I love to share my Quilting projects with other Quilters. My goal is to share my progress on projects that I am working on. I would love for you to follow along with me during my endeavors. I hope you enjoy watching me tackle new techniques and projects. Hopefully you can learn from my "hiccups" and mistakes and make your journey easier.
Today I found a pattern that I really like and am going to use it for my RSC 2017 project!  YEA.  Happy To Be Scrappy has the quilt on her Blog and I have been admiring it along with Gretchen.  So I did some research and Deb gave me some information on how she made the quilt and now I have finished 3 of the blocks this afternoon.  Now remember, I am not a scrappy person, so it will be interesting to see how this works out.
There is an off-setting block that will go with each block, but I am no longer “Wonder Woman” like I used to be and am calling it quits for today – the last day to post the Purple Blocks.  I am going to do something with my 4 patches, just not sure what!  Both Gretchen and I have added a quilt to RSC 2017 project.  It amazes me how we can start out on a project like this and then at the very end change directions.  But isn’t if fun to do!
I am now pleased with this and enjoyed making the blocks. Â It is really a very easy quilt to make so I will enjoy the process. Â I am going to try to make the 3 off setting blocks for the blocks and hopefully can post them on Tuesday. Â Wish me luck.
Starting another project tomorrow Robin’s Nest by Karen Styles and hopefully I will be in the Applique mood tonight!  The next bi-monthly quilt will be the Quiltmania Mystery Quilt.  It will be a nice slow project and the first 2 blocks are reverse applique.  I am trying to find the background fabric that they are using, but of course the 2 places you can order them from US are not selling any of the fabric because they are only going to use them for the Kits.  DARN!
IF and I say IF, I can get caught up on my Stonefields, Margaret Potts Quilt, and A Bountiful Life then I will start Rowdy Flat Library Quilt.  It is a very intense appliqued quilt designed by Susan Smith.  I have my fabrics, just need to double up on my quilting time!  Hummmm  guess I need to clone myself!
I am so happy to have finished the following projects that I had schedule for January for OMG!
Circa 2016  – Modified version of the quilt – quilted and binding completed.Miniature  Jane Quilt – quilted and binding completedPat Sloan’s Sewing Machine Pattern  – quilted and binding completed
Christmas place mats for Doug and Jean – quilted, binding completed, and mailed.
Block 6 of A Bountiful Life
I joined the Ocean Waves Quilt A Long (QAL) only to decide that Ocean Waves is not a quilt that I want to continue with so I made a little quilt out of the one “practice” block I made.
My Ocean Waves Quilt – Miniature
I also wanted to participate in RSC 2017 this year.  I have started with purple 4 Patches.  I will continue with this project in February, and make a decision by March if I continue on.  I may find another pattern that  I really like and start over.  Time will tell.
January Purple Blocks for RSC 2017
Last but not least, Oh Glory quilt. Â It now loaded on the long arm ready to be quilted! Â My goal is to have it completed by Tuesday 31 Jan.
Oh Glory Quilt – Embroidered Stars – Ready for Quilting
Well! Â After retirement I began to have time to listen to my “gut” feelings about things. Â I try to act on them and then sometimes I have to let them play out either all the way to see the issue to the end, OR I let the ‘issue’ play out for a bit – then I lower the boom!
Tuesday was a day that I had a gut feeling that my newly hired monthly housekeeper was not going to work out (she was due to clean on Tuesday).  She called 45 minutes before she was to arrive to tell me she had not put my address in her GPS (1st thing).  Then she showed up at 9:40 (not scheduled 9:00).  I began to have the feeling that this lady would not work out, but wanted to give her a chance.  It took her 1 hour to clean a room that should have taken 20 minutes or so (2nd thing).  Then she had to make a personal call (3rd thing).  Then her daughter called (4th thing).  Then she told me she had not eaten breakfast and her stomach was growling (5th thing).  Now while all this was going on I was cleaning 11 blinds in our den because I felt that something was not going to go right in this new hire!  Now I have never watched the Apprentice, but it did not take me more than 1 hour and 45 minutes to tell the Lady – Your are Fired!  I paid her for the time she was there and sent her on her way!  I was so “upset” (mild word) that I knew I would be cleaning my house that day and until I cannot get out bed! I finished at 4:30!  Thank God for my new brace.  I will now continue on doing the house once a month myself and leave the house keepers to find another person to lie to!  I just had to get this off my chest.
OK – now on to my favorite thing – quilting! Â I wanted to do Ocean Wave QALÂ and RSC 2016 this year just to have a couple of slow projects. Â Well, I have finished Ocean Wave quilt! Â I made one block and quickly decided – whoops – do not think I want to spend time doing all of these blocks – lots of work and detail to precision sewing is imperative to make this baby! Â I can do it, but other projects would be more fun! Â I followed the grid sheet and made a practice block to make sure that it would be accurate and if I really wanted to do this project. Â Â Here is my finished Ocean Waves!
My One and Only Ocean Wave Quilt
I finished Block 6 of A Bountiful Life – YEA – I will not say how long it took me to finish this block – I just had “applique block” problem! Â Hopefully that is over with as I have a lot more applique waiting for me to get with the program. Â I am not real pleased with the “looped vine” in the center – I may have to redo that. Â It is embroidered.
A Bountiful Life – Block 6
I made numerous 4 Patches (purple) for an RSC 2016 project, but have now decided that I am not going to participate in this project this year. Â Maybe next year.
A LOT of 4 Patches
Now for One Monthly Goal Update: Â I have met all of my goals!
Small Jane Quilted
Circa 2016 Quilted
Pat Sloan’s Sewing Machine  Quilted
Christmas placements for Doug and Jean (2) Â Quilted
Started RSC 2016 – Started but decided not to participate
Ocean Waves – Completed
If you would like to see pictures of my quilts, check out my earlier posts this month! Â Tomorrow I will quilt Oh Glory and that is the last of the monthly projects I wanted to complete. Â I am now at a point where I am going to review some Australian Designer quilts that I had wanted to start in 2014. Â I will make a decision on which one I will start in a day or two.
I hope that everyone has a great day and enjoy sewing! Â On to my February schedule – whatever that is!
Shock and Awe!!!!! Â I have finished my goal for the week, well OK, I am 24 hours late, but they are completed.
Oh Glory – Ready to go to the Long Arm!Circa 2016 – Miniature Size
Pat Sloan’s Sewing MachineDear Jane – Miniature
Remember when we were in school and we had the summer months off to play and dump the memory bank??? Well, guess what happens when one does not quilt a quilt, much less put binding on……….A mess! Hubby told me that everything one needs to know is on You-Tube – so I found this video and found two small new techniques are on the video that I was not aware of – corners and endings (doing it a different way).  So now I have to remember this video as I will be quilting quite a few quilts in the next few months and they cannot be “messed up”.
Now I plan on getting Oh Glory pinned on the long arm and tomorrow I will quilt it! Â In the meantime, I really need to finish sewing those 25 + grapes on Block 5 of A Bountiful Life – will try to hold my nose and complete it tonight!
Tomorrow is the first block for Two-Step Mystery Quilt so I will be deciding on fabrics for that project.  I like it because it is one block every 3 weeks! Next I will have to decide on pattern (and get going on it) for RSC 2017.  I have a few patterns in mind, but just not sure yet!  I am also thinking THINKING about working on the Mystery Quilt in this months Quiltmania.  It is reverse applique and I think I would love to work on that one.  There are only 6 issues in a year so I can slip a little on the start time on this one.  It would be another “fabric” decision.  Darn – looking like I will be having to really put the ole’ brain in action for the next week.  Maybe I need to check my 2017 list – I am sure that I had selected others.  Oh for more hours in a day!
I feel great as I have now completed 5 quilting projects, and applique again at night!  YEA for me!  I thought many times over the last year to just give up on my passion and sit in a chair.  Boy am I ever-blessed to have pushed the Doctor limit for my back!  In the last week even without the brace I can stand up straight again but will continue to use the brace which evidently is helping me to tell my brain to get with the program!  TENS and Braces are my favorite thing to have.  In fact, because I am not sitting so much, I THINK I am beginning to lose a pound or two out of the 8 pounds I have gained in the last 6 months due to the back hurting!  Joy to me is being able to do my walking and quilting and put in a full 10 hour day of fun!
Tomorrow my guy is going to become the President of the United States. Â I never thought that what is about to take place in this great Nation tomorrow with the transfer of power would have come while I was still alive!
May the Lord Bless President Trump and the First Lady (who is such a beautiful Lady) and his entire family!  And continue to bless this Nation.  Bless all of his nominated Cabinet Members and our Congress – even those  who are so nasty and hateful at this time and chose to not attend the Inauguration of the 45th President of the United States of America.  We are all of God’s children!
Greetings from South Texas where who knows what the weather will be – we are still in the warm Spring type weather! Â Lovely high humidity and in the mid-70’s. Â We are ‘expecting’ rain tonight, but then we have been expecting rain for 4 days!!! Â So guess we will just continue looking out the window to see what happens!
I now have my great back brace, and I am really enjoying it. Â It has made me realize that I have NOT been standing up straight as I have always done. I guess this comes with age and when we sit at the sewing machine, or standing at our cutting tables, we begin to slouch and ruin our posture. Â Try to keep this in mind so that you do not end up as I have.
I have had the best 15 days of a New Year since 2014!!! Still trying to increase my walking and step goals to be over 6000 per day and I have kept up with the pace, although this morning I really did not think I would be able to do the 35 minutes, but I did and was looking for my chair when I finished. Â But when you walk in 93% humidity sometimes it is just not fun! Â Oh where is our winter for 2017!
Today I finished sewing the binding on the 5 projects that I quilted this week. Â Somehow I did not get to work in my Studio on the binding the last 2 days – let’s say that it was “unforeseen” requirements that took over. Â My goal is to have them all completed by Wednesday, if not before!
Ready for the binding to be hand stitched!Ready for the binding to be hand stitched!
I am also determined to finish those lovely grapes and the bird’s beak on Block 5 of A Bountiful Life project! Â There are a few areas where I am going embroidery a few short-short stems and one area where I am not interested in doing circles in bias twigs! Â I will embroidery that area and just make it mine! Â I wonder what I was thinking when I did the wings? Â Probably pulled the yellow from the orange, but I like it! Â My quilt will really be different from the others who have made this quilt in Reproduction fabrics. Â I love my batiks.
A Bountiful Life Block 5
I have a clothes rack where I hang quilts that need to be quilted. Â Now some of them have been begging to be quilted for a while, so as you can see, I must prioritize this effort. Â I was going to quilt Threads of Memory, but decided to do all the smaller projects and work up to the larger ones. Â I will send 2 of the quilts out for a professional job to enter in the SA Show this year. Â I know that the Judges would absolutely count me off if I do my free motion meandering and I do not want to take the time to spend to learn how to become more proficient. Â I am just hoping I can find an excellent quilter to do the job! I do not want a 2014 repeat, thank you very much!!! Â (OH there is that purple monstrosity that I started 2016 with and do not want to work on it at this time – I need to put something in the baskets. Â If I did not have so much time and money invested it would go away to the “never see again” basket called Trash Can)
Quilts In Waiting
For my next quilting project, I have decided to quilt a wall hanging from Lynette Jensen that I made during one of our trips to Arizona – which year….maybe 2012? Â I need to embroidery some stars on the blue part and then it will be loaded and quilted! Â YEA.
Oh Glory by Lynette Jensen
Now I must think of what I am going to do for RSC 2017.  How about Sue Garman’s OMIGOSH! – it is a highly technical and challenging project.  Do I want to make it a year-long project that will drive me nuts but would remind me of Sue who was such a wonderfully gifted Designer every step of the way?  She passed away in the last week or so and she will be missed by the quilting world!  I really am leaning toward this quilt as a project to work on during the day, but before I start I must study color placement and do a few test blocks to make sure that all will go well with the endeavor.  When looking for the Flag pattern I found an old Lynette Jensen Bow Tie pattern that might really be easier and more in tune to use the RSC 2017 project .  Of course I may also start Robin’s Nest for my piecing project.  Heck why not start all three?  I could really head for the nut house by May….
Well, have a great holiday if you are still working, if not, continue to enjoy retirement and quilting! Â It has been so peaceful here today and I have accomplished so much this week! Â I am hoping to sell my Husqvarna embroidery unit through one of my guilds this week. Â Cross my fingers. Â Someone out there might need it and I have only used it close to 40 hours since I purchased my Designer 1, only to find out I did not like it!
I am so excited about our 45th President and his Inauguration, I wish our country would come together and support him and his Amazing Cabinet selections. Â He is going to be America’s President and support the great citizens of this Nation.
Well, I do think my non-productive years are over! Â This week I have finished 5 quilting projects – and yes they are small, but I have not touched the long arm for almost 2 years. Â WOW! Â My goal was to have the bindings on and ready for hand work, but alas, those unforeseen requirements and interruptions.
These are two placements that I appliqued for friends for Xmas (I am a little late).  The second photo is the backside of each placement.  I do not like how my photos  using my iPhone – I am going back to my good ole’ floppy disk camera – it takes better pictures!  The quilting does not show up well, I did a meandering pattern with circles.  My HQ is not computer type so all my quilting is free motion quilting.
This is a pattern from Pat Sloan – I made it in Batiks. Â It is needle turn applique and this is the first time I have quilted one on the long arm. Â I do a meandering pattern in different variations.
And, here is Circa 2016 – Modified.
This a mini-quilt that I made with my 9 Dear Jane Blocks. Â YUP – no more photos from iPhone – this one really looks wonky!
These are not large projects, but I am so happy to have finished them.
I did receive my Postural Extension Orthosis brace yesterday afternoon and what a difference. Â It supports my upper torso and is going to really help me be able to do more and more!!!! Â The two bulging discs are in such a bad spot – they are the ones that connect the rib cage and lumbar area of the back and fusions are iffy because of the critical location – connecting the upper and lower frame. Â I finally have the answer on the differences in bulging, herniated, ruptured or crushed discs. Â Bulging is where it is beginning to go, herniated is not fun, ruptured or crushed means that surgery is definitely required. Â I am blessed because I did not wait any longer to get an updated MRI and now I can protect my back with my brace, TENS unit, and RF treatments. Â Modern medicine has really come a long way. Â I just hope that I can make it until the end of my life without having to go through the intense “fix” for a situation like mine.
OK enough of the spine lesson. Â Today I am going to try to work on the bindings on my completed quilt projects – and that will really make me happy to get all the little projects completely finished! Â I am going to load Threads of Memory quilt from a 2014 Barbara Brackman BOM and work on it in the next week. Â It is a larger project and now that I have “practiced” and have the cobwebs off the HQ (not to mention the new back brace so I will not get so tired when I quilt) I want to take more time in quilting the larger quilts.
Next IÂ will be working on preparing applique blocks and making a final decision on a pieced project. Â There are so many projects that I would love to do this will be a difficult decision, but I will only do one at a time. Â I am soooo far behind on my applique projects I feel I will never catch up.
Have a great Friday the 13th!  They have always been lucky for me – so much better than the black cat crossing my path.  Hubby always laughs at me, but the other day at the grocery store one of the Checkers told me that if she leaves the house and forgets something and returns back home, when she leaves again she takes another way out of her sub-division!!!!!  I told her I would need to add that to my list of “to do’s” when that happens.  Of course Hubby really said she was “nuttier” than I am about a poor pretty black cat!  Too funny!
Goals are great to have as long as we can be realistic!  Easier said than done as we Quilters love to think that we can just jump right in and finish something within a week or so – heck – maybe with a few days!  I have begun to realize that I do not allow for my ‘black cat’ and ‘unforeseen’ requirements’ happenings.  I began more applique projects than pieced projects in 2016 and I really need to make a concerted effort to “get with the program” and become serious about finishing them within 2017.  I am also very behind on quilting my quilt tops and am going to push myself to catch up.
I started full speed ahead in 2014 by beginning my collection of Reproduction fabrics and switching to only Quiltmania and Australian quilt patterns, but life has a way of taking twists and turns that we never would expect. Â My step-son Darryl was diagnosed with Cancer in April 2014 and passed in June 2015. Â It takes time to recoup from an ordeal like this. Â He is missed by me and especially his Father. Â He had the quickest wit and would make us laugh when we spent time with him. Â He touched many lives during his short lifetime. Â In 2016 I tried to play my usual “Scarlett O’Hara” (as my Mother always called me) and jump right back into life and worry about the grieving tomorrow. Â This is not how life works in the real world and for the first time it did not work for me. Â It takes time to heal, just as it takes time to make an Heirloom quilt, or more advanced more technically challenging quilts.
Yesterday I tried to develop a post depicting each project that needed to be quilted, appliqued, embroidered, and those that were begging for my time. I read a Quilty Folk post about Kyle and how she is handling her 2017 list.  I quickly realized that I did not need to re-post things from the past and developed my list for 2017.  This is a new year and I will do that as I complete or make progress with my projects.  So here we go:
I will keep my list close at hand to become more focused and productive in 2017.  Clay and I have so much to be thankful for and this is a time of REAL hope for the USA, no matter what Meryl Streep says!  I have lost all respect for Entertainers.  They need to experience the real world like 99% of the people in this country do and realize that without our supporting their movies they would be dead broke!  (oops a little political statement – LOL)
Clay and I  will also take a few trips during the year to “get away from it all” staying in hotels rather than having to load and unload the 5th wheel.  The trips will be so much more enjoyable in our 2nd stage of retirement.  The 2nd stage is the time when one realizes that they no longer want to do all the hard work that we have done all their lives – it is time to enjoy the easy life before we leave this earth.
My One Monthly Goal (OMG) for January is to complete my quilting projects and work on my hand work in the evening. Â Time will tell if the ‘black cat’ or ‘unforeseen requirements’ will get me again or if our year is quiet and boring in order for me to complete projects started the last 3 years.
What is tempting are all the quilt a longs and new patterns that others discuss on their Blog posts, or friends tell you about! Â So wish me luck and I will try to continue posting my progress and doing some ‘link ups’ which always help us when we post our quilts in progress or completed.
Looks like we are going back to Spring the next 4 days – then back to some cold weather.  Talk about a roller coaster this winter.  As bad as I do not want to bring on the 100 degree weather, at least Spring and Summer are more consistant.  The changes tend to mess with our bones and bodies for those over 70!  DARN!
Have a wonderful week and hopefully ‘unforeseen requirements’ will not hinder your progress in quilting.
As I read my favorite Blogs this last week, it appear that a lot of quilters are dedicating themselves to a list of monthly goals that just might help all of us finish a lot of UFO’s.   Most of my projects are hand applique and tend to take longer, so I  measure them by the number of blocks I have completed.  As I sit here on the 7th day of January 2017 I wonder “actually what did you do this past year?”  I have felt the last two months that I have accomplished nothing, but then I started looking at my posts and realized that I had accomplished quite a lot.  Here is a recap.
I started the year making Baskets of Scraps only to have problems with the pattern – delay time.  The top is finished EXCEPT I need to applique something in the baskets – It is a purple quilt and needs something but I became so discouraged and not sure what it needs that it has been hanging on the “ready to quilt” rack  for a while.  Then I started Handfuls of Scraps and have one of the diamonds completed but all the hexies are ready to be sewn together…..sometime in 2017!  Moving right along, Brinton Hall was started and I finally finished laying out the outlining hexagons to be sewn together to make the medallion center complete so I could finish the other blocks – that was in late August and no progress on this project – in the wings waiting to go.  In March I started working on A Bountiful Life and have 4 blocks completed, 4 more in the “fabric selection” stage and then cutting freezer paper pieces and pressing onto the fabrics!  Then BAS came along in May and had a monthly block quilt along  for Ms Potts Baltimore Album quilt.  I have 9 blocks finished with 4 ready to applique!  I started Stonefields in late 2015 or early 2016 and am currently working on completing Section 4.  These projects are still ongoing and hopefully by the end of the year all completed!  I joined in on Circa 2016 in April and finished all the blocks in October!  I had decided that I would finish 2016 in 2016 – and I did!  The problem is that there were problems with the quilt – it was out of square and other issues, so the ripping began.  Eventually the entire quilt was ripped and all blocks put in a bag to be given away.  Then I decided that I could not let that little project get the best of me so I started it up again only to realize that the problem was with the center medallion – the only part of the quilt I had not ripped.  This last Tuesday I made the decision to start the project again.  Long Story short – I made a nice wall hanging from the center medallion and sent the rest of the blocks packing to a new friend, Carole, who is now the proud owner of the Circa 2016!  Can I say that is a finished project – you BET!  But I paid a price on that one, 2 major projects (piecing) completed in 2016 and both caused me to hit the wall with quilting for awhile.  I completed a Colonel Ladies quilt top for Wanda, Threads of Memory, and Enduring Legacy quilt tops – ready to be quilted!  Well maybe I did accomplish more than I thought in 2016.
So for 2017, I will continue on with my “applique” projects, and start a list of piecing projects. Â I think I have found my passion for quilting again (especially after the massive week-long un-clutter project) and have now started up the long arm with a project loaded and already started, so getting some quilts quilted and binding completed on some other quilts will be included. Â I hope to have this list posted in a few days with pictures of where I am in the projects now so I can see my progress each month. Â I also plan on taking some “refresher” knitting classes and want to work on an embroidery quilt, so it will be a busy year, just need that added incentive to get with the program.
PS – forgot to mention that life got in the way this year too, maybe I can get rid of some unforeseen and seen requirements out of my life and get more accomplished in 2017. Oops – today no quilting just had 2 nice long unforeseen requirements come up. Â I will post my 12 Â – 2017 Projects list tomorrow.
I posted sometime in the past about my experience with Circa 2016 and how I had enough hair pulling with the quilt.  But, as a normal Type A, I just could not let it go….. So Tuesday I decided to try again to make the quilt.  Yesterday I finished the Medallion and thought that I would go forward, but this morning I sat in my chair drinking my morning cup of coffee and studied the finished Medallion and decided that the outside border was just too pale to continue on with the same fabric.  The longer I looked at it the more I remembered all the issues I had encountered and quickly decided I had worked on this puppy enough and I should be happy that the 3rd try yielded a perfect medallion!!!!  But, look closely at it because it now looks so drab with the same background fabric and it will soon disappear!
Perfect Medallion – Wrong color on the 2nd Border!
I made the decision to stop at this point and make a small quilt.  Then I immediately sent Carole S. an email advising her that she would be receiving a belated Christmas gift of the remaining blocks that I had made last year along with a few other goodies that she might or might not like!  Carole was the only one who wanted the blocks in case I decided to not finish the quilt.  In other words – Circa 2016 and I are F-I-N-I-S-H-E-D!  So below is a picture of a nice little quilt that will make a great sewing machine cover.  This quilt is perfectly squared!
I love the red/mauve and black with some red/mauve mixed in. Hubby takes better pictures.
In remaking the Medallion, here are some things that I did to make sure that it would turn out – they are little things, but I guess when I was not feeling good I might have become a little sloppy. Â Goal for 2017 – NO MORE SLOPPY WORK! Â It only frustrates me and bothers no one else!!!!
 Chose a fabric that would not stretch as bad on the bias (the medallion is on the bias)
 As I sewed each row, each section was checked for accuracy (finished 2 1/4″).  Used an accurate 1/4″ seam allowance and pressed all seams open.
 The medallion before the first “small” border was to be 13″ – I made it 3 times and it always came out at 13 1/8″ and on corner was always off slightly!
On the first border I cut a 2″ strip and then sewed 6 of the hour glass blocks to make sure they measured 14″. Â They did, so I then started reducing the first border by 1/8″ all around the border until it measured at 14″. Â This way the center was in the center and not off center!
At least I know that I can make the Medallion and it came out square to 21 1/2″ unfinished! Â Another YEA! Â Have a great day and I will now move on to my 2017 list. Â So many of the Bloggers are listing their projects for the new year. Â Some of mine are on-going and I am so behind, so maybe I will be more inspired to ‘get ‘um done’ soon! Â I will make a list, check it twice, and post it next time.
Chopin - A Passionate Quilter From Texas 