OMG for July...

Holy cow!!!  I haven't done much this month!!!  Don't get me wrong, a trip to San Fran, then to Anaheim, picking up Row by Rows in Washington, Vancouver BC, Oregon (54 of them now - right now you're saying ARE YOU NUTS!!! and the answer is yes), 6 baseball games, a day trip to San Diego to walk on an Airplane Carrier - the USS Midway,  and finished up two quilts I was working on (see my other blog entries), but I did not work on the three quilts I wanted to....

OK, so I did take out the one quilt and start on it, but none of the rest.  Just stayed there.  What have I done?  

Some row by rows, some Splendid Sampler blocks, finished finally the Garden Tea Party quilt for my best friend, a new quilt for a friend of mine back in Manitoba, but none of the ones I said I would do...  So truthfully, I cannot submit anything for this month....  I'm a bad girl  :(

So for next month I am only listing one item for this month, because I'm gone for two weeks again....  and that items can be done by hand.  I am looking at three blocks from my Midnight Garden quilt.  It's a wool quilt.  The three I want to complete are the daffodil, the Iris, and the one with the white flowers.  I could do that (I hope).  If I do that then I'll have five of the blocks all completed (5 out of 12).  Anything else is a bonus....  

Linking up with Red Letter Quilts for the One Monthly Goal. It's great motivation to get something done.....  :)

Only a little time.....

I only had this morning to do a bit of sewing, but I'm really missing it, busy as I seem to be.  And I'm suppose to relax??  But I did have fun with a friend, went to the movie Finding Doree's Parents or something like that ;)    Great movie, almost two hours, but a lot of jokes that both adults and kids laugh to.  

So that left the morning for a bit of sewing and after seeing my friend @Sylvia continuing to do the Splendid sampler and staying on top of it (you can still join - all 6" blocks are listed here for download - it's great fun) I got motivated to do so as well.  So here is two more.  I still have tones to do, but I seem to enjoy paper piecing the most, and this is what the white one is.  Love how the lines all seemed to work together.  As for the other one, I wanted it to look like a lemon on a picnic blanket on the grass.  And to me it does.  Would love to do a few more before I leave for two weeks to see family, but I don't think it will happen.  

Here's a Row by Row from A Common Thread in Portland Oregon.  You had to fabric paint it with markers.  It was so much fun I have a second row to do of theirs.  Full of buildings and of course one of the buildings is a quilt shop.

And finally, here is a picture of San Francisco  Golden Gate Bridge. We walked across it one day.  Loved that.  

Take care, more to come I'm sure....  I'm on a roll, need to complete two quilts before I leave Sunday, and I'm booked tomorrow with another friend for a movie as well....  

Catching up....

Before our vacation to California I tried to complete a few things and I did get some things accomplished but I didn't blog about them.  So here I am catching up on a few things that I did accomplish already for my goals for the month and goals for the 3rd quarter.

I'm extremely proud of the Garden Tea Party I did for my friend Gro.

The flowers were quite hard to complete, it just took time and patience.  Each month I would be doing a centre tea pot, with some sort of applique and hand stitching needed on it.  Then the 5th month was the tea cups with the 3D tea bag (later there is a picture of this).  The 6th month was the flowers and then instructions on how to put it all together.  The results were fantastic!!



See the 3D tea bag in the picture below?  It was very easy to do and the dark part is black fabric in the white fabric.

The tea pots all had that hand stitching needed.  Like below...

I did machine button stitching around it all, but left the lace around the heart free.

The bee I used see through gauze for the wings, then realized that you couldn't see it that good anyways so I stitched around through the button stitching and that was the effect.  I like it!

Look at my stitching here, around the tea cups and wandering stitch around the flowers.

In the flower section around the tea pots I did wandering with small flowers at random.  I'm really happy with the results.

And a surprise on the back, a panel that says Garden Tea Party.  Perfect match!!

So cute......

So the results already have a home, couldn't even play with the quilt for a while  :(

But I did do something else I listed for "Things to do", I made the oversize table topper into a quilt.  Take a look below.

And the stitching was squares around the squares.  Very happy with the result....  And this one has a home already as well.....

I'm pleased with everything so far, and a great day.

I need to talk about something else as well, the Row by Rows that I've done in the past 2 weeks, including places in Vancouver Canada, Oregon, Washington, and California (some so cute here)!!!  But that's another day with more pictures, (and maybe a few done).  Thanks for readying this.

Updated New Years Resolution

OK, Jetgirl is asking for an update on my New Years Resolution which I posted here.....

So I'm going though it by copying my resolution, and putting in red what I've completed.

Resolutions

Do not buy quilt pattern and material unless I sew two quilts YES - the only thing I have not followed is for the ROW by ROW but it was the same last year.

Only buy a new ruler every 3 months.   YES - I have only bought 2 rulers so far so I'm following it.  One of those rulers was by the Quilty Box.

No more books unless I sew two quilts from the same book and do TWO books.  That's 4 quilts.  NO - Sorry, I broke this one.  Have purchased two books, and only did two quilts from the Precu Primer Book by Me and My Sister Designs.
Make time to quilt - it relaxes me.  YES - Take a look at my list of 2016 quilts and what I've accomplished so far.
Be happy! - Hard one - NO - Lost my dad in November and my brother in April.  But trying still.... 

Goals

1.  Start swimming again.  Start with 2 times a week and move to 3 times a week.  MAYBE - Did this until April, then stopped.  Need to try it again.
2.  Walk again.  It's been three months since I walked.   The Plan:  walk one time a week the first week, then 2 times a week, etc.  Build it up slowly.  YES- I am walking every day from Monday to Friday from April until now, walking at least 5 days a week more than 5,000 steps.  Started at work.
3.  Like many people I need to lose weight.  Here's how I'm going to do it.

• Do exercise - see above.  Still haven't started, although the walking was a big part of it.  So I'm partly doing it - MAYBE.
• mark my food with Loseit.com - free program that takes my fitbit.  NO, sorry but I haven't gained weight..
• take time for myself to do the above exercise because I use to love to do it.  OK....NO, this just reminded me to do it.

4.  Continue on with painting lessons.  Started one painting last year - want to do more.  YES - Did do another one, in acrylic.  It's an angry picture, but still a picture (too embarrassed to show it here).  But I have a Craftsy class to follow..
5.  Work less.  I've become a workaholic and my husband is beginning to complain  :)  YES - Started quilting more, and I did go to a movie.  Just took a vacation without my computer, so that's very good for me.  
6.  Enjoy the outdoors more.  I live in Vancouver Canada and there are so many beautiful walking trails.  YES, I was walking outside every morning from May until end of school but I do need to do more walks outside.  I've been on walks by Whiterock on the beach and had breakfast at Krauss (Srawberry season)
7.  Start Roller Blading again.  I fell and hit my head badly.  This time I wear my helmit  :)  OK this one is out.  Still scared of falling.NOOOOOOO
8.  Redo my sewing room so I can impulsively sew and not have to set it up (or move things).  YES, and I'm happy with it.  Put some unfinished projects away so that I don't feel so overwhelmed with UFOs.  Now, it's attainable.

• buy a daybed with drawers in it to replace the old daybed so I can put the containers away, instead of having them on my desk.  Don't need it.  I put some of my projects in the scapbook containers away.
• make a cover for my sewing machine to protect it.  YES.  See below...  I love it.  It has a picket (the SEW section)

• put my sewing machine on the desk instead of under the desk.  YES.
• buy a container (box) for the end of the bed to put my quilts and extra material in that instead of the basket at the end of the bed (it's now overflowing and leaning to the side). YES. I also got a new basket for my magazines.

9.  Finish some of my craftsy classes I signed up for.  There's too many to list.  Still have time for this.

And the big one!!!!

9.  Finish my UFOs so I stop feeling pressure from them.  Here is the list and there is no particular order to them but they do say on the list if I have started it, not started it, have the material, etc.  L- laptop, Q - queen, W - wall quilt, T for tabletop.  YES>  I've been doing very well here, see which ones are finished with the word done.

So here's the big list of

1. L - You and Me by Zen Chic - got material and pattern (haven't started)
2. L - Chic Shells by Sew Kind of Wonderful - got pattern only (haven't started)
3. L - Sew Kind of Wonderful - Sew along - got pattern only (haven't started)
4. Q - green small flowers in a column - need to finish and quilt. YES
5. large L- Flower quilt from Aurifill - need to finish and quilt.
6. L - Vise Versa - need to finish 2 blocks and quilt.
7. Q - Block Lotto - 2014 - need to finish 8 blocks and quilt.
8. Q - Flowers in a circle BOM - some wool.  Applique.  All material and pattern.  Need to start.
9. L - Modern slant - got pattern and material - need to start.
10. L - Snow/Christmas quilt - got material and pattern - need to start
11. L - beach quilt - no material, but got pattern.
12. L - Sew Emma Snapshot quilt - did two blocks, have material, need to finish.
13. L - Dogs quilt - have fabric and pattern, need to start.
14. Q - Driesdon Craftsy - have material and pattern - need to start.
15. L - Learning to quilt on Craftsy - have 6 done, 6 to go.   Need to finish.
16. L - Learning to quilt as you go - 2013  Need to continue on with it.  Need to finish YES
17. large L- Crazy barn applique - have pattern, material, need to start.
18. L - Gro's tea quilt.  Material, pattern for it all, need to finish.  Have 3 to go. YES
19. L - Midnight Garden - wool - Lost pattern, but have material.  Need to start  Have 3 blocks done.
20. L - Cattail - blue quilt - start
21. L - Frogs, have material, pattern, and have started to cut.  Need to finish.
22. Q - pink pin wheel.  Need to finish.
23. T - Chinese circles. - need to finish.
24. L - Pink and green squares - finish.
25. L - Squares in the tin box - pattern and material,  others doing that one.  Got it back.  Many done, need to put it together.
26. Q - Row by Row - Canada - all patterns, all material, need to finish.  Got 3 more completed.
27. Q - Row by Row American side - all patterns, all material, need to finish.  Got 4 more completed.
28. T - flowers pieced in black - Amish. - material, and pattern. Small one.  Need to start.
29. Q - Squares with Hexigons - pattern, material, need to start.
30. L - Batique quilt - pattern, material, need to start.
31. Q - Circle quilt from Craftsy - material red and white, pattern, need to start.
32. Q - BOM 2015 buckets - material, pattern, need to start.
33. L - One block wonder - material, pattern, need to start.
34. L - Video 10" squares - disappearing pinwheel. Material - need to start.
35. Q - Swoon - material, need to start.
36. L - Stain glass BOM - material, pattern, need to start.
37. L - House BOM - material, pattern, need to start.
38. Q - Hand appliqué old fashion girl on white, with squares of color.  top for queen quilt. finish.
39. Q - Girl on a farm - applique that I am designing - Some material - need to continue/finish
40. L - Blue HST's - all HSTs done, need to finish.
41. W - Big city/town pattern.  No material, but I have the pattern.
42. L - Modern pattern just bought on Craftsy on sale.  Have pattern and material.  Need to start.
43. L - Tractor quilt with barns to complete. It's part of the Farm Girl Sampler by Lori Holt.  I purchased the book. Have some material.  Need to finish by June for my cousin.  
44. T - Using charms for Precut Primer pattern.  Have pattern and material.  Need to finish.  YES
45. L - Jelly roll quilt from the Precut Primer pattern book.  Have pattern and material cut out.  Need to finish.
46. Large L - Fat quarter quilt block - have material but have not started.
47. Large L - migration from Craftsy Store.  Have pattern and material.  Need to start.
48. Large L - Large hexi flowers pattern from Craftsy store - have some material.
49. T - circular birds - have pattern only.  Want to do this one with extra material I have and scraps.
50. Q- Apple Quilt - have all the material and the Thangles to do the quilt.  Need to Finish.
51. L Scrappy BOM  from IQuiltModern - scraps - to start.
52. Big Wall - Pixulated quilt Sun Flower - it's done just quilting it and that's taking ages!!  Need to Finish
53. L - Pixulated Eye - have the material, the pattern, everything.  It's the Craftsy free quilting class to learn how to pixulate.  It's fabulous, go take a look!  Need to start.
54. W - The Quilt Magazine, April 2012. of a bird on a Laundry Line.  All material and the pattern.  Half done.  Need to Finish.  YES
55. Star Quilt from the FVRQ Guild - have the material and the patterns.  Have all done but the last 3 starts and then the big middle one.  Need to Finish.
56. Home Tweet Home - McKenna Ryan - 9 blocks. - have 2 of the blocks done and a friend gives me more when I complete the next block.  One more completed.

But I've also done a number of other quilts not mentioned here. 

• The brown Butterfly quilt for my queen size bed (see 2016 Quilts link above). 
• A modern green and pink quilt - also on the 2016 quilts link.

So that's not bad for a 1/2 year.  To summarize:

• Need to start swimming.
• Need to work out in gym in our complex
• Need to do the pixulated quilts (Eye, sunflower, Star Trek)
• Need to continue to quilt up some quilts.
• Keep my room clean (organized).
• Keep on working on being happy.  Don't get stressed.
• Lose weight, stop eating fattening food.
• No more books.

OK, this should work.  Great reminder and thanks Yvonne from Quilting JetGirl.