Are you determined to finish a bunch of UFOs and to NOT increase the number of quilts or projects on your UFO list???
Congratulations on making that choice!!!
Something New to Try
Leanne, of Devoted Quilter is hosting a WIPS-B-Gone ’23 challenge. This runs from October 1 to November 30th. WIPS is Works in Progress. And, for my PHD in 2023, I want them Gone. Do you?
I thought I’d give this a try … Leanne has several different trackers to choose from and they each have 61 icons for you to colour for each day that you work on a Work in Progress. It’s free!! It sounds like fun and if it motivates me further to get projects done, done, done – I’m IN!!! We’ll see how it goes! And, I have already downloaded the sewing machine tracker. But there are other trackers for you to choose from … the choice is yours! Are you going to try it as well?
My Tally Sheets
This month, I finished the “Pieced to Perfection” quilts (see HERE), the Dog pouches (see HERE) and the Shweshwe pouch (see HERE).
And again, no UFOs finished this month! Maybe next month!
Here’s my tally sheet:
If you want to keep track of your own progress, please feel free to download the 2023 Template.
Here’s my Task Sheetof my UFOs. This helps me keep track of what I’ve accomplished with my UFOs and what I need to do. I made a little progress on the wallet this month.
You can download your own Task list from Ms P Designs HERE.
Linky Party
Show us your progress with your PHD in 2023! Or show us what YOU are celebrating in the quilting realm!
September”s Classic Car colour is Mustard. Visit Patterns by Jen HERE for your free download of this month’s block …
Here’s my September block, followed by the rest of the monthly blocks. I’ve used scraps of Island Batik for all of my blocks.
September: Mustard
Are you ready for a Mystery Quilt?
I will be hosting a Mystery Quilt here on my blog starting Wednesday, September 27. The clues will be posted every Wednesday for 8 or 9 weeks.
When I originally made this quilt, I used a Kansas Troubles layer cake. I will be making this quilt along with you using a 10″ stack of Island Batik fabric: “Cheers” and Dandelion – plum.
The quilt will finish at 59″ x 59″
Fabric Requirements:
A 10″ stack (or layer cake) that has at least 39 squares. (Yes, you can use fabric from your stash if you wish) The pattern tester used 20 squares from a layer cake and 20 squares from a coordinating fabric that she cut herself. Both quilts look great!
Background: Fabric 1 ¼ yard or 1.1 m
Binding: ¾ yard or 0.8 m
I might have caught a bug!
A knitting bug! When I was in Newfoundland, my sister-in-law was knitting socks. It’s been a long time since I knit, but I knew it would occupy my hands during the airport waits and the flight home. So I went and bought the necessary supplies.
Now, I know that I struggle with hand sewing hurting my hands, but knitting doesn’t seem to be as bad! And it’s great to do while watching tv at night.
Yesterday, I went to Knit City in Vancouver. My friend, Carmen, that runs owns and runs Prairie Spirit Alpacas was there … A few items popped into my bag … including another alpaca/wool pressing mat! I LOVE my mat and figured that 2 on my ironing board would be just fine!
The variegated blue/teal will be a toque and a scarf and the green/beige/grey will be a Beanie with a polar bear on it.
Pieced to Perfection
Did you see all of the fantastic Island Batik quilts in the Pieced to Perfection Blog Hop? Visit Island Batik’s blog for a recap. Click HERE. Or … see them all on my Instagram: HERE.
Stitching Stuff
Kate, from Life in Pieces, is hosting “Stitching Stuff” and the goal is to sew for at least 15 minutes a day. I use Kate’s guideline, but my personal goal is to sew for 30 minutes a day. On those “blah” days, it does motivate me to sit at my machine and 30 minutes often turns into several hours. Thank you Kate for the motivation!
January – August: 249 / 266
September: 24 / 24
Total: 263 / 276
Percentage: 95%
Stash Report
Donna at Quilt Paint Create hosts a weekly linky party where you can display your stash numbers. This has really kept my stash from growing (somewhat!) Before I buy anything, I am always mindful of the fact that I need to report it on my blog … That sometimes stops me in my tracks!
These zipper pouches used about 1.5 yards of fabric … You can read about them Here and Here.
Yearly Tally:
Fabric Used since the last report: 1.5 yards
Fabric Used in 2023: 157.5 yards from non-IB: 68
Fabric Bought this week: 0 yards
Fabric Added this year: 17.5 yards
Net Fabric used: 146 yards
Just an FYI: I do not count any fabric that is given to me (Island Batik), but this year, I am going to count it as fabric used.
To Do Tuesday
Carol from Quilt Schmilt is hosting “To Do” every week.
The To Dolist from a few weeks ago:
Get “Splendor” Quilt to flimsy stage: FIX those mistakes !!!!! Mistakes fixed … progress, but not finished
Work on Pin Dot Floral Quilt. It is being quilted progress, but not finished
Cut out Malted Mystery Fabrics.Not done
Finish “It’s a Dog’s Life” project – completed and posted … √ DONE
Do NOT be distracted by any SQUIRRELS! I NEED this continual reminder! √ DONE
Tidy & clean studio for 30 minutes.√ DONE
This week’s list:
Get “Splendor” Quilt to flimsy stage
Finish quilting Pin Dot Floral Quilt #3
Work on “Monster Mash” project
Cut out Malted Mystery Fabrics
Get “Dashing Through the Snow” to flimsy stage
Do NOT be distracted by any SQUIRRELS! I NEED this continual reminder!
I’m hosting TGIFF this week … scroll down to see the link up.
But first, I’ll show you my finish for the week:
When I was in South Africa in 2019, I went to a fabric store in Cape Town, “Lowry’s Fabrics.”
In the picture below, the red, blue and green fabrics are Shweshwe fabrics with the 3 Cat label on the back. You can buy Shweshwe fabrics from a Canadian store: Meerkat Shweshwe and they ship worldwide.
Shweshwe fabric is a heavier fabric, not as heavy as canvas, but much heavier than quilting cotton. When I first bought it, it felt like a board! But after washing, it softened considerably!
I had made my daughter a small zipper pouch a few years ago. She recently asked if I could make one a little bigger, with possibly a pocket inside?
Of course, I said, “yes!” It’s not like I have no deadlines or other sewing to do!!! LOL!!! 😄
Once it was cut out, it didn’t take long to make. And yes, the inside pocket is also Shweshwe fabric. The lining is from fabric that was hanging around, waiting to be used!
Shweshwe fabric is perfect for bags!
TGIFF
TGIFF (Thank Goodness it’s Finished Friday) is a weekly link party for participants to show their finishes for the week!).
As well as the Shweshwe pouch above, I also finished a group of zipper pouches for the blog hop: It’s a Dog’s Life … you can read about them HERE.
Here is the Link for you to link up your FINISHED project:
I will be hosting a Mystery Quilt here on my blog starting Wednesday, September 27. The clues will be posted every Wednesday for 8 or 9 weeks.
When I originally made this quilt, I used a Kansas Troubles layer cake. I will be making this quilt along with you using a 10″ stack of Island Batik fabric.
The quilt will finish at 59″ x 59″
Fabric Requirements:
A 10″ stack (or layer cake) that has at least 39 squares. (Yes, you can use fabric from your stash if you wish) The pattern tester used 20 squares from a layer cake and 20 squares from a coordinating fabric that she cut herself. Both quilts look great!
Carol, from Just Let Me Quilt, is the organizer and host of this fun blog hop!
Here’s what she had to say:
Sew your project with dog themed fabric or applique/embroidery of dogs
She also gave an option of doing something vintage … but not for me … I’m going with the dogs! 🐶
I have made a few dog quilts over the years … and the 2 doxie pillows were made by my friend, Linda! So I just had to include them – they are so darn cute!
I had a LOT of scraps left from the last 2 quilts. They were all in one container! BONUS!!! and I’ve mixed them up and paired them up and cut them up … and made a bunch of “doggie bags!” Using some of my 7″ stash of zippers.
Did you see my post earlier this week? The one with the Island Batik “Pieced to Perfection” quilts?
These were made with the fabric collection “Copper Patina.” These collections should be shipping to your local stores in October. To read more about these quilts and If you want an opportunity to win fabric from this collection make sure you comment on the original POST, HERE.
Coming Soon!
I will be hosting a Mystery Quilt here on my blog starting Wednesday, September 27. The clues will be posted every Wednesday for 8 or 9 weeks.
When I originally made this quilt, I used a Kansas Troubles layer cake. I will be making this quilt along with you using a 10″ stack of Island Batik fabric.
The quilt will finish at 59″ x 59″
Fabric Requirements:
A 10″ stack (or layer cake) that has at least 39 squares. (Yes, you can use fabric from your stash if you wish) The pattern tester used 20 squares from a layer cake and 20 squares from a coordinating fabric that she cut herself. Both quilts look great!
This is Week 2 of Island Batik’s “Pieced to Perfection” Blog Hop.
Lots and lots of beautiful quilts are being shown!
September 11 was my day to show my quilt using the “Copper Patina” fabric collection. I absolutely LOVED the teals in this grouping! Hobbs Batting, Aurifil thread and Silly Moon Rulers were used to create these quilts!
Here are pictures of my quilts and you can read more about them HERE.
If you want an opportunity to win fabric from this collection make sure you comment on the original POST, HERE.
Are you ready for a Mystery Quilt?
I will be hosting a Mystery Quilt here on my blog starting Wednesday, September 27. The clues will be posted every Wednesday for 8 or 9 weeks.
When I originally made this quilt, I used a Kansas Troubles layer cake. I will be making this quilt along with you using a 10″ stack of Island Batik fabric.
The quilt will finish at 59″ x 59″
Fabric Requirements:
A 10″ stack (or layer cake) that has at least 39 squares. (Yes, you can use fabric from your stash if you wish) The pattern tester used 20 squares from a layer cake and 20 squares from a coordinating fabric that she cut herself. Both quilts look great!
Background: Fabric 1 ¼ yard or 1.1 m
Binding: ¾ yard or 0.8 m
Stitching Stuff
Kate, from Life in Pieces, is hosting “Stitching Stuff” and the goal is to sew for at least 15 minutes a day. I use Kate’s guideline, but my personal goal is to sew for 30 minutes a day. On those “blah” days, it does motivate me to sit at my machine and 30 minutes often turns into several hours. Thank you Kate for the motivation!
January – August: 225 / 242
September: 10 / 10
Total: 235 / 252
Percentage: 93%
Stash Report
Donna at Quilt Paint Create hosts a weekly linky party where you can display your stash numbers. This has really kept my stash from growing (somewhat!) Before I buy anything, I am always mindful of the fact that I need to report it on my blog … That sometimes stops me in my tracks! But not when I’m on holidays!
The 2 quilts for the Island Batik challenge used a total of 16 yards of fabric.
Yearly Tally:
Fabric Used the last week: 16 yards
Fabric Used in 2023: 156 yards from non-IB: 66.5
Fabric Bought this week: 0 yards
Fabric Added this year: 17.5 yards
Net Fabric used: 144.5 yards
Just an FYI: I do not count any fabric that is given to me (Island Batik), but this year, I am going to count it as fabric used.
To Do Tuesday
Carol from Quilt Schmilt is hosting “To Do” every week.
The To Dolist from last week:
Get “Splendor” Quilt to flimsy stage: FIX those mistakes !!!!! Not done
Work on September’s IB challenge. √ DONE , blog post written and posted
Work on Pin Dot Floral Quilt.progress, but not finished
Cut out Malted Mystery Fabrics.Not done
Work on “It’s a Dog’s Life” project progress, but not finished
Do NOT be distracted by any SQUIRRELS! I NEED this continual reminder! √ DONE
Tidy & clean studio for 30 minutes.√ DONE
This week’s list:
Get “Splendor” Quilt to flimsy stage: FIX those mistakes !!!!!
Work on Pin Dot Floral Quilt
Cut out Malted Mystery Fabrics
Finish “It’s a Dog’s Life” project
Do NOT be distracted by any SQUIRRELS! I NEED this continual reminder!
Paper piecing, also known as foundation piecing, is a quilting technique that involves sewing fabric pieces to a paper foundation. Precision, relative ease of use and design flexibility of paper pieced patterns make them a very popular choice among quilters. Show off the fabric from your assigned Spring’ 23 0.5 yard bundle and make an eye-catching paper pieced showstopper!
My assigned bundle is Coper Patina shown here:
Years and years ago, Carol Doak had a yahoo group with lots of paper piecing blocks. She recently started a Facebook group with lots of new patterns. This inspired me to make a Block of the Month pattern from years ago for this month’s paper piecing challenge.
I printed out the patterns and started making the blocks.
Chain piecing and paper piecing without sewing on the paper! I’ve never tried the freezer paper technique, but using paper straight from the printer works for me.
I paired a lot of the fabrics together and made the blocks on the left, with the centre star. The centre star used “Egg White” (a basic that is always available) and “Swirl Teal Jade” from the collection.
But I wasn’t happy (picture on the left). It seemed like a mish-mash of the fabrics and did nothing for the centre star.
So I started making more blocks using one fabric from the collection and Egg White. The picture on the right shows these blocks in progress. Yes, I’m much happier.
Here is the finished quilt with lots of custom ruler quilting.
Quilt Stats:
Fabric: 9 select fabrics from Copper Patina, paired with Egg White
Binding: Scrappy with select fabrics from Copper Patina
And there is More!
There was the ‘left-over’ blocks from my first attempt. I added the solid Black sashing and border, with Swirl Teal Jade for the cornerstones. I must admit, I like this way better than my first attempt with the Swirl Teal Jade star. Perhaps if I had used solid black for the star, I might have been happier. However, it’s too late now and I’m not going to do it over again! I’m happy with this one!
However, before I went with the black, I attempted to use some of the gold fabric in the collection for the sashing:
No! No! No!
Sew, out came my trusty seam ripper, I auditioned other fabrics and settled on the black.
Much better!
Quilt Stats:
Fabric: 17 select fabrics from Copper Patina, with solid Black
Size: 46″ x 46″
Pattern: BOM by Carol Doak plus “Tennessee” from 50 Fabulous Paper Pieced Stars (it’s the middle star on the left)
Binding: Scrappy with select fabrics from Copper Patina
I had wanted to take a picture of the 2 quilts together on the lawn, but with our drought conditions and brown scrubby grass, I went across to the neighbours rock garden and took the picture there.
*** Be sure to visit Britany at Bobbin with Brittany to see what she made with Copper Patina! ***
Nova Scotia: We stopped at a museum, Age of Sail Heritage Centre at Port Greville, and spent some time being awed by the plethora of things collected. Of course, my interest was mainly the fabrics / quilts and the old sewing machine! This is one place you could literally spend weeks at and still not see everything!
The majority of items were donated or on loan from locals in the area.
The first quilt was made around 1880 … almost 140 years ago! There is a picture of the whole quilt. I didn’t touch the quilt, but if you look closely, you can see some big stitch quilting.
I must admit, this lady in the rocking chair was a favourite of mine! She invited me to sit down and listen to her story … such fun! (Picture from Age of Sale Museum)
Although I don’t have any finishes to show you, I have finished a few projects. You will see them in future blog posts …
Sneak Peek
Here’s a peak into what I might be showing you on Monday for the Island Batik paper piecing challenge and blog hop!
Copper Patina is the collection
Paper piecing without sewing on the paper
A block and partial blocks …
I was Featured!
Both Jennifer (Wednesday Wait Loss) and Andree (Free Motion Mavericks) featured my covered composition book. You can read about it HERE.
We went to Fogo Island for a day. While touring around the scenic villages, we stopped in 2 different quilt shops.
Mona’s Quilt and Jam Shop and yes, I bought jam.
The Lookout: And look at that door! I bought a rug hook kit and thought I’d give it a try. I tried and gave up. I didn’t help that I’m allergic to burlap! My husband tried and gave up … but never fear, the kit will be passed on to my nephew’s partner’s niece.
Once back on the ‘mainland’ of NF, in Bay Roberts, we visited “Sew it Seams.” Literally, the smallest quilt shop I’ve been in, but one of the friendliest! And she sells lots of gifts and souvenirs as well!
A Special Stop
We stopped in Nova Scotia for a brief, but fantastic visit. We ended up going to a cottage on the beach at Two Islands. I was COLD on our trip, but I warmed up by the wood stove, with great company and a fantastic view. When we entered the cottage, I spied, with my little eye, a QUILT!!
The blue quilt was fun to see and I even recognized a fabric that I had, back in the day … Then Erin brought out a quilt that her grandfather (97 or 98 years old) had received as a Quilt of Valour! This was super special to me as I have donated a few quilts to QoV and it was great to see someone across the country in NS had received one as well!
Stitching Stuff
Kate, from Life in Pieces, is hosting “Stitching Stuff” and the goal is to sew for at least 15 minutes a day. I use Kate’s guideline, but my personal goal is to sew for 30 minutes a day. On those “blah” days, it does motivate me to sit at my machine and 30 minutes often turns into several hours. Thank you Kate for the motivation!
January – August: 225 / 242
September: 3 / 3
Total: 228 / 245
Percentage: 92%
Stash Report
Donna at Quilt Paint Create hosts a weekly linky party where you can display your stash numbers. This has really kept my stash from growing (somewhat!) Before I buy anything, I am always mindful of the fact that I need to report it on my blog … That sometimes stops me in my tracks!
Nothing purchased, nothing finished …
Yearly Tally:
Fabric Used the last week: 0 yards
Fabric Used in 2023: 146 yards from non-IB: 59.5
Fabric Bought this week: 0 yards
Fabric Added this year: 17.5 yards
Net Fabric used: 128.5 yards
Just an FYI: I do not count any fabric that is given to me (Island Batik), but this year, I am going to count it as fabric used.
To Do Tuesday
Carol from Quilt Schmilt is hosting “To Do” every week.
The To Dolist from last week:
Get “Splendor” Quilt to flimsy stage: FIX those mistakes !!!!! Not done
Work on September’s IB challenge. progress, but not finished
Work on Pin Dot Floral Quilt.progress, but not finished
Cut out Malted Mystery Fabrics.Not done
Do NOT be distracted by any SQUIRRELS! I NEED this continual reminder! √ DONE
Tidy & clean studio for 30 minutes.Not done
This week’s list:
Get “Splendor” Quilt to flimsy stage: FIX those mistakes !!!!!
Finish September’s IB challenge
Work on Pin Dot Floral Quilt
Cut out Malted Mystery Fabrics
Work on “It’s a Dog’s Life” project
Do NOT be distracted by any SQUIRRELS! I NEED this continual reminder!
Tidy & clean studio for 30 minutes.
Design Wall
Judy, at Small Quilts and Doll Quilts, hosts a linky party for “What’s on your Design Wall” every week. This hasn’t changed since the last report.
Piecing projects:
“Splendor” Quilt: Fix mistakes and adding borders
Work on another Pin-Dot Floral quilt
Work on “It’s a Dog’s Life” project
This picture shows “Splendor” with it’s mistakes still glaring at me!
Quilting:
September’s IB challenge
Upcoming Blog Hops
Island Batik: Pieced to Perfection (My day is September 11)
Just Let Me Quilt: Sew It – Show It: It’s a Dog’s Life (September 18 is my day)
This blog hop starts tomorrow. I’m SEW excited to see everyone’s quilts!
But, first, you have an opportunity to win a Fat Quarter bundle of the complete Island Batik collections – Chromatic by Deb Tucker’s Studio 180 Design or Blushing Garden by Kathy Engle!
First, you have an opportunity to win a Fat Quarter bundle of the complete Island Batik collections – Chromatic by Deb Tucker’s Studio 180 Design or Blushing Garden by Kathy Engle!
Quilting Gail 