Busy Week...

Well, I have one week left and still a lot to do on my list, but I am on the move.

I promised that I would do the following:

1. The Zen Chic Black and White King Size quilt that needs to be quilted, it's all together already.
2. Put together 16 row by rows to make two panels for my barn door (see previous blog on what I am trying to do).
3. A plan pattern for another barn door I am planning.
4. Finish the Candian Quilt BOM by Shania Sunga Designs.  This one is quite far along.....
5. Three more Row by Rows form this season that's really 4 row quilt from Pacific Fabrics (getting the 4th one in about a month and then I just want to put it together.  It's a wall hanging.
6. Four more Row by Rows from two seasons previously.
7. A cover for my freezer that is out on the top patio.  To protect the freezer from the rain.
8. Midnight quilt - one block left to complete.
9. A red embroidery piece of two kids together that I want to frame and hang up in my office.

OK that's nine things.  How am I doing so far after a busy week?

One row by row completed from this year's season.  I promised not to buy any this year except for the Pacific Fabrics wall hanging but this one is gorgeous.  I got the pattern, found some batique and here it is.  Sorry about the picture not being to clean but as you see the colors are great.

And this wasn't on the list, but I've been working on a Christmas gift for my nephew, and this is the results.  It's done, and about 1/2 quilted around all of the leaves.  Totally worth it.

Love the Canadian Geese...

Makes it all worth it doesn't it.  What do you think?  Worth it!!!I think so. That's two done in the long list of quilts to complete.  It's the quilting that takes so long.  So two to show to my guild.

What is a Barn Door?

Are you asking this question?  You're probably asking the question what does this have to do with quilting?

Well, I have a door that leads to my extra bedroom which is now my quilting room.  It opens from the extra bedroom to the dining room and then looks out to the double door patio.  There's the light and there's the rub.  I need that light.  I'm in a loft/condo.  The wall where the door is has one side that is 26 inches wide and the other is 32 inches wide.  Both are support walls for the loft above. So I can't have those doors that slide into the wall.  So where does that lead me?  To barn doors like the picture below.

From Wayfair

They look great don't they?  Except the one on the left  is $1400 Canadian for everything but installation, but just a plain doors.  The mechanics for it are about $600.  The door that are a little unique range from $1,500 to $1700 per door (and don't forget I need doors that are no bigger than 26" wide and two of them).  The walnut one above is my favorite but it's $3,159 for two doors only....  So, what do you do???

Being the mother of all invention and rather frugal, I decided to make mine.  To quilt the doors and to make sure they're quilted like heck for the stiffness of a door.  Also, I'm weighing mine down with pennies.   Soon to come...

Update on last year's quilts

Awhile ago (a year ago) I published a list of 10 quilts that I wanted to finish in 2016.  Below is the results as of June 2017.  This was all part of the  "All the People's Quilt 2016 UFO Challenge".   What's in red is my update of 2017.  I took out the ones I completed in 2016.

Project	Status Before	Status Afterward
1)  Pixilated Sunflower I created	All cut out and sewn, needs to be quilted.	April 2016- Started.  Done at least 10 hours these past two weeks.  Still working on the center piece of the sunflower but I am approaching the brown, and out of the black.  I'm pleased with the work.  Finished!!!!  And it's wonderful.  See 2016 Page of finished quilts.  It was in the Quilting Guild's Show in June.  It was the quilting that took so long and I finished the quilting in May, 2017
3)  Midnight Garden	All material there but haven’t cut anything	I have ONE more to complete and what's funny is that I packed it up so I can't work on it, yet it's the perfect thing to work on right now.
4)  Garden that’s applique and wool – block of the month	All material is there but nothings been sewn or quilted.	July - Not even started... and still scared of this one....  This will be last for goodness sake. Still not started, this one is quite big, but I'm thinking about it to be the quilt for the winter.  A lot of applique in it.  This one will take a year or two
5)  Blue stars	Two stars made, need to come up with idea to bind	February 2016 - Had the design and two of the stars completed.  Can't even find it, so this one is still on the list.
6)  Houses – block of the month	All material is there,	August 2016 - Given up on this one....Packed away, but it's on my list of things to do now.  :)
7)  Block Lotto quilt - scraps	Missing 10 blocks – last two months, needs to be put together and quilted	Done!!!!  It was  also in my Guild's show.  Here's the link - http://www.fvqg.org
9)  Lily quilt - all flowers	All completed.  Even sold.  Need to quilt it.	It's done.  It wasn't sold, and I use it on my bed in the winter time.  See the tab of finished quilts for 2016
11) Modern quilt - quilt as you go...	New technique learned.	FINISH -  I added a tree to it, and it was also shown at the Quilting Guild's show in Langley.  It's my biggest quilt (King size) and the one I quilted the most!!!  I'm so amazed at it.  You'll be too.  I'm going to hang it on the 17 foot high wall in my condo.  Will take pictures when it's up.
12)  Chic Pattern	Using a precut of 10 inch squares.  Easy - looks great.	OK, this quilt top is completed, and 1/2 way quilted at this time.   It looks fantastic!!!  This quilt is being given away, it's the size of a king size quilt.  You'll see more when I'm finished the quilting completely.

Altogether, I really did so much more from the last one, and quite frankly, even though I've been in the process of moving, I'm still sewing  :0  Can't stop a quilter.

See the quilts below:

This one is the one I'm quilting - Chic.  Can't wait to complete all the quilting.  It's the king size.

Zen Chic's quilt.  Love their style.  Still quilting...

Sunflower done, and quilted.  Also up on my loft wall in my new Condo so I can admire it.

A quilty box quilt.  Love this one.  Can't give it away....

Table runner, on my antique cupboard.

And the most important thing.  I MOVED!!!  There was packing in June, and unpacking in July, and fixing up my condo (that includes scrubbing all grout in the kitchen, and two bathrooms - got Tennis Elbow now), and so on and so on.

See how it looks....

Kitchen, all tile on the floor.

15 foot ceilings, with my quilt hanging from the loft.

My quilt standing in as a barn door for now, covering up a 51 inch doorway.  Love the look of this small dining room.  A patio on the right.

And a disaster, my sewing room, but I'm working on it.  And quite frankly, with about 71 projects (yes, that's right 71) to complete, and over 100 row by row's, it's really a large amount of fabric.  For those of you wondering, yes my husband found out and I'm no longer allowed to buy any more row by rows this year.  Yes I agree 100 is way too much...  But I'm getting through them.  If you look at the picture closely you'll see some of my quilts hanging already.  one behind the door, and one right in front of my sewing machine hiding under the small cover that says "SEW" on it.  the bag on the floor in at the bottom right side is a bag full of row by rows....  So much to do...  It's a little overwhelming right now.  But I'll get there.

Here's a couple more things that I did in the last week.....  YES, I'm back to sewing...  I found some extra scraps (yes I want to use up my scraps) of left over christmas material, so I made a table cover, and a couple of place matts. 

And I did complete one more from Pat's Sloan 100 blocks.  Trying to finish off some of my quilts.

Alberta, the last block of the Canadian Mystery Quilt by Sanga. 

All have been quilted down, and need to be sewn together.  See one of my goals above.

Now here is my list to finish by the end of August (for my personal challenge):

1. the Zen Chic Black and White King size quilt that needs to be quilted (see picture above)
2. Put together 16 row by rows to make two panels for my doorway - a hand made Barn Door to close off my sewing room.  
3. The front part of a 2nd barn door I'm making, a plant pattern by two sisters....  Won't say anymore until it's done.
4. The Canadian Quilt BOM by Shania Sunga Designs - all parts are quilted already (doing Quilt as you go), and now I'm putting them together.  This is the back side of #2's barn door, with the row by rows on the front.  It will be spectacular...  All the pieces put together....
5. Three more Row by Rows from this season (it's Pacific Fabric's quilt that makes a wall hanging.  I have three out of the four to make the full quilt.  My husband and I are picking up the forth in two weeks.
6. Four more Row by Rows from two seasons previous
7. A cover for my freezer that we're keeping on the top patio.  It's to protect it from the rain.
8. Midnight quilt - one block left to complete.
9. A Red embroidery piece of two kids together.  Going to frame it when completed and hang it in my office.

That's 4 different quilts completed and 9 blocks to complete in two weeks.  Hoping to get half of it done.

Another thing that I'm working on this summer is how to improve my painting (I've been taking painting lessons for a year and a half now.  This summer I want to learn how to do clouds and the sea.  Last night after reading the book "Sea & Sky in Acrylics" by Dave White, here's the results of the clouds, that I'm very pleased with the results.    The canvas is very small, it's just a practise session, so I can make a larger one with an idea in mind.  But as I stated, I'm very pleased with the effects of the clouds.  Now to move onto the moving waves, or rather crashing waves.  I'm very happy that like most things with me, I can read a book and be able to learn from it.  Dave White is exceptional in explaining how to paint something, what colors to use, what paint brush, etc.  I do put my own flair on it (my own unique way of doing it), but the idea and premise is the same.  So I'm happy.

I promise to complete this picture by the end of the month, and I'm signing up for another session of learning to paint in acrylics.

That's it, a large list of things to do, and to complete.  I promise to write more often again to keep you the reader informed.  Take care.