July is Out of This World

Each month this year I have been participating in Pat Sloan’s “Out Of This World” block-of-the-month program. This month’s block is too stinkin’ cute!  Not sure why this picture displays upside down. Maybe it's doing a cartwheel?

En Provence is also progressing. More of the border has been filled in. For some reason my cat likes to play with the pretty blocks. I shudder to think what this will look like tomorrow morning.

But my second wind may be winding down. I really need to finish The Farmers Daughter Stars. The quilting is nearly done with just the border to go, and the binding is prepared. I can't wait to show you!

RSC19 Update

We’re on the home stretch now! Pink, the color chosen for July, is one of my favorite colors. My pink blocks are done.

Pretty in pink, right?

Here is what my two RSC projects look like right now. The only color missing, per MY list, is purple.

The second photo is supposed to have seven rows with a big block in the middle, with a black inner border to divide the differently sized blocks.

I am excited to see these projects nearly finished!

I’m also excited to report I got a wild hair to work on my unfinished En Provence project. The mood just hit, so I went with it.

Step 1- Finish up a big purple block and lay out what I have.

Step 2 - Complete three more big purple blocks to reach the 12 in my plan.

Step 3 - Count the missing parts and git ‘em done! (still working on that - need lots more neutral parts)

It feel like I've been in a sewing marathon! If you have sewn Bonnie Hunter's En Provence design, you know what I mean. The finish line is in sight. Gotta catch that second wind...

UFO Confession

How many UFOs do you have?  That's a question we quilters tend to ask each other.  Possibly helps us feel better about ourselves if the response is higher than our own list. LOL So what is a UFO?

A UFO is an unfinished quilting project.  In my mind, a few orphan blocks is not a UFO.  Setting aside fabric for a future quilt is not a UFO (because you can change your mind).  But actually cutting into the fabric with the intent of making blocks for a full quilt flips the switch to UFO until it is actually finished.  Finished means assembled, sandwiched, quilted, and bound.  Labeling is secondary, although some quilters believe until it is labeled, it is still unfinished.  Not me. I tend to label in a batch of several quilts at a time, so the quilt is done when binding is finished.

With that in mind, I decided to be honest with myself and compile a list. Whew, baby!  It was quite a list!  It got so long I had to put it in a spreadsheet. I'm an accountant, so I live and breathe in Excel. Then I figured out what stage each project was in (making blocks, ready for assembly, ready for quilting, ready to bind).  Deep breath. Okay, here goes:

I have TWENTY FIVE unfinished projects.

Not too bad, but not too good.  How many UFOs do you have?  'Cause I need to feel better.

Then, because my list was in a spreadsheet, I began to schedule which projects to work on. Those closest to being finished got to go first in line.

Top 10 quilts are:

1. Jamestown Landing, started in 2013. DONE in January. I have to take credit for my 2018 finishes, right?

2. Magnolia mystery from Meadow Mist designs, started in 2017. At the longarmer. I didn't get a pic of the final flimsy, but definitely will get a good picture when it comes back to me.

3. Big Star County mystery from Alycia Quilts, started in 2017. At the longarmer.

4. Grand Illusion, a Bonnie Hunter mystery from 2014. Blocks are done, need to assemble. Backing is on hand (it's that dark aqua I had found recently and forgotten it was for this quilt).

5.  In the 'Hood mystery from EvaPaige Quilt Designs, started in 2017. Backing is on hand. Need to sandwich & FMQ.  My plan is to quilt little scotties in the four blank square and do little swirls or tiny stipples around the block scotties. The big scotties need hair and sweater stiching. Not sure what to do with the border bones.

6. Floribunda, a Bonnie Hunter design started in 2012. Blocks are done, border is nearly complete. Need to assemble. Backing is on hand.

7. Sapphire Stars, a mystery from Kevin the Quilter, started in 2017.  Finished assembling the blocks in January, nearly done with the border. Backing has been ordered. I hope to drop off to longarmer in February.

8. Red Cross, started in 2013. Need to finish the FMQ. It's already bound.

9. Baby Fox, circa 2015. It is sandwiched and ready for FMQ.

10. En Provence, a Bonnie Hunter mystery from 2016. Six blocks done, need three more plus sashing and border. Will need to shop for backing.  Or maybe I should skip the sashing and do 12 blocks total. Looks pretty with the just the blocks, doesn't it.

As I said on January 1, my goal is to finish at least half of my UFOs. That means I need to finish THIRTEEN.  If I hold true to my Excel schedule, I could finish as many as 22. And my goal is to resist starting another project until three UFOs are done.

The remaining quilts are Garden Party, 1860's Revival, Red/White DSP4, 2015 Craftsy Sampler, RSC15 sampler, a t-shirt quilt, Lady of the Lake, a 199X baby blanket, fabric cut for a patriotic Tobacco Road, an assembled tree skirt, a Christmas table runner cut and ready to sew, a Crabapple Trees medallion, a batik Jewel Box, String X, and my first quilt which needs a border fix before it can be quilted.

Ummm, I must confess I have already kinda, sorta, started a new project already. Angela at SoScrappy announced her RSC18. Although my 2015 blocks are still languishing in the UFO bin, I just know I can keep up with RSC18. Yes, I know I can.  I pulled my light blue scraps and cut enough to make three 10" blocks. She announced the February purple block design today, so will need to cut some purple scraps and keep it going.

Just for fun, I also made a few Lady of the Lake blocks because I just cannot resist doing some piecing. This one is going to be so pretty!  After finishing my last blue & white quilt (Jamestown Landing), I had to push this blue/white one onto the active working list.

So it's your turn to confess. How many UFOs do you have?

Mystery Quilts Progress

Am I crazy for participating in four and a half mystery quilts all at the same time?  The extra half is my ongoing En Provence mystery quilt of fall 2016 from Bonnie Hunter for which I am still sewing parts and assembling.

1) Alycia Quilts "Big Star Country" - Flimsy is together and ready for longarming if I can find a backing. My sewing machine died in the middle of the assembly, so I had to suffer through Sewing Withdrawal Syndrome (SWS) for a week while it was being repaired. As soon as it came home I finished up this flimsy.

2) Kevin the Quilter - Ready for clue #3 to arrive next week.

3) EvaPaige Quilts "In the 'Hood" - Final reveal came today. I cannot post the final block design until Beth reveals it on August 25th.  Cute blocks!  Update: Beth also shared my pic on Facebook! 

4) Meadow Mist Designs "Magnolia Mystery" - The fabrics I purchased originally just didn't excite me. Instead I found a black print (not the solid shown below) and some leftover blush-colored print to mix with my teals and background white-on-white print. There are lots of others who posted their fabric selection on Facebook which make me second guess my own. But I decided these colors felt right and I went ahead and cut my fabrics.

4.5) En Provence - Lots of quilters have posted their final versions which gave me ideas on how to alter the design slightly to make it my own. Here is a view of how my version is progressing. I am planning on 12 of the large blocks and will put solid pink centers on the stars to make them stand out. Bonnie Hunter designed this quilt and I really like it. But as you know, Bonnie's quilts require a LOT of sewing!

And I assembled a quick baby quilt for a friend. It's quick and easy! I'm planning on a fairly simply FMQ of half-inch spaced lines with an occasional daisy.

What projects or mystery quilts are you sewing?

Life and En Provence

Hello!  It has been several months since I last posted on this blog. You might say Life has kept me busy.

First, we moved from Pennsylvania to South Carolina. Holy cow! Talk about a culture change, plus with the hassle of finding a house, packing our belongings, moving in and unpacking, it's no wonder I can even remember my name let alone my new address. At least I can enjoy 70+ degrees while my former neighbors shiver in 30 degree weather. Check out the view from my back deck.

Eventually I will meet all my new neighbors. One sweet lady brought over a box of cookies to welcome us to the 'hood.  Last month I met a couple teenagers from around the corner who brought over a box UPS mistakenly delivered to their house. Yesterday I met another neighbor and his dog. My husband and I joined a local aviation group and I'm already volunteering to help with social media communications and chili cook-off. It's hard to make friends in a new place unless you get involved in stuff like that.

Second, I have been working long hours. Luckily I am able to keep my current job for a few months and telecommute most of the time. One week a month I travel back to the northeast to work onsite. That allows me the opportunity to visit my daughter who elected to stay and try to live in her own apartment while making minimum wage. Hah! Doesn't quite make it, so frequently requires support from Mom and Dad. I am hoping that will be incentive for her to go back to college soon.

Third, hey it's the holidays.  Visits to family, shopping for gifts, sending out holiday cards, digging out the Christmas bins to decorate.

It has taken quite a bit of time to try to fit all our stuff into a smaller house.  It simply doesn't fit. We have TWO storage units and have made multiple trips to the dump and donation sites. We still have too much stuff.  But this is a necessary transition as we begin thinking about retirement. Time to simplify.  Right now my sewing room doubles as the office. There are still boxes to unpack, but at least I was able to set up my desk, cutting table and sewing machine. And FINALLY begin working on Bonnie Hunter's new mystery, En Provence.  Luckily I had plenty of scraps to handle all but the magenta which was purchased on a quick visit to my parents.

Okay, I have quite a bit more sewing to do. It feels good to get these creative juices flowing again.

On a higher note, in November I flew my airplane from PA to SC. Sounds simple, but it wasn't. The flight itself was supposed to be about five hours of flying, plus a refueling stop midway. The weather was perfect, only about 5 knots and sunny the whole way.  Well, about an hour into the flight, my engine began faltering. My heart began racing and I made a Mayday call to Air Traffic Control (ATC). I quickly tried all my tricks to troubleshoot the problem while heading to the nearest airport. When I pulled back the throttle a bit, the engine ran smoothly. So I elected to continue on and baby the engine while ATC kept an eye on me. My landing was less than perfect but I was safely on the ground.  I refueled and checked the engine and fuel carefully. A couple other pilots gathered and we talked it over. Must have been fuel problem, we surmised. My fuel tester showed no water and nothing else looked odd, so I took off again. And about 45 minutes later the engine did it again!  So I pulled back on the throttle and continued on to my final destination, just a little slower than I would have normally flown. My landing was great and my husband was waiting to drive me home.  We will have to check some of the engine components before flying on another trip. My airplane may be capable of landing in a field, but I would rather do so by choice not by force. Someone was watching over me that day!