As we enter this next year, I have joined some groups to help me keep accountable. This means that I get to post the photo of the quilt I want to finish each month at the beginning of the year and check in at the end of each month to see if that has been accomplished.
January- this quilt still needs to be quilted and bound
February – Bear paw has been cut out. There are many, many pieces and it will be a challenge to get this top done in one month. But I need to apply myself as lambs will be coming next month.
March – Leg Cozie, a lap quilt
April – babies are mostly here and needing a lot of work, plus the garden needs to be worked. So the aim is to get the teapot miniature done.
May – Glacier is 50 x 70 and I’m hoping things have calmed down enough I have time to finish this top.
June – I still have 14 of these blocks that are finished and need to be set into a top. The plan is to find a baby quilt design into which to fit them and finish the top.
July and August – There are several of these blocks. I plan to finish 2 of them during the hot weather.
September – The garden is still needing lots of attention so if I complete the top, I will be happy. This has been on my radar for about 15 years.
October – Time to start thinking about the holidays. This will be gifted.
November – Garden is mostly done, Sheep are breeding and I will catch my breath. I love Penguins and so do others. This will be gifted.
December and another penguin quilt. These are my month goals and I am connecting with American Patchwork challenge, and others as they come to my attention. That’s my way of being help accountable. And of course, I have told you my plan, so you will also be watching.
Have a very blessed 2019, full of health and happiness.
The ducks are finished and the turkeys started. These are essentially small quilts and the binding is put on the same way as a large quilt, which takes a bit of time.
I’ve decided that 20 of the potholders will be embroidered and the rest will be pieced. So for the pieced ones, the fabrics have been selected are now cut out. The potholder sewing has started! I’m sure with the other things needing my attention, this will take most of the month. Bias binding is slow for me and many of them will have that.
Coat changing day
I finished the lower cardinal today. Then I put the whole project away for a rainy day. I am not enjoying it as much as I would like. It’s time to do some piecing instead. There is a pattern for a reverse rabbit and male cardinal as well as a moose in the kit yet.
So instead, I worked on this paper pieced cardinal. My goal this year is to finish a few of the started items that are lying around. Another hour and I should have this one finished.
After some barn cleaning, Bracken and I came back to the house so she could chick sit. She loves that. Just standing there watching their every move.
The 8 kennel quilts are finished. I will wash them and they are ready to donate.
These are small kennel quilts. The photo is the front of one and the back of another to better show the minimal quilting. The people who rescue small animals during a crisis such as floods or fires use many of these in the small kennels. Finished 12 x 18″ is the only size they accept and are so easy to make. Cut two pieces of fabric 12.5 x 18.5″ plus batting. I used an old mattress pad to give it more cushion on these. Put the bottom piece right side up, the top piece upside down, with the batting on top. Pin as needed and sew around the entire sandwich minus 4-6″ to get your hand in to turn. Turn right side out , press, and if you topstitch a bit less than 1/4″, you may be able to catch the opening in the top stitching. On one I did a big x from corner to corner and on the other, just 3 lines on a diagonal. The part that takes the longest is choosing scraps that are large enough, but not so large as to waste fabric, and cutting it out. If you click on the red “kennel quilt”, you will find more information about these. They are extremely easy and if you don’t sew exactly perfect, the small pets won’t complain.
After some other chores, we decided it was time for haircuts. He wants his cut monthly, but it had been a few years since I’d had mine cut. So now it’s considerably shorter.
I can now share this test quilt that I made. Bears was a fabric from mother’s small collection. I really had no idea what to do with the fabric until this “Sparkle in pink and white” pattern by Valerie Le Pont, came along and it worked quite well in this form. The flimsy finished at 46 x 57. and is very easy. It is offered by The Quilt Pattern Magazine this month.
The young boys are moved away from their sisters and mothers. One here seems to think the trip was just too hot and tiring. They and their mothers have “baa-ed back and forth all day about how evil we were to separate them. Such is life on a farm
Then I picked some overripe apples as I’m out of applesauce and it makes a great sweetener in baked goods. I was able to can 10 pints. I picked a lot more apples – or rather shook them out of trees. I’m not sure how ripe they are. I’ll test them tomorrow.
While the apples were processing, I cooked some quinoa in broth. In another pan, I sautéed onions and added broccoli until just cooked but still green. Then I made a cheese sauce. I mixed it all together, reserving half the cheese sauce, put it in a greased casserole dish, topped it with the rest of the cheese and that will be our casserole for the weekend.