End of the Month Post.

Well it's the end of the month and I've had Spring Break so I did get a lot done, but not everything on my crazy list.

• Pat Sloan's Vacation
• January
• February
• March
• Animal Party March

• Block Lotto
• Sun - 6 of them
• Large circles - 4 of them
• The cross bars - 3 of them
• Flowers
• Arrows
• Chain

• Corners Wool
• Sew all blocks together.  Could not sew all the blocks together because of the way it's made but I did do another corner so now two are done, but in the end my finger is callused and painful.
• Sew one of the corners to the part so you can do the vines.

• Scrap BOM
• January
• February
• March
• Star Quilt from our Guild
• Last block
• Center block
• Sew it all together.
• Apple blocks
• Didn't do one more, or any more.  But I did find them again, they were lost for a while  ;)
• Back hanger for small block I made for Quilt challenge - Done!!
• Aurifill March  Done!!! And already given away!!!  To my mother for St. Patrick's day.

• Dresden Mini from Quilt Magazine. - no, sorry.
• Put together Aurifill 2014 Garden blocks
• Finish it . No I added to it, and got all the blocks done, but I put in a center block that is gorgeous but requires some re-fitting or resizing of the blocks, and to make a few new blocks to get the size right.  Then I'll quilt it. 
• Quilt it.
• Blue cocktail quilt.
• Pink and Green quilt - got it out and cut some of the squares, but no, put it together.
• Snapshot quilt-a-long
• January - No to all of this...  Darn I'm bad.
• February
• March.
• Online Craftsy class - Pre-cut quilts
• Strips  I've cut the strips, and now I have to sew them.
• Cakes 1   They're cut but not sewn.
• Cake and Stripe 2
• 2015 BOM on Craftsy
• January
• February
• March
• Snow Quilt
• Quilt Seaside
• January
• February
• March
• Quilt Landscape.
• Gro's Quilt
• Block 1 - completed
• Block 2 - Cut and I need to iron them onto the square.
• Block 3

and then there are the extra,,,,,  but too many to say and too many more just started.  I need to stop that!

The QUILTED curved quilt.

Well you saw it when it was completed, but not when it was quilted.  It's amazing how different a quilt looks when it's quilted.  The online class by Leah Day "Free Motion Quilting a Quilt" finishes/quilts the quilt you have made by Amy Gibson "Craftsy Block of the Month 2012"  Loved the block of the month class.  It was a combination of old time blocks as well as with a twist of modern block styles of the same block.  In the end it was a very colourful quilt.  Unfortunately, the first two lessons were over an hour long each and that slowed me down considerably.  So I only got one block down of the quilt, but I did free style stitch in the ditch the entire quilt, so I'm on my way to learning over 14 different styles of free motion quilting.  If I get that done, I think I can reward myself with a new kit :)  Here is that block of the month so far, one of my goals for March.  Not completed, but I'm still so happy on how things are going.

One section done.

Close up - learned paisley

Total quilt to do, with the cat of course...

Why didn't I get more done?  Because I found out that the scholarship fund for a teacher friend of mine which was promised to the students was not there.  So I told another friend I would donate a quilt to raffle so the school can raise money for the memorial scholarship fund of a teacher in the school who was murdered.  She was a wondderful teacher and a great person, it's the least I can do.  Here is that quilt, a picture of it before the quilting and now after the quilt.

about 5 ft. square.

Quilt with Star burst quiltingg, and echo around the blocks.

The 2nd goal was the wool quilt I've been working on for a year.  I have completed a second corner, much to the horror of the large calus on my finger.  Another one completed!!  I'm happy this goal is done.

Corner #2.

But now about the sunflower quilt - I don't think I was meant to finish this one!!  And it is great.  But in three months I have done 15 more rows.  One day I'll get it done!!

So did I do well?  No.  But I did complete a few other quilts in its place.  See this blog entry.

As for what I've done all year and all the millions of quilts I've had to complete, here is the original entry or promise of the month.

3 months worth of work. for the 2015 Finish Along

UPDATED:  This is my blog entry to state what I've finished in 3 months from January until now.  Really need to keep an eye on that so I don't miss this entry.  Here's a list of what I said I would do...

1)  Finish off the Craftsy class that was a  BOM online.  I completed it last year and it turned out to be a lap quilt.  My goal was to join another class on Craftsy that shows how to free style quilt each and every block in a different manner and since I really wanted to work on my free style, that's was my goal.  Here is the before picture:

Here is the after picture.

and here is the after picture.

All free styled "stitch in a ditch" blocks

Only one block totally done but class was
an hour long to watch and then practice.

2)  My Pixelated Quilt. I was 1/2 way done.  It's a sunflower.  I entered this in the finish along.  But didn't even get to it in January because of exams and all (I'm a teacher).  So here is a picture of what I started with in January.   

Here is the middle picture.

More rows

and now here it is completed....  The top at least!!!  I need to take a better picture...  this doesn't do it justice...

OMG, it will take a while to quilt so I need to put only this one on the next quarter group.   I really do have to do better.... 3)  This was the most important goal of the 3 months.  I entered the quilt in my guild's quilt show in June and all quilts are due in April.  It's a wool and flannel quilt that needs to be complete.  Here is what it should look like...  As I said I had to complete all corners and edges.  Took me a month to do one corner so I KNOW I had to speed it up.  I also had to   sandwich it and  hand quilt all of it.  Echo around each flower..

The Start - all 12 blocks done no corners

The end....  two corner blocks done.

First one

2nd one - they're identical, but the branches are different

So did I do all that I wanted, no, but I did move it on a little.  And I still think I can make my goals for entering these quilts in a contest.  Soooooooo  bad girl.... bad girl!!!!!  Need to get going....

Keep starting new quilts

Echo stitching around blocks.

Pebble stitching around flowers

And as usual, I want to finish my list but I get sidetracked because I have a number of quilts cut out, or I've purchased paterns and I want to try them.  I tried out my new curved ruler....  LOVE IT!  It's from Sew King of Wonderful.  I highly recommend it and the "Curve it Up" pattern has over 14 types of squares you can make with it.  I tried one out and this is the result.  So pleased with the ease of sewing the circles.  It's a MUST for every quilter.  The finished blocks are usually 16".

Finished a wool table runner I started two months ago.  Like every quilter, I have tons of books and I've made it a point this break that I would use these books.  I purchased a book called "Summer Gatherings" from Carriage Country Quilts. A lovely shop for a visit in Washington State, just a little south of Seattle.  Well worth the visit to the town of Des Moin, a small town by the ocean, with a great selection of fabulous quilts to look at, tons of material, and a wonderful classroom in the basement of this house that shows more BOM's all around.  When ever I go there I spend hours in the shop and there's a friendly sports bar near by to pop your husband in so you have the time to browse at your leisure  ;)

This is the results of one of their quilts (I did do beads on it but no picture of that sorry.:

Then I completed a set of table mats for my sister for her birthday.  I used the "Quilt Improv" book by Lucie Summers"  It's great to make perfect circles, like the ones below.  I used echo quilting to finish them off.  Looks great and she loved it.  Been very busy sewing in between visiting people I haven't seen in months.  She got four of them with four napkins I made, and they match the painting on the wall right by the table.

Now I have another one that I started, and made some of the blocks on the Elephant Parade by Sew Fresh Quilts.  It's a beautiful quilt for a child and they just made another one that has zebras that looks just as much fun.  Please check the web site out. The Elephant Parade has large elephants, small ones, flowers, a turtle, and frogs.  I've gotten them all done but the 13 small elephants.  So it's still a ways to go:

I seemed to be into Frogs there days, I purchased a pattern from Java House Quilts "You Must be Croaking".  All Frogs.  Karen Brows is an excellent pattern designer, all her patterns are fantastic.  Take a look for yourself if you don't believe me ;)  No I don't get royalties  ;)

Would love to get the "We Bearly Made it Pattern" but promised myself I would finish two quilts before I start that one.

This is the list

Now you need to understand I only have two weeks of Spring break and my priority is to get the 2015 Finishing Project completed which means I have three priorities right away:

• 2012 Block of the Month on Crafty  finish quilting it.

• My Wool Block of the Month corners, get the last three done, for the end of the month.

• Finish my sun flower.

But here is the list of things that I really have to do as well, and I need to try.  I'm taking two days only   So I'm making this list and then I'll go over it after two weeks to see what's done and what's not.  Remember, only two weeks of vacation and not all the days for sewing, but this first two days, that's the only thing I'm going to do.  So here is my list of extra things....

1. Pat Sloan's Vacation
1. January
2. February
3. March
2. Animal Party March
3. Block Lotto
1. Sun - 6 of them
2. Large circles - 4 of them
3. The cross bars - 3 of them
4. Flowers
5. Arrows
6. Chain
4. Corners Wool
1. Sew all blocks together.
2. Sew one of the corners to the part so you can do the vines.
5. Scrap BOM
1. January
2. February
3. March
6. Star Quilt from our Guild
1. Last block
2. Center block
3. Sew it all together.
7. Apple blocks
1. Try to do 4 more.
8. Back hanger for small block I made for Quilt challenge
9. Aurifill March
10. Dresden Mini from Quilt Magazine.
11. Put together Aurifill 2014 Garden blocks
1. Finish it
2. Quilt it.
12. Blue cocktail quilt.
13. Pink and Green quilt - put it together.
14. Snapshot quilt-a-long
1. January
2. February
3. March.
15. Online Craftsy class - Pre-cut quilts
1. Strips
2. Cakes 1
3. Cake and Stripe 2
16. 2015 BOM on Craftsy
1. January
2. February
3. March
17. Snow Quilt
18. Quilt Seaside
1. January
2. February
3. March
19. Quilt Landscape.
20. Gro's Quilt
1. Block 1 - completed
2. Block 2
3. Block 3

That's enough...  Tons of it.

Another month of "A Lovely Year of Finishes"

OK, another month coming up, and another goal setting, but this month I have two weeks of Spring break to do it.  So I'm making two goals that have been on the burner for quite a well for "A lovely Year of Finishes".  So lets make it simple, and follow through:

1.  My pixelated sunflower.  It will definitely completed this month, and quilted too!!!  That's been on this list for the last two times, and it's a goner!!!!  Did some work on it last time, but this time it will be finished!!!

2.  TWO more corners for the wool quilt!!!  Not one but two!!!

3.  the quilting on my quilt that I completed on Craftsy.  I want to get it done.  It's gorgeous, and needs quilting and since I signed up for the Craftsy quilting and I love quilting free style, this one is toast!!!

There it is, my three goals that I'm sure I can get done in the next two weeks, never mind end of the month.  But don't forget I have all those blocks of a month, and those to catch up, so watch my blog because it's about to get hot fast!!!!  I plan to get a lot done!!