Less than a week left in August

I have less than a week to cross off some projects from my list for this month.  I have been busy finishing up a few preemie quilts and also have some quilt tops made, ready for layering, quilting and binding.  Not a totally unproductive month!
We have smoke from forest fires overwhelming us some days.  Isn't stopping me from playing tennis daily but sure makes for a lot of soot in the air.  

I have been working on Preemie quilts for our local hospital NICU or special care nursery.
I have made six but these are the first three that are quilted and bound and labelled... ready to go!

Each one has a different binding and I used two different patterns that I got with charm packs purchased from the Needle and I in Burnaby this spring.

And I worked on another row by row, this one from Grandma's Attic in WA.

A girlie quilt made from a Jolly Bar kit from the Fat Quarter shop.  I figured out a pattern by copying something from their website.  Pretty in pastel.  Add another top to add to the list of what needs quilting.

This was the second of three jolly bar kits from Fat Quarter shop and I followed a Villa Rosa pattern for this one but made it larger than the pattern.  Was originally thinking of it for Quilts of Valour but now that I am collecting quilts from the Fraser Valley for fire victims in Rock Creek, it might get quilted and donated to that worthy cause.  So much sadness for those that have lost their homes and contents because of forest fires this summer.

This is a layer cake that threw me for a bit of a loop when I put the blocks up on my design wall... am sure I have just spent so much playing with 'modern' quilt ideas (with lots of calm neutrals) and this one is very bright and at first, felt overwhelming... am getting used it and my Wednesday Quilt Diva group really liked the blocks and colours and brightness so am living with it for awhile until I decide on sashing the blocks or no sashing and just go for it!

Bonnie Hunter on her Quiltville site has put out a tumbler challenge for leaders and enders so I cut up a bunch of odds and ends fabrics that were a bit girly and this is what is happening so far! Bright and happy and definitely scrappy. 

So, there you have my production from the last few weeks. Preemies will get finished and I think September will have a long list of tops ready for quilting and binding. They are predicting rain for us here in the Pacific Northwest which is wonderful for the forest fires, trees, plants and the grass (and maybe I will be able to wash my car in the rain?)... but will mess up tennis.... but will keep me home and maybe more projects will get finished? 

Haven't been motivated but maybe my mojo is coming back.

I have been doing nothing... well, no sewing it seems.  My dh had a bit of a health scare (he got dehydrated which messed up his kidney function and his blood pressure) but that seems to be back on track and so I can go back it ignoring his health... not really, but it isn't at the front of my thinking 24/7. 
I have been working on preemie quilts for the Special Care nursery at our local hospital.  That is one of the charity places that is near and dear to my heart.  And I had charms.  Plus, I cut charms and then I got busy.  Am always inspired by the Needle and I in Burnaby.

The tops got pieced and spray basted with flannel backing.

That project so far had taken about a month!!  Felt like forever... or longer.

Today, all six quilts got quilted. 

And then I pulled out fabrics for fun bindings and cut and pressed. 

And now I will sit and stitch bindings and then they will get added to the quilts and I will have some hand stitching to do while watching tv (though that is certainly the pits these days with very few shows that I absolutely 'have' to see). 

Hopefully, by the weekend, I will have some finished quilts to donate and can then move onto something new, different and fun though I do have a few tops that could be quilted and bound when the preemie quilts are finished. 

Missed three weeks of posting to my blog

I feel like I was missing in action.  Partly, I was just all over the place with my quilting. Starting too many projects and not finishing any.  But, I also had the excuse of my grandchildren and my sweet granddaughter is extremely demanding and seems to still have major meltdowns so she requires a lot of my time, attention and energy.  And she creates chaos as she goes. 

This mug rug is one I made for the swap I am in and sent it off to Lori.  Guess I should have changed the orientation of the picture but didn't so you will have tilt your head!   The theme was sewing/quilting.

When I went into a quilt shop with the kiddos (which was on the way from their place to my place and a good hour's drive from one to the other) they spied some Pokemon fabric and were so excited when they found it, I offered to make them a pillowcase each and let them choose some cuff fabric.

I did not make this quilt but I did quilt it and bind it.  It was donated as a quilt top to Quilts of Valour.

I am working on some more preemie quilt donations and am getting carried away using up all the charm squares that I have purchased recently as well as some that I have cut from my kid's fabrics.  

Then my husband went fishing and I was in charge of yard work for a week.  It is hot and dry here in the Pacific Northwest and this is what the front yard looked like after 'cutting' the front grass.  At least the brown looks a little more neat and tidy.  

I decided to make the kiddos a small bag each out of their leftover Pokemon fabric. 

The kiddos went to their other Grandma's for two weeks and then returned and stayed with us while their mom was moving them to a new home.  It was still hotter than hot so we took them to the river to play and swim and stay cool (and tire them out).

We always have wildlife across the street from us... (am diverting from only quilting because these are the things that distract me from getting much done).

I was determined to not get involved in the row by row quilt projects being offered by quilt shops but too hard to resist. This is what I have so far. 

Plus my latest one from A Needle and I.

And last but not least, a 'tush cush' for Modern Guild meeting next week.   We are meeting at a new venue with hard chairs so we were challenged to make a cushion to put on our chair to give us a softer landing! 

Lots of projects almost finished so am hoping August will be a lot more productive?