March 2023 Quilt Update

 

Our theme this year, Binding Us Together, is just so needed.  If you didn't get a chance to check out the post explaining it all --- here is the LINK to the initial post.  I'm looking forward to the direction this can take us all, but especially myself, if I give it a whirl.  Sometimes stepping out of comfort zones is challenging, but it almost always allows for growth.  Here we go:  March is here!  I know you were expecting some green, leprechauny thing, but I'm on a different path right now.  There is so much reevaluating going on that I have to take time and make choices that help me grow.  This month - let's focus on those finishes.  Share those TA-DA's and let us build each other up.  Literally, use threads to bring us together.  Bring them on!  Share and help one another find joy in the craft we all love.

If you are new to the blog, you may be asking, "just what is a monthly update?"  I decided long ago that I just can't keep up with blogging daily.  I just can't.  Sooooo, what happens is I document each day in my life within one post and if something special happens, a separate post takes place.  See, you can stay caught up with a once a month check and then, if you're interested, see the other posts too.  It's a great system for me.  There will be links throughout this update that go to related posts of MINE.  They will open in a new window so that you can keep your place here.  Just click on the hyper-links if you wish.

 In years past, I have set goals for each month that I NEVER was able to reach.  However, I NEED that guideline to follow, so I will continue to do that simply to keep myself on track.  UFO mode will continue around here with minimal purchases (hopefully), but also a few fun and new items will make an appearance now and then.  The "hopeful attempts" will change each month and will always show up at the bottom of the update if you read that far - and they are joined by links to the previous monthly updates for the year.

Now, grab a cuppa and sit back for a fun read and perhaps a new idea or two.   (P.S. I format on a computer, so if you are reading on a phone, well sometimes the pictures will be before or after the story.  It is what it is.

1st - A new month means new blocks for the Civil War sew-alongs.  It's not too late to join in as two of them go all year and the third is a two-year project.  Here are the March blocks and links to join the groups if you wish.  Barbara Brachman Sampler

The Loyal Union Sampler

Dear Jane

The number for this month's APQ Challenge is:  11.  Ugh, that is the one on my list with the most work to do.  It is the 2020 Sucks Exchange Block quilt.  I can do this.  Our start to the month is a bit rainy.

I found this pattern a couple of weeks ago and decided that it may be a good way to use up those 30's fabrics that are still hanging out.  It'll happen in 2024 as a sew-along.

A little cooking is a good start to the month.  YUM!  

2nd - Prep work is happening today.  I am trying to get a jumpstart on the upcoming adventures.  So many days away from home between now and July.  I have to plan when I can.  While working on the HP block prep, I made a significant dent in the 3 1/2" strip bucket and cleaned it up at the same time.

HP (Project of Doom or POD) prep is done.  

With Bountiful still out, I prep another couple months of it AND a couple months of Anna's Baskets.  Cut, cut, cut is the mantra today.

We are supposed to really get hit with storms tonight --- Mister has his flashlight and is ready for whatever comes our way.  I can't help but smile.

With rainy days and a chance of power loss tonight - Roasted Tomato and Lentil soup is the plan.  Nothing like comfort food.

Let the fun begin!

3rd -  Last night's storm wasn't near what we anticipated and we are thankful.  No power worries and all is good.  I'm back at the cutting table and working on my Sewcialite block.  Lots of little squares in pretty colors.

Dear Jane for several months is now pulled as well.

Oooooh, fun in the mail.  This is the new Pat Sloan line called Porch Swing and she is doing a sew-along sometime in May.  I'm ready.

It was a good delivery day.  My On The Wind fabric also arrived.  I'm going to use this for Corey Yoder's mystery quilt entitled Summer Patches, which starts this month.

AND the finishing kit for Al Fresco is also here.  I'm hoping to make progress on this during the month.

Some sewing happened.  Hahahahaha.  My Sewcialite block for this week is done.

4th - Start of 3 day weekend together - First to Canton and then onto Tyler.  Here is a LINK to our adventure today.  Some sights were:

5th - A little East Texas wandering that includes the Caldwell Zoo and other bits of information.  Here is the LINK to share in our fun.  Animals and interesting tidbits galore.

6th - We are winding down our weekend with some time in Corsicana.  Here is the LINK to learn along with us all the amazing things that make Corsicana great.  I can't wait to return.

7th - Normal life has returned and I'm going to attempt to make progress on my list along with preparations for retreat, which is rapidly approaching.  I have cut all the parts for the wall hanging project I received at Missouri Star last summer.  There's just one problem.  I don't have enough of the background and must order.  Problem number two -- no info on selvage.  Off to the group for help.  I know it's a Bella Solid, just not sure which white.  Guess this won't be going to retreat with me.

Packing and staging has commenced.  Sure seems like a lot and doesn't include my suitcase or food.

8th - The usual mundane chores are happening today.  I'm cleaning house so that Mister can live without "debi" all over the place.  Laundry is underway and my final packing of suitcase happens.  Next, the car is loaded and ready to go.  The backings for our Spooky Season (Jen and mine) arrived and I'll take one along to give her.  Next - cook a decent meal for my sweetie as I'm leaving him carless for the next 10 days.  I've been to the store and he is set, but still . . .  

Also - some of the t-shirts for this summer have arrived.  Hmmmmn.  This one is slinky.

And these are both large.  Interesting.

9th - The day has arrived and retreat season 2023 has begun.  It's a VERY foggy morning for my drive.

The weekend is about to get fun.  I love these times together and cannot wait for each one.  It's always hard to wait, but the wait is over.  She Believed is ON.  If you would like to share in all of our fun this weekend, here is the She Believed POST.  I am focusing on the many blocks I seem to be making each month while I am here.  Today is Anna's Baskets and things go pretty well until I make a mistake and use the wrong piece on a basket, trim it down, and then need the larger piece on another basket.  Go figure.  At any rate, this is as far as I can get until I get to the fabric at home and recut or add to the piece with the handle.  Goodness.

Next up for me is the Barbara Brachman Civil War Sampler blocks for April.  Yep, April.  I'm always one month ahead as I'm hosing the sew-alongs.  They go quick and are in the done column.  That's pretty much all I did today, but please check the linked post as others had a ton of TA-DA's.

10th - Today I am teaching Composition Book covers AND making three of them at the same time.  Wonder how this will go?  Not too bad but not the best either.  Next weekend I'll do better.  First though - my Sewcialite block for this week.

And my jar opener TA-DONE.  I really wanted attention for this.

My TA-DONES!!!  I love them all.

By the time I'm ready for bed, I have one POD block completely ready for embroidery and another well on it's way.

11th - The first task for today is to finish up the second POD block and I've managed that.  It is now also ready for embroidery, which will happen back home.

Game night and these amazing women are part of my life.  Missing in pic are Stephanie and Jen.

By the time the day is done -- so are my pumpkins.  Well, almost.  All 19 of these babies still need the stems appliqued, but that will have to happen at home.  It's a good start, though.  I feel like I'm just getting a lot of things partially done.  Very few checkmarks happening.

12th - The first session of retreat ended today and I spent the whole day working on Loyal Union blocks, but no pictures to show.  I was in "down mode."

13th - Tweener time allows for various different experiences.  This one is no different.  Here is a LINK so you can peek in on our quiet time.  Today, Jen and I are off on a fabric hunt and hopeful that it ends well.  Along the way, we spot a quilt that we love and find a similar one online that comes in a kit (and we like it better).  We'll order as soon as we're back at the house.  Designs by Tana has just what Jen needs and we are soon on our way back to the house, loaded with information for a fun new class.

14th - Jen has departed and my area is rather empty.  Give me time and I'll fill it up, but for now, I'll just miss her.  I work all day on Dear Jane blocks.  The Loyal Union blocks were almost finished, but a few missing pieces and one block sewn entirely wrong (well, to be truthful, it was photo-copied wrong and then sewn wrong as a result).  Dinner out in Cleburne and a happy find as a result.  Will repeat.  Yes, there are 5 during tweener time for those who think that we are packed.  Debi and I stay as hosts and the other three travel too far to send them home between.  We love this time to just be friends.

15th - Dear Jane - you are making me crazy.

By the end of today -- I have managed to finish the Dear Jane blocks for Aptil.  Not all are wonderful, but all are done and for that, I am thankful.

16th - Round two of retreat weekends begins today.  It's a busy day, but I do have one block finished for showing.  My Sewcialite blocks is done.   To share in all the fun of this retreat, here is the Rockstar LINK.

17th - I'm still at retreat and the ladies have come to visit --- prompting us to feed them.  It's a sure thing and a great plan on their part.

The whole fam damily.  Love them all so much.

My TA-DA for the day - Al Fresco, which came in my Sew Sampler Box.

18th - Angie is taking us to all new meanings for "rockstar" this weekend.  Painting rocks is up first.

I went with a quilt - go figure.  

All of the rocks - 

My task for today was to work on my number 11 for the APQ Challenge.  I got a start on it, but am a LONG way from a finish for this month.

Cleaning up and packing --- all my treasures from the last 10 days.  Thank you so very much to all who spoiled me - rotten, I say, rotten.

19th - And just like that - the breakdown has occurred and we are heading home.  I am truly thankful for the women in my life that enrich it so.  Love to all.

The drive home is nice and a LONG visit with Mom takes place.  It's been over 10 days and we need to catch up.  I arrive home to a plethora of fun.  At one point, Mister had texted me asking if I was preparing for a fabric shortage.  Well, it just all hit at once and it is not all fabric.  I know one of the boxes is the Halloween fabric Jen and I bought while at retreat.  That sure got here fast.  I won't be opening it right away.  Stay tuned for the other openings.

But first, my love has been home alone for 10 days without a car --- time to go somewhere with him.  Works for me.

20th - The unboxing has commenced.  Lots of t-shirts for upcoming trips.  Apparently, I'm hooked on two colors.

The first Barn Star BOM has arrived.

Pure delight in a Missouri Star Box.  That just leaves some other BOM's.  As for the rest of my day, it was all on the computer.  I'm sooooooo behind.

21st - Naturally, it's a laundry day.  That happens after a long time away from home, right?  I'm also fixing all the blocks that I couldn't finish while at retreat.  Loyal Union is ready to go.

Anna's Basket is done.

And the DM BOM is put together as well (one of the BOM packets in the mail.)  I'm trying something new and only sewing until noon, in the hopes of getting some things caught up in the office in the afternoons.  We'll see how it goes.  I'm off to the computer.

22nd - First thing, another BOM that arrived in the mail.  JF is done and awaiting next month.  This one is closing in on the end.  

All morning I've had turkey in a stockpot, hoping for yummy goodness.  By 2:00, I've added vegies and made Danish Dumplings to add to it.  Super delicious and pretty happy with it. 

Mail call --- Sew Sampler has arrived.  Another fun project that will happen in April.  Just no more time this month.  Since it's afternoon, off to the computer and I worked on applique in the evening.  Gotta keep those hands busy right now.

23rd - My morning sewing consists of the Barn Star blocks, which I screwed up so badly.  It's a BOM, so not a lot of extra fabric on this one and I miscut the centers of the lighter blocks.  I made it work, but they are not pretty.  It is what it is.

The Sunny Patches Mystery Quilt by Corey Yoder started as well and I've got my filler blocks half done.  They are sewn and cut, ready for the next step.  Back to the computer I go.

24th - Good Morning!  I am working on the next step of the Bountiful Charity Quilt Along and have used my  morning and into my afternoon getting these done, only to discover that this step doesn't release until April 7.  Well, that's a fine how-de-do.  I guess I had extra time this month - NOT.

Sewcialite block is done - at least it was an easy one.  Since I've blown the "afternoon computer" thing today, might as well keep sewing.

Sunny Patches blocks are now done.

As are my Country Christmas blocks, which I've been working on in the evenings.  Super cute - these just make me smile.

25th - Dallas Blooms is going I want a return visit to see how beautiful it is now.  Mister is always game, so we are up early for a member morning entrance.  So, so pretty.  I have a post that has all the pictures in it so click on this LINK if you are interested.  It'll be worth it, I promise.

Back home to a brunch prepared by my sweetie.  He did an "empty the fridge thing" with leftover rice, arugula, cherry tomatoes, havarti, and egg.  Such a fabulous frittata and so, so good.

All I do today is print the book titles for my POD project, pin them on and select the floss colors.  Then off to run errands.

Followed by evening out with my love.

26th -  We are off to see the bluebonnets today.  I asked and Mister agreed.  Here is your LINK to the natural beauty of Texas.

Evening hand sewing - one book has the embroidery done.  Making progress.

27th - It's Monday and I realize it is the last few days of the month.  I'm not even close to the end of my APQ challenge UFO and need to really focus on it, but first - the applique work on the pumpkins for Spooky Season needs to be finished also.  Off I go.

Once I get the pumpkins done - a bit of a Row by Row gets the gray I'm using as well.

Now to work on the 2020 Sucks.  I add the top and bottom border and side columns plus a white border.  No idea where this is going - design as I go is taking place.

Mister has a new toy and he's pretty happy.

My evening work is to bury the threads on the pumpkins.  Check.

And to finish the embroidery on the first POD block.  Another Check.

28th - Now to get serious on this project.  I spend ALL morning working on the top to this.  There will be a whole story at some point.

Afternoon working on the Ohio and Greenland trips.  My evening embroidery has two books on the POD block finished.

29th - Another whirlwind morning and I have a top.  Woot woot.  So much story to tell.

My POD block gets finished in the evening and I'm a happy girl because I know binding is in my future.

30th - First thing - while oatmeal is cooking - I get the label and binding made for 2020 Sucks.

Then it is straight out to the studio to quilt Illusions, which is loaded on the machine.  It takes four hours of a simple meander and this beast is quilted.  I have hardly any backing left --- woah.

Quickly, I load 2020 Sucks onto the machine, but there is no way I can do another right now.  It's time to head inside for other end of month items.  Nothing like cutting it down to the wire once again.

Binding goes on Illusions - 

The afternoon mail brings me a very large box.

It's crazy big and no way I ordered that much.

Ahhhhh - lots of stuffing inside.  Not really that much.

Off to the computer I go - once these have been put away.  Some are retreat gifts and others are just for me.  Pssst - I got a Chuck the Duck.  Binding on Illusions for the evening.

31st - The last day of March has arrived.  I am now officially out of time so off to the studio I go.  Four solid hours of scribbling all over the quilt ensues and it's coming off the frame.

Crazy trimming follows.  Why?  Well, because I made the top too big for the back.  Funny, right?  It was a quilting challenge, but I met it.

Settling into my chair, my fingers fly as I bind this sweetheart.  Several hours later, she is done.  Yes, it's bizarre - but read the story that goes along with it. I have never made a "statement" quilt. Not sure I did this time either, but it came close, just bit by bit as I put it together. It all started 3 years ago at retreat, as a toilet paper crisis hit the nation and we sat and laughed like crazy. Little did we know just what we were going home to. Through the hysteria and outright insanity that ensued, Samantha Els Dixon thought it would be fun to do a "2020 Sucks Block Exchange." Seemed like a great way to take our minds off of the world around us. I even went on Spoonflower's site and found some fabric I could play with as part of this. One weekend, at retreat in October of 2020 I found a ton of cute fabric on the swap table and thought it would be good for a backing - keeping the fact that the quilt sisters had sustained me throughout the year and how thankful I was for that. I then drew a layout for blocks I didn't have back yet and made the back in November 2020. Then it sat and sat and sat - well with a few brief moments of light. Until now. At retreat in March, I started putting the center together. I have to build it out to the size of the backing - odd right? But isn't everything about 2020 a little odd? Somewhere along the way I had fussy cut the cornerstone squares and the sashings. I got the center put together in March and packed it back up to take home. This IS my APQ Challenge UFO for this month so I can't just ignore it, but I do a fine job until March 27th. I add two more columns of blocks and some white border, followed by toilet paper and 2020 borders. Now what? I decide to add words - BIG words. Why? Well, because during 2020 all I heard was shouting - everywhere. However, the insanity around us was mounting, so no more fussy cutting -- just haphazard 2020's everywhere. I ran out of toilet paper after SUCKS. Fitting, right? Then I started running out of the 2020 pieces - well that makes sense too as product was running out all over the place and shelves were empty. I threw in some black to fill in and show the depths of despair all around us. As I was finishing up, I located two little toilet paper HST's - it was a miracle to find toilet paper and not little piece could be wasted. You'll find them in the W. I still had a bit to go to reach my size and went with a calming fabric, remembering that by the end of the year we were all a little more sane - well at least Mister and I were. Now, all that was left was the quilting. Well, I scribbled for three hours to show the chaos of the time. Thus, my statement piece. Thank you Samantha Els Dixon, for getting this all started.

And the back

Whew - breath girl.  Take a minute to enjoy the beauty in my own yard.  For the evening, I finished the binding on my Illusions quilt and it is TA-DONE also.  I'll get a nice picture tomorrow.

That brings us to April.  I hope you are enjoying the theme this year of Binding Us Together.  This month focus of time together --- take a road trip and enjoy each other.  You can do it.

Thank you for reading this far.  If you made it here, kudos to you.  Hope you have a great month and find a way to bring joy into your life.  Stay creative Y'all.

I've tried to make a COMPLETE list here so that I have only one place to look it all up.  I apologize in advance for the boring nature of this to y'all, but it helps me.  Honestly, it just gets longer each month.

UFO's to quilt:  these are staying on this list and I am so hoping to actually make progress this year with the quilting aspect. 

BOM #1 - quilt and bind - 
BOM #2 - quilt and bind - 
BOM #3 - quilt and bind - 
Winter Wonderland - quilt and bind -

Witch's Night Out - quilt and bind - 

Quarantine Challenge - quilt and bind - 

Dawn's Early Light - quilt and bind - 

Xing - quilt and bind - 

Straits of Mackinac - quilt and bind

Ruby Slippers (a.k.a Emerald City) - quilt and bind

Pfeffernusse - quilt and bind 

Current Projects:

Sunny Patches Sampler - current

Alphabet project from MSQC last summer - 

Half Moon Rising project from MSQC last summer - 

Composition Book gifts (3) - Done

Skillbuilder - 

Illusions BOM - DONE

Summer Moon - 

Ruby Jubilee -  

Long May She Wave - 

Oh Happy Day - 

Joy-Filled - current

Designer Mystery - current

Spooky Season BOM - current

Puzzler Blocks - 

BB Civil War Sampler - current April ready

Loyal Union Sampler -  current April ready

Dear Jane - current April ready

Country Christmas BOM (2 per month) - current

Harry Potter BOM (POD) - current 

Anna's Baskets BOM - current

Sewcialites BOW - current except the one that came out on the 31st

Bountiful BOM - April's done, mistake on dates

Barn Star BOM - current

Row by Rows - minimal progress

Al Fresco - ready to quilt

UFO Items to work on:
 
Neutral strings - 
BAD blocks as leader/enders - 

Whims 2nd quilt - 

Rhododendron Trail - 

Sandcastles -

Midnight Flight - 

Daybreak -

2020 Sucks Exchange -  DONE

Farm Girl - backing/binding made - 

Round Robin (mine) - 

UFO Handwork Items:

Hand Quilting -- 

Stocking - in Montana, will work on there

Wool Wall Hanging - 

Links to Previous 2023 Monthly Posts - 

January 2023 Update

February 2023 Update