To Do Tuesday #156

Being on the road so much this month is really messing with my blog schedule. I apologize but let’s see if I can get us caught up.

I just got back from a week at Zephyr Cove on Lake Tahoe for my annual quilt retreat with one of Quilt Zoom groups. We had a lot of fun and the weather was perfect. I don’t have very many picutres because I wasn’t outside very much. I was working hard at the sewing machine.

Our host Studio B’s – Beth offers massage and facials to attendees and I indulged in both! By Wednesday I definitely needed that massage!

I will be linking up with Carol Schmilt’s To Do Tuesday this week.

Progress Since September 2nd

I hadn’t realized it had been so long and I really don’t have any excuses. I was just running around like a chicken with her head cut off. 🐔

Finishes!

I acutally have a few that I wanted to share since we last chatted.

Spring Placemats

Recently I have been hand mitering the corners before finishing the binding on the sewing machine. I can’t remember why I started doing that so I think I will skip the hand work next time and see how it goes. Meanwhile, it felt good to finally finish everything for this spring set that I plan to use with my March table runner.

Not My Kitten (A Riley Blake Monthly Banner)

I took this one to the retreat and finished up making this banner top! I loved how it turned out and it has really inspired me to work on the other monthly banners I have been “collecting”.

Stars Aligned (Strip Club Pattern using Farm Flag collection by Minick & Simpson)

This was my main project at the Quilt Retreat and I was able to finish all the main blocks and the sashing units. My sashing units are all red. I have definitely fallen in love with the end results.

Yesterday was a Quilt Zoom Day. I was able to finish assembling the center of this quilt. Then I played around with my cutoff scraps and pulling fabrics from my stash to use in addition to my original border fabric purchases. There are a lot of cutoffs. I am thinking 🧐 I will assemble all the cutoffs into flying geese units to make a pieced border. I am still thinking hard on how best to use all my scraps. I know this delays the completion of the top. I just can’t help myself. I like using up all those scraps whenever I can.

This was not an easy pattern to work on, but I have fallen in love with the results. This pattern was found during the unpacking of sewing room and is a kit I pulled together back in 2008. That was really the beginning of my quilty life. I did good with this one.

Baby Blankets & Burp Clothes

My daughter requested some burp cloths for her friends who are having babies, so one afternoon BEFORE the retreat, I came across this fish & whale flannel and was inspired to make up the receiving blankets with matching burp cloths. Had enough scraps left to make just one more. The first receipent is modeling the whale receiving blanket. Welcome little guy!

EVERYTHING ELSE

As you can guess, I didn’t just work on one project. I took 5 different projects to the quilt retreat but only worked on 3. (That is pretty good for me!)

Leaders & Enders – Churn Dash blocks

I finished 3 at the retreat and one during the quilt zoom day. So good progress.

I am not a green girl, but I am really loving how the white churn dash pops against the dark green background.

Turkey Lurkey (Riley Blake Banner of the Month)

This was waiting for me when I got home from the retreat and I just could not resist cutting it out yesterday during Quilt Zoom. It actually went pretty fast.

Queen of Diamonds by Pink Door Fabrics using all Tula Pink fabrics

I found some time to do some English Paper Piecing. I was able to finish the top and bottom units for Block 3-4 (Month 3, Blk 4). This one has a lot of pieces so will take a little bit of time. I can’t wait to finish. That owl will be awesome in the center of the block.

Miscellaneous Items checked off my list

• Worked at least 30 minutes in the sewing studio
• Meet with my Gammill Consultant – Kat who I will be seeing in person later this week when I attend Oregon Summit
• Finished moving cross stitch supplies to office (freed up space for projects and fabrics)
• Obviously found a Main project for quilting retreat – Stars Aligned
• Managed to get everything I needed for the quilt retreat
• Tested my new travel machine
• Changed ALL of my rotary blades and put new sewing machine needles in ALL of my machines

Weekly To Do List

I am only home for a few days this week before I am back on the road so this is mainly a regroup of where I am in my long list of things that need to be done 🙊

• Find my insert for the 770 sewing table 📦
• Find my long arm quilting supplies
• Install CS7 on my laptop before leaving for Summit
• Backing for ARE YOU GAME? Quilt top (look during Shop Hop on Friday)
• Sketch 2nd floor & walls
• Order first design wall
• Work on Queen of Diamond blk 3-4
• Prep next Ruby’s Garden blk 26
• Cut & prep Sparkle & Shine binding
• Cut & prep Dragonfruit binding
• Quilt Patriotic Table Runner
• Quilt Not My Kitten Banner
• Continue working on Olympia Mystery Quilt clue 10
• Finish assembling 2024 Venti AG Sunprint FPP Quilt Top
• Load quilt on long arm

Musings

I had a very full week before leaving for a week long quilting retreat. I got to have a zoom call (my 2nd one!) with one of my favorite fabric designers – Alison Glass. It was made even more special when she remembered me. The call was for an hour and we went over. I told her some of the projects that I was working on and about my Sunprint project above as well as my Temperature quilt with her Chrysanthemum collection. I promised to send her photos of both quilts when I finished quilting and binding them (of course I still have to finish the tops by adding borders)

I am headed out of town again on Thursday for a Summit (classes & shop hop) with Gammill for my long arm. I hesistated signing up, but it was so close, I felt like I really needed to go so off I go!

Thanks so much for stopping by and feel free to leave comments. I do my best to respond to questions and I love sharing with all of you my quilting journey. Take care!

Peggy Stockwell in Vancouver, Washington