A Successful Year of Quilting

A few years ago, a friend introduced me to a Challenge that her local quilt shop was doing. The idea was to make a goal of how many UFO's you could finish and then keep track on a spreadsheet. Various activities were worth so many points and the person who scored the most points, won a gift certificate to the store. I decided it would be a good way for me to try and get stuff DONE!

I worked up the spreadsheet on my computer and printed them out - the first couple of years, I only scored 65 points. Pretty lame, considering a finished quilt is about 35 points or so. This year, I racked up 145! My goal was 120, so I beat my goal by 25 points! Yahoo! I can honestly say I didn't buy much fabric this year - mostly backings, if anything.

This year, I am setting a goal of 150 points. I am confident that I can raech it and maybe even break 200 points. I'll keep track of the points on my blog.

Happy New Year, everyone!

Another Reason Why I Don't Get More Done

I am so excited. I spent most of Christmas Day listening to Christmas music and sewing on a Christmas Bento Box quilt that I had started last summer. Finished the top with this terrific border print (a la Jenny Byer) and even managed to get the corners mitered! Then I got the background finished and was attempting to piece together a batting, when Spooky woke up from his 7 pm nap. Needless to say, the entire project came to a screeching halt. Tomorrow, he gets to stay in the bedroom while I sandwich the quilt. He understands the rules of "Cat Quilting" very well - #5 If it moves, hang on tight. Sigh....

He is pretty cute, though, isn't he?

Christmas Day 2008

It's snowing again. We now have about 27 inches on the ground. John just left for Toppenish to spend Christmas with his mother and family. I stayed home because my mother was paniced that we would be gone while there was snow on the ground and she wouldn't have anyone to help her. I guess at 91 and half blind, it's OK to be afraid of things that won't likely happen. Jenny & Steve are at her mom's so I am home ALONE! I will fnish the Christmas cards, then get a small Christmas throw quilt sandwiched. Maybe I will even being quilting! Who knows!

It's a Top!

So I threw the kitten outside to play and got the borders on. It's fabulous. Now to get it sandwiched and quilted. Since it's only 15 degrees outside, I can't put Spooky outside. Might just have to lock him in the bedroom. Otherwise he attaches himself to anything that moves.

Why I can't get the borders sewn on the quilt

Enough said.

Why does he always take naps on MY stuff?????

TIme, Time, Time

So I am really frustrated. I haven't had time to sew for over 2 weeks. Not home on the weekends, evening meetings and feeling guilty if I hide in the sewing room and not spending time with John. The borders for the Country Roads quilt have been cut for 2 weeks and are still draped over the iron board. The idea was to get stuff DONE!!!!

I have to schedule 15 minutes per day no matter what! That would give me nearly 2 hours of sewing time per week. I can do this!!!! I CAN!!!!

Country Roads

The blocks are all together! I simply have to finish the borders - they are cut out and ready to go - just need time to sew them on. I've kind of changed by mind about having it professionally quilted. Orginally, I really wanted it done by someone who would give it justice. Now I am thinking I can do it - I want the blovks to stand out, so they all need to be stitched in the ditch - that isn't hard. I can figure out some kind of fancy work for the outside borders. It would be satisfying to do the entire thing myself. We will see.......

Kittens and Quilts

OMG - I am in LOVE! When I was visiting California this summer I saw a quilt made up with oreiental fabrics call Country Roads. I really liked it and thought what a great way to use up my stash. I've been working on it this weekend. It is absolutely BEAUTIFUL!!!! There are 6 different blocks depending on where you place the various peices. Every block looks different because you also mix up the fabrics. It is designed for fat quarters.

So far I have all the blocks made and have connected 3 rows. The photo is just a piece of the three rows. The blocks will be outlined with a black border and I've found a lovely chrythanemum (SP?) fabric for the outside borders.

What has made this more fun is that I have a new kitten - his name is Spook, because that what he has been for most of his first 24 hours in the house. He spent the first 12 under a dresser. He has now ventured out to the sewing room, has played with the quilt blocks on the floor (a good sign), and found a "bed" on the orange fleece blanket next to my chair. I have to stop every so often to hug him cause he is still looking for his Mom & 4 sibs.

Sickness and Sewing

Last week I had the plague - OK, maybe not the real plague, but when I miss 4 days of work, it's SICK! When I wasn't asleep or blowing my nose, I managed to sew. When you are trapped at home with near zero energy, sewing is even tough. Thirty minute sessions were about all I could manage.

I had started a Christmas quilt during the summer after my visit to the International Quilt Festival in Long Beach, CA. It's a simple string quilt pattern using up as much of my stash as possible. One nice thing about string quilts is that they fit nicely into 30 minute sessions. You can start and stop anytime without getting messed up. I got all the blocks done! The string strips are all Christmas fabrics. The half square triangles are all white on white scrap fabrics.

Once the blocks were done, I laid them out on the bed and a few more short sessions later, they were all assembled into a top. Borders were added in two more sessions. I'ts queen sized. Fabulous and ready for quilting. More than I've done in the last 2 months. Guess I proved that you can get a lot done in 30 minute chunks of time! No more excuses for saying I don't have time to sew.