Goals to wind down 2017

It's time for the Finish Along goals for the end of 2017. You all know I love making lists and this one is no exception but this quarter I've decided to include all the projects and brake them up into the phase that they are in currently and see if that helps me focus on getting more things accomplished.

2 that are So Close -- Just needs the binding turned

• Tessellations  
  
• Spiderwebs 
  

14 Completed tops -- Need quilting and Binding 

• Migration 
  
• Scrappy Rainbow Strips 1 
  
• Plus Side* -- Due in October
  
• Botanics Pendent Chevrons 
  
• Kwik Evening Star 
  
• Boba Fett Mini 
  
• Swiss Cross for Teri* 
  
• Alison Glass Geese Rainbow mini 
  
• 6 Charity Quilts*

7 In Progress Assembly Required -- Blocks to be turned into tops

• Double Star 
  
• Moda Modern Building Blocks -- this is the oldest project
  
• Kwik Mosaic Tiles -- half the blocks are completed and assembled
  
• Down the Rabbit Hole Traveling Quilt 
  
• 2017 Round Robin Quilt (comes back in December)
• Scrappy Rainbow Strips 2
• Scrappy Kittens 
  

12 Things in the Idea Phase -- When I need to start something new 

• Squirrel Mini for Gina* 
  
• Tula Pink Color Dive 
• All Squared Up with Priory Square 
  
• Broken Herringbone 
  
• Anna Maria Horner Scrappy Quilt 
  
• Metro Hoops 
  
• Kandy Cat Quilt 
  
• Project with Spirit Animal 
• Happy Go Lucky Dutchman's Puzzle 
  
• Jen Kingwell Holiday Pillow* 
  
• Triangle pillow or mini quilt from leftover tesselations blocks 
  
• Alison glass selvages project 
  

13 Things that are not Quilts 

• Continue making my rainbow scrap bins (5 left to finish) 
  
• Weekender Bag 
  
• Makers Tote 
  
• 2 Mini Sew Together Bag* 
• Sew Together Bag for Lisa* 
• 3 Tunics 

OMG that's 48 projects -- Very unrealistic goals because I would need to finish 16 items per month or an average of a finish every other day to make that happen (insert crazy laughter) but I do have 13* items that are gifts and those really need to be finished this quarter. 

September notes

The month started out with an awesome girls weekend, where I got 4 quilt tops and a mini quilt put together. Most of these were already in blocks at the start of the long weekend but it felt good to come back with tops instead of pieces. 

Not much else to report this month -- After Labor Day holiday with my girlfriends, my time back to my sewing machine was limited for a few weeks because of a change in my husband's schedule and a sickness that a coworker brought to me. 

I did finish my mini for the Houston Guild Swap. 

Toward the end of the month, I managed to get my Bee blocks finished for Kathleen and Dianna. How fun are Cathleene's Filmstrip blocks and those winged square blocks turned out great. 

I worked on Maryanne's traveling quilt, adding the braided part to the right side made from half hexagons cut on my accuquilt. This group has one more round and then mine will return home probably in time for my birthday.

I didn't really get much else done this month except a few extra blocks that will be going in my double star quilt once my hive mates send the rest in. 

Things start to slow down for me once the weather turns cool and hopefully my schedule will get back to normal and much more sewing can happen. I'm really hoping for time on the longarm soon so that I will be able to finish up some of the charity tops that I have been making all year. 

Lucky 21 -- Lucky Lady

My niece Ireland graduated high school in just 3 years while doing all kinds of awesome extravehicular activities along the way and now she's off to college -- so you all know what that means -- it's time she gets a quilt. 

To be honest this did not start out with the intention of being her quilt -- it was a fun fabric that I loved and wanted to make as the color pallet for an unknown project. I love it when that happens -- but more when the actual project comes together and in the end everything seems just right. It all started with this very pretty art gallery fabric 

and pulled most of the coordinating fabrics from my stash.

I came across the pattern in a stash box and knew this would be a fun and simple project to put together. I actually started on this quilt back at the 2016 stash bash and it sat for a while as components waiting to be randomly put together -- there really is limited planning on this pattern. I got the blocks assembled at Stash Bash earlier this year and really loved all the bright pastels I was finally getting to use. 

I made the backing shortly after I got home and it was in the pile waiting for quilting. It was really supposed to be waiting for me to longarm it but when I decided to send 2 others out I threw this one in as well. Charlene @thecottonfarmfabrics did a simple panto on this one and it looks great. 

I used more of the backing for the binding. 

and once it was complete I knew this quilt should go to Ireland. Now the quilt lives with her at college and I hope she knows how much I love her and how proud I am of the awesome young lady that she has become. 

Was a finish in the 3rd quarter. 

3rd Quarter Accomplishments

At the beginning of this quarter I linked up with 25 ambitious goals for the quarterly finish a long. I completed 4 and made some progress on 7 others. 

Completed

Patchwork Swoon -- Complete 

Guild mini quilt swap with Houston guild -- Complete 

Lucky 21 -- Complete

3-6 more scrap bins --  blue complete

Progress
Plus Side quilt for Granny -- assembled, needs quilting, her birthday is next month so I really need to get this one finished. 

Tessellations Quilt -- needs binding finished

Spiderwebs quilt -- needs binding

Pattern testing for Karie Jewell -- one top complete and one half complete

Botanics Pendant Quilt -- needs quilting

Migration Quilt -- top completed

Double Star Quilt -- Waiting on the blocks to come in I am the Queen Bee in September -- I made 4 blocks so far and have received a few more 

There were plenty of other things that didn't get touched this quarter but here's hoping that next quarter will be more productive.

When your Friends design patterns.....

Many of my friends know that I sew almost daily and because of my husband's work schedule I sew most evenings. I'm not a 30 minute per day sewer, it's more like 3-4 hours per day and 6 on Fridays when I don't have other things going on. 

This leaves plenty of time to try new things and sometimes those things include pattern testing. When my friend Karie asked if I'd be willing to test out some of her new patters I was beyond happy to give them a go. She sent me 6 that would be coming out soon and I was able to squeeze in time to test out 2 of them. 

The first one went quickly and is a great one to really showcase the fabrics in a layer cake, here's my smaller version of  Kwik Evening Star. 

The second one was a bit more labor intensive and I really only finished the first half before she shared the pattern -- I did a reverse coloration of Kwik Misaic Tiles. I hope to be able to get some more cream scraps so that I will be able to finish up the other half of these blocks because it's looking great so far.

Big thanks to Karie for asking me to be a part of this awesome set of patterns to test. I have another that I am hoping to put together soon and look forward to sharing it as well. 

August -- was kind of a blur

August started out with the 9th anniversary to my husband. We usually take some time off to celebrate and this year we just decided to do some local things and a day trip to Asheville. I also made a trip to Pineapple fabrics -- they are only open to the public a few times a year and this was a great trip for me to get backings and a fill in things. 

Sewing this month consisted of bee blocks 

A traveling quilt for the awesome @Seydonamade -- I added the heart and geese section at the bottom

Getting 3 of my quilts back from Charlene @thecottonfarmfabrics , means that soon I will have some finishes to share. 

a Pattern test of Boba Fett for @radioactive_Squirrel

and a wonderful girls weekend that consisted of much sewing, laughter and good food.