Get It Done: October

For September, I had the following goals:

1. Use up the scrap-of-the-month.  I completed a placemat top for my son and used any 2" baby blues in my Irish Chain quilt.  I have four small pieces left!

2.  Complete B2S1 Step #9. Done!

3.  Complete my Scraps to Treasures quilt.  Done.  I will blog about this once the quilts are revealed on the HGTV boards.

4.  Get as close to a top as possible on my DWR quilt for my sister.  I currently am sewing the small blue melons to gold arcs.  With 176 melon/arc pieces needed, I need to get hauling!  Top completed and basted.

For October, my goals are short but large:

1. Use the scrap o' the month,  particularly in a 2" square block.  I suddenly have friends who could use a quilt (a in-law of my sister has to have a hip replacement redone because the "fake" hip was recalled AND another... a husband of five has a collapsed lung) and I don't have a quilt big enough for either of them!  Bad quilter!

2.  October B2S1 Step.

3.  Quilt away on my DWR.

4.  Customer tshirt quilt!

from the room of Zana's Ninis,
katie z.

Block Count for September

I shall be forced to return to this post and edit if a miracle should occur and I actually finish more blocks before the end of the month but... that appears to be highly unlikely.  Therefore...

525 finished project blocks
1 placemat
90 - 6x9s
44 IC blocks
102 mystery blocks
9 Scraps to Treasures blocks
72 double wedding ring "rings"

843 total blocks for the year.  I always chuckle at these numbers.  Last year, I aimed for 350 and abruptly stopped after morning sickness kicked in.  This year, 350 was over a LONG time ago!

from the room of Zana's Ninis,
katie z.

Irish Chain In Progress

My light blue scraps are getting thrown into the middle row of my Irish Chain blocks.  The blocks are finally to the point where assembly is really accelerating.  I love it!

Check out other baby blue scraps as part of the Rainbow Scrap Challenge.

from the room of Zana's Ninis,

katie z.

Bittersweet

Ah, Spunky, I had mixed emotions as I waited for you in the van today.  Today, my dear, is the last day of half-day kindergarten.  Monday, you will be going to school all day, just like your sister.

I am anticipating ending (for the year, at least) my thrice daily school runs.  The gift of an hour of my day in this busy fall season is tremendous and desperately needed.  I am thrilled to see you outgrowing some of your toddler tantrums.  Playgroup will now be possible again, and I might even feel like trekking to the library a time or two with the boys.

On the other hand, I have loved the afternoons with you, a diminutive little sprite.  What am I going to do without your help?  Your hugs are wonderfully unexpected, and someday soon you will outgrow them.  I don't want you to grow up too fast, to adopt your sister's sassy attitude (as cute as it is, at times).  I don't thrive on change.  I never expected to see some of your toddler/little girl quirks fade away, but here before me is a self-confident, chatty school girl.

I love you.

from the room of Zana's Ninis,
katie z.

Let the Pinning Begin...

Short List Update

The Short List is half completed, so it's time to edit it.   Here's where I was at as of the end of September:

• COMPLETED: 1. Sampler Quilt
• COMPLETED: 6. Spring Green
• COMPLETED: 7. Scrappy Woven Quilt
• COMPLETED: 8. Letters for Lettie
• COMPLETED: 9. Scraps to Treasures Quilt
• 2. DWR quilt for Alzbe: almost a top!
• 3. twirly skirts for my girls: one done!
• 4. Easy Street: a TOP!
• 5. Medallion Mystery: Step 9 Complete!

Here's where I'm going:

• 1. DWR quilt for Alzbe: a top!
• 2. twirly skirts for my girls: one done!
• 3. Easy Street: a TOP!
• 4. Medallion Mystery: Step 9 Complete!
• 5. Placemats (2 pieced)
• 6. Irish Chain

I should probably add a few more, but these are the most pressing!

from the room of Zana's Ninis,
katie z.

Back to Square One: September Edition

I'm never quite sure to say, month after month, about this quilt.  It's wonderful.  Thank you, Judy!

This round was a struggle in that I am forging ahead with a wild plant to finish a DWR quilt for my sister.  I cut it out over a year ago but then had to pack it up for showing our house and moving.  Finally, now that I'm back to it, I don't want to abandon it again.  All the pinning has significantly reduced the amount of sewing I can get down.

Last weekend, I decided to put aside the DWR and just sew these logs.  Everything was cut, so it was very peaceful to sew without stopping for pinning!

from the room of Zana's Ninis,

katie z.

QOV blocks

There isn't much left after making a few of these blocks...

 There were maybe 4 strips of blue remaining, and a handful each of red and white.

 I love the end result:  20 blocks to help Alycia in her QOV block drive and a significant reduction in scraps I struggled to use!

Thanks, Judy, for the push to make 20.  I probably would have quailed at the thought of sorting all my scraps for just a block or two, but to tackle it all and make 20, I was game!

I am also grateful that using these scraps contributes to the year's ongoing work with the Rainbow Scrap Challenge.  These blues were all "leftover" after other scrap projects, and I hated to leave so many scraps unused but couldn't find a coherent plan.  I had cut up all my 2" reds for my 9s and 6s blocks but had 1", 1.5", and 2.5" pieces that were clamoring for use as well.

from the room of Zana's Ninis,
katie z.

The End is in Sight!

Eight rows done, in three pieces.  One row remains.  Woohoo!

Rainbow Scrap Challenge: Out of Baby Blue!

I have four lonely pieces of light blue, 1.5" x 4", so my projects are done for the month.

Maybe, maybe, maybe, if life slows down, I'd like to sort through my scraps and see what remains in each color.

In an effort to complete 20 blocks for Alycia's big block blowout, I do know that I have wiped out an entire shoebox of medium, dark, and grey blue scraps.  I also have a smattering of red and white odds and ends, which is pretty impressive as the red scraps had me stumped and the white and cream were a wrinkled, jumbled mess when I began.  I still think I was nuts to start these blocks a few weeks ago, as I have several orders for my business as well as a giant DWR quilt to finish!  I do love that even the foundations came from leftovers, so I really was using up scraps!

In other news, I am plugging away at my Irish Chain blocks in blue and white.  The intended recipient for this quilt has shifted to a different little girl, but it's still a project that keeps on keepin' on.

from the room of Zana's Ninis,
katie z.

Busy Season

The more I try to get ahead, this time of year, the more behind I feel!  There are so many wonderful thing happening in so many different areas of our life that I run from one task to another and still don't get much done!

At YJ Acres, we have a task list a mile long, including harvesting, preserving, preparing for spring, and general clean up!

It's craft show time, so I'm preparing my business for that.  I also have a T-shirt order to complete.

Sewing-wise, the DWR quilt is kicking my tail.  Pinning is not my strong point (ha...).  I do think the quilt will be fabulous.  It's just a giant time suck.

Then there's family... DH is teaching a college course one night a week.  School is busy.  We had a storm in which lightning struck a tree, fried a breaker, toasted our modem, and all the repairs are still in progress.  Add to which, we have another tree to cut down!

I am so blessed to have my time filled with these tasks.  I just need a touch more sleep!

from the room of Zana's Ninis,
katie z.

Baby Blue for the Baby Boy

Placemat?  Check!  I even marked the names for the three my sister will embroider.  This is a little outside my normal range for the placemats, but I like it.  This little pile of scraps is gone, and I even cut into a long hoarded hand-dyed fat quarter that never had a home.  It was a perfect background for these fabrics!

 And the placemat is for this busy dude.  He can cruise, climb, stand alone, and is quickly becoming an expert at emptying kitchen cupboards.  It will be time to rearrange soon, but I'm not sure where to put all the glass!

 Aw, all tuckered out!  He hates to be put in the swing as he knows what I'm trying to do.  It works out well, though, as I can sit and sew and he can stare at me until he falls asleep.

 And he has NO fear.  Look at this punk climb halfway up the stairs without a peep.  I guess that downstairs gate will have to be put to use now.  (That looks says, "Busted!")

Check out the other blue projects as part of the Rainbow Scrap Challenge.

from the room of Zana's Ninis,
katie z.

the Week in Review

The week included prairie dogs on the way to the fair (we were on the way to the fair, not the prairie dogs!)

Our annual picture in the tractor tire went well.

Look at these lovely kids!  Here's the Assistant.

 Bear Cub Q

 Spunky

 Q loves the train ride around the agricultural part of the fair.  We get a view of a little bit of everything, and DH had time to shop for a new riding mower while we were away.

Although going to the fair on a Monday made for a VERY long day, it's cheaper (dollar Monday and 1 ticket rides) and the evening is just enough time to have fun but know when to cut it short - when it's dark!  We've gone all day before, and everyone is GRUMPY by the end.

Progress is being made here!  Four rows complete, five to go!  There's lots of fiddly pinning involved in  joining rings, but I think I'm improving, and I am getting faster.

 There's also oodles and oodles of gardening, canning, and animal care taking place, none of which has made for very glamorous pictures.

Until tomorrow!

from the room of Zana's Ninis,
katie z.

Rainbow Scrap Challenge: Baby Blue Edition

Ah, blue.  Blue scraps have been taking over my scrap bags as it is my favorite color. I'm glad I have another month to reduce it.

Light blues are hard to come by, so I may I only complete one small project.  I think the rest of my time will be spent working on my Irish chain quilt made of blues.

These blues and greys will be for a placemat for JoJo, as he and the other "new" family members (Lettie and my brother's fiancee) need placemats for family dinners.

The colors are soothing and quiet, not much like the busy and hot day we had today.

Check out other Rainbow Scrap Challenge projects!

from the room of Zana's Ninis,
katie z.

Solid Arc Double Wedding Ring Quilt

Progress is being made!  I have 166 melon/arc sets complete, with only 10 more to go!

My least favorite part of sewing curves is all the pinning involved.  I have children who dump pins, I drop them, etc.  I don't like losing pins for children's feet to find (not yet, but we've found 6 on the floor!  My son dumped the box.)

from the room of Zana's Ninis,
katie z.