OMG for April 2018

The OMG for April has to be the Asterisk Quilt.  I didn’t get it done in in March and I really need it done for April or I will fall off the face of the earth and all life will end.

I am linking up to the OMG at Elm Street Quilts.  Go check out the other OMG people and then come back at the end of the month to see who made it.......and who didn't. 

AND ..... I have to win this month......Violet Craft has a pattern in the gift bag that I just ADORE.  Keep saying that, must win, must win, must win!

I have one more block to make, a black one.  The center will be plain white.  Borders will be white, of course, and will expand the look of a vast white background.

Well, not that vast.

Vast enough.

Number 8, Please Step Forward!

Judy at Patchwork Times has pulled number 8 for the next UFO to work on.

And I will use this and the Asterisk quilt for REME Guild as my One Monthly Goal for March.  I can't figure out what color to make the center.  If this continues, it will be plain blank.

I am pleased to introduce to you (drumroll please)

 Nummmmmm - berrrrrrrrr 8...........


The Bird Quilt! It is my new favorite thing in the world!  (get it??)

It has several names,  and I guess now I really should figure out what to finally call it, for once and for all.

The Daily Bird - because every day in December I made a new bird and there are 31 of them in the quilt.









 Bird Is The Word - If you remember, every bird had his (or her) own story.  It was sometimes a color story or it could be a person story.  Or just some crazy imaginings in my head.

And if you are my age, you might remember this ditty:

The Bird is the Word     oh, you gotta watch this to the end!
Frank  used to imitate this guy all the time.  Must have been in his manic episodes!  



But if you are younger, you might remember this one, and think it was written for this episode of the Family Guy:

bird is the word 



or this one......  bird is the word

OMG.......now the stupid thing in in my head forever.

Definitely found the name, huh?   Now to find the quilting design.  Lynne, how did you quilt yours?

OMG and UFO Challenge Finishes for Feb 2018

I have two finishes for these two challenges.  And it feels good to get them both done. I am linking to both the UFO Challenge and the OMG (One Monthly Goal). Click on the projects to see what others are doing with their challenges.

I get to a certain point in the quilt piece construction and it becomes less than imperative (or  fun) to continue going.  I want to start the new stuff!  I love these incentive programs to spur me along to  a couple of finishes.

First finish for February - whew, say that five times fast

100 Meter Swim - Just in time for the Olympics.  This is from a book written in German by Bernadette Mahr.  I love her work, so improv wonderful.

It is basically a Chinese Coin construction with watery blues to look like the shimmering water in a crystal clear swimming pool.  The diving board and starter blocks stand out in stark contrast to the cool of the water.

I really love this piece.  I am thinking it will be an entry in the CFAL show later this year.

The second finish is Triangles.  This is a quilt that started from nothings.  What I mean by that is multiple years ago Connecting Threads was having a clearance sale and I bought several packs of solid pre-cuts.  There were half yards, fat quarters and 10 inch squares.  Most of them are still sitting on the shelves.

I wanted to make a big block triangle piece so  I grabbed one of the 10 inch groups and just cut and sewed.  No pattern.  I ended up with a bunch of triangles and put them in a box for a year.  When they didn't  magically sew themselves together, I guess the quilting fairies didn't see them in the box, I  had to do it.  Then it needed to be larger, so I had a sheet from my mother's stuff from assisted living.

So the blue in the borders and on the back is that sheet.

It is a bit different to work with a sheet than it is to work with fabric.  And if you are hand quilting it would be difficult due to a higher thread count in the sheets, but I was going to put it on the long arm.

I also wanted to use it as a practice quilt for different free motion techniques.  I got out my Natalia Bonner and Angela Walters books and tossed in every design I could muster.

I totally love the solid blue back and the individual triangles.  Some are more shaky than others.  I found I had straight lines and ruler work down, but needed serious work on the curved designs!

So finish number 2 this month is done.  I have a thousand million threads to bury.  the back is finished and about 1/3 of the front done.  But it is done in all other aspects.


 Now on to the March finishing challenges!

One Monthly Goal Finish - Zig Zag

Wow, I finished my OMG for January.  Are you shocked?

Not as much as me!  LOL

In all seriousness, I did finish it about 2 weeks ago, and it was a good thing I did because all hell broke lose in the last two weeks.  I have been sick with "Not The Flu".


 Now Frank has it.  He was out of town for my illness so I had the three dogs wanting in and out and to eat for two days before he felt so bad he drove home from Houston to be sick here at home.



I started Zig Zag in a retreat.  It is a pattern from Cultural Fusion by Sujata Shah.  Lots of scraps in there!

I quilted it with a HUGE Baptist Fan pattern on my domestic head rather than the long arm.  You can go here to my Fun with Barb post to see why.........it wasn't pretty

It is bound in a red orangy fabric......just because.  there are so many colors in there I felt it needed to be contained by a strong color!

Not sure what I will do with it yet.

But it is declared finished!

And I am linking up with the Elm Street people at OMG - Finish for January Linky! 

And with Judy at Patchwork Times for the January UFO.......hey, it is NOT cheating.......

One Monthly Goal - December 2017

                   1.  Quilt at least one top (Sawyers Quilt?)
                    2.  Get at least one binding done (triangles or Improv Stripes)
                    3.  Doorways piece for Fiber Group (due Dec 14)
                    4,  Finish One Road Thru Town
                    5.  Quilt Pink Quilt for Kaitlyn
                    6.  Quilt the Blue Squares for Malachi

It is time for setting December Goals for the One Monthly Goal.....although mine might be the MMG.....More Monthly Goals! Click on the link above and you will be taken to a land of wonder and fun!

I have set 6 goals, but I will shoot to finish any 4.  They are all things I really want (or need) to work on.

1.  I have had Sawyer's Quilt finished for a while now.  It got moved to the Long Arm Room and it did not get quilted. So I moved it to hang over the frame bars.  And it still did not get quilted.  Now i moved it to this list!

2.  I have both the Triangles and the Improv Stripes quilted (last month's OMG) and they are ready for binding.  I am hoping to get both done actually.


3.  I have to get that Doorways piece done...........just do it.  Carol of Quilted fabric art gave me an idea that was pretty cool, so at least now I have an idea.

Pink Front

4.  I need to put the backing on One Road and it will be done.  I just need to figure out how I want to hang it for the show.

Pink backing

5 and 6.  I decided to send two quilts to my nephew's kids in Washington State.  Pink is finished and Blue is finished so they can be quilted with a quick pattern and given a binding.  And sent off to Washington.

I guess I need to tackle 5 and 6 first! 



And I bought a really good iron to replace the one I bought to replace the one that leaks all over the darned place.  a Rowenta.  I like this one a lot better.  It still turns off, but the setting dial stays on hot.  And it takes like 8 minutes before it turns off.

I am happier!

Finishes for OMG at Elm Street Quilts

 I am linking with Elm Street Quilts for her One Monthly Goal Completion tally.  The Come To Jesus in the quilting world.  I think it really helped me, because i would have continued to put off binding that Santa quilt, like I have for the last 11 years.

You know, the other day I found out that Patty of Elm Street Quilts does not live on Elm Street.  Hmmmmm.

Also I realized that if you are going to be a quilter of any note you need to be named either Patty or Julie.  Isn't that weird?  There sure are a lot of Pattys and Julies out there in the quilting world.  But just how many quilters do you know named glenda?  Or glen?

Not many, which is one reason I have always hated my name.  I should have stuck with the nickname my brother gave me, Sissy.  But I don't really see myself as a Sissy.  Or the one my father always called me, gaggie.  No, not like gagging, but more like gog.  Or grog.  You know, I do miss hearing that.  Only two people ever called me gaggie, and I miss both of them.  Diane lives a couple of cities over in Covington.  And I don't get to see her often, but when I do, she always calls me gaggie!

But I digress.....Finishes.........

I projected four goals.......and I finished all of them.

1.  Bind Santa - Done     

2.  Quilt at least one quilt - done (and I quilted two actually for extra brownie points!  I should win something just for that).  Next month my goals should be to bind these guys.

I did quilt the Improv Strpes but I must have put that photo somewhere really safe  because I cannot find it in my quilt photo anywhere.  So you need to just take my word on this one.

Or go  here and check out for yourself.  







I do have the Triangle Quilt to show, front and back.  Make it larger by clicking on them.

3.   Quilt for the Naval Cadet Ball is finished and delivered for the Big Raffle!







 4.  Do some embroidery on the One Road Thru Town for the CFAL Journeys Show in 2018.  I still can't believe I am so far ahead of having a piece ready!  Usually I am sitting in the venue while everyone is hanging stuff and working feverishly to get the piece finished!

Like I said, I should win.........because I went above and beyond and quilted that extra quilt in there.....Patty, you listening?

OMG - One Monthly Goal Assessment

There were those naysayers who thought I projected too many OMG goals........maybe, but I do a lot of work when I get in the quilt room.

Well, it is half way though the month and I have two of the 4 goals done.

I will have to admit, I would not have done the Santa binding had it not been on the list.  I should have gone into the sewing room and put the binding on today, and didn't, so it still may not be a finish.

Let's say that I am hopeful. It is binding after all, right?

This is where I stand at half month:

1.  Completed the Navy Cadet quilt
2.  One Road - I put the backing on it but have not done any embroidery stitching on it
3.  Santa - binding needed
4.  I have quilted TWO quilts from the pile, and yep, they need binding now.....

Hey, maybe I should have binding day tomorrow!

We have our first Grandparents Day in the morning.   And Wednesday I have the Fiber Group and will show my two Japanese pieces.  I can't wait for that.  Usually on the Tuesday I am scrabbbling to do something to fit the challenge for the month....it is half baked due to lack of time.

OMG - One Monthly Goal

First.

I went to post the OMG Finish for October but I couldn't find where my post had gone through for the OMG Goal earlier in October.  Maybe I don't understand this this, but I am going to try again for November.  So here are my November OMG Goals.

And of course I am linking up with the One Monthly Goal site over at Elm Street Quilts.

1.  I have to bind and wash the  Freedom Quilt I am sending to my cousin.  Her son is in the Naval Academy.  The Blue Star Mom Group, I think it that is what they are, they may be just an organized group of Cadet Moms, is doing a fundraiser auction to have a holiday party for Matt's class.  They don't get holidays like other colleges do.  (Delivered to Karen 11-16-17)

I told her I would send a quilt.  Frank loves this quilt.  It is just a 9 patch that was cut up.  I forget what they are called, I keep wanting to say Deconstructed 9 Patch, but I don't think that is what it is called.

2.  One Road Through Town - I want to get some hand work done on this piece.  It is my entry into the CFAL Journey Exhibit in January 2018.  I am optimistic about it being finished, this is the earliest I have ever started a piece for a show.  Yep, that's me.


3.  Santa - come on woman, he just needs to have a binding put on!!!!!  This is my own design for a Challenge when I was in CyberSisters Guild back in like 2005.  I won second place with this jolly old elf!






4.   Get at least one more quilt from this pile quilted on the longarm!  Last month I actually increased the number on the pile by making squares I didn't use in the Fish Quilt and making a whole NEW quilt.  Oye! (quilted Triangles and Improv Stripes)

I count 8 quilts waiting to be quilted.  I think some of them might just get a simple meander
that I won't have to worry about the panto matching.




Second.

I wanted to tell you about a feature on my super duper new sewing machine I just realized I had last night.  I was working on the One Road piece and was basting it to a piece of batting.  I got the screen on the machine stuck in some mode and went to the book.  I am of the "When all else fails, read the instructions" life process.  I found it had a Basting Stitch that starts out by tacking the threads and takes long stitches.

The great part comes when you remove the basting later.   You just pull the bobbin thread and it all unravels!

Oh my!