Getting My PHD in 2020

Yes, that's right! I hope to be earning my PHD this year. Not a scholarly type but cleaning out my Projects Half Done! Gail over at QuiltingGail will be organizing it and I look forward to finishing up a few (that's a laugh -- lots of!!!) projects started. You can also do this by linking up here.

Starting with #1: My Snowman Quilt, a lap-sized kit I bought from Hickory Stick, Hannibal MO, on a Kinderhook retreat. I finished piecing this at a Todd Hall retreat years ago. It needs to be backed, quilted, and finished off.

#2: Scrap Dance 2-Step. This was a fun mystery quilt-a-long with My Carolina Home a few years ago (2017). I wanted to make it a bit bigger and had a GRAND idea to piece a migrating geese border. Got it organized then proceeded to chicken out. I truly want to work this border, then get it backed quilted, and finished off.

#3: Star In a Star. This was the Twisted Sisters Quilt from     . This is so close to finished, it really isn't funny. Sew the ginormous blocks together and sew up the four cornerstones. Final assembly, back it, quilt it, and bind it. Do it!

#4: Sew Spooky BOM. I started this project with my BFF Vickie. I had been visiting her and we went to a quilt shop - surprise! surprise! We both fell in love with an amazing Halloween BOM, signed up, and kept up mostly. We did a lot of motivating on each other's parts too. I kind of forget how she was doing her blocks, but I chose to put in some wool applique. I love the blocks I completed so it is now time to git 'er done!

#5: Blowin' in the Wind. How many times has this been on my UFO list? OMG! Way too many times and it still sits. It started as a mystery quilt-a-long with my local quilt shop, Rosemary's Fabrics. I love this top but I really need to finish this one up! After all, I made it for my own bed!!!

#6: Hugs & Kisses, aka Riptide. This quilt has been on my UFO list in the past and never got to the finish line. This year!!!!

#7: A Very Merry Christmas to You. Started this QAL with Suzn Quilts. Got caught up with the holidays, followed by my guild's quilt show, blah, blah, blah. Would love to finish this one up.

#8: Easter Wall Hanging. This one is so "done" that it is already pin-basted and ready to be quilted & bound. This ought to be an easy finish .... as soon as I find it again! UGH!

#9: Eva Grace. I really need to get going on this one. It was designed by Irene Blanck from Australia and I started it in October 2018 when Irene visited my TAS group. It is applique so it'll be a longer work-in-progress.

#10: Kyoto. This was a yet another mystery quilt-a-long. This time with Jinny Beyer's blog and it is hand-pieced. I worked REALLY HARD to get this one done for the 2019 UFO Challenge at another local quilt shop, OSew Personal. Got to the borders so I really should be able to finish this one off this year.

#11: Shark Bite. This one started off as a Leader & Ender project with Bonnie Hunter that ended up morphing with a quilt I saw on the cover of a magazine. Fred named it one day when I was laying it out to see what it was shaping up to look like.

#12: Tiny Tuesday. This was Rainbow Scrap Challenge for 2019. So fun to put together. I've got ideas for finishing this one up. Let's move it!

#13: Hospital Sketches. Another quilt-a-long, only this time with Barbara Brackman's Civil War blog. Need to sew the blocks together, back it, quilt it, and finish it up.

There are several more that I'd like to add but I think a lucky 13 number of projects will be enough to set for my 2020 goals. Maybe I'll have these finished early and can add a few more finishes. Right, Sue, dream on!

In the meantime, I'll be thinking long & hard about what projects I'd like to do for Rainbow Scrap Challenge 2020! I also need to update my blog page. Happy New Year!!

2019 Holiday Favorites Blog Hop & More

Have you been following along on the Holiday Favorites Blog Hop 2019 with Lori from Humble Quilts? We are well underway and the first five posts have been so inspiring. Lori kicked it off on Monday and today is Day #5. Check in daily as we share with you our holiday favorites and our quilty holiday decorations! (As you can see, I'll be Monday's child. Lol!)

Dec 9- Lori, humblequilts.blogspot.com

Dec 10 KatyQuilts, katyquilts.net

Dec 11  Beth, lovelaughquilt.blogspot.com

Dec 12 Diane, butterflythreadsquilting.com 

Dec 13 - Kyle, kyleredente.blogspot.com

Dec 14  Kelly, pinkadotquilts.blogspot.com

Dec 15  Juliann, chasingstories.wordpress.com

Dec 16   Knitty Quilter, suehoover.blogspot.com

Dec 17  Lizzy,  gone2thebeach.blogspot.com

Dec 18 Barb, funwithbarbandmary.blogspot.com

Dec  19 Judy, smallquiltsanddollquilts.blogspot.com

Dec 20-  Kevin, kevinthequilter.blogspot.com

For several years now I've participated with Temecula Quilts's holiday sew-a-long. This year's is Tiny Tree and here are my tiny blocks so far:

I've got these four done, two more cut & ready to sew, and three four behind ... until today's #11 comes out. These blocks measure 2-3/4" unfinished. When they're put together, they'll be 2-1/4". How do I keep getting involved with these teeny, tiny blocks??!!??

I've been using the black String-X segments for my leaders & enders. I'm making progress!

Believe it or not, I've actually got a finish to report. I started this cute little pillow a while ago but recently got it done. Sherri from A Quilting Life posted the free pattern on her blog. Didn't it turn out cute?

Front

Back

I usually fall short on the extra fluff on my handmade items because I don't have the confidence to sew anything more than the main part. However, I decided I'd try sewing on this tiny pompom trim. The pattern used lace and Sherri used larger pompom trim. Although it's not perfect, I think my tiny trim adds just the right amount of prettiness to an already pretty pillow!

There's secret sewing going on under my needle.

I still haven't started the Bonnie Hunter 2019 Mystery but I have been collecting the clues. I must be nuts to be even thinking about jumping on board! (And I may not!)

Have a terrific weekend and don't forget to follow along daily with the 2019 Holiday Favorites Blog Hop!

Leaving you with a picture of the glorious sunrise in Illinois this morning.

Linking up with Angela for Scrappy Saturday!

Knitting Has Been Taking Up My Time!

Here we are again signing up for FNSI and it occurred to me that I hadn't posted lately. This is actually a good way for me to line up what I plan to work on this week and especially for Friday Night Sew-In. If you'd like to join us, sign-ups are HERE! It's so fun to see what everyone is working on and we come from all over the globe!

I plan on working on my Clam Shells, pattern by Irene Blanck. It's time to make a little more progress on it. In the meantime, I did manage to put a few stitches on my Mosaics (pattern by Irene also).

After returning from our lengthy vacation last month, I was really wanting to play with my sewing machine. I made some good progress on my Scrap Dance Two-Steps quilt top. I've got the entire top webbed and half of that is sewn together. Check it out over there on the right! There is a little piecing for the border and, of course, the borders will have to go on. Then I can declare it a finish!

Speaking of finishes, I did finish my Baby Pennant Blanket. What a fun knit and so easy! After I was more than halfway through, I was kicking myself for not trying to knit it continental style. I have yet to master that technique, which is supposed to be easier on the hands. This would be the perfect project to attempt continental knitting because it's all knit, no purl or anything fancy. Only short row knitting. 

Also finished was this little knitted pumpkin hat. Daughter Sarah has a couple of friends that had babies recently. What first born doesn't need a special hat for October? One done, one in the works. Doesn't it look adorable on Henny Penny?

When my brother returned from Colorado earlier this summer, he brought a gift from my sister. This planter is special because it has a tube that sticks out of it for watering from the roots up. It also has a "false bed" for the soil to sit on. Anyway when my sister asked me if I wanted it I said, "Sure!" Here are pictures of my Fall lettuce taken September 1 and September 11. What a difference! We've already harvested some but I expect it will really take off now that the cooler weather has arrived and I've thinned them out some.

My Anthology Socks by Very Busy Monkey are almost done. This was the last picture I took of them after I'd turned the heel. I am currently shaping the toes and then the final blocking. This has been VERY fun. You can find the pattern HERE on Ravelry. There's also a matching shawl that can be knit in two sizes if you do a search on the Ravelry website.

That's it from here. Have a great week and I'll catch you up this weekend on the progress of my projects!

Rhapsody Shawl, Scrap Dance Two-Step, & Upcoming KALs!

Not exactly where to start but I know I need to post. I've done a lot lately but not finished a lot. I guess this will be a wishy-washy post.

Here's my Rhapsody Shawl which I completed yesterday. It was a knit-a-long that ended today. Whew! Made it just in the knick of time! When I logged into Ravelry to post my finish, I discovered that I had a message from Mary-Ann Lammers, the shawl's designer. She was contacting me to let me know I was the winner of some stitch markers! Yay!! They are beautiful and I'll share a picture when they arrive!

I also had the opportunity to sew at a couple of retreats recently. I signed on to a Mystery Quilt-a-Long on one of the blogs I follow, From My Carolina Home. You can visit Carole HERE . The MQAL was called Scrap Dance Two-Step and it was fun because each month you got a two-part clue. It finished mid-July and I've been scrambling to get my blocks done. Here's a picture of 5 blocks I got done at one of the retreats. My fabrics are mostly Kim Diehl fabrics but I threw in a few "twinklers"!

Since then I've finished up 18 of the alternate blocks and I'm working on getting all 17 of these blocks done. Of course I'm making a queen-size quilt! I'll be sure to post a picture when I'm done.

Apparently I'm a sucker for new projects. I'm anxiously awaiting for August 1. I'll be participating in a mystery socks knit-a-long through Very Busy Monkey on Ravelry. Four clues starting August 1 and published every Tuesday through August 22. Project must be finished and posted by September 30. Doesn't sound like too much, right? But wait! I'm also on board for a knit-a-long with The Loopy Ewe. I've got my yarn and I swatched to be sure everything will size up correctly. I've chosen the pattern Colorful Wedges Baby Blanket. You can check it out HERE . This one also starts August 1st but must be finished & posted by August 31st. Wait until you see my yarn choices ... so pretty and yet gender neutral!

Both of these upcoming knitting projects will keep me busy but they won't keep me away from my sewing! I'm making very good progress on Mosaics but will have to share that another time.