My Quilt WIP (works in progress) List

I can't believe I am putting this out there for other people to see, but here is a list of quilt projects I have going.  This is 18+ years' worth of accumulated projects.

To Be Quilted (finished tops):

  1. Sailboat quilt--on frame now finished 10/19/15
  2. #HughJassPineapple
  3. two Ginger Threads class minis 
  4. Girl Scout quilt--binding started 3/11/16
  5. mini Civil War--partially quilted
  6. polar bear
  7. navy/white
  8. frog princess
  9. apple quilt
  10. JoAnn kit--forest green/tan finished 11/21/15
  11. fireworks--blue
  12. garden quilt from PA
  13. red/green cherry
  14. purple/green flower
  15. Valentine
  16. Bonnie & Camille finished 10/30/15
  17. S'mores snowman
  18. big Civil War
  19. Miss Rosie from Batesville--partially quilted
  20. Hustle arrow finished 1/17/16
  21. Kate Spain Christmas

In Progress:

  1. strawberry quilt--partially pieced
  2. alligator--need to do alligator appliqué
  3. R2D2--piecing
  4. breast cancer ribbon--make ribbon blocks, assemble top
  5. Kimberly Einmo class quilt--decide on setting, assemble
  6. Kimberly Einmo mystery BOM--need to assemble blocks/top
  7. bird quilt--need to embroider all blocks
  8. Christmas truck mini--think I need to add some borders
  9. blue/green from Annapolis--needs borders attached
  10. Queen Bee quilt--two blocks and setting to do
  11. FQS 2013 BOM--blocks completed, need to do setting
  12. Civil War BOM--setting
  13. Gracie Girl--need to piece, having hard time aligning pieces
  14. B & C frivol--all
  15. Aviatrix--all
  16. Paradiso-all
  17. blue/yellow-all
  18. Serengeti kit-all
  19. green/gray-all
  20. Alex Anderson baskets kit-all
  21. race car--partially cut
  22. hippo fabric-all
  23. McKenna Ryan BOM--two blocks done
  24. bed size quilt from North Vernon--needs appliquéd borders
  25. Toulouse kit--all
  26. Batesville BOM--setting
  27. GR shop hop BOM--a few blocks done
  28. pink/green/purple pastel--in bin w/ Fig Tree one--all
  29. Fig Tree jelly roll diamond--all
  30. bug quilt--all
  31. aqua from DeLoa Jones class--a few blocks done
  32. red/green square in square--all
  33. butterfly fabric quilt--redo?  fabric choices not working for me
  34. batik from Lancaster--all
  35. blue/yellow JoAnn BOM--a whole bunch of appliqué blocks left
  36. dogwood applique--all
  37. Marti Michell kit--some blocks done
  38. seasons embroidery--embroidery
  39. bursting star kit--ready to piece
  40. solstice kit--all
  41. Paradiso #2
  42. FQS QA--EPP--must learn this skill!
  43. Gooseberry--all
  44. 365 Challenge--in progress

Fix Quilting:

  1. pink/green baby quilt
  2. dragonfly print baby quilt

Fix Binding:

  1. PF test quilt--accidentally cut the fold off one corner of binding, need to repair

Swaps: (These get first priority since they have firm due dates)

  • CUAQ swap (due Nov 2015)
  • Thimbleblossoms swap (due Feb 2016)
  • Rainbow mini swap (due March 7)
  • Birthday club (Sept, Oct, Jan, Feb, June)
  • Guild swap (due Feb 2016)

So yes, that's 60 quilts in various stages of completion, not counting swaps or fixers.  It's really about 3 - 4 quilts per year, which doesn't sound so bad, right?  Right?  I will now go hang my head in shame.  

Actually, one of my Facebook friends just mentioned how she really wants to use up her stash--she makes clothing for kids, so a little different, but anyway she said she has so much stash so that she can enjoy it for so much longer.  Good way to look at it.  I really like to look through my projects when I need a pick-me-up.

I will try to update this list as I accomplish finishes.

What does your WIP list look like?




The Strip Stick


In March I took a class with Kimberly Einmo at the Indiana Heritage Quilt Show.  That will be a story for another post, but during the lunch break I ran through the vendors area and purchased a stick.  Yep, a stick.

After lunch, Kimberly was telling us about how when she teaches, she usually doesn't get a chance to see the show and/or vendors, but she has someone who tells her what is trending.  One year, it was "the stick."  Her person told her everyone was carrying around "the stick" and she ran down and got one just before the end of the show.  She demonstrated it to us, and we used it during class.

Here is what the Strip Stick looks like.  It's pretty unassuming, just a stick covered with muslin.  It works really, really well to isolate a seam and get a nice, flat press.  The one that is pictured is 18".  There are three other sizes as well.  I did also purchase the largest, 45" one, but I actually prefer the 18" one.  You can check out the Strip Stick here.

I have been trying to work on my bird quilt blocks these last few weeks.  They've been hanging around in my laundry room on my design wall most of the year.  I thought they would make a good Strip Stick demo. The stick elevates the seam above those already pressed AND makes the seam you are pressing really flat.

 Here's a finished strip of blocks.  Super flat!
Here's a stack of partially done blocks.  Obviously I haven't put the center square in yet.  My in-progress blocks are each on a mini design board.  You can find the tutorial for them on Lori Holt's blog.  I've made them in two sizes so far and they are so awesome!  You should make some too.

Remember, I do not get paid for any reviews of any items, nor do I receive any products for review.  All opinions expressed are my own, and I just talk about things that I've purchased that I like.

Text Me Mini Quilt Swap

Now that my partner has received her quilt and I have also received a quilt, I can show you pictures.  I really struggled with what to make for this swap.  I finally decided to use a pattern by Elizabeth Dackson of Don't Call Me Betsy that was published in Love Patchwork and Quilting.  This pattern used a combination of regular piecing and paper piecing.  I made the center first.  The coral plus fabric is by Cotton + Steel and the text fabric is Alison Glass Sunprint.  I used my Triangulations software to make the half-square triangles.  Then I decided to use a combination of Tula Pink Elizabeth and some various text fabrics for the plusses and crosses.  Well, it just didn't work out.  So I ordered some more text fabric and some more Cotton + Steel fabric and started over.  What you see is the end result.  I learned a lot with this quilt (and got a lot of paper piecing practice!).  I also practiced free motion quilting.  The design I used for that was based on a pattern I found on Lori Kennedy's website.  I really loved the end result and my partner seems to like the quilt too.  It was hard to send it away.
Fun fact--my partner lives in Nevada and I am from Michigan, so I used those words from my fabric to make some of the plus blocks.  :)
I used one of my "reject" blocks to make a pincushion and it turned out awesome, if I say so myself.  I also made a needle minder using a scrap of Elizabeth.  I recruited my husband to make some wooden irons and sent one of those as well.  On the right in the picture above are the remainder of the extras I sent--a piece of fabric, a note pad, and some mini pens. 
I had to learn how to make a quilt label on the computer and used printable inkjet fabric to make the label.  I then mounted it to another piece of the backing fabric--Joel Dewbury fabric, by the way.  Then I ladder stitched it down.  I also made little hanging tabs for the back. 


Below is a picture of what I received.  I was very surprised that this quilt was for me.  My daughter took the drawstring bag and has been using it to tote her library books.

Funny Things #17

Because we all take our turkeys to Target, right!?
We got out of our car at Target last weekend and I heard a funny noise.  I thought we'd left one of those Minions toys from McDonald's in the car, and then I realized that it wasn't a Minion, but a turkey gobbling.  We turned around and saw these guys parked behind us.

Our Take on the Ana White Fancy Farmhouse Bed

A while back my husband decided we needed to buy a new mattress.  He wanted to get a king size this time.  Of course we had a perfectly nice queen size bed frame with matching dressers.  I know, I know, the matching thing isn't done anymore.  We've had the furniture more than 15 years though, and back when we bought it, matching was the thing.  Anyway, we bought the king size mattress, which then meant I had to buy all new bedding too.  Sigh.  I really loved my old quilt but it doesn't fit the new bed.  But I digress.  (So what's new there?!)

I was trying to find a king-size bed frame that I liked and thought that most were seriously overpriced for the quality.  I found this bed on Ana White's site, showed my husband the picture and the plans, and we decided to go for it.  Why buy when you can build?  I think that should be our motto.

If you've ever looked at my house ideas board on Pinterest, you will know that I would, of course, love for all my cabinetry and furniture to be white.  However, I live in a house with three other people, and that will not fly.  So although the plans show a white  painted bed, we decided to build our bed out of walnut.

A trip back home to my father-in-law's woodworking shop, a rummage through some black walnut lumber that came from a tree that fell on their property when my husband was very young, and a trip to the lumber mill to buy the remaining pieces of walnut needed, we were ready to start the construction.  My role was mostly as photographer and moral support, but I did help with sanding and cleaning, as well as run to Menards to get more polyurethane.  It took us two days to build and get the first few coats of finish on.  We had to leave the bed at my father-in-law's and I think he put a few more coats of finish on after that.

Here is the process in photos:

Here is the pile of lumber.
Here are the shaped trim pieces.
This is the outside frame of the headboard panel.
This is the inset portion of the headboard panel all glued up. 
This is the assembled panel--trying out trims. 
Trim layout along with legs.
Footboard.  We decided to make all the legs beefier than the original plan called for. 
Gluing and clamping the top trim pieces.
Here is the bed assembled before stain and finish.
We used a mix of two stains to get the color we wanted.
Late night stain and finish work.
Another view of finish process.  
And more.
And some more.
And one last shot of it all.  Well after midnight here.
We used some special brackets in all the corners.
Here is the finished bed assembled in our garage two weeks later--had to wait to
transport it the five hours back home.
My husband was sure we could bring the frame into the house in one piece.  I told him no way would it fit through the door.  I was right.  Here it is, taken apart and reassembled, in our room.  We added some plywood on top of the 2 x 4 frame in the previous picture.
All made up so we could go to bed.

Planner?

I am a major list maker.  Not to the point of having lists of lists, but close.  The problem with that is that I seemed to make a new one every week or so without having finished the tasks on the previous week's.  I feel like I haven't been using my time wisely, so I thought maybe by using a daily planner, I could be more focused and have a greater sense of accomplishment.

There are tons of beautiful planner photos and charts and such on social media--Pinterest, Instagram, and so forth.  While they are amazing looking, I don't currently have a job outside of the home and my children aren't in a ton of activities, so I didn't really feel like I needed some super duper, high dollar, fancy thing.  But I do feel that I need to focus on using my time wisely.  I finally settled on getting a student planner to try.

I found this silver sparkly Mead planner at Target.  It was around $8.  


It has tabbed months and then weekly spaces in between.  I'm still getting used to its layout and I'm not convinced it's quite right for me, but it is helping me focus.  I've been using it for about a month now.  At first I seriously overestimated how much I could get done in a day and had a lot left undone.  Now I think I've gone too far in the other direction and am not planning enough tasks for each day.  

You'll notice in my photo above I have extra pages clipped in.  I now have pages taped into the front and back too.  I do like having it set up from July to June, like a school year, because that is how we plan things here.  I think maybe a binder system would work better for me, but I don't want to have a fortune in printing out cute pages either.    This is basically a fancy to-do list for me.

Do you use a planner?  What system/brand do you use?  What types of things do you put in it?