My Goals for September

Here we are at the beginning of spring and it is time to set my goals for the month.  I kind of had them sorted in my head, but on Sunday I had to have a rethink.  You see, at the last minute I decided to attend the “Spring in the Scrub” retreat this coming weekend and I need to have a few projects ready to work on.  So this is what I have come up with……at this stage…..

ONE MONTHLY GOAL & CHOOKSHED STITCHERS’ CHALLENGE

Once again, one project will tick both these boxes.  The number that Deana drew out of the hat was 7.  For me that is “Three Yard Quilt - Start and Finish (for Donation)”.

I have selected a pattern and initially chose these fabrics.  That has since slightly changed, but I didn’t get a photo.  It is already kitted up to take on the weekend.

RAINBOW SCRAP CHALLENGE

I haven’t really been able to ascertain the colour for the month, but have a feeling it is black or neutral?  If so, it is a little difficult for me.  I don’t want those colours in most of the projects I’m working on.  

Initially, I didn’t think it would work on my bright fish, but the pattern that will be released next week is tropical fish, and I want to use orange.  An orange and black fish will work, so all good.  I also want to catch up on August’s fish.  I may just use some random colours for that month.

Other than the fish, I may also just work on some random colours for the other projects.

BATIK FISH

I will be making some more fish this month.  I found another small scrap of batik in a stash I inherited that is a salmony colour.  It will work well.

FIFTEEN MINUTES A DAY

Of course I want to keep up with this.

OTHER STITCHING

• I didn’t get to work on my Chookshed Stitchers’ Challenge in June and it is fairly simple, so I will kit that up and take to retreat.  It is just another small donation quilt.
• I want to quilt my Laundry Basket Mystery Quilt, but want to try a new pantograph on something smaller before using it on the larger quilt.  At least one of the donation quilts will work for that.
• Hand stitching is always on the list these days, to take to my stitching days and for any Zoom times.  My hexies are ticking that box at the moment.
• I didn’t get any knitting or crochet done last month.  I want to set an actual goal this month to deconstruct the crochet baby rug, so that I can sew the squares together rather than crochet them, so that it will sit flatter.
• Also, I have purchased some fabric to use for sashing and border on the Sashiko table runner.  I’d like to get that done this month too.

That should keep me going.  There is always plenty more if I go looking.

MY OTHER GOALS

These  are simple.

• Try a new recipe.
• Read a book - I’ve been failing at this lately, so need to lift my game.
• Have a fun day out.
• Write Isle of Man blog posts - before I forget what we did.

I’m linking up at Dreamworthy Quilts, Stories From the Sewing Room, So Scrappy and Life in Pieces. 

Let’s see how I go at the end of the month.

It’s Done.

Once again I have left my One Monthly Goal until the last moment.  This was also my Chookshed Challenge Number 9, so doubly important to get it achieved.

You may recall that my goal was to complete the Harry Potter donation quilt that had been sitting, cut out, for over twelve months.  I had the flimsy pieced at Scrub Stitchin’.

I’m happy to report today I have found some backing and batting pieces that will work, joined the backing, quilted and bound it.

I used the stars pantograph, as I did in the first version of this quilt that I made last year.

What made me very happy was that I won the bobbin lottery, not once, but twice during the quilting process.  Firstly, I used the last little bit on a bobbin to bast the top of the quilt and ended up with a couple of inches of thread left over.  Then, I was watching my first bobbin, and it ended up stitching right to the end of a row, to the very last stitch, so there was nothing on the bobbin when I ended off.  Phew!

While I’m going, let’s do a round up of this month’s stitching.

My Rainbow Scrap Challenge blocks were completed.

The Split nine patch while at Scrub Stitchin’.

The fish after I returned home.

Now to wait for a week or so until the next pattern is released.  I believe the colour is pink, so some pretty fish next time.

My spiked granny rug has the squares joined together, awaiting the ends to be woven in and the border to be added.

I have stitched some of the appliqué on the batik fish.  Five done, except for the eyes.  They will gradually be caught up when I want something simple to sew.

My Sashiko panels have once again seen the light of day.  The first and second panels are now complete and the third half done.

I progressed my Laundry Basket Spring Mystery Quilt.

The Half Square Triangle Baby Quilt also reached the flimsy stage.

Add to this the swap gift I made for Scrub Stitchin’.

There weren’t many finishes for the month, but several projects have been moved along.

I’ll link up with Deana for the Chookshed Stitchers Challenge, So Scrappy for Rainbow Scrap Challenge and Stories From the Sewing Room for One Monthly Goal.

I know I’m jumping the gun by a day, but I am confident that I will have achieved  my 15 minutes each day.  Some days that was all I did. I’ll be linking at Life in Pieces.

April = 30/30

Year to date = 121/121

Success Rate - 100%

All in all, I'm happy with the month.

Scrub Stitchin’ - What We Worked On

 There is always such a variety of projects under way during the retreat.  For the last few years Chooky has come up with a project that we may like to stitch at the same.  This year it was a braided quilt featuring a zig zag up the centre of the braid.  

It required a ruler that is custom made by Picton Patchwork in Coonabarabran and is cleverly made using a jelly roll.  It is a very effective design with minimal wastage.

The designers visited one evening, bringing their version of the quilt to show us.

Most of us bought the ruler, but only a small portion of the group started the project.  I took along suitable fabrics, but ended up too busy working on other things to make a start.

This is how things finished at the end of the retreat.  The way it works is that you make one very long braid and then cut it into segments to make the columns in the quilt.  It looks so different in the various fabric ranges.  I hope some of the completed quilts are brought along next year for us to see.  Hopefully, I’ll have mine done in time.

I couldn’t resist getting a photo of the papparazzi.

Let’s have a wander and see what else was happening.

And me.  Well, as usual, I took far more than I could ever achieve, but there would be nothing worse than running out of projects…..as if.

While I think of it, I took a new item to Scrub Stitchin' this year.  I usually have a mish mash of different bags to take my sewing bits and bobs.  This year I was looking for a better solution.  I bought this vintage Singer sewing box a couple of years ago, full of various sewing items, but have never used it.  It proved to be perfect for all my notions.  It is even now resplendent with a star, thanks Jenny.  I must remember to take it again next year.

My priority was to get the appliqué leaves, stems and berries completed on my Laundry Basket Spring Mystery Quilt.  That took way longer than expected.  Maybe it had something to do with the fact that I was talking and didn’t even stitch a stitch until after morning tea on Thursday.  Let’s face it, this is about more than the sewing, so it doesn’t matter.

Anyway, I did get the appliqué finished, the four quadrants joined and the hexy appliquéd to the centre by Saturday lunch.  Phew! Not the best photo, but you get the idea. Now I have to work out a final border.

What next?  I also brought fourteen fish blocks to appliqué.  Yep, fourteen.  After the last project I was over appliqué, so didn’t even touch them. 

I was in the mood for something simple and rather mindless. My two split nine patches for the Rainbow Scrap Challenge fit the bill nicely.

Two years ago, at Scrub Stitchin’, I made a heap of half square triangles as leaders and enders and they have sat in their little baggie ever since.  The plan was to make a baby quilt, but I would need to make a decision about layout.  After having a bit of a look through Pinterest I settled on a sort of off centre spiral pinwheel thing.  It evolved mainly due to the colours that I had.  Nothing, flash, quick and easy and once I quilt it, it will be another little donation quilt. It was finished by early evening on Saturday.

For the rest of Saturday evening and on Sunday I worked on my Number 9 of the Chookshed Stitchers’ Challenge.  This was my Harry Potter quilt.  Happily, I had the top pieced by lunchtime.  Now I just have to quilt and bind it by the end of the month.

It certainly was a very creative hub.

Posting on the 29th of February

 That is something that we don’t get to do every year.

Once again my month has been rather productive on the sewing front. I achieved my goals as well as a few other bits and bobs.

To recap, my Chookshed Stitchers’ Challenge was my first priority for the month and was completed in plenty of time.

My next priority was to complete “Betty” from the Just Two Charm Pack Quilts stitch along.  This was my One Monthly Goal. The aim was to have the top completed by 1 March.  I was pleased to have it quilted and bound as well.

My Rainbow Scrap Challenge blocks were made- here and here.

My other goals were:

Work on a donation project.  All the above projects fit that bill.

Use Monique.  She worked her magic on both the above quilts.

Knit or Crochet Something.  

When I didn’t feel like doing a great deal I worked on my spiked granny squares.  Just four squares this month, but all progress is good progress, right?  I now have twenty five completed.  I think I will make five more and then crochet a cream round on each and join them together.  That should be large enough.  I have other things I want to work on, so I want to get this one out of the way.

Work on a WIP

My Blue Quilt always meets that goal.  I added the next narrow border and have now prepped the final border.  All the half dresdens are glue basted in place, ready for me to hand appliqué.  That will be a good project to work on during my stitching mornings.

Work on a UFO

I haven’t worked on my Laundry Basket Quilts Spring Mystery for a while and this is another one I would really like to get finished, so I can start something else.  

This is where I was up to at the start of the month.  Okay, it’s actually been sitting like this since July last year.  There are four quadrants like this.

During February I have prepared all the vines, leaves and berries to be machine appliquéd.  It look rather better doesn’t it.  My plan is to do the appliqué at Scrub Stitchin’.

Do some hand stitching.

I have made some progress on my latest Sashiko project.  It will eventually be a table runner.  The flowers and dragonflies are done and I have started on the first of three panels.  There is no hurry to make this one, so it will probably be put on the back burner while I work on the Blue Quilt border.

Complete something.

Well, the two quilts tick that box, but wait, there is more……

Going Down a Rabbit Hole - Literally

This was not on my radar at the start of the month, but how could I resist?  I saw a photo of an Easter bunny bag and decided to make some.  You see, our Patchwork and Bag Making Group are going to have a stand at the Bathurst Heritage Trades Trail in the middle of March and we can sell bits and bobs.  That is just a couple of weeks before Easter, so I thought these may be appropriate.

As usual, everything is from stash.  I didn’t have a real lot of suitable fabrics for the main bags, but these will do. It was fun choosing the fabrics for the ears.  

Ta da!  Aren’t they cute.  I hope someone else thinks so and gives them a home.

Oh, and I may have cut out some fabric for a Mystery Stitch Along “Octagon and Square” hosted by Stitching Notes and Nordic Crafter.  These two ladies make the most delightful projects, using gorgeous fabrics.  I found this pretty fat quarter in my stash and it will work nicely for fussy cutting.

My improvised window was very helpful.

I’m not going to start stitching it yet, as it may be a good project to use for demonstrating at the Heritage Trades Trail.

So much for finishing things and not starting more.  However, of the seven projects I have started this year five are already completed.  I have also completed three UFOs and worked on another five, so that is not too bad. (Yes, I’m keeping tally to try to keep me on track.)

As you can probably gather, I have managed to maintain my 15 minutes of crafting each day, and loving it. I'll be linking up over at Life in Pieces.

February = 29/29

Year to date = 60/60

Success rate = 100%

An ongoing aim is to tidy up my sewing room.  That is one big fat massive fail this month.  Oh my!  It is such a mess.  I really will have to have a major tidy up before I can start anything for March.  Wish me luck.