Goals, goals, goals

My To Do list for September was short . . . and mostly completed.  Plus I had forward progress on several project not on the list.   

• Keep up with the Blockheads weekly blocks - CHECK
• Bind the Sunflower wall hanging - CHECK
• QOV Spools - get to flimsy stage - CHECK
• Blue Jays 3-yard quilt - get to flimsy stage - CHECK
• piece backing and take the Lone Star quilt to be quilted - CHECK
• Blue table runner (Tim Holt prints) - NOT STARTED YET
• quilt & bind pumpkin table runner - CHECK
• lots of Rainbow Scrap Challenge blocks - CHECK

My To Do list for October is much longer.  There are some really quick things to do on the list however, so it looks much worse than it is. 

• Quilt Show projects - Deadline is looming!!!!
• Finish Challenge project for quilt show Oct 18-19
• Choose 4 quilts to display at quilt show
• Make one themed raffle basket for quilt show
• bind Sophia's lap quilt
• Keep up with the Blockheads weekly blocks
• Begin the new Saturday Sampler
• progress on Cactus in Cabin
• Rainbow Scrap Challenge
• Make lots of RSC blocks with dark neutrals
• finish assembling RSC Windmill quilt top
• Choose next set of RSC blocks to finish
• Donate a couple of quilt tops
• QOV Ribbon - assemble rows from blocks
• Bad Kitty pillow
• quilt and bind at least 5 placemats (tops are done)
• bind Jamie's Lone Star wall hanging - IF back from quilter
• bind Candy Lane quilt - IF back from quilter
• Finish bird Christmas stocking

Doing some cutting

 You all know I like to kit up blocks and whole projects, so when sewing time comes I'm all ready to go.  And I definitely like to have choices. 

Yesterday was a busy day with errands and some housework that I had been putting off.  My sewing room time was mostly spent doing some cutting for current projects.  The RSC colors for October are black and brown.  I've pulled together the parts for some black/white blocks - Give It a Whirl and 4-patch Fun.  There is also a light green Paint Chip block to finish up the September colors.

One of my errands included a bit of fabric shopping to add more variety to the batiks I'm using in the Cactus in the Cabin quilt.  Now I have the strips all cut for the 2nd and 3rd rounds on the Log Cabin blocks.  We'll see if I get any sewing time today.  I know there won't be any time tomorrow with a DAR meeting and an afternoon of cards with some girlfriends.  But the next tutorial for this sew along won't come out until October 16 so I have plenty of time.

If I do get some sewing time today I'm planning to quilt the challenge project for the quilt show coming up in less than 3 weeks. 

Design Wall Monday - Sept 29

Wow!  The last Monday of September is already here.  We had a really beautiful month of September around here with sunny warm days, and not windy for a change.  I'm hoping October is just as nice so the pretty leaves stick around longer.

Yesterday I posted about some of the projects I want to work on during October.  The main new project that I'm beginning is a sew along from Bear Creek Quilting.  It's called Cactus in the Cabin and has only 2 different types of blocks.    

The September tutorial is for traditional Log Cabin blocks.  There will be 16 of these made.  I spent some time cutting the strips needed for them.  I even got round #1 added to all 16 of the center squares, but realized that I need a bit more variety of my pink and orange batiks before getting much further.  I'll have to stop in at both local quilts shops this week to see what I can add to those pink and orange strips. 

I'll also be working on some WIPs this week including the Windmill quilt top that is nearly done.  There are only 4 rows left to add but I keep procrastinating.  It's now laying on the floor in my sewing room now so I have to step over it or around it every time I go in or out.  That should force me to finish it up, right?

Last week was a catch up week for Blockheads with no new block posted, but I've kept up so far anyway.  This week there will be a new block posted again so there will be a bit of red, white and blue coming out to play midway in the week.

And you know there will be some RSC blocks taking shape all week too. 

I'm linking up today with:

https://smallquiltsanddollquilts.blogspot.com/ 

https://songbirddesigns.blog    

Thinking ahead to October

 It's almost October and my mind has been on new project goals to work on. I did no sewing at all yesterday, but did do some cutting and organizing before spending the afternoon at a golf outing.  Our neighbors host a big 9-hole golf and barbeque party every fall for friends, family, and clients.  Afterward the golf we normally come back to their garage and yard (next door to us) for food and fun.  This year the party will be a local brewery.  

Dark neutrals - blacks and browns - are on the Rainbow Scrap Challenge calendar this next month.  My dark scrap bin is overflowing just like the other colors.  But I see some possible string blocks happening.  I really should sort this bin better to separate the blacks, grey, and browns.  

Pulling out the bin of 2.5" squares, some black and brown squares are now sorted out, along with light neutrals, and they are ready to become Paint Chip blocks.  I also cut the parts for a couple more of the new spool blocks I've been playing with.  

This Halloween piece was made last winter but has hung in the closet ever since.  Time to turn it into a pillow cover.  Bad Kitty is the name of the kit that came with laser cut kitty and moon. The background came out of my stash.  I forgot to measure this when I took the photo but I think it's about 14", so just the right size for a fun pillow.

Cactus in the Cabin is my next new big project, with a black background and bright batiks.  It's a sew along from Bear Creek Quilting Co.  The sample is done in red/green for Christmas, but I'm using pinks and oranges in place of the red.  The pattern is available to purchase from their website to download.  The first tutorial was actually posted on September 16 but I was still gathering fabrics, and wanted to finish a couple of other things first before starting something new.  I'm planning to get started on it today with at least some cutting.  The next 2 tutorials will be posted on October 16 and November 16.  The pattern has all the cutting and sewing instructions but the tutorials are providing some helpful steps and hints. 

On October 11 for Saturday Sampler we'll have the reveal of finished quilts (or tops) from the program that just ended, and then they'll introduce the new program.  It's always amazing to see how different everyone's quilts are when we "shop our stash" for them.  I'm very excited to see all the different color choices.  And it's always fun to start a new Saturday Sampler program too.  

RSC25 - Week #39

There is a bin full of fat quarters in my sewing room closet, because I have a weakness for purchasing fat quarters when on shop hops.  And because I won a big bunch of fat quarters at a retreat.  That bin is overflowing and it seemed like a good time to dig through it for some light blue and light green options.  I ended up pulling out a small bundle that turned out to be fat eighths, with those colors plus some light rust.  Two new Give It a Whirl blocks were born from those fat eighths, but while they were out I used them for another small project. 

Four placemats also came out of those fat eighths.  These aren't quilted or bound yet, but it did use up some fabric from that bin.  The placemats will eventually be donated. 

In between sewing some block sets into rows I've been working on some string blocks again.  These are sewn onto 6.5" squares of phone book papers.  The stack is definitely growing, but without a firm plan at this point.

The Windmill blocks are a step closer to being a flimsy, as I've been making rows this week.

And I have 13 Vintage Spool blocks made, mostly using light blue and light green scraps.  I bought a new book this week and just had to play with this pattern for RSC.  Since I've finished up a couple of flimsies from RSC block sets this year, I wanted to find something ne to add to the mix.  These are small blocks - 6" finished - so I'll be making these for many months I'm sure.  The book by Joanna Figueroa is Scrapbook of Quilts.

What other fun projects are happening in the RSC world?

https://superscrappy.blogspot.com/

Playing with something new

Yesterday I took my scrappy Buckeye Beauty up to the local quilt shop (The Pin Cushion) to have it checked off my 2025 PHD list.  Projects Half Done has been an awesome motivator to actually finish some projects the past few years.

I love scrappy quilts, and this is one of my favorites this year.  The new owner of the shop has actually quilted several of my scrappy quilts herself, so she showed me a new book the shop had just gotten in.

Of course I had to buy it.  A Scrapbook of Quilts by Joanna Figeroa is a delight.  AND, I finished assembling 2 quilt tops this week so I have earned a new project.  See that quilt on the cover?  More spools . . . and I've been attracted by spool patterns lately.  

So I just HAD to do a little playing with the Vintage Spools pattern which includes 2 different spool blocks.  Gathering scraps was easy enough.  I have a whole bin full of 3.5" squares, and another full of strips and strings.  I use scrappy white-on-white very often for backgrounds, so there is no shortage of those scraps either.  

Since light blue and green are the colors this month for RSC those are some of the colors I pulled out of the scraps.  I think these will be lots of fun for Rainbow Scrap Challenge going forward.  Both blocks end up finishing at 6" so it will require a big stack of both versions.

Candy Lane flimsy

It is amazing how fast a quilt top can go together when the rows are already assembled.  Earlier in the week the Contessa (jelly roll) quilt top was finished.  Yesterday afternoon I had a couple of hours to sew, and the Candy Lane quilt top is now a flimsy too.  

Candy Lane is 48 x 58, and made from a kit containing 5 half yard cuts.  The pattern is part of the Half Pack Quilts from Sassy Sunflower that I bought on the August shop hop.  We picked the pack of fabric we wanted, and then selected a free pattern from the Sassy Sunflower options the shop was offering.  This one is neutral metallic prints in a Christmas theme.  It should make a good snuggle up quilt for the couch.