Chookshed Challenge Sept 2024

This is as far as I got on the Macaron Mystery earlier this month when quilting friends joined me in a week of marathon quilting. Fortunatly, I only made these 4 blocks before realizing that I had sewn together too many of the snowball units. I have some unstitching to do. I wondered why I had certain bits left over. I had not downloaded the final month of assembling instructions so was just winging it. I do that a lot. I worked on bits of several projects. Just did not take pictures. This one is still on the big design wall I had moved into the SonRoom back in May for a retreat. I like it here. It will stay for now. Actually, I have a plan to use it end of October for a Writing Workshop I am organizing. 

I find critters - an entourage - following Devan around as she works on her projects. She likes to be in the same room with me. She had been away to camp twice during the summer and we have not seen so much of her as we have Ellyse who is playing rugby and needs to be here for practices. They only live here half time and it has been sparse with Ava, at 16, now working part time and just got her beginners so is driving.  

Have I mentioned here lately how much I love being in the new SonRoom? This is my writing space. I try to write first thing in the morning. I get to watch the morning sun play as it rises over the barn and trees to the east. This is facing west. In the evenings I get to watch it go down through the spruce trees. This is our first summer using this room. We have not had to use any air conditioning in here. I open windows when I come down and close them when it starts to warm up outside. Mornings have been as fresh as 10C and afternoons as warm as 32 lately. Two ceiling fans move enough air to make it comfortable. I like to write in silence without distraction. I now have Devan trained to do her thing in silence after the initial hug and I love you Gramma. 

I was looking for a particular bin of fabric I bought from Craftsy a hundred years ago and removed all the storage bins out of the tiny closet in the Blue Room. I have not been writing or sewing in here this summer and now you know why. I had to wait for help to put them back in because I ask for help a lot these days to do things. The pain in my hands has not improved. I am waiting for a referral for another opinion. In the meantime, I started seeing a new chiropractor and we are starting to make progress for the back pain. I have been unable to roll over. So much for getting down on the floor on my back to do stretching excersises. Just getting down then back up took me 20 minutes and not a few tears. 

So Devan helped me put back the boxes. This is what I was looking for. Of course, It was right near the bottom. This is fabric I collected to make Judy Neimeyer's Bali Wedding Star. I have the pattern. That was a fun challenge to locate. But I no longer want to make it. I also looked through every box to see what I have. I have a lot of fabric. I have a lot of half made projects neatly orgainzed with everything they need to make them. I also have several new projects I want to start. So I wrote up a list of steps needed to get ready to start them to see if I could fit them in somewhere between turning 90 and 100. Did I mention that I am flying out to Kansas City in October to visit Gail who offered to take me to Missouri Star Quilts? Of course we have to go since it is so close. 

The Chookshed Challenge number for Sept is #7. That is Serendipity on my list. I do not want to put in time pulling out and sorting through all the stuff and getting my head into it. I have done that so many times and keep putting it away. One of these days it will get done. I did buy the pattern to make the border. Sorry, Deana. I had the whole thing out when you were here in May, but put it all away again. I will instead, continue to work on the Macaron Mystery and see how much progress I can make once I fix my oops. After all, it is on the design wall front and center. I love the colours that are in it. 

For the record, I did a few minutes yesterday assembling Lucy units but had to stop. I had even considered using a curved needle. Nope. Not going to happen anytime soon. And, I did some sewing blocks together for the Summer Mystery. Just not finished it. It was too easy and I had too much time. 

In the meantime, I am planning to thoroughly enjoy the now cooler beginning of fall weather and spending some time outside. Actually, I was going to say, I am plotting out activities for the fall. But I do need to spend time outside. 

Until next time, 

Blessings

Chris\

linking with: smallquiltsanddollquilts.design-wall-monday-

Chookshed Challenge

 This is Lucy. 

Lucy and I spent some time together in March. 

Lots of time.

Lucy is teaching me about perseverance. 

About sticking to the task. 

I do not like to be told what to do. 

Some days Lucy lay in a heap on the table.

Other days we played and played. 

It is time for Lucy to take a vacation. 

Well, I am taking a vacation.

 Lucy will not be accompanying me.

And why?

Because my Sweetie and I are going to a family wedding in England.

Lucy takes too much room now that she is growing. 

Sarah Morrell wants to play this month. 

Will she join me? 

The challenge # for April is 9. 

That is Sarah Morrell's number. 

But I do not have any hand work prepped. 

Sigh. 

My to-do list for this week includes:

1. Finish emptying out anything that will move out of the living room to get ready to shampoo the carpet tomorrow. 
2. Bag up and donate the gzillion toys that were removed on the weekend. 
3. Load them into the car to drop off this afternoon.
4. Bag up the broken and discarded toys ready for garbage Friday.
5. Deal with the quatrillion ants in the SonRoom. 
6. Visit the location for our women's group retreat for June today and see just how many beds are available. There are 6 bedrooms and 4 bathrooms. I know that. And a heated swimming pool. And a fireplace. And a double curved staircase. 
7. Remember to drop off the toys.
8. Then write up a packing list for my ladies. I already have the meal signup sheets printed. 
9. Order British currency at the bank.
10. Get travel insurance. It is much more now that we are over 70. 
11. Find something to wear to the wedding. We were told we could not wear jeans. You can see the venue here 
12. Work on just 2 Morrell blocks. That should satisfy the requirements for the challenge. Progress it is called. This will be my April OMG goal. 

That should keep me busy for a few days. There is an eclipse coming on Monday and my Sweetie is going to babysit the boys this Friday and is planning to stay over until Monday. That leaves me home for the weekend on my own (insert giggles and extreme brain activity). Whatever mischief  activities could I pursue? My Mentoring Women's group is meeting here for potluck on Sat afternoon and we will be wrapping up a book study we have been doing this winter. 

Blessings,

Chris

March 2024 Goal

 This is Lucy. 

Lucy Boston Patchwork of the Crosses.

Lucy is relaxing laying in the sun

on the heated floor in the new SonRoom at the Farm. 

She is tired of relaxing and being in time out. 

So . . . 

 We are going to play together this month.

Yes. For the whole month. 

The Chookshed Challenge # is 4 and that is Lucy's number. 

A couple of cortizone shots in my hands last week

and I am ready to play also. 

Let's see how far we get. 

It is only 31 days

in a row. 

Can we play everyday?

 We shall see. 

Blessings,

Chris

Linking with: OMG march-one-monthly-goal.

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150 Canadian Women Update

I finally cleared off my tables, moved a few things, put a few things away, reorganized more things and dusted off one of the machines. Incredible amount of dust. And flies. Now dead flies. Interesting that they just come out of the woodwoork when the spring sun starts to shine.

 

My OMG, RSC, and Chookshed Challenge for February was to make progress on the 150 Canadian Women BOW from 2017 to commemorate Canada's 150th birthday. I had enough precut bits to sort out 17 blocks before I had to cut some more pieces. I preped about 24 then decided it was time to actually start sewing. And sewed I did. And I also unsewed. A lot. When I made more mistakes than correct seams, I decided it was time to call it done for this month. After all, what will I do next month? Deana will pull a number tomorrow night and then I can decide to do that project or, yet again, tweak my list and work on something else. 

Spring has arrived on our part of Canada. A bit too early for our liking. And the sun has been shining profusely. I think we had 3 major snow storms the entire winter. Yesterday was thunder showers and, you know, thunder. All that snow is gone. 

I am planning a Q@F Reunion Retreat for the end of May. We will be sewing for 3 whole days in the new SonRoom. 

After waiting for nearly a year to see a specialist, I finally got some cortizone shots in my hands to relieve the arthritic pain that has hindered my hand stitching. So, Lucy is back on the scene. 

My To-Do Tuesday list:

1. Blog post for To-Do Tuesday, OMG, RSC and Chookshed Challenge. 
2. Habit tracking - find the link and print off fresh sheets since my daughter's cat knocked over my water glass and soaked all my papers when I visited there last week. 
3. Change the March  challenge to something else since I have that option. Wonder what number will be announced tomorrow night?
4. Set my March OMG goal. 
5. Don't overdue the goal setting. 

Blessings,

Chris

linking with all the above and Wednesday-wait-loss-369

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Chookshed Challenge February 2024

Deana picked #2 for the February Challenge. I made a list of 10 quilting projects to work on this year for the Chookshed Challenge. Last month I started in on some Crazy Patch Embroidery. That will continue throughout the year. This month's RSC colour is red so I thought I would again tweak my list and work on the 150 Canadian Women since all those blocks are red.

I have about 28 complete with a lot of pieces quick cut with my GO Baby cutter. I will pull out the project bin from the back of the bottom shelf of endless ufo and fabric boxes in the corner of my bedroom. No. I will not post a picture of that.  

I have been slowly, very slowly, stitching Lucy blocks together. My poor arthritic hands are not liking that so I thought maybe doing some machine work would be a good idea. 

This will be my OMG goal for Feb also. 

Blessings,

Chris

 

Thoughts on Block of the Month Projects

One of the things I like about joining a block of the month group is the anticipation of a new block or 4 showing up in my inbox on that certain day every month. I wrote it on my calendar for the whole year. One year I had about 4 going at the same time so I colour coded them. Some arrived the same day. Others were spaced out. I loved printing off the pattern, making copies if needed on foundation paper, and pulling out the fabrics to pick my colours. I had all sorts of neatly labeled project boxes piled all over the place. I would spread bits and pieces all over my big tables and prep and baste and make piles of in-process blocks, sort and organize and dream and write up blog posts and put them up on the design wall and take pictures. 

I figure that if I have all the fabrics spread out in front of me, I should prep a whole bunch at the same time. And why not? It seems illogical to me to pull out everything and just prep one block and complete it and put everything away, neatly. Why would I do that when I can have a dozen half made quilts on the wall? I collected the Ella Maria Deacon blocks - 4 each month - all throughout lock down. I had the idea of making 50 blocks of the 85 offered to commemorate 50 years of marriage. Well, we celebrate 52 years this summer and the quilt is this far along. I now have countless projects in various stages of process and few completed quilts.  I love the anticipation. I love the sorting and prep work. I just don't love finishing something when I can make just one more block of something else. 

And where has Chris been for the past 2 months? That is a question I ask myself. I have not been doing much stitching. I have been reading. I have not been writing much. My Sweetie and I quietly launched a new blog called How to Stay Married for 50 Years. This has been an interesting journey as we work on writing together. He is so sweet sometimes and so doggone annoying at other times. But we continue as we have learned some new communications skills. Yup. Even after 52 years of marriage, we are learning new stuff about each other. 

I am off to the Shipshewana Quilt Retreat next week to play with my quilting friends. My tiny project box contains enough to keep me busy for 5 days. A bit of Lucy. A bit of Ella. And even a few Morrell blocks. And why not? Morrell blocks have accompanied me to Shipshewana every one of the 6 trips I have made so far. At the rate I am going, I may have to go to Shipshewana at least a dozen more times to complete it. 

I may leave  my bathing suit at home. And why? Because last time I got a horrible UTI from the hot tub. 

Blessings,

Chris

Accidental New Project

So I may have accidentally started a new project. It was not on my radar nor did I intend to start it. Now don't tell pouty Lucy that she may have to take a back seat again.

I was minding my own business today, auditioning reproduction fabrics for a couple more Lucy blocks and, dog gone it, so many of the design elements are just a bit too big to fit nicely into the one inch elongated honeycomb paper shapes that I am using. Now, don't get me wrong, I absolutely LOVE-LOVE-LOVE English Paper Piecing. I am even going back to England in the spring for a family wedding. Now that is another story. 

So auditioning fabrics. I have them spread out all over the place here today. 

And then I chanced to read Barbara Schafer's blog post about the Savery Friendship Star Quilt that she is planning to make. 

And then SUDDENLY a thought pops into my head - girl, you have a whole package of those 60 degree  diamond paper shapes you bought more than 20 years ago anticipating making something out of them some day and today is the DAY. 

AND, if that is not coincident enough, I also have a big bag of one and a half inch hexagon papers.

 And if that is not enough, the see-through acrylic templates are in the BAG. And they all sort of fit together. Sigh. I had taken time recently to put all the EPP papers I have had in various location around this room into one nice neat, labeled box. That is why I recall having them and knew exactly where to lay hand on them. 

So, while I have all this fabric still on the tables for all the world to see, I could cut out a few, say 49 sets of stars. Well, maybe less. I had been lamenting not being able to showcase some of the incredibly beautiful repro prints I have been collecting for a few years. 

Maybe,  just maybe the 3 inch diamond shapes are a bit big, but a quilt will rise up out of the bins and fly onto the design wall.
I can FUSSY cut to my heart's content and see what happens. These blocks will get appliqued down onto a background square possibly. 

Some quilters actually make a practice block or two to see if they like it before actually starting a new quilt. I just dive right in IMPULSIVELY since that is what I do. and I bought one of the new Sentimental Stitches Sweet Sixteen BOM starting the first Friday of Sept. More on that later. 

In the meantime, I wrote up my to-do list before going to bed late last night instead of mid morning when I woke up. Had luncheon date with almost 16 year old Ava and we went to the Dutch Mill Store which is our secret shopping place and spend a pile of $$$ on new kitchen gadgets, jewelry, puzzles, and other stuff.  The Corn and Beans blocks are all in a pile awaiting their turn to be sewn into groups of 4 before deciding on the final layout. And the Wedding Quilt lost it's place in the queue. Again.

I ended up putting all the fabric back into the bins and onto the shelf and pulled out my journal to write. The Write With God daily group started back up this week and my commitment is to show up. They changed the time to 12 noon my time and it is for 33 minutes. That's a nice length of time to write. Got a new hard drive in my desktop computer. Cannot locate 10 years of photos. And there are bobcats on my lawn making noise and  moving dirt just outside my window distracting me to no end. More on that next time.

Blessings,

Chris

August 1 To-Do Tuesday

 I did not complete my list for July. But I did  make progress. Some. 

To-Do Tuesday list for July 

1. Write up this blog post today and post it. done
2. Write up blog post on the 50+2 Anniversary Celebration. nope
3. Finally write a post about our trip to Australia back in April. Is it July already? It is August already. 
4. Prepare to launch the new blog How to Stay Married for 50 Years. Goes live next Monday on our official anniversary. So excited!!
5. OMG goal for July will be to complete this To-Do list. It worked last time I did that. Did not work this time. 
6. Find both parts of the hexie ruler for the QAYG to send back to England with my sister who has been visiting here this week for the party. I had it with me when I visited her last summer, but forgot to leave it. I have 2 days. I did not find the other piece. What I did was  misplace the first one. Sheesh. I will be visiting her in April for her grandson's wedding. I have 9 months. So, she flew out a few days later and I found both parts of the ruler. One part was in Lucy's big project box. The other is in the small rulers box where it belonged. I have until April to not lose them again. 
7. Clear away the recent mess I made in the Blue Room and get it set up to do some serious quilting. This includes setting up 4 machines with 4 projects. Cleared the mess and set up 3 machines. Even used 2 of them.  
8. RSC colour for July is red. Get the red Bright Jane blocks out, organized and actually sew some of them. Not sure how many yet to do in red, but complete at least 1. Not even one.
   
   
   
9. Complete 1 applique block and 1 pieced block for Ella. It has been on the big design wall for the past few weeks. DONE ! ! !
10. Complete the Wedding Quilt. It went on pause yet again when I had the second eye surgery. That eye is not healing as quickly as the first one. Not a stitch. 
    
    
    
11. Complete one Lucy block then glue baste a few more squares. Hand stitching on this has been very difficult for the past few months. Done the one I started in April at Scrub Stitchin.
12. Revisit 23 ufos for 2023 and make a plan. done and pulled out the Corn and Beans blocks to started to put up on the big design wall. 

Now to be more realistic in my planning. This week's list includes:

1. Put away my books and clear off the tables.
2. Figure out how to correct the printer off-line error so we can print stuff. 
3. Put away the clutter from the big ironing board,
4. Take some before and after photos.
5. Write up some blog posts.
6. Sew up one yellow Bright Jane block. 
7. Fix the mitered corners on the center medallion of the Wedding Quilt. 
8. Prewash the new fabric for Windermere. 
   
   
   
9. Put up the Corn and Beans blocks on the big design wall and decide on a setting. There are so many options. Getting this to a flimsy will be my OMG goal for August.
10. Cut out a couple of Lucy blocks. 
11. Launch the new How to Stay Married for 50 Years blog. 
12. Find the new mouse traps I bought last week and set them. 

That should keep me busy this week. It is really quiet here these days. We have had record rains this past week and the weeds are incredible. I have discovered that pulling them out of the mulch around the patio is a lot easier than pulling them out of the other flower beds. I get someone else to do that. 

Blessings,

Chris

Linking to: OMG

RSC

To-Do Tuesday

Design Wall Monday

Friday Night With Friends FNWF

Back in the Game

 To-Do Tuesday list for July

1. Write up this blog post today and post it.
2. Write up blog post on the 50+2 Anniversary Celebration.
3. Finally write a post about our trip to Australia back in April. Is it July already?
4. Prepare to launch the new blog How to Stay Married for 50 Years. 
5. OMG goal for July will be to complete this To-Do list. It worked last time I did that.
6. Find both parts of the hexie ruler for the QAYG to send back to England with my sister who has been visiting here this week for the party. I had it with me when I visited her last summer, but forgot to leave it. I have 2 days. 
7. Clear away the recent mess I made in the Blue Room and get it set up to do some serious quilting. This includes setting up 4 machines with 4 projects. 
8. RSC colour for July is red. Get the red Bright Jane blocks out, organized and actually sew some of them. Not sure how many yet to do in red, but complete at least 1. 
9. Complete 1 applique block and 1 pieced block for Ella. It has been on the big design wall for the past few weeks.
10. Complete the Wedding Quilt. It went on pause yet again when I had the second eye surgery. That eye is not healing as quickly as the first one.
11. Complete one Lucy block then glue baste a few more squares. Hand stitching on this has been very difficult for the past few months.
12. Revisit 23 ufos for 2023 and make a plan.

This should keep me busy for the next few weeks. I could have added prewash the fabric that my sister brought me from England for Windermere, plan a short trip away with my Sweetie, and consider the new BOM that Sentimental Stitches has been teasing us with the past couple of weeks. But, alas, the house is still full of family visitors, even though the house is empty for this hour and I get to use my own computer, and there is a wedding celebration in the back yard this Sat but we are only providing the venue since everything is already in place after our party.

Oh, and I finally found the battery charger for the camera when I was looking for new post-it pad. 

Blessings,

Chris

What Will My Next Impulse Project Be?

I am an impulsive type who obsesses ad nauseatum about the next project I want to work on. I see so many fun creative quilt projects and quilt-a-longs that are so tempting, but reality tells me I need to take that time and energy to finish off a few of the ones I so loved when I started and I still love them as I pull them out, put them on the design wall and drool over their beauty. Then I walk out of the room and totally forget their existence. 

So, here are a few future possibilities.

The Storyteller's Sampler Quilt.
Only 369 two and a quarter inch hexagons. Will I make them all? Of course not. But I would like to make a few. At least 7 to make one collection. But then, as I keep reading through the book, she increased the size of some of the blocks by 141% to make something bigger. Now there is an idea. 

Then there is Cadence Court. 

This was a BOM from Sassafras Lane Designs. Where did I find it? Don't remember. But thought it might be a fun Rainbow Scrap Challenge project. But then, I do not want to begin another until my Bright Jane blocks are done. Also, it is mostly foundation pieced and I have been doing FPP for quite a few blocks and am sort of tired of it. 

Then I bought Wandering Geese from Canuk Quilt. This also looks to be a RSC possibility. But then, Bright Jane might be offended. 

Whatever happened to the hand applique quilts that I so love to work on? Oh yeah. I am still working on a couple. 

And then, I was talking to a friend I hadn't seen since covid lockdown. She reminded me that we both bought Jinny Beyer's BOM from Craftsy way back when and do I want to join her in making it? Sure, since I have the patterns and she does not. but where is the kit? Wait! I bought 2 kits. They are here somewhere. This is in the most vibrant turquoise and gold and blacks. But, now that I recall, I do not like sewing with black. Alas, I will have cataract surgery in May so my opinion might change. 

I have not forgotten Windermere. I bought the book when it came out. I bought the papers back in the winter. I have most of the fabrics in one or 2 of the collection boxes. I do like the purple sashing she used, but cannot find that in any of my searches. I have another that might work. 

So as I parade my thoughts upon the page, I am reminded that Lucy is hovering nearby wanting to play and Ella is begging to go to Australia with me. And Bright Jane has quite the rejection complex. But then, March is green month and her green blocks are all done. Of course, Sarah Morrell cannot complain since she decorated the big design wall for more than a month this winter. Shades of Pemberley got some focused attention for the Dust Off a Quilt Book blog-hop. TOMDO (Think of Me Dear One a Baltimore Album Quilt) got a few hand stitches one night because pouty Lucy was in time out. 

For the first 3 months of 2023, I have pulled out and added a few stitches to 7 of  my 23ufo  quilts. Not nearly as much as I would have liked, because I have been diligently progressing on the Wedding Quilt. This is what it looked like the last time it was up on the wall. Now to get assembling those blocks and triangles. 

Not to mention that I was in Germany last week for a women's retreat with my daughter and oldest granddaughter. 

I will be off the grid for most of April having fun with my Sweetie and Scrub Stitching. I have booked a few days at a Farm Stay just because I could.  And I will have so much more room in my carry-on bag without the winter coat and boots. Three flights down and only 8 more planes to get on and off.

Blessings,

Chris 

Doing

Last week my To-Do Tuesday quilting list included: 

1.  Sew something. yes 
2.  for at least 15 Minutes a Day. almost 
3.  Don't touch Lucy this week. caved and picked her up not once but twice for mindless stitching. 

My Other To-Do Tuesday list includes:

1. Hot tub. yup 3 X
2. Laundry. all caught up. My Sweetie washed the bedsheets and hung them outside to dry on a warm (+8C) sunny breezy day. 
3. Clear those 2 eight foot tables - again. And did it yet again. 
4. Move the glass top table. I cannot reach the small design wall that sits on it and I want to play. Elly was home sick from school one day so she helped me move the tables. Now I can reach.
5. Put a lot of stuff away. Then I pulled out even more.
6. Write at least 3 times this week. I got a new book to guide my writing. Yes and feel pretty good about where I am.
7.  Massage Wed. My regular girl took a leave of absence to go out west to spend time with her aging (mid 90's) parents and she is not coming back. I am so sad. I miss her. I had yet another new girl. She was ok. Just not my regular one. 
8. Prep for Women's Small Group Sat. Done and it was amazing. 

So about those two 8 foot tables I work on. I wrote out a list of all the things I have been working on this past week. 

No wonder I have so much spread out all over them. But I do need all that space to work on my Dust Off an Old Book project for March 6. 

My To-Do Tuesday list for this week is a bit tidier:

1. Tidy off the tables. 
   
   
   
2. Spread out the DOAB project and make a plan to complete this ufo from 2007. 
3. Take pictures along the way to show some progress.
4. Make some progress to show in the pictures.
5. Begin to write up a blog post about the progress. 
6. Don't give away what the thing will look like. 
7. Be sneaky. 
8. Stop putting Lucy in timeout. She did not do anything worth that kind of treatment. 
9. Stop spending so much time playing with Lucy. Other projects are calling my name. 
10. Enjoy the new found freedom in my writing. More on that another day. 
11. It is Family Day weekend and the girls and their dad are going to Ottawa. That leaves us home alone. Nice. Hot tub time. Maybe the boys will come over for a sleepover. Maybe not.

blessings,

Chris

Playing With Bright Jane

 

 I pulled out all the Bright Jane project boxes. There were 4. On the very top is one with bits of pre-cut background fabrics in it. There is also one with DJ2 applique stuff but I will have to look for that.

I started this Sept 2014 just after I completed my first Dear Jane Quilt. I was going to do it in a year. Eventually, I started working in the colour of the month for the Rainbow Scrap Challenge. I printed off foundation patterns and chose fabrics and put them all in nicely organized zip-lock bags and then file folders. And there they have sat for a very long time. I bought new solid coloured bedsheets recently and they need a colourful quilt to lay on top. 

 

Then did a count of the completed blocks by putting them up on the small design wall one colour at a time.

I still need 4 blues. Working on that.

Feb is pink month. I have 8 more blocks that have been prepped for Foundation Piecing for several years. 

Red has 10 complete and 2 in process. That amazing circle of geese was foundation pieced using a stay in fusible but is very stiff to work with that way. I have an idea how to finish it. Come back on red month.

For some reason, I thought I had all 20 green blocks done. I see one missing. I will  not fret about that until next green month.

 And purple. For some reason purple kept getting missed. There will be 25 of these beauties eventually. I long since had stopped making the Dear Jane blocks as I had already made the entire thing in reproduction fabrics. Finished that more than 8 years ago and it is still not quilted. One of these days. But it is on the 23 ufos list. 

I have been making a variety of patterns that can be made using just one colour. 

Is it pronounced 

or (an) ge

or 

or (on) ge? 

Guess it depends if  you live in Ontario or Quebec. 

Either way, I still have 6 blocks to make. No. 7 blocks. That top left one belongs in the yellow collection. 

Still need to make 7 more yellow blocks. 

I am using a variety of bright fabrics I bought just for this quilt. I am not so fond of the bright colours. That is one reason this project has languished so long in project boxes.

And there is aqua. What can I say? These are all done. I like them. This is my project for the RSC this year. I only have 59 blocks to go. I think. If my math is correct. 

My To-Do Tuesday quilting list includes: 

1.  Sew something.
2.  for at least 15 Minutes a Day.
3.  Don't touch Lucy this week. 

My Other To-Do Tuesday list includes:

1. Hot tub.
2. Laundry.
3. Clear those 2 eight foot tables - again.
4. Move the glass top table. I cannot reach the small design wall that sits on it and I want to play.
5. Put a lot of stuff away.
6. Write at least 3 times this week. I got a new book to guide my writing. 
7.  Massage Wed.
8. Prep for Women's Small Group Sat.

My February OMG goal is to complete something. 

linking with Design Wall Monday

Blessings,

Chris

End of January

 

This is what my sewing table looked like last week. A place to hold the overflow of my books and stuff. This is the Bernina that the girls use because it has a half speed option and a 1/4 inch seam guide. And yes, that is snow out the window. 

This is what it looks like now. Well, it did yesterday. Who knows what it will look like tomorrow. I needed more light so pulled out yet another lamp. And this machine sits in front of a window.

What can I say? I find the most interesting things in my sewing room. Devan created these lovelies for me a year or two ago. She found some tulip shaped post-it notes and turned them upside down and drew pictures of herself and her sisters. I love them. They always make me smile.  

Just for the record, I did complete my January OMG goal of getting all the things on my first To-Do Tuesday list done. Yah me! I have not completed everything on all the rest of the lists. 

My list for this week list is:

1. Continue to write at least 3 times this week. 
2. 15 Minutes Stitching daily.
3. Lucy can come out to play but only for 1 block.
4. Organize my desk calendar for the month of Feb. 
5. Dust Off a Book Blog Hop is coming in March and I am scheduled to post on Mar 6. Come back then to see which of my 23 ufos I decided to pull out and which book it is inspired by. 
6. No computer games this week. Now this could be a tough one. 
7. Determine my February OMG goal. I have several ideas in mind. 

That should keep me out of trouble for the coming week. 

Blessings,

Chris

linking with Patty at elmstreetquilts 

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Is it Tuesday Again Already?

 I got most of the things on last week's list done. Sort of. I did no work on the RSC blocks. And my tables are all still cluttered even though I had moved a lot of stuff. 

And what does Chris have on her tables in the Blue Room aka Quilt Room/Office?

Here is the FPP paraphernalia for the Wedding Quilt. Notice the vintage Singer Featherweight and 3 lamps 

Beside that is the 6 foot ironing board sitting atop the ends of both 8 foot tables. This is a pile of blocks that have been prepped for at least a couple of years. Some longer. I thought if I made just 1 block a day I would have noticeable progress. Did not happen.

This is the small design wall sitting on top of one of the 7 tables in the room. The Wedding Quilt blocks were up the day I took these pictures. It changes often. In front is the box of notes for the books I am writing. No progress on them either. On the floor behind are containers of photographs from the past 50 years. I have a plan for them.

Moving to the left is the big desk calendar I use to plan out and track my monthly goals. On top of that is a see through lid from butter cookies, which are quite yummy. I love using these as shallow trays to keep my hand stitching things from wandering away like onto the floor. I was working on a Morrell block.

Moving more to the left is my Morning Pages notebook. I have eased up on how often I write them. I no longer write them if I sleep in. Sleep in you say? Sure. I do that 2-3 times a week when I stay up half the night reading or playing, but seldom working. Sleeping in is getting up after 8 am. 

I keep a plant nearby to dump the left over water from my cup. It has thrived. The yellow one is plastic. What can I say? It was a gift from my Sweetie. It stays. I had been reading the Bible chronologically over the past few years and this week I finished it. Behind that are about a third of my journals. I was looking for some information from a few years back and ended up sitting up half the night a couple of times reading. I love reading my old journals! Besides having memories on a time line, I can see how far I have come over the years and how I am still writing up the same goals and to-do lists. Too bad no one else will be able to read my hand writing. It has not improved with age. 

What has in proved with age is my attitude about a lot of things. This book landed in my hands the other day and I am so excited about it! It is 40 essays written by 40 Christian women over 40 on aging, faith, beauty, and strength. It is right up my alley. I am giving serious consideration to doing a book study this summer with my Women's Small Group. It can be 40 days. Reading 1 chapter a day. 

I even have a small notebook I use to plan out my weekly To-Do Tuesday lists. This week:

1. Write 3 times. Already wrote today and taking part in a Virtual Writing Retreat later this week. 
2. Do not touch Lucy this week. I will to put her out of the way.
3. Sew one, just one Morrell block. I have had it ready for more than 4 years. It should take an hour. 
4. Sew one Bright Jane block for RSC. No point in pretending to be part of the group if I do not actually participate. One block? How hard can it be?
5. 15 Minutes a Day Sewing.
6. And my darling eldest granddaughter conned me into doing a Whole30 clean eating program with her. We started yesterday. That means no sugar, no grains, no dairy, no legumes, no additives or chemicals. Sigh. I probably will thank her for the prompts. She is trying to figure our her acne and I need to feel better. She is reading the labels and had Grampa take her shopping to buy some compliant foods. Basically meat and vegetables with a bit of fruit and plated fats. It's only 30 days. No, its only 28 more days. We can do this.

Blessings,

Chris 

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