April 350 Block Count

 I made 73 blocks in April, bringing my total for 2021 to 279.  These fiddly blocks are definitely slowing down my productivity (which isn’t necessarily bad.  It would be nice to have a finish on the horizon, but I think that’s months away!). 

My blocks were: 4 Modern Vintage, 8 farm blocks, 9 blocks for the finished twin quilt, 22 blocks for the two placemats, and 30 pineapple bodies.  After the next 30 pineapple bodies are finished, my sewing may have a chance to speed up!

from the room of Zana’s Ninis,

katie z.

April UFO Report

1. Scrappy DWR

2. Pillow

3. ABC appliqué

4. Hand hexagons

5. Modern Vintage

6. Split Star

7. Farm quilt with cork fabric

8. Pink hexagons

9. Pineapple quilt

I started one new project, a baby doll quilt for a nephew, and finished three: the second twin quilt, both placemats, and the doll quilt.  Woohoo!

April 1: 11 projects

Started: 1

Finished: 3

April 30: 9 projects

I’m pleased to be back under 10 projects.  I’m sure I’ll find a new fascinating quilt (or a project for someone) in the next month or two!

from the room of Zana’s Ninis,

katie z.

Stash Report Week #17 and 15 Minutes

 I have things to get done today.  Oy.  I think it’s more than I have decent energy today, so I see all the things I haven’t gotten done.

I’m very happy to have finished both placemats and the doll quilt.  Three things off the pile and a little more stash busted!

IN this week: 0 yards

OUT this week: 1 3/4 yards

IN YTD: 33 1/4 yards (0 yards gifted)

OUT YTD: 30 1/2 yards

YTD Total: 2 3/4 yards IN

My stash busting this year is much, much slower than I anticipated, but I’m happy that despite surgery, I’ve resisted buying scrap bags or yardage.  I am dismayed at how the yardage in my stash is dwindling to mostly less than two yards.  It’s hard for me to decide what fabrics I want to buy in larger pieces, and I’m trying hard to make my stash work for me.  Seeing ALL of it on one wall reminds me I don’t need to buy any fabric for several years unless I actually need it.

On the fifteen minutes of hand stitching a day, I stitched every day.  I think, if I have my numbers correct, I’ve managed to log 109 days of 114.  My excitement in this project is flagging a bit, but I’ve made good progress so far this year, so on I go!  I’ll pull out all my blocks soon and enjoy the distance I’ve already covered on this project.

from the room of Zana’s Ninis,

katie z.

Blue Skies on the Farm

 The pineapples suffered this week as I dove into my farm blocks.

The blue-loving boy of course gets his initial in blue.

Daddy’s New Holland tractor, fondly called Bluey, is next.  Well, roughly his tractor.  Artistic liberties taken, right?

A snowflake for me, as snowflake fabrics are my favorite to collect.

JoJo picked the blue fabrics for the train.  I’m pretty happy with it.

And I have an apron.  I’m afraid it isn’t as nice as the others, and may need replacement in the future to be a trifle less wonky.

I receive my second jab on Tuesday, so I’m mentally preparing myself for a slow week on the quilting front.  I’ll finish my farm blocks and get back to the pineapples eventually.  I have 20 done and 40 to go.

from the room of Zana’s Ninis,

katie z.

 

P.S. I’m linking up to the Rainbow Scrap Challenge.

Stash Report Week #16

 Yay!  I finished the twin quilt this week (and already gave it to my mom, so no pictures.  Bad planning.)

In the coming week, I have two placemats and a doll quilt to finish.  I enjoy multiple weeks of stash busting!

IN this week: 0 yards

OUT this week: 2 1/2 yards

IN YTD: 33 1/4 yards (0 yards purchased)

OUT YTD: 28 3/4 yards

YTD Total: 4 1/2 yards

from the room of Zana’s Ninis,

katie z.

A Bushel and a Peck

 .... of pineapples!

They are coming alone nicely, as I have been able to get into a rhythm of piecing.  If I could finish half of them (30) this month, that would be splendid.

I have also spend more than enough time cutting farm blocks.  This month has a plethora of complicated and tedious blocks, which I am not excited about piecing.  I will be excited to add them to the collection!

from the room of Zana’s Ninis,

katie z.

P.S.  I’m hurrying to finish my post before I need to take the Assistant to babysitting, so check out the Rainbow Scrap Challenge for other blue posts.

Stash Report #15 and 15 Minutes

 I will have a finish next week, but for now, my stash report is unchanged.  One more spool ran out this week, so my count rises to 8 for the year.

I missed a day of hand stitching; I was just too tired.  Still, at 95/100 days for 2021, I’m doing fine.  There is more outside work to supervise, even if I can’t do it on my own, so hand stitching time isn’t as easy to come by.

from the room of Zana’s Ninis,

katie z.

Quilting Gymnastics

 I finished the blocks for the second twin’s quilt and basted it.  Today I should wind the bobbins and decide on the quilting.  I’d like it done before my mom goes to help my brother’s family, whenever that is.

The pineapples are, once the cutting is puzzled out (five different size of strips in each of three fabrics to be mixed and matched into the various possible arrangements).  I have six different sets of fabrics, but I’m only cutting one set at a time.  I think by the end I won’t need to examine the layout each time to put the pieces in the right places, but for now I have to find the right page in the booklet over and over!

My Modern Vintage blocks are also done for the month.  It was a little more challenging to find “lighter” blues to keep the blocks in the medium/light range, but I’m happy with them.

I’m slow at cutting, but I have been able to cut one farm block each day, so next week I’ll start putting those together when I need a break from pineapples.

from the room of Zana’s Ninis,

katie z.

P.S. It’s Rainbow Scrap Challenge Day.

March UFO Report

 1. Scrappy DWR

2. Pillow

3. ABC appliqué

4. Hand hexagons

5. Modern Vintage

6. Split Star

7. Farm quilt with cork fabric

8. Pink hexagons

9. Twin quilt, orange

10. Placemats

11. Pineapple

In March, I finished one of the twins’ quilts, and since they’ve been born, I’m hustling on the second.  I also pulled out scraps to make their placemats and prepared the side my sister embroiders.  Unfortunately for my list, that means my numbers are in the same place.

March 1: 11 projects

Started: 1

Finished: 1

March 31: 11 projects

I should easily finish the second quilt this month and I don’t have anything major planned in the way of projects, so I’m going to head back to sewing!

from the room of Zana’s Ninis,

katie z.

Stash Report Week #14 and 15 Minutes

 Despite some wandering temptation to place an order for fabric, I have no stash changes for this week.  I have browsed here or there, but I really have quite a lot of fabric and don’t need to buy any more right now!  My current projects have all the fabric they need, and with my current slow speed of sewing, my fabrics won’t be exhausted for years.  (I’m talking firmly to myself here about no need to shop!)

On the hand quilting front, I did find the time to do some hand sewing every day this week.  That leaves me at 89 of 91 days for 2021.  Considering I’m extra tired, this is quite satisfactory.

from the room of Zana’s Ninis,

katie z.

Another Weekend

 I’ll be honest, I’m more than ready for the school year to be over.  It feels more tense now than the beginning of the year as masks, etc., are too rapidly done away with.  I was able to slip into a free spot for my first jab this week, and between it and still recovering from surgery, I’m tired.  I’m looking forward to the kids qualifying for vaccinations this fall.

Equally dramatic (or much more so?) this week, my sister-in-law contracted a stomach bug from a friend’s family.  She was 33 weeks pregnant with twins and dehydrated... and ended up having an emergency C-section to deliver the babies.  So I have one twin quilt done and not the other, and it would appear it’s time to get it done!  They are both healthy and doing well, and as they are 12 hours away in the NICU, this will be what I can do to celebrate.  I have four blocks done, so only five left.

I did get to my light blue scraps (although I know I cut into my lightest blue scraps for a different quilt, so the pickings were slim.  These lean a bit teal, but they look just fine.

I’ve picked out which blocks I want to make for my farm quilt this month, but as I was extra exhausted this week, no cutting took place.

Ooh, I did finish sewing the pineapple tops and need to trim them next.  The pile of teals and light blues for the pineapple bodies are ready to sort and cut.

I haven’t decided if I’m going to lay down or sew something next, but I do know I need to get a little more Easter baking finished later!

from the room of Zana’s Ninis,

katie z.

P.S. Blue is the color of April for the Rainbow Scrap Challenge.

350 Block Count, March Summary

 I have had more trouble remembering to do my month end/beginning blogs this year.  Well, better late than never, right?

I started. March with 129 blocks and ended the month with 77 new blocks.  These included Modern Vintage, Farm, the twin quilt, and pineapple tops.  Given how many pieces are in each pineapple top, I’ve decided to count them separately from the bodies.

This is pretty slow progress for me, having only 206 blocks, but it’s fine.

from the room of Zana’s Ninis,

katie z.

April Goals

 In March, I had dreams of...

1. Scrap management: trim (later in the month), hand hexagons, modern vintage, and farm quilt blocks in the chosen color.  Done, done, done.

2.  Finish the blocks on this twin quilt and maybe, maybe finish it in March.  I have one more quilt for the other twin, and then I need to think about placemats!  Yellow quilt done.  Placemats pieced and waiting for my sister’s embroideries.

3.  Sew on the pineapple tops.  I should do something with them!  Tops done.

In April, I hope to...

1.  Keep on the scraps: trimming, hand hexagons, Modern Vintage, and farm quilt blocks.

2.  Finish the orange twin quilt.

3.  Finish the twin’s placemats.

4.  Cut and/sew some pineapple bodies.

5.  Mending: the pile is creeping up on me.  DH wore out some socks, tore some pants, and destroyed the seat in a pair of shorts.  The Assistant has a crocheted purse she would like me to line.

6. Finish my pumpkin wool embroidery.  Shockingly, once the cutting and prep work was done, it’s moving along like lightning.

My list is a bit longer, but plenty of these projects are small and easy to finish.  If I can just have enough energy to finish them all!

from the room of Zana’s Ninis,

katie z.