I'm a Loser ... What else can I say?

Man, I'm a loser ... what else can I say? Plenty! It's been since the middle of September that I posted last. It's not like I've been loafing around or anything. Just haven't blogged in a while. So let's catch up starting with the APQ 2017 UFO Challenge.

September's UFO was #7 -- Blueberry Buckle. For the life of me, I can't remember what this one looks like so I couldn't even look for it. It was a Mystery Quilt-a-Long from Rosemary's Quilt Shop but I never found it that month. September was a bust.

My October 2017 UFO Challenge #3 was Life of Plenty. I really, really, REALLY want to hand quilt this one but I don't know where it is. What I do know is that it is finished and just needs to be layered and quilted. But first, I must find it. This one will definitely be on my list for 2018.

Of course I had to see what November project is up for the UFO Challenge ... #9, Kitties for Sarah. This is another one that I really, really, REALLY have been wanting to finish up. I believe I only have the quilting left to do. And another plus -- I think I even know where this one is! When I find it (this weekend, I hope), I'll be sure to take a picture to post. Who knows? I may even get it layered up!!!

That takes care of my UFO Challenges, next up are my Irene Blanck projects. I'm happy to say that I believe my Clam Shells top is complete. I was planning on a narrow border of the dark brown and following it up with a light-ish wider border for a little applique but it feels done to me right now. I might change my mind, trim down the brown, and have at it later. It needs to percolate, I think.

As for the Mosaics project, I am just about finished with all the applique in the center. Whew! That was a lot and did I mention a bit bulky? This center is like 50" square and difficult to work with while turning curves and such. Many times I wished my hands were larger to hold all that wadded up fabric! Anyway, I'm liking this project and already have numerous hexie circles ready for a border unit.

Note the flowers in the middle unit on the right are not 100% done yet. Working on them as well as the mirror-image on the left. Yay! Progress!

I've been working on a couple of quilt-a-longs with a blogger that goes by From My Carolina Home. While following along with Scrap Dance Two-Step, I tried very hard to keep up followed by catch up. I just need to finish up now. I was all in to sewing the queen-sized version and have it quilted with a pantograph pattern so it could grace my guest room bed. While visiting my son & daughter-in-law this past August, Amanda asked me to make a quilt for their bed. I immediately thought of this quilt because it's done in fall colors and my son LOVES Fall! I need to get going so it can be quilted in time for Christmas .... maybe?

From My Carolina Home also had a quilt-a-long titled Autumn Jubilee 2017 and I decided a throw size would be perfect for me! I don't have a fall quilt for my couch and again I thought I'd sew this up in no time! I sure do dream big. In the meantime we took a vacation so once again I'm playing catch up. So glad I already had my 120 HSTs sewn up from a weekend retreat. Just trying to find time to sew up the blocks.

Well, poop! Just noticed in this picture that the star on the left is WRONG!  Thankfully I noticed it now rather than when the whole quilt was pieced! Correction to be made soon! Haha!

As for knitting, I'm trying to complete my Senior Year 1st Semester through Loopy Academy. We were to knit three projects using 250 yds or more of yarn: 1. Entrelac Pattern; 2. Asymmetric Pattern; and 3. Reading Pattern from a Chart. I picked out three sock patterns to fulfill these requirements. Here are my Entrelac Socks:

The sock on the left has been blocked while the one on the right has not. What a difference! You can find the pattern details HERE! Once the 2nd sock is blocked I'll be able to submit this pair for credit.

I'm currently working on Wasabi Socks to fulfill the asymmetric project. I've had this pattern dog-earred in an Interweave Knits Magazine for a long time. It's in the Spring 2010 Issue ... a long time ago! I'm working the instep now on the first sock and then I'll finish the foot and on to sock #2.

So obviously I'm not the slacker you may have thought I was ... just slacking on my blog!

Have a fantastic day!

Hello, August!

There are no complaints here from me so far with August. Typically one of our hottest months, this year has brought cool temps. I actually turned off the A/C for a day because the high was only 77 degrees! But enough about the weather. It is August which means all sorts of things have kicked off.

First up is the APQ 2017 UFO Challenge. The selected number was 5, which is my flag quilt. I made this quilt through guild with a teacher they had brought in from Tennessee or West Virginia maybe? Can't quite remember since it was back in 2014. Anyway, her name is Sandi Blackwell and her technique was called Square-agonals. It was quite cool the way we sewed up rail fence squares, then cut this way, relaid out the top, and cut and sewed again to made a beautiful rectangular quilt. Here's a picture of my finished quilt top.

Some of my fellow guild members were unsatisfied with the end result because you will notice that the outside edges get cut off. Doesn't bother me but then again, I'm pretty easy to please!

August 1st also brought the start-up of a couple of knit-a-longs for me. I joined them through two different Ravelry groups. The first group is Loopy Groupies from The Loopy Ewe, a yarn shop that started here in St. Louis but several years ago moved to Ft. Collins CO. The KAL is Summer Camp and I've been assigned to the Loopasaurus Camp. The requirements are strict: Must have bought your yarn from The Loopy Ewe no earlier than July 12th; pattern needs to be dated 2015 or later AND use 800+ yards; and you start the project no sooner than August 1 and it must be completed, photographed, and uploaded to the site by August 31. I chose Colorful Wedges Baby Blanket. I figure my Grandma Hope Chest can't get too full! Hahaha! Anyway, I cast on on Aug 1 and here's my progress so far.

Wedges 1 & 2 complete and the third one is coming right along. The bottom wedge is actually a bit redder than the picture portrays. The yarn balls above in green, orange, & purple are the three wedges after the blue. There is always the gray in between. This is such a fun project and I'm loving it!

The 2nd knit-a-long is a Mystery KAL through Very Busy Monkey, a designer that I found on Ravelry. We are all knitting her Anthology pattern. She has a shawl and a sock one and I could choose one or the other or both. I opted on the socks since it was unusual that I didn't have a pair of socks on my needles at the time. I ALWAYS have a pair of socks going! Anyway, not a lot of progress so far.

You can just make out the pattern beginning to develop after the ribbed cuff. See it? only four rows in of the pattern. Need to get going on this!

The clues to this MKAL come out on Tuesdays in August (1st, 8th, 15th, and 22nd). We have until September to complete our chosen project and get it photographed and uploaded to her site. I believe prizes may be involved! Speaking of prizes, I was hoping my beautiful stitch markers would arrive in the mail today. Really wanted to replace that generic green one with a fun one! Oh well, next week I suppose ...

Speaking of next week, have a terrific weekend! I'm going to cozy up with stitching or knitting. Not sure yet which one, but you can be sure I'll be working on something! So until next time ....

Plenty of Quilting Opportunities!!

My activity during June is not one that pleases me. I feel like I didn't get that much accomplished. Part of it was due to the fact that my mother came home on the 19th. She arrived with my brother and two of his kids. I was busy cleaning before their arrival, cooking while they were here, and hanging with them when I could. I was also getting ready to leave with all of them on June 24, heading for my sister's house in Denver, CO. My beautiful niece once again had a softball tournament out there June 26 - July 2. That's her on the right hanging out of the dugout to watch the game. Isn't her smile gorgeous?

Our other mission in Denver was to drop my brother's oldest (his son) off at the United States Air Force Academy in Colorado Springs. He was to report there on June 29 at 8:50 am. My brother was having a hard time saying good-bye to his one & only son. My nephew is also the first to leave the nest and the nest is located in North Carolina ... a long way from Colorado!

We had fun climbing around the Rocky Mountains and making our annual trip to the place my parents want to be let loose together for a final time. Dad passed away 7 years ago but Mom is still going strong!

As for quilting, the APQ 2017 UFO Challenge was project #1 - Atlanta Mystery Quilt. Let me tell you, it was certainly a mystery to me. I couldn't remember what this one looked like. Here it is ...

I've got it pinned to the design wall now. I'm trying to figure out how to quilt it. The pattern is pretty cool. It's only 50" x 50". I think I'll do something a little masculine-ish and put it away in my Grandma Hope Chest. One day I may have a grandson that would look adorable snuggled up in it!

I did make progress on my Mosaic quilt.

Before

Now

While I don't have any progress to show on my Clam Shells, I did decide on how big I want to make it and figured out how many more I need to make. I also had to decide on how many of each colors I was short. I'm still planning on keeping the patriotic theme going and will probably have a narrow inner border with a wide outer border. I'm thinking about some applique design out there. We will see ...

This month looks to be VERY productive. At least there seems to be an overwhelming amount of opportunities! I will be taking Gyleen Fitzgerald's class on Wednesday next week through my guild. Then my best friend arrives Thursday evening and off to retreat we go for a 4-day weekend. The following weekend is a 3-day retreat with another group of friends. Surely I'll get a lot accomplished!!

Quilt Show Month!

My local guild (Hearts 'n' Hands, O'Fallon IL) is having their biannual quilt show. We have over 270 quilts entered! That is mind-blowing!!! If you are in the area the weekend of June 10-11, come on out! I am sure you will be impressed. If you miss it this year, you'll have to wait until 2019!

My progress for the quilt show is really good ... for me! I'm entering three quilts. Two are totally done and the third only needs its label attached! Might be a good project for today actually.

I wish I could show you an updated picture of my clam shells. They are in the same PHYSICAL state as before. However, I have since formulated my plan and need to prepare the remaining fabrics and get that project going. I think Irene Blanck is amazing with this technique. I love how the Australian quilters are so focused on handwork. Anyway, stay tuned on this project because I do plan on getting back to it soon!

Speaking of Irene, I've been appliqueing away on the Mosaics pattern. I would love to tell you that I'm almost done with the center medallion but not yet. However, I'm making progress and will be excited to take it to Denver later this month to show my sister. She was present when I picked out my background fabric and then, after I'd flown home, I asked her & my mother to go back to the store and pick out 1/4 yard pieces of the Jinny Beyer fabrics I had earlier eyeballed. The only direction I gave her was 3 blues, 3 reds, 3 purples, and 3 golds ... or something like that. Anyway, my sister is rather particular when she picks out her fabrics and can't believe I'm just "winging it" with their random fabrics! I keep reminding her that it's a scrappy project and it'll be just fine! Hahaha!

As for the APQ 2017 UFO Challenge, May was a complete bust. I noticed Project #10 is up next for June, which cracked me up since June 10 is my daughter's birthday. That should be inspiration, right? Anyway I see that my #10 is Hugs & Kisses, designed by Gundrun Erla. I used Kansas Troubles fabrics and the top is assembled. Once again I need to get the quilting done! No excuses since I'm pretty sure that even borders are in place. I'll have to double-check that though.

Unfortunately I have some rather bummer news ... Remember I was busy with a Mystery Knit-a-Long? Well, after working really hard to catch up with the clues, I discovered that I had been knitting on 2-sizes-too-large needles! UGH!!!! That certainly explains the huge piece I have going plus the loose weave! Jeezy, Peezy! I started the 2nd triangle with the correct size and it is certainly considerable smaller with just the first few rows. I will be frogging my first piece and not worrying about catching up. There is just no way and I'd rather enjoy my knitting instead of working at break-neck speed.

I also took a tatting class from our renowned tatting guild member. With all the knitting I had been doing, my fingers were pretty much locked up and not working that shuttle too good. However, I've been practicing when I could and watching YouTube videos and I must admit it seems to be getting easier. I never did learn how to connect my picots and I'm hoping that lesson will be coming up on YouTube soon. Next tatting class is June 15th!

Yesterday the roofers arrived. We were hit with hail back at the beginning of March and repairs are underway. I have a simple project I'd like to start (and finish?) today to drown out the banging of the new roof. I've been enjoying the French Open Tennis so I've also got my label and clam shells on tap for handwork!

Happy stitching to all and don't forget to come to our Quilt Show June 10-11!

May Day! May Day! May Day!

Definitely a distress signal for me. April completely disappeared off my calendar this year. I guess between wrecking my car and the scramble for a replacement in March followed by Easter and then taking my mother to her 65th high school reunion in New Jersey in April, it just did me in. Whatever! Let's move on ... As I recall I promised to share my latest knitting projects.

The first shawl is Boneyard Shawl with Mara Shawl's ruffled edge. I used the yarn I got with Warm Woolies club through The Loopy Ewe. It's a nice weight and size and should keep me warm in cooler weather ... or in the house while the heat is off. The middle picture is of my Reyna Shawl, also using yarn from Warm Woolies Club. It's a lighter weight yarn and the pattern is lacy. I've used it several times already wrapped around my neck. It's beautiful and I wish you could see the sparkles in the yarn! My socks are a fun pair knit with Inversibles yarn. The yarn was dyed in opposite colors so where you see light silver on the one skein, there is dark silver on the other. The yarn is dyed by Fibernymph and you can get all kinds of double-color combinations from The Loopy Ewe. Think team colors or school colors! The pattern is Cadence and it's a freebie from Very Busy Monkey. (All of these patterns can be found on www.ravelry.com .

As for quilting, I have some sharing on that today too! But first the disappointing news. The APQ 2017 UFO Challenge selected #11, which was my Winter Snowmen. This project has been sitting for years and needs to be quilted. It is exactly the same, never touched this year. For May we are to work on #2 which is my Alex's Stars Round-a-Bout. Can't remember the official title to this quilt top but that's what I called it to refresh my memory. So far I've gotten it out to measure so I can purchase my batting. It's already MOSTLY marked for quilting so I need to finish that up then I'll be good to go!


Remember this project? I not only finished the big-stitch quilting but got my sleeve AND label on. I pretty much copied my friend Katie's and my sister's ideas for personalizing and made it my own! I am thrilled to cross this one off my list!


Here are also a couple pictures of the back so you can see my label and some of the quilting.

My guild has a quilt show every other year and this is the year of the show! It's really motivated me to having my labels done and sewn on. I may put this one in the show.

Here is a "teaser" picture of my Winter Wonderland quilt. I finished it quite some time ago but never made the label. It has been entered into the quilt show so it was time for a label. You can see I did a fancy-schmancy label here too!

I machine quilted it on my Bernina and I love it.

I also entered my Dresden Stars. I don't have a picture yet of it finished and I also don't have a label for it yet. That'll be done this weekend.

This is a photo of my Witch's Boot which is also entered in the quilt show. I changed the border up instead of the called-for one. I like my version much better. Not sure if it has a label on it. Better dig it out & check!

In other news, we've had an awful amount of rain here in the St. Louis area.  So much so that I thought I'd share a picture of our dock on the pond. Ridiculous amount, wouldn't you agree? I thought our paddle boat was going to float away!

Thankfully the water is going down. Which is a good thing because the International Quilt Market - Spring is going to be held here in St. Louis in a couple of weeks. I'm looking forward to helping out with it ... signed myself up yesterday! I hope to see some of the ladies whom I follow their blogs!!

A last couple of pictures: Gracie was thrilled that the rain was gone this morning and the sun was shining brightly. She was doubly thrilled when she pulled a treasure out of the pond -- a potting bucket! What a happy pup runing with her new prized possession!

Happy Cinco de Mayo! Mom should be here any minute now to go to lunch with me. We're headed to Catrina's in Edwardsville, a favorite Mexican restaurant of ours! Have a great weekend! Ole!

FNSI Follow-Up

As usual I didn't stick to my plan 100%. I like to think of it as being flexible. Yeah, that's it!

My Friday Night Sew-In original plans were to mark, layer, pin-baste, and start quilting my Dresden Stars. I followed the plan up to the quilting. I had to come up from my sewing room in the basement because my feet were like ice blocks from standing on the concrete floor for so long. At least I'm ready to make a go of it soon! Yay!

By the time my feet thawed I decided to stay upstairs and catch up on a little TV viewing while hand sewing. I pulled out my wool project and continued with my big-stitch quilting. I made great progress and am nearing completion. Only a few more partial rows left to go in the bottom right hand corner. I'll need to also sew up the bottom edge where this project was pillow turned. I'm loving this one!

Sorry about the blurry pictures. When this one is done, I'll be sure to have clear ones to post!

This is what I worked on last night. What did you sew?

FNSI Tonight!

Wendy from Sugarlane Designs has posted that tonight is Friday Night Sew-In. Find out all the details HERE ! Although she's not been feeling well, she's still got prizes to give away! Go to her blog and sign in now!

Remember this beauty? Well, I've got the set-in triangles marked for quilting and I know how I'm going to quilt the blocks. The backing is pieced, pressed and ready to be layered. I'll run to my LQS for batting today and hopefully get this pin-basted and maybe a start on the quilting tonight. This is my FNSI project this month. It is also my APQ 2017 UFO Challenge quilt for this month - #12: Dresden Stars by Edyta Sitar. I can do this!

 I attended an all-day retreat a couple of weeks ago. Remember the previous retreat I discovered that I was short 5 blocks? At this retreat I finished those last 5 pesky blocks to the Vintage Roses quilt. Then I thought all I had to do was sew them together but I got to looking at the pattern and discovered there is a pieced border. Thankfully it doesn't look too difficult -- just scrappy.

 I think that will do me for this post. I'll be back tomorrow to let you know how far I got on my FNSI/APQ 2017 UFO Challenge quilt!

Happy St. Patrick's Day! Now get YOUR act together and join us tonight after your delicious corned beef & cabbage dinner!

What a Slacker! or What? A Slacker?

Lately I feel like I've been a slacker. As far as my APQ 2017 UFO Challenge goes? Very sorry. I was so excited because when I made my list of twelve projects to do, I mostly chose tops that needed quilting. Wouldn't you know January's project was 30 completed blocks of my Jamestown Sampler! My first task was to put the blocks together. Then borders would need to be attached. Checked my box and I didn't have enough fabric for the inner border. I don't really even like putting on borders. LONG seams and HEAVY at that! Ugh! Two weeks ago I did make a purchase of fabric that should work for that inner border but that is all the progress I made since I shared that progress HERE! Big whoop, right? I will be going back to it one day ... this year, I hope!

Along came February and  it was to be #12: "Blowin' in the Wind", a mystery quilt that I made through Rosemary's Quilt Shop. Surprise! Again the top wasn't 100% finished. Needed the despicable outer border! It's been on my UFO list in the past. REALLY need to make some progress on it but its box never even got opened. So very sad ....

March's project is #12 on the Challenge List, Dresden Stars by Edyta Sitar of Laundry Basket Quilts. Last year I got the top 100% put together -- yes, that includes all borders! I was so excited that I pulled it all out. There was the backing fabric AND the binding fabric with it! YIPPEE!! I pressed the backing, sewed it together to fit the top, pressed it again, and laid it out on my cutting table. The top is also freshly pressed and I'm working on the quilting designs in my head at this very moment. I may be close to actually quilting this one up. Maybe, just maybe, I'll have it done in time for my guild's quilt show this June! Fingers crossed!

Last weekend I had a retreat with some friends. Remember this project -- Vintage Roses I believe it's called. I started this with a class through my guild after watching my friend Millie work on the same pattern at a retreat. I loved it then and I'm still loving it. Anyway I had a bunch of blocks completed and seven squares all matched up with rose fabrics and got them sewn. I was pretty sure that was the end of the blocks and I would be sewing those babies together. Wrong again! I checked my notes (I'm making it bigger) and I was 5 blocks short. Next retreat I'll have five squares all matched up with rose fabrics and then I will be officially done with ALL the blocks!

I've also been steadily working on this wool-on-wool applique wall hanging. I started it when I took the class from The Quilted Crows with my sister. She wanted to learn wool applique and had a book written by these Australian girls. They've since split up to do their own things but it was a very fun class. Might be because I took the class in Grand Junction, Colorado ... The air is quite thin there so everything is suddenly a bit more fun! Ha! Anyway I'm nearly done with the hand quilting on this piece. Yay!

I did manage to get quite a bit of knitting done lately too but I'll save that for another day!