To Do List for the Week of 12/5/2023

In addition to stitching this week, I finally made a serious start on my Christmas shopping and decorating.  All the wrapping stuff, paper, boxes, bags, tissue paper, has been pulled from it's various storage locations and assembled in Grad Girl's bedroom. The 3 foot tree is up and decorated.  That definitely went faster then the 6 foot tree I normally set up. Hopefully that means it will come down much faster. I ususally enjoy putting up the tree, but getting it down was always a chore (we won't discuss the longest I've ever left the tree up after the holiday).  So good progress there and surprisingly good progress on last week's quilty To Do List too. 

To Do List for 11/28/2023

1. Indigo Way: Start on clues 1 and 2 ✔ 

2. Malted Mystery: Finish clue 5 - progress

3. Scrappy Butterflies: Sew backing together ✔

4. Rhododendron Mystery: Work on pieced borders ✔

5. Wild and Goosey: Finish the orange blocks in process ✔

6. Chilhowie: Leaders and enders project ✔

7. Fabric organization: Cut/sort scraps and press fabrics ✔

To check off 6 of the 7, with progress on the 7th is a much better week than I expected. Last week's list was really too long.  Scrappy Butterflies and Wild & Goosey are going back into project boxes for a few weeks.  That should let me concentrate on the two active mysteries.  

To Do List for 12/05/2023

1. Indigo Way (Bonnie Hunter): Continue working on clues 1 and 2, start clue 3

I've not used my tri-recs rulers in a while, but Bonnie gave really good reminders on how to use those in last week's instructions.  I haven't gotten very far with clue 2. I took it slow at first to be sure I had my seam allowances right.  I'm only making half the blocks for the mystery this year. I'm still working on clue 1 too, just over half the blocks for that clue are finished.  

2. Malted Mystery (Meadow Mist Designs): Finish clue 5 and start clue 6

I finally finished the second set of HSTs last week and have moved on to construting the partial blocks.  Hopefully those won't take as long and I'll have that done before clue 6 comes out on Thursday.  

3. Rhododendron Mystery (Bonnie Hunter): Finish the pieced borders

One pieced border is attached, so just three more to finish. The second border needs to be attached before I can measure for the strips needed for the last two. I also need to figure out how to piece the corners. Hopefully that's all doable this week.   

4. Melodic Mystery (Meadow Mist Designs): Make label, binding, trim quilt

I almost forgot about this project. It's so close to finished, it needs to go back on the list this week. It's not a large quilt, so hopefully it won't take that long to get it completely finished. 

5. Chilhowie (Bonnie Hunter): Leaders and enders project

Block 8 is almost finished. All the pieces are cut for block 9, so it will just continue moving along as work on this year's mystery takes priority.

6. Fabric Organization: Cut/sort scraps and press fabrics

Now that I've got some momemtum on this, I really don't want to stop.  I may not do as much this week, but every little bit helps. 

It's still probably too long of a list for good progress on every project, but I'm so close to milestones on several projects, I don't want to stop on those.  We'll see how it goes this week. My Guy is on a business trip this week, so I'll have most of my evenings to stitch.  

Linking up for To Do Tuesday over at The Quilt Schmilt: For the Love of Fabric.  Good luck with your to do list this week (both the quilty and the holiday).  

What Am I Doing?

Sitting at my machine last night and pinning pieces for the next round of chain piecing, I realized that 4 out of 5 projects getting pinned were Bonnie Hunter projects.  Her mysteries are known for needing lots of piecing. I enjoy the piecing, but to be working on 4 at one time may not be the easiest way to move a few projects to finished. Especially when I am trying really hard to keep up with this year's mystery, Indigo Way. I've finished half of the clue 1 HSTs and have made a start on the clue 2 triangle in a square.  We'll see where I'm at on Friday when clue 3 comes out.

The last few months Bonnie's 2021 mystery, Rhododendron, has been on and off the design wall.  It is one BH mystery that is getting close to being a finished top.  I rarely stick to Bonnie's design, usually because I don't want to make all the blocks for the pieced border.  That's the case for Rhododendron. But I have found a way to use the flying geese in partially pieced borders. 

 

The border on the left is ready to stitch to the top, the other 3 borders are in various stages of construction.  Fingers crossed all four are finished and attached by the end of the week. The plan is for one more narrow white border and a wider final border of purple.  If the pieced borders are all attached by the end of the week I'll be happy. A finished quilt top by the end of the month would be nice.  We'll see how that goes.   

Linking up with Monday Design Wall and Patchwork & Quilts.

Stitching Stuff: Week 47 of 2023

 

I'm never ready for December.  I just never seem to get to all things I had planned to finish before the end of the year.  But to put a positive spin on that, it's also the month to start planning for 2024 and theoretically have the chance to make up for where you fell short this year (funny how it rarely works out that way).  One area that has worked out well for me this year is my stitching time, this week was another good one.  

• 15 minute days/week = 6/7 days
• 15 minute days/Nov = 24/30 days
• 15 minute days/Dec = 2/2 days
• 15 minute days/2023 = 284/336 days
• Success rate = 84.52% 

Not a perfect year on the stitching front, but anything over 75% is stellar in my eyes. I've had years where my stitching time is over 90%, but it takes a lot of discipline to maintain that.  I may up my stitching time goal for 2024. We'll see, it worked out well this year.  We used to do stretch goals at work, Thankfully they aren't required at home! 

There was a bit of sewing room clean up this week. 

Scrap bag #1 is just a bit less stuffed. It's hard to tell because when I pull out some of those long strips, it fluffs up the rest of the scraps.  I didn't do much scrap processing this week because the fabric to be pressed bin had another 8 yard cut that needed to be pressed. 

The print on white in the top photo was the 8 yard piece and the floral on white below it was 5 yards. I'm glad to have both pressed and ready to use. But that took almost 2 hours to do both.  That's one reason the fabric bin as been so full for so long. It's hard to take time from stitching to do those chores. But I'm determined to spend my weekend morning sewing room time working on both scraps and getting my yardage organized.  The to be pressed bin is now just half full. I think what's left is all 3 and 4 yard cuts. Not bad progress considering I've missed some weekends due to traveling and the holiday.  

How are you doing at getting in some stitching time and/or doing some end of the year sewing room clean up? 

 

Weeks 93 and 94 Photo Challenge: Fruit and Architecture

The Thanksgiving holiday threw us all off on our photography efforts, so there was no post last week. We caught up this week.The challenge for week 93 was an easy one. 

We did a lot of grocery shopping the week of Thanksgiving so this one was pretty easy.  Especially since we got to shop at HEB.  We really miss HEB, groceries stores in Oklahoma just don't compare. 

Kate: Cartoon Fruit? 

 

Dragon fruit looks like it's a made up fruit from one of those Japanese anime shows doesn't it?

My Guy went the artsy approach with his image.

My Guy: Ode to Mr. Wahol

 

It's an amazingly good reproduction of the painting as a photo. If you want to compare, you can see the orginial here.  

Grad Girl took her image from her everyday routine. 

Grad Girl: Fruity Lunch

Her photo makes me think of an ad for healthy eating or maybe even an HEB ad. 

Week 94 wasn't difficult either. 

Definitely lots of ways to go with this one.  I took lots of photos, but decided on this one because it's a bit different than the rest of the family's.  

Kate: Lego Architecture

Grad Girl has liked Lego's since she was little, even the simple sets. I've been putting away the big building sets as part of my decluttering efforts, but decided these should stay out.  (For reference L to R: Seattle Space Needle, Big Ben, John Hancock Center, Empire State Building)

We were in Brenham, TX for small business Saturday.  In addition to shopping, My Guy took a lot of architecture photos, but he picked this one as his shot for the week. 

My Guy: Courthouse Eagle

I like his photo because it could have been taken years ago. It's not black and white, but it really looks like it was shot that way.  

Grad Girl didn't have to look any farther than the building her lab is in.  

Grad Girl: 1929 Architecture

The lobby of the Texas A&M original Chemistry building is really impressive.  The building was built in 1929 and the lobby is full of painted gold grillwork, like this light.  They don't build STEM buildings like that anymore.  Which is good, because chemistry labs in these old buildings require a lot of retrofitting to make them safe. Still the lobby is worth a vist all on it's on.  

So My Guy drew the card for this week. 

  

Hmm, this one could be interesting.  My Guy has a business trip this week, so we may end up going two weeks on this challenge.  But you never know, sometimes you can find some cool, unexpected things while you are traveling.  

November Wrap Up: PHD in 2023

Hard to believe it's December.  Just one month left to reach all those goals we crafted so carefully last December. One of my goals was to play along with Quilting Gail's PHD in 2023 and do better than I did in 2022.  I'm linking up to the November PHD Update with a report that looks better then last month's. 

  

I finished a second quilt in November, which puts my PHD performance on par with last year's in terms of overall finishes.  In addition to the finish, there was good progress on several other projects. 

I've been working on this emboridered panel since 2012. It's been my traveling project for most of that time.  I have to admit it travels a lot more then it gets worked on, but Grad Girl likes to sit, stitch and talk, so I did make some good progress on it over the holiday weekend. 

The panel is over half way done. Let's hope it doesn't take me another ten years to finish it!  

The backing for Scrappy Butterflies (self designed) is in progress. 

The next step is to prep both quilt top and backing for quilting.  The person who quilts for me has some significant family stuff this month, so we agreed that it was best to wait to send this quilt till after the holiday.  I may or may not try to get this prepped before the end of the month. It may wait till January.  

A few orange blocks were finished for Wild and Goosey (Bonnie Hunter).

There ares still 2 partially completed orange blocks at the sewing machine. Once those are finisehd, Wild and Goosey is going back into the project box till January.  I'll pull it out again to use as my RSC project for 2024.  

Macaron Mystery (Meadow Mist Designs) was my one finish for the month, the second for the year. 

I always enjoy Cheryl's mystery quilts, though this one isn't exactly her final layout.  This quilt is going to be a graduation present next May, well unless I finish something that Grad Girl thinks is a better fit for her mentor between now and then.  

The plan was to finish getting the borders on Rhododendron, Bonnie Hunters 2021 mystery quilt, before this year's mystery took off. 

There was progress on the pieced border, but the quilt top is still a ways off of being finished. I'm not doing full borders of the flying geese. Fingers crossed my plan for the unpieced part of the border works out.  

Melodic Mystery, the 2022 Meadow Mist Designs quilt along, is back from being quilted. 

The quilt was delivered yesterday. So I've not done much more than unbox it and admire the quilting.  Trudy did a wonderful job on this one.  Now the plan is to get the label and binding made so this qult becomes my third finish of the year.  

Last year's Bonnie Hunter mystery, Chilhowie, is still in the works.  The last few blocks haven't gone as quickly as I thought they would.  

It's hard to see the progress since last month, but there was some.  

Clue 5 is still in the works for this year's Meadow Mist Designs' Mystery, the Malted Mystery.  I've till next Thursday to catch up. 

I'm happy with my colors this year. Looking forward to seeing how all these Bits and pieces go together.  

Bonnie Hunter's 2023 Mystery, Indigo Way, kicked off last Friday.  Since we weren't home for Thanksgiving, I didn't get started till Tuesday on clue 1.  Thankfully, I'm only making half the blocks. 

I'm going to need to step up the pace if I'm going to catch up.  My Guy is leaving on a business trip Sunday, so I should have lots of sewing time next week.  

If you stuck with me this long, thank you.  There are way too many projects in the works.  I definitely need to trim the active list down some.  That should happen this week.  

I had hoped to have more complete bars in my progress chart.  

  

Hopefully, by the end of the month there will be more colored in spaces.  

Happy stitching this month.  Enjoy the holiday season, whichever one you celebrate.