"For I know the plans I have for you," declares the Lord, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future." Jer 29:11 (NIV)

Tuesday, March 17, 2020

BOM blocks

I'm working on a BOM designed by a friend for a small group of friends this year.   And managed to get caught up on part of it.

Designed and decided on what I'm going to make as alternate blocks.   If I do the big size of the quilt then I'll need 12 of them, but haven't decided on what size I'll do for sure.   Might do a large lap quilt size because then I could use it as a gift for a friend.

And I like this block well enough that I'm planning to make a quilt using only it.

Next up was the March block.  The block my friend chose is called Castle in the Sky and looks like this.

However, even with the instructions and the picture to follow, I still didn't manage to get the center part right.......

So this is how my block for March looks.    I may or may not redo it.....I finished this one up because I'm making this out of scraps and I loved that red print and only had enough for what is in this block.

Gratitudes:

1. For friends who check to make sure I'm doing ok, and others who offer to get fresh stuff for me at the grocery store when they are going (and then don't take money for it).

2. for the option of working at home even when I'm not getting paid at the present.

Saturday, March 14, 2020

ScrapHappy March 2020


For a change of pace this month, and while I was trying to find where I had stuck a couple of things that I needed, I decided to quickly work with a few pre-cut squares of a bright jungle print that I'd found while going through a tote of fabric.

I pulled partial FQ's of 4 different greens and one brown, along with two remnants of cream-on-cream fabrics.










4 blocks later (they finish at 18") with the addition of sashing and simple border I had a finished quilt top.  Finished size is 49.5" finished.

To see what everyone else is doing this month with scraps, click on the links blow.














KateGun, TittiHelĂ©neEvaSue, Nanette, Lynn, Lynda,
Birthe, Turid, Susan, Cathy, Debbierose, Tracy, Jill, Claire, Jan,
Moira (me!),  SandraLindaChrisNancyAlysKerryClaireJean,
Joanne, Jon, HayleyDawnGwen, Connie, Bekki, PaulineSue L,
Sunny and Kjerstin






Gratitudes:
1. For times of fellowship with girlfriends from church over lunch that one of them gifted to me.

2. For the arthritis that reminds me I'm still alive and fortunate to be moving, albeit a little slower when the foot hurts

Tuesday, March 3, 2020

To-Do's - March 3, 2020

Completions for the last couple of weeks -
  1. Teddy Bear for Henry - Delivered
  2. Owl print quilt for sister of TK - Top is pieced together in three sections
  3. Pattern for wedge support pillow pillowcase - Completed 
  4. Stretching Art 2020 Wall-hanging - Completed and ready for delivery next week
  5. March. F2F Blocks - Block 1 Completed

Goals for the next week or two -
  1. Easter Postcards for sale - Background of first set completed
  2. Owl print quilt for sister of TK - Quilt and join sections
  3. Quilt Lap quilt for SN and ship
  4. Complete the final 2 F2F blocks for March
  5. Start the setting blocks for the mystery quilt
  6. Mother's Day Postcards
  7. Father's Day Postcards
  8. Graduation Postcards

Commission To-do's for March -
  1. Easter Postcards for sale - Background of first set completed
  2. BD Postcards
  3. Mother's Day Postcards
  4. Father's Day Postcards
  5. Graduation Postcards
  6. Quote for memory quilt to MF

Current For Sale projects & Commissions-
  1. Pincushions for sale - make and list
  2. Repair blanket/quilt for KA - commercial quilt received, plan of reworking it decided on, no due date
  3. Auction quilt for private prep school where a friends DD attends (for JM) - Design approved w/change in colors to be used for sashing

2019 Christmas gifts -
  1. Pillowcase(s) for triangle support pillow for PN - Cut out, ready to sew
  2. Send gifts to the N family

Future Commissions-
  1. T-shirt Quilt for friend in an online group (no due date, waiting for shirts and specs)
  2. T-shirt quilt for a friend at church (no due date, waiting for shirts, specs)
  3. Men's Shirt alterations (multiple, not sure how many at this point) for AJ
  4. Hem dress and alter jacket for CJ
  5. T-shirt quilts for CA and CA
  6. Memory bears for TA
  7. Quilt/Finish baby quilt for SN

Possible Commissions/Sales-
  1. Airplane quilt - need to make sample blocks before getting back with friend to see if she's interested
  2. Music Quilt - long time possibility....rumblings about it happening again - Designed, waiting on down payment
  3. Teddy Bear Quilt - This needs to be quilted (either for the original order or sold to someone else)
  4. Quilt tops that are for sale (Wolf + more)
Other projects that need to be done -
  1. Keep up with blocks for this years F2F swap.
  2. List items for sale on Ebay or other fitting site
  3. List fabric "Sets" for sale on FB - In Process, lots more to go
  4. Ship snail quilt out for quilting - Ready to ship, but have to wait till I get paid again 
  5. UFO Alphabet quilt #4 - Quilt, bind and finish
  6. Prep t-shirts for my own t-shirt quilt - t-shirts are all together (and have been for several yrs) but need to back with interfacing and get ready for quilting (doing quilt as you go).
  7. Downsize quilting fabric stash - Started, lots more to go thru
  8. Find place to donate clothing fabric - One email sent, waiting on response.  More to send
  9. Get website set up so that I can sell what I'm making and my quilts - started need to finish
  10. Continue looking for and applying for new, paying jobs
  11. Teddy Bear for Ezra
  12. Purse for Caroline for Graduation - same type as 2 Christmas's ago, just larger.

Gratitudes:
1. For safety of family and friends from the tornadoes that hit last night

2. For the blessing of friends with new babies

Monday, March 2, 2020

Stretching Art 2020 Complete

I finished up my entry for the Stretching Art Quilt Challenge 2020 this past weekend.

Here's the description that I wrote about my quilt for this year -

To me, community is not tied to any one locale, geographic area or group of people.  Instead it consists of those that are a part of our lives whether or not we interact with them on a daily basis.  Like a tree that community is always growing, even during times of seeming difficulty or trauma.  I used stylized human figures to represent "leaves" on my Tree of Life and they are representative of all those in my community, both near and far.   Some of those have been there for many years, others are new shoots just starting to grow. 

 This quilt truly does represent how I've been blessed over this past year of dealing with health and financial issues.   Love the community that God has blessed me with.

Fabrics used include -
Leaves - 19 different silks
Background, tree trunk/branches, ground, backing, sleeve and bindings - 6 different cottons

Gratitudes:

1. For the community that I've been blessed with for many years, esp. over the last couple as things have been so difficult.

2. For the stubbornness that made me persevere in getting this piece finished.