Sunday, August 17, 2025

Stitching Stuff: Week 33 of 2025


Not sure what happened to this week.  Allergies have been bad and I'm still dealing with the changes in my schedule with Grad Girl home during her job search.  But it looks like the schedule will go back to normal in September.  Grad Girl has a job offer, though she hasn't seen the official paperwork yet. I know that's the goal of all parents, to get their kids self sufficient.  Being honest about it,  I'll miss the disruptions once she's off doing what she's supposed to be doing.   

As I noted earlier, it wasn't the best week on the stitching front.  

  • 15 minute days/week = 5/7 days
  • 15 minute days/August = 13/16 days
  • 15 minute days/2025 = 205/228 days
  • Success rate = 89.91%
Not the best week, but certainly not the worst.  Apartment hunting is next on the schedule, then helping Grad Girl move. We'll be busy over the next three weeks.  It's looking like there will a lot of hand work going on. 

Did you find time to play with needle and thread this week? 

Monday, August 11, 2025

What's Up on the Design Wall and What's Not

The summer allergies are still hanging on, but it wasn't so bad this weekend.  A lot of sneezing, but I've not needed quite so many tissues.  I suppose that's progress? 

In the sewing room my main focus has been on getting the blocks for the Guild BOM done before the meeting next week.  I can't show those till after the meeting, so they aren't up on the design wall this week.  

Since I need my regular sewing foot for the BOM blocks, there has been no progress on Kate's Choice, so it's not up on the design wall either.  

What is up on the design wall?


 
I've been working on Old Town, the 2024 Bonnie Hunter mystery.  It's fun to see the secondary pattern the blocks make when they are up on the design wall.  Bonnie used pieced sashings for this project and I'm going to make those as well, just haven't gotten that far yet. The pieced sashing use more of the teal fabric and I definitely want to include more of that in this quilt.  Still lots of blocks to make before I get to making the sashing pieces. 




I've assembled 7 of the 25 blocks so far. My goal is to have this into a finished quilt top before the next mystery kicks off in November.  If I keep working on it at late night sew, I'll at least get close.  

That's it for my design wall this week.  Linking up with Design Wall Monday and Patchwork & Quilts.  

Sunday, August 10, 2025

Stitching Stuff: Week 32 of 2025

 


The typical August heat and humidity came back this week. It wasn't nice at all outside. Plus something outside is putting off nasty allergens. All three of us have been sneezing, congested and just not feeling great this week.  Between the heat and the not feeling well, I ended up missing a day of stitching time this week.  

  • 15 minute days/week = 6/7 days
  • 15 minute days/Aug = 8/9 days
  • 15 minute days/2025 = 200/221 days
  • Success rate = 90.50%

Not a bad week, just not one of my best weeks.  Hopefully, I'll feel mostly back to normal this week and will manage to fit in some good sewing time each day.  

No stash management this week.  I've been pretty unmotivated in the mornings, too busy blowing my nose this week.  

Did you get to play with needle and thread this week?  

1. Gretchen
2. maggie f
3. Melissa G
4. Karen
5. DonnaleeQ
6. Quilting Gail
7. Deb in Canada
8. Bonnie in Va
9. Melisa- Pinker n' Punkin Quilting
10. Frédérique
11. Andrée at Quilting & Learning
12. Preeti

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Wednesday, August 6, 2025

July 2025 PHD Report

July was a busy month. I was away from home for over a week helping Grad Girl move.  So there's not a lot of progress to report for the July PHD report over at Ms. P Designs.  




There are no updates to my PHD log.  No finishes, but no new starts either.  I can at least celebrate that!  There has been progress on some other projects this month.  

There's been a bit of progress on the Rose Throw counted cross stitch project.  I just didn't feel like doing much handwork this month.  Does it look like a rose? Not so much yet.   




One more row of blocks for Kate's Choice were quilted this month.  I've made more progress in the days since the end of July. My plan is to focus on this project till it's completed.  




All the red blocks for Wild and Goosey (Bonnie Hunter) are all sashed. That finishes up the last of the warm colored scarp blocks. There are still lots of cool color blocks to make before I can start sashing any of those colors.  




Progress on the Simply Sensational Summer Scrap Quilt (Kevin the Quilter) has been pretty minimal this month, but there has been a bit. 




All the components for Old Town (Bonnie Hunter) have been made. So block assembly has started.  Each block requires 25 pieces, so they take a bit to construct, which is why I've only 2 were completed at the end of July.  This will be my late night sew project for August.  




I was a bit slow on finishing off all the August sawtooth star blocks for the 2025 Guild BOM , but they are all done.  I've made this pattern before, but since it's all scrappy, it doesn't look exactly like my previous version.  




There's been progress, but no movement on project tracking graphic.  



It looks the same as it did in June.  Some months are just going to be that way. I'm hoping to see some projects hit milestones this month.  That's assuming we're not moving Grad Girl to a new location for a job. If I loose another 10 days to apartment hunting and a move, it will be worth it.   

Tuesday, August 5, 2025

To Do List for 8/5/2025

We've been enjoying a bit of cooler weather the last few days. It was a nice start to August.  I'm still working on getting used to my new schedule.  Grad Girl takes care of herself, but the keeping the cat happy still takes a bit of work.  Though neither affected my time in the sewing room this last week, but for some reason I struggled with my to do list.  

To Do List for 7/29/2025
1. Guild BOM: Cut pieces for September blocks - progress
2. Kate's Choice: Continue quilting blocks ✔
3. Old Town: Continue block assembly at late night sew ✔
4. Wild and Goosey: Work on purple, start teal - progress
5. Summer Scrap Quilt: Continue as leaders and enders - no progress

Not a bad week, only one item with no progress.  Most of the reason for the lack of forward effort on most of the to do list is because I focused on getting the Kate's Choice blocks quilted.  I really need to start moving some quilts to finished. My plan is to mostly focus on moving that project to finished this week.  So a bit of a shorter to do list for this week. 

To Do List for 8/5/2025
1. Guild BOM: Finish cutting pieces and start assembly of September blocks

Only three of the sawtooth stars for the border are left to be cut.  I need to stay on top of these blocks because the guild meeting comes up pretty quickly.  So I'll take a day this week and see if I can get all the blocks done.  

2.  Kate's Choice: Start assembling rows



All the blocks are trimmed. Now to cut the sashing strips for the front and back.  I practiced getting an accurate quarter inch seam with my walking foot. Fingers crossed these blocks go together pretty easily.  

3. Old Town (Bonnie Hunter): Continue block assembly at late night sew.  

This has become my Tuesday evening project. I could take Kate's Choice, but since I'm sewing with others and we talk a lot, probably best I not take something I've never done before.  

4.  Wild and Goosey (Bonnie Hunter): Finish purple, start teal blocks.



I usually work on 2 of Wild and Goosey blocks as I sew on other projects, they are really my leaders these days.  I almost finished one of the in progress purple blocks. I should be starting a teal block tonight.  

I'm going to cut the list off there. My plan is to concentrate on Kate's Choice till it's finished.  

Linking up with the Quilt Schmilt for To Do Tuesday.  

Monday, August 4, 2025

Quilt as You Go Progress

It was a slow, stay around the house kind of weekend.  We went to church and that's about it.  Most of my weekend was spent in my sewing room.  My focus was to make some good progress on my "quilt as you go" project, Kate's Choice.  




Row 6 is all quilted.  The next step is to trim off the extra batting. 




Trimming started with row one and I got as far as row 3 before dinner. 



Here's all the trimmings from the first 3 rows.  I need to trim the last 3 and then cut the sashing strips for both the front and back. I know what I'm using for the front, I need to decide what will work for the back.  Kate's Choice probably won't be done by the end of the month, but I'm hoping to make good progress on it in August.  

Linking up with Design Wall Monday and Patchwork & Quilts.  

Sunday, August 3, 2025

Stitching Stuff: Week 31 of 2025




Hard to believe it's August.  July sped by. With all the time spent moving Grad Girl last month, this is my first full week of stitching time since mid June.  

  • 15 minute days/week = 7/7 days
  • 15 minute days/July = 21/31 days
  • 15 minute days/2025 = 194/214 days
  • Success rate = 90.65%
Even with all the missed days, I've still stitched over 90% for 2025. Which is my 4th best year out of the13 years I've been tracking stitching time. Even so it looks anemic when compared to the 100% I had last year. But I'm happy with the stitching time. Now I just need to work on getting a few things moved to finished.  

I didn't do any stash management this week.  I'm still on kitty duty for outside time in the mornings, my schedule just hasn't adjusted yet to fitting that in with the other typical morning stuff.  

How are  you doing at finding time to stitch?  

1. Gretchen
2. maggie f
3. Julie in GA
4. DonnaleeQ
5. Karen
6. Frédérique
7. Quilting Gail
8. Bonnie in Va
9. Jennifer in Indy
10. Andre at Quilting & Learning
11. Linda at Texas Quilt Gal
12. Marsha's Spot
13. Carol @ Quilt Schmilt

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