September 2018 Quilt Update

Welcome to the Monthly Update.  What does that mean?  Well, it's just little ol me trying to recap what took place during the month so that I can keep track.  I kind of use it like a journal.  Please sit back and enjoy a peek into a month of my life.

Any links that you click in this post will open in a DIFFERENT window, allowing you to continue reading this without losing the page.

So . . . . If you have followed me in the past, you know that I have set CRAZY goals each month and it's tough when they just don't happen.  I think goals are wonderful - believe me, without them I fear my lack of  movement.  The thing is -- I just don't want another year of unattainable goals making me feel stressed.  I have a busy year ahead with lots of surprises, family happenings, and retreats.  Those items alone give me PLENTY of deadlines to deal with.  As a result, I am introducing the new goal section - hahahaha, it's the same, only reasonable.  Let's hit the ground running . . . or not.  How about a hot drink and a good read?  See, life is good.  Oh, and the goals each month are at the end of the post now.

The previous 2018 monthly update links are located at the end of this entry.  I hope that you make it that far.

1st -  Good Morning!  How are ya'll?  Yep, it's me.  I'm up at 5:30 ready and waiting to post Clue 1 of Autumn Splendor.  I hope you are as eager as I am.  Let's get this ball rolling.  Here is the link in case you're just now hearing about it as it is never too late to start in.  The directions will stay up for quite awhile.  This week it is little nine-patches and some HST's.  Have fun.

Mister and I are off to the zoo and a new brewery opening.  It's the weekend! A FULL day together starting at the zoo checking on the baby gorilla and hippos.  You can follow our fun while there in this Blog Post LINK.

AND, here is the Brewery LINK for the second part of our day.  We have truly had a great time and I was able to thoroughly enjoy the best lobster macaroni and cheese I have ever tasted.  So, so good.

Landing back at home around 7, I spend a little time working on the mystery and then call it a night.  Fun day and tomorrow is Sunday so another day with my love.

2nd -  Naturally, the day starts with coffee and a crossword puzzle down at the coffee shop.  Yep -- we are indeed creatures of habit.  The rest of the day is spent working on the mystery.  No pictures to show.

3rd - It's Labor Day and that means a three day weekend for my sweetheart.  We tried to leave the house to go walking, but it was raining so back in we went.  I worked on the mystery some more and then we braved the rain and went to see The Florida Project.  Strange.  I just can't decide if I like it or not.  This day turned out different than I thought it would, but still nice.  Emails have been sent and I worked on retreats a bit as well.  Cass sent me this darling picture of the girls in their rain capes having their own wet fun.

4th - It's another work on mystery day along with paying bills, cleaning my desk, and finishing the label for my beach quilt.  Another fun picture from Cass shows Ava all wrapped up in her new quilt.

5th - Pat Sloan's block released this morning and it turns out it is the setting and alternate blocks so that's not happening before the beach.  A catch-up will be in order when I return.  Moving on to cleaning half of the house so that my sweetheart has 10 totally calm, clutter free days AND I finish two mystery clues and schedule them for publication.  My day ends with a pedicure given by my sweetheart.

6th -  Packed for the beach and loaded up my half of the car before finishing up the house, doing the laundry, sending emails, organizing a block exchange in Our Quilt World and writing the file for the exchange.  Oh my.  Next up is tomatoes for my meal at the beach on Friday.

7th - And we are off!!!  I truly am looking forward to the sound/smell/everything to do with the ocean all the while being scared to death to see everyone as I am now.  Oh well, onward I go.  Lydia and I hit the road around 9 and by 2:00 we are staring at beautiful blue water.  Oh my.  You can follow along with our fun and adventures in this Group 1 LINK.  My sewing for the day is a start on my next-to-last R/W embroidery block.

8th - Clue 2 of the mystery posted early this morning and here is a LINK to the fun.   As soon as I get the post finished, I am off to see the sunrise.

 My day is spent working on my red/white block and a finish is accomplished.  TA-DA

Maria presents me with my beach quilt.  Oh WOW.  Words just cannot express how amazing she is.  If you don't know what I am talking about, PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE check out this link about her - maria the quilter.  It is definitely worth it if you are looking for a longarm wizard.

The quilting on this is incredible and each moment gives my eyes a new treat.  I am so very blessed to have phenomenal friends in my life and I will never, ever forget it or take them for granted.

This day just gets better as we head out for an evening walk on the beach.  Ahhhhhh -

I spend the evening trimming my quilt to prepare for adding the binding tomorrow and starting in on the LAST r/w embroidery block.  It's a big one, though, and will likely take days to finish.

9th - First thing, I am off to Debi's room to put the binding on my quilt.  Then settle onto the sofa to handstitch it down.  I have the bestest TA-DA and the whole story behind my quilt can be read in this Beach Friendship Quilt LINK .

The pillow exchange is today and just look at the beauties these women have created.  WOW does not begin to cover it.

Group picture number one and such a great story it is but what happens at the beach mostly stays at the beach, unless of course you read the separate blog post.  Hahahaha.

Still working away on my last red/white embroidery block.  I've got a LOT of work on it still by the time I head to bed.  Ugh.

10th -  We have rain off and on and try to grab a few moments on the beach whenever we can.

The group beach quilt picture is attempted -

11th - Today begins Tweener Time and you can share in our adventures with this Tweener Post LINK

We are lucky enough to spot a full rainbow and beautiful sunset all at the same moment.

Right before midnight, I finally finish the LAST red/white embroidery block.  Woot woot!!!  TA-DA

12th - It's another rainy day at the beach

I start both of my Whimm's blocks for this month and manage to get them both laid out and fused before stealing time on Sherri's machine to stitch them up.  I also start the embroidery on the second to last tea towel.  Best comment of the day came from Rocky wanting to web together some blocks.     "How do I spider?" 

13th - I finish both Whimm's blocks with some meticulous work.  Wow.  Also finish up my tea towel and spend the day helping Lori and Rocky with their Boxy Totes.  Another fun walk on the beach during a break in the rain and the second group of ladies arrive.  You can check out the fun in this  Group 2 LINK.

14th - More Boxy Tote time and more walks on the beach between storms.

I finish up the last of the tea towels.  Oh yeah.  This UFO from 1998 is now behind me.  Hallelujah.

15th - Clue 3 is live today and here is the LINK so you can see all the pretties.  The rest of my day is spent working on 3 quiet book pages and they are ready to applique onto backgrounds and have some velcro attached in places.  I'm already getting excited for this quiet book to come together.

It's time for the second group to have their beach quilt picture.

And then we are off to the jetty for sunset pictures and memories made.

Our planning meeting for November's retreat ended this wonderful day.

16th - Oh my glory!  It's a beautiful day!!!  I am so happy.  The sunrise is magnificent and no rain in sight.  Yes!  This is going to be a wonderful day!

I am working on row x rows today.  I brought three with me that have possibilities of going onto the back of Autumn Splendor.  I won't know for sure for awhile, but at least I'm moving forward on UFO's.  Without a machine today, I just cut all parts and fuse as many as I can.

The third one can only be cut out, so I take it, a Guinness, and my scissors to the deck.  I want to bask in the glory of this day for as much as I possibly can.

That means SWIMMING too!!  An away we go -- Such fun and amazing memories with these women I hold so very dear.  Psst -- that whole weight loss thing for me made it so I got back into an older swimsuit -- that rocks.

17th - Oh no -- the last day has arrived.  However -- nature treated us to the best sunrise as a good-bye.  So incredibly beautiful.  We watch for as long as we possibly can before turning back to the house to start loading cars and cleaning up.

18th - After the drive yesterday, I crashed and was pretty worthless for the evening.  Nothing new there but, today, I am on top of things.  I have unpacked, the laundry is going, OQW group stuff has been handled and, my woolie kits have been inventoried so that I can move some onto other homes. Since all the tea towels are finished, a group picture is in order.  I feel nice and organized today.  That's super unusual for the first day back.  Let's hope I can keep it up.

19th - What time is it?  Oh my, 2:30 a.m. and I can't sleep so am working on pictures.  Three hours later, I crawl into bed for a nap.  Pat Sloan's block is out and I have downloaded it and last weeks as well.  My Garlic Knot exchange blocks are laid out.

It appears that I need three more green blocks.  I'm cutting with the Christmas fabric anyway, so I cut for them too.  Some more work on the mystery and  organization of upcoming projects with friends.  Fabric ordered and fun times ahead.

20th - All the retreat pictures are uploaded to the group and I am working on the mystery with Garlic Knot blocks as leader/enders all while drinking an insane amount of water in preparation for a medical procedure tomorrow.

Now the layout is complete.  I'm sure some will be moved around, but for now, at least I have all the parts ready to go.

21st -  I am at the hospital by 7:00 a.m. for a colonoscopy.  Yep, just another wonderful day in my world.  We are back home by noon and another 4 hours of life are gone, never to be remembered.  So crazy.  By late afternoon, I am able to wander around the house and make a worthy mess cutting for layout alternate blocks for Pat Sloan's Mystery.

I also find all the gifts from the beach retreats.  I am so very blessed.  Hugs to everyone.

22nd - It's a Red Hat Day but I am still groggy from the anesthesia yesterday AND our area is flooded from the rains so I'm going to have to miss another fun event.  So help me, in 2019 I will not miss any more fun.  Clue 4 posted early this morning and HERE is your link.  I cut for another couple of PS blocks while finishing the alternate blocks from yesterday.  Then, just to prove it could be done, I cleaned up the room.

Finally, the roads are open and we can get out a bit.  Come along to see the crazy high water by CLICKING HERE to get to the post.  All I can say is WOW and I have some good videos there too.

It takes us awhile, but we find a beer to end the afternoon and I worked on the blog for the rest of the evening.

23rd - A break in the rain sends us to the Arboretum for some pumpkin love.  Please come along and see all the crazy coolness of 90,000 pumpkins, squash, and gourds by clicking this LINK.  The rest of our day is spent with family for Mister's sister's birthday.  It's a busy day, but enjoyable to be with family and share love and laughter.

24th - It's a typing day as I work on the blog.  Once I have tackled today's list in here, I am off to finish up some small goal list items.  Six Ohio Star blocks, 3 Row x row sewing sections done and ready to applique, 2 Pat Sloan blocks sewn and ready for embellishment, a start on alternate setting blocks, Fabric.com order cut and ready to deliver to everyone, and 3 quiet book pages pinned and ready for applique.  Whew.  That almost sounds like a severe case of ADD.

Here's today's funny.  While I was working on the outer part of these alternate blocks, I discovered these four "squares" in the stack.  Apparently, this is what happens when you cut while still under the effects of anesthesia.  Too funny.

25th -  All alternate blocks are finished and a Garlic Knot top is made.  The binding is complete as well and I have pulled backing fabrics.

26th - A haircut and some shopping are part of my day along with making the backing for Garlic Knots and a little work on the mystery too.  I really need to get this mystery finished but I have so loved working on this Christmas Garlic Knot Friendship Exchange Quilt.  Wow that's a long title.  I gotta come up with something else.  All it needs now is a label and the batting cut.

27th - My day starts with a dermatologist appointment in which my face is frozen in places along with spots on my neck, chest, hand, etc..  Yay!  This is just such a fun year.  For my afternoon fun, I am off to the dentist to throw and fit and get some type of teeth that will work for moments when my grands are around.  In between, I work on the mystery  but once home from the dentist, Mister recognizes the meltdown and takes me out.  Hello Lakewood Growler and coconut porter.

28th -  I head for the studio first thing and am driven to finish some more of the small items on my list.  THREE hours later, I am back in the house and have appliqued several parts to row by rows, and 3 quiet book pages.  That's it and a really long time to get to that point.

Next up -- label for Garlic Knots top

While working on the mystery, I use the new PS block as leader/ender and fix another one as well.  I didn't like the green I had used in it previously and switched to the same one that is in all other blocks.

A trip to the dentist to pick up teeth and presto chango -- I am willing to take a picture.  These are sooooo temporary and I can only wear them for a few hours at a time, but it's better than nothing when grands are in my life tomorrow.  We are now going out to celebrate, but apparently need to feed the birds first.

Intrinsic Brewing and some BBQ.  Love me some mac and cheese.

and beer, lol

29th -  It's another "no sleep" night so since I'm up, I post the clue early.  Here is the  Clue 5 LINK so you can see the progress in our mystery.

We are up and out of the house early -- heading up near Lewisville, a coffee shop and then a swimmeet for Jon and Jake.  I am ready to see the grands after a VERY long hiatus.  Here is the POST with videos of all the races.  Congrats to both for a great day.

We make it home in early evening and settle in to watch a little television.  I have a stack of handwork that has been waiting for just such a moment and happily stitch away while spending time with my sweetheart.  I can now check a few more items off my list.

The three quiet book pages are DONE - well until it is time to sandwich and bind them.

As is my row by row for this month.  Hello Provo Canyon.  It turned out pretty cool and will likely fit beautifully on my backing.

I spend the remaining time tonight finishing up a clue on the mystery - both sewing and writing.  It's getting close to the end for me now.

30th -  Well, let's see.  It's the last day of the month.  I have taken the time to get all blog posts totally current and have watched two movies with Mister.  Yep, we are ENERGETIC today.  I have also come to the realization that nothing more that falls within the realm of "sewing" will be accomplished today.  Meatloaf and cauliflower mash are in the works and it's just a great Sunday evening.  Ya'll have fun now and as we move into October, take time to enjoy the change of seasons.  I know I will.

Personal Goals:

REPLY TO COMMENTS:  This is a big one for me.  I want to stay on top of it and will work very hard to do so.  It may not happen the day of the comment, but I will be fairly current.

UFO for this month:

Pineapple Blossom - quilted and bound
Garden Party - quilted and bound
Texas Tumbleweeds (yes it got moved to UFO status) - quilted and bound
Beach Quilt - quilted and bound -  Quilted by Maria and bound by me.  Done

Current Projects:

Quiet Book - 2 pages finished - Three completed
Autumn Splendor - Yep - almost there
Pat Sloan Mystery - keep up - Current -- through block 8 and all alternate blocks

UFO Monthly Items:

2 BOM - Whimm's - Done
Red/White quilt - on hold until redwork is finished - ready to do next month
Ohio Star - 6 blocks made - Done
Garlic Knots - determine layout and sashing - make top - Done and backing/binding made
1 Row by Row block - Done

UFO Handwork Items:

1 Box finished for tea set - on hold til Mister's hand is better
Red/White quilt - one embroidery block finished - Last two finished
Finish one tea towel - Last two finished


Links to Previous 2018 Monthly Update Posts:

January 2018
February 2018
March 2018
April 2018
May 2018
June 2018
July 2018
August 2018