update on, well what else, me!

I've been at it like mad and trying to catch up on my projects. I think my timelines were ambitious, though. Here's where I'm at today.

J's quilt top - DONE
K's quilt top - DONE
colored psalm blocks for bible study - caught up (will be weekly blocks for 29 more weeks)
2 Mystery qulit tops - almost done, just need borders.
F's top is roughly designed, just searching for and buying fabrics now.

I still don't know what I'm going to do with the mystery quilts except as I've been sewing one, a pink one, I've been thinking it would be nice to send to an acquaintance of mine in honor of her mother who passed from breast cancer and who is participating in the Breast Cancer Walk for a Cure this weekend in GA. I'm wondering if she'd think it was nice to have a remembrence quilt to wrap up with her daughter in and tell stories of her mom. I don't know. I plan to contact her DH and seek his thoughts on this before I do.

I'll be gone most of today but when I get home, I'm going to get the fabric cut for S' quilt. Tomorrow, I plan to get downstairs and start working that mid-arm. I'll save the sewing of S' quilt for the weekend when I can sew and watch football and the mid-arm stuff for weekday. I HAVE to get moving on these.

Oh, and I feel guilty although I know I shouldn't, my sis just asked if I thought I could get a particular quilt done for Xmas for her partner. I had to tell her I didn't think so. I know once basketball season starts in a couple weeks my time will be gone but I still feel like I should try. -sigh- we'll see. If I finish the others, I'll add this in, if not, no harm.

So, that's that.

Oh, and I am adding thishttp://www.keepsakequilting.com/productdetail/3937.htm
to my to do list once it gets here. This will replace my wall of shame quilt through the Christmas season, at least.

The Quilt of Shame

I've posted briefly once before regarding The Quilt of Shame under one of the NY Tornado posts. However, I've recently decided I have advanced enough

-HEY! stop laughing! Humph, as I was saying...

advanced enough to put something nicer there BECAUSE, I think I've learned my lessons.

Yes, well, I laughed at that too but I think I've learned to at least hide my mistakes better. Is that a more acceptable way to say it?

So, just as a reminder to you and I, here's why I have a Wall of Shame quilt hanging directly over my head when I sew.

1) It's to remind me how bad a buying whim for fabric really can get. What was I thinking with that paisley blue stuff and when/where did I ever think I'd use that thimble fabric?

2)You must BASTE when quilting or it shifts EVERYWHERE.

3) Binding should not have thread showing through it on the front, I think. Some on the front is not too bad, right? It's just when it's not at the edge, right? Right?

4) Binding should be finished off neatly and not at each corner with thread showing, especially with thread tails hanging off. (Although, in my defense, I remember getting to this point and thinking I just didn't care and had to finish the damn thing so I could say I did.)

5) SID really means stitching IN the ditch, not wavy lines around the ditch.

6) Pulling the quilt through the machine results in puckers and uneven stitches. No, really, it does. Oh, and "squaring up" doesn't mean quilt first then try to straighten edges later.

Since I can list all these errors, I'm certain I have learned from them well enough to remove the eyesore and put up something to be proud of.

My eventual goal, to do a peek-a-boo quilt which features, I hope, fabrics that remind me of my childhood. Fabrics like Yogi Bear and Paddington Bear. I think this would be fun and the nieces and nephews will enjoy. However, since I have guests coming for the holidays, I think I'd like to do something more Christmas-y.

Care to vote?

Choice A - A large piece of fabric with a Christmas scene colored in crayons by me and the kids (youngest is 8 so there's hope this won't go too nuts in outside of the line coloring.) Then do some quilting around the picture. However, the downside to this may be the drawing I create since I'm NOT artistically inclined when it comes to drawing (or coloring for that matter!)

Choice B - A holiday kit from some store that's quick and easy, again, Christmas theme.

Choice C - Tie some red and green ribbons from the drapery bar and call it a day!

Just for the record, if you don't vote, I'll have to resort to deciding under the influence of a couple cocktails and let's face it, my family and friends suffer with the last time I did that. Can I just say, "Tornado?" ;)

Project timeline update

So this post is more for me than you but I'm still going to share because it might give you some insight into just how glutten for punishment I am. Or maybe I should say crazy, loca, bites off more than I can chew or simply, "I create my own stress."

Anyway, remember that timeline I wrote about a few weeks ago? I think it's in the broken fingers post, ahh, yes, here it is below again, with the results.


"So here is my timeline:
DH's and B's (friend's son) blankets done by 9/13. - COMPLETED LATE
S's fabric cut on/about 9/12-9/14. - INCOMPLETE
P's sashing sewn by 9/20. - INCOMPLETE
J's windows & K's 4-patch blocks sewn by 9/22. - K: COMPLETE, J: INCOMPLETE
J's sashing & K's sashing sewn by 9/29. - K: COMPLETE, J: INCOMPLETE
Psalm quilt blocks by 9/30." -INCOMPLETE

So now I have very little completed off that list. What do I do instead? I add the signature quilt and a mystery challenge to my plate. And not only that, I'm still behind on designing the one quilt I really WANT to finish for Christmas for someone else in my family (on the off chance they read this blog occasionally, I do not want to give it away.)


Well, here's the revised list, the one that makes me wonder what is wrong with my idea of "relaxation." Truthfully, quilting relaxes me but do I feel I'll run out of things to do if I don't pile a bunch on my plate at the same time? Or do I have a backward sense of what relaxing really means... you decide for yourself. For me, I think it's the latter.


Today, 10/14 - complete borders on K's top.
This week:
sew J's attic window top
cut S's top pieces
finish practice quilt on mid-arm
quilt LSU blanket on mid-arm
design family member's quilt (let's call it F's quilt)
work on myster challenge blocks


Next week (10/21):
sew P's sashing and borders
quilt monkey blanket for niece on mid-arm
quilt K's top on mid-arm
start sewing blocks for S's top
work on mystery challenge blocks
choose, wash & cut fabric for F's quilt


Week of 10/28:
msytery challenge blocks
complete blocks for S' top & sew in sashing
quilt J's top on mid-arm
start sewing F's quilt top blocks


Well, that should get me started for Oct, right? Let's see if I can stick to this schedule cause I'm hoping it's not overly-ambitious but realistically, thinking it might be. Now you know why I question my sanity!

My "good deed" signature quilt

Just an update to let you know I finished the signature quilt. Had to tie it since I didn't have time to quilt it properly but it still came out nice. I did notice in the pictures, a day later, an upside down block but well, that just makes it unique! ;)

Here's the only pics I have. They are pre-lint brush so ignore the threads.