Another Little Quilt Swap #9

 

Hip, hip, hurray!  Another Little Quilt Swap #9 has been officially announced.  (Actually, Kate announced this latest swap a month ago but it is not too late to join in).

Click here to see my earlier posts about previous swaps with ALQS.  I have participated many times, sometimes even swapping two very different quilts.  Kate North runs an excellent swap.  It is an easy-signup with no-guilt-attached if you fall down and are unable to complete your quilt by the deadline.  Read my previous posts or better, read the rules for Kate's ALQS #9 by clicking here.

Hope you will join this fun and easy little swap.  Or at least check back and admire all the little quilts that are being traded around the world.....

January goal

January is the beginning of a new year, and that means the beginning of the monthly challenges of setting goals and then completing them successfully in the "2015 A Lovely Year of Finishes" challenge hosted by

Shanna of Fiber of All Sorts 

and

 Melissa of Sew BitterSweet Designs

My first goal for 2015 is to finish binding this lovely quilt of blue slashes inset into the gray background pieces.  This piecing method is one of several featured in  the book Quilting Modern: Techniques and Projects for Improvisational Quilts by Jacquie Gering.  It was quite fun to do and I am already dreaming up another version of this technique.  Click here to see my first few blocks made for this quilt.

As you can see, the top has been pieced and it's also been quilted (by Pam Biswas - check out her website at www.pamquiltaholic.com) but sadly it is still needing to be bound.  The fabric has been selected ...... but I must slice it into my 2 1/2" binding strips (I prefer using bias cuts, but many cut their binding strips on the straight of grain), seam them together into one long bias strip, press in half with right sides out, then stitch onto the quilt (I prefer the two-step: machine stitch the binding to the front side, then whip stitch it to the back by hand).

This is my goal for the first A Lovely Year of Finishes for 2015.  Join me with this motivational group - the challenge is to finish set goals (something I do need help with).  I am linky #62.

Reflecting over my 2014 ALYoF work

This is my year in review of the lovely finishes I achieved, thanks to the motivational challenge set by Shanna of Fiber of All Sorts and Melissa of Sew Bittersweet Designs with their "A Lovely Year of Finishes" monthly challenge.

My first month to join was February 2014.  I am linky # 148.

My goal was to make blocks to swap with my Block Builders Bee in March, and I did get my blocks made in time to swap and now have a lovely selection of scrappy red-n-white blocks sitting - wait a minute!  I've met a goal but also have a new UFO added to my pile of growing projects. I am certain these blocks may reappear in a future ALYoF goal.  Meanwhile, I did not finish these blocks before the end of February, so I did not have a finishing post ... sigh.  My first goal was not completed by the deadline.  I must admit, this set me back and months passed before I set a new goal in ALYoF.

July came and so did my renewed effort to set goals of finishing projects, or at least finishing steps in projects.  This month my goal linky was # 105.

My blog post about this quilt is here.  "Fields of Blue" is a quilt made for my son Isaac.  He selected the pattern and the fabrics that I used (I may have slipped in a few blue variations to enhance the variety...).  My goal was to finish this quilt.  My friend Pam Biswas quilted it (the photo shows her work in progress), but I am slow to add bindings.  Since the goal is to finish things, what can top the actual finishing of a quilt? 

I met this goal, and am linky #64  in the finishes post for July 2015 (no photo appears in the linky as I was stumbling with how to do linkys still).  Above is Isaac holding up "Fields of Blue" for the photo that I had planned to use.  Eli, his brother, has decided he would like a quilt like this too!  I need to get that started one of these days ... Click here for my blog post about finishing this goal.

It is exciting to finish your goal!  I immediately selected a new goal for the month of August where I am goal linky # 32.  This month's goal was focused on finishing two redwork embroidery projects.  I have been working on both of these for some time, rather sporadically too.

I had taken to bringing them to my Teacher Inservice meetings (I teach two-year-olds how to enjoy attending at preschool), but still had not completed either one.

As you can see, both now have the embroidery completed and I am linky #72  in the finishes linky party for August 2014 (I have the honor of being the very last linky that month!).  Click here to see my blog post about finishing or here for my original goal blog post.

For September, my goal is to finish a sweet baby quilt for a dear friend's first grandson.  I am goal linky # 52, or click here for my original blog post.

I had found this fabulous fabric at one of my favorite local quilt shops, Quilt 'n Sew in Katy, Texas, and wanted to make a quilt from the 'cloth book preprinted pages'.  Sweet Baby James clearly loves his new quilt (as do his English Professor parents!)  Best of all, I finished it and James is enjoying it while he is still a little baby!  There are other baby quilts actually lingering in my UFO pile (believe it or not, that is very true -- maybe I will finish one in time for the intended receiver's Bar Mitzvah ... I still have a few more years ...)

I am linky #65 in the September Finishes Linky Party, or click here for my nice blog post (which is one of my favorites).

I am on such a grand roll now.  I am loving meeting my goals and better, finishing projects!  Onto October where my goal linky is # 25.  This month I took a different direction with a goal of upcycling a pair of denim shorts, turning them into a tote bag.  Click here for more details on my blog post.

Andy, our dog, was wanting to play, as he is wanting as I write this -- so here is a short puppy break.

Andy approves of the finished tote, which is linky #28 in the October Finishes Linky Party and you can also click here for more details on my blog, where you can see photos of the funky cat-print lining and interior pockets (sshhh, don't tell Andy).

November's goal was to finish my piece for the Michael Miller challenge featuring eight pastel solids in their Spring Cotton Couture line.

I am linky # 38 in the goals linky party or click here for my blog post about this goal.

I was thrilled to finish this month's goal and I love the quilt and the quilting by Pam Biswas.  The pattern is Pot Pie by Thangles and is quite fun to sew together.

For November, I am linky #52 in the finishes party, and more information and photos is available on my blog post here.  I am sad to report that my "Mmm Pot Pie" quilt was rejected from the Quilt Con show in Austin, Texas this February.  I look forward to seeing the quilts that were selected from the over 1,000 quilts entered in this show, especially the ones in the Michael Miller challenge exhibit.  I now have a new challenge -- to get a quilt made and entered into a juried quilt show!  I have no idea how many rejections I may receive before reaching that goal, but I am ready for this challenge.

Meanwhile, my last goal of the year was to bind more quilts. This month I am goal linky # 58, or click here for my blog post.

I haven't figured out how to take a good photo showing that the quilt needs binding.  If you have suggestions, please share.

These bargello quilts are made by a brand new quilter.  Can you believe they are her first and second quilts ever?  The magnificent quilting is by my friend Pam Biswas too.  My claim to fame: I added the binding, that's all.

 
 I am linky #41 in the December Finishes Linky Party and you can also click here for my blog post.

That's all!  These are my seven goals that I set with my six finishes.  I have thoroughly enjoyed being part of the "A Lovely Year of Finishes (ALYoF)" this year and plan to participate again in 2015.  My first goal - to add bindings to another quilt!

Thank you to Melissa (of http://blog.sewbittersweetdesigns.com/) and Shanna (of http://www.fiberofallsorts.blogspot.com/) for hosting this monthly year long challenge!  Did I mention that there are door prizes each month for the some of the lucky ones who achieved their goals?  I was lucky to win!  This post will qualify me for a chance to win one of the grand prizes for finishing a minimum of six goals (I barely got my 6 finishes completed!) and I am linky #32 in the final year-end linky party.  Join the fun for 2015.

Another great side benefit of "A Lovely Year of Finishes" is that I am blogging regularly again.  There are so many positives that I benefit from by challenging myself to set a goal each month and to reach it.....granted I do seem to start new projects just a quickly as I finish old ones ..... but that's a story for another blog post.

December goal met!

I am pleased to say not only have I met my last goal of the year, but I have also taken photos, downloaded them and am sharing them here -- before the deadline of midnight tonight!

Life is good.

This detail photo shows the lovely gentle wave of the bargello quilt.  

I love the full view below as well.

Can you believe this is the first quilt made by a brand new quilter?  

Beautiful job!

Here is another detail view of the second bargello quilt, with the full view below.  

Such splendid work from a first-time quilter!

My only claim to these two lovely batik bargello quilts is that I stitched on the binding on both quilts (which was my monthly 'lovely finishes' challenge).  The machine quilting for both quilts was done by Pam Biswas, whom I've praised before.  She does a wonderful job.   Please check out her website, if you are looking for a machine quilter:

www.pamquiltaholic.com

These two quilts mark my successful completion of my goal for the December "Lovely Year of Finishes" challenge.  Click here to see others that have finished their goals for the month, where I am linky #41.  You can also click here to see who entered the month with the goal of finishing something.  I am linky #58 on the goals page. 

Heart to Hand

 These are some lovely woolies that I purchased at Quilt Festival in 2013 or possibly even 2012.

So my question for you is ... does it count as a "Work-In-Progress" (a w.i.p.) if all I've done is collected the wool pieces?

Here is a photo of their booth that year.  Perhaps you recognize some of their patterns?

So, as I pause to reflect on goals for the new year, resolutions that I might make ... I came across these photos waiting to be posted ... waiting for me to add something before I finished the post.  Then today I realized that I will make this one of my goals for this year!  To make something out of my wonderful wools! 


wool, patterns, etc ...

Click:     heart to hand website  to visit their website and order your own wonderful wool pieces to play with, maybe even add a pattern and yarn too ....  Join me on my wooly adventure ....

A room with a view

I love to travel.

I love to stay in hotels too.

Best of all, I love to stay in a hotel room with a fabulous view!

like this one ...

isn't this lovely?

same window, looking to the far left.

and again, looking straight forward.

I'm so very pleased that I thought to take these photos as soon as we checked in, as the light is luscious.  It is heading toward sunset, but not late enough for the bats to fly out from under the Congress Street Bridge.  Years ago the State Capitol and the UT Tower would be easy to see -- long before high rises were allowed to be taller than these two landmarks of Austin, Texas.  Of course, I am looking out from the fifth floor of a building that didn't exist back then!

The other great treat of taking these photos upon arrival, is that a cold front blew in after sunset.  The window were covered with condensation in the morning and remained so for the rest of our stay.

But isn't this a lovely view?  Ladybird Lake with the Congress Bridge to the right and downtown Austin as it looks today, December 26, 2014.

I confess -- I do love a room with a view!

PS  Hint:  Always ask for a room with a view when you are checking in, or better still, ask when you place your reservation.

New finishes to tackle

It is a new month and time to decide what to tackle in my ongoing "A Lovely Year of Finishes" challenge.  I have so many projects that are just waiting to be finished that it is difficult to select just one to be the focus of finishing this month.  Perhaps because I know I will be distracted and stray from my challenge to work on other quilts.  I am learning that I love most to bounce from one project to another (might this must be the key to why I finish so few items? ... perhaps .... sigh).  

But I've finally made the decision for this month - at last!

This lovely quilt is the one that won the race and is my December focus to finish in "A Lovely Year of Finishes" challenge.

I aim to bind this lovely Bargello Batik quilt made by another and quilted by my friend Pam Biswas.  I will add a binding to this quilt, and possibly bind a sister bargello quilt too this month.  Be sure to check out Pam's website at http://www.pamquiltaholic.com/ as she's pretty awesome.

Here is a peek at my ongoing counted cross-stitch project.  It has been awhile since I've revealed where I am with it ... and I am plugging along ever steadily yet somewhat slowly.  Perhaps one day it will be upgraded to be my selection for the A Lovely Year of Finishes challenge - but not this month!

Two little peeks at my ongoing work -- come back to see how I fare with both ...

Also, be sure to join me and many more who are actively working to finish projects with the yearlong challenge called A Lovely Year of Finishes.  I have stated my goal and am linky #58 on the December Goal Linky Party page. Check it out here and feel free to join us. 

I'm excited -- this is my seventh month to post and link my goals in this yearlong challenge.  Here's a list of months with my linky numbers on the matching Goal Setting pages.
February - goal linky # 148
July - goal linky # 105
August - goal linky # 32
September - goal linky # 52
October - goal linky # 25
November - goal linky # 38
December  - goal linky # 58