The 2016 UFO list

 I took a few minutes to look through the UFO's to decide what I'd like to try and finish this year.  It's a rather ambitious list, now that I have them all lined up.  (Sadly, this isn't the whole list of what I would like to do this year, either!)

First up is this little piece, using the pattern from the Wendy Butler Berns class I took several years ago.  My original plan was to make four of these- one for each season.  The first one was spring.  I started this one last year when I realized how very few winter themed quilts I have to hang in my little "Gallery" for January. 










And with a Museum Quilt Guild quilt show coming up this year, I'd like to finish a few things to show.



I've been trying to decide how to quilt this One Block Wonder.  Originally I had thought to use the motif in the fabric (in the borders here) as a design, But then I think about how an intricate quilting design will be lost on this, and think I should keep it simple. 














This background, from the "Cheater Bargello" class I took a few years ago is still waiting for the pokeweed appliqués. 

















I made this one- again, several years ago- using some bonus HST units from a class I taught way back before I was blogging, using Karen Combs "Celtic Pieced Illusions" book.  I added the borders while preparing for a demo using the double diamond ruler.  I'm sure I just had no idea how to quilt it, so I didn't.

I pieced this using my favorite Scrap Therapy pattern, Charming Buds, at retreat a couple of years ago.   It would make a great gift, wouldn't it?
(I just looked for a link to the pattern, but it isn't on Joan's website. I wonder why?)











I almost forgot the Simple Symmetry blocks I have laid out from the class last October with Paula Nadelstern.

 

I have several donation quilts in varying stages of completion...



Another top I pieced on retreat a couple of years ago.  Just needs quilting, which seems to be the holdup pretty often.

















I use Bonnie Hunter's "leaders and enders" to make all those scrap therapy pieces into blocks while I work on other projects.  I had a pile of nine patches, so I made another pile of HSTs and laid them out in a sort of rainbow- probably inspired by the raffle quilt I did for the 2012 quilt show.











I had a bunch of the half square triangle units leftover, so when I saw this I laid mine out in the same design.  Sort of.

The original is more effective, and I wasn't happy  with the border when I got it done- I stuck those bits in there just to use them up.  But I wasn't unhappy enough to redo it. 
 Hopefully some child will be happy to have a blankie- it will be backed with a very soft flannel.

This is the inspiration photo, as my project is a bag full of four patch and HST blocks.  I think I'll bring this to retreat and assemble it. 

















This was supposed to be the guest room quilt, but it needs another border to make it queen sized.
















Looks like a LOT, doesn't it?  This doesn't include a small project for the silent auction, a growth chart panel for Jonathan, a couple of challenges and the top I brought home to finish for the guild's community service day.
But at least I have my goals laid out.  Having a plan is sometimes all it takes to get things moving.

 Here is an interesting article on how one day the carbon dioxide in the atmosphere could be recycled into a new fuel.  Sounds like science fiction, but it is things like this that give me a hope for the future of our planet!

I am grateful for:
Cait giving me time to play with Jonathan.
I had some sewing time last weekend where I just played.
My iPad isn't dead after the update!
Only 28 days to retreat!
The kittens are getting better.

Architecture challenge revealed

A few weeks back, I wrote a post about the Museum Quilt Guild's "architecture" challenge.  We presented them last week at the guild meeting, so now I can share what I ended up doing for this one.
I mentioned the "Tentmakers of Cairo" book, and that was the first thing I did.  I called it my "plan B" quilt, since it was sort of a quickie and I knew I could get it done. But I did it first.


This is what you get for a pattern, and getting it the right size took several tries.  They closed the staples near me, so I no longer have a place to easily enlarge things.  Fortunately, Mary Lee taught me how she uses publisher to print things to a certain size. 








 It is meant to be hand appliquéd.  But of course I didn't have that much time.  (Plus my hand appliqué skills stink now that I am out of practice)




So out came the wonder under.  I needed two widths of it to make the pattern, and I used the no thread in the needle machine technique to mark it.










I think the tiny holes in the wonder under are the reason I ended up with such rough edges on the appliqué.  I've never had one fray so badly before. 










And here is the finished piece.  I may go back and add more quilting when I get it back.  It is only outlined right now.














So, with about two weeks until the deadline, I started drafting a much simplified version of the outlined area of this picture of the ceiling of the lobby in Guardian Building in Detroit.

I made every mistake a person can make when drafting and figuring how much fabric.  Trying not to buy anything for it resulted in two trips to the fabric store- because I underestimated.  So when it came time to name this piece I called it "A Tribute to the Guardian Building (and Murphy's Law)"

It's 19 x 54 inches, intended to hang lengthwise.  But don't ask me where I'll hang it.  It is not my best work, sadly.



























I've already decided if I haven't started by Thanksgiving this year, I'm not doing the challenge.








While I was sewing the binding on, a small miracle occurred. This is the first time these two cats have come anywhere near to cuddling with each other.   Yes, I have to squish over to make room for them both in my chair, but I was happy to see them so close!George seemed so lonely before Marigold joined the family, I thought she'd be happy to have a buddy, but that hasn't happened. Yet

I got back to my coloring calendar and finished the April page. 

I got a kick out of this story last week at Ecowatch.com.  It just goes to show you don't have to be a big name to make a stand, or make yourself heard.  You go, Knitting Nannas!!!

I am grateful for:
The remote starter on my car.
My rice bag keeping my feet warm.
A nice lunch with friends.
The playoffs have been pretty exciting this year.
A break from fostering.

Coloring is so much fun!

January

Yes, I jumped right into the coloring craze as soon as I saw Johanna Basford's first book!  I have often printed out children's coloring pages in the past so I could sit down with Kiara and color along!  And my boss just loves to find me coloring something to put on the bulletin board (we don't have a color printer in our office!)  I used to make cards and coloring in rubber stamps always made me happy.   Now this is not meant to make me sound like I was out in front of the trend, just that I have always loved to color!

February

Most recently I have been working on the Secret Garden calendar. I didn't get it until mid-December.  So I knew it wouldn't be ready to hang on New Year's day. (besides, I don't want there to be writing of doctors appointments and reminders to put flea meds on the cats all over my masterpieces!)  I have colored through March, though, and am having a blast doing it. 

March

 

The other day I got to spend a few hours with my favorite man in the whole world, my grandson!  He is 7 months old now, and will be walking before any of us is ready! (just like his daddy who has always been in a big hurry!)















Isn't he gorgeous!

Have you heard much about the methane leak in California?  No?  No one has, apparently.  And yet this rivals the BP spill in the gulf in terms of environmental damage!!  This BBC article gives us ways to measure the damage.  These fossil fuel companies just don't care!

I am grateful for:
Today is the first bad weather we have had for this season so far.  Not bad for western New York!
Jonathan
My challenge quilt may not be perfect, but it's finished (Or will be by Saturday)
My boss has been much less contentious the past couple of weeks.
Getting to the end of my "have to do" sewing (for now)

I didn't think I had done much in 2015

As you know, I like to look back at the end of the year and take stock of my projects.  I have been calling this my year of not sewing, but apparently I haven't been paying attention, because when I added them all up, I had 94 completed items this year.  That's a pretty good total.  It breaks down like this:

I must never have posted a picture of this after quilting???

Quilted
Bed: 3
Wall: 6
Accessories: 3 (purses, etc)







 
  



Sewing:
Garments: 13 total (for me, Kiara and Jonathan)
Toys: 4
Blankies: 3
Burpees: 3
Diapers: 32 (Obviously this upped the total greatly!)








 


 Knitting
Socks: 3 pairs adult, 5 pairs for baby
Hats: 5, all children/ baby
Kitty blankets: 2
Monster burpee and washcloth


 

So tiny he never wore them

 Crochet:
3 dragons
Misc:
9 Christmas trees for the guild party
I also laid out blocks for two group quilts that I did not sew. But picking them out and arranging them takes time!
(For those playing the home game, this doesn't add up.  I may have counted something twice here. Math was never my strong point.) 


Oh, and I fostered 26 or 27 cats and kittens this year.  ( I should got back and add it up to see if I'm over 100 yet)
The one on the left in this picture never left.  That's called "foster failure."













For 2016, regardless of what else gets done, I am hoping to finish one UFO per month.  I should have made a list.  Maybe I'll do that next time so I can be accountable to someone. :-)


 I am grateful for:
The ban on microbeads  (which should be effective immediately, and require those who made them to pay for the clean up, but I digress)
The beautiful sky this morning!
Long weekends
The people at work who brighten my days.
Music, always!

A Gift for Mom

 When Kiara and I went to see "The Good Dinosaur"  a few weeks ago, I asked her what she was giving mommy for Christmas.  She said her mom had told her you can't wrap a card or a drawing.  I disagreed.  So when we got home, I told her to draw the picture she wanted to give mommy and we'd figure it out.  I had originally though of putting it in a nice frame. Then I remembered the sharpie marker transfer technique!

Our time was limited, so I told her not to color the picture until I could make copies of it.  Then she colored one of the copies. 

After she went home, I transferred two versions of it to fabric- one using the colors sh had colored with, and one black and white that she could color if she wanted. She liked the colored outline one.


I dug out some Christmas fabrics for her to choose for a frame on the picture. She chose a fun lime green tree print.  (I did not encourage her choice, but I did agree with it.  :-)

Here she is at the machine, sewing the borders on all by herself.  She can't reach the pedals, so she uses the buttons and we set the speed to just above turtle.  She sews good and straight for her age.









I helped with the layering and turning it right side out- we did the pillowcase finish.  She did the straight line quilting around the frame herself, too!  

 I'm teaching her right from the start to make sure she signs her work!

And here it is all finished and ready to wrap and put under the tree! (see her signature at the bottom?)

 It says Merry Christmas on the back. 

 Mommy just loved it- and was looking for a special place to hang it!


My last minute sewing included a beanbag frog for Jonathan.

And I made a stocking to hang at our house for him.  However, his mom decided she liked the knitted one better.  (than the frog one I finished a week or two ago)








I think Jonathan likes it too. 













I'm enjoying being a Grandma/ Oma!

I am grateful for:
Family!
Kiara likes to sew
A relaxed holiday
The new Star Wars movie is really really good.
I've had a little more sewing time, so I might get my challenge entry (-ies) done in time!

29 days until it's due and I haven't even decided what I'm making!

If you are a fellow member of the Museum Quilt Guild, you may know exactly what the title of this post is about.  Our annual challenge is due at the January 16 meeting.  They are always due in January.  Every year since I joined in 1999.  (And, like the Holidays, it still sneaks up on many of us every year!!!)
I have done at least one every year since 2001.   This year, I'm not so sure.   I usually start around August. But, I have done SO little sewing, and am SO far behind, that I'm not sure the Christmas gifts will be finished on time, either!
And it's not that I don't like the theme- Architecture- or have any ideas, because I do!   In fact, I have too many!
After a class with Jane Sassaman some years ago, I started looking at art and architecture books for inspiration.  (Jane calls it a visual bibliography).  One of the first things I realized, is that I love Islamic architecture.  Specifically, I like the gloriously embellished buildings like this.

So that was my first thought- to find something somewhat quilty to use.  Lo, and behold, the Tentmakers of Cairo book was available at the AQS show in Lancaster last spring, not long after the theme was announced!  Some of the patterns in there would fit the theme!  I just need time to find the right fabrics.

Then I remembered the fabulous building I used as inspirations for Guy's quilt, which I thought was pictured on the blog somewhere, but it's older than I realized!!

And here is a picture of the Guardian Building in Detroit.

I only used the colors for that one, but always meant to go back and try to replicate some of the patterns in the tile work.  Maybe now would be the time?

Then I saw this one in a book I borrowed from the college library.

Isn't that awesome???  It's the Hoechst AG Technical Administrative Building in Frankfurt-Höchst, Germany, designed by Peter Behrens. It was a dyeworks and they wanted the bricks to look like the dyes.  How on earth to do this in fabric?  And time is running very short!!!

When I figure out what I can accomplish in the time I have, I'll let you know!  Lisa Boyer once wrote a column about coming out of the studio after sewing for a deadline- where there is moldy food, a refrigerator she can't bear to investigate, and a family who barely recognizes her.  (It is called "The Quilt Aftermath, in her book "Stash Envy".)  I see the events she describes in my future...

I was wrapping presents yesterday and noticed that I have finally started to use up the lifetime supply of wrapping paper I amassed when the boys were little. (You have to have new paper for Santa every year, you know)  Most wrapping paper is not recyclable.  So I will have to look for alternatives to wrapping paper when I finally run out. Personally, since I stink at wrapping, I like gift bags, which can be folded up and reused again and again.  Maybe I'll even make a few quilted ones to use for family, since I know they'll let me have them back.  

I am grateful for:
Kiara wanted to sew to make something for mommy.
There was only one deer who needed to cross the road in front of me!
I goofed, not them, so there's a bonus coming!
The guild ladies liked my dorky trees.
Al pays attention when I tell him about things I am dreaming of.