August! ~

My One Monthly Goal for August is to finish the puff stitches for the silk binding on this very cool autumn lap quilt, and do a label for it. 

It's been sitting at this point for several months, so let's get it wrapped up and into use for September!  :)

The Rest of the Story:

The August UFO drawn by APQ is #10. 

My piecing #10 is my Sue Garman "And to All a Good Night" project.  

Great timing! I'm close to being finished with the top applique panel. 

I've pulled fabrics from my stash for the scrappy piecing of the main field in the quilt. I'm king-sizing the pattern to fit our bed. Hopefully it'll emerge the way my mind's eye sees it. Our room is blue and we put up a snow-flocked tree with blue accents in the bow window, so I wanted to incorporate blues and grays with a Christmas feel, but keep the green and red stars.

My longarming #10 is my Allietare from the Bonnie Hunter mystery of winter 2015-16. I finished the flimsy in a timely manner, but it's sat forever in my longarming closet. 

I do have to finish a lot of remaining work on this GINORMOUS king-sized Dinner Plate Dahlia (also for our bed) before I load Allietare. . . which gives me time to scare up a backing for that cheddar and turquoise beauty!

And that is more than enough work for one month! Let's see how much I accomplish.  :)

Today's BOMs Away is on the previous post at BOMs Away Monday - Neptune's Gift and More Birds

LINKING UP at Elm Street Quilts for the August OMG goal

July! ~

Let's see if I can remember the second half of this month's OMG tasking - to actually post and link my accomplishment.  ;D

First, the first step: Proclaiming my July project.

My One Monthly Goal for July is to get my Chubby Chicks UFO to finished flimsy status. 

I want its orange shoebox out of my storage, its binding made and filed in my bindings drawer, and the quilt top hanging in my longarm closet before this month is out. 

Right now, that UFO looks like this:

This was a kit that I bought who-knows-when - it was in my conglomeration of NETYs (Not Even Touched Yet) that I organized after we moved here summer of 2012. In June 2013, I pulled it out to prewash its fabrics, and our oldest daughter and I got the chick bodies fused down. 

In May this year, EIGHT YEARS LATER, I stitched the bodies, added and stitched the beaks, and stitched in the feet. That was my APQ challenge work. June brought a different focus for that program, and July yet another, so it's tempting to set Chubby Chicks aside again to clear its box off my work station.

I don't want that box sitting on my shelves for another eight years. It's not a priority quilt, so I won't give it any attention without putting it on OMG status. Let's get this baby all sewn up!

Linking this post up to OMG July

March~!

My One Monthly Goal is to finish hand stitching the silk loop-things onto my bathroom window dressing  #1 and get it installed.

I chose this instead of one of my many quilt UFOs, because it's been languishing by the TV for months and months, always getting subordinated to either a UFO's finished handwork or to hand applique stitching. It seems that making it an OMG is the only way it will move on through!

And here is "The Rest of the Story" for March --

Mon-Fri Priority Time: 

Longarm: APQ UFO #2 Modernology > UFO #11 It's a Silky Wool Flannel Kind of Day

Domestic: Bindings onto Moose Lake and Morning Stroll > UFO #11, Spanish Tiles > Down the Rabbit Hole   [Plus slip in 10 min per day on the secret birds.] [Leader-Ender is still Feathered Goose units 4]

Evening hand stitching: 

Finish the first bathroom curtain > And to All a Good Night

Saturday Free-Play: 

Whatever UFO catches my eye (usually ends up being that weekend's BOM)

Weekend BOM times: 

[Temperature dots] and rotate Harmony, Sage and Sea Glass, Neptune's Gift if it arrives

I sometimes get comments from people who see this guideline list as a Must Do list, even a promised-to-finish list. That is not at all how I operate. This is:

My list is not as much tasking as it looks to be, and is not the least bit stressful. It is 100% motivating. 

With an empty nest house, I have several hours every day that I can devote to quilting things.  I do completely different work on the weekends from what I do Mon-Fri. I am *not* one of those people who can work on only one project all the time every day for weeks on end until it is finished. That is the fastest way to kill my mojo altogether, and then nothing happens.

Also note that other than my OMG, my list acts not as a whipping post demanding multiple finishes, but more like a bowling lane's bumper rails that keep me focused while I work along. I'm happy with whatever point each of those projects gets to by month's end. This part of my planning is about the journey, not the finishes (although the finishes crop up regularly). 

*If you were looking for the BOMs Away link-up, it is on the last post: BOMs Away Monday 

Linking this post up to OMG March

February~!

My One Monthly Goal is to finish all the quilting on my Sew Spooky. 

It was loaded onto my frame in late September, but didn't get touched while we visited Scott's mom, and then attended her funeral. Which we got Covid from.  :( 

Since I hadn't stepped foot in my longarm room from before we were exposed (which remains closed to keep kitties out), I left it shut up to keep it virus free in there. It took many weeks for me to have enough energy to even attempt to work at the longarm, so that door stayed "sealed" until January 4th. 

Since then, I've managed to push my physical capability from 30 minutes in a day to two 40 minute sessions in a day. I hope to get up to 1 hour in the morning and 45 minutes in the afternoon by the end of this week. 

Being a quilt that I wanted to practice a lot of tiny fill work on, its time on the frame has really S T R E T C H E D out over the weeks!

This is the month, though! This baby's going to get finished finally.  

And because that's only a fraction of the time I have available, here is "The Rest of the Story" for February --

Mon-Fri Priority Time: 

Longarm: Sew Spooky > when that finishes, load up UFOq #2 King Size Dahlia

Domestic: FMQ on Moose Lake for Scott > then move to UFOp #2 Down the Rabbit Hole, which needs the rest of the applique on the rabbit borders and the outer diamond piecework border.  [Plus slip in 10 min per day on the secret birds.] [Leader-Ender = Feathered Goose units 4]

Evening hand stitching: 

Finish the first bathroom curtain, and how far will I get on And to All a Good Night? It's possible that might be finished this month; if so, pull out the next Affairs of the Heart block.

Saturday Free-Play: 

Whatever UFO catches my eye (usually ends up being that weekend's BOM)

Weekend BOM times: 

[Temperature dots] and rotate Harmony, Forever My Valentine, and Surfer's Point

That is not as much tasking as it looks to be. With an empty nest house, I have several hours every day that I can devote to quilting things. I spend more time at my domestic machine these days since I have limited physical capability at the longarm. I do completely different work on the weekends from what I do Mon-Fri. I am *not* one of those people who can work on only one project all the time every day for weeks on end until it is finished. That is the fastest way to kill my mojo altogether, and then nothing happens.

Also note that other than my OMG, my list acts not as a whipping post demanding multiple finishes, but more like a bowling lane's bumper rails that keep me focused while I work along. I'm happy with whatever point each of those projects gets to by month's end. This part of my planning is about the journey, not the finishes (although the finishes crop up regularly). 

*If you were looking for the BOMs Away link-up, it is on the last post: BOMs Away Monday 

Linking this post up to OMG February

My First Word-of-the-Year: Temperature

Right at the beginning of the month, I discovered the world of temperature quilts, and really wanted to do one of those this year. So I got started, using the classic big dot of the day's high temp on a square of the low temp.

And then, yesterday this happened:

And this:

And this:

Of course Lady Gaga wore something over the top -
I *loved* the way she channeled a Betsy Ross imagery and wore the dove calling for peace.

And this:

And this remarkable Inaugural Speech:

The U.S. sorely needs a calming, yet aware, grandpa figure right now who can help us resolve a lot of our bickerings and justified angers. Hopefully he can combine that focus with effective leadership and fulfill a lot of what he's promising us. He appears to genuinely have devoted all of his soul for the good of our nation and we the people, and I will hear him out despite my deep mistrust of established politicians.

Regardless of my political thoughts, I was soothed and inspired by President Biden's speech. I am hopeful of the great diversity he has created in his cabinet choices. I am even more hopeful that most of our general public will answer his call to end this uncivil war we've been roiling in the past few years. 

These words struck me with great force, because while a great many of his comments resonated and inspired, this is something I can directly control on an every day basis:

"We can see each other not as adversaries but as neighbors. We can treat each other with dignity and respect. We can join forces, stop the shouting and lower the temperature. . . . Let's begin to listen to one another again, hear one another, see one another. Show respect to one another. "

I have been so frustrated and disgusted with president 45's divisiveness that I have indulged every so often in sharing satire memes with a few friends who also appreciated that route of blowing off steam. But now that we've started a new chapter in our country's political history, it's time to step away from the rancor. Let it go. I'm sure that family is not going to just disappear, and I'll be tempted to indulge in the satire again, but I want to be part of the solution instead of continuing the negative vibes. 

And so, "Temperature" is my word of the year for 2021, and working on my temperature quilt on a regular basis throughout the year will help me remember to be my better self when others try to roil me up one way or the other. 

Temperature dots I worked on during the Inauguration

And Oh. My. Gosh. !!!!   I would have loved dearly to see those Inaugural fireworks in person!!! They were STUPENDOUS

2021 - The Great UFO Roundup

I am using the Facebook group, American Patchwork & Quilting's UFO Challenge, to motivate my work on UFOs.

You fill in your list with the projects you most want to finish (or move to a new stage) during the year. They draw a number each month, and that's the UFO you focus on for that month.

I've filled in two lists - one is quilt tops that I want to get quilted and fully finished this year. The other is quilt projects that I want to finish the piecing on so that they reach the Flimsy stage.

How I work: 

Monday thru Friday, I restrict myself to the priority projects - 1 piecing, 1 longarming. This year, those will all come from my UFO lists. Typically I'll piece in the early morning and quilt in the afternoons. After dinner we like to watch 1 or 2 shows, and I'll do hand applique work during that time if I don't have a quilt binding to stitch down.

Saturdays, I let myself work on whatever project calls to me, to give myself a break from the priority work so I don't lose my MoJo.

Sundays, I always work on a BOM, which was often worked on the day before.

Thru all of this, I keep a leader-ender project to the side of my machine, so that one just kinda does a low simmer that one day magically appears as a bonus quilt top. 

This approach works extremely well for me.

Number 7 was drawn for January's UFO work.

Longarming List:  (accomplished 2/13 +5 extras  as of  June 30th)

* January!  ~*~ FINISHED  Feb 26! ~*~ 0. Sew Spooky - need to finish this before starting the 2021 number pulls. When will Covid let me begin longarming again?  (Jan 11th, able to sustain 15 minutes in a day. Feb 24 finishished this quilting! Up to 90 minutes three times a day!)  Finish Report Here

  

* May!   ~*~ FINISHED  May 24! ~*~ 1.=9 (switched for deadline) Marissa's UCCS Graduation Quilt

 

* February!  2. My King'd Dinner Plate Dahlia (on the longarm now)

3. Rainbow Jane

4. Set Sail

* June!  5. Plums in November

6. Thistlepods

* January!  7. Modernology 

8. Listen With Your Eyes

9.=1 (needed another when this number was drawn) From the Heart

10. Allietare

* March!  ~*~ Quilted Mar 26! Fancy puffed silk binding is taking a long time ~*~ 11. It's a Silky wool Flannel Kind of Day

 

12. Martha's Christmas Whirl

BACK-SIDE EXTRAS:

1. "Moose Lake" for Scott  ~*~ FINISHED  Mar 23! ~*~   Finish Report Here

2.  Bathroom Curtain 1  ~*~ FINISHED  Mar 18! ~*~ 

3.  "Morning Stroll" for Scott  ~*~ FINISHED  Mar 28! ~*~ 

4.  Bathroom Curtain 2  ~*~ FINISHED  June 4! ~*~ 

5.  Marissa's Home Quilt  ~*~ FINISHED  June 30! ~*~  (originally named Journey's End)

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Piecing List:  (accomplished 5/12 +5 extras  as of  July 5th) 

~*~ FLIMSY STATUS Jan 30! ~*~  1. King sized Garden of Dreams - Panels are partially made. (Flimsy finished right away, as I want this on my bed. 

 (I'm king-sizing this Kona pattern. Lots of math involved, since I didn't want to simply add large borders all around.)

* February!  2. Down the Rabbit Hole - Finished the sunflower round, need to do the rabbits border and the outer diamond border

 This one is on my BOM roll, but I wanted to dedicate a month of priority to it as well.

3. Whooo's Your Mama - needs the stitcheries

 * April!   ~*~ FLIMSY STATUS Apr 23! ~*~   4. Collection for a Cause: Heritage- At least some of the patches had been made. 

 
 I think I made the windmills? But maybe just the HSTs. I'll see when I pull out its box.  (Yep, thankfully, all the windmills are already put together.) 

* June! ~*~ FLIMSY STATUS June 16! ~*~  5. Stepping Stones - blocks are made

This was my first Judy Niemeyer pattern. It quickly got sidetracked by more intricate patterns of hers that called to me. 

6. Amaya - need to do the collage work

* January!  ~*~ FLIMSY STATUS Jan 23! ~*~  7. Let's Build a Snowman - applique has been fused for all the rows, needs stitching and piecing

  

8. Climbing Lanterns - I think it's ready for the 3D pieces to be done up?

* May! ~*~ FLIMSY STATUS July 5! ~*~  9. Chubby Chicks - I think the applique has been fused. Well, main bodies have been, looks like.

 

10. And to All a Good Night - applique panel is started. Will be king-sizing the pattern.

One of the many Sue Garman patterns on my bucket list.

* March!  11. Spanish Tiles - fabrics are boxed together  

 (The original in the quilt pattern book "Living Large")

**I cannot find this!!  Many days of searching have been fruitless, so I'm switching this out with another long-time UFO: Parasol.

12. Fanciful Flight - a kit. fabrics have been washed 

BACK-SIDE EXTRAS: 

~*~ FLIMSY STATUS Jan 3! ~*~  13. Water Reflections

~*~ FLIMSY STATUS  Jan 29! ~*~  14. Winter Woodland

~*~ FLIMSY STATUS  Feb 14! ~*~  15. Forever My Valentine

~*~ FLIMSY STATUS  March 30! ~*~  16. Parasol

~*~ FLIMSY STATUS  April 23! ~*~  17. Wind & Waves (The Lighthouse Quilt)

I actually printed empty lists on the backside of both of mine, for write-ins of extras as they occur, like my BOMs, leader-enders, or left-overs.

I'm currently working on the quilting of my Sew Spooky UFO that I'd loaded up before COVID hit me. I don't want to closet it yet again, so it has to get quilted before my #7 gets loaded for the January UFO call. I'm hoping that happens before January is over, but longhauler issues dictate how long I can work at the longarm each day (or even if I have to take a bye day still).

So!  My 2021 quilting work will be almost completely driven by these goals. Here's to accomplishing a lot of them!