May Goals

What to do, what to do…

I’ve been thinking the last week or so about which goal(s) I’m going to set this month.

First, I was thinking about how this summer will most likely be insane, so moving the easier goals to June through August would probably be good.

Then, I thought about how I really wanted to stick with the projects I worked on in April so I could really eliminate some UFOs completely.

Then, thoughts of starting a whole new project have been popping up. I mean seriously, my list of quilts I want to make seems to have a few more added on each time I open my internet browser. Am I the only one that has this problem??



Geta Grama


I know that the third option really isn’t sticking with the whole idea of actually finishing things, so that one should be crossed off the list. But, just look at that quilt by Geta Gramma! I bought the pattern immediately!!

Ok, back to reality… (I mean, that is paper pieced, and I currently have 5 kids ages 10 and under…)

With that off the table, I think the best thing to do would be to finish the projects I’ve been working on. Even though quilting the tops I’ve finished would be a easier project to keep up with through our summer schedule, I think I’d rather break up the quilting so I don’t end up doing nothing but that for a few months straight.

Here is ‘the goal’ then:
– Quilt and bind my ‘Double Stuffed’ quilt
– Quilt tie-die quilt that is my friend’s daughter’s first quilt
– Quilt my first quilt (still unnamed, maybe I should call it: Took Me Forever. haha)

There it is, ‘Took Me Forever’, it’s gonna be DONE soon!!! Yes!

Linked up with:

This Month

Ahh, these past few weeks have been pretty great.

The weather has been spot on. I even got out my clothesline! Mostly to photograph this:

But, I plan to hang some clothes out in a few days (Mondays are my big laundry conquering days). Gotta love the smell!

My goal was to finish this quilt top and the back so it would be ready for quilting, and with only 2 seams to go on the back (which I am doing later today) I would say I DID IT! WooHoo! Taking a photo of said back and blogging about it anytime soon is a completely different thing, pcht.

It always feels so good to get another UFO finished and out of the sewing area. Thanks to the Lovely Year of Finishes I have had a lot more UFOs finished than usual. Here’s my goal setting and mid-month for April.

At times I feel like my sewing space feels so empty, then I remember I’m being productive and cleaning things up. Did I say it feels great yet? It really does.

There have also been quite a few beach days, oh how I love the beach!

We’ve been going with Oma most days and it’s so great to be hanging out with my Mom more.

We frequent Rehoboth Beach, it’s only about an hour for us, and we like it. My Mom introduced me to Greenman Juice Bar & Bistro the last time we went, oh it was good.

In the midst of all this I was also able to finally pull all the weeds out of my garden on the side of the house. I bought some daylilys to put among my nandinas, can’t wait to plant them.

Why is it that the weeds seem to do so well in my garden on that side??

It’s just not fair I tell ya.

Another thing I whipped up last week was this wreath:

I saw something similar on pinterest, but I love me some hydrangeas so they were substituted. I also added a shovel, I liked the shiny in with it all.

Hopefully there will be some realy hydrangeas to grace my front garden this year too!

Is there anything you’re hoping to plant this spring?

April Check In

Have I said yet that I am loving this Lovely Year of Finishes thing??

Cause I really am.

I feel super productive, and I’m actually doing instead of organizing.

You see, I have COD (yes, they spelled OCD wrong. Didn’t you know??? ha ha ha) and sometimes just a touch of ADD. So, I start off sewing on a current project, then I see something that just needs to be put away. Right then! Then, while I’m putting said thing away, there is something else that just shouldn’t be where it is. While that item is being return to it’s needed location I find some fabric that I was in the middle of cutting the last time I was ‘sewing’.

Do you see how this process goes??? It can make me insane sometimes. I feel like I have to put on blinders just so I can focus on what I’m working on, and this Lovely Year of Finishes seems to be just the ‘blinders’ I need.

Without further distraction…

(Sorry for the horrible picture, my sewing area is in the basement)

This is the progress I have made on my BYG quilt. The big block that is in the upper left actually has about 3 more strips sewn onto in since this photo was taken, and it’s only got about 3 more ’til it’s done. So excited to finsh up this one!

The back is in progress now too. I’m planning to use up the scraps in different width strips, and some of these are done/partially done. I just need to figure out which fabric I want to use as the main one on the back.

This quilt will be pieced and ready for quilting this month!! Yay!

Here’s my April goal setting.

April’s UFO – Blue Yellow Green

There has been much progress in these parts when it comes to organizing, and thanks to the Lovely Year of Finishes there has also been great progress in digging out and finishing up those long lost UFOs.

It feels great to have a sort of purpose given back to those once abandoned ideas and creations. The excuses have been pushed aside, and a rehashing of sorts is taking place.

It feels good.

If I were a good writer, I would relate all of this to the springtime and the beautiful changes we are seeing all around us.

That I feel somewhat like my gardens outside, clearing out the old remnants of growth last year and getting ready for planting.

New ideas, and a sort of clean slate to start off with. Maybe I will do some type of writing challenges along with all of these projects, always room for improvement.

So, without further ado, here’s my chosen UFO for the month of April:

My goal is to finish the top and backing for this quilt.

Here is one of the blocks:

This quilt came about because a good friend gave me that 9-patch block with the yellow and white. I love the print she used, the yellow flowers are surrounded by a grey leafy almost plaid.

The 9-patch stayed on my design wall for almost a year before I figured out just what I wanted to do with it. In trying to use up my scraps lately, I decided to make a version of a log cabin, starting with about an 8 in block as the center of each larger block. I love how it’s turning out!

I have not decided yet if I want to have it quilted or quilt it myself. I am leaning towards having it quilted though, I have never had a quilt quilted for me and it feels almost exciting.

I love quilting

No really, I love quilting.

I made this today:

Ain’t it purty?!?! I’m so very excited with how it turned out!

Thanks to a long nap after lunch from my now one-year-old, (can you believe it?? he’s one!!) I was able to knock out the piecing. It’s made up of 36 (yes, 36) 2 inch squares.

This block is the center for the last block I am making for my ‘log cabin’ quilt that I have been working on for quite a while. (messy, messy. I know…)

It’s gonna be quite different, and I’m very excited.

Aside from the very first quilt I started and this one, every other quilt I have started or even worked on was for someone else.

To quilt is to share!

But this one, it’s mine. mine.

Oh that feels nice to say.

I think it is so amazing that bits and pieces of fabric can turn into something so beautiful and useful. I’m not sure about you, but wouldn’t it be great if we could do that with everything!

One of the best things about quilting for me is watching how the seems line up just so. Oh, it just makes my day!

There may just be a postage stamp quilt in my near future.

Log Cabin Anyone?

My new quilt project (like I need a new one….) is a scrappy log cabin, I guess that’s the category it falls in. I have never done a log cabin before, and have seen tons of them online that I love love.

Honestly, I just couldn’t wait anymore to finish other things before starting one, although I did quilt and bind a twin last weekend (go me!). The top was from Mrs. Millie, the same woman who has done tops for charity in the past that I have quilted.

I posted about the first block a little while back, and of course all my ideas about how this quilt will end up have changed.

I did take off and change the last strip of the block, I felt like it had too much of the pieced strips. Isn’t that medium blue much better?

And, there is also a second block that has joined the party:

Needless to say, I am not sticking with the 9-patch center for these blocks. I plan to do a different center for each of the 6 blocks that will make up the quilt, I’m thinking of keeping them all traditional.

Each block will finish at 24 inches, and I’m really wanting to do some funky sashing like maybe some flying geese or 5 inch squares on point. We shall see once all the blocks are done.

There is some sketching that needs to get done, and a little playing with colors and shapes and whatnot.

I love the design process!

This one is mine, all mine! I may even spoil myself and get it long-armed.

What does my husband think of this you ask?

Well, when I asked him what he thought, his reply was “it looks a little busy.” Thanks hun for the “compliment” (wink wink).