Second Quarter Wrap-up Post

I'm going to make this easy for Katy.

Here's the link to my second quarter goal-setting post.

And, here's the link to the ta-da post for my single, solitary finish--the Anita's Arrowhead quilt that I made for my daughter.

That's it.  No finished sweaters, no finished cushion covers.  Nothing but the one quilt.  What can I say--it's summer, and after several years of relative neglect, I had to get out and do something with the garden.  Not that I'm complaining.  It was great to feel well enough to weed and dig and plant after being unable to do much of anything physical for so long.  But, now that the garden is looking more or less presentable, I'm hoping that I can accomplish more next quarter.

Linking to the Quarter 2 Finish Party

Yay! A Big Finish

Yes, I finally finished something bigger than a breadbox.  It's the Anita's Arrowhead quilt that I've had on the last million finish along goal lists.  Okay, maybe not a million...closer to three, including my second quarter list of goals... but it's done and it's beautiful.  

I did some simple little  free motion loops and leaves with a neutral grey Aurifil 50 thread. 

 

And I used Susie's Magic Binding to finish it off.  I love that it's machine sewn, so it's very durable, yet you don't have to worry about whether you're catching the binding on the other side as you stitch.  The thin line of colour that almost looks like a flange or piping is a bonus.   

 The texture of the quilt is lovely--soft and drapey. 

 And one more picture, because otherwise I'm not certain that all the lacerations I suffered pinning this thing to the holly hedge was worth it.

Most important, the recipient is happy with it.  That really does make the whole endeavour worth while. 

Second Quarter Finish Along Wish List

Okay.  Maybe wish list isn't assertive enough, but given my poor showing the last couple of quarters, it may well be the most likely.  In fact, if I manage to finish the three things on my list this quarter, I'll be very pleased with myself.

The first is my Anita's Arrowhead quilt.  I started this after taking Anita Grossman Solomon's Craftsy course, Traditional Blocks Made Simple.  It took me forever to piece the top, but boy--are those points perfect.  Now, it's  basted, but for the life of me, I can't decide how to quilt it, or even what colour thread to use. 

The second is to make covers for these cushions.  Way last fall, my husband made this lovely little daybed for my sewing room.  He used an old mis-matched head and footboard from the 40s.  It fits a toddler bed mattress (the room isn't very large) and it's perfect for sitting in the sun as well as providing nap space for smaller guests.  Those naked cushions have been sitting there for ages, and I really need to do something with them.  I've pulled some pretty scraps for the two rectangular forms.  One will be get a quilt as you go cover, and the other will  probably be a modified Stashbuster block.  The rest will have covers made from blocks that I love, but don't have the patience to make enough of for a quilt.  Blocks like the Octagonal Orb, and Modern Dresden.

And since no list is complete without something for the girls, this time I need to finish up these cute little spring toppers.  They picked the colours themselves. (What happened?  No pink or purple?  Turns out that wasn't an option in this line of yarn, otherwise it certainly would have been the old standbys.) And it will  certainly be easy to spot them at the playground.  I think that I'll make them matching twirly skirts as well.  You can't go wrong with a twirly skirt, can you?

So, that's it for me. Should be doable. 

Linking up to Katy.

Quarter 4--the wish list

Well, this post should be easy enough to write--I could practically cut and past my quarter three goal list, and barely have to make any changes, since I only managed one finish.  Oh, well.  This quarter will be more productive.  But, I think that I'll also be a bit more realistic, so that should help as well.

I'm going to carry forward two projects big from last quarter, and add two new small ones.

1)  I've made a bit of progress with the Anita's Arrowhead quilt.  I've gone from this

to this.

Actually, that only about half the blocks I've finished.  Which is about a third of the number I need.  They're taking a while because I'm being really picky about making sure the points match.  And they are.  This one's going to be beautiful when it's done--how can it not be with so many truly lovely fabrics.  And I'm really looking forward to quilting it.  After the minimalist straight-line approach on my last quilt, I'm really craving lots of dense swirls and curves and loops. 

2)  The Christmas star quilt (Oh My Stars! designed by Sheila at Thought and Found.) is exactly where it was in July.  I haven't made a single cut or stitched a single stitch.  And, if I intend to use it this year, there's a built-in deadline.  So, I'd better get hopping.

3)  The first new project is a wall hanging.  And, dare I say it, it's an Art Quilt.  It's the second time that my friend Anne and I have come away from an exhibit and challenged ourselves to create something that reflects what we've seen.  Last time it was a single technique.  This time, it was a very eclectic show put on by the Vancouver Island Surface Design Association, so we decided to incorporate a number of elements--including something that sparkles.  So far, I've just made the foundation from a variety of different neutral cottons and muslins, but I've been thinking about it a lot.  And,  I've pulled a selection of possible embellishments--beads, ribbons, threads, and other fabrics.

This is so far out of my comfort range that I can't believe that I'm doing it, let alone posting about it.

4)  Also, I need new cushion covers.  I posted this last time in a vague sort of way, but this time I'm serious.  I need to replace the shattered fabric on the back of one, and finish this one started in September 2012 as my traveling project and needlepoint wool scrap-busting activity. I don't expect to do any more traveling in the near future, and I just want it done.

And those four items are the only projects that I'm going to set as concrete goals. I learned in the last quarter that a lot of time can be taken up with what you might call "off-list" projects. For example, the fall edition of Kid's Clothes Week is coming up, and while the timing doesn't coincide to allow that sewing to be included on this list, it will still take a solid chunk of time in addition to the actual sewing week (especially since I haven't yet decided what I'm going to make the kidlets, let alone bought any fabric).  And I'm doing a complete sewing room overhaul now that I've sold my huge loom (we didn't call it the loom room for nothing). And even if I may have started Christmas gifts, they can't be included in the quarterly list because unlike last year, this year's recipients are old enough to read about them.  And so on and so on. 

Keeping my fingers crossed that this quarter is more productive than last, and linking to Leanne's post.

Finish Along 3rd quarter goals

It's time to put together our list of goals for the 3rd quarter.  I'd like to use the same strategy as I did last quarter--that is, seriously over commit so that I don't waste so much time dithering about which project to start next.  Deciding is such a painful process.  The problem is that having been out of commission for the last month, I don't actually have that many projects started that require finishing.

The first project I want to finish is a summer dress.  It's been years since I made a dress for myself, but it's time for me to start sewing again.  There are just so many beautiful fabrics out there.  The plan is to make this dress...

Photo from Sewing Patterns.com

...from this beautiful Kaufmann Essex linen/cotton blend designed by Melissa Crowley.

Photo from Fabric.com

I've made the muslin...

(no, I never sew in both the sleeves) and I think that I've worked through all of the fitting issues, so now I just have to sew it up. Should be a piece of cake, right?

The second project is the modified Baby Chevron.  It was on the list for last quarter, but life had other plans.  I'm really looking forward to working on this again. The strips are ready to be sewn together.

Third, is an arrowhead quilt.  I recently signed up for a Craftsy course on making traditional blocks--Traditional Blocks Made Simple.  It was an accident--I'm not really a traditional block type of person, but as it turns out, I loved the course. The instructor--Anita Grossman Solomon--was a delight. And, while this may be a traditional block, it looks modern to me.

Fourth, I'm going with the Christmas in July theme, and getting an early start so that I can make at least one quilt, and perhaps a couple of runners and wall hangings by December.  For now, though, I'm going to make a Christmasy version of Oh My Stars! designed by Sheila at Thought and Found. Yes, I realize that the quilt along has been over for a long time, but it really is the perfect Christmas Quilt. This is the first block, and I need to make six more of them. Then on to the other 14 variations.

And fifth, I'm going to deal with this leftover block from my Mystery Stars Quilt.  I made a slight miscalculation and the block ended up being too large.  But I love the block and I think that it would make the perfect centre for a medallion quilt.  What looks like very noticeable seam allowances on the white pieces are actually strips of paper that make it easier to whip stitch those sections to the paper pieced star.

And, there are a few more projects I need to get started--some big and some tiny.  For example, there is the summer edition of Kid's Clothes Week.  I want to make some pretty summer things for the girls. I have the patterns and the fabrics ready to go, but I haven't started cutting yet.  That will have to wait for the launch on the 15th. The backs of my cushions have worn out--it was one of those fabrics that, while lovely, just tend to shatter with age and exposure to light. And there are the bench cushions that need recovering.  But I'll be happy to finish up the five projects I've identified as priorities for this quarter. 


I keep saying that I need a start-along more than I need a finish-along, but I think that this finish-along is helping me get out of project monogamy rut. It encourages me to start things so that I can add them to my quarterly list.  I need to thank Leanne (and Rhonda before her) for their help with this.

Now, I'll link this list up to Leanne's 3rd quarter page to make it official.   

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