Monday

Another UFO out of the laundry basket and completed!

This scrappy little cutie was pieced last spring,

 a Temecula Quilt Company sew-along.

I got it quilted and bound today, and it's off the UFO list!

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RSC20: March - teal

Ships at Sea

As my RSC effort for this week, a TEAL UFO has been completed!  This quilt was started during January, 2019.  I was working on Hope's Journey at the time, and this was one of the extra little projects included in the book.  Somehow mine grew from the suggested 12" mat into a twin-size quilt.  I guess I liked the fabric colors as well as the block, so I got carried away. (!!!)  I need to stitch down the scrappy binding during TV time this weekend.  It doesn't have a destination, so when the binding is done I'll add it to my 'spare quilts' shelf.

Enjoy more RSC TEAL projects at
SCRAPHAPPY SATURDAY

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Completion!

I pieced this string top last January, and never got back to finishing it.  I finally took the time last week to get it layered and quilted.  I'll be using it in the guest room when all our remodeling is complete and the house gets put back together. 

Between being sick and then spending a lot of time travelling, I accumulated quite a backlog of UFOs last year.  There are 8 or 9 *top, back, batting and binding* bundles languishing in the To-Finish  laundry basket, and at least a dozen other projects in varying stages of noncompletion piled up here and there.  This exceeds my comfort zone for UFOs, so I'm really trying to get caught up -- slowly but surely, one at a time.  I'm also rethinking several of my sew-along commitments.  Ideally, I'd like to be working on just a couple of things at a time, while they are current and still exciting to me.  The old and long-term projects get pretty stale.

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A Final Completion, and Looking Back

My last completion for 2019!  I started this project as a stash-buster in mid November, so it was actually done in relatively short time.  This quilt will be donated to
 Quilts Beyond Borders.

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In 2019 I made 32 quilts, 6 of which were small 'mat' size.  I have 16 UFOs waiting patiently for completion.  I donated 10 quilts to various charities this year. 

I welcomed a new grandchild, a girl this time!

I went through some medical drama, had two major surgeries, and spent a significant amount of time in the hospital.  I am much improved.

I lost 38 pounds while I was sick, but have regained 16.  Sigh.

I marked the passing of an old friend, reconnected with someone from my past, and made the acquaintance of two new neighbor families.

I travelled more than 10,000 miles by car, crossing the continent twice.  I visited three new states along the way, bringing my lifetime state total up to 44.

I improved my proficiency with hand applique, and my fluency with Spanish.

I crossed four items off of my Bucket List.
Still approximately a zillion to go.

I read 70 books.

I baked a lot of bread.

 I watched the birds and the stars.

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Holiday projects

This morning I was surprised to discover that the final step for Temecula Quilt Company's TINY TREE sew-along had been released.  I hadn't really been keeping track, so I didn't realize that it was coming to an end.  In any case, it was quick work to sew the blocks into rows and add side triangles to form the tree.

As I was rummaging through the holiday tub for a nice small piece to make the back, I came across a new contender for oldest fabric in my stash.  (!!!) 

I'll spend the next couple of evenings doing some simple hand quilting on it, and getting the binding turned back.  Another cute little holiday project done!

And I don't think I ever shared a photo of my completed DASHING THROUGH THE SNOW quilt, another Temecula Quilt Company sew-along which ran earlier this fall. 

Sheryl Johnson, the owner of Temecula, also announced that they will be offering a SCAVENGER HUNT sew-along beginning in January, so if you like the look of Temecula's projects, check that one out!

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Old Fashioned Christmas and Tiny Tree

I worked ahead a bit, and finished up my version of 

OLD FASHIONED CHRISTMAS.

This is a low-key sew-along being offered by Pam Buda at Heartspun Quilts. I added the borders --  the sample didn't have them.  Pam gives clear, careful instructions, and I'm pleased with my little mat.

I'm also doing the teeny little blocks for Temecula Quilt Company's TINY TREE sew-along.  They are very small and very simple, and only take about 10 minutes as I begin my morning.

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Mission accomplished!

As I planned, these two Rainbow Scrap Challenge quilts are now quilted, bound, packed and on their way to WRAP A SMILE!

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Sunshiney

I did some mixing and matching with those 'sunshine' lotto blocks I won the other week, and came up with this bright little comfort quilt.  Quick and easy assembly, and backed with a WOF piece, so quilting was fast also.  Ready to be donated to 

WRAP-A-SMILE  

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Blue crumbs

I'm on a roll here -- third binding finished this week!

This crumb quilt was started last year and has been worked on sporadically this year -- finally made it to the finish line.  It will be a donation quilt.

I must say, it feels good to get another one out of the basket and done!!  By my reckoning, I still have eight or nine tops in the to-be-finished line-up, and then probably at least another dozen UFOs in various stages of non-completion.

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Completions

As I had planned, I got the bindings turned on these two small projects over the weekend!

Almost Amish

Mystery sew-along at Humble Quilts

Brown logs -- for an autumn gift

Onward ...

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Foothills

Woohoo, a finish!!  It's been a looooong time since I got a quilt across the finish line -- since April, I believe.  My medical problems and our travel really impacted my productivity this year.

This autumn-y "Foothills" quilt was a sew-along offered by Mary Elizabeth Kinch, started nearly two years ago.  I don't have a destination for it in mind yet, but I'm just so delighted to have something done!

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Harvest Moon

Progress continues with Harvest Moon!

I got the borders pieced and sewn on this weekend.  I'm hopeful that I'll get this project done before the middle of October, so we can enjoy it this Halloween.

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Sunday

Another odd little mat has been curing in the to-be-finished basket.  The little red cross blocks are leftovers from a long-ago block swap.  Bound, washed, and waiting for a home.

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Stringalong

I haven't looked at this project for quite a while. 

 Here's where I left off:

And I made it all the way to 'assemble top' today!

My starting point was this quilt:

from this book:

but I enlarged my version 

and rearranged the order of the sections.
Mine is about 50" x 70".

My special helper:

Enjoy more strings at 

HUMBLE QUILTS STRINGALONG

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Calendar Circles

Several years worth of sporadic hand applique, hand piecing, hand quilting, hand assembly and hand finishing here!  Although it's not elaborate or fancy, this little quilt has personal significance, and I will be keeping it for myself.

Done!!

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Antebellum Album

My final completion of the month: 

ANTEBELLUM ALBUM.

I don't have a destination in mind for this quilt, but I'm glad to have it wrapped up.  I've been on a mission, and I did a good job of 'finishing up' this month, three UFOs done!  I have maybe eight more tops still waiting for their turn. 

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Wednesday

I finished quilting and binding another UFO!  This was a 'red' project from January's Rainbow Scrap Challenge, and will be a donation quilt.  I continue to tidy and clear out the winter mess in my workroom.

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Sunday

A small scrap mat that's been in the finishing pile forever

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RSC19: April - Aqua

An RSC April/aqua accomplishment: I got this aqua UFO quilted and bound this week as planned.

This project dates back to 2017, so it feels good to have it heading toward the finish line.  I just have to stitch the binding down to the back.  It will be a donation quilt.

This is probably the only aqua I will work on this month for RSC -- I'm only using primary colors for my 2019 block sets, so I'm off-duty this month for block piecing.  In any case my attention seems to be elsewhere.  Maybe it's spring fever.

See more AQUA activity at

SCRAPHAPPY SATURDAY

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Shoofly Sampler

I finished my little sampler mat, based on 

Temecula Quilt Company's

Shoofly Sampler Quiltalong

The project on this book cover was

 the inspiration for my quilt:

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