Best of Life In Pieces for 2022

Just a few more days left of 2022.  I'm ready for a new year, 2022 wasn't one of my better years on several fronts.  I'm hopeful that 2023 will be happier and more productive than this year has been.  Maybe this year more than past years,  it's important to look back at what did go well. Cheryl at Meadow Mist Designs is encouraging us to look at the Best of 2022.  

 

Here's my best of list for 2022 for Life in Pieces. 

1. Most Views (368): Still Mostly Here

I took an unannounced break from blogging from early June to late  September this year.  This post was written in response to the many emails in June/July asking how things were going on my end. Thank you to everyone who reached out.  It wasn't a good time for me and I'm not sure I would have have come back to blogging without your encouragement. 

2. Most Comments (22): First Finish of 2022   

Cabins and Fans (Fluorescence) was one of only two finishes for 2022.  The quilt started as my 2017 Rainbow Scrap Project and the setting is self designed.  It's one of my favorite finished quilts.  

3. Most Link Ups for 15 Minutes to Stitch (19 - Weeks 2, 6, 18)

All three weeks had 19 link ups, which is better than the max link ups in 2021 by one.  The average number of link ups for 2022 was 13, which is the same as 2021.  I really appreciate all bloggers who came back to link up after 4 months of hiatus. Thank you!  

4. Most Fun Finish: Finishing Potions

Potions (Reactive Intermediates) was made specifically for Grad Girl's undergraduate research advisor.  I will admit piecing those flasks gave me a few fits, but it was such a fun project to work on. The filling solutions were all pulled from my scrap bins. I had such a good time deciding on the colors and fabrics. 

5. My Favorite Family Photo Challenge Post: Week 34 - A Panorama

It's hard to pick a favorite set of photos from the challenge, but the panorama shots are some of my most favorite from this year.  It's been such a fun family activity because Grad Girl can still participate from college.  It's been interesting to see how we each interpret the prompt each week.  We still have 3 to 4 months of cards left in the deck.  My Guy got a new deck of photo cards for Christmas, so the challenge will continue once this deck is gone.  

That's my Best of Life in Pieces for 2022.  It was a year of real highs and lows for me, I'm hoping that 2023 is more of the highs and a lot less of the lows.  

PHD in 2022: April and May Progress

My work/life balance has been anything but balanced the last couple of months. Hopefully balance will be restored after yesterday.  I turned in the last review summary for the never ending project yesterday at 7 PM.  So hopefully that means I'll have more time for stitching in June.  I've been playing along with Quilting Gail's PHD program for 2022, but didn't have an opportunity to post in April. Here's where my projects stand as of the end of May. 

There was one finish and no starts during the last two months.  Not a bad showing considering just how little stitching I've done since March.  My goal for the year is just to make progress, I can look back and see that there was some for all my active projects. 

Unity (Bonnie Hunter 2020 Quilt Along) is now a finished quilt top

Unity was close to a finished quilt top at the end of March. It didn't take long to finish up adding the borders.  With all the pieces in this quilt, I had a couple of places that didn't lay flat, those have been fixed.  I'm hoping to get this project out for quilting by the end of June.  

Macaron Mystery (Meadow Mist Designs 2021 Mystery Quilt) is assembled.  

Most of the progress on Macaron has happened over the last couple of weeks.  Next step is to add the borders, which always takes longer than I think it should.  

There has also been a bit of progress on The Rhododendron Mystery (Bonnie Hunter 2021 mystery quilt along). 

The hour glass blocks for Rhododendron block B has been my leaders and enders project for the last couple of months. I've been assembling the A blocks as I work on Macaron.  Just 4 more A blocks and 4 more B blocks to finish.  The A blocks will go fast, the B blocks are a lot slower to make.  

Potions (Flying Parrot Quilts) was my second finish for 2022

It was sent out for quilting in March and was back here in April.  But my work project kept me from doing much towards getting it finished.  I pushed hard the Friday before the SIT's graduation to get it finished. The quilt has been gifted to her undergraduate research advisor and he really liked it.  I'm so thankful I was able to stay on track with the piecing part of it. Had I been behind, I'm not sure it would have gotten finished on time. 

That's the progress for April and May. Not as much as I would like, but there was progress in spite of the nutty work schedule.  No point in lamenting the loss of stitching time, things will get done when they get done.  

Linking up with Quilting Gail for the May PHD Progress Report.  

Finishing Potions

It was past time to get back to our normal weekend activities. We managed to have an uneventful and laid back weekend. I wasn't able to scale mount laundry, but we all have enough clean clothes to make it a week. More importantly, I actually got a solid afternoon of stitching in on Sunday.  It's been awhile since I was able to spend more than a few minutes in the sewing room. It definitely felt good to spend some quality time in the sewing room for a change. 

Last weekend was the Scientist in Training's graduation. So I did spend some time in my sewing room that Friday rushing to finish the hand stitching on Potions so the SIT could give it to her undergraduate advisor. The binding was finished just before 8 PM.

Reactive Intermediates (Potions): Pattern by Flying Parrot Quilts
Started December 28, 2021, Finished May 6, 2022

 

This isn't the best photo. We needed to get on the road early Saturday morning, so I had to go with artificial lighting to get any type of photo of the finished quilt.  

Trudy did a great job with the quilting as usual. 

The background is quilted with a simple meander. The various beakers, flasks and test tubes each have a unique quilting motif of swirls, bubbles or fumes.  I'm really happy with how the quilt turned out. More importantly, so is the SIT. 

The goal was to make the quilt look like a storage cabinet. That's why there is no dark blue border strip on the bottom.  I had to get creative with the binding to keep that look. 

The binding switches from dark blue to the light blue to maintain the look of cabinet legs at the bottom. I wasn't able to get the seam in the binding to match exactly with the seam in the border, but after ripping it out and trying several times, I decided that was as good as it was going to get.  I love the backing fabric. It would be hard to find anything more perfect to go with the front.  

The SIT and I had fun with the label. 

The final version of the label has a message from the SIT in the teal box. Had the never ending audit not happened, I would have finished this is project in April.  I've learned not to stress over being off by a month. In 20 years, one month will not matter at all.  

Reactive Intermediates is finish number 2 for the year. I'm off target by a bit, but hopefully I can get back on track before the end of the year.  

Linking up with Monday Making, Design Wall Monday and Patchwork & Quilts.  

To Do Tuesday For the Week of 5/1/22

The last couple of weeks have been pretty lean on stitching time.  So lean, there was no point in posting a To do List last week.  Thus my last list dates from the week of April 19th.  

Weekly To Do List for 4/19/22

• Potions: Make binding, attach to front of quilt, start hand stitching to back ✔

It took two weeks, but this item is checked off.  So I'm going to take that as a win considering just how crappy the last two weeks have been.  

Apparently, there are last minute additions to the project that required so much overtime the last few weeks. So I'm not done.  Unfortunately, this week includes an all day, off site meeting that I have to attend, plus stuff that I've put off to finish this project. It's not going to be a fun week on the work front and therefore not on the stitching front either since this is going to require more overtime.  So this week's list is going to be really short. 

Weekly To Do List for 5/3/2022

Potions: Finish hand stitching the binding.

I've turned one corner of the binding and am close to turning a second corner.  This needs to be done by the weekend. We'll see if I get that far.

That's my to do list for this next week. Linking up with Texas Quilt Gal for To Do Tuesday.    

To Do Tuesday for the Week of 4/19/22

Last week was pretty much a bust in terms of time spent in the sewing room. I knew going in to last week that there wouldn't be a lot of stitching time, so I kept the list short and simple.    

Weekly To Do List for 4/12/2022

• Potions: Make binding, attach to front of quilt - progress
• Macaron Mystery: Continue assembling rows ✔
• Rhododendron Mystery: Work on clue 5, hourglass blocks as leaders/enders ✔

Two check marks and progress on the third is a good week considering just how much overtime I worked.  

I've still got a more than full load at work this week. So I'm going to keep this week's list short and simple. 

Weekly To Do List for 4/19/2022

Potions:  Make binding, attach to front of group, start hand stitching to back. 

The quilt was trimmed last week.  The label is made and the binding strips are cut. This quilt really needs to be finished by the first week in May.  I'm still going to be working a lot this week, but hopefully I can eek out at least 15 minutes each evening so Potions is done on time.  

That's my list for this week.  If I make any progress at all, I'll be thrilled.  Linking up with the Texas Quilt Gal for To Do Tuesday.  

To Do Tuesday for the Week of 4/12/2022

Life has been busy. It's tax season, plus my special project at work has really picked up and I ended up working most of the weekend.  While that helped with the work to do list, the stitching to do list suffered. 

Weekly To Do List for 4/5/2022

• Unity: Find backing fabric, press, cut panels - progress
• Macaron Mystery: Start assembling blocks into rows ✔
• Rhododendron Mystery: Work on clue 5, hourglass blocks as leaders and enders ✔

Two out of three isn't a horrible week considering how busy it was and how little stitching time I had over the weekend.  Thankfully, the I have some wiggle room with the due date for my part of the special project I picked up, so fingers crossed I won't have to work the holiday as we have family plans.  But that means I won't have a lot of stitching time either way.  So we'll keep this week's list pretty short and simple.  

Weekly To Do List for 4/12/2022

Potions: Make binding, attach to front of quilt

Potions: Patten by Flying Parrots Quilts

Potions showed up last Friday.  It's hard to see all the quilting detail in this shot, but Trudy did a wonderful job with it.  I'm going to focus on getting the binding ready and stitched on so I can use this as handwork over the weekend when we are hanging out with family.  

Macaron Mystery: Continue row assembly

Macaron Mystery: Meadow Mist Designs 2021 Mystery Quilt Along

For some reason the blocks wouldn't stay up on the design wall, so I took most of them down.  The two corners are assembled and the first rows of sashing are finished.  I doubt much gets done, but I'm hoping to at least get the sashing sewn to the next row of blocks.  

Rhododendron Mystery: Work on clue 5, hourglass blocks as leaders and enders

Rhododendron Mystery: Bonnie Hunter 2021 Quilt Along

One block A and one block B have been added to the design wall this week.  I've got half of the A blocks done, and not quilt half of the B blocks finished.  Progress is the goal and that's happening, though a bit on the slow side.  

I did find a backing fabric for Unity in the stash, but that's all I managed. It still needs to be pressed and cut. I'm not adding it to this week's list as it likely wouldn't get done with all the other commitments this week.  

That's my list for this week.  Linking up with Linda of Texas Quilt Gal for To Do Tuesday.  Good luck with your to do list.  

April One Monthly Goal: Finish Potions

I was pretty sure what the plan was for my April One Monthly Goal. 

But I needed to be sure that Trudy was going to be able to finish the quilting. Potions is making the return trip and should be here Friday. 

Potions: Pattern by Flying Parrot Quilts

We've been vacillating between two names for this quilt. The first is "Reactive Intermediates" and the second is "Starting Materials". Both are common synthetic organic chemistry lingo.  We have decided on quilt label design. 

 

The SIT needs to provide me with her message for the recipient, then I can print the label.  

So to finish Potions, we need to decide on the name, make the label, make the binding and attach the binding to the quilt.  That should be doable by the end of the month.  

Linking up with Elm Street Quilts for the April One Monthly Goal.  

PHD in 2022: March Progress

The first quarter of 2022 is done.  That was fast, or at least it seemed that way.  I'm definitely ready for spring.  Mother Nature ended March with a pre-April Fool's Day prank. We had snow flurries yesterday!  I had to drag my winter coat out of the closet.  It really felt more like January than it did the day before April 1st.

Now that March is over, it's time to assess how much progress I've made towards my PHD in 2022. 

There's been no new finishes this month, so my PHD report looks the same as February. 

On the other side of the equation, no new starts either.  I've been doing a good job at focusing on just a few projects and moving them towards completion.  My goal for the year is progress and I've done well in March on that front.  

Unity (Bonnie Hunter 2020 Quilt Along) has been the leaders and enders project for over a year. It's finally graduated to be my focus project during the second half of March.

The green will be the final border for the project. One strip is attached, the second is pinned and ready to be stitched on.  If work doesn't get too crazy this month, I'm hoping to have it out for quilting by the end of the month.  So it's on track to be my third finish for the year.  

The Macaron Mystery (Meadow Mist designs 2021 mystery quilt along) has also seen good progress this month. 

Just one more block to stitch together, then I can start working on the setting triangles and sashing.  There should be good progress on this project in April, but I doubt it gets to the finished quilt top stage.  

The Rhododendron Mystery (Bonnie Hunter 2021 mystery quilt along) has been moving slowly, it's my new leaders and enders project. 

Those hour glass blocks do take a bit of effort to get enough to finish a block.  I did add one block B and have the components of a block A that just need to be stitched together to show as progress for March.  My goal is to get the quilt top finished before this year's mystery starts up.  That should be doable.  

Potions (Flying Parrot Quilts) went out for quilting at mid month.  

This project should be on it's way back sometime next week.  The plan is to get it labeled and bound by the end of the month.  That should be doable. 

If work doesn't get too crazy, I'm on track for a total of four finishes by mid-year.  But I'm moving into a completely new position sometime in May/June, so all bets are off on what things are going to look like after that. 

Linking up with Quilting Gail for the March PHD Report.   

March One Monthly Goal Accomplished

Hard to believe that there's just one more week left in March.  Normally, I'm scrambling to get my One Monthly Goal finished at this point. For a change I'm actually ready to link up with Elm Street Quilts for the March One Monthly Goal Finish Linky Party before the last day of the month.  

 

My goal for March was to get Potions sent out for quilting.  At the beginning of the month I had a finished quilt top, but still needed to piece the back. 

Backing fabric is Robert Kaufman, Science Fair 3 Beakers Bright

I love this backing fabric. The only drawback was that sewing two lengths together to get the width needed for the quilt meant matching the up the shelves at the seam.  That worked out better than I expected. Not perfect, but not too shabby.  

The next step required to move the project along is my least favorite. Removing the loose threads and giving the top a final press usually takes a solid afternoon of work. 

The blue background fabric frayed more than the other fabrics, but I've ended up with much larger piles of loose threads from other projects. Potions actually wasn't too bad, it helped that the Scientist in Training was around to keep me company during that step.  

The backing and quilt top were carefully folded up and packaged in zip lock bags. I found the right size batting in my stash. Then searched for the right size box. 

After packing, taping and labeling, the project was ready for the post office.  I was off work that week, so getting to the post office wasn't the scheduling problem it normally it is.  I heard from Trudy yesterday, she's almost finished with the quilting.  So I'm pretty sure I know what my April One Monthly Goal is going to be.  

To Do Tuesday for the Week of March 15, 2022

Thankfully the last week has been much calmer. My Guy is healing well. His neck still bothers him quite a bit, but the lacerations on his face have healed and the swelling has mostly gone down.  He's going back to work today.  I'm off this week (except for Thursday). The Scientist in Training is home this week for Spring Break. She's been my partner in the sewing room the last few days. We've both made a lot of progress on our projects the last couple of days.  My To Do List for last week is all checked off.  

To Do List for 3/8/2022

• Potions: Cut and piece backing, start clean up for quilting ✔
• Macaron Mystery: Continue making blocks ✔
• Rhododendron Mystery: Continue making blocks ✔
• Unity: Continue making flying geese as leaders and enders ✔

It was definitely a good week on the progress front.  I'm hoping to do as well with this week's To Do List.  

To Do List for 3/15/2022

Potions: Package and mail out for quilting

I'm ahead of schedule on this project.  The backing and quilt top were pressed and de-threaded over the weekend. Both are packed up, along with the batting.  I just need to write the deposit check, seal up the box, and take it to the post office.  The goal was to have this ready for quilting by the end of March, I beat that goal by almost 2 weeks.  

Unity: Finish last pieced border and attach to top, start next border

Unity: Bonnie Hunter Sew in Place Quilt Along, 2020

The final 2 star blocks needed for the last pieced border are over at the sewing machine ready to stitch up.  I'm planning to add a very narrow border of the background fabric and then a final border of the yellow or green. It just depends on how big a border I decide to add and how much fabric I have left of each.  Unity has moved up on my to do list as it's the now the closest project to being a finished quilt top.  Hopefully by the time Potions comes back from quilting, Unity will be ready to go out.  

Macaron Mystery: Continue making blocks

Macaron Mystery: Meadow Mist Designs 2021 mystery quilt along

The blocks go together pretty quickly as the components are all completed.  

Rhododendron Mystery: Make hourglass blocks as leaders/enders

Rhododendron Mystery: Bonnie Hunter 2021 mystery quilt along

Bonnie Hunter projects make good leaders and enders as they often have many small component parts. I'm hoping to have this project out for quilting by the time this year's mystery starts up in November.  

That's my plan for this week.  You can find other To Do Tuesday posts over at Linda's blog at Texas Quilt Gal. 

To Do Tuesday for Week of 3/8/2022

Last week was one of the least fun weeks I've had in a long time.  Two people in my group announced they are leaving due to spouse relocations. We are under a hiring freeze right now, so you can see where that's going.   If you read my Sunday post you know My Guy had a nasty bicycle accident Saturday morning. He's doing OK, but boy does he look beat up.  He was released from the hospital late Sunday afternoon, but we were back at the doctor's office yesterday since he developed a fever overnight. He will heal, but for the moment he is still sore and uncomfortable.  

I did make some progress on my To Do List from last week. 

• Potions: Finish borders, backing, start prepping quilt - progress
• Macaron Mystery: Work on blocks ✔
• Rhododendron Mystery: Work on blocks ✔
• Unity: Make flying geese as leader/enders ✔

Three out of four isn't bad for such a screwed up week. I'm hoping for a much calmer week this week.  My To Do list won't look much different, but hopefully I'll make more progress this week.  

Potions: Cut and piece backing, start clean-up for quilting

I did manage to wash and press the backing fabric. So once I figure out the cutting and piecing part, I'll be able to get moving on the backing.  

Macaron Mystery: Continue making blocks

Rhododendron Mystery: Continue make B blocks

Unity: Continue making flying geese as leaders and enders.  

I'm off most of next week, so I'm hoping to get in some good stitching time this weekend and most of next week. Linking up with Linda at Texas Quilt Gal for To Do Tuesday.   

March One Monthly Goal: Potions

March is moving along, so it's definitely time to decide on a One Monthly Goal for the month. 

My OMGs for January and February were to make progress on the Potions quilt.  Since it has to be finished before the first week in May it's been the priority project on my list.  

The quilt top is finished.

Potions, Pattern from Flying Parrot Quilts

Adding the dark blue border to the top and sides makes it look more like a shelving unit, at least I think it does.  

Next step is to work out how to piece the backing.

The horizontally pieced backing is probably easier since my backing fabric is actually a horizontal stripe. 

That way I don't have to worry about matching rows up.  I just need to confirm I have enough yardage for that lay out. I love the backing fabric for this project (it's from Robert Kaufman, Science Fair 3 Beakers Bright).  

So the goal for March is to finish the backing, prep both the back and the quilt top for quilting, then get it sent out for quilting.  I think that's doable. Linking up with Elm Street Quilts for the March One Monthly Goal linky party.     

To Do Tuesday for the Week of 03/01/2022

I'm glad to see the back end of February, but my hope for a smoother March has pretty much been dashed. Work is going to be interesting this month.  Hopefully I'll still be able to work in lots of sanity stitching time, I'm going to need it.  

It is Tuesday, so it's time to review last week's To Do List and make up a new one for this week. Thanks to Linda of Texas Quilt Gal who hosts To Do Tuesday for keeping us all motivated and working to check off those items on our lists.  I checked off my list for last week. 

To Do List for 2/22/2022

• Potions: Add sashing, assemble quilt ✔
• Cabins and Fans: Finishing binding ✔
• Macaron Mystery: Work on Jan and Feb clues ✔
• Rhododendron Mystery: Work on Blocks A and B ✔
• Unity: Make flying geese as leaders and enders ✔

It was a good week on the stitching front.  I still need to get photos of Cabins and Fans so I can post about that finish. Still it feels good to have the one finished and ready to go for May.  

This week's list will be pretty much the same as last week's list, minus Cabins and Fans.    

To Do List for 3/1/2022

Potions:  Finish borders, backing and start prep for quilting

This is the backing fabric for Potions. It's Science Fair 3 Beakers Bright Ideas from Kaufman. It would be hard to find a more fun backing fabric for this project. 

Macaron Mystery: Continue to work Jan and Feb Clues

Macaron Mystery: Pattern by Meadow Mist Designs

I've finished all the A blocks and have started assembling the B blocks. These go together pretty quickly, so this project should move ahead quickly once Potions is out for quilting. 

Rhododendron Mystery: Work on blocks

Rhododendron Mystery: Bonnie Hunter 2021 Mystery Quilt Along

It takes a bit to make enough of those hour glass pieces for a complete block B. These blocks are slowly coming together. I need to mock up this quilt and see if I want to do the setting triangle versions of the full block or if I'm going to wimp out and just go with simple white triangles.

Unity: Make flying geese as leaders and enders. 

Unity: Bonnie Hunter Stay at Home Quilt Along

Just three more star blocks needed to finish off the last pieced border.  I've got enough pieces to sew together a star block, so that just leaves 8 more flying geese to piece to finish the border. I'm probably going to need a new leaders and enders project before the end of the month.  

That's my list for this week.  Good luck with your to do list for this week.  Fingers crossed we all get a good taste of spring this week and no more winter weather!  

Brewed Potions

It's the last day of  February.  Time to report on my progress with my One Monthly Goal. I cut it close this month.    

The goal for this month was to finish all the Potion blocks, assemble the rows and add all the sashing.  I finished sewing both halves together yesterday afternoon. 

Potions: Quilt pattern from Flying Parrot Quilts 

I'm really happy with how this quilt top worked out.  It was fun to pick the fabrics for each container.  The Scientist in Training really likes it.  I did a quick mock up in EQ and we agreed that a narrow border of the dark blue added to the top and sides goes a long way to making the quilt look like a shelving unit.  So that's the next step. 

Linking up with Elm Street Quilts for the end of the month One Monthly Goal link up.  Also linking up with Monday Making,  Monday Design Wall and Patchwork and Quilts.    

To Do Tuesday for the Week of 2/22/2022

February has apparently become the whiplash month for weather.  The high yesterday was in the 70's, today we won't hit 40 F. Tomorrow we have a winter weather advisory the runs into Thursday.  I'm ready for spring already! 

Moving right along.  It's Tuesday, time to link up with Linda of Texas Quilt Gal for To Do Tuesday.  I checked off most of the items on last week's To Do List. 

To Do List for 2/15/2022

• Potions: Assemble rows ✔
• Cabins and Fans: Finish stitching down binding - progress
• Macaron Mystery: Work on January and February clues ✔
• Rhododendron Mystery: Work on blocks A and B ✔
• Unity: Make flying geese as leaders and enders ✔

Four check marks out of a possible five isn't a bad week at all. Assembling the rows for Potions took a lot of my stitching time, so there wasn't as much progress on the other projects this week.  That will probably be the case till Potions goes out for quilting.  

So what's on this week's list? Pretty much what was on last week's list. 

To Do List for 2/22/2022

Potions:  Add background sashing strips, assemble quilt top

Two of the background sashing strips have already been added.  Just 4 left to stitch on, then I can start sewing the quilt top together.  

Cabins and Fans: Finish stitching on the binding.

I worked so hard on Potions, that I didn't quite finish the binding. Just one more corner left to turn and this will be a finished quilt.  That should definitely happen this week.  

Macaron Mystery:  Continue working on Jan and Feb clues

I finished all the block A's this weekend.  Now I can start working on the block B's.  I'm really looking forward to seeing this quilt come together. I'm really happy with my fabric choices for this one. 

Rhododendron Mystery:  Work on blocks A and B

It takes a bit of stitching to make enough hourglass subunits to make a block B.  I'm focusing on those right now as they will take longer than the components for block A.  

Unity: Make flying geese as leaders and enders

  

One more block on the design wall since last week. It's been slow, but steady progress so far this year.  I'm looking forward to finishing this project.  

That's my list for the week.  Good luck with your to do list.