A Good Beginning

 The weather this week ranged from cool and rainy, to very hot and sunny.  

The sunny days were perfect for taking pictures of the day lilies in our garden.

This variety is called Minaret.  Although, the blooms are not as large or showy as some of our other lilies, they bloom later than many other varieties.  They also produce numerous flowers on tall, thin stalks.  They hover over the other plants and sway as if they are floating in the slightest breeze.

I am 5'7", the flower on the tallest stalk reaches my nose.  The name of the purple beauty below has been lost over the years.  It's even prettier in person.

I used the rainy days to get some piecing done. My One Monthly Goal for August is to complete a Halloween table topper.  I found a pattern at The Cloth Parcel.  I finished the three blocks that are needed and have lots of three inch squares leftover.  I might add another block to make the table runner longer.

 I sewed blocks for a baby quilt the last week of July.  This week, I put them together and finished the top.  It's 41.5 inches square.  When it's quilted, it will be donated to the Little Lambs Foundation for Kids

The absolute last thing I thought I would be sewing at this point in the year is a mask.  Unfortunately, the Delta strain of the Covid 19 virus is becoming an issue in our county.  Cases have gone from a low of about 30 per day in July to about 300 per day now and are continuing to increase.   We live near the ocean and our town is a  popular vacation destination.  Even though our family is vaccinated, we are being cautious.  No one in my family likes wearing the disposable masks.   My daughter requested a new Pikachu mask and I will probably have to make a few new masks for the rest of the family.

I've been playing with some red, white, and blue scraps.  

                                     

This week, I'll use them to make two more plus sign placemats to match the two I made in July.  I'll also add the sashing between the blocks and the border for the Pumpkin table runner.

I'm finding that setting small goals each week works best for me. I can make progress on projects if I set aside a short amount of time each day.  Even though I'm not making a huge dent in my stash, I'm moving forward.

I'm linking up with Sarah at Confessions of a Fabric Addict and Alycia Quilts for Finished or Not Friday.  I always find lots of inspiration checking out the work of the other quilters who link up.

One Monthly Goal For August

 Although I love the idea of having placemats and table runners for different seasons and holidays, I never think of starting them until it is too late.  I found three free Pumpkin table runner tutorials that are likely candidates.  Connie Kresin Campbell who blogs at Free Motion by the River has a free tutorial for a scrappy pumpkin table runner using 2.5 inch squares.  Julie at Green Fairy Quilts has a tutorial for an 18 x 45 inch Pumpkin Table Runner made with strips of yardage that could easily be made with scraps.   Although, I like the first two tutorials, I have decided to make the free tutorial at The Cloth Parcel that uses 3 inch scraps.  The pumpkin table runner will be a perfect project for my August One Monthly Goal.  That gives me plenty of time to have it ready for the harvest days of October and November.  If you're looking for a free Pumpkin table runner pattern, check out all three.  You're sure to find one you like.

I was delighted that linking up for the July Monthly Goal motivated me to finish my strippie butterfly baby quilt.  I'm linking up again with Patty Dudek at Elm Street Quilts, One Monthly Goal for August.  Somehow, linking up made me feel more accountable for accomplishing my goal in July.  Hopefully, the results will yield an autumn table runner.

Goodbye To July With One Monthly Goal Accomplished

 July was a busy month with the garden screaming for attention, but I did manage to complete my goal for July as well as a few other projects.  We grow about twenty different varieties of hybridized day lilies in our garden.  Our garden is small, but over the years, we have divided and replanted the lilies and in July and August they provide a daily show of color.  They started blooming earlier than usual this year, but the flowers are wonderful.  The three below are: Cherry Cheeks, Ruby Spider, and one of my favorites, Spanish Dancer.  Each bloom only lasts one day, but they are spectacular.  We keep track of the number of flowers each day on a calendar.  Even though our garden is small, the highest daily number we have recorded over the last six years was 215.

My goal for July was to finish a baby quilt for Little Lambs Foundation for Kids.

My Pfaff has a lot of quilting stitches to choose from.  I used two different sizes of wavy stitches.

In addition to the baby quilt, I made four placemats from red, white, and blue scraps.

The backs of the placemats were made from four different leftover patriotic fabrics.

I started a new baby quilt using the leftovers of a jelly roll purchased at my local quilt shop.  The owner cuts jelly rolls from different fabric lines.  This jelly roll was cut primarily from Tanya Whelan fabrics.   When finished, it's destined for the Little Lambs Foundations for Kids.

I'm linking up with all of the other industrious quilters at Elm Street Quilts' One Monthly Goal July Link-up.   I'll also be "Whooping" it up with Sarah at Confessions of a Fabric Addict.

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July is Here Already

I frittered away the month of June, doing fun things like emptying boxes from the basement and attic and taking items to Goodwill.  I wasted valuable quilting time, trimming rhododendrons and geraniums after their blooms faded.  After the gardening chores were finished, it was so hot I couldn't bear to quilt in our stuffy non-air conditioned home.  It's still hot and humid, but it's time to sit next to a fan and quilt.  In an effort to finish at least one item, I am joining Elm Street Quilts' One Monthly Goal July Link-up.

It's a terrible picture, but the wide stripes are sweet little butterflies.   It's raining today so there's no chance of taking a better picture.  My goal is to quilt and bind this Quick Strippy baby quilt.  It's based on a free pattern offered on Mary Johnson's blog, Mary Quilts.  If you have never visited her blog, you really should.  She has lots of lovely free patterns.

I am linking up at Elm Street Quilts, in the hope that it will inspire me.  You can see all of the projects quilters are linking up for their One Monthly Goal for July at Elm Street Quilts.  If you need a little push, you can join in too.

2021 Hands 2 Help Finale

 We have been without internet for a week.  Although I missed seeing what was happening in the quilting world, I did accomplish the 2 goals I set for myself and completed a few others.  My goals for the week of  May 23rd were to complete another baby quilt for the Hands 2 Help Challenge  at Sarah's Confessions of a Fabric Addict blog and to make the Indian Star block from the 3rd installment of the Pieces of the Santa Fe Trail.

I completed the Indian Star block.

I completed three baby quilts for the Hands 2 Help Challenge.

This fun quilt used 5 and 2.5 inch squares of fish prints.  There are coordinating  tone on tone prints and a few surprises sprinkled in among the 2.5 inch charms.

The tops of the two other quilts were made last year and just needed to be quilted and bound.

I was very pleased with the star quilt.  I am usually a stitch in the ditch style quilter, but the pattern really pushed me to do more.

I'll be sending these 3 quilts along with one other and some bibs, pacifiers, stickers, markers, and colored pencils to Little Lambs.  I purchased 2 of their discounted UPS mailing labels that make it a bargain to send a package.  For $15.00 they will mail up to a 70 pound package.  

In addition I'm a sending a quilt to Quilty Hugs for Happy Chemo and a quilt top to Victoria's Quilts of Canada.

I am linking up with all of the other participants of the  Hands 2 Help Challenge  at Confessions of a Fabric Addict.  Thank you Sarah for inspiring quilters to help people who need a quilty hug.

I'm also linking up my Indian Star block with other quilters sewing along with Pieces of the Santa Fe Trail at Melva Loves Scraps

Mission Accomplished

This is the third week in a row that I have actually completed my stated goals.  I think it's because my goals have been modest and we did not have internet service for three days.  The time I usually spend reading blogs was spent sewing.

I was able to complete a baby quilt that will be donated to Little Lambs through Sarah Craig's annual Hands 2 Help challenge.  I made the top last year, but it languished in the sewing room until this week.  When I was preparing the top to be quilted, I realized the light green gingham check, I chose last year for the backing, was too blah for the low volume four patch top.  I found a jungle animal print in my stash that livened things up a bit.

My attempt at an art shot was less than successful so I had to depend on my husband to display it. We were away last week and the quilt got very wrinkled on the trip back home.  After a spin in the washer and dryer, it will be ready to ship out.

My second goal was to make enough blocks to create a top from blocks I made a few years ago.  I needed more than my original estimate and wound up sewing 116 blocks.

They will have to ferment while I work on this week's goals.  I plan on finishing another baby quilt for the Hands 2 Help Challenge and making the latest block from the Pieces of the Santa Fe Trail Sew Along.  Melva, at Melva Loves Scraps has chosen the Indian Star block for the third installment of the sew along.  It would make a great block for a Quilt of Valor quilt.

I'll be linking up with Sarah to "Whoop" along with other quilters who have something to share this week at Confessions of a Fabric Addict.

Making A List

 I've been frustrated with the lack of finished quilts coming out of my sewing room.  It seems like every time I look for something in my fabric closet, I find unfinished items that divert my attention from what I should be doing.  Bonnie, from In stitches with Bonnie, suggested that I make a list of things I wanted to accomplish for the week.  I decided that my previous failure making lists was that I tended to add too many projects.  My list for this week, included just two projects.  I planned to make the second block of the Pieces of the Santa Fe Trail quiltalong at Melva Loves Scraps. The Double Nine Patch block is now completed.

The second item on my list was to complete a quilt for the Hands 2 Help Challenge hosted by Sarah at Confessions of a Fabric Addict.  The Eye Spy quilt has 48 novelty fabric squares including, mammals, sea creatures, birds, all kinds of food, boats, sports figures and sports equipment, as well as insects.  The back will make a great play mat with roads, a fire station, airport, and a construction site.  It's fresh out of the drier and looks crinkly and cozy. The quilt will be going to Quilty Hugs for Happy Chemo.

Since making a list worked so well this past week, I've made a list for the coming week.  I plan on quilting another quilt for the Hands 2 Help Challenge and piecing additional blocks to complete one of my UFO tops.  I will be linking up with Sarah at Confessions of a Fabric Addict to "Whoop Whoop," about my finishes.  This week is especially exciting at her blog.  In addition to the weekly finishes posted, there are also quilts completed for the Hands 2 Help Challenge.  

Thank you Bonnie for your suggestion to make a list.  Hopefully, it will keep working.

Some Days Are Just Like Christmas

     While searching in my fabric closet for potential backing fabrics, I found a plastic box hidden amongst the piles.  When I opened it, I was pleasantly surprised.  Inside, I found blocks in various stages of completion.  The blocks were made up of 1.5 x 2.5 strips.  Inspired by the 2021  Table Scraps Challenge at The Joyful Quilter, I decided to use the scraps to make table runners.  

The runner with the yellow binding is 16 by 32 inches and will be used on my maple sewing machine cabinet.

The runner with the pink binding is 20 by 36 and will be placed on the wooden desk  where I am currently using my Viking Sapphire machine.

The backing used for both runners is Michael Millers, Geisha's Puzzle.  I have no idea when or why I bought it.  It is very bright and busy, but it will work well sitting beneath my sewing machines.  I still have some blocks left. They may be made into placemats.

As if one box of blocks was not enough of a surprise, on a second diving mission, I found more.  There were two partially finished tops and a pink Ghiardelli candy box filled with partially and completely finished blocks to match the quilt tops.

I added a few rows of blocks to one of the tops to make it lap size.

I also finished the last of the doll quilts and the matching pillow.  The four doll quilts and pillows will be placed in the mail this week.

This week, I hope to make the Double Nine block which is the second block of  the Pieces of the Sante Fe Trail Sew Along at Melva Loves Scraps.  I also plan to work on finishing one of my quilts for the Hands 2 Help Challenge at Confessions of a Fabric Addict.

I'm linking up to "Whoop, Whoop," with some of my favorite quilters at Confessions of a Fabric Addict.

Have a pieceful week.