Finish #11

It's been a minute since I've posted anything.

I think about it but that's as far as I get.

I'm hoping my blog break is over for a while.

I'll catch up in another post.

I worked on this Stars and Stripes Wall Hanging kit at retreat last month.

When I was getting ready to baste it, 

I notice that my stripes looked weird.

I had given away the instructions so 

back to Connecting Threads website I went in search of the kit.

It was still there so I took a picture of  it and got out my seam ripper.

(It's no longer on the website.)

It was all fixed good as new and I got it and another wall hanging basted.

In 2 days of little bits of quilting time,

I now have finish #11 of 20 Finishes Before 2020.

Now to figure out where to hang it.

I'm thinking in the trailer or the bus or the house.

LOL 

Next up is a cute basket wall hanging 

then a special new pink and purple quilt.

And then I plan to get caught up on my 2019 UFO Challenge. 

I'm only 4 behind. UGH!!

There is a plan.

The tops are all out, the backings are made or bought,

thread and designs are chosen and noted

and a new roll of batting at the ready.

2020 Finish #10

Garden Party is finished and Daisy tested and approved.

She thinks if I lay a quilt on the floor for a picture, 

she needs to be right there!

Hope you enjoyed that Daisy Doodles,

it's the last time you get to lay on this quilt.

I quilted a simple meander.

After removing the wavy outer borders, this top sat there taunting me.

I finally couldn't take it any more so I got to work on putting them back on the right way.

No more just winging it for me.

I knew better at the time but decided to risk it,

My Big Mistake!

I am thrilled with this quilt! 

I don't think I did too bad on this one,

only 2 years marinating before finishing. 

2020 Finish #9

Hooray! Virginia Bound is a finished quilt!!!

She already has a home in our travel trailer. 

I also busted some hunks of fabric for the back.

Scrappy front needs a scrappy back.

Quilting is simple meander.

Scrappy black binding came from my binding box.

I need to use more black binding since there was only 4 inches left over.

Another UFO off of Mt ToBeQuilted

Hearts & Flowers From Friends

This had been put away since September 2011.

Why did I do that?

Three long rows were together..

sashing sewn to both sides of the outside rows.

All I needed to do was sew the center row on both sides,

add the top and bottom sashing/border and bind.

The binding was even made.

I do know why this was put away.

I made my heart hurt too much to work on it.

It was a bit rough today as the anniversary of the tragedy approaches

and memories flooded my heart. 

After some quilt hugs and tears,

I'm happy to say the binding is now stitched down and

this one is finish #8.

Finish #6 and Changes To The 2019 UFO Challenge List

While cataloging all of my UFOs and explaining to hubby what was happening

and how depressed it was making me with so many tops to finish, 

he suggested I send a big quilt top out to my friend Jane to get quilted.

So which one do I choose? 

I chose this log cabin top to be finish #6 for my goal of 20 Finishes before 2020.

This log cabin is on my 2019 UFO Challenge list as project #12.

I happen to have a set of log cabin blocks that are ready to be made into a top

so I will replace the old #12 with those for the new #12. 

(Is that even legal? 😀) 

I picked out a feathery design and Jane made my quilt fabulous!

What's a good way to get an extra UFO marked off your list?
Use it for the back of a quilt.

These were a stack of 20 16" Turning Twenty blocks.

I just started sewing them together.

No planned lay out, just grab and sew.

Then measure and add some more fabric from the stash.

With all the quilting and binding I've been doing, 

I've irritated my shoulder.

So it's short binding sessions, and then lay it aside for a while.

Miss Polly is making sure I don't overdo. 

 So while "resting", I made 2 more quilt backs.

I'm ready to having another basting party.

The first quilt to be basted will be the UFO for this month. 

Design Wall Monday

It's been a busy week in the sewing room.

After finishing last month's UFO, 

I decided this beauty was next.

The binding is sewn down and 

it will soon be headed to a special girl in Texas.

Shhh, she doesn't know it's coming.

Finish #4 for my goal of 20 Finishes Before 2020.

Next up is Sanctuary from Kim Brackett's Scrap Basket Beauties book.

It was started in May 2013 at a retreat.

It's done with flannel from strip swaps with friends.

At the next retreat, I won 5 yards of red flannel that was used for the border, back and binding.

There is a small piece left that will be cut up into more strips for the flannel box.

WaaHoo for Finish #5!

Trying to get a picture of this was a joke.

Daisy dog plopped herself right down and

Tony had to come and show how to sit pretty.

Little Dog took over the middle of the dog bed.

Saturday morning, trying to be quiet and clean up my messy binding box,

I started sewing the leftover binding hunks together.

After sewing 7 or 8, I realized there was no top thread.

Duh!!! So I put some thread on, threaded the machine and started again

only to realize the bobbin was empty!

While stitching down binding on the Dresden Plates quilt, 

I discovered where I had run out of bobbin thread.

7 Inches from the end and I didn't even notice!!

Joke's on me I guess.

So now I have my binding box nice and neat again.

I like having the black bindings all together.

The red on the right is all the same fabric. 

My heart sings at all those leftover pieces. 

I can't wait to use them.

The others are for specific projects and each are labeled.

This is why so much quilting is happening.

I'm perfectly content to stay inside and 

make pretties happen while we wait for round 2 of this "5 part weather event".

Check out the fabulous design walls at

Small Quilts and Doll Quilts Design Wall Monday.

20 Finishes Before 2020

My phrase for 2019 is Eliminate the Noise. There is a lot of noise in my sewing room. That's the new name for UFOs. Noise. They are loud! Calling my name to finish them. So I decided to create my own challenge to finish 20 of these UFOs before 2020. This is in addition to Judy L's monthly challenge. So if I stay on track, I'll have 32 projects out of my sewing room.

Finish #1 is Jillian's Heart Quilt.

Finish #2 is Corn and Beans.

Finish #3 is Gypsy Rose for Jenny.

I decided to add the 2019 UFO Challenge finishes here too.

I like looking at exactly what I've accomplished.

I'll just not count them as they are their own challenge. 

January

Finish #4 is Dresden Plates in Batiks for Amanda.

Finish #5 is Sanctuary in Flannel

Finish #6 is this Log Cabin

  

February UFO Challenge

Lucky #7 

#8 Hearts and Flowers from Friends

#9 Virginia Bound

#10 Garden Party

Excited to be half way to my goal before the year is half over!!

#11 Stars and Stripes Wall Hanging

To Be Continued.......

Design Wall Monday

I am on a (slow) roll!

This is finish #3 for me this year.

I am on a mission to quilt at least 32 quilts this year.

I have my UFO Challenge list from Judy L's challenge up in a tab.

I must confess that so far no action has been taken on January's quilt 

other than to get it out of the bin,

choose the backing and buy the thread.

I'm hoping to baste today.

I have a plan of 20 Finishes before 2020 that does not include the Challenge list.

Seriously, I need to not even look at a new project for a while.

I wrangled the UFOs and will not confess the number because it is shameful.

I am very embarrassed to admit how many I actually have. 

Maybe one day but not today.

So this gem is almost complete.

(I  didn't note the book the pattern is from.

I know I still have it in my stash of strip pattern books.)

There is only one more side of the binding to stitch down.

That will happen sometime today.

Then it's a trip through the washer and dryer and 

into the mail to our oldest.

Notice in the upper left corner my glove.

I use gloves even with the walking foot.

It sure helps my arthritic hands not to hurt so much.

I won this jelly roll in 2009 from Sue Hecker.

(Check out her beautiful sewing room.)

It's called Gypsy Rose by Fig Tree.

When our oldest was young, her horse's name was Gypsy Rose.

How could this not go to her.

 I feel so guilty that she has not had it for all these years.

But she will have it soon so no more guilt.

I love being able to surprise people with packages in the mail.

I'm hoping to get good outdoor pictures today.

Of course there has to be a problem with all UFOs.

The binding was cut and with this quilt.

As were the extra fabrics from the jelly roll but nothing from the binding fabric.

No big deal, just pick another piece of fabric and make it work.

Here's a little cutie from 7 year old Corbin.

The kids love word search puzzles.

Corbin is working on his the other morning with his dinosaur watching.

As that thing moves it's head and growls,

I asked if Dino was helping find words.

Without looking up or thinking at all, he says

"No, he's thinking about cupcakes ."

Check out all the great projects at

Small Quilts and Doll Quilts Design Wall Monday. 

Have a great week.

Design Wall Monday

 Last week I said I was taking time off my Good Fortune Quilt to work on some quilting. 

This baby quilt has been delivered.

The Flintstones tie dye fabric was from childhood curtains that belonged

 to my great niece's dad as a child.

He had them hanging in every home he lived in.

After his death, my niece held on to the curtains to make keepsakes for their daughters.

Both girls with have a quilt made using the fabrics.

It was an emotional journey for me so I can only imagine what my nieces felt when they saw it.

I loved making this quilt.

Since I was in the quilting mood, 

I decided to tackle this UFO from 2010 that was on top of Mt ToBeQuilted.

The backing was with the top so when I cut batting for the baby quilt,

I cut for this quilt and Garden Party.

 Quilting was simple and pretty quick.

When it got time to choose binding, 

I decided to trim up the excess backing and use it.

I love a scrappy binding.

I also pin basted Garden Party but had to unpin and repin.

I had a huge fold in the back

How did that happen! 

I had trimmed up the excess backing and batting to make less bulky

and was quite surprised at how big the fold really was. 

All better now and ready to quilt.
Since I was basting,
I grabbed 3 more off the mountain.

Now there are 2 on the ready to quilt pile with 

2 more ready to pin baste.

So Thank You Julie for the idea to get a few quilts basted for when the mood strikes.

That  should use up most of my pins. 

Check out all the fabulous design walls at

Small Quilts and Doll Quilts Design Wall Monday