Renew, Refresh

 Wow, time to move forward on my blog adventure.  Been too busy with grandchildren, moving and sewing to keep at conversations.  

Renewing my intentions to chat about quilting.  New sewing studio has motivated me to get more organized and working hard to get some of these projects completed.  Last count 101...

New start this week, Stay at Home Round Robin.  Actually got my husband to participate in this adventure.  He has a small block leftover from his postage stamp quilt that he is going to use for his center.

I dug into my orphan block container and found several choices.  The block I selected was actually given to me in a large bag of scraps.  It is a small, pre-printed picture of an elf.  So squared it up with coping strips and added the first round.   Small piano keys.  

With that finished I can get to work on adding the final border on Flurry, a quilt guild block exchange challenge.  Then next on my list is to get borders on Pumpkin Patch.  All pieces ready to be sewn together.  

Going to be a nice, stay at home retreat week-end.

Quilting, quilting

The joys of cutting fabric up into various pieces and then rejoining them into a quilt top is pure joy to me.   Today I am cutting up large pieces of fabric for a ruler class tomorrow. Need to have some quilt sandwiches to practice on.   Learning to use a ruler with my domestic machine will be so interesting.   I enjoy free motion quilting and ruler quilting will be an additional technique.

Here is one of my current tops coming together.  Took two classes in November at the Shipshewana Quilter's Retreat and started two tops, Narragansett Blues and Sand Castles, both Bonnie Hunter patterns.  So working now to get the rows all together so this will be ready to quilt.

Now I off to put another row (column) together.

Quiltin' in Michigan
Su

UFO finished

Happy July! and Happy to have another UFO quilt top completed!  Milky Way was a free pattern from Fons & Porter. 

Time flies when you are having quilting fun!   Several quilt finishes, several ready to be quilted and of course several more have been started.  Quilting is an endless activity of finishes and beginnings.

Wednesday Wondering

Just visited Bonnie Hunter's post for the day and love this quote:  "And suddenly you know - It's time to start something new and trust the magic of beginnings."   This is why I enjoy quilting, working on projects I have started, but then something sparks a new start.   Worked hard today, not to start anything new.  Mystery on Ringo Lake units are being put together.  Still have a ways to go but love how the pieces are going together.  Two small Halloween quilts will be ready to quilt tomorrow.  Working to get a finish or two and then the magic of a new start will happen.

Wonky Halloween top

Halloween back becomes a new top!

77 UFO's on 2018 List

This is the year to get more finishes.  My list is all set up in excel.  I have committed to the Stashbuster 2018 UFO challenge.  77 UFO's in various stages of development.   I reported my first finish yesterday.  Second finish is close behind, as the binding was put on today!  I am feeling motivated to "git 'em done!"

Then of course today, I found four more partial projects hiding on the sewing shelves!   Hidden in plastic containers with UFO's already on the list.  So that takes me to 81.   I have reduced another project from the list by putting the material back on the shelves and filed the pattern away.  I am not committed to completing it.   This allows me to use the project brown material in Bonnie's mystery quilt, On Ringo Lake.

Sister's Choice, number 8 on list, is actively calling me to get it done.  Today, I spread the 19 completed blocks out in the spare bedroom.  Yes, this top needs to be completed.   Target date:  February 28. 

Here are nine Sister Choice blocks completed last spring!  This quilt has traveled to three quilt retreats!  I can see why it is calling to be completed.

2018 quilt top finish

I can do this...get more of my UFO's finished.  I'm off to a good start.  This was a recent start in November and an actual finish today!  My first for 2018.