Managing Monday Feb 20th

 As our dreary rainy days continue here in the Pacific northwest, every day we try to have a game plan as to what the best time of day it is to walk if we are going to go to the park.  Our rec center is closed for a few days because they are refinishing the floors so we are forced to figure out Mother Nature and her plans for the weather each day.

We are happy, however, as we are heading to sunnier skies although I hear that the weather in the southwest U.S. is not normal and many windy days mixed in with sun, clouds and rain plus a lot of rain with snow at higher elevations.  Any dry days on the tennis court will be appreciated.

So, lots of lists.  Since this is a short trip because of my husband's January surgery (travel health insurance is a crazy amount of money), we are counting our blessings to be able to get a respite from the Pacific northwest winter days although, I do appreciate the lighter, later evenings and lighter, earlier mornings. 

It is hard to know what to work on when you also know that you are going to be gone from your studio for awhile.  I have been tidying, cleaning and organizing so that on my return, I will know what I was doing and I have 3 quilt tops ready for quilting.  Frankenbatts were made for them and backings are done.  

Our happy blocks have been made into a few preemie quilts plus one for my good friend becoming a Grandma for the first time.  

And Kimberley by Gudrun Designs got quilted and bound.

My PBJ from last year is put together and waiting to be quilted.

Plus, supersized Amalie, another from Gudrun designs is also put together after her sew in a few weeks ago.

Another preemie finished.

A preemie for baby girl is done.

Block from quilts of Valour called Parade are on my design wall as I make them. 

More blocks for Parade being put together.

I also put together a 3 yard quilt that I had cut a kit for last December.  This one was super easy.

The first Parade quilt is put together but I think they want them smaller so will have to remove one row of blocks.  That is ok because they can get added to the other blocks.  Blocks can be mailed to Quilt Canada in Halifax and you can enter a contest to win a sewing machine. 

Three row by rows for February got finished although I have not done the applique stitch around the fused pieces.  I will wait until I have a few more to do and make it a marathon.

So that is February and pretty much all that will probably get done.  There is still a week left in the month but am hoping I spend it playing tennis and being social and not sitting in my sewing room in my "other" house. 

Managing Monday: making task lists, tidying and organizing for February

 The weather is bound to get nicer and soon it will be gardening time and tennis courts will be dry so that means a few hours daily playing with my senior friends. 

In the meantime, it always feels like there is lots to be done and as soon as I feel caught up in my sewing studio, I start new projects and I see more ideas to play with. The log cabin block is now a flimsy (top) and waiting patiently for quilting and binding. 

The fabric from the modern guild a few summers ago (a destash by community quilts) has now been used in  making 3 quilt tops.  I made two that I posted in my last blog and had enough blocks plus some extra green to put together this top.  Fabric is gone! 

Simplicity II got  quilted and bound and ready for donation.

These are the first quilts from the destash mentioned above.  Both quilted and bound. One is slightly larger than the other.

I joined in with Gudrun's Saturday sewing to make these blocks for a quilt she calls Amalie.  The top is now together and waiting for quilting.  I used a variety of batiks and later wished I had chosen a different fabric for the white frames.  But, it is made and will be a warm, cozy quilt when it is finished.

Meadowland mystery is put together and waiting for the next step.  This is good - the instructions came out on Thursday and I had it done and pressed by Sunday.  Be impressed!

Plus, a bonus, the binding is made and waiting.

Our Wednesday quilting group has been playing with framed charms or happy blocks and between the 6 of us, there are going to be a lot of blocks to play with.  I put one together for a friend from some of my blocks but I still have 100 that I have made!  It takes 20 blocks for a preemie and 30 blocks for a toddler quilt.  This one is waiting for binding but it will get done during my next zoom session!

 

My design wall was a bit of a mess with all that I was working on... the beginning of Amalie Supersized on the right, various ideas playing with charms including a split 9 patch and some square in a square blocks.  

 

These are some of my blocks but there are now loads more finished.  I organized my frames with my centers and have them sitting by my sewing machine and using them as leaders and enders.

Then it was the end of the month and I spent the last 3 days stitching down ALL the  pieces on my row by rows.  I had rows that were made 8 years ago plus the ones I made in January.  It was boring and not a lot of fun but, I am up to date and all the bits and pieces are attached permanently.  The 8 rows in the first picture are the ones that were made previously but I hadn't stitched the applique down. 

These rows are the ones that I made in January.  Applique all stitched down on these as well.  Now, onto February.  I did make four but two of them were really simple so figured I would keep going.  Still lots of the darn rows waiting for me to get them done.

This is the beginning of the first row I will make in February. 

These drunkard path blocks were given to me by a fellow Wednesday quilt Diva.  There is no picture or instructions but I did google the shop in Edmonton and found a picture of the row in a completed quilt and it will be good to make because it will work as a vertical row and those are needed to make the quilt wider than 36"which is the width of the rows in the patterns.

I have a quilt on the B-line, loaded and a few rows started of the quilting.  My goal is to quilt two per month but, that is crazy because, I am making lots more tops per month that I plan on quilting so I will never get caught up.  Oh well.  It is more fun to make tops than to quilt them!

I have my February monthly projects to complete:

- Patterns by Jen February:aqua

- Rainbow Scrap challenge: 3 different blocks, colour is pink

- Assemble some blocks to use the framed charms that we will have lots of after Wednesday

- Row by rows

- Load a second quilt on the B-line

- Heartstrings challenge is to use one yards of fabric which is perfect for any 3 yard pattern and I have many cut, ready and waiting. 

My big declutter project was to clean out and tidy the storage cupboard that is in my laundry room.  It took me all morning to do but, wow, what a difference and I have all those items like light bulbs and extension cords organized and labelled.  I did have to use a trash bag for some of the cleaning supplies that had leaked or were beyond use and after I was finished, a trip to the recycling depot happened to get rid of dead batteries and burnt out light bubs.  A place for everything and everything in its place. 

Off to finish quilting the Kimberley top on the B-line and get the binding onto the baby quilt.  Never a lack of projects when I am in my happy place.