End of June & a new month of goals

I thought I had set reasonable goals for June, but in reflection, maybe not.

Play more golf - YES (but it takes away sewing time too)

Have fun on the quilt shop bus trip - YES, YES, YES

Finish binding & label on Wildflowers quilt - Bound but still needs a label

Add designated row to the guild Row Robin project - YES

Bind & label Hugs n Kisses baby quilt - not touched!

Make 2 self-binding flannel baby blankets - no

Make 4 blocks for A Year to Crow About (then I'll be caught up) - finished 2 of the 4

I also got a few other small things finished or started (NewFOs):

• Summer Poppies 60 degree table runner - cut and sewed 2, ready to quilt 1 of them
• Baby burb cloths - finished 2, have 6 more cut out
• Red/black wall hanging - halfway through quilting it

So that means that some of these items will become part of my July goal list. I have a few days off in July before the craziness of school trainings, meetings, and in-services begins at the end of the month. I haven't had this many days off during the summer in years, so I must admit to enjoying some lazy days this summer when I have not accomplished much of anything.

So with that in mind, here are my July goals:

• spend more time with friends & family
• put the label onto the Wildflowers quilt
• finish my red/black wall hanging & hang it in my sewing room
• make the 2 self-binding baby blankets (gifts for July/August babies)
• finish my Year to Crow About blocks
• bind Hugs n Kisses quilt
• make 4 more Scrappy Trip Around World blocks
• quilt and bind my Summer Poppies 60 degree table runner

Another June goal

One of my goals in June was to relax and play a little more golf. Note - I'm not very good - but I do enjoy it.  Well this week my husband and I spent golfing. I've played 18 holes at 5 different courses this week.  It was our "stay-cation". No hotel rooms, no spa, no fancy restaurants. But we've spent some time together and also some time with friends.  All-in-all a good week and I can check off another goal.

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Another crow block

Only 3 more to go and I will have all 12 ready to sew together . . .

A closer look

I just had to share a few more photos of yesterday's quilt.  The setting for these blocks was a "super" sashing, with some blocks surrounding by a pieced wide sashing. Other blocks fit in without any sashing.  This layout was from a past Saturday Sampler project.

Wildflower Friendship Quilt

 It's always nice to record a finish and especially nice when the quilt has a special meaning. This was a friendship exchange started a couple of years ago. The focus fabric (Wildflower line) was purchased and each one of 12 ladies received 1 yard. We had to use that focus in our block. We each made 13 blocks, so that when exchanged we had a block from everyone. The 13th set of blocks we put together into a quilt that was donated locally to a scholarship fund raffle. 

Each of the 12 blocks is beautiful and I have photos taken of each friend holding up her block so I can always go back to remember who made which one.  The yellow border is from the same fabric line and is just the yellow version of the aqua focus fabric.  I really love the results - so happy and perfect for summer.

Fat quarter friendly project

I'm working on some baby gifts and they are fat quarter friendly.  These burp cloths use a 12 x 16 rectangle backed with organic hemp fleece. And the binding is done just like a quilt.  I can get the binding for 2 cloths from one fat quarter.  I'm using some of the fun fat quarters I bought on the recent shop hop trip.  From the left overs I'm cutting "bricks" to use in a future kid's quilt.

My girls have loved these for themselves and for giving as gifts.  So I need to replenish my stash.

I'm back!

I've been missing in action since the middle of last week. And I was not doing any sewing. Instead I played a little golf, had fun attending some social events, and spent time with family for Father's Day. So I've had my "grandma" fix for a week or so.

This morning I ran out to pick up my last quilt that Carly quilted for me.  This is my second Fat Quarter Stars project where I primarily used Kate Spain's Terrain fabric line. I asked for just an edge-to-edge design and Carly did a lovely swirly pattern in a powder blue thread that matches the backing.  Can't wait to get the binding on this one.

A big thank you to Carly for all of the beautiful quilting she has done for me over the past few years. And best wishes on your new job!

One June goal is done

I can't post a picture yet, but am happy to report that my June row is complete for the Row Robin project.  This was a 6" row and I am very pleased with the results - which I think fit perfectly with the theme of this person's quilt.  So - I've written in her book, autographed her label, and packed it all back up in the box so it's ready to pass along to the next person on the first Saturday of July at our guild meeting.

Summer Mystery Quilt

Instead of beginning a new block of the month at The Pin Cushion, they decided to do a 3 month mystery quilt for Saturday Sampler.  This is going to be a 2-fabric quilt, so we needed a light and a dark.  I was going to do red and white, but this red floral has touches of gold in it so this gold dot looks much better than white would have.  I have this month's pieces all cut (including borders) and stitched.  
Can't wait to get next month's installment. This is my first mystery quilt, and patience is not my best virtue.

Digging into my new purchases

I made good use of my afternoon off yesterday to get a couple of things made using my new purchases from the quilt shop hop.  First thing I made was the pillowcase for my grandson using the Dinosaur Train fabric I found in Old Alley Quilt Shop in Sherburn MN.  He loves Dinosaur Train so this was a perfect purchase.

My second project was making two 60 degree table runners from this gorgeous poppy fabric. This was a purchase in New London MN at The Flying Goose.  Both of these are sandwiched with back and batting - ready to quilt.  I bought 3 different border prints to use for 60 degree runners at 3 different shops.  I'm a little obsessed with these.

Blissfully buried in fabric

We had a wonderful time on the 2 day shop hop bus trip this past weekend.  10 Minnesota quilt shops in 2 days!  Exhausting - but fun, fun, fun with old friends and new ones.  My roommate Linda came all the way from Rapid City to join us.  That is dedication!

I finally had the chance early this morning to unpack my shopping bags and spread out the goodies I purchased (and won).  This photo isn't the best, but it does prove that I had success finding things to keep me "blissfully buried in fabric".  That is the quote on a small panel I purchased that is destined to become a wall hanging for my sewing room.

I'll share more about some of my treasures later this week.  Now - since I have the afternoon off, what should I start with?  Guess I really need to start by removing this pile from the dining room table and putting it in my sewing room where I can play with it.

Piece Love Quilt

I am on a 2 day quilt shop hop in central Minnesota.  How much fun is it to be on a bus with 50 quilters all armed with credit cards and ideas?  LOTS!!

10 shops in 2 days!

Fun office supplies

I admit it - I am an office supply addict.  I love to browse for fun new paper, clips, sticky notes and other things that make my desk a little brighter.  And once in awhile I find something that is useful in other ways.  This is my latest find . . . Post-it tape.  I saw 3 colors including yellow, lime green, and white.  And I found a perfect use for it in my sewing room to label drawers showing what type of fabric or what project is hiding there. 

Generous friends

I've met some great people online since I began blogging a few years ago.  One of those people I've also met in person and now have shared a couple of things via mail.  A couple of years ago I made a block for her in a friendship exchange project.

Moneik read my post about the Scrappy Trip Around the World blocks that I'm making from blue and green batiks.  She offered to share some with me that were left over from her own projects.  I was tickled pink! 

And Monday I got a soft squishy little package in the mail.  Not only did she share some blue and green strips of batik, but added a few other gorgeous colors as well. I know these will find homes in other projects because I just love batiks.  Thanks Moneik - can't wait to add these to my blocks!!

Another Traveling Star

I made another Traveling Star block on Sunday.  My regular readers know that our local guild has a tradition of members bringing a 6" square of fabric for each member whenever they travel and have an opportunity to visit a quilt shop.  This one came from a member who visited Orange City Iowa for the tulip festival this spring.  No tulips were blooming yet due to the cool spring weather but this fabric was in full bloom.

I've been taking those 6" squares and making a star block with them.  That way I don't have to cut into any of them.  Scrappy white backgrounds and star points made with coordinating fabrics that read solid from a distance.  This was a pink fairy frost left over from another project.  A good use of scraps.

Another UFO is a flimsy

My last May goal project is now done. My Terrain version of the Fat Quarter Stars sampler now has borders. I love this one just as much as the red version I did (which still needs binding).

This was an online quilt-along project hosted by Moose on the Porch Quilts a couple of years ago. She had guest bloggers design some of the blocks and she did others. I really really LOVE star blocks and these were such fun. I couldn't wait to see each new design.

I decided to do these blocks using 2 different colorways and bought 2 very different fat quarter bundles.  This one is mostly Terrain, by Kate Spain. I did add one purple and the white background.  The narrow borders are Iris - and it is just the color of those deep purple iris that my mom grew.  This photo is a little dull since it is a very overcast gray day, but the purples really dominate in this quilt.  I love it.

June goals

Summer has arrived and after this next week I'll actually have some vacation time.  I'm SO looking forward to having some time off this summer.  There are no big vacation plans but we do hope to spend a few days in the Black Hills at some point this summer. And I plan to have a really good time with some friends on the quilt shop bus trip hosted by our guild. I'm sure there will be a credit card involved and fabric added to my stash.

So here are some goals for June:

• Play more golf
• Have fun on the quilt shop bus trip
• Finish binding & label on Wildflowers quilt
• Add designated row to the guild Row Robin project
• Bind & label Hugs n Kisses baby quilt 
• Make 2 self-binding flannel baby blankets
• Make 4 blocks for A Year to Crow About (then I'll be caught up)