Remembering Memorial Day and Quilting

      Today is one special day for us to give thanks for the ultimate sacrifice some of our military personnel gave to keep our country free. My family members who fought in wars have been blessed to come home safely. Not all families have been so blessed and it is right to take time to remember them.

In between garden work and other quilt projects I made progress on placemats for a sister. One is totally finished and 3 more just need the binding top stitched by machine.

I'm not sure what will get finished the rest of this week as I will host Grandma Camp for granddaughters 14 and almost 10. They have ideas about how they want to spend their days.

Progress on my goals for this year continue:

1.  finish UFOs          No progress again.
2.  decrease stash fabric

As I cut a couple of kits for my church quilt group I needed some other colors and pulled from my stash and was able to use another yard. 

Stash fabric used or added:

this past week-   Used: 1 yds Added: 0 yds

So far this year- Used: 54.5 yds Added: 13.75 yd

3. control and use scrap fabric       No progress

4. make charity/comfort quilts

I cut 2 kits for Trip Around the World lap quilts.

I finished the fan quilt top and Fiddlesticks top and they are sandwiched for quilting.

  

I put binding on my second H2H quilt and posted the finishes in yesterday's link up at AcademicQuilter.

Stay safe and healthy while enjoying some time sewing and quilting.

Hands 2 Help Quilts

     Thank you to Mari ( AcademicQuilter) for stepping up to lead the 2022 H2Hchallenge.  I'm linking up to show my 2 finished quilts to share.

    First, I used Pat Sloan's March Block a Day challenge to get started. I used her String Bean block. It is a rectangle variation of a log cabin block and easy. I stopped at 16 so the quilt would finish 54 by 66”.

     Last year I fell in love with the Winter Blues quilts for Covered in Love. I pulled blue and green units from my stash to make this quilt. This is my free piecing version of those quilts finishing at 56 by 68”. 

I hope the blue and green quilts will suit male or female.  Both quilts will be donated locally to patients in Hospice care. Hope you will think about participating in the future.

Stay safe and healthy while enjoying some time sewing and quilting.

Progress on Goals

     I spent most of the past week out of town but managed to spend several mornings sewing and made some progress on a few projects and goals.

Goals for this year:

1. finish UFOs

No Progress

2. decrease stash fabric

I was tempted again. I found 3 more solid color fat quarters at Walmart for 97 cents and could not resist buying one of each color.

Stash fabric used or added:

this past week- Used: 3.5 yds Added: 1.5 yds
So far this year- Used: 53.5 yds Added: 12 yds

3. control and use scrap fabric

I spent one morning using my Accuquilt cutter to cut scraps into squares and 2 ½” strips.

I pulled a few blues from my stash perfect for placemats and pieced 4 tops. Hope to get them quilted and bound this week.

4. make charity/comfort quilts

I finished the quilting on Jan's nine patch quilt for my church quilt group. Jan adopted most of the 9 patches and added more. 

Here is a close-up of the quilting. 

Stay safe and healthy while enjoying some time sewing and quilting.

Not Much Quilting

      I have been taking advantage of our beautiful spring weather to get some yard work done instead of spending my time sewing. Soon it will be too hot to work outside for long.  This time of year the garden is taking most of my time. This morning I have more yard work planned and a list of errands to accomplish. Hope I will get to quilting in the afternoon.

Progress on my goals for this year continue:

1. finish UFOs No Progress

2. decrease stash fabric

The past 2 weeks I have added more than I have used. I walked through the Walmart fabric section and saw nice Waverly solid color fat quarters for 97 cents.





Stash fabric used or added:

this past week- Used: 0 yds Added: 1.75 yds

So far this year- Used: 50 yds Added: 12.25 yd

3. control and use scrap fabric No Progress
4. make charity/comfort quilts 

 I spent a couple of afternoons quilting a charity/comfort quilt and almost have it finished.  It started as orphan blocks that another member of my church group adopted and pieced. 

Stay safe and healthy while enjoying some time sewing and quilting.

Weekly Goals

      I took a couple of days for fun to watch my younger granddaughter's school show of “Aristocats for Kids”. Very cute.

The rest of the week I made some progress on projects and goals. I am keeping up with A Quilting Life's BOM with May's block made.

Progress on my goals for this year continue:

1. finish UFOs

I bought a backing for the made-fabric hexagon quilt. Instead of sandwiching it, I pulled the “Plaidish” top and added borders.

2. decrease stash fabric

Instead of decreasing fabric this week, I added. I looked for a backing and did not have fabric I wanted to piece together. I went shopping and came home with more than I needed. I bought enough for 2 large quilt backs and one piece of a border print to play with. I couldn't resist the sale price when I thought of a project it would be perfect for.

Stash fabric used or added:

this past week- Used: 0.25 Added: 15 yds

So far this year- Used: 50 yds Added: 10.5 yd

3. control and use scrap fabric

Only minimal work with scraps. I pieced a little purple made-fabric.

4. make charity/comfort quilts

I finished quilting the "JellyBean" lap quilt for the H2H Challenge and started quilting on another.

Stay safe and healthy while enjoying some time sewing and quilting.

Finally Back to Sewing Time

    Wow! Time sure flew by and I was left behind. The past 2 weeks I have not accomplished much of anything quilting to write about. It is the time of year where I try to work in my vegetable and flower garden early before it gets too warm and then hope to sew/quilt after lunch. I am enjoying many lovely bearded iris blooming (at least 10 kinds) in my yard. Here is one sample. 

I have way too many. That just means I get to share more. Last weekend I brought home and set out 2 new perennials from my sister. Friday I gave away the last of the tomato plants that I did not want to set out and most vegetables planted are growing nicely.

Progress on my goals for this year continue:

1.  finish UFOs

The border of the made-fabric hexagon quilt has been added so the top is done. I think it took so long because I was not using a pattern.  The piecing was mostly improv inspired by ideas from Victoria Findlay Wolfe's book 15 Minutes to Play.  The border is brighter than I expected; however, I am happy to move this 2014 UFO on to the next stage. It is almost too large to fit on my kitchen floor.

Here it is on a full size bed.

 

2.  decrease stash fabric

The only stash fabric used was to add a pieced border for a comfort quilt.

Stash fabric used or added:
this past week-  Used: 1.25 yds  Added: 0 yds
So far this year- Used: 51.25 yds Added: 10.5 yd3

3. control and use scrap fabric

I pulled down a bin of 4 1/2” squares and found 5 complete split 9 patch blocks with 15 more sets of HSTs made. I spent an afternoon preparing block sets to finish a lap quilt. I only had to make 3 HST sets and pull light and dark squares from the precut units.

4.  make charity/comfort quilts

I added a 3” finished border to my Jelly Bean lap quilt of 16 blocks ( instead of 30 from a block a day with Pat Sloan) so it will finish at 54 by 66”.

 

It was sandwiched when my church quilt group met last Wednesday.  I also brought home a sandwiched top to quilt that was pieced by another member.  There was a little time left to add the semicircles to the fans of another project.  

 I know the garden will need some time; however, I hope for time to make more quilting progress.  

I'm linking up with Alycia's Finished (or Not) Friday.

Stay safe and healthy while enjoying some time sewing and quilting.