Piggy Bank Challenge 2017-2018

This will the 5th year of the Piggy Bank challenge @ Val's Quilting Studio, but only the 4th year for Sharla and I. We have done well each year and so we will continue and do it again this year. We used real banks the first year which were a monkey and a duck(McGee and DiNozzo...yes we are NCIS fans), and while I still love these banks they were difficult to use.

The last two years with have used a boxes I found at JoAnn's and they worked much better. Well I think Sharla used a cup to collect most of her change, but that is because she couldn't remember to take the box off of her desk.

I realize the boxes are boring, but they work and I can set mine on my desk, so when we do our monthly money/budget stuff I can drop a $20 in it. Since we gather much less change these days, I try to put a $20 in it every month (approx. $5 per week). If there is leftover money at the end of the month I might drop a little more into it. I can also still toss my change into it as well. But I may make a pouch this year to toss my change into, because it beats up the inside of the box a lot.

I would say we are going to buy more fabric with the money we save, but who knows what the year will bring. We serviced our sewing machines this year with part of the money so it would be nice to do that again next year. Maybe will take a class or buy some new cool tool. But it really doesn't matter what we buy, the important part is that I save more than Sharla (just kidding...well sort of...ok not kidding).  If you want to join the challenge simply check out Val's page. It really up to you if you save a little or a lot.

Finish-A-Long Q3 Goals

I sucked last quarter and only got one of my goals done. I am hoping to get a few more done this quarter. I would really like to get all of them done, but that really isn't possible. I keep the list big so that I have choices. So let's start. Most of these are from last quarter, but I did add a couple of new ones.

1. Sharla's City Street Quilt. 

2. My City Streets Quilt.

3. Sharla's Monkey Quilt. 

4. Sharla's Big & Tall aka Hollywood's Big Blue Flowers.

5. Sharla's Strip Box Quilt. 

6. My Big and Bold quilt.

7., 8., 9., 10. Angela, Ariella, Samuel and Tina's Memory quilts. Progress has been made, not enough, but progress.

11. Hollywood's Zombie Quilt.

12. Sharla's Summerfest Quilt.

13. Sharla's True Colors Quilt

14. Sharla's #100days100blocks2017 quilt...we won't finish the blocks until mid-August, but I know she wants this one done.

15. Shauna's #100days100blocks2017 quilt. Same as above.

I know that is way more than I can do, but it gives me choices once my knees are better. So I will just leave it there. I will be linking up with the 2017 Finish-A-Long Quarter 2 Goals at Felicity Quilts.

One Monthly Goal - July Goal

Ok get ready because I am going to be a posting beast today. I think I have three to do. First up is my One Monthly Goal. I finished my goal for last month, but alas Sharla didn't. So I am 6 out of 6 and Sharla is 4 out of 6. But she is hoping finish her last month's goal this month.

My goal is my Paisley Please quilt. It is a bundle I purchased a couple of years ago on the Flash Sale at Fat Quarter Shop (I love those). Sharla spotted it and called me because it if full of purple fabrics which I love. I decided to use the pattern Easy as ABC & 123, and here is a mock up of it. I struggled to find photos of the fabrics to use, so some of them aren't wonderful, but at least you get the idea. The fabric is cut and matched into blocks, but I've not started sewing yet.

Sharla is going to keep working on her Bistro flimsy with the hopes of finishing it this month. I think the #100Days100blocks2017 has slowed her down, but she is having fun with it. So that is what counts.

We were both hoping to get ahead over the 4th of July weekend, but the shots I got in my knees before the weekend really knocked me for a loop. So I spent a big part of the weekend with my knees up and iced. My knees are getting better each day, so I'm hoping to get a lot done this weekend. I am linking up of with Elm Street Quilts for July's One Monthly Goal.  If you want to see what others are doing then check out the linky party.

One Monthly Goal - June Goal

So far this year I've completed 5 out of 5 of my one monthly goals, and Sharla has finished 4 out of 5 of hers. That means we are doing pretty good. This month I'm thinking we will be in good shape to finish our goals.

My goal is Hollywood's zombie quilt. I don't like zombies, and normally wouldn't pick out zombie fabrics for a quilt. But Cole calls Hollywood his zombie apocalypse dog, because Hollywood will protect him in the event of a zombie apocalypse. So when I found zombie fabric on sale, I just couldn't resist. It was only a 9 FQ pack, so to maximize the size I'm just doing sashed blocks. Here is a mock up what I'm doing.

I got started on mine over the Memorial Day weekend, I have all the rows pieced together and just have to do the horizontal sashing and the outer border. So I think I will be finished in plenty of time.

Sharla is going to work on Bristro, which is the same goal she had for last month. It is her oldest project and she wants it off the books. I think she would have gotten it done last month, but she couldn't decide on a pattern. She went back and forth on which one to do. Then she got sick a couple of times during the month and tackling a big project was just something she didn't want to do. But she is feeling better and she picked a pattern, so this is the month that Bistro gets cut and pieced. She chose the pattern Cheaper by the Dozen, which I think is a great choice.

Last month we had an additional goal of finishing a second flimsy each, but we didn't get that done. But we did start the #100days100block2017, and are keeping current with that project. Overall I'm happy with what we've accomplished and I'm pretty confident we will finish both of these flimsys this month. I am linking up with Elm Street Quilts for One Monthly Goal. If you want to see what others are doing check out her linky party.

One Monthly Goal - May Goal

It is time to set my goal for May (and Sharla's too). We did very well for April, Sharla finished her Lula Magnolia quilt and I finished Callie and Beau's quilt. I finally got to post about Callie's quilt yesterday, because it arrived in Houston, safe and sound. I am so glad that cat is out of the bag.

For May I'm going to finish the flimsy of my coin quilt. Which is my oldest UFO. It was a jelly roll gifted to me by Tom and Mecca in 2012. I made the coin strips almost immediately after getting the jelly roll, but then I couldn't decide on what I wanted to use as sashing between the columns. It got put away and never finished. But I finally decided to use Washed Black Bella solid, because I think the black will make the other colors pop. The fabric for the sashing arrived this week, so I should be in good shape. I decided to use the same black for Hollywood's zombie quilt, so I went ahead and purchased for both. So hopefully this one will be done quickly. Here are the coins laid over my long arm machine.

Sharla switched her pick for May and is working on Bistro, which is her oldest project and it dates back to 2008. It is a fat quarter bundle and right now Sharla is debating on what pattern she wants to use. I'm thinking she will go for Big and Tall or Cheaper By The Dozen because she wants something simple and quick. Sharla claimed the fabric was mine until we stumble across this photo from Christmas 2008 and look who is holding the bundle.

Now to tell the truth, Sharla and I both have extra goals this month. We would both like to finish a second top if at all possible. Sharla is close to finishing her True Colors flimsy, so that goal should be easy for her. I am hoping to finish the third memory flimsy and get the second on quilted. Big goals, but we do have a three day weekend this month that Sharla is turning into a 4 day weekend. So anything is possible. And we also decided to join the #100Days100Block2017 challenge which is making 1 block a day for 100 days using Tula Pink's book 100 Modern Quilt Blocks. I will write more about this tomorrow and hopefully have the first block done (since it start tomorrow). For now I'm linking up with Elm Street Quilts for One Monthly Goal. If you want to see what others are doing check out her linky party.

2017 Finish-A-Long - Quarter 2 Goals

I must be in a posting mood I think this is my fifth post in 5 days. But it is time to set my goals for Quarter 2 of the Finish-A-Long.  I did ok last quarter, I finished 2 quilts, but I would like to to better than that this quarter. Especially since Sharla and I are regularly finishing tops, I need to turn those into finished quilts. So lets get started, some of these are left over from last quarter and some are new.

1. Callie and Beau's Wedding quilt. I need to finish piecing the top and get it quilted, hopefully in April. I've started making progress on it, I just don't know if I can get it all finished in April. They aren't pushing in any way, because they are real sweethearts, but I want to get it done. Here are the blocks before they were signed.

2. Angela's Memory quilt. I put these aside last year because working on them made me sad. I hate the reason I'm making them, and since they aren't made with pretty fabric there is just no draw to work on them. Also I really wasn't sure my friend and her kids to could handle receiving them. They were still fragile and I didn't want to add to the burden. But after talking with my friend last month I realized they are in a better place and would be ok receiving them. Angela's is quilted and just needs to be trimmed and bound.  Since I want them to be surprised with how they look, here is the starting point for them.

3. Ariella's Memory Quilt. I've almost finished the top on this one, it just needs the side borders put on to it and the top will be done. I would like to get it quilted and bound as well. I like that these aren't overly large quilts, so that will make quilting them easier.  No picture for this one, because it would be the same as above.

4. Samuel's Memory Quilt. I have the blocks pieced for this one, but they need to be assembled into the top and quilted. Again no picture. I'm not going to list Tina's for this quarter, but I would like to get the top at least assembled.

5.  Sharla's City Street Quilt. She finished the top in January, and since it isn't that large I would like to get it quilted as well. I would like to get on a roll and finish some of the smaller quilt tops we have finished. It isn't tiny, but it also isn't a queen size quilt.

6. My City Streets Quilt. Since it is the same size as Sharla's it also another of the smaller finished tops. I need to order some thread for this one, because I think I want to quilt it using a darker gray thread.

7. Sharla's Monkey Quilt. I know she wants this one done, because she is a little sock monkey crazy and it isn't that large. I still have to wash the fabric Hollywood drug outside, and piece the back, but that is all doable.

8. Sharla's Big & Tall Quilt. She is working on the flimsy right now as I type, and I think she will easily finish it this month. And since it is basically for my buddy Hollywood, I would like to get it done this quarter. He is not the quilt dog Tucker was, he will lay on them, but he doesn't seek them out like Tucker did. But I think this one he will.

9. Sharla's Strip Box Quilt. Again not too large, so it is more doable. If you've not guessed the theme this quarter it is smaller quilts.  Well smaller by our standards, we don't do little quilts, we do large and larger quilts.

10. My Big and Bold quilt. This is probably the largest quilt on the this quarter's list, but I love it and would love to have it finished so I can use it. I have to order thread for this one as well, but I am struggling to decide what color to use. I'm sure I will come up with something.

So that is more than I can get done, unless something major happens. But it also gives me a variety to work with during the quarter. I will be happy if I get 3 or 4 completed, but always like to have a big list just in case I get lucky. I will be linking up with the 2017 Finish-A-Long Quarter 2 Goals at Marci Girl Designs.

One Monthly Goal - April Goal

It is time to set our goals for April. We have been doing well so far this year just setting one goal each. So we are going to do that again this month. But I am straying from the preset list we made at the end of last year.

For my April goal I'm working on Callie and Beau's wedding quilt. It was on the schedule for August, but since their two year anniversary is coming up this month, I'm going to try and get it finished for them. I have sewn most of the blocks into groups of four already, and have started pinning rows together. But I have to remake some blocks that were lost in the process, not too many, less than 10. I can say it has been fun reading what everyone wrote on the blocks. I want the finish product to be a surprise for them, so here is a photo of the blocks at the wedding.

Sharla is working on what we loving call the Big Blue Flowers quilt. The fabric line is Lula Magnolia by The Quilted Fish from Riley Blake. She bought the fabric on a whim several years ago, and when we were trying to organize the fabric, Hollywood would not leave the backing fabric alone. That boy just kept trying to get next to it.  It is the only fabric he has ever reacted to that way. So I teased Sharla for the last two years that Hollywood wants his big blue flower quilt. The pattern she is going to use is called Big and Tall by Sunnyside Designs. Which is a fairly easy design. Here is a mock up of the quilt, please ignore the silly white lines, but I had to copy the fabric from the internet and they had a tape measure at the bottom. Yes I could have edited them, but it was more work than I wanted.

So those are our goals for April, which are totally doable!! I am linking up with Elm Street Quilts for One Monthly Goal. If you want to see what others are doing check out her linky party.

One Monthly Goal - March Goal

It is time to set my March goal (and Sharla's). We've both done well so far this year in completing our goals within the month time frame. You will see Sharla's February quilt top tomorrow and I showed mine earlier this month.

For March my goal is to complete my 2wenty-Thr3e City Street flimsy. I've had the layer cake since 2013 and had planned to use it in a completely different way. But when I pulled it out last month I changed my mind and decided to make the pattern City Streets with it. I've ordered and received the background/sashing fabric so I'm all ready to start. It is a fairly easy quilt so I'm hoping not to have any issues with it. Here is the mock up of what it should look like when it is completed.

Sharla is going to work on her Somerset Strip Box quilt. She started this quilt before her eye surgery and was really afraid she would have to undo most of what she had done. But when she checked out the pieces they weren't that bad, so she is moving forward with it as is. The quilt is made with 2 jelly rolls of Somerset by Fig Tree and she has had it since 2014.

Both of these are achievable goals, unless life goes wacky. I have to cut mine, but Sharla's pieces are already cut and partially sewn.  Now time to get cutting and sewing. I am linking up with Elm Street Quilts. 

One Monthly Goal - February Goal

Well Sharla and I did so well last month, we are setting our One Monthly Goal for this month. We have picked our projects for the month and already began working on them. As with last month I am limiting myself to one goal for me and one for Sharla and these will be to finish the quilt top only. My goals for finished quilts is done by quarter.

So my goal is to finish my cross quilt top. It was my first bee quilt and I've been working on it since 2014. I know that is a long time but it is made up of 289 6" square blocks, and even with the blocks I received from my bee mates, I had to make over 200 of the blocks. As of right now all the blocks are made and have been sewn into 16 patches. And those 16 patches are pinned into 32 patches.  Here are a couple of the 16 patches. The photos were taken late last night so the lighting suck, but I am so happy to see it coming together.

With the progress I'm making I really think I can get this finished by the end of the month. I am going to try and sew for at least 15 minutes a day for this month and we'll see how far that gets me.

Sharla is going to work on her Summerfest quilt. There is no real pattern for this quilt. It is two layer cakes that are pieced with a vertical sashing. Sharla like easy and fast and this one certainly fits the bill. She is using Moda's Bella Buttercup as her sashing and it looks great with the Summerfest prints. Here is the mock up we did in EQ7.

She has already picked the pattern of which fabrics go where, and will start sewing on it this weekend. She will sew the columns of squares together and then sash it and border it.  I think it is going to be a very bright and cheerful quilt when it is finished.

Ok so those are our goals for February. It is a short month, but I think both are obtainable. If you want to see what others are working on this month, check out the link up page at Elm Street Quilts.

2017 Finish-A-Long - Quarter 1 Goals

I didn't participate in the Finish-A-Long last year as much last year, and I missed it. So this year I'm going to try again. I'm listing all the projects I want to get done over the first quarter of this year. Now I know I won't get all of these done, but I'm hoping to at least get some of them done. And I wanted to give myself a variety of projects so that I don't only have large ones on my list. And all of these are in some stage of completion at this point.

1. Sharla's Flirt Quilt. This one is a fairly small quilt that Sharla finished quite a while ago, but has never made it on to the long arm. I want to do another small quilt before starting on Mecca's king sized quilt and this one has worked it's way to the top of the list.

2. Mecca's Courtyard Tiles Quilt. I finished the top before Christmas, but not the quilting, and since it was a Christmas present, it needs to get done. It will be the largest quilt I've ever quilted, and that makes me a little nervous. But it has to get done. Here is what I showed Mecca at Christmas.

3. Sharla's Juggling Summer Quilt. This is another big quilt, not quite king size, but very close. And Sharla wants it done before winter is over. I'm not sure it will get done right after Mecca's because it is so big, but hopefully not too far behind it.

4. Shauna's Big and Bold Quilt. Yeah one for me. I'm working on piecing the top as my January project and it is almost done, so I would like to get it quilted so it can become my chair quilt. It is twin size, so large but not too big. Here is half of one row.

5. Sharla's City Streets Quilt. She is piecing this one as her January project and it is another one that is about a twin size. I am hoping it is one that I can get done quickly, just to get some things off of my list. She has the four big rows completed.

6. Shauna's Cross Quilt. I've been working on this one since January 2015. I've finished all the blocks but need to get them assembled into a top and quilted. This is a queen sized top, so it is going to take some time, but I would really love to finish it, I love all the blocks in this one, they just make me happy.

7. Sharla's Summerset Quilt. She started this one before her eye surgery and then it went into a box and hasn't seen the light of day since. It is on her list to complete in March and if she finishes it early enough I would love to get it quilted. It is beautiful spring colors and would be great to use on her bed.

8. Shauna's Flying Geese Quilt. This is my Stash Bee quilt from 2015 and I love it. It is not super big, so it would be a great one to fit in between some of the bigger quilts. I adore flying geese quilts and this one is just great. I think I love it because of all the wonderful bright colors against the low volume back ground.

9. Sharla's Monkey Quilt. I was supposed to do this one before Mecca's quilt, but we thought we had lost the part of the backing, only to find that Hollywood had drug it out to the back porch. I have to see if it is usable or not. I'm hoping it will be OK if we just wash it.

10. Sharla's Batik Table Runner. This one has been finished for over 2 years and should be easy enough to quilt since it is only a table runner, but somehow I never seem to get it loaded and quilted. Hopefully putting it on the list will help spur me to get it done. I still need to dig this one out to photograph, but once I do I'll modify this post.

OK that is where I'm stopping, I have a ton more I could list, but I don't think I can get all of these done. But I have a good variety of sizes and some for me, some for Sharla and even one for Mecca. I will be linking up with Finish-A-Long at Rhonda's [Quilt] Ramblings, and she is just one of the many hostesses this year.