Been a while

NYSU picture

Yes I'm back and the only reason for that is that school is over.  What a ride!!!!  They're saying that this year all teachers are now suffering Post Traumatic Symptoms.  That all teachers and school staff have gone through trauma and they should look at this year as such.  I'm saying that the things that usually help me calm down, were not happening because I didn't have the time, or make the time.  Mostly it was because I was just surviving.  From getting up in the morning and working out to calm down for 20 minutes, to walks at lunch, and just too tired to eat, but forcing myself.  Seriously when I got home I was so tired I just would do my school work, and then pass out at 8:30 or 9:00 so no time to sew or paint.  

But on the good side, I joined Noom and lost 30 pounds.  I learned how to say no and how to switch stress eatting with working out to beat the fear and stress out of my system.  I learned to really look at myself and to see what I need and how to get what I need.  Mostly, I started to put myself first to really take care of myself.  So what else do I need to do...  I need to start being creative again...  And thus my summer journey.

I'm looking at my challenge list and realize that I do have some of them done.  I didn't have time to blog about it but the pictures are there in the Quilts 2020 2021 section, so go take a look.  I'm back baby, and I have three quilts I'm working at right now, and one that I want to put up in my quilt challenge for this month.  

My challenge, a 2013 quilt from Quick Quilts that I started to cut years ago (in 2013).  It's been sitting in a bag, and has moved 2 times.  It's called Parisian Patches with a group of fabric mixed up together.  In 3 different square sizes, you put two together, another two together, and then those two together.  When you're done making the square, you put four together to make a giant square.

It says 2013 - OMG!!

The colors are mute greens and blues.  In the end I'm doing something special with it, but you'll have to wait.  So this is what I'm looking at completing by the end of the month.  My One Monthly Goal (OMG).  I'm hooking up to Elm Street Quilts to play with others and maybe win a prize.  Who knows, but finishing this quilt will be a prize in itself.  No owner decided yet, but it will come.

Wish me luck.

And the next quilt will be.......

Dwight the deer.  Why?  Because I’ve had that quilt with the material in a bag for 4 years.  The backing is reindeer’s and not good for anything else and the pattern in simple with square flipping.  Nothing is cut out, nothing is sewn, it’s just a bag of material with the pattern printed out.  So I  just start the lap quilt and enjoy the process. 

Here is what the quilt is supposed to look like in the end:

As you can see it’s by Elizabeth Hartman and I’m not too sure of the size I’ll make, but it will be at least 4 deers because that’s the material I have.

Hooking up to One Monthly Goal from Elm Street Quilts.  Wish me luck.

https://www.elmstreetquilts.com/2020/08/one-monthly-goal-august-link-up.html

Update for the Quilting UFO Challenge from the AQS

Went to the  UFO 2020 Challenge from the American Patchwork and Quilting group and found that this month is #12.  But I've done number 12 in April, so I'm going back to my April done to get this done.

PROJECT	STATUS BEFORE	STATUS AFTER
1  Conversation Quilt April	All material gathered, and two cut, but none sewn.  Suppose to look like this:
2.  Sew Incredible Seasons BOM 2019 JANUARY
3  Flamingo Barn Door for our Dining room using the SewKindofWonderful ruler.	Have all the fabric, and some of it cut.  Need to start sewing.
4  Zen Chic Sky. February	Have the pattern, have the geese all made, need to quilt it.  Started in 2019 in September.
5  Quilt Doodle BOM 2019	Have 8 out of twelve blocks completed.
6  Black & White Paper Piece, 2018	No before picture, I'm just doing the quilt.  Have 4 blocks completed.
7  HST BOM by Freshly Pieced.   MARCH	Have all material and now all the pattern.  But haven't started.  It's suppose to look like this
8 Dwight the Deer Quilt by Elizabeth Hartman  August quilt	All the material and the pattern.  2016 - from Craftsy Online Course.
9  Hand applique 2 sisters of Buggy Barn quilts patterns. February  - Get one block done.	Joined as a BOM, have all the material and it's all by hand so great for travel.  Haven't even started it.	In February I did the tree, the cat and the flowers, as well as the knot in the tree.  That's section 1 and section 2 I was working on.
10  Modern quilt	Have all the material.  Need to cut.
11  Row by Rows to complete a queen size quilt. JUNE	Have 18 rows completed.  Need to do 16 more.
12  There's so many more, this one I'm not going to list.  Just choose one.  Did this one for MARCH But it's MAY	Pink Lemonade - had it partly done, some of the pieces are cut wrong.  Two rows completed.  Had to find the pattern.  Did this for MARCH

LISTING UFO PROJECTS B - 2nd list

PROJECT  B version	STATUS BEFORE	STATUS AFTER
1  Churn Dash Aprils's	About 10 done, have all the material.  Quilt guild started it and I just need to finish it.
2.  Tea Cubs JANUARY	Had one done.  All material there and all patterns there.
3  Applique Flower with wool	All material but that's it.  I have to hand stitch most of it.
4 Sewing dummy make of flowers	Add caption  Some flowers cut out and ready for pattern.  Its a decent size.
5  Cleaning up all scraps	Need to catch up.  Missing January, February
6  Paint brush quilt	Have pattern and material.  Was going to make a quilt but now it's a table runner.
7  House quilt BOM    OUCH!!!  March	One block completed out of 12.
8 Missourri quilt strip quilt August.	Just need to choose any one.
9  Sewing dummy made of a truck FEBRUARY	Have some flowers cut out.
10  Strip quilt with scraps	Need 48 of them.  Have 12 completed.
11  Squirrel made by SewFresh JUNE	have material and pattern.  This is what the pattern looks like.	Got this one done in JUNE>
12  Horse or cow.  Horse is made of sqaures.    MAY	Have material and pattern for both

I'm also hoping to make one baby quilt a month for the hospital.

January   

February

July's extra one

Another UFO completed..... The Conversation Quilt.

I am so proud of this one, I completed it in 3 months and it was a block of the month for 12 months.  It was difficult but doable as you can see. 

Here is what it looked like a month ago and here is where I wrote about doing this challenge (3 times I tried to complete this one)

And here is where it is now.

I still have to quilt it, I'm waiting for some backing that I got for $7.00 a meter considering I needed at last 9 meters to do this baby.  It's a queen size quilt, with each row a new pattern

Some of these patterns were very difficult and some were brand new (like the third from the top - I love this block now, want a complete quilt with just that block).

The quilt is by Anne Marie Chany and although I love her patterns this one had to be exact every time.  Each block needed to measure 6 1/2" to perfection.  Many you have to cut down to size.  She gives you bigger sizes on purpose to cut down.  Now that takes a lot of time.

But I love how I used up all my scraps in this one (still have scraps darn it!!!) and it's so colorful it makes me happy.  Plus the bonus is I have a cousin who's getting married (just got engaged 2 weeks ago) and this would be the perfect gift for him and his wonderful girlfriend (now it's fiancee). 

It's perfect for a queen size bed and although I want to send it to a quilting place to be done, I just can't stomach the pricing of someone else doing it when I think I can do it myself.  I'll stitch in the ditch along the white, but I have to think of a pattern for the red.  Not hearts, but how about paisley and hearts?

I'll need to put a date on it somewhere for the two of them. 

And while I was working on this one I also had a few others done including one for the AQS for the month of June.  But that's another two posts  :)  

So happy me!!!  It was great to finally get this done.  Now on to the next and some quilting.