July Quilt Update

Previous 2014 posts:  First of year quilt update  (There are individual class posts for 4 Bonnie Hunter classes as well if you click on Feeling Crafty label and go to older posts.)
                         End of January quilt update
                         February quilt update
                         March Quilt Update
                         April Quilt Update
                         May Quilt Update
                         June Quilt Update

Goals:  I will have grandsons again this month plus may be going to Provo to help out with a new granddaughter so I need to be careful here.  Not too much and if it doesn't happen, oh well.  I am also out of batting so unless a sale hits, I may need to do some revising here.

Roll Quilt - only a little accomplished here
UFO - Ceramic Tea Set - picked up slip to mend -- that's it.
BOM blocks (ALL) - yes
Mark (yes), quilt (halfway), and bind Applique Quilt (AQ) - no
Quilt and bind CS quilts  - no
Bind Gratitude Quilt - yes
Finish Scrappy Bargello (SB) top  - yes
Choose and Cut Jacob's/Hyrums's quilts   - yes

Travel:

Girls Birthday Gifts - yes
Add Ophelia to pillow - yes

1st - Another month?  Oh my.  2014 is just flying by.  Does anyone agree?  I am spending my morning getting this blog current and then Mister and I are meeting our nephew for lunch in Uptown.  We will top off the evening with a date night at the Wylie Theater.  It is Les Miserables night and I am excited.  No sewing today.

2nd - Gratitude is finished!  The binding went well and I am oh so pleased with this one.  I take a break, grab some quilt books and start the hunt for inspiration on the last two grands quilts that I need to do.  I select Old Kentucky Album (OKA) and Nifty Thrifty (NT) and then also decide to make a second Nifty Thrifty for a local shop.  We'll see how it goes.  Wish me luck and oh yeah --- the time to get it made.

I also finish the panels on my SB top.  I am really starting to like this.  Now what to do about borders.  Mister and I talk about it and I think we have an idea --- oh yes, the creativity is fun.

3rd - I start cutting on started cutting for both NT quilts.

4th - The SB border blocks are cut and started.

5th - I finish the border blocks and clean my "mini studio" by cutting all the scraps leftover from the previous projects.  The place looks awesome!

6th - worked on appliques on BOM's,

7th - Cut remainder of NT quilts, worked out the layout of the SB borders, made BOM's, and pieced a quilt batting.  What a great day.  I am checking things off today -- woohoo.

Additionally, Mister makes all the templates for marking my AQ.  I am so thankful to have him in my life helping me along the way.

8th - Using Mister's templates, I get the AQ marked.  I can't quite figure out how to mark one area and once again Mister comes to the rescue.  He puts a light under the glass table and it works PERFECT!  Yay Mister.  A few hours in the studio and I also have the parts for OKA cut.  It is getting closer to travel day and I still have quite a bit to do but today is a good day.

9th - The SB border stips are finished.

10th - I get the SB borders sewn on and the backs for both SB and AQ are also complete.  Check marks everywhere.  I play with the leftover pieces on SB and have something to work with for the label.  Hmmm -- will have to think for awhile on it.  A few of the binding pinwheels get sewn as leader/enders as well.

11th - I am traveling today but want to finish one last item before I leave so Mister and I get the AQ sandwiched and ready to quilt.  I am soon on my way to the airport and as I am early, I stitch Ophelia's name onto the pillow cover while I wait.  Ta Da!  It is time to fly to Denver and grab my grandsons before a return flight.  Let's hope all goes well.

12th - I am back in Dallas and although things didn't exactly go smooth yesterday, my grandsons are here and we are ready for our adventure filled week.  I get a little hand quilting done during nap time.  Isn't this what ALL quilts are put on frames for:

13th - Today is spent with my wonderful grandsons.  Life is good.

14th - It is one adventure after another --- Loving life.

15th -  Our morning is spent down in the arts district with some time at the DMA.  LOVE these pictures.

During quiet time in the afternoon, I sneak out to the studio and do some cleaning.  Once everything is spic and span, I get the AQ ready.  This is going to be an all new type of quilting for me.  Please send good vibes my way.

During quiet time, I sneak out to the studio and do some cleaning.  Once everything is spic and span, I get the AQ ready.  This is going to be an all new type of quilting for me.  Please send good vibes my way.


16th -  Another day of quality time with my boys.  We are off to the coffee shop for treats.

17th - Another great day with my grandsons.  Not a foot in the studio.

18th - Mister helps me rework a template for my Row Robin (RR) blocks.  We then cut and mark 56 of them so that I can get started on them.  The row needs to ship by September 1st and 56 blocks is quite a few.  Now, I guess I should explain that 28 are needed for the RR but I am going to do a second quilt out of the rows that I send out so am making double rows.  As a result, I will have two RR quilts.

19th -  I am having so much fun with these boys.

 20th - It is a travel day and I am a bit sad.  We are up early and off to the airport.  It is time to take the boys home, but I am going to stay in Wyoming for a few days and spend some time with my granddaughters.  Mister is getting a few days all to himself.  I bet he is smiling all day today.

We have a busy day, but I manage to spend a little time in the evening working on crocheting a hat for a birthday gift.  I have never crocheted a hat - or any other article of clothing - before so my learning curve is in full swing.  What do you think so far?

21st - During nap time, Elena helps me set up a little mini cutting and ironing station.  She unwraps the neutral batik fat quarters that I have brought along and I then press them before cutting strips.  Once the strips are cut, Miss Elena sorts and stacks them for me.  Within no time at all, my strips for my RR are ready to go.  Maybe I can get a few sewn.

22nd -   Cheyenne Days parade ---- so much fun with these girls.  Talk about beautiful.

23rd - The girls and I spend almost the entire day at Cheyenne Days with Amanda and the boys.  We start the day out with a free airshow presented by the Thunderbirds.  Waiting gets to be a bit much and kids are starting to hunt for something to do.

My hats are coming along nicely.  I have completed a visor cap and my 20's hat is almost finished.  It still needs the flower, but I am not sure how to do that yet.  Still playing.

24th - Having a blast with my little ladies today.  This is the State Museum.

25th - Yay!  I have three hats finished and I am glad as I wish to give Amanda one for her birthday today.  Which one will she pick?  Will it be the visor?  She's torn for sure, but the winner is the beanie.  Doesn't she look so cute?  I love the smile.  I have to say good-bye to her today and really don't want to.  This has been fun.

After the park, we all head for Culvers -- oh yeah.  This may be my last trip to Cheyenne as both my daughters are moving in August.  Can't have it be the last trip and not stop at my favorite place.  It's Mister's favorite as well.  Sorry Sweetie.

26th - I am leaving this morning to head back to Dallas.  It is Rhiana's turn to select a hat and she is given the same three choices as Amanda.  She is also torn between the visor and the beanie but also selects the beanie.  However, she wears it different.  No rolling it up for her.  I didn't get a picture of her in it though -- what is wrong with me?  I did, however, get a picture of the two of us -- a rarity.  Dang that developer of mine, I told him to take more weight off of me in photoshop.

27th -  A completely worthless day.  I am beat from the previous two weeks.  Taking a break.

28th -  After a quiet morning, I wander out to the studio for the afternoon and start quilting on my AQ.  Since I am stitching in the ditch around all blocks AND following the marked patterns, this is a completely new way of quilting for me.  My "Annie" does not disappoint though and it goes very well.  I get about half of the quilt finished before calling it a day.  I am still oh so very tired.

29th -  I play retreat from the world today.  Spent the whole day laying around and reading.

30th -  Today is a duplicate of yesterday.  Pretty pitiful.

31st -  Ah at last --- I have some ambition.  I grab the last four BOM blocks and put them together, complete with applique.  I also get the label for the AQ quilt finished as  my leader/ender project for today.  Finally -- I have accomplished something.

Well, this is the first month that I can truly say --- I didn't come very close with my goals but I can also say that I had an incredible two weeks with my grandchildren.  That is something that doesn't happen very often so I am going to bask in the warmth of it and just rearrange my goal sheet.  Gotta keep the priorities straight.  I am flying again tomorrow to pick up another couple of grands for the next 10 days.  Here we go again.  Life is oh so good.

See ya next month --- keep on creating!