October PHD Report

October ended with a rainy day, very autumn like weather.  Something we didn't get much of till after mid-month.  It really seemed like we had an endless summer, so I find myself very surprised to be in November and realizing there are just 2 months left in the year.  

With the start of a new month, it's time to review what actually got done the previous month.  So it's time for the October PHD Report sponsored by Ms. P Designs.  My October report has a finish on it. 

My 4th finish, Squared Away (SoScrappy) was started in 2018 as part of the Rainbow Scrap Challenge sew along that year.  It took me forever to figure out what do do with the blocks.  I'm happy with how it came together. It's a gift for one of My Girl's college buddies.  

 In addition to the finish this month, progress was made on several other projects.  Celtic Solstice, the 2013 Bonnie Hunter mystery quilt, has moved from an incomplete set of blocks in August to quilt top just needing the final two borders.

Wild and Goosey (Bonnie Hunter) was started in 2019 as another Rainbow Scrap Challenge project.  I've been working on these blocks steadily for about 3 years now as my leaders project.  The teal blocks are all sashed.  That just leaves me to finish all the purple blocks and sash those. I may have to bump these blocks up to a priority project to get all the blocks finished by the end of the year.  

Glowing Hearts (Sandra Walker) is quilted. It just needs to be trimmed, a label made and bound.  This project will probably be my last finish for 2026. 

The 2026 Guild Block of the Month project is coming to an end.  The instructions for quilt assembly go to the guild in November.  I gave everyone the December block back in January as it was a lot of flying geese.  One of the flying geese borders was on by the end of October.  There's been more progress since then. 

All the September blocks are finally finished for the Marigold Mystery (Meadow Mist Designs).  Just in time for the November clue to come out. All the pieces for the October blocks were cut before the end of the month. I've finished some of the October blocks since, but I'll still be playing catch up in November. 

  

The progress graph shows a lot more color in the middle section, but there are also lots more bars that go all the way across the chart in the top section. 

I'm hoping to add a bit more color before the end of the year. At least one more finish and hopefully at least two more projects to finished quilt top.  This year has definitely been better than last year in terms of finished quilts. I'll take that.  

To Do List for the Week of 10/2/2026

Just a bit under 2 months left in 2026.  It's the time of year that if you haven't reached your goals, you have to decide what part of them can you actually make progress with.  The holidays will be busy with the seasonal stuff we do with and for our families.  I'm trying to keep an attitude of what gets done, gets done, what doesn't can wait till next year.  

That last week in October went way too fast, but I still did really well at working through what was on my to do list.  

To Do List for 10/27/2026

1. 2026 Guild BOM: Work on assembly ✔

2. Glowing Hearts: Finish quilting borders ✔

3. Marigold Mystery: Finish Sept, start Oct blocks ✔

4. Celtic Solstice: Continue making blocks for pieced border ✔

5. Wild and Goosey: Continue making purple blocks ✔

It's been a while since I've managed to check off everything on my list.  You have to go back to August for the last fully checked off list.  So it was definitely a good week. I'm hoping for another good week.  I'm close to finishing one quilt and getting two other projects to finished quilt tops. 

To Do List for 11/03/2026

1. 2026 Guild BOM: Finish borders

The pieced borders have been added to the top and bottom.  The narrow purple border has been added. All that's left is the dark blue border.  So this should become a finished quilt top before the end of the week.  Once this is ready for this month's guild meeting, the BOM for next year will be my priority.  

2. Glowing Hearts (Sandra Walker): Make label and binding

I've got a start on the label. It definitely needs more work, but it's getting there.  Hopefully I can get the quilt sandwich trimmed this week too.    

3. Marigold Mystery (Meadow Mist Designs): Finish Oct blocks

All the square in a square blocks are finished and I've gotten started on the uneven 9 patch blocks for October.  Hopefully I can get caught up this week, because the November clue comes out this Thursday.   

4. Celtic Solstice (Bonnie Hunter): Continue assembling pieced borders

 

I finished making the triangle in a square blocks last weekend, there were only 4 left when I sat down at the machine on Sunday.  The first pieced border is almost assembled. I'll focus more on this project once the guild BOM is a completed quilt top.  

5. Wild and Goosey (Bonnie Hunter):  Continue making purple blocks

Not sure how many are left to make, probably around 12.  The goal is to get the 3" purple blocks made this month and get them all sashed next month.  The project will probably have to move up in priority to make that happen.    

That's my list for this week.  Linking up with the Quilt Schmilt for To Do Tuesday.  

To Do List for the Week of 10/27/2026

This is the last to do list for October.  I'm not panicking, but feeling a bit uncomfortable that the end of the year seems to be spiraling in on us faster than I'm ready for.  It's time to start thinking about Christmas and I just don't want too.  Maybe it would help if it felt like fall. We still need to run the air conditioning in the afternoons it's so warm.  

The warmer weather hasn't kept me out of the sewing room, there was pretty good progress on the to do list.

To Do List for 10/20/2026

1. 2026 Guild BOM: Work on assembly ✔

2. Glowing Hearts: Continue quilting ✔

3. Celtic Solstice: Continue making blocks for pieced border ✔

4. Marigold Mystery: Finish Sept, start Oct blocks - progress

5. Wild and Goosey: Continue working on teal/purple blocks ✔

There was progress on each to do last week. Maybe not as much progress as I'd like, but each project is closer to the next milestone.  This week's list is pretty much the same as last week's.  

To Do List for 10/27/2026

1. 2026 Guild BOM: Work on assembly

The center, first pieced border and sashing the blocks went pretty fast.  Half the final white border has been sewn on.  But I still need to to sew the flying geese together for the final pieced border and then there is a purple and a blue border to add. I'm hoping to get most of that done this week.  We'll see how it goes.  

2. Glowing Hearts (Sandra Walker): Finish quilting border

The heart blocks are all quilted and so is the dark blue sashing.  It's just straight lines, but it seems to work with the quilting in the hearts. I think I'm going to do the same for the border.  If I keep it simple, the quilting will go faster.  I never intended to do so much on the heart blocks, but they look good, so it was worth it. With all the work I've put into this project, I've decided not to donate it.  I'll keep this one as a potential gift for someone.  

3. Marigold Mystery (Meadow Mist Designs): Finish Sept, start Oct blocks

Just one more Ohio Star block to finish and September will be done.  I still need to cut the fabric for the third October block. There hasn't been as much progress on these blocks as my focus has been on the projects closer to being finished and the BOM as it has a deadline.  

4. Celtic Solstice (Bonnie Hunter): Continue making blocks for pieced border

Only need to sew 12 more of the triangle in a square blocks and then it's border assembly time.  

5. Wild and Goosey (Bonnie Hunter): Continue making purple blocks

All the teal blocks are sashed.  All that's left is to finish the purple blocks.  I printed the last paper piecing templates needed to finish the blocks. It's less than 16 more than 12 that I've got left to make.  The goal is to have the purple blocks finished and sashed before the end of the year.  It's doable, but I'll probably have to bump the blocks up in priority to get there.  

October has been a pretty productive month, though some weeks it certainly doesn't seem like it.  Linking up with the Quilt Schmilt for To Do Tuesday.  

To Do List for the Week on 10/20/2026

We've been enjoying the cooler weather, but apparently the cool down tripped something in the atmosphere and I've been struggling with my allergies lately.  It's not horrible, but my energy levels haven't been what they normally are, lots of napping in the afternoon to cope. That really cut into my sewing time this week, so my to do list didn't get it's normal attention.  

To Do List for 10/13/2026

1. Squared Away: Finish binding ✔

2. Glowing Hearts: Continue quilting ✔

3. Celtic Solstice: Work on borders ✔

4. Marigold Mystery: Finish Sept, cut fabrics for Oct - progress

5. Guild BOM: Start assembly ✔

6. Wild and Goosey: Continue working on teal/purple blocks ✔

It really wasn't a bad week, there was progress on all of my items, just not as much as I'd planned. I did finish up Squared Away, so that was definitely a high point.  This week's list will be pretty much the same as last week's, just minus Squared Away. Fingers crossed I make better progress this week. 

To Do List for 10/20/2026

1. 2026 Guild BOM: Work on Assembly

I've made pretty good progress on getting the first set of borders on the large carpenter star block.  I'm hoping the rest of the assembly goes pretty fast.  At some point I need to get serious about writing instructions and making blocks for the 2027 BOM.  

2. Glowing Hearts (Sandra Walker): Continue quilting

The middle block in the last row is completely quilted and the block next to it is half quilted.  I'm hoping to finish it and the one on the other end this week, then I can start quilting in the sashing.  I have a plan for that. Still considering what to do in the borders.  

3. Celtic Solstice (Bonnie Hunter): Continue making blocks for pieced border

The cornerstones for the pieced borders are finished, but 24 triangle in a square blocks are still needed. I've dropped this project down in priority.  As much as I'd like to get is to the finished quilt stage, it needs to wait till I've got the 2026 BOM put together. It may not get there till next month.  I'm hoping it's a finished top before the next BH mystery comes out in November. 

4. Marigold Mystery (Meadow Mist Designs): Finish September, Start October blocks

Just one Ohio Star block was added last week. The square in a square blocks for the October clue are cut out, but the pieces for the other two blocks in this month's clue still need to be cut. I still have over 2 weeks to get caught up before the next clue comes out. 

5. Wild and Goosey (Bonnie Hunter): Continue working on teal/purple blocks

Just one teal block left to sash, but 18 purple blocks are still needed before I can start sashing those. It's definitely possible to finish all these blocks before the end of the year.  It would be nice to be ready for quilt assembly in January.  

Hopefully I'll be more energetic this week. To be fair, there has been steady progress on the projects on my list. It's all the projects that haven't made it to my list that bug me.  Linking up with the Quilt Schmilt for To Do Tuesday.   

To Do List for the Week of 10/13/2026

My mother's 84th birthday was this weekend.  We went to visit and take her out for dinner along with the rest of the family. So I missed one day of stitching this week.  There was still good progress on last week's to do list.  

To Do List for 10/6/2026

1. Squared Away: Make label and binding, trim quilt ✔

2. Glowing Hearts: Continue quilting ✔

3. Celtic Solstice: Finish quilt assembly, decide on borders ✔

4. Marigold Mystery: Finish Sept blocks, start Oct- progress

5. 2026 Guild BOM: Start assembly - progress

6. Wild and Goosey: Continue working on teal/purple blocks ✔

Definitely not a bad week considering I missed one of more productive days in terms of sewing room time.  Hopefully I can do as well this week.  

To Do List for 10/13/2026

1. Squared Away (Soscrappy): Finish binding.  

The binding and label got made.  The binding it sewn to the front, but I didn't get very far on stitching it to the back.  Only the part between that green clip near the top and that first blue clip on the bottom has been stitched.  Still lots to do on that this week.  

2. Glowing Hearts (Sandra Walker): Continue quilting

The top three rows of hearts are all quilted.  Just one more row of hearts, the sashing and the borders left.  I've decided what to quilt in the sashing strips and am working out an idea for the borders.  

3. Celtic Solstice (Bonnie Hunter): Work on borders

The blocks for the pieced border are coming along, slowly. I'm still hoping to have Celtic Solstice to the finished quilt top stage by the end of the month. 

4. Marigold Mystery (Meadow Mist Designs): Finish Sept, cut fabrics for October blocks

One of the five Ohio Star blocks has been finished.  A second one is partially assembled.  I should be able to finish the September blocks this week and get going on the October blocks too.  

5. 2026 Guild BOM: Start Assembly

I didn't make a lot of progress on this project, but I did make some progress on the border strips for the Carpenter Star block.  Still lots to do on this project.  

6. Wild and Goosey (Bonnie Hunter): Continue working on teal/purple blocks

Sashing the teal blocks should be done this week.  Just two teal blocks left to complete. Then it will be all purple till those get finished.  

There is lots I'd like to get done before the end of the month. Realistically, it's not all going to get done. I'll try to be happy with whatever progress I can manage this week. 

Linking up with the Quilt Schmilt for To Do Tuesday.   

2026 Quilt Making Strategies: Fourth Quarter Plan

Just one quarter left in 2026 to complete what ever plans one had for getting quilty things done this year.  When the year starts in January, it's so easy to think you've got the whole year ahead, so much time to get projects moved along and finished.  By October, it's where did the year go and why don't I have more done?  The last two months of the year have big holidays in them, so it's hard to make up time for what you didn't get done earlier in the year.  Considering all that, how do I put together a strategy for this quarter?

1. 2026 and 2027 Guild BOMs

All the blocks are made for the 2026 Guild BOM. This needs to be a finished quilt top before the November Guild Meeting, so this project will move up in priority this quarter.  I've finalized the layout for the 2027 Guild BOM and have my fabrics selected.  The yardage handout for 2027 has to be ready by the November meeting and the first block needs to be ready for the December meeting.  So lots to do on this front.  Definitely my #1 priorities for October and November.  

2. Wild and Goosey

All the teal blocks are sashed. That just leaves piecing and sashing the purple blocks.  There has been good progress this year on getting the blocks made and sashed. I should come close to finishing up the purple blocks before the end of the year.  I may have to spend some dedicated time to them so the quilt is ready to assemble in 2027.  

3. UFOs to move to quilt tops

Progress on Celtic Solstice started in third quarter.  It should be a finished quilt top before the end of October.  Marigold Mystery was a new planned project from last quarter. The clues run into next year, so that project won't be complete at the end of the year. The goal is to keep up with monthly clues this year.  The Simply Sensational Summer Scrap quilt hasn't seen any progress this year. It should see some progress this quarter. If I can get that far, the year will end with at least some progress on all the UFOs that were on my list for this year.  

4. Walking foot quilting

It's pretty much the same projects for 4th quarter as it was for 3rd quarter.  Glowing Hearts is more than halfway quilted. It should be finished this quarter. I'm hoping to make a start on Betty before the end of the year.  At this point all I'm hoping for is progress. I don't quilt very fast, so I'm going to need to scale back my walking foot quilting list for next year.  It's OK, I got more finishes this year than last, so I'm happy with the progress this year.  

5. Externally Quilted

At the beginning of the year, Lupine and Laughter was on the to be quilting via the walking foot list.  But one of My Girl's friends selected this as her graduation quilt, so it's going out for quilting now. I have the backing fabric.  I'm hoping it goes out for quilting before the end of the year, but with the Christmas rush to get quilts done by long armers, I doubt it will come back before next year. That's Ok, just getting it ready to go is good progress and will get 2027 off to a good start.  

6. Planned New Projects

The last planned new project for 2026 is the Bonnie Hunter Mystery.  She normally posts the fabric requirements in late October.  Is one clue a week from Black Friday on. I never keep up with the clues and I doubt this year will be any different.  It's a fun challenge, so I'll play along again this year.  

The guild BOMs will be the highest priority this quarter.  I'm starting all over on a new set of blocks.  And those projects have deadlines. So those will get done if nothing else does this quarter.  

Third Quarter Progress on the Quilting Strategy

Since September felt like August, it's surprising to realize it's October.  Third quarter is over and we've started fourth quarter.  Just three months left in the year!  I'm always amazed at how fast the last half of the year goes. It's definitely time to take a look at what my strategic plan for the sewing room was for 2026 and see how I'm doing on the execution part.  

1. Guild BOM 2026

All the blocks are finished and all the sashing/border strips are cut, now it's just assembly time. 

2. Wild and Goosey: 

Continued to use two blocks as my leaders for the quarter, plus I've been sashing blocks as I finish a color. I've got quite a pile of blocks finished at this point. Just the purple blocks to finish now. 

3. UFOs to move to finished quilt tops

Three projects progressed this quarter. Lupine and Laughter, plus Good Fortune are quilt tops.  All the quilt blocks for Celtic Solstice were finished before the end of the quarter.  There wasn't any progress on the Simply Sensational Summer Scarp Quilt.  Both Good Fortune and Celtic Solstice needed a lot of blocks constructed. I'm not unhappy with the progress on these UFOs that needed borders or blocks finished.   

4. Quilts to Quilted with my Walking Foot

There was good progress on quilting Glowing Hearts, but it's only about half finished. So there was no progress on Betty during the quarter. I am getting a better feel on how much quilting I can actually get done in a quarter. That will help me set my strategy for 4th quarter and next year.  

5. Quilts to send Out for Quilting

Squared Away is back from the quilter, but it's not trimmed or bound yet.  At least it's quilted. Magnificent Mystery didn't see any progress.  My Girl has now given me the complete list of quilts to be given to the grad school friends for graduation and an expected graduation date for each. That will set the order for for which quilts go out next.   

6. Planned New Starts

The Meadow Mist Designs 2026 mystery, Marigold, kicked off back in July.  The block clues started in August. This is my 12th Meadow Mist mystery, it's one of the few new projects I've allowed myself over the last few years.   

Looking at the progress for third quarter, I've been pretty successful at moving UFOs from sets of blocks to finished quilt tops. Less successful on moving projects to being quilted. Things to consider when I decide what's the plan for 4th quarter and next year. Even though my strategy for 3rd quarter wasn't fully implemented, there was still really good progress.  I've done better this year than last, so I'm feeling pretty positive about how 2026 has gone in the sewing room. Now to figure out what's the strategy for 4th quarter.  

To Do List for the Week of 10/6/2026

Not quite a full week into October and it feels like the month is rushing by.  Probably because we've got stuff on the calendar for this month. Not fun stuff, necessary stuff. 

I took a lazy approach to last week, but I still didn't do too badly with my to do list. 

To Do List for 9/29/2026

1. Squared Away: Make binding, sew to front - no progress

2. Glowing Hearts: Continue walking foot quilting ✔

3. Celtic Solstice: Continue quilt top assembly ✔

4. Marigold Mystery: Finish September blocks - progress

5. 2026 Guild BOM: Start quilt assembly - no progress

6. Wild and Goosey: Continue teal/purple blocks  ✔

Not a bad week considering how unmotivated I was on the sewing front after my trip to see My Girl.  I probably jumped the gun by putting both Squared Away and the 2026 Guild BOM on the to do list for last week.  They will show up on this week's list because both need to get moved along. 

To Do List for 1/6/2026

1. Squared Away (Soscrappy): Make binding, make label, trim 

Putting this project on last week's list was probably jumping the gun.  This project is a gift for one of My Girl's college buddies, so I need her input on the quilt name and a message for the label.  She's been busy so hadn't really put much thought into it.  We now have a name, so I can start on the label. Hopefully this will be ready for binding next week.  

2. Glowing Hearts (Sandra Walker): Continue quilting

I'm half way finished quilting the top row of the quilt.  I should finish that row this week and maybe get started on the last row next week.  I'm getting to the point I need to figure out how I'm quilting the sashing and the borders.  

3. Celtic Solstice (Bonnie Hunter): Finish quilt top assembly, decide on borders

All the row are sewn together.  Just two long seams and the center of the top will be assembled.  I need to finalize what the borders are going to look like and get the fabrics cut for those.  

4. Marigold Mystery (Meadow Mist Designs): Finish September blocks, start October blocks

The chain blocks from last month's clue are finished and the Ohio Star blocks have been started.  Hopefully I'll at least get the fabrics cut for the October blocks this week. 

5. 2026 Guild BOM: Start assembly

This has been on the list for the last two weeks with no progress.  Once all the rows are sewn together for Celtic Solstice, I'll get started on getting this top assembled. It needs to be done by the guild meeting in November, so I best get started.  

6. Wild and Goosey (Bonnie Hunter): Continue working on teal/purple blocks

Just a couple more teal blocks to sash and then I can concentrate on finishing up the purple 3.5" blocks.  When the paper pieces run out, it will be necessary to see how many more are needed so I can do one last printer run.  It's strange to know just one more batch of papers need to be printed to finish these blocks. 

I'll need to be motivated this week to get to everything. Linking up with the Quilt Schmilt for To Do Tuesday. 

September PHD Report

September felt like summer rather than fall this year.  It also went really fast. I'm not ready for it to be October.  We'll blink and it will be New Year's at this point.  I'm never ready for how fast the end of the year goes. 

Now that the month is over it's time to take stock and make a report on my progress for the September PHD Report sponsored by Ms. P Designs.  My September PHD report looks exactly like August's report. 

Another month with no finishes. But I made really good progress on several projects in September.  

The Butterfly embroidery project saw some progress since I was on the road the last week of the month.  I'm slowly making progress on the 9th butterfly.  Since we'll be seeing family for Thanksgiving and Christmas, this project will probably see more progress before the end of the year.  

My last Bonnie Hunter mystery project that's not been moved to finished quilt top is Celtic Solstice.  I pulled that project box at the beginning of the month.  All the blocks are made and two row of the quilt are sew together.  Just 5 more rows left to stitch.  

Squared Away (Soscrappy) came back from the long arm quilter the last day of the month. The quilt needs to be trimmed. I'm working on the label with My Girl since the quilt will be a gift for one of her college buddies. This should be finished this month. 

All the teal 3.5" blocks for Wild and Goosey (Bonnie Hunter) were finished very early in the month.  Those blocks are being sashed to make the 7.5" blocks for the quilt.  I've been working on making more purple 3.5" blocks. About 2/3 of the blocks are finished.  There are twenty something left to make.  I put all the blocks (except the ones under construction) up on the design wall.  There's been lots of progress this year, lots fewer blank spaces.  I'm excited to be getting so close to the assembly stage.  

The quilting of Glowing Hearts (Sandra Walker) has been moving along slowly.  The blocks in two of the rows have been quilted and one block in the third row has been started.  Fingers crossed this will be my second finish for October. 

All the big blocks for the 2027 Guild BOM are made.  I've finished the blocks needed for the pieced sashing, those will be November's blocks.  I have all the sashing and border strips cut, but haven't started assembly yet.  That needs to get bumped up on the priority list because the quilt top needs to be ready for the November guild meeting.  Here's what's been shown to the guild so far. 

I've fallen behind on this year's Meadow Mist Design Mystery, Marigold.  All the pieces are cut for the September blocks, but only two of them got made.  So I'll be playing catch up this month.  The October clue is already out. 

September was another productive month. No finishes, but several projects hit milestones.  There is definitely a lot more color in my chart then there was at the first of the year. 

With two quilts closed to finished, I'm hoping to see a bit more color in that top block of my chart for next month.  It's been a pretty good year.  Hopefully I can keep up the steady progress this month. 

To Do List for the Week of 9/29/2026

The drive from Houston to home Monday was just over 11 hours. Needless to say I was pretty wiped out yesterday. I slept late yesterday, got up just in time to go work out at the gym and make a run to Walmart.  After lunch, it was nap time.  I just never worked up the energy to dig my computer out of the bag and get it set up.  So I'm a day late with my to do list. 

Last week I was sewing from the road, without my normal set up.  It was still a pretty good week on the progress front.  

To Do List for 9/22/2026

1.  Celtic Solstice: Continue making blocks ✔ 

2.  Marigold Mystery: Work on September blocks ✔

3.  2026 Guild BOM: Start quilt assembly - no progress

4.  Wild and Goosey: Work on teal/purple blocks ✔

5.  Butterfly Medallion embroidery: Continue to stitch ✔

Check marks on 4 out of 5 is not a bad week.  I ended up not working on the Guild BOM because I just really didn't have the room and there were plenty of other projects to work on.  I made pretty good progress on the projects I took with me.  I'm looking forward to spending some time in my sewing room. Here's my list for this week. 

To Do List for 9/30/2026

1.  Squared Away (SoScrappy): Make binding, sew to front

I picked up Squared Away from the long arm quilter yesterday. I haven't had a chance to get it out of the bag and unfold it, but from what I can see it looks good.  So I'll definitely have another finish for next month.  

2. Glowing Hearts (Sandra Walker): Continue quilting

No progress on this last week since I wasn't home.  I'm hoping to finish another row, or at least close to another row, this week.  Fingers crossed I'll actually have two finishes in October.  

3. Celtic Solstice (Bonnie Hunter):  Assembly quilt top

All the blocks have been made. Now it's time to start assembling the quilt top.  I also need to decide how to use the left over border blocks. I'll probably use them in my border, I just need to see how many I have and what's the best way to use them.  

4. Marigold Mystery (Meadow Mist Designs): Finish September blocks

 

The first September block is almost finished. There are 3 more chain blocks left to make, plus 5 of the star blocks. I'll need to get busy on those as the next clue comes out tomorrow.  

5. 2026 Guild BOM: Start quilt assembly

All the strips for the sashing and borders are cut, I just need to start sewing things together.  

6. Wild and Goosey (Bonnie Hunter): Continue working on teal/purple blocks

There are 42 of the 3.5" purple blocks finished. The quilt layout needs a total of 64, so 22 blocks left to make.  Progress is slow but steady.  I'm hoping that all the blocks are made before the end of the year.  I may have to bump this up in priority to make that happen.  

That's my list for this week. It's a bit more ambitious then usual, hopefully I can make good progress on all the projects this week. Linking up with the Quilt Schmilt for To Do Tuesday.