To Do Tuesday for 03/16/2021

This week is normally spring break for us, but the Scientist in Training's college decided not to give the kids spring break this year  to avoid a spike in cases.  This wasn't a really popular decision, but an understandable one.  Last year the college told the kids to stay out for 2 weeks, then moved everything on line after that. Thursday will mark the year anniversary of when My Guy and I were told to start working from home.  It's been a very hard year for many. We've been blessed to keep our jobs through out.  Hopefully within a few months, a new normal that's really close to the old normal will be possible.  

In the spirit of making the best of things, it has been a good year in the sewing room.  To Do Tuesday hosted by ChrisKnits has kept me focused on moving a number of projects along.  It was another productive week. 

Weekly to Do List for 03/09/2021

• Grassy Creek: Add remaining borders ✔
• Morewood Mystery: Make more block B's ✔
• Unity: Make HSTs for clue 6 as leader and ender ✔

Three out of three is a good week.  I'm really ready to add something new to the list.  If I can hold off on starting something new for another couple of weeks, two projects will be really close to a finish. 

Weekly To Do List for 03/16/2021

Grassy Creek:  Make backing.

 The floral print had already been selected for the backing. The borders added just enough to the size that I'll need a bit of something else to get the backing big enough  The gold stripe has been in my stash for a long time. I really love the color, but every time I've pulled it for a project, it never seems to work out. So maybe it's just intended to be part of a quilt back.  I need to work out how these two will be stitched together into the backing before cutting anything.  

Morewood Mystery: Finish B blocks, start assembly

Morewood Mystery by Cheryl of Meadow Mist Designs

Just three more block B's to make.  Morewood will become the focus project once Grassy Creek is ready to send out for quilting. It shouldn't take too long it get it assembled.  I'm probably going to add borders, so I need to figure that out in the near future. 

Unity: Make Step 6 HSTs as leaders and enders

Unity, 2020 Bonnie Hunter Sew-In-Place Quilt Along

Just one block needed for the second step 7 border.  Slow progress, but that's better than no progress.  

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

So What's Next?

It's really squishy outside after our rainy weekend.  The river running through town is up, but not out.  So we should be able to get to work no problem.  I'm glad we didn't get all that moisture as snow, but I know lots of places did.  Hope everyone will be able to dig out today.  

I didn't spend as much of my weekend in the sewing room as usual.  The Scientist in Training was home and so there were other things to do.  Though we did hang out together for a bit while I was working on the borders for Grassy Creek and she was trying to finish her latest embroidery project.  She didn't get finished with her project, but I did get the borders on Grassy Creek after she headed back to school. 

Grassy Creek, the 2020 Bonnie Hunter Mystery Quilt

 It was dark and close to bed time when I finished that last stitch, so I wasn't able to get a photo of the whole project.  This corner shot shows the gray/yellow/gray finishing steps.  It will probably be the weekend before I have the time and the light to get a good shot of the whole quilt. I will make a start on getting the backing cut and stitched sometime this week.  

With Grassy Creek almost ready to go out for quilting, I can start thinking about what project to add to the active list.  The project that fits best with my focus on finishing projects is Cabins and Fans.  

Cabins and Fans, self designed

This project was my 2017 Rainbow Scrap Challenge project. All the blocks are done and I have the setting designed in EQ.  The quilt is destined to be one of two college graduation quilts I'm making for next year.  

The other more seductive option is to start something completely new.  

This is the other graduation quilt that needs to be finished by May 2022.  The pattern is from Flying Parrot Quilts (designs by Sylvia Shaefer). I hadn't really planned to pull any fabrics but once I got the pattern out to look at how much there was to do, I just couldn't resist playing around with what was in the stash.  I probably won't use all the scrappy bits I've pulled, but there is plenty to play with.  I've planned for four starts this year and this project is one of them. After working on Grassy Creek, Morewood Mystery and Unity for the last three months, I really want to play with something new.  

I want to get Grassy Creek sent out for quilting before I rotate in either project to the active list.  So it will probably be April before that happens.  Morewood Mystery will likely be a finished quilt top by the end of April, so no matter which one I rotate in now, the second will follow within a month or so.  

That's what's going on in my sewing room this week. You can find out the going on's from other sewing rooms by checking out the linky parties over at Monday Making and Design Wall Monday.  

Stitching Time: Week 11 of 2021

We've gone from cold and snowy to humid and wet. Extremely wet.  Yesterday we drove to Tulsa for some necessary shopping. The river was high, but not out of it's banks on the way out of town at about 10. By the time we got home at about 3, the river was not only out of it's banks, but one nearby field was completely flooded.  The flash flood warnings were no joke this weekend!  It's raining again this morning.  It may be an interesting drive into work tomorrow if this keeps up.  

On the stitching front it was another good week.  

• 15 minute days/week = 7/7 days
• 15 minute days/Mar = 13/13 days
• 15 minute days/2021 = 70/72 days
• Success rate = 97.22%

My goal for 2021 is a success rate of 85%. I've done well to exceed that so far this year.  With the restriction on travel at work, I've been home more this year. I'd had two business trips by this time last year.  This week is usually spring break and we normally go someplace, but the Scientist in Training's school canceled spring break this year. So no plans for any travel on our calendar any time soon.   

All three of us were lucky to get our first COVID vaccination this week.  Oklahoma opened up stage 3 last Monday, which included individuals with co-morbidities and college students.  That fit me and the SIT, My Guy was lucky to get one of the left over doses this week. So hopefully as more get vaccinated, we'll be able to do a bit of traveling later this year.  The SIT would like to visit a few potential graduate schools this summer. So I fully expect to miss a few days later this year.  But for now, the daily sanity stitching will continue. 

How did you do at fitting in some sanity saving stitching time this week?  

1. Julie in GA 2. maggie f 3. Chrisknits 4. karen

5. Sherrie 6. Shasta @ High Road 7. DawnyK 8. Quilting Gail

9. Dq at Dreamworthyquilts 10. DesertSky Quilting 11. amanda 12. Carol Andrews

Powered by... Mister Linky's Magical Widgets.

To Do Tuesday for 03/09/2021

This last week flashed by.  With the return of warmer temperatures it seems that now there is more to do, both at home and at work.  There was still good progress on the To Do List, but I was a tad over ambitious with plans for one project. 

Weekly To Do List for 03/02/2021

• Red White and Blue Stars: Finish binding, take photos ✔
• Grassy Creek: Add three borders, progress
• Morewood Mystery: Continue to make Block B ✔
• Unity: Make HSTS for clue 6 as leader and ender ✔

Check marks on three out of four, especially when one check mark is for a finished quilt, is really a good week.  I should remember that borders always take longer than you think they should.  But I'll take some progress over no progress.   

This week's list will look a lot like last week's list. 

Weekly To Do List for 03/09/2021

Grassy Creek:  Add borders

The first gray border was added and half the yellow border strips were sewn on last week.  The last two yellow strips are cut and one is pinned on to be sewn.  The final gray border strips are cut and being assembled at the machine.  Grassy Creek should be a finished quilt top by next week. 

Morewood Mystery: Make more block Bs

Just four B blocks left to construct.  It's been slow going as the focus has been on finishing two other projects.  

Unity: Continue to make HSTs for Clue 6

I'll sneak in a string of block pieces every now and again along with the HSTs as the leaders and enders.  Unity is another project that's progressing slowly.  At some point all this slow progress will pay off in a finished quilt top.  It's just going to take a few more weeks of leaders and enders sewing.  

That's my list for this week. You can find more weekly to do lists over at ChrisKnits weekly To Do Tuesday linky party.  Good luck with your to dos.  

The Oldest UFO

The weather this weekend was beautiful. Sunny with temperatures in the mid 60s.  It was just too pretty to stay inside and sew all weekend, so there were a couple of long walks on the schedule this weekend.  Still there was plenty of stitching time.  

Friday night I put the last stitches into the binding for the Red, White and Blue Stars, aka the Picnic Stars quilt.  

Picnic Stars was the oldest UFO on my list.  We were still living in Texas when I started these Lone Star blocks back in April of  2005. Like most of my quilt starts in those days, these were the result of a quilt class. I apparently finished one block before we moved back to Oklahoma and then the project sat till 2012.  This project shows up on the blog for the first time that year as my May/June UFO challenge project where I finally finished the second block.  By April of 2013 there were 7 blocks finished.  It disappears from the blog (and apparently my active project list) till August of 2017.  From there on, it shows up a few times a year. It made it to finished quilt top last year, but it was so close to Christmas that it didn't get sent out for quilting till January.  After dealing with mail delays on both ends, it's finally a finish. 

Red, White and Blue Stars (aka Picnic Stars), setting self designed

Picnic Stars is going to be one of my recliner quilts. So it's not going anywhere.  Trudy did a great job with the quilting. 

Each block as a starburst in the center.  It's a little more obvious from the back. 

I'm really happy with how this project came out. I love all the blocks. So why did it take 16 years to finish?  Life had other priorities. The Scientist in Training was 6 when I started this. There's been one move, several job changes at work, and other family obligations. I'm just going with the philosophy that older projects get done when they are supposed too.  

Linking up with Design Wall Monday and Monday Making to celebrate this finish.