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.

Friday Finish - 06/16/17

I actually finished this quilt on June 5th, but life has just been busy and I've not gotten it photographed until today. And today's pictures aren't wonderful, but I will take what I can get. The quilt is Hollywood's Zombie quilt, and the story behind it is...Cole calls Hollywood his zombie apocalypse dog. Hollywood is supposed to protect him in the event of a zombie apocalypse. Now I don't do zombies, I don't watch the Walking Dead, really I don't do scary stuff at all. But when I saw a bundle of Riley Blake Zombie Apocalypse fabric on sale at Fat Quarter Shop, I just couldn't resist. I have had the fabric for about 3 years, and it just never worked it ways to the top of my to do list, but it was my June project and so I had to work on it.

I debated about doing something more complicated, but since the real stars of the fabrics were the zombies I wanted to make sure they were really seen. And as much as I'm not into to zombies, these are pretty cute. I went with a simple sashed block pattern that let me get the most out of the 9 fat quarters that were in the bundle.

I love that some of the fabrics gave important zombie facts, like zombies are attracted by loud noises and lights. So I will be hiding in a dark room if there is an apocalypse.

I am very happy to have finished this one early in the month because it gives me time to work on a few projects not on my monthly list. It will be a little bit before it get's quilted, but that is ok, Hollywood is very patient. I am hoping to get injections in my knees later this month which should help so that I can get some quilting done. It isn't a large quilt, only 55 x 55, so it might move up the list of quilts, just because I can get it done easier.

Well that is my finish for today...yeah!!! I am linking up with Can I Get A Whoop Whoop @ Confessions of a Fabric Addict,  Finish It Up Friday @ Crazy Mom Quilts, TGIFF: Thank Goodness It's Finished Friday @ Cut & Alter and Finished or Not Friday @ Busy Hands Quilts. And since this is my OMG for June, I will be linking up with Elm Street Quilts.

Friday Finish - 05/19/17

I'm excited about today's finish because it is the oldest UFO, well that isn't exactly true, I have a couple of tops that are older, but no other UFOs or fabric bundles older than this one. I received a jelly roll for Christmas in 2012 from Tom and Mecca. I knew right away I wanted to make a coin quilt out of it, and so I sewed the strips together, then sub cut those into groups and made the groups into columns and then it sat and sat and sat. I couldn't make up my mind on what to use for the sashing. I thought black, then grey, then white, and then another batik, but just couldn't commit to any of them. Every time I would straighten the sewing room I would find these and think I need to finish that, but then I would go around and around with myself on what color to do for the sashing.

I knew that if I was going to get it done, I needed to put it on my list for this year and it became my May top to complete. Even then I still debated about what color to use for the sashing. I wanted something that would highlight the great colors of the jelly roll, but also blend in some too.

I finally took the strips an laid out on my long arm and then put the Kona Card and Bella Solids card that I have up against them, and finally picked Washed Black by Bella Solids. Then I had to order the fabric, so I started off a little late, but since it was only sashing it went together really quickly.

I finished the quilt on Monday, but the wind was blowing really hard, so no chance to photograph it. Then Sharla was sick, then errands after work and then rain predicted. I tried to snap a couple of photos before the rain came, but the wind was still playing tricks on me.

Every time I fixed one corner another one would curl up, so I gave up and said this is as good as it is going to get. I really love the colors in this and I think it is going to be a nice size lap quilt when I'm done. Since I had already dropped Sharla off at work it was just me against the wind and the wind won.

This is my one monthly goal for May, so yeah I met my goal. I'm still making progress on the #100days100blocks2017 and will show everyone week two block on Sunday. Sharla has battled a bug a couple of times this month, so she she has some work to do, but she is staying current with her 100 blocks too. I will link this up with Elm Street Quilts at the end of the month. And I am linking up with Can I Get A Whoop Whoop @ Confessions of a Fabric Addict,  Needle and Thread Thursday @ My Quilt Infatuation, Finish It Up Friday @ Crazy Mom Quilts, Thank Goodness It's Finshed Friday @ Quilting is More Fun than Housework and Finished or Not Friday @ Busy Hands Quilts. And I'll be back on Sunday to report my numbers for the week and show you our blocks for the week.

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.

Quarterly Review of Goals

In late December I set some goals/plans for 2017 and since the first quarter is over, I thought it was time to review to see how I was doing.

Goal 1 was to use the Quilter's Planner more, and I've failed at this, plain and simple. I think because my life is pretty boring, so I don't have lots to schedule. Which is ok, I still love the planner for all the wonderful blocks and patterns in it.

Goal 2 was to start a Gratitude Journal, and I've been very successful with this one. I've written in the journal every day this year. Some days it was tough, because I just wanted to go to bed and go to sleep, but I found that even if it is a short entry it is worth it.

Goal 3 was to keep a to do list and I've been doing well with this one as too. I don't do it daily, but I do it weekly and that really keeps me focused on what I need to get done. Somethings my stay on the list way too long, but I keep transferring them until they are done.  Which is a great way for me to keep myself accountable.

Goal 4 was to move my sewing area. This has been done, and is working well. Sharla and I are both liking the setup. It allows us to sew together, or even if only one is sewing the other can still be in the same room talking with the other. I think I sew more in the evenings with this setup, but I could still get some more time in at my machine.

Goal 5 was a preset project list. This is going very very well. Sharla and I have both completed 3 tops this year off of our list. I did make an adjustment to my list by swapping my April project, and I think Sharla is going to make a change to her May project, but over all we are very happy. Here are the 6 tops done to date.

Goal 6 was to unsubscribe emails, which I have done. It is an ongoing process but I've reduced the amount of emails I get by at least 50% if not more which I count as a success. It is nice not to have so much junk mail.

Goal 7 was to review/edit my blog reading list and I've done this one as well. But it could be pared down some more. I have tried to start watching which blogs I blow through without ever reading for whatever reason and then about every other month, delete them from my reading list. I also try to look at past posts before following a new blog. I may like the one post I found through whatever reason, but when I look at other posts, if they don't appeal to me I don't follow the blog. Before the first of the year, if I missed reading a day or two of posts, my reading list became totally unmanageable, so I would just mark everything as read.  That hasn't happened since I parred down my list, which is great.

Goal 8 was fabric/project organization which I really needs work. I recently went to look for a couple of old projects and spent a lot of time and couldn't find them. I knew I had them, I found 2 parts of them but not the other two parts. I was going insane, I found them right where they should have been, but they weren't in one of the totes I use they were in a card board box that I thought was holding thread. So this one is definitely going to get more work in this coming up quarter.

All in all I don't think I'm doing that badly, I'm making progress which is what matters, and I'm enjoying the process which is equally as important. I've completed two quilts as well this quarter, and one of those was a king sized one. Here are the two finished quilts.

So yes I still have work to do, but I'm making progress which is all that matters to me. I hope you are making progress on your goals as well.

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.

2017 Planning Linky Party

First let me say, yes I am alive and I'm sorry for dropping off the blogging cliff. I don't have a good excuse, I just didn't want to blog.  I can't even say why I haven't wanted to blog, I've not gotten lots done, but I have done some things I could blog about. I think it is more that life in general took my time and my focus.

But enough about what I've not done, let's talk about what I am going to do. I'm joining Yvonne at QuiltingJetGirl for her #2017PlanningParty. I've linked up with her the last couple of years and while I may not have accomplished everything on my list, it is still a good thing for me to list goals, if for no other reason than to push me to make them.

Last year I cut my list of goals down quite a bit and although I've working on all of them some, I'm not sure I mastered any of them. So I think I'm going to use them again this year.  Yes I know that seems like cheating, but I really do want to be better at all of these things.

1. Use More/Buy Less.  I did really well with this until about July. I participate in the Annual Piggy Bank Savings = Money for Quilting Challenge and when I counted up my money I went on a bit of a spending spree, that lasted way too long. Not to mention the Black Friday Sales.  Now I realize that to say I'm not going to buy fabric is just plain silly, that isn't going to happen. But what I have done is listed 12 projects where I currently have everything or almost everything to complete the top, and each month I'll pick one to finish that month.  They range in age from 4 years to just purchased, and are all really easy quilts, so I should be able to complete the top in a month.  Here is my list

To keep it interesting, I'm going to randomly pick one each month to complete. I've also decided to join The Honey Pot Bee this year, and I've decided that I will use my stash. I am going to use the ton of low volume fabrics I have with pops of colors all coming from my stash. Currently I have two tubs of low volume fabrics and I would like to get that down to one. I gave up tracking my usage last year around June or July, but I'm going to try again this year.

2. Quilt for Others. I did the more last year than ever before, but didn't quite get it completed. I have a king sized quilt for my sister-in-law, that was supposed to be her Christmas present that is going to be just a little late.  Luckily I have the top completed so I can at least show her progress.  And if you look at the list above there is one for Callie and Beau and one for Cole on the list. I know that isn't a lot, but I am more about taking small steps.

3. Balance and Organization. I did use the planner last year for part of the year, and they everything just stopped. But I've purchased my 2017 planner, have a to-do tablet on my desk to keep me on track and a mindset to get myself organized.  I've always been a list maker, now it is time to start knocking things off the list.  I've also done some real organization of my projects, it isn't complete, but it is so much better than it was. It lets me find things and hopefully keeps me purchasing something I already have.

4. Find Reasons to Be Happy.  This one is different from last year. Last year I wanted to stop comparing myself to others, and I've done much better. So although that will still be a goal, I want to focus more on finding the things that make me happy. Little things, big things, it doesn't matter the size. In 2015 I did the 100 days of Happy Challenge and that really helped me focus on finding joy in little everyday things and I want to focus on that in 2017. Will I have 365 days of Happy, that is doubtful, but I'm hoping to find something to be happy about on most days.

5. Keep Moving Forward. I hope that this one is always on my list. I always want to do new things, shed things holding me back, and change direction as needed. Yes that is vague, but for 2017 I just want to do something different. That could be join a guild, learn a new skill or tap dance naked down main street, ok let's knock one of those off the potential list.  I already know of one new thing I'm going to do and that is quilt a king sized quilt, so hopefully I will be off to a good start.

That is it for me for now. I hope each of you has a Very Merry Chirstmas and a Happy New Year. And if you want to check out other's goals head on over to QuiltingJetGirl's Blog.

OMG June Goals

I didn't set any goals for May and basically did very little sewing/quilting. So I'm going to go back to at least setting a few goals for myself. It's not like I will be punished if I don't complete the goals, and if it spurs me on to do more then all the better.

Main Goal. This is the one thing I want to get done for OMG and that would be get my plus quilt quilted. It is actually loaded onto the long arm, but I've not been able to get started on it. But it isn't really big so I should be able to get it done without issue if I can spend a day or two working on it. I don't have a good picture of the finished top, but here it is on the design wall.

#2. Bee Blocks, which is really not much of a goal since I've completed both blocks already. But I want to cut some extra fabric to send with them. And I don't consider them complete until they are in the mail.

#3. Callie and Beau's wedding quilt. I want to get it up onto the design wall and start piecing the top. I don't think I can get it completed this month, but I am hoping to at least get the top pieced or at least 75% complete.

#4. Ariella's top complete and start on Samuel's. I have to make progress on these because I want them off of my list of things to do. If I can get moving on them, I might be able to quilt Ariella's over the 4th of July weekend.

#5. Start cutting on Mecca's quilt. I still have to pick out the background fabric and get it ordered, but I have the FQ bundle, so I could get started on the cutting. It will be the largest quilt I ever made, so I need to allow lots of time to get it done.

#6. Cross blocks assembled. I would like to get another 20 four patches of cross blocks done. Since it is a large quilt, I'm sewing the 6 inch blocks into groups of 4 to make 12 inch blocks. That will make assembling the top a little easier.

#7. Quilt something else. I have a whole stack of quilts that need to be quilted and I just need to get off my bum and get going on them. If I had my choice it would be my flying geese quilt, but I will settle for getting anything else quilted this month.

#8. Clean my sewing room. I know I've not been sewing a lot so it shouldn't be dirty, but it is amazing how much dust gathers everywhere. I've got it pretty much organized the way I want it for now, but I need to do a good clean of everything.

That is my list, and yes it is long, and no I won't complete everything. But I've decided it is better to aim for the stars and miss, than to just do nothing.

Q2 - Finish-A-Long Goals

It is so hard for me to set goals for three months. I know what I want to do right now, but that could easily change in the next week or two...ok it could change in the next 20 minutes. But setting no goals seems wrong too. So here is my best guess on what I want to finish during the next quarter. Of course it is all dependent on my knees getting better (and hopefully soon).

1. My tic tac toe quilt. It is pressed and ready to load as soon as my knees are up to it.

2. My flying geese quilt. I want this one done, because it just makes me so happy. Of all the tops I've made I think this is my favorite, because it is bright and cheerful.

3. / 4. / 5. / 6. Memory quilts, I need to get these done and if I don't put them on the list they won't get any work. I want them done to give to the people, but more just to get them off my list.

7. Callie and Beau's wedding quilt. I need to get this one done, because it has almost been a year since the wedding. Now in my defense I didn't get the blocks back for 6 months but still it needs to be done.

8. Cole's tic tac toe quilt. I'm the queen of two bees this month and I have both of them making the same block, in order to make a quilt for Cole. I've still got to make lots of extra blocks to make it big enough, but I have been making good progress so far.

9. / 10. / 11. / 12. Any of the 18 tops I have completed waiting to be quilted. My top choices would be Sharla's Norway, Sharla's Flirt, my purple alternating 4 patch and the Pumpkin table runner. But I would be happy if any of the 18 got done. Below are some of them laid out on my long arm.

Now those are the things I want to finish. I would also like to get at least one or two more tops completed during this quarter, if at all possible. I will be linking up with the Debbie at A Quilter's Table (and all the other hosts) for 2016 FAL.