The end is near....

We are driving home in March to take our Canadian vehicle back to BC to sell because insuring an out of province vehicle is getting more difficult to do. We did try to license our vehicle here in Arizona but had no success... darn Canadian vehicles aren't made to the U.S. standards!  The nasty part is that I have to spend three or four days in an enclosed space with a cranky husband who detests driving but the good news is that it is a great time for me to sort through my accumulated projects, patterns and books as well as fabric and can easily get them back to my 'other' sewing space.

So, the end is near and we will be leaving within the next few weeks  to ensure that we have enough time to return to BC before our travel insurance expires and we are taking into account the time that we might need to spend if our vehicle breaks down and needs some mechanical work done on it.  (UGH... what a horrible thought).

I have been playing many hours of tennis and suddenly realize that I have so many projects on the go that I need to get myself into a finishing mental state both for taking things home, leaving things here reasonably organized and also want to finish a few projects for our upcoming quilt show here in our village.

My flying geese are on their way to being stitched together. 

I have been playing with variations on my 9 patch blocks that I decided in January to join up with a block a  day challenge.  The pile of 9 patches continues to grow and these are two ideas I like.  I might have enough blocks to make a quilt from each idea. One is an H Block and the other is using up turquoise strips to surround the blocks. After looking at these pictures, I like the H block better using dark on the outer edges but will see how they all look after I have made a few more. 

I managed to make three Easter pillowcases to donate to my quilting group's craft sale table.  They make a decent amount of money with their craft sales and that supplies the group with backing, batting and other essentials to make donation quilts as well as enough funds to donate generously to local community groups here in Mesa.  Easter is early this year and I realized when I had the idea of making pillowcases that I have no Easter fabric here..oh gee, had to go shopping!

Then I got busy with making a table topper for St. Patrick's Day.  This is the same pattern that I mention below, from Connecting Threads.

And I am busy working on my blocks for a Christmas quilt... boring to make the quick corners on lots and lots of rectangles but almost there!

I also stitched up a table topper from a Connecting Threads kit and love the pattern... made a few at Christmas with this pattern, and also made another quick table runner from Quilter's Quarters.  Plus my Patchabilities southwest hanging is ready for stitching and binding.

And I did spend yesterday getting my recent projects layered and made lots of bindings so now, the handwork begins to stitch these all down and be able to post pictures of FINISHED projects.  So many on the go and nothing ready to be used.... yet... but soon! I have a quilt pictured that I did not make, but I did quilt and will bind that is a donation quilt made by Sunland Stitchers.  Don't get to quilting meetings because I have an overlap with tennis practise at the same time they meet but am still trying to do my part and contribute to the donation program. The other large quilt is my paint chips challenge which is quilted and ready for binding!  Things are moving along slowly but surely.

Ten days into February

It seems that 2016 is moving along quickly, lots of tennis but not a lot of quilting getting accomplished.  I did manage to get two quilt tops completed, ready to take home for quilting and binding.  So many project ideas and it feels like too little time but doing what I can when I have time and energy.

I put together a split 9 patch using 5" squares.

And a fun quilt top made from a Villa Rosa pattern, Portlandia. A great pattern that uses fat eighths but I think you could use fat quarters and just have more of the same fabric rectangles.  Goes together quickly and easily.

More on my design wall that I am working on stitching together.

February... a new month to plan and to accomplish.

I was given a great idea by Sandy of my Queen of UFO's group.  She explained that she makes a list of four projects to focus on at a time - the FAB FOUR.  I am used to a list of 10 for the month but four for a week sounds like something I want to try. I use a white board for my current projects, projects that need quilting and a list of 'ideas' plus important activities for my quilting group that need to be accomplished (door prize, birthday fat quarters etc).

I did get my blocks for my Canadiana rail fence made and used up a lot of strips out of my container of leftovers.  Ready to head back to my summer home for quilting.   Kind of different and quite busy but each block uses one strip of light and one strip of dark, stitched together lengthwise, then cut into 4.5" sections... 9 of them and there is very little waste.  I like patterns with little or no waste.

And am working diligently on my split 9 patch using charm squares.  Started off with a charm pack but needed more squares so went through more of my leftover fabrics from other Quilts of Valour projects and found some that would fit into the quilting plan.

More blocks needed to finish this one up and get the blocks stitched together.  Today's quilt tops will be for injured military through Quilts of Valour.