13 Finishes in 2013 - September Goal

I'm doing OK with my 13 in 2013 goal, but I'm still behind. 


Here's the list I started with in January:

1.  Jelly Roll Quilt, finished March, 2013
2.  Fairy Tale Friends, finished March, 2013
3.  Teal/Red 3x6 Bee Blocks, finished 2 quilts, July, 2013
4.  Citrus quilt(s), finished 3 quilts, August, 2013
5.  Granny Squares Quilt, finished March, 2013
6.  String Blocks Quilt
7.  Bow Tie Quilt finished September, 2013
8.  Bento Blocks Quilt
9.  Breath of Avignon Quilt
10.  Anthropologie Duvet Cover, finished April, 2013
11.  GMFG - this one is about 2/3 completed
12.  Lark Pinwheel Quilt - I used most of the blocks for Weekender bags, so I'm counting this one as finished
13.  Basket Quilt

And I did go on a sandwiching spree this week and got three quilts sandwiched; the string block quilt and the bento block quilt are sandwiched...

And the bow tie quilt is DONE!

It shouldn't be too hard to finish both the string block and the bento quilts since the worst part of the job is done.

I've made wonderful progress on the Grandmother's Flower Garden - more than I ever expected - but I still have a couple of long rows to do to finish the top...  and I think I'll count that as a finish.  If I decide to hand quilt it, it may be another couple of  years before this one is done.

So, with three months left in 2013, I have 5 quilts left to finish.  Two of those are already sandwiched and ready to quilt, so they are well on their way.  I think I will be able to finish the GMFG top by the end of the year. That will just leave the Breath of Avignon and the Basket quilt to finish before the December. 

Who knows, I might actually make it! 

August Already!!? A 13 in 2013 Update

My friend Krista asked me yesterday how I was coming on my 2013 WIPs and I had to admit that I've kind of lost track.  (Love that girl for reminding me!)

Since it's August 1st, it seems like a good idea to figure out where I am if I want to achieve my goal of finishing 13 WIPs in 2013.  I had a look back at my New Year goal-setting post, and I am proud to say that I have made some progress.  I have finished 6 quilts goals so far in 2013, although it only counts for 5 goals, since one bunch of blocks made two quilts.

So, here are the finishes:

1.  Fairy Tale Friends - February, 2013

2.  Jelly Roll Race Quilt - March, 2013

3.  Granny Squares Quilt - April, 2013

4.  Anthropologie Knock-Off Duvet Cover - April, 2013

5(a).  3x6 Bee Blocks Quilt (#1) - June, 2013

5(b).  3x6 Bee Blocks Quilt #2 - June, 2013

And even though I'm not sure I will finish my GMFG quilt in 2013, I've made amazing progress on it so far.  It could happen.  Maybe...


So that's the scoop of quilts on the original list.  I've finished a few others this year too!

The Lark Swoon quilt for Amanda.

The Madrona Road Challenge Quilt.

Krista's Reverse Rainbow Chemo Quilt...

And too many other quilt tops, bags, pouches, fabric baskets, and swap items to count.

So it's time to set a goal for August, isn't it?  And I really need to finish at least 2 quilts this month to actually reach my goal this year, don't I?  What shall it be??

First, I think I'm going to work on the Citrus Quilt.  I've had so much help with this recently, it will be fun to get this one done.  I have a whole basket of blocks in there just waiting to become a quilt.  (And hopefully my photos of the finished quilt will be better than this one!)  This will be my August goal for A Lovely Year of Finishes.

And then, if I have the chance, I think I will try to finish the Fresh Cottons Basket Quilt. 

So there you have it.  August goal(s).  I hope August is full of lots of quality quilty time. 

Don't you?

13 in 2013 - May Goal

I'm doing pretty well on my quest to complete 13 WIPs in 2013.  So far, with four months of the year gone, I have finished four projects from "The List".

In addition, I am making good progress on the quilt that at the beginning of the year I really considered to be a BHAG.  To actually sew more than 80 blocks together, all by hand, seemed a really impossible task.  But with the help of a very good friend, who has made countless little yellow hexies and more flowers than I have, I think, I am getting very close.  But this one is still too far off to make my goal for the month of May.

 A couple of years ago (yes that long!), I received some blocks in the 3x6 bee in some of my favorite colors.

 I played along several more times and received even more blocks...  A total of 24 26 in fact.

So my goal for May is to actually make this baby into a quilt....  Or maybe two.  There's nothing sadder than blocks just sitting in the WIP pile.  And nothing more satisfying than to see those blocks in a finished quilt that can speak warmth and love and beauty...

Yup!  It will feel great to get this done!

Catching Up!

Hello again!  There's been a fair amount of activity around the prsd4tim2 studio, even though I haven't recorded anything here.  Now that Leona has received her mug rug, I can show it here.  Leona is a "fabric collector" and quilter extraordinaire, and she was my partner for the Rugs with Friends swap this time.  I decided to use some of my selvage stash in her mug rug.  The idea is a peek into the window of a fabric store, with all the bolts sitting on the shelf, just waiting to be purchased.  I thought it was a little "blah" in this version, so I added a little gold "chain" and a button peg above the sign, but sadly forgot to take a photo of the finished product, so you'll just have to imagine...

Then, I'm playing along in the Wish List Swap.  My partner wanted a fairly unique item, so I can't show it until she receives it, but I created this little table runner as the accessory.  The fabric is from the DS Quilts collection at JoAnn's.  I love making wonky stars - they're tons of fun as long as I remember to have the triangle cover the corners.  Sadly, since Priscilla's little mishap with the pin a few weeks ago, she doesn't like FMQ, so this is pretty simple straight line and echo quilting. 

I've got a good start on some pillows for my partner in the Modernista Swap.  Just have to put these together.  These were inspired by the Double Hexagon Tutorial on Kerri's blog and by the Jawbreaker pattern by Jaybird Quilts.  My partner wanted some colors I don't generally collect, but then I remembered I have the leftovers of a FQ bundle of Prince Charming by Tula Pink, which I think hope is perfect. 

And I've finally gotten around to working on my granny square quilt.  I started it last spring (May?) during the Granny Square QAL, but didn't finish enough blocks.  Then last October, I had the ladies in the Sew Fun Bee make some more blocks.  And there it sat.  And sat.  And sat.

But my friend Marcy has offered to let me play with her long arm to do the quilting, so I had to get the top made.  I'm really jazzed by getting to try a long arm! Anyway, here's the layout.  The top and back are now done (sorry, no photo yet) and just waiting to be quilted.   We're getting together next Wednesday, and I hope to remember to take lots of pictures.  Can't wait.

For relaxation, I've made a couple more flowers for my GMFG.  I think I need 4 or 5 more to finish.

Krista has been making me half flowers for the edges and I received a bunch just the other day.  I love the way they make it look so finished!  It's almost done!

Along with the half flowers, Krista sent me (look at all the cool Christmas stamps on the box!) a whole bunch of fabric she inherited from someone.  It will make wonderful quilt backs and other things.  It really was like Christmas when I opened the box.  So fun.

Anyway, I've been needing a new ironing board cover (and new ironing board too I thought).  Desperately.  The old store-bought one was stained and had holes where even the foam underneath was gone.  Can you see it?  Even though this cover is only a year old, it has apparently been abused.  Or maybe they just don't make them like they used to.

So I went to Walmart and brought home a new ironing board.  (Of course I had to clean the sewing room to make the exchange, so the process took - um, a few hours.)  Anyway, I got it set up, and realized that my 1970s ironing board is way sturdier than the new one I bought, and for the kind of use I give the thing, sturdier is better, even if it isn't totally flat any more.  So the new ironing board goes back to Walmart.

But I really did need a new cover.  So what to do?  Going back to Walmart was out of the question, as once a day year is really more often than I care to go, and the sewing room was clean, but everything was out of order so it needed to be finished sooner rather than later.

So I dug in the big box of fabric Krista sent and found fabric long enough to fit the ironing board.  I cut the old nasty one apart and laid it on top, cut around it, found a scrap of quilt batting and some bias tape (labeled TG&Y with a price tag of 96-cents!) and sewed up a new cover.  Honestly it was easy peasy.  And free!  Way better, don't you think?  I may never buy an ironing board cover again.

So that's what's been going on around here.  What have you been up to?

13 in 2013 - First Finish!

Note:  If you are looking for the Heather Ross Giveaway, go here!
 I just finished the first quilt on my list of 13 finishes in 2013, and I'm feeling pretty "chuffed" as my British friend says. 

This finished quilt top has been sitting in the WIP pile since last spring, so I'm glad to get it on its way.

I haven't had the opportunity to take much in the way of photos yet, because the weather hasn't exactly been conducive to outside photos - or it's been dark when I got home, but I hope to do that this weekend.

I also got my Jelly Roll Race quilt about 1/3 quilted, so it's feeling like I'm really making progress.  Hope to get the quilting done, at least, this weekend (along with a list a mile long!)

And I'm making progress on the Grandmother's Flower Garden.  I'm beginning to think I may actually finish this one!  So excited.  It's going faster than I ever dreamed it would.

All three of these quilts were on the 13 in 2013 list, so just maybe I'll get at least some of the list crossed off.

Doesn't that feel good?

Happy stitching!

Catching up...

(Let me start out by saying that you may want to read to the end of this post...  Just sayin'!)  

It's been quite awhile since I did a blog post, hasn't it?  Well, first I had a little mishap with my machine.  I hit a pin, which has happened a million times, but somehow this one went down into the bobbin case and created all kinds of havoc.  I've hit pins before, but never with such a devastating result.  In the process of becoming accordion pleated itself, said pin dislodged the bobbin case, nicked the shield to the bobbin case, and generally prevented the machine from stitching.  Hence, Penelope made a quick visit to the doctor.  Thankfully, the repairman was able to fix her and get her up and running for only the cost of a service call (despite the up to $250 estimate I received - whew!).  And truly, she's been used hard this year, so a service call was sorely needed anyway.

And the other reason I haven't posted lately is that I've become totally obsessed with my GMFG quilt top.  It seems to consume all my spare time.  For some reason, I seem to work on it compulsively.  My friend made me 100-or-so yellow hexies for the fences, and so I was able to get to this point...

And I couldn't rest until I made about 100 more...

And so it progresses.

And it's a perfect project to do when you can't do anything else...

So, while I was following all the commenting on Flickr about my Waterfall pillow, I got the feeling that I was on the wrong track for my partner.  (But on the right track for my son, apparently - this is the only one of  my projects he has faved on Flickr!)

So I made another, which I hope is more to my partner's taste.  I love that I was able to use up some binding I had left over from my Outfoxed quilt, and lots of other scraps.  I've been wanting to make a plus pillow.  It was really fun.  There may be more plus projects in my future!

So that's what's been going on around here.  What have you been up to?  I'd love to hear!  Leave a comment and tell me about your latest project.  There may be a little something in it for you.  (Hint!)

TTFN