What's Next?

It is the beginning of November and wonderful adventures. I flew out to Kansas City Missoura last week to visit my quilt blogging buddy Gail who I met in person last year at Scrub Stitching in Australia. We have been zoom friends for about 4 years. 

She took me to an amazing quilt shop that just had a gzillion new bolts of reproduction. I only had a carryon bag. And we went to Angela Walters shop. That is worthy of a post of its own.

When she asked if I wanted to go to Hamilton, to visit the Missouri Star Quilts well, I just had to say yes. After all, I live in Hamilton, Ontario Canada. We traipesed our way through 14 of the 15 shops. I chose to skip the wool shop. 

It was an amazing 86 F. Not bad, considering we were having daily morning frost back home that week.

It was a quilting kind of visit so I took along 17 Churn Dash blocks to finish sewing together. I had all the hard part done. Just had to sew all the units together. I brought them home and put them all on the big design wall and here they are. Somehow I goofed in the math and made one too many with the white center. So now to locate the rest of the bits and make one more with a coloured center. After that, I can sew them altogether and have a flimsy. 

This is the end of the 2024 chookshed Challenge. I managed to move forward most of the quilts on my list. All except the one I did not want to work on. Serendipity. So, since I did not want to work on it, I pulled out all the project boxes, the pattern binder holding all 100 blocks, and I organized what I still had to do and printed off a couple of FPP papers and now have it ready to focus on the next time I do not want to work on it. I have been playing around with a list for 2025. 

The Chookshed Challenge has us focus on 10 projects, including starting a new one if we want. Well, I want. I want to start at least 7 new quilts. So, I wrote up a list and itemized everything that has to be done in order to be ready to start. That is a lot to do. Before I actually start. Then, because I was challenged to close a few loops, (been reading Redeeming Your Time by J Raynor), I made a brand new list of all the ufo's in my cupboard and alphabetized them in a small notebook, then jotted down all the steps that need doing and some thoughts about moving them forward. I put a 2026 date on several that can wait. 

I have often joined a finish it up challenge with different bloggers hoping to move quilts to the finish line. I do not work well with that kind of pressure. I want to enjoy my quilting, not feel like a failure when I do not. I do have a complete finish I am dying to share but need a couple of tall helpers to photograph the thing. Outside. In the autumn colourfulness. Soon.

I had the second writing workshop here this past Sat and am so excited to now have 10 women who want to write their stories. We will meet again at the end of November to learn how to write a "scene". We all know how to make a scene, well, at least I do. I have had lots of practice. But to write a scene - new learning curve.

My November writing goals are to write something, anything, every single day. Today I have written my morning Pages and the rest of this blog post. Now to document this on one of my tracking sheets. I have several. For writing and for quilting. 

My November OMG quilting goal will be to complete that Churn Dash flimsy. And any other machine sewing I manage to get done. 

Blessings,

Chris

linking with: alyciaquilts.blogspot.

smallquiltsanddollquilts.design-wall-monday- 

 ninamariesayre.off-wall-friday. 

its-time-for-fnwf. 

link-party-patchwork-quilts- 

To-Do Tuesday

I posted a few times on To-Do Tuesday but often forgot or was too busy to take the time. Other times, I only posted a couple of times a month. And yet, I write up to-do lists all the time. Do I follow them? Sometimes. It is more of a brain dump with all the things I think I should be doing rather than what I actually intend to do. So here we go:

1. Listen to the rest of the 8 lectures for my current course and do the test.
2. Hand applique while listening.
3. Change the throat plate on the Bernina so we can do some zig-zag stitching. 
4. Bring the step stool in from the trampoline so I can put Serendipity on the design wall.
5. Take the step stool back out to the trampoline. 
6. Clear out my inbox. 
7. Pre-wash more background fabric for the 3030 Quilt center.
8. Draw the design onto the BACK of the 27-inch center medallion for back basting.
9. Begin to prep a few of the applique shapes. 
10. Make jam. 
11. Make relish.
12. Finish this Ella block. 

That should be enough to remember for one week. 

Blessings,

Chris

linking with: to-do Tuesday  needleandthreadnetwork.

February Quilting Goals

I had a dream last night that I was binding a quilt

!!! . . . by hand . . . !!!

Haven't done that in so many years

I forget how far back. 

My Feb one-monthly-goal-february-goal-setting

plan

is to finally sandwich my first 

Dear Jane Quilt

and get it ready to hand quilt.

The patchworktimes 2018-ufo-challenge

number for Feb is 1 which is Serendipity

but I am working on that one monthly for the RSC.

So my focus will be to sandwich and

machine quilt the 1857 Album Quilt 

which is #2 on the list.

No promises that I will bind it by hand or machine.

This months RSC colour is purple

so Bright Jane might come out to play since

it is Feb and winter is half over. 

I am going away again this weekend 

so have 3 BTCT blocks prepped with more buds

and leaves

and 2 textbooks this time.

Blessings,

Chris

End of January 2018

I know it is not quite the end of the month yet, but I have 2 whole days to myself and I want to get caught up on a few things before the little boys return on Monday morning. We have spent the last 19 days in a row  together. Twice I made the journey home with them for the weekend and will again next week for another 11 days with the two most adorable little boy grand children.
David turned 2 and it was like a switch was flipped and he entered the next stage of his young life. His vocabulary is increasing daily and he uses almost full sentences. I adore his hugs and compassion.
Jonathan, at 3 1/2, has entered the delightful pre-school stage where he uses his words communicating his thoughts and has the most delightful laughs and giggles.
I got this simple foundation pieced 8 flying geese unit made for Serendipity and for my one-monthly-goal.

For patchworktimes 2018-ufo-challenge the nunber was 10 and that was Biblical Blocks 2.

Well. What can I say? 

I pulled it out and put it up on the design wall and made a list of what still needs to be done on it.

 It sat up on the wall for a week, then I put it back in the box and prepped 4 BTCT blocks

 because

I was going to be away for 2 weekends and needed some hand work. 

And since BTCT is on the list, this will be my offering for the challenge this month

so that I will still have 2 complete months to tackle the Biblical Blocks. 

Stitched down the one large yellow flower. 

Added the cream centers on the flowers and a few more leaves. 

The wreath is stitched on the outside and the inside still needs to be done. 

Finished the bowl. 

Will I go back and straighten the bottom? 

Who knows. 

Buds are back-basted in place and

I used the Go cutter to cut a few flowers. 

Again, I used the GO cutter to cut the flowers and centers. 

They will all be askew by the time I am done.

Some of the leaves are under the stems and

some are beside and others on top. 

And I have a new project for 

Meredith's 6 & 6 challenge.

More on this next time. 

Blessings,
Chris
Linking with    one-monthly-goal  lovelaughquilt  mid week makers  BOMs Away  let's bee social  needle-and-thread-thursday  can I get a whoop-whoop  slow sunday stitching  needleandthreadnetwork   patchworktimes 2018-ufo-challenge  pomegranateandchintz 2018-challenge/  

Just Takes 2 Pattern on Sale ! ! !

The infamous   just-takes-2  pattern is on sale right now for $10 if anyone is interested. But you better hurry. It is a digital download. I collected the patterns when they were free in 2012 and chose to make mine in all different Jinny Beyer Pallet fabrics since I had about 100 different ones.

The top half is all sewn together. The bottom half is the blocks I have made so far in no particular order.
I wanted to see what colours to use for the remaining blocks. I took time the other day to go through the patterns once I found the big binder hiding under other books on the storage shelf in the corner of the quilt room. And guess what else I found there? sort of pushed behind?
Yes, the rest of the heat-n-bond lite I had been looking for. I knew I hadn't used it all. For the life of me, I cannot find the 15 inch green radiant star I made back in June. I will keep looking. Never know what else I might find.

Today I am trying to finally finish the Turkey Tracks block I started at a hand piecing workshop with Linda Collins more than a year ago. This is one block. I did not want to start a new quilt then so when I realized the block was going to finish at 9 inches, I decided to make one to add to my Serendipity quilt.

Hand piecing and I are still not friends. But there is so little left to complete it now that I have located the rest of the little bits. I will replace another 9 inch block but had to see what colours I already used.

Last week I finished up the hand applique on some blocks so pulled out this BTCT block from a long time ago. I was trying to figure out how to get one of the stems to tuck under the top of the bowl and accidentally cut it off when I back basted the bowl on. And I cannot find a long enough piece of that green to make another.

So, I started stitching down the bowl hoping I could figure it out. Nope. I will try to find the same green.
I have used most of the fat quarter in the rest of the blocks.
There will be reverse applique holes in the top of that bowl. The stem end is supposed to hide inside one of those. Wish me luck.

I am going away next weekend and possibly the one after that, so I need need need to have a few more applique blocks prepped. I started on that last night and will try to get a few more prepped today.
I can do the hand stitching while the little boys are around, but not machine work. That is far too interesting for them and I prefer to not draw their attention to the sewing machines. They both like to play with the toy machines. Good thing I have 2.



Blessings,
Chris


I did complete this one tonight and I will not be making another again any time soon. 

linking with:  lovelaughquilt  mid week makers  BOMs Away  let's bee social  needle-and-thread-thursday   slow sunday stitching  needleandthreadnetwork 

First OMG Goal for 2018

This is a tough one to decide. But first, I want to thank Patty for hosting this one-monthly-goal Linky Party. I won the $25 gift certificate from fatquartershop.  My first goal will be to decide how to spend it. They have sales all the time. Will it be fabric? precuts? thread? a new fabric collection? Decisions decisions.

In the meantime,
Rainbow Scrap Challenge colour for January is light blue.  There is no light blue in my Dear Jane 2 quilt and the lightest blue I can find that I have not already used for Serendipity is this Jinny Beyer Pallet colour, so I will only be making one row of eight 3 inch flying geese.

Also,
the 2018-ufo-challenge  number is 10 so I should be working on this Biblical Blocks quilt that I want to complete this year, but there is so much to do on it and I am just finishing day 2 of 5 days of little grandchildren sleepovers. The parents all have to work or be in school and the school kids are still on Christmas holidays.


I had intended to switch this month's pick with the 1857 album and I just might



since I have a flimsy!!!!!

But then,
I just realized that it is the 300th birthday of the 1718 Coverlet that I started 3 years ago.
www.facebook.com/1718coverlet/
Why did I stop? I went to Australia, and a bunch of other places and was away 70 days that year, and started the first blocks of the Antique Wedding Sampler, was working on the Ben Biggs, GORF, BTCT, and trying to finish CCCQ. Oh yes, I was sick at least 5 different times with a  bronchial thing, was applying revisions to my book and had a new grandchild.

And why did I not put it on my ufo list for 2018??? I can still change that. Or will I?

Even though I had 17 in for a turkey dinner yesterday, I still found time to look over some of my ufo challenges for the coming year including putting Serendipity up on the design wall to see what blocks still have to be made and what colours  I have to choose from. I also took a few minutes to put in a few hand applique stitches on 3 BTCT blocks I had prepped back in Nov. Don't get too excited. I did not do much house work ahead of time and they helped set the tables, peel potatoes, brought salads and desserts AND washed up most of the dishes. I put all the bones on to simmer overnight and set them on the snow covered porch to chill at 6:30 this morning when the first of 5 grand children got up and the pot is still there probably frozen solid with the deep winter freeze here the past couple of weeks. 

We are having all our employees (at least 10) and most of our grand kids for our annual Maplehurst Farms staff Christmas party here tomorrow night. We order in pizza and play Pictionary to recall highlights from the past year and it is a lot of fun. There are little Paw Patrol pups, Chinese checker pieces, green tractors and cracker crumbs all over the house but, since all our grand children are somewhat OCD, we can get them to do all the pick up, vacuuming and maybe dusting if I remember to pull out the disposable duster thingies. My grandsons LOVE to vacuum and dust and the little girls are really over the top organizers. I could learn a thing or two from them. I can bribe reward them with pizza. 

So, yes, my OMG for this month will be to get that flying geese strip made for Serendipity. 

Blessings,

Chris

Linking with    one-monthly-goal  lovelaughquilt  mid week makers  BOMs Away  let's bee social  needle-and-thread-thursday  can I get a whoop-whoop  slow sunday stitching  needleandthreadnetwork  esther's WOW   patchworktimes 2018-ufo-challenge  pomegranateandchintz 2018-challenge/  

June OMG Finish

 

This was my omg-one-monthly-goal for June for my Serendipity Quilt. 

Well it is done but I might redo it or replace it. I was so sure it was going to finish at 15 inches.

 And it does but only the corners. I started it 5 years ago and got stalled.

Now I remember why it did not get done back then.

Definitely not one of my favourite blocks.
 I still have one of these in 4 1/2 inch size to make for my Bright Jane quilt.
Colour wise it is a dark tone on tone green with a crisp white background.

Maybe it is a good thing I did this now because

 there is one in the Morrell with several more layers of diamonds.

 

I have decided I need to take a bogging / quilting break for the rest of the summer. I know. It will be hard to not spend time here every day reading what others are doing and sharing what I am doing. I love reading your comments and try to respond to everyone.  I even took time last week to write up no less than 7 blog posts, mostly for 17 ufos for 2017. But now instead of sharing what I have done and what I hope to do, I will come back at the end of summer and share what I actually did do. Not sure how much of any quilting I will do but rest assured, I will be doing something. I wonder what the RSC colour will be for July. I hope it is black or brown or neutrals because none of those are in my Bright Jane plan so I will not miss much there.

And why do I need to take a break? I am going to Rwanda in Africa in August for a short term mission trip. We will be modeling how to do a vacation Bible school program and I have lots to do to prepare. I just downloaded the 25 page training manual. Yikes! And we have been doing training meetings every other week for 2 months now.  Some times I drove the 3 hours to Lindsay and other times I skyped in. We have a fundraising concert there Sat night and I am speaking. Well, I am speaking for 2 minutes. So is every one else on the team. This Sunday we have some serious training with the missionaries who just sent out the manual that we have to read before then.

Also we are doing taxes tomorrow. A week late to file, but the accountant could not make it sooner and I did pay them back in April so we are good. And my old high school that closed some 30 years ago is having a reunion this weekend  and I am having dinner with some of my classmates tomorrow night. Should be great. I haven't seen some of them in decades. I graduated in 1970. Yup. That's a long time ago. When I get home, my daughter and her family will be here for a week then the little girls will be here the following week. You get the picture.  Also, I am now starting to work with my publisher to set up a website and a promotion plan for my book. Lots of reading there in the next 2 weeks. Good thing I like to read.

Have a fabulous summer everyone.
Blessings,
Chris
 

Green Bright Jane Blocks for May

In spite of all my great intentions,

I got only 4 green Bright Jane blocks made this month.

 But it is only Sunday

so I still have three days to make more.

Maybe

 

But I also had hoped to get at least this one completed for Serendipity.

 Oh well

there is always next month.

 

But wait!

I am going to Africa in 66 days

so lots of training and babysitting grand children

and family vacationing here.

 

Blessings,

Chris 

Serendipity: Another 17 ufos in 2017

Now that I am home for bit, I am trying to get to the local pool to do some waterfit exercises.  I can do all the jumping, jogging and giggling I want with salt water up to my armpits. I usually choose a spot near the wall closest to the exit. I leave a bit early to get under one of the showers before the crowd exits. There are 3 showers and usually about 40 women. What can I say . . . I don't like crowds and with my back, I have trouble standing in line waiting my turn.  And 30 minutes usually leaves me feeling like jelly.

Anyway, as I started to say, I stand near the wall closest to the instructor, the crowd behind me, I have a perfect view of the tiling surrounding the pool. It is 2 shades of brown and cream coloured, one inch tiles set totally random. It gives me ideas. The tiles in the shower are mostly white with 2 shades of medium green, 2 shades of medium blues and 2 shades of medium purples. The colours are rather sparse at the top, near the ceiling but have a few more as they go towards the floor. In the passage leading to the change room, the tiles are totally random in blues and greens and purples and cream. Did I say totally random? Each time I am doing my jogging or jumping jacks, I stare at the wall. It is really inspiring. I have thought about taking this idea to use as a border for my Serendipity Quilt.

It is the justtakes2 quilt that I discovered Dec 30, 2011, just 2 days before the first on line QAL I ever joined. I haven't completed it yet. I was using it as a reward each week as I completed assignments for the masters degree I was working on at the time.

 I graduated that spring and got stuck on a couple of tough blocks.

 I have ideas like using one of my GO dies that cuts 1 1/2 inch strips  to cut many coloured and white strips and sew them together randomly for the borders. I figure I would need at least 3-4000, maybe more, maybe a lot less.

I am making each of the 100 blocks in different Jinny Beyer pallet colours.

I will keep going to waterfit and I will probably keep thinking about borders that have totally random one inch squares.

Blessings,
Chris

linking with:
quilters monday linkup.
needle and thread network . 
 http://estheraliu.blogspot.ca/ . 

17-ufosin-2017.

needle and thread Thursday.

confessions of a fabric addict.

let's bee social.

sunday slow stitching

 midweek-makers.

moving it forward mondays.

17 ufos in 2017

Here is a new linky party. I like Parties. This sounds like fun. Choose 17 UFO's (unfinished objects). Make a list and post it. Then work on each of these projects throughout the year.

"The idea is to SUBSTANTIALLY PROGRESS 17 projects over the year and if that means a finish along the way, well that’s a bonus!"  https://pomegranateandchintz.wordpress.com/17-ufos-in-2017/

I was not exactly planning on working on 17 of my unfinished quilts, but I have many more than that number to choose from. And I cannot list new projects I have not yet started. Okay. So here goes:

1. Simple Simon - 2016
   
2. Brown Crazy Patch - 1994
   
3. $10 Civil War Blues - 2011
   
4. Crazy patch  2002.
5. $10 Civil War Stars - 2007
   
6. Disappearing 4-Patch - 2015
7. 1857 Album - 2016
   
8. Dear Jane 2009-2014
   
9. Serendipity - 2012
   
10. Beyond the Cherry Trees - 2014
    
11. Antique Wedding Sampler - 2015
    
12. Shades of Pemberly - 2006
13. Morrell - 2016
    
14. Think of  Me Dear One - 2010
15. Only2 - 2012 
    
16. Bright Jane - 2014
    
17. Ben Biggs - 2014
    

I plan to complete and quilt the first 7 on the list, begin to hand quilt Dear Jane and make some noticeable progress on the rest. Do you like my new helper putting blocks on the wall?

My omg-one-monthly-goal will be to complete Simple Simon since I did not quite finish it last month.

Blessings,
Chris

I Won the Bag

Gay at sentimental stitches  offered this bag as a draw prize after being at the big Houston Quilt Festival this fall. I won and love it. I discovered her website Dec 30, 2012 and joined in the fun as they started the just takes 2 red and white sampler quilt BOM 2 days later with no less than 6 blocks. It was a response to the Red and White Quilt show in New York a few years ago.

I decided to make mine from fabric in my cupboard and used many different Jinny Beyer Pallet colours on a plain white background. I still have a few blocks to go. Some of them are patterns I had never seen before and techniques that were new to me. When completed there will be 100 blocks in varying sizes.

Serendipity

I might put this on my 2015 goals list. Or I might pull it out, lay it on the bed, gloat about it a bit them fold it up and put it back it its box for another year. After all, there will be lots of time after I complete the biggest goal for the year and that is completing my doctorate.

Blessings,
Chris