APQ UFO finish!

Three months into the APQ UFO Challenge and I’ve got 3 quilts finished – Woohoo! The number for March is 11 and that’s the Weight Loss quilt on my list.

I started this project in Dec 2021 to track my daily healthy habits in an effort to lose weight. Here’s the significance of the different squares:

Blue – hit target water intake

White/Low volume – did not hit water intake

Pink circles – distance walked

Yellow – weigh in day, did not lose

Green weigh in day, lost weight

I abandoned tracking after about 3 months and the half assembled top sat in a bin until now. Last week I pulled out all the pieces and figured out a way to assemble them into a top. Then I pulled remnants from my stash to make the back, echoing the color scheme on the top

Then comes the hard part…how did I want to quilt it? I decided to do loopy swirls all over and echo around the pink circles. I also chose to use a steel blue thread on top just to add a little more interest

I wanted a dark binding, preferebly navy blue but I didn’t have any solids in my stash so I went with a navy star fabric…and I’m not mad at it! The finsihed size is 45×58.

This quilt will go in the donation pile for the Hands2Help challenge coming up in May.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

And just like that, I’ve started a new quilt project!!! I bought a FQ bundle from a small shop I found on tiktok, Mojave Farms, and I’ve been itching to use it! I found a free FQ pattern from Moda called Dos Cuadrados that I think it will showcase the fabrics very nicely. I rarely cut out all the pieces in advance for my quilts but I decided to do it this time. I’ve already started assembling the strips sets that will then be cross-cut to make the patchwork around the larger blocks. I’m using a pale mint green print for the background and it looks so nice with all these colors!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

DH went to Maryland last week and is currently driving home as I type! I got a lot done while I had all my days & nights to myself but I also enjoyed some quiet time to read and watch tennis. I cooked myself dinner a few nights too. I’ve been wanting to try a salmon filet in the air fryer so I found a simple seasoning recipe and boy was it good!! I only used a pinch of brown sugar because I didn’t want it to be too sweet.

This picture isn’t the best, I had already started eating! I also sauteed some zucchini and squash with baby spinach for my side.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I had my bi-annual eye check up last week and of course my prescription has changed a little. I ordered new lenses for my favorite frames but I’m going to hold off ordering contacts. I have a couple boxes left from my last order and they still work just fine!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

That’s all for now…have a great rest of your weekend!

Another finish!

I finished my scrappy Cross/Plus quilt early last week! The quilting doesn’t really show up well in either of these pictures 🫤 I did an all over meander inside the gray border, an organic wavy line in the gray border and I did lower case ‘L’ loops in the piano key border. When I got to the corners I did a heart ❤ I really love how this turned out!! I offered it for sale on my FB page and if there are no takers I might send it off to a charity later this year.

This quilt was also my #6 for Feb APQ UFO Challenge and I got it done just before the month ended – Yay!

Of course I had to start another project, right? Each year I participate in Sarah’s Hands2Help charity event and before it gets started she offers up some quick quilt patterns that can be used for the event. I have been wanting to make an irish chain type quilt and she just so happened to post a tutorial for a ‘modern irish chain’ and I love it!! I also love the color way she used so I found a FQ bundle of orange fabric online and jumped on it. Here are some progress shots:

The March APQ UFO number is 11 which is my Weight Loss quilt. The key was to chart workouts and weight loss over a 6 month period… I didn’t get very far so I’m going to look at what I’ve got and try to put a quilt top together. We’ll see where this goes!

That’s about all for this week… have a great rest of your weekend!

We have another flimsy!

Yes! and this time it’s the Elephant Abstractions – WOOOOOOHOOOOOO!

Here are a few more shots of the final steps in the process… wow, those big sections are a bit of a bear to sew together! And removing all those pieces of paper felt like a celebration (but it was quite messy LOL!)

However, I’m not sure if you can find it but there is a mistake – UGH! Of course I noticed it as soon as I had removed all the paper from the back!! At first I was going to just leave it but after I slept on it I knew I would not be able to enjoy this hanging on my wall if I didn’t fix it – my eyes would always go to that one spot.

So yesterday morning I performed surgery – haha! Here’s the before & after

I’m sure it looks like a very small issue but it bugged me so I had to fix it 🙂 I’m just glad I noticed it now and not after it was quilted!!!!

I have quite a bit of fabric left over – I’m not sure if the pattern requirements were just very generous or if I ordered wrong 😐 I’m contemplating using it all to make the back… not sure I’ll want to work with greys again for a long time! HA!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I finished two Sewcialites2QAL blocks this week… 15 & 16! Now I’m all caught up until the next block is released on Thursday.

Block 15 was pretty easy… Block 16 was a bit much! So many seams 🫤 but it sure is a pretty design! And here’s a shot of all 16 blocks together – this is going to be a VERY bright quilt 😂

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I’ve made a tiny bit of progress on the February APQUFO Challenge project – my Scrappy Cross/Plus top. I’ve decided what fabric I’m using for the backing; I just need to piece it and then get it basted. I don’t have enough of the green speck fabric so I’ll use up the remnant of the potted plant fabric. The top is so vibrant I wanted to use something calming for the back.

~~~~~~~~~~~~

We had another successful sewing club day last Monday – squeeee! It was the four of us sewing and chatting for 4 hours – so nice! I took my Elephant project and got to show them my paper-piecing process, they were very curious.

~~~~~~~~~~~~

That’s all for now… enjoy the rest of your weekend!!

We have a finish!

It’s not the Elephant 🫤 but I am making progress!! I’ve got all the pieces sewn to paper for quadrant 5, I just need to sew them together and then connect all 5 quadrants before finishing up the last section at the bottom.

So close but still so far 😂

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I finished Block 14 for Sewcialites2QAL. This one didn’t have too many small pieces so it went together pretty quick! Block 15 looks like it will be pretty easy as well.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

And now for the finish! I had made my list of UFO’s for the AQPUFO Challenge and for January they pulled number 3. That’s the Mother’s Own baby quilt I started back in 2018

I procrastinated pulling it out of the bin the whole month of January 😟 However, I didn’t want to just skip it so I pulled it out this week, got it basted, quilted and put the binding on it! YAY!!!

This finished 34 x 44. I quilted it with loops and hearts, playing off the backing fabric. I found the pink gingham in my stash and had just enough for the binding. This will go to charity if no one claims it 🙂

The APQUFO number for February is 6, which just so happens to be the scrappy cross/plus top I finished last week. I need to make a back for it and get it finished!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

If anyone happens to be on tiktok, I posted 4 videos last week showing how I use Elmer’s Washable glue to baste my quilts on my ironing board. No more crawling on the floor… or carrying all my stuff outside to use spray baste. The glue holds my sandwich together and does not gum up my needle while quilting. I’ve used this method for more than 4 years, it’s amazing (and inexpensive!) My user name is smt2024 if you’d like to check it out. I am absolutely blown away by the amount of quilters on tiktok!! 🤯

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Tomorrow is the next sewing club meet up in our neighborhood and it looks like all 4 of us will be there! Woohoo! I’m not sure what I’m going to take to work on 😲 I better get that figured out today!!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The Superbowl is being played later today and I’ll be watching. We’ve been invited to watch the game at our friends house who just moved here from Tampa. I’ll be rooting for Philadelphia only because I’ve been following their quarterback Jalen Hurts since he got egregiously pulled from the College Playoff game when he played for Alabama. I’m so glad he’s having great success in the NFL and I hope he wins so he can send Nick Saban a thank you note (sarcastically of course!).

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

That’s all for now… have a great rest of your weekend!

We have a flimsy!

But it’s not Elephant Abstractions 🫤 I put the final stitches in the scrappy Cross/Plus top this week!! I was a little hesitant about the scrappy piano key border, fearing it might be too busy, but I ended up loving it!! ❤ The gray inner border really helped define and separate 😉

Since my design wall is currently holding my Elephant Abstraction WIP, I had to lay this out on my bedroom floor and get on the bed to take a decent picture!! This top measures 58×69. I already know how I want to quilt it too: organic wavy lines vertically through the cross/plus blocks and a series of loops thru the piano keys with a heart shape in all four corners. Now let’s see how long it takes me to get it basted!!!

~~~~~~~~

I completed Block 13 of Sewcialites2 QAL. With all the small pieces that usually go into making the 6.5″ blocks, I’ve gotten pretty good at matching points.

~~~~~~~~

I haven’t made much progress on my Elephant…not sure what’s causing my procrastination but I hope it passes quickly – I’m going to make an effort to work on it today!

I haven’t mailed off the Safelight cases yet because I’m waiting on USPS to deliver the padded envelopes I need… of course, I thought I had placed my order over a week ago and when I went to check on the shipment I realized I hadn’t actually placed the order yet! DOH! 🤦 I’m hopeful the envelopes will be here tomorrow 🤞

~~~~~~~~

I planned to participate with the APQ UFO Challenge this year and somehow I’ve already skipped January 🫤 That number was 3 which is a small baby quilt top on my list – I should’ve had no problem finishing that so now I’m going to focus on two projects for Feb. This month’s number is 6, which just so happens to be the Cross/Plus quilt top I just finished!! So let’s see if I can finish these two projects while working on my Elephant and keeping up with Sewcialites2 😁

That’s about all for now… have a great rest of your weekend!!

Aruba here we come!

By this time tomorrow we will be on our way to 10 glorious nights at the Renaissance in Aruba!

We haven’t traveled internationally in over 7 years and haven’t been to Aruba in 10 years so we are both excited and nervous 😬 I’ve got us all checked in, our bags are 99% packed and I think we’ve covered everything while we’ll be away 🤞 Ugh, so much to remember LOL

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The sewing club day went well again! Yay, it’s so nice to sew with other folks and just chit chat about all kinds of various topics. I not only got my Swoon top basted but also got the APQ UFO project basted 😯 I finally looked back at my IG feed and found the name of that BOTM: Honey Pot Bee with Molli Sparkles.

I ended up working on the Honey Pot Bee during the sewing club because I chose to do simple ‘organic wavy lines’ vertically. That made the FMQ easy to do while talking – Ha! I got it trimmed and put the binding on when I got home.

I used the same gray background fabric for binding, I think it gives it a modern feel. This will go in the donation bin and wait for the next charity drive. I didn’t take any photos of the back 🫤 I used a blue floral from my stash paired with a solid blue. Once we’re back from the trip I plan to take this outside for better pictures and I’ll include the back.

I also finished up the Swoon Sixteen quilt this week! I chose to do an all-over loopy meander, I think it helps soften all the sharp angles.

I bought some black & white stripe fabric specifically for binding so I used it on this project, and this time I did snap the back side! This quilt will also go in the donation pile.

I completed Block 5 in the Sewcialites2QAL yesterday… the yellow background fabric is growing on me!

After we return, I need to start planning the overall layout and get some setting blocks made.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

That’s about all for now! I won’t be posting next week cuz, ya know, Aruba… Have a great rest of your weekend.

Lots of projects

I not only finished the Swoon Sixteen top but I also pulled out a long forgotten project from 2017 and got that to the top stage too!!

First things first, Swoon Sixteen. I finished putting on all the sashing and borders so the next step is to make the backing and get it basted. I have no idea what I’m going to use for backing but if I can figure it out today and get the basting done, I can take it to the sewing club meeting tomorrow and quilt it while I’m there! Fingers crossed!

Once I finished the Swoon top I wanted to work on some more piecing so I looked up the APQ UFO number for November (#10) and it correlated to an old project from 2017. This was a BOTM quilt along and I honestly can’t even remember if I made all the blocks but I’ve had them stashed for far too long! And I really love the fabrics and colors I used – an old Karen Lewis bundle – so I figured now was a good time to finish this up.

The difficulty was the blocks were all different sizes… Some were 12″, 10″, 9″, 8″ and 6″… and I did not have the motivation to find the original layout suggestion so I just started winging it!! 😂 I had enough of the background fabric left to sash the smaller blocks to make them 12″… and I ended up with this

Now let’s see how long it takes me to actually baste & quilt it 😜

I’m also staying caught up with the Sewcialites2 QAL from Fat Quarter Shop. They’ve been releasing the blocks on Thurs afternoons so unless I already have plans, I jump right on it. Here is my Block 4

I just have to share this adorable picture of my great niece. Her parents surprised her with a Disney Cruise coming up in December and gave her this sweet Cinderella outfit to wear on the cruise!!!!!!!!! 😍

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

We’re counting down to our first international travel in 6 years and our first time back in Aruba in 10 years!!! 🥳🏝 This is a picture of our favorite snorkeling spot, Baby Beach

We leave Nov 21 and will return Dec 1, we’re so excited but I’m also nervous hoping all our plans go smoothly 🤞

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

That’s all for now… have a great rest of your weekend!

QAL Updates

Even though I’ve still been watching Wimbledon every day, I’ve been able to make considerable progress on my quilt along projects. As for my Ladies prediction…Ha, I was not even close! LOL The finalists were Ons Jabeur and Elena Rybakina and the unlikely winner… Rybakina. I think the whole tennis world was pulling for Jabeur but she just couldn’t keep her nerves under control.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Before I get into my quilting updates I wanted to share this blog post from Janis @ RetirementallyChallenged. If you are spending a lot on prescription drugs, please take a moment to check this out: Are You Paying Too Much for Prescription Drugs?

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Summer Book Club QAL

I’m happy to report this quilt is completely finished!! Woohoo! I put the final stitches in the binding Thursday evening. I’m really happy with the way this turned out and I’m STILL in love with that backing fabric… I may have to hunt down a few more yards 😜

Taken indoors right after finishing

Taken outside the next day

When I posted this on IG one person asked how I kept the quilting lines so straight. I explained that I used the edge guide that came with my machine. This little tool comes is so handy when straight-line quilting!

I’ve put this quilt up for sale but if I don’t get a buyer I’ll add it to my donation pile 😊

Positivity 2022 QAL

I started making more blocks as soon as I finished the book quilt and I’m more than halfway done… here’s a pic of the first 40

ugh, bad indoor lighting ☹️

I’m using Alison Glass SunPrint 2019 and these bold colors are just GORGEOUS!! This is not the final layout, I’m just putting them up as I finish the blocks. I may have to see if I have enough of each color to try to organize them in a rainbow theme 🤪

APQUFO Challenge

Unfortunately I haven’t done anything for this challenge. I did not complete the project for June (my Rainbow Postage quilt) and the number pulled for July is #4 which is my Skittles quilt. Now I’m torn between two projects I really love… do I finish the June project or move forward with July…???

That’s about all for now… The Men’s final is on and I need to go watch it!

Have a great rest of your weekend!

QAL updates

Before I get into my sewing updates I just need to say I’m sickened and enraged by the SCOTUS decision released last week. Women have fought hard for equal rights and with one decision we’ve just been set back almost 100 years. To not have full autonomy over our bodies is cruel and inhumane.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Summer Book Club QAL

I’ve almost got the top pieced together and now I need to decide if I want to add a border or leave it alone. The top measures 44×54 which is a generous baby quilt so I may just leave it as is and use a bold fabric for binding… decisions, decisions!

Positivity 2022 QAL

I finally started cutting and piecing some blocks for this project. I’m using a long hoarded layer cake of SunPrint 2019 and I decided to swap 2 squares from SunPrint 2021 to have enough bold prints… hopefully they’ll play nicely together 😉

The yellow & orange fabrics are from 2019, the other two are from 2021. These are the first 8 blocks, only 72 more to go! 😜

Pink Houses

I’m disappointed to report there has been absolutely no progress made on this quilt. It’s STILL hanging over my ironing board, basted and ready for quilting. I’m struggling with how I want to quilt it. I think I’ll go back to Debbie’s QAL site and see what she did with this one – maybe that will spur something!

APQUFO Challenge

June’s number is 1 and that’s my big Rainbow Postage stamp quilt. Unfortunately I’ve done nothing more than think about completing this project! LOL With only 4 days left in the month, it doesn’t look like I’ll be getting it done…but depending on what number is pulled for July, I might just keep this one on-deck.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Wimbledon starts tomorrow so I’ll be consumed with watching those matches for the next two weeks. Serena is competing again but with this being her first singles tournament since being out 12 months, I don’t have high hopes she’ll make too far 😕 My guesses for who will take the title:

Women’s Winner: Iga Swiatek

Men’s Winner: Novak Djokovic

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

That’s all for now, have a great rest of your weekend!

Another UFO completed

I got my April UFO project completed early last week before we took a 3 day trip to Charleston for a Corvette car show.

The APQ UFO challenge number for April was 9 and that equaled the Sugar Blocks quilt top on my list. Last week I was still mulling over how I wanted to quilt it and as usual, I went with my tried & true all-over meander. To add some pop, I decided to go with a bright yellow thread and I had a solid yellow fabric in my stash that I used for the binding. A finish is a win!!

Here are a few close ups of the quilting

I’m still working on my Little Pink Houses quilt, I need to finish the backing and then get it basted.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Here are a few pictures I took while we were in Charleston. I opted not to go to the car show on Saturday so there are no pictures of Corvettes :-p The first two are at Shem Creek just outside of Charleston and the last two are from Joe Riley Waterfront Park. We had absolutely gorgeous weather, upper 70’s with no humidity ❤

We got home just before lunch time today… man, it’s nice to go away but it’s even nicer to come back home!!! :-p

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

That’s about all for now… have a great rest of your weekend!!