ALYOF July Goal

Happy July to all!  Seems I had lost my way the last three months but have bobbed to the surface again.
I'll keep this short.  My July goal is to finish my  Dresdan plate wall hanging.  I have completed my nine little plates (here are three).  Now to cut out the background blocks and sashings and I'll be on my way.....See you at the end of the month.

Shirley

A Lovely Year of Finishes - April Goal

Happy April! 


My goal for April is the same as last month- finish my Box of Chocolates king-size quilt.  I had a nasty bout of the stomach flu which really incapacitated me for more than a week.  I have made progress but seriously underestimated how long it would take me to cut out an sew all those squares and rectangles!!  Here is the progress to date:



I need 255 finished blocks.  75 to go.

Finished and squared up.

ALYOF March Goal

After much indecisiveness, I have settled on my March goal.   I have so many projects going it was difficult to pick just one - so I won't.  I have several...first I want to sew a king size quilt-top together. I have selected a pattern called,  "A Box of Chocolates" by Jeanette Sherrick of the Christmas Goose Quilt Shop in  Las Vegas, NV.  Here are the fabrics I have chosen.

21 fabrics 

13 4 1/2 inch squares from each fabric  

26 41/2 x 1 1/2 inch rectangles and 26 6 1/2 x 1 1/2 in rectangles from each fabric.

For some reason I am having difficulty uploading a picture of the pattern.  I spent most pf the day 

cutting out fabric and I have made only a small dent in the hundreds if shapes needed to actually

begin sewing and this was using my Accuquilt Go die cutter!!!  I'll be back at it tomorrow.  I have taken 

a few days off for a quilt retreat that was later postponed :(.  However the great gals at the Christmas Goose

have allowed me to come and sew with them and Jeanette and I are having our own "Quilt Retreat."  I love my sewing room at home and it is always nice to sew with friends.  Until next time.  Shirley

March 1st

Wow - February was a short month wasn't it!!  Projects, projects, projects!!  I went to my block of the month class today and have a good start on this month's block.  I very much like the group of hand-stitchers I meet with.  We are a pretty goal oriented group but have lots of fun and conversation.  

All cut out and ironed on my background.  It's 10:00 and I am too pooped to do anything else tonight.  Tomorrow, I want to cut out my summer quilt which I will work on this week.  I am very excited to have some days off.  I originally took time off to attend a quilting retreat in Utah but it was postponed. Thankfully I have found some women to sew with and we will have our own "retreat".  It's all good.  Until next time...Shirley   

February's Goal Met

February's goal met-in the nick of time.  I have been stitching feverishly for the past week to get my projects completed.  So far I have completed blocks 1, 6 and 7.  This is a year-long block of the month class.  My March unofficial goal will be to finish blocks 2 and 8.  Now it's back to tracing out those blocks so I'm ready for class tomorrow. 

What I've Been Up to...

The short month of February is flying by...I have been faithfully working on my February goal for "A Lovely Year of Finishes" challenge.  In the meantime, I have finally finished my 154 half-hexis and now need to cut out the sashing.  I also am working on a pinwheel tote bag and have both panels completed.  Get back to you next week.

Pinwheel Tote Panel

154 Half-hexis

Close-up of the hexis

ALYOF February Goals

Happy February to my fellow fiber artists and crafters.

Block 7

I am setting my goals this month in an effort to catch up on a lagging
project and complete a recent class project.  In August I began a year-long wool felt block of the month class.  The first Saturday of each month

Block 6

we are introduced to a new block and hand embroidery stitch or technique.  Our class is called, "Hop to It" whose name came from a quilting book by Edyta Sitar.  I got so caught up embellishing block 1 that I have fallen shamefully behind. Knowing myself as I do, my only hope of catching up is to publicly commit to working on it.  So February is a new beginning for me.  I will complete blocks 6 and 7.     I also want to complete a pinwheel bag project that is from a class that I was in a couple of weeks ago.  I also have a Nana's Garden Path twin size quilt that I am working on as well.  Since New Year's Day I have begun most every weekday sewing from 5:00 to 6:30 a.m.  I am relatively new to quilting and realize if I want to improve, I must put in the time.  Every day I strive to move my creative life ahead, one stitch at a time.  It would greatly help if I was only interested in one or to hobbies.  It seems I like to do almost everything - quilt, sew, make card, jewelry, knitting, cross-stitch, hand embroidery and crafting - you name it, I probably have the supplies to do it.  I joke I have enough crafting supplies to not leave the house for a year and never run out of projects and/or materials.  Perhaps this is why "A Lovely Year of Finishes" was so appealing to me - and to my husband!!  I also am working on developing my skills to make a blog that is attractive and interesting.  So please bear with me while I sort this out and through trial and error become a "blogger" for real.  My life is mostly drama free but oh so serene, probably boring to some but I'll take it...
See you at  the end of the month.  Shirley

Pinwheel bag panel.
Top- before cutting out
and sewing together
pinwheels.