23 UFOs for 2023

Call me crazy if you like. Or join me in the New Year as I set my quilting goals. Meredith had a challenge back in 2017 to revisit 17 ufos for 3 weeks each. The goal was to move projects forward. If a completion took place, well that was a bonus. That year I completed about 5. Probably the most I ever completed in a year. I did, however, pull out 17 old projects and took photos, and wrote up 17 blog posts. It was great fun, and I even added a few stitches to some of them. But that year I did quite a bit of traveling (I was in Poland and Rwanda and Indiana) then the little boys showed up 4 days a week for a year with diaper bags in tow while there mama went back to school, so little got accomplished in the quilting area.

I do not like the stress of a deadline to finish something. Never have. Probably never will. Well, I do like to finish the food on my plate. Except the pumpkin soup when I was 9. I did not finish it. Although I sat in front of it all day. I don't care for pumpkin anything, especially pumpkin spice. Give me chocolate and caramel any day. 

I have been participating in WIPS-B-GONE this fall, and I set my goal really low. To complete 2 smaller quilts that had minimal work left to do. And then there was the Wedding Quilt. The pressure I put on myself, with a bit of help from my Sweetie, kept me from enjoying working on it. Okay. Family commitments, health issues, and house guests kept me busy. This one is still a work in progress with progress. 

I have had several other crazy quilt-related ideas, like going to Australia for Scrub Stitching In April. Wait! I am going to Scrub Stitching in Australia in April! And my Sweetie is going too! It should be great fun. We have made a few short road trips together, but it's been about 14 years since we both got on a plane together and flew off somewhere for the fun of it. And since he is retired and has no cows to milk, we can stay away as long as we want. It's not that he is afraid of flying. We had to plan that trip a year in advance to breed cows to not calve while we were gone. That was my ingenious idea, and it worked. 

I will be back with more thoughts on this Crazy Goal to revisit 23 Quilts in 2023. And, no. I am not setting up a linky party. That is too much like work, and I want to quilt. Making comments would be n ice if anyone wants to participate. 

Blessings,

Chris

linking to: texasquiltgal.to-do-tuesday

Morrell Revisited

I first read about the Sarah Morrell quilt in Sept 2013 then ordered the pattern Nov 2013. The pattern arrived Feb 2014. Then I bought several French General fat quarter bundles on a ridiculous sale from Craftys Nov 2014 and prewashed fabric Oct 2015. Can you tell I had been planning the thing for a while? I officially started Nov 2015 at the Shipshewana retreat and have taken blocks with me every single one of the 6 retreats I attended over the years. I actually thought I might make some progress during the 2017 challenge. 

This pattern was reproduced from a 1842 sampler quilt by the late Di Ford-Hall. 

As I look at what I have accomplished so far on these blocks, I get excited to consider continuing the journey. But, there are only 24 hours, 1440 minutes, 86,400 seconds in a day. Tara of Tazzie Quilts has the pattern and is planning to start hers. We can work on them together. 

Since my discovery of EPP, I have decided to make block #55 next. I just happened to have a thousand 3/4 inch hexie papers and I only need 19 to make it. I will do the fussy cutting thing and see how I like sewing together hexagon shapes. There are 3 radiant star blocks, but I am in no hurry to attempt  those just yet. The 3 Saw Toothed framed blocks each need to have some Broderie Perse arrangements added. There are still a lot of Broderie Perse blocks to do. I think I will do a blitz of prepping and arranging. 

But. alas, Christmas is coming and so are a lot of houseguests for my brother's wedding next week. But first, the bookkeeper is due again today and then the accountant to do the year end books for the farm. Since we sold the milk quota earlier this year, that is more complicated than most farming years. 

Freezing rain yesterday warmed up the soil in the flower beds and the rest of the tulips finally got planted. Well, all but the few I decided to give to the grandchildren to plant in pots. 

Blessings,

Chris

On Putting My Pen Down

 December 1st I was meeting with my writing accountability partner, and as I was about to identify my writing goal for the coming week, the words, "I am putting down my pen until after the New Year" came out of my mouth. What does that mean? To literally put down my pen or to stop writing altogether?? 

I do have a lot going on this month of December. 

1. Women's small group Racklette potluck tomorrow.
2. Pre-op then surgery to remove a polyp from my uterus next week.
3. Pre-op for cataract surgery the following week.
4. Houseguest for 2-3 weeks after that.
5. Family wedding - why the houseguests are coming.
6. Christmas.
7. Ignoring the Wedding Quilt - as if I could.
8. Plant the rest of the bulbs.
9. Have fun stitching on Lucy. 
10. Oops - I forgot all about the Churn Dash blocks.

I have been writing Morning Pages almost daily for nearly 2 years now. It is a part of my life. As I have been decluttering and rearranging stuff, I have come across more journals and notebooks I have kept over the years. This is fascinating! I have been doing morning pages for years and years. It just wasn't called that, and it wasn't every day, and it wasn't 3 full pages of stream of consciousness writing, but it was pretty much of what I do now. 

Seriously, writing is what I do. I process thoughts and intents by writing them out. It often looks like a to-do list but only if I do it point form and maybe write a number in front of it. I have stacks and stacks of notes for the books I have been writing. And now, I have insights how to bring all that together. But I am laying down my pen.

So, instead of handwriting this morning, I spent several hours on the computer booking travel arrangements for a women's retreat to The Black Forest in a Baravian Alpine resort for me and Ava for March. It just happens to be her spring break week. Retreat venue is included, and I booked 2 nights in a chalet place with a balcony and now to get flights for the correct days. Did I mention this is in Germany? I thrive on stuff like this. 

My Sweetie and I are going to Australia in April, but I have to wait until after the next Visa statement is processed before booking our flights and rooms. Most of that trip is already pre-booked. Just need to fill in the gaps between international flights. Oh, I am excited. 

I have 2 other overseas trips later in the year figured out in my head but have to wait for a bit. And the Vermont Quilt Festival in June and Shipshewana Retreat in November.

But putting my pen down. I will not be writing Pages, nor will I be journaling which is what I have been doing while online with a writing group. Do you think I like writing? Some Decembers I have blogged every day for the whole month. Not going to happen this year. The writing part is easy and fun, but it takes time to respond to blogger's comments and that is what it is all about. Connecting with readers around the world. And I do have a lot going on this month. And I have several posts already written up. I guess my 23 UFOs for 2023 will have to wait to be announced. And my Bertha's Flowerpots BOM will also have to wait. But that is okay because, you see, I have a lot going on this month.

My Sweetie just drove off to pick up a carload of Caesar Salad kits that got dropped off at our son-in-law-the-pastor's church so we could share them with folk around here. I have a dozen ladies coming for lunch tomorrow and they could all use a gift. 

Blessings until the New Year,

Chris

Lucy Update

 I find such gentle encouragement from Jennifer at Elefantz. I am one of those that compares myself and beats myself up for not accomplishing all that I want to do. I thank God daily for allowing us to live in this incredible old farmhouse in the country away from the hustle and bustle of the noisy world.

And yet, I continually bring that noise into my home by continually having my face in the computer checking messages, reading blogs, researching many things. 

We put the snow tires onto the car, and I took the hour drive to a church camp to consider renting a location for our Women's Small group retreat for the spring. We have had our first taste of winter this past week and looking forward to at least 4 months more of ice and snow and cold wintery blasts where I do not have to drive anywhere that I do not want to. I can stay home and enjoy home. 

It is November and one of the things I recall learning in grade 11 Geography with Mr. Woods was to enjoy the sun in November. And sun we have now. The other thing I recall him teaching me was to read a road map. I love reading road maps. There is so much "scope for imagination" to quote Anne Shirley from The Green Gables. did I mention I bought the entire Lucy Maude Montgomery kindle  collection for $0.75? Then read her biography, twice and The Emily trilogy this weekend. 

Christmas is just a month away and we are looking forward to a family wedding and a house full of guests. And yet, I stopped doing all the mad planning and prepping for a storybook Christmas. Blasphomous, I know, but I do not put up a tree of decorate or buy hundreds of presents. I have instead, chosen to have the focus on family and a simple (if cooking a turkey for a crowd of 20-30 is ever simple) turkey dinner. I have learned how to delegate and not stress over a lived-in house that has dirt and clutter, and lots of love. In our empty nest years, I started to give each of our children a large cash gift to purchase a non-specific gift of their choice. Sometimes, I suggested something. Like our daughter needed a new laptop to go back to school to do her masters. Another year, I said her father told me I was not getting them a snow blower, but here is an envelope with some cash. Merry Christmas. This year I will not buy a piano for her boys who are taking music lessons. 

I turned 70 earlier this year and that caught me by surprise. It is no wonder that I do not move as quickly as I used to in decades past and do not accomplish all the crazy things my imagination conjures up. We started receiving a pension this year. Crazy, I know. That is for old people. 

I did not accomplish my November OMG goal. Fact is, I did not even try. Instead, I have been having a lot of fun with Lucy this month. Too much, in fact. And I plan to continue that for December. 

My OMG quilting goal will be to make at least 8 more sashing units. And I plan to bring out the bin of pre-washed fabrics and cut out the next 12 cross block hexies. That one blue one with the stripes stands out of place right now and I want to add a lot more colours, especially some with whitish backgrounds for more contrast.

I already have a lot of random neutral hexies basted just waiting for exciting fabrics to bring them alive. In my uneducated starting place, I chose random fabrics and quickly made and basted a lot. Now I choose deliberately. I kind of like it. But I may want to make at least a thousand more. But I have other goals in mind for 2023. More about that later. 

I did complete some of my To-Do Tuesday goals last week. This week's will be short. Prep for the Small Group Racklette Potluck luncheon this Saturday. 

Linking with Linda at To-Do Tuesday. 

Gone Stitchin'  myquiltinfatuation.

inquiring quilter.wednesday-wait-loss 

alyciaquilts.finished-or-not.

ninamariesayre-off-wall-friday.  

party-patchwork-quilts-

kathysquilts.slow-sunday-stitching.

quiltingismorefunthanhousework.

Blessings,

Chris

Almost the End of November

Last week's list:

1. Complete three Lucy sashing strips. I completed 5 and 1 corner square. 
2. Ignore the Wedding Quilt. Tried but failed again. I cut out fabric for foundation piecing but have to put all that aside for now to hem up my son's referee pants. 
3. Work on the Churn Dash blocks. Nothing here. And this is my OMG goal for this month. 
4. Write something. 
1. Morning Pages - a few times but we went away for 5 days and I did no writing then. 
2. Devotions - got a few in. This is the homework I gave my Women's group. I better get mine done. 
3. Manuscript - Nada. But I have a scathingly brilliant idea for yet another new short book. Why are new ideas so much more exciting than old ones?
4. To-Do lists - Every day I write one. Every day I check off some things. 
5. Blog post - Writing it now. 

This week's list:

1. Hem up those referee pants and taper the inseam. I cannot believe how much equipment the hockey referees have to wear to protect themselves. 
2. 
   Hem up a dress. I really do not like sewing with black thread on black fabric, but this is the plan and I said I would do it today. Sigh. I have a luncheon date with my Sweetie then going to visit a friend who bought a cow from us a year ago. It has been exactly a year since the cows were sold and moved off the farm. Life is sweet. 
3. Continue ignoring the Wedding Quilt. I took the blocks off the design wall so I could take them upstairs to check colours. I am about to run out of the one green I have used a lot so far. 
4. About those Churn Dash blocks. 
5. Put away Lucy out of sight, possibly in another building. 
6. Plant those bulbs now that we have had snow and a bit of freeze up. It is supposed to be above freezing for a few days. Now to wait for the ground to thaw enough to put a shovel into the dirt. The squirrels are not going to get my bulbs. 
7. Do not turn on Netflix. I binge watched The Crown Season 5 the other day when my Sweetie went to visit the boys for 4 days. They got serious snow there, like 8-10 inches while we got 3-4. Buffalo, USA, across the river, got a mere 3-4 feet. Nothing new there. Lake effect they call it. That means I got exclusive use of the remote control for 4 whole days. 
   
   
   
8. Get into the hot tub. We had some serious winds over the past few days and the lid blew off several times. We bought the thing a year and a half ago and set it up and filled it a year ago. In August, we drained it and moved it while the patio was being built. Then the contractor insisted on moving it and placing it on point in front of the bathroom window and he filled it. And since he removed several trees and all the sumac, there is a wind tunnel through the back yard now and they sent the wrong lid holder thingy and the new one has not yet arrived. The water dropped to 77F the other day. We have weights on it now. And the water feature? The water is flowing, but rather slowly. 
   
   
   
9. Deadhead the rest of the geraniums and begonias. I brought in some of the planters I bought in the spring for the wedding to over winter. 
   
   
   

Look who snuck in with one of the hanging baskets. 

That should be enough to keep me out of trouble for a few days. 

Blessings,

Chris

linking with: texasquiltgal/to-do-tuesday 

It's Tuesday Again

 Last week's list was to:

1. Write something profound. I wrote fewer days than usual. I try to write Morning Pages - 3 hand written ages of stream of consciousness writing first thing when I crawl out of bed. But then, I slept in several mornings because I was up half the night reading. Then, we impulsively went away for the weekend (5 days) to visit family so I did no writing then either.
2. Do not gloat or boast. So, is it boasting to say I am not boasting? 
   
   
   
3. Complete one Lucy corner square. I completed several sashing units. I also basted piles and piles of white hexies as I joined not one not two but three quilting zoom parties the previous weekend. This past weekend while we were away, I stitched all those white hexies into threes. And I glue basted lots of one-inch squares. But I did not complete a corner unit.  
4. Plant bulbs. Nope. Not yet. The weather is still pretty nice, and I like to plant them just before freeze-up so the squirrels do not dig them up. One time I was out there on New Year's Day planting. Another time, it was Jan 4, and I was out there in my bare feet planting. A week later it was -29C. Freeze-up could come petty soon now. 
   
   
   
5. Ignore the Wedding Quilt.   I succeeded in ignoring - no that is not true - I did no sewing on it but it is in my face all the time. I have it on the big design wall and it is the background for every zoom meeting I am on. I probably should have fixed my hair before taking the picture. 

This week's list:

1. Complete three Lucy sashing strips.
2. Ignore the Wedding Quilt.
3. Work on the Churn Dash blocks. 
4. Write something. 
1. Morning Pages
2. Devotions
3. Manuscript
4. To-Do lists
5. Blog post

That should keep me busy for the coming week.

Linking with Linda at texasquiltgal. 

wednesday-wait-loss-

myquiltinfatuation.

Blessings,

Chris

November 2022 OMG Goal

 I did not meet my October goal. Fact is, I hardly even tried. And why?

Besides a long weekend filled with family and people and food, I ended up with covid and lost a week of being productive. Well, that is not entirely true. The week we were sick, my Sweetie and I made not one, not two, but three big pots of soup and two crock pots of stew. Just because we could, and we had a lot of vegetables that needed processing. Like, someone dropped off a half bushel of brussel sprouts so they now live in the deep freezer. So, we now have lots and lots of meals in the freezer in case we get sick and do not want to cook. 

Also, I got a message from my daughter that 6-year-old David was missing me and was snuggling up in a sweater I gave his mom to sleep in because it reminded him of the good memories he had with Gramma. Not sure what was going on in his head, other than I had covid, and so did his dad and mom at the same time. He said the sweater smelled like the farm. How wonderful! So, I went over for a few days to snuggle the boys. 

Alas, I recovered from the covid. It was a mild case, and I was out of it for about 4-5 days, then the nasal congestion. I had to cancel the surgery that I have been waiting 5 months for. It will be sometime next month. Something about anesthetic and congestion not going together. I did get lots of handwork done on Lucy because the prep work and thinking part was done. Just got to sit and stitch my heart away.

I am struggling with using the fancy-dancy laptop that I just had to have. I bought it nearly 2 years ago and do very little writing on it. And why? Because I cannot see the letters on the silver keys. My fingers know where most of the letters are, but they miss often, and I have to continually go back and edit. Hence, I use the desktop which has a black keyboard with white letters. Easy to see. But I still make mistakes. Sheesh. 

I do use it most days in my quilt room, just not for writing. It has a touch screen. I love that. I can take it outside to use, as long as I remember to charge it. Nothing quite like it dying in the middle of a zoom meeting. And I discovered the link to write a new post. So that is why I am writing a new post on the laptop.

I rearranged the quilt room so I could have more table space to work more efficiently. I now have both the 8-foot folding tables set up in the middle of the room. I have my books spread out on one table facing north and the quilting on the other table facing south.

The table lamps are attached to the sides between the 2 tables, so I can easily turn them to whichever table I am working on. All this to say, I have one of the lamps hanging over the top of the laptop, and I can actually now see the keys. 

Since it is Tuesday, I have a To-Do-Tuesday list this week:

1. Write something profound.
2. Do not gloat or boast.
3. Complete one Lucy corner square.
4. Plant bulbs.
5. Ignore the Wedding Quilt.

My OMG for this month will be to complete 8 Churn Dash blocks. I did not get any done in October. I am planning to make 63 blocks and have 25 made so far.  

linking with: texasquiltgal.to-do-tuesday-

quiltingpatch link-party-patchwork-quilts-

design-wall-monday- 

wednesday-wait-loss-300 

midweek-makers-

wendysquiltsandmore.

stitchingcubbyhole.

Blessings,

Chris