

Doing a Happy Dance

 I spent most of last week cutting fabric. I finally cut the Aunt Daisy triangle in square blocks, 256 of them! I used the Tri Rec triangle rulers to cut all the fabric, but I'll paper piece the blocks to get good points. 

Lots of pieces and parts! 

I also cut up my batik scraps into the sizes I like.

I won't mention the little piece of my finger I cut up. Honest, little. Be careful with those new blades you installed for the new year. ;o)

I really wanted to chase another squirrel last Friday, but I haven't touched my January UFO challenge project and I knew there was going to be a new Project QUILTING (PQ) theme announcement on Sunday. Soooo...

My January UFO.

This was a wool block of the month I started a long long long time ago. I know I'm never going to make the final three blocks so I'm going to split the blocks that are made into two wall hangings and a table runner. I have green hand dye wool to sash everything. I didn't get any further than laying them out on the table.

I loaded Aunt Addy onto the frame.

And stare at it every day. I think I know what I'm going to do in the center around the blocks, but I don't know what to do in the block or the border. If I stare long enough and hard enough hopefully inspiration will follow.

Now for the happy dance. I get to chase my squirrel! The PQ theme this week is Pink Tint. The squirrel I want to chase is Missouri Star's Inside Out Heart. I had a bunch of pink, red, and purple batik scraps and bought a pale pink for the heart.

I already have all the blocks made and the heart laid out on my cutting table. I'll sew the top together tomorrow and hopefully have it quilted Wednesday. Look for another post later this week.

What Did I Do Last Year?

 

I've mention before that I keep a spreadsheet of all of my work in progress (WIP). I start a new tab / spreadsheet for each year. As I was setting up 2023 I looked back at 2022. I know I've been busy, but I really haven't completed many of my own projects. 

I started 2022 with 10 projects and 13 quilt tops...I ended the year with 9 projects and 20 quilt tops (two were finished this week).  I finished 39 donation quilts, 6 of them I made, although not all were pieced in 2022. I also made and donated 13 pillowcases. 

While quilting so many donation quilts has really helped my long arm quilting skills, I really miss making - piecing - quilts. I said last year that I was going to focus on my own quilting projects and didn't. This year I am determined to be a little bit selfish. I want to get my quilts quilted and start a bunch of new fun quilts. Don't hold your breath. ;o)

Although I have started in the right direction. I finished two Project QUILTING challenge 1 mini quilts (posted last Friday - see below).

And a bit in the wrong direction, the double flannel (no new picture) finally has binding, and the green star quilt is quilted and off the frame. Here's a close up of the quilting.

And here is the quilted top.

Normally I don't wash quilts before I donate them, but I don't trust batik fabric so this one will get washed with a couple of color catchers before I donate it.

We have had lots of dreary, foggy, rainy weather the last few weeks and are supposed to get more over the next two weeks. It was so nice to see rainbows, blue sky, and the sun today!

Project QUILTING - Challenge 1

 I've been looking at Project QUILTING for years and have always thought it would be fun to participate but always felt like I didn't have the time. This year I'm going for it.

The prompt is One: the number, first, single, lone, however you want to interpret it.

I had two ideas right away. Both of them very different, so I decided to make both.

This is multiple firsts for me, first time making what I would call a statement quilt, and the first time using this type of applique technique. Note to future me, letters need to be copied from the back side.  Originally I was just going to have the word Alone but decided that was too depressing and hopefully never true.

My second little was the first one I thought of. A single block. A single color. And singularly blah. ;o)

It will make a good coaster.

Linking up to Project QUILTING 14.1

Still Feels Like Sunday

 

To me, and apparently to lots of other people, the week between Christmas and New Year's is a strange one. Lots of things didn't get done and a few squirrels did get done.

The bright star quilt still looks like this. I started quilting it, got about 10 inches across when the thread broke, checked the tension on the back and found lots of puckers in the back. I've never had puckers before. I took out all of the quilting and there it sits.

Bon Appetit with Ash was laid out on the design bed.

And there it sits.

I made the binding for the flannel guild donation quilt, and there it sits.

When I showed the picture of Bella and the contents of Rose's scrap box, what you didn't see were the piles of scraps that I cropped out of the picture. Bella keeps trying to nest in the piles (yes, plural), so I went through them all, including Rose's scraps, and cut them to the sizes I like to save. 

This is two of the three piles; I'd already put the first pile away. Does anyone need strings? I have lots of strings (far box). I'm willing to share.

My squirrel? While ironing and cutting scraps I pulled a couple of Rose's scraps and some very small but perfect match scraps from the sailboat pile to make this little mini.

The picture doesn't do this little 8 x 9 inch quilt justice. My first 2023 finish - I love it!

I've given myself permission to chase as many squirrels as I want this year. Have you heard of Project QUILTING? I've always wanted to participate but never felt like I've had the time. This year I think I'm going to try to make a few. I have two ideas for the first challenge. One idea will be quick and easy to make, the other not so much. It is more of a statement quilt and very different from anything I normally make. Maybe I'll make both.

I've also decided to take a different approach to my 2023 UFO Challenge list. It includes some non-UFOs that I want to get made and out of my quilt queue.

January's number is 3. I have a very old wool applique project that I've decided to split up into smaller wall hangings. I'm not sure how this will work out, but I do know it will never get finished as originally planned.

Welcome 2023! It should be an interesting quilting year.