The New Year: A Simplified Approach

The internet is full of quilty-temptation that makes it sooo hard to focus on UFO's!
Try as I may,  **QAL resistance is often futile.
This year, however, I am on a strict diet. I aim to finish old projects and limit new ones. The Rainbow Scrap Challenge is my only 'exception' so far, it is a flexible challenge that allows me to create, guilt-free, and satisfies a bit of my sew-along craving.
Very soon, I will play with layout of the Kite Tails blocks I made for RSC2016.

I want need to hit my scraps a bit harder this year, yet avoid new projects. Tricky, but hopefully I can make a few smalls each month to tackle those bins, or perhaps I will just sew them all-together and 'make' fabric for each month, lol.
My 2017 RSC Blocks will be more Courthouse blocks. I only managed to finish eight last year, but I enjoyed making them and they're so cute!

This month, I have three new purple blocks to add to the collection:

Sooo, I have really limited my goals for 2017.
Here is what I would like to accomplish:

*Select one monthly goal as priority for each month. I am leaning toward setting the goal via Instagram, then sharing the finish each month here on the blog.

*Link regularly with RSC2017 and Oh Scrap.

*Cut my stash in half(!). I am considering IG as a platform for this!

*Finish, or otherwise "off" 50% of my UFO's.

*Avoid new projects, with few exceptions: Overdue family quilts(one wedding and two college), items made for profit or gifts, OR, any items I deem absolutely necessary, lol.

*Simplify. My 2017 word. my motto. my simple. ka-peesh.

 

**If you are looking for one place that links to A LOT of current and/or upcoming Quilt Alongs/ BOM, check out this wonderful linkup, hosted by Myra at Busy Hands Quilts!

November Progress: OMG, Oh Scrap, and Quilty365

I have completed my November goal, to finish machine-quilt Panel #12. It brought me through the election, the constitutional block near the bottom-right..
One of these is from the kitchen curtain fabric I used in 1985, lol...

Oh, those Eighties,
Here is my memory still stored on a shelf:

I am still really enjoying the fabric selection process, finding things to represent daily life events.
41 more dots are required to complete my 366 blocks, and I will use those as border blocks. I have about 20 half-assembled, so I am only a bit behind:)

I have stalled completely with the big-stitch quilting though, stuck on Panel #11, right here with RSC-inspired Roses.

The last circle I quilted was here under one of the debate nights,

I have been sewing in short intervals. A little of this, and a little of that. I try to do a couple lines of quilting on my I-Spy quilt each day,

 And I trim a few of these Quilty365 centers now and then:

I do really like having the Martelli cutter, it switches the pressure points being stressed. The clasp is awkward, but I am getting used to it. Also, it is harder to keep clean since the lint gathers under the protective plastic, then suddenly poops a greasy pile on my precious.
I keep a Q-Tip nearby to catch those before they release.

Really, I have to avoid cutting though, and that means I've set aside my Kite Tails blocks. I will make one more soon, but for now all 23 are piled in their box. I have been referring to the project as BYOT; Bring Your Own Toppings.

These are indoor cell-shots, but to give you an idea of the whole!

I snapped a photo of some really good books I have been spending time with lately:

The top book was a gift from my sister a couple years ago, I highly recommend it. It is so informative, and can tell you how to deal with any odd-looking veggie you may be tempted to bring home from market, or new-to-you fruit your neighbor leaves at your doorstep. It seems to cover everything. I recently roasted green chili's, and yellow ones too, for the freezer. Those have prompted me to pull my Sante Fe cookbook.

Last week I made potion lotion, prompted by those two books in the middle.

I didn't have enough almond oil and opted for some olive oil mixed in. The almond oil is less greasy, but olive is good for dry skin and I did not want to use my yummy coconut oil since I am almost out of granola. Next, I selected these three essential oils from their descriptions in the books:

It was all pretty easy to do. I followed directions in the 2nd book, on library loan, to heat the oil, melting the beeswax, then emulsify with water. I really like the lotion, so I thought I would share this!

Thank you for catching up with me today, I am looking forward to seeing what everyone is up to!

Cynthia, at Oh Scrap!

And, Scrap-Happpy Saturday!

Audrey, at QuiltyFolk

OMG: November Finishes

Summer Gathering: Finished in Green!

Finally, I have pictures to share of Summer Gathering!
It was an overcast, and muggy day.

I love love love the green binding!
Whew, the decision was tough. Thank you to those who weighed in on that :)
Honestly, the color is a bit more yellow and brighter than the sage looking tone in the photos! I like the utility-looking character it adds, and as a frame, it did not distract from the big bloom.

How she came to be:
I came home from a local fabric swap in Fall 2014 with an old kit made up of 100's of pre-cut squares and HST's. There was no pattern included, but I figured I could just start sewing and come up with something. The price was right, basically thrown in with another purchase, and I get a real thrill using fabrics others may not. I pieced the HST's over a two or three month period, mostly as leaders and enders, and had still not considered layout when those were completed. I began to play with basket forms first, then Bear Paws, then expanded the Paws all around as you see in the end result. Unusual for me, I named the quilt almost immediately upon finishing the layout.

Gathering fabric:
I first posted about Summer Gathering in May 2015, and pictured on my design wall during construction. I wanted the quilt to be over 60", and I was running out of the background variety of neutrals. I also wanted to add that last border around the perimeter, another 124 squares. The post was a call-out to help "save the fabrics", and I received wonderful response. Several quilter's shared exactly what I needed, from their stash! In this respect, Summer Gathering was put into action, quite literally, and quilty friendships ensued as well!

 Thinking of Kristen :)

Her future home:
I have such a hard time sometimes, matching quilts to recipients! Throughout the process, I thought frequently of my niece, Kristen. I am fairly certain this is not what she would actually choose for color/style. Something modern and bright would have been fun to gift her, however she is a traditional woman at heart and I could never shake the feeling that this is her quilt. It is a modern and bright quilt after all, made with traditional technique and vintage style! I hope she enjoys it!

Backside Stash-buster

Kind of Swoon-like

Quilt Stats:
Finished Size: 63" Square
Pattern: Original Design. This is my second finish in this pattern, however it is the first one that I started! I photographed Winter in Bloom in the same location, on a sunny day!
Fabric: Unknown origin: vintage calico's
Backing Fabric: vintage from stash, used wrong-side-out.
Binding Fabric: Moda Marbles from stash
Batting: Warm & Natural
Quilting Thread: Aurifil 2021, 50wt
Free-Motion Quilted on my Juki TL 98E
Pieced and Bound on Old Bernie, a 1020

I'll be linking this finish with a few of my favorite Finish Parties!

 

Kelly's linkup has been postponed while her home recovers from lightening(!)

  Sarah is dancing a Christmas jig at Confessions of a Fabric Addict!

 

TGIFF is hosted today at Celtic Thistle!

This quilt was my June goal for OMG, and today is the last day to link up our finishes!

Thank you so much for reading today! 

OMG: Goal-setting for July begins tomorrow!

Sew Scrappy Saturday: RSC Blocks and Crafted Applique Winner!

Stolen moments: Five minutes here, ten there, I am finding time to piece with green. I selected the most forest-like strips from my scrap bin and created two more Kite Tail blocks:

Ten blocks are finished now!

I'm also keeping up with the leftovers, they're pieced together in 12.5" lengths.

I intended that these might border the Kite Tails in some way, but now I am leaning toward a quilt all their own.

Next, I pulled from my vintage stash to use this little squirrel as the focus for this month's Courthouse Baby block:

Have you been inspired by the Crafted Applique Bloghop? 

Today, the Book Tour headed up to Canada, for a visit with Cindy, who blogs at Stitchin at Home! You will find the entire tour schedule at BuzznBumble, where Lara also has lots of party favors!


Thank you for all the wonderful comments left here, on my post for the tour! Congratulations to Louise, whose name was drawn at random from those comments, as the winner of the giveaway! Louise blogs at Quilt Odyssey, where she shares her quilty adventures afloat Vector, her home on the water! Pop on over and say Hello to Louise!

I am linking up today with Scrap Happy Saturday at So Scrappy!

I hope yours is a Sew-Happy weekend!

Hot Cocoa Scrap Challenge

Brown was more fun than I thought it would be!
Adding bits of pink makes it all so delicious looking..

 Did you see the little heart I threw in? It is February after all ;)

The method I am using for these blocks leaves quite a bit of extra, so I am making border strips as I go. Not sure yet how I will use them, perhaps a double-border?

I made my Courthouse Step Block too. The fever-fog has not completely departed from my brain though - somehow I pieced it all together before noticing my mistake! I would like to see how it looks with more blocks. I think I will want to keep the lights and darks separate, but I can fix it later if it bothers me...

I also completed my RSC Dahlia Dot for my Quilty365 project.

It's located under my Chinese New Year dot.
I hope the year of the Red Monkey is a good one!

With that, I have packed up my brown scraps while I work toward February Goals!

Have a Scrap-Happy Saturday, and a wonderful weekend everyone!!

BBD Kaleidoscope, Throwback Thursday

With thanks to Throwback Thursday, we get to share with the world our Before-Blogging-Day Quilts!

Today's quilt was made in 2003BBD!
I figure if you are a fan of BBD quilts, you probably admire BBD photographs as well.
Bear with me Dear Readers, these snapshots are shaky, shady, and, well, shi--y...

Today I thought I would share the quilt behind my avatar, a green kaleidoscope I finished and gifted to a dear friend before I moved away from Eastern Washington. Parting with Cindy made me sorrowful and this quilt helped me express my love for her. She chose the green and rustic colors for her Priest Lake cabin, in Idaho.

I cut strips of fabric and used a template to cut the patchwork. I think they are 8" blocks, but perhaps 10". I was current enough then to have a digital camera, & photos helped with layout decisions.

I'd just begun experimenting with free-motion quilting at this time, and only on small baby quilts. Most of my quilts prior to this were quilted straight-line, with a walking foot. I remember being quite nervous, but I just went for it, quilting large spirals.

Neither Kitty or I had gray hairs then...

Mister Cat passed away a couple years ago and we sure miss him.

I wish I had a better pic of the label! I was still hand stitching letters on muslin as my standard label. It reads, "Made by Heidi, with Love and Gratitude for Cindy"

Do you have any BBD quilts?

Visit Jenn @ Quarter Inch from the Edge to linkup!