Well this morning I was pretty sure that I would be writing a post tomorrow saying I didn't complete my March goal, but here I am at the 11th hour letting you know that I did complete the goal. I've been tired for weeks trying to fend off this bad cold Dwight has had and then I came down with it myself so I didn't hold out a lot of hope. But after a boring but restful morning doing sudoku after sudoku I put my pedal to the metal and completed all the blocks.
I've decided to hold off on putting the sashing on the blocks until I decide where they are going to go in the quilt. I also might replace the red in the block on the right, but again I think I'll wait until I get all the blocks done and see how I feel about it in the quilt.
I said that completing this goal would make me happy, and it has. I'm linking up with the OMG completion link up with Patty at Elm Street Quilts. Later in the week I'll share the sewing I did with my quilting buddies last weekend.
I find I have had little time or energy for quilting lately. I've come through a fairly busy time and I'm starting to wonder if this is how it will continue to be. We have also all been walking around with a virus we can't seem to shake. I'm longing for Spring and some warmer weather, although I am grateful for the sunshine we have been having. I have made some slow progress on Postcard from Sweden.
It's looking very beautiful don't you think? It's an interesting process working on this quilt, a kind of paint by numbers approach which requires a great deal of concentration. I'm not fussing too much about points as I'm sure no one will notice in all this colour.
Working with all this colour is such a wonderful thing. I find that each time I get to introduce a new colour I feel a burst of joy. Seeing how colour and fabric play together is what feeds my quilting energy. Oh, and I've started to warm up to Peach.
This photo gives you an idea of my process. I make four blocks then pin them on the design wall in correct order. I repeat that for the whole row, making three sections. I repeat this for the next row. Then I sew the two rows of section one together, followed by the two rows of section two.
I sew these three sections together then move on. I don't mark. I do it all visually referencing the finished quilt. It's interesting seeing how we all do this differently. My way is working out o.k. so far, but it might get more complicated as I get further down the quilt.
I'm hoping to get a little more progress done before the next link up, but I'm going on a small quilt retreat next weekend and this is not the kind of project I want to bring along. I'm linking up with Main Crush Monday and with the Postcard from Sweden linkup as well.
I managed to finish fairly substantial goals for both January and February so you would think I would go for another big one, but I've decided to go smaller this month. At the end of February I was beginning to feel a bit stressed about being able to keep up with my quilt alongs. I eased up a bit on the self pressure and all is good, but I know I am going to be quite busy this month so I want to keep it easy.
One thing I will be finishing this month is my postcard for the postcard exchange hosted by Patty of Elm Street Quilts. Here's evidence that I have started. Actually I've got the top of the postcard done so I just have to quilt it and then pop it in the mail.
But this isn't my goal. My goal for March is to catch up with the Quilters Planner quilt along. I'm working on the on point version so I should have four blocks finished by now. I decided to double up on the same blocks as Cheryl did in the original quilt mostly so I don't have to think about it. I have one block finished for January, and this is as far as I've gotten with one block for February.
So I have to make 4 blocks in total to catch up. Two February and one for January, and then the March block. This isn't a lot but I have to fit them in around working on Postcard from Sweden and getting things done for my guild's next Bee Day, Block of the Month etc. Getting caught up with this quilt along will make me feel really happy , so it's my goal. I'm linking up with Patty of Elm Street Quilts for the One Monthly Goal linkup.
Last week I managed to finish this.
It's a 12 l/2" mini quilt that I made for my co worker Erin. The committee that organizes these kinds of things at my work was a little bit late in letting us know about our secret Valentine this year so that's why you are seeing a heart now.
It took me some time to settle on what to make her. You see Erin is an master seamstress. She taught herself how to sew from tutorials on the internet and she has made herself jeans and a all season coat. For her secret valentine she made a dog coat. So the pressure was on to make something good.
I knew the colours she likes and I knew that she didn't like cutesy so when I saw the mini quilt designs on Carole Lyles Shaw's blog I figured it would be perfect, and it was. She absolutely loved it , and she is going to hang it in her sewing room.
I've also been working with these beautiful fabrics. I'm playing along with Sandra of MMMQuilts and Helen of Midget Gem Quilts who are hosting a Postcard from Sweden QAL. I ordered a kit of the Kona fat quarters from Mad About Patchwork. So far the most exciting thing about this quilt along is getting to see 36 luscious Kona cotton colours up close and personal. I have a colour card but it's not the same thing. I'm really loving some of these colours. The colour which had the most triangles in the quilt , peach is my least favourite colour, but I am thinking it is probably a colour which helps other colours to shine. Some of my favourite colours, Azalea, Breakers , Water and Capri, have the smallest number of Triangles. I guess they will pop in the quilt.
This is my system. So far I've cut all the squares (I'm making the smaller size). My plan is to cut the triangles as I need them and to construct the quilt by making the blocks for one row at a time and then construct that row. Thanks Louise for that tip. I have to move things around in my sewing room so much between my own projects and guild projects. I think this approach is the only one in which I can keep my sanity.
I'm linking up with the PostCard from Sweden linkup and with Main Crush Monday, hosted by Beth from Cooking Up Quilts, but before I go I'll announce that the winner of my 4th Blogversary Give Away was Gayle of Pedal so Lightly. I'll get your prize in the mail, within the week Gayle!
