I finished the pillow cases and Spunky's quilt, but I started a new teacher quilt, plans for two placemats, the baby needs name letters, and two weighted blankets.  Gulp!

May 1: 14
Started: 5
Finished: 2
May 31: 17

Project List:
1. Tell it to the Stars
2. Rose appliqué
3. Bits and Bobs
4. Mini 9s
5. Hourglass
6. Garden Party
7. Barn Dance
8. Flying geese
9. Orphan blocks
10. Pillow
11. Scrappy DWR
12. ABC appliqué
13. Millie's Tshirt quilt
14. Placemats
15. P's letters
16. Weighted blanket
17. Weighted blanket

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

350 Block Challenge

Ooh, lots of new blocks this month!

I finished...
75 flying geese strips
32 new blocks to finish off 4 orphan blocks into a quilt (bad math there...)
4 Barn Dance blocks
20 Mini 9s
20 hourglass
5 Garden Party
4 Bits and Bobs
... for a total of 178 new blocks
... which makes 541 total blocks for 2017!

UFO Progress

This month, my UFO assignment was #11.  I finished that back in March, when I stitched through all four sides of white filler in one month rather than two.  I'm rather inclined to push along this quilt before my mojo leaves me or the heat smothers me!

I opted for #10, which is outlining and filling in all the chains on the quilt.  I outlined first, then filled in little "shell" shapes.  I'm glad I chose this now, as I had large potions of the quilt in my lap, and soon (like today), it's too warm to have a whole queen quilt in my lap!

I apologize for a lousy picture.  I'm in the midst of packing for me to go one way with four kids and my husband to go another with two kids for the next five days.  It's chaos and I'm in a hurry!

Since this step went quickly and I had a week left, I decided to add on one more quilt block.  I opted for block 8, which is one of the two blocks in the middle of the quilt.  With this beauty complete, all of my work is now on the outside of the quilt, so I won't be so worried about getting too hot.  I outlined one more, so I'm moving along nicely.

I only have four months (maybe less?) of steps left, so at the latest, I hope to finish the quilt by the end of September.  Woohoo!

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

Stash Report Week #21

IN this week:  2 yards
OUT this week: 0 yards

IN YTD: 10 yards
OUT YTD: 54 1/2 yards
YTD Total: 44 1/2 yards OUT!

I needed two yards for a weighted blanket for my sister, so that came in, but once I finished TWO weighted blankets, I'll have 8 yards out, so it's all good.  I did notice my numbers don't add up for last week, and I was too generous with my year to date total.  Oops!

from the room of Zana's Ninis,

katie z.

Lime, Sage, and Apple

This week saw an end to school, summer plans initiated, and crazy days and nights.  No tornadoes or hail arrived, thanks be to God.  The first day home was a little rough, but at least DH and I are on the same page, which means it will all get better!

I only managed four Bits and Bobs this month, with none of them being green.  Alas, my 1" strip box is completely empty, so the last six blocks will have to be patient.  I may decide to cut some 2" strips in half, but I have a few last nines to sew up, and then I'll decide.

My Barn Dance blocks are HUGE this month!  It seems the 24" and 2 - 16" blocks contained green while only one measly 6" did also, so that's what I sewed.  I'm looking forward to laying out this quilt.  These are hoarded "Vicki Welsh" hand dyes on a lovely dark blue batik background.  Every month I love seeing these blocks come together.

Finally, I have this other crazy project going: based on Robert Kaufman's "Geese Remixed" pattern, resized for my 2.5" strips in teal, grey, and white.  I'll be making the blocks twice to make it large enough, and this second round I've decided to add more white.  I won't sew together either half until I have more blocks made so I can rearrange and redistribute.  I've been using a new ruler for lefties, and it's been a lovely experiment.  When I get farther along, I'll discuss my opinion of this ruler.

Next week involves travel for me and four of the kids, so I'm not sure I'll be able to start the new color in time for next Saturday.  I'll come up with something, but it may not be in the right color!

I'll be linking up with other green projects this Saturday.

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

Stash Report Week #20

IN this week: 0 yards
OUT this week: 2 1/4 yards

IN YTD: 8 yards
OUT YTD: 54 1/2 yards
YTD Total: 48 1/2 yards OUT!

Also, I've finished off 13 spools of thread this year.

I know Judy's ended her stash reports, but I started my blog just to participate, so I can't get them up yet!

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

Rainbow Scrap Challenge: Finished Quilts

Last Saturday afternoon, I powered through the hand stitching of the binding of Spunky's quilt.  It's now all washed and crinkly, finishing at roughly 60 x 72, and ready to give away.  She decided she'd like a special teacher at school to receive it, so we'll be delivering it next week!

 I opted for a simple meander, as I want the quilt to be used and not put away.  Now that the quilt is done and I can study the blocks from a distance, I don't feel bad about the fabric choices.  At one point, I was nervous that my reds and pinks weren't high enough contrast between the two colors, and too much contrast in each color, but I see now it's fine.

 Then I finished my hourglass blocks.  I look forward to laying all these out in a few months!

Finally, since I had the time and it was too wet to be outside working, I finished my green orphan blocks.  About 2/3 of the way through webbing the blocks, I realized I'd flipped two rows, as the orange diagonal line should go all the way through the quilt.  After a few minutes pondering, as I webbed the rest of the quilt, I decided to leave it.  It was pin basted in a matter of minutes, quilted in less than an hour and less than two bobbins, and bound while I was listening to the weather.  We've escaped two nights of high tornado watches and warnings with only a few branches down.  Whew!

Be sure to check out all the glorious green projects this weekend!

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

Stash Report Week #19

I finished Spunky's quilt this week, so there was a lovely outgoing chunk this week.

IN this week: 0 yards
OUT this week: 8 1/4 yards

IN YTD: 8 yards
OUT YTD: 52 1/2 yards
YTD Total: 44 1/2 yards

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

Moss, Malachite, and Mess

My design wall is a glorious green (and other color) riot this week!

The week began with high hopes and challenging goals, only to come crashing down into a disaster of fever, strep, sinus infection, and allergies.  All for me.  I haven't been that sick for more than 24 hours in YEARS.  It was brutal, but we all survived (even the house survived, although it took my mom to help me get even close to catching up!).

Once I felt well enough to sit up but still not well enough to walk around the house doing chores, I sewed here and there when I wasn't napping.

The mini nines came first.  They're mindless to sew, as once I had my pile of green centers and green frames, I only had to add a few of other colors, and I could putter along.

Next came the orphan blocks.  I'm about half done with my plan, and if they look uncoordinated now, it's all good.  They're not supposed to make much sense!  Just nine patches with green, orange, and tan, triangles or squares.  I may have to find more green and orange bits, but I know I have enough blocks now that I could manage a bitty baby blanket even if I don't get more blocks made.  The lonesome four patches with blue and purple are still separate.  I think they'll find a friendly backing to join.

On the side, I've begun a new project.  It's scrappy, so far.  I'm using a new (leftie!) ruler, and it's perking along nicely.  The seams are beastly to press open, so my goal is two sets of four a day.  So far, so good.  To my disappointment, I will have to cut into stash and make more scraps to get enough variety, but it's all good, right?  Fresh scraps are better than stale ones!

Finally, I had great plans to whip out Spunky's quilt this week.  Hahaha.  Anyway, I did quilt it with a simple meander (and a few hidden words), and the binding will be stitched down by the end of Saturday.  It remains to be seen if I'll get a picture of it before I post.

All the best of health and green scraps to all of you!

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

Stash Report Week #18

I finished four more pillowcases, to close out my goal of 10 for the year (woohoo!).

IN this week: 0 yards, despite temptations
OUT this week: 4 1/2 yards

IN YTD: 8 yards
OUT YTD: 44 1/4 yards
YTD Total: 36 1/4 yards OUT!

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

Rainbow Scrap Challenge: Green-Tinged

A little bit of this, a little bit of that...

I started the week with trimming down scraps (it's so satisfying to put the tidy piles away) and focused on Spunky's flimsy as I awaited the newest color reveal.  I managed to focus so well, that this lovely is awaiting pressing!  I even have a backing ready to piece, so I'm going to quilt this one next week.  It was Spunky's project, but she's not really ready for quilting.  I need to find other things for her to make.  (I may try to teach her crocheting, but she's a righty and I'm a lefty, so we'll go to Youtube for lessons.)

Once I knew the color of the month (lovely, luscious green), I pulled out my orphans and my garden party blocks.  On my wall, I have the actual orphan blocks, and on my floor is a smattering of orange, green, and tan pieces.  I had one block made of orange, green, and white, but I opted to strip it down into its original components rather than try to incorporate it in the orphan quilt.  I see some more nine patches in my future for this one.

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

Be sure to check out all the other green projects this weekend!

May Goals

In April, my goals were...

1.  Manage the multicolor scraps.  Trimming, Bits and Bobs, Garden Party, Mini 9s, hourglass, and Barn Dance.  DONE!

2.  Tell it to the Stars UFO Progress, #1, which calls for quilting blocks 3, 4, and 5.  I goofed on which blocks I quilted, but since I began with one finished and two to go, and I quilted two, I'm counting this as DONE.

3. Progress on the rose appliqué.  DONE.

4.  Work on a baby quilt.  FINISHED the quilt.

5.  Mending.  Oh, the bucket is overflowing.  DONE.

Optional, if I finish the other goals: Spunky's blue blocks and pillow cases.  I never touched the pillow cases but I made good progress on Spunky's blocks.

In May, my goals are...

1.  Manage the (as yet, undeclared color of) scraps.  Trimming, Bits and Bobs, Garden Party, Mini 9s, hourglass, Barn Dance, and orphan blocks.

2.  Tell it to the Stars UFO Progress, #10 which is all the chains running through the middle of the quilt.

3.  Progress on the rose applique.

4.  Spunky's quilt finished.

Optional, if I finish the other goals, pillow cases, a new quilt for a teacher, and my sister's Tshirt quilt.

from the room of Zana's Ninis,

katie z.

May UFO List

I started and finished a lap quilt for my sister.

April 1: 14
Started: 1
Finished: 1
April 30: 14

Project List:
1. Tell it to the Stars
2. Rose appliqué
3. Bits and Bobs
4. Mini 9s
5. Hourglass
6. Garden Party
7. Barn Dance
8. Pillowcases
9. Orphan blocks
10. Pillow
11. Scrappy DWR
12. ABC appliqué
13. Millie's Tshirt quilt
14. B's blocks

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

UFO Progress

Judy Laquidara chose UFO #1 for April.  For me, that was hand quilting blocks 3, 4, and 5.  Fortunately, I already had block 3 done.  I didn't unfold my quilt all the way when I figured out where 4 and 5 were, and it turns out I didn't do 4 and five at all.  Instead, I did 7 and 11.  It all comes out to progress in the end, so I'm going to count it.

 7 and 11 are the middle blocks in the top picture.

Blocks 4 and 5 are the two lower blocks on the left side of this lower picture.  I guess another month, when I should do 7 or 11!  (For those wondering, the pattern is Tell it to the Stars, a free monthly pattern by Judy.)

Judy chose #11 for May.  Let's see what that is...  White filler in the outer white border.  It turns out I finished that in March, so I've elected to do #10 next, which is outlining and filling in all the chains for the entire quilt.  I think I'll tackle outlining first, since it requires no marking.

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