Quilt Diary: February 2020 Goals

Time flies by!  It has already been another week. I thought I could update you on what I have been doing this week towards my February goals.  Even though this is a big travel month, I do also have some home time.  I think it will end up being a very balanced month.  My daughter is coming for a visit next week.  She is going to watch Shaun play hockey next weekend and come home with us.  Then her boyfriend will be flying up and the two of them will be skiing for a week.  When she gets back, Shaun and I will be gone to another hockey tournament.  Including this weekend, that is 3 weekends of hockey, hockey, hockey.  There is only one weekend without hockey and luckily Caitlin will be here.

On to quilting…..

Challenges

As mentioned last time, I have signed up for a number of challenges this month.  Some last all year and some are for a few weeks.  And yes, I ended up folding to join more Quilt-a-Longs.  I am still on the fence about one more…..

Quilter’s Planner Block of the Month is a 12 month sew-a-long. This is all solids for me this year.  Most people are using Kona, but not me.  I chose to use Michael Miller solids.  I love the thread count and the feel of this fabric.  I posted the January block last post.  I’ve pulled and cut the February block and just finished sewing it.

Monthly Color Challenge with Patterns by Jen.  From what I understand this is the second year for this challenge.  The theme this year is birds.  We learn about a bird who has color of the month feathers.  I mentioned it last time that January was yellow.  Not only have I gotten the January yellow (Finch) block sewn, I also pulled, cut, and sewed the February teal (Indigo Bunting) block.  I am using my Alison Glass stash for this challenge.  I love how the blocks are turning out.  Lots of beautiful blocks being posted on Instagram.  How does the name Feathers of a Color or Flocking Colors?  Hmmm will have to keep working on the name of that quilt.

Cosmos Mystery Quilt hosted by Cotton Cuts is going very well.  Every block comes precut and ready to sew.  How easy is that?!  These are usually 9 months long and clue 7 arrived this week and is also patiently waiting for me to sew it.  It likes hanging out on my sewing table with all the other projects.  I swear I hear it saying Me! Me! Me!  Did any of you see the new Guicy Guice lines coming out?  They are absolutely fabulous.  I am quickly becoming a fan of his fabrics.  They will go well with my Alison Glass stash!  Rumor also has it that the spring mystery quilt is shipping this week – Rose.  So there will be a small overlap.

Lost and Found Quilt is an English Paper Piecing Sew-a-long.  I finished up my second block this week.  The Kaffe Fassett fabrics are perfect for this project.  I have some of his fabric but am always puzzled how to use such gloriously chaotic fabric.  The color tutorials that are going along with this sew-a-long is helping me with understanding how to pick the fabrics.  Seeing things actually together is also another growing moment for me.  I tend to be conservative and simple in my fabric (not color choices).  Month 2 came out this week so it is time to read through the lesson to do my fabric pull and then cut everything up.  I especially want to make sure it is ready when we go to San Diego.  Hockey tournaments are like perfect for working on this block.  The rest of this week will be to at least pull the fabrics and cut the pieces for blocks 3 and 4.

All People Quilt UFO Challenge 2020 is going well.  It is actually kind of refreshing random way to work on projects that you have set aside.  January was my NYE quilt from 2010.  While I did not finish it in January, I continue to work on it. I even made the finish my #onemonthlygoal with Elm Street’s Monthly Goal challenge.  I finished up border 3 and have sewn the binding together.  My #onethingwithAmy this week is to have the binding ready.  It is ready to be ironed and that should be easy peazy this week right.  Meanwhile the February quilt that was picked was my 2018 Quilter’s Planner BOM – Sunflower colorway (I did two that year).  This week found me trying to work on it 15 minutes every day and amazing progress has been made.  The blocks are assembled and the two borders have been added.  It originally was supposed to be only one border but I did not have enough yardage to do one so I improvised with two fabrics that are very similar and made two borders to equal the one.  After the border is on, then it will be time to piece the back.  Not sure how far I will get on this quilt in February, but I feel good where I am so far.  I haven’t done a pieced back in a while.  They are always fun.  It is almost like you are making another top.  The quilt could easily be reversible.  I tend to be more organized in my pieced back than others (a formula).

Meadowland Quilt-a-long hosted by Then Came June.  I had the pattern already so I kept going back and forth on whether to do it or not.  I opted in this week.  I decided to use my Tula Pink Monkey Wrench fat quarters.  I just picked up 2 1/2 yards of background fabric today and a few more Tula Pink fat quarters.  This week is cutting all the fabric (she has fat quarter cutting instructions) and then “matching” up your blocks.  Then you just sew 5 blocks a week for four weeks I think.  You need one fat quarter for each block.  I have cut 21 blocks so far.  Just nine more to get done by Sunday.

Sugaridoo Bernina Quilt-a-long is a bit stalled for me in month 2 because month two is freezer paper sewing.  I promised myself that I would push through last month today then move on to this month.  It is a new technique and that is the point of doing these challenges is to grow in knowledge as well as quilt tops.  This will be my pink row and I am using my Alison Glass hand dyed fabrics which are batik in nature but softer.  Wish me luck on this one.  It is a total mental block.

A few month’s ago I won a free 6 month subscription to Modern Make magazine.  It is digital magazine that is released monthly.  In last month’s magazine was a swap hosted by Gnome Angel to smash your stash.  You could participate (make as many blocks) as you want.  You give your information online and you are matched with someone with similar interests.  The block you make is in the magazine each month.  And the even cooler thing is you sign up each month.  So if you can’t do it one month, no worries.  Don’t sign up!  I went easy this month and am only doing one swap. I figured I could ease into it.  So by end of month, I have to have my partner’s block made and send in a picture to the host who will then send me the address to mail my block to (that will be my real challenge as my daughter can attest to).  I have my marching orders.  I just need to pull the fabric and print out the block instructions.

The other one that I am on the fence about is the Jeweled Facets SAL hosted by Karie Jewell.  I have everything already to do this sew-a-long but that sure is a lot of English Paper Piecing pressure.  I have the rest of this week to decide as this is the week for pulling fabric and to begin prepping.  You only make a total of 5 blocks.  That’s not overwhelming is it?  Decisions.  Decisions.  Decisions.  Of course, if I do participate, it will be with Alison Glass fabric.  I just received the new 2020 Sunprints!  Perfect for this project.

My Other Projects

I have to laugh.  You would think that all the above challenges would be enough for me, but no.  I am overly optimistic and continuously work on multiple projects.  My weekly to do list usually has a step on 10-15 different projects.  Of course, that is the secret, one step at a time.  15 minutes a day.

I have two defunct challenges that I continue to plug away at.  There is my 365 block challenge that I began in 2018.  I love this project and I have grown tremendously with this project.  My goal for this challenge this month is to finish the first dark border.  Then we have the Farmers Wife 1920 EPP project started at the end of 2018 that I continue to plug a way at.  My introduction to English Paper Piecing.  I love this project and I don’t really care how long it takes, it is just plain fun.  I am working on block 38 – Four Winds in AG reds and purples.  This block has 64 pieces.  I am beyond happy to be hand sewing this block versus any other method. It is the perfect to go project – small and easy to transport.

Then we have my other English Paper Piecing project I started on my own this year – Ruby’s Garden.  My goal this month is to finish one block.  Just one.  It is fun to see this grow.  I saw there are some other people who started this double diamond hexie project this month.  I am no longer alone!

As you are aware, my other big love is applique.  We will move into my plans this month on some of these projects.  First up is the progress on my Wooly Mug Rugs.  Not sure if it was this week or last but I finished whip stitching my Candy Cane set and have started the embroidery embellishment part.  While I love the results, I have never embroider alot so every stitch is me learning something.  Well I have done french knots and backstitch before.  But everything else is learning.  The cool thing about working with wool is how easy this little bit makes a huge difference.  It doesn’t hurt that everything is a black background which I love.  So yesterday found me doing the stem stitch on the leaves of my holly berries and adding some evergreen.  It was a little rough going, but the overall effect is awesome.  My mistakes just fade into the background.  A year from now, I probably won’t even be able to find them.  The snowmen which are the last of this series will be up after I finish the candy canes.  Next on the candy canes is learning some kind of loop stitch to do around the candy cane.  Fun!

Since I was free motion quilting the NYE quilt, it was easy to transition to quilting my Blooming Series.  I worked on the Pansies and finished both the top background and the bottom background.  I have mentally decided to do these with two different textures.  I did it on the Apples because the fabric called for it.  I love the look it gave.  The bottom is straightline (of some kind) and the top is a meander of some kind.  Pansies are ready to be squared up and bound.  The leaves is what is left to work on this week.  I finished the meander part already, I just need to finish up the straight line quilting and I will be able to check off this week’s to do list.  They are coming along nicely.

For the Year in Words Series I finished piecing the units for the pieced block portion of Winter yesterday.  I was able to finish putting together Winter as well so it is ready for machine applique. For Give Thanks, I just need to sew together the top.  For the Halloween top, I finished the machine applique this week.  Up next is free motion quilting.

That just leaves binding my Halloween Mug Rugs and trimming up my Christmas Advent blocks.  Not too many things.  Just a step here and step there…..

That’s A Wrap!

That is everything going on this week.  I took today as a vacation day like I would normally for a hockey weekend.  I end up getting most of today because this weekend is in our home town and we get to sleep in our own bed.  It also means that the parentals are responsible for getting the boychild to the rink early not grandma.  We have four games this weekend.  The normal – one Friday, two Saturday, and one Sunday.  That leaves lots of sewing time.  Well I need to hit the Ace Hardware as I am also fighting my toilet and losing.  Anyone won’t to loan me your man for a day?  I have tons of things that need to be done.  Just kidding.

Happy quilting and safe travels,

Peggy