Arcadian finish and RSC

Arcadian Chain has been completed!  In 2018 Connecting Threads introduced a fabric line Arcadian Dusk which had a warm palette of blues, burgundy, rusty orange, browns, and cream. I used two 10-inch stacks, plus fabric from an earlier Connecting Threads line Heirloom Manor, to sew a simple pattern of nine patches and solid squares to create this Irish Chain style quilt. 

When quilting this project, I stitched a chain link in each of the cream chain squares, then got stuck when trying to figure out what to do with the larger colorful blocks. I wanted to emphasize the colored blocks. After attempting some swooping arcs that looked more jagged than smooth arcs, I spent hours with a seam ripper and finally tried again.  I wanted the colored blocks to really stand out, which meant I needed a less complicated and less dense design. A simple cross hatch did the trick. Then I decided on a rope-like design on the inner border and a simple piano keys treatment for the outer border. This quilt is really striking and I am proud of it.

Many of you quilting bloggers are participating in the Rainbow Scrap Challenge 2021. I admit it. I was quite jealous of all the bright blocks being posted. I have enjoyed participating in past years, but I have this long list of unfinished projects accumulating in my sewing room. How could I add to it? Finally I caved. 

I decided to make large blocks similar to Good Morning Sunshine by QuiltDivaJulie. That only used up a small handful of scraps. Maybe I should add another RSC project?

Then I saw those pretty Jackknife blocks Bonnie Hunter was making.  After digging up the Sept/Oct 2020 Quiltmaker magazine, I started cutting fabrics for four blocks and began stitching. Oh no! The instructions were wrong! Those hourglass units ended up a full inch too small. [And Quiltmaker did not acknowledge the error on their Addicted to Scraps page.]  If you are considering making this block, Unit C must start with 4.25 inch squares (or better yet, 4.5 inch), not 3.25 inch squares.  I did not have quite enough of one neutral print to redo those units so had to substitute another white fabric. 

A cascade of my own stitching errors made these blocks more difficult and frustrating than they should have been. Finally, I sewed the last stitch and pressed the blocks. Whew - the pinks are done for January.

Aargh! Two more projects to add to my list! Maybe I need to finish up some of the smaller projects to alleviate my guilt. 

Linking to SoScrappy and Monday Making.

2021 Word of the Year

My word for the year is "Do".  Super simple, right?  I have always liked Nike's slogan "Just do it", so rather than encroaching on their copyright, I am choosing to just DO.

(Funny - Pat Sloan chose the same word for 2021, too!)

If 2020 has proven anything to us, it's that plans change. Who knows what 2021 will bring?  Plans definitely will change. But one should at least have some goals. 

My goals for 2021 are:

1. DO some quilting. My priority is to quilt one flimsy a month. I have more than a year's worth of finished tops (aka flimsys) in the quilting closet. In 2020 I had hoped to earn my PHD by finishing 12 quilts. Instead, I finished 8 flimsies and quilted 2 quilts. I won't mention the increase in UFOs. Instead I will focus on moving forward to the finish line as much as possible.

Yearned update - derailed a bit. At least several quilting projects advanced to the flimsies or a bigger collection of blocks. 

2. DO some painting. During 2020, I started learning how to paint with watercolors. There are lots of YouTube videos out there with tips and project ideas. In 2021, I am planning to expand this hobby by painting a set of greeting cards and learning how to paint with gouache watercolors.

Yearend update - I painted a couple clumsy portraits and bough a set a gouache paints. However, I daydreamed watching Instragram posts of gorgeous watercolor painting rather than trying it myself. 

3. DO more cooking. One of our fellow quilting bloggers (CatPatches) broke several bones in a fall, and her husband had to take over the cooking. They started using meal kits from HomeChef. I was curious and decided to try their meal subscription service. OMG! The quality and variety are awesome! So far there has not been a kit I haven't loved. I love to cook and experiment with new recipes, and these HomeChef meals have really stepped up my game. If you decide to try HomeChef, I would love to earn the referral award which I plan to use to send kits to my parents. My referral code is SANDRAW751.  

Yearend update - I did a lot more cooking. Switched meal kit service to Every Plate after another quilter raved about them on her blog. Definitely better pricing and just as good.

4. DO some flying. I slacked off on exercising my pilot's license in 2020, and I am planning to change that in 2021 by flying at least once a month and to take a weekend flying trip next summer.

Yearend update - Plagued by maintenance issues, I was at least able to fly a few trips.

5. DO exercise. I was one of the few who lost weight in 2020, although not nearly as much as I had planned. I feel so much more energetic when I exercise. Yet I found it hard to motivate myself. Now that we have our workout equipment set up in front of a television in our new house, there are no more excuses. 

Yearned update.  I don't want to say.