Five Shadows

Greetings! Are we really half way through the first month of 2023!?

Tomorrow marks the day one year ago that I started the Homage to Grandmother’s Flower Garden Quilt Along.  I’ve not completed the quilt top in that one year as I’m on week 43. It’s all about enjoying the process, and that I am still doing!

Here’s how my To-Do list went this past week -

To-Do Tuesday, January 10, 2023

1. Homage to Grandmother’s Flower Garden! This was last year’s quilt-a-long and I have 10 more weeks to finish. ✔️ I’m still stitching.
2. Three clothing quilts. Part of the clothing came already fused with a stabilizer. I’ve cut all those pieces into squares. Time to fuse the rest and continue cutting. Possibly construct some basket blocks. ✔️ One top made.
3. Friday quilt group – I’m taking along the hexies for Homage to Grandmother’s Flower Garden as my handwork for the day. ✗  Plans change.

1. Homage to Grandmother’s Flower Garden

Week 42 stitched together in two sections. Isn’t that top one very odd shaped?

Weeks 1 – 42.  Note the four corners are all now pieced and attached!

Week 43 is basted and some stitching underway. I did not photo the progress.

2. Clothing Quilts

41 different garments were used in this top along with four handkerchiefs. Instead of baskets made from the hankies, I went with hearts in the four corners. The next two tops will be very similar other than the “center” shown here as the sailboat. Each quilt top will have a different t-shirt motif in the center.

3. I didn’t attend Friday’s quilt group. Two gals I give a ride to could not make it, so I decided to stay home and make headway on the clothing quilts. I’m working towards getting the clothing quilts done so I can get back to my own to-do list!

Looking at this week’s plans -

To-Do Tuesday, January 17, 2023

1. Keep moving forward on Homage to Grandmother’s Flower Garden!
2. Finish the clothing quilt tops. One done, two to go.
3. Maybe pull out something old or new to work on. ie. There are too many 2023 Squirrels showing up in my feed to tempt me into new projects! But really I should just focus on the Flower Garden and get is completed!

Linking to To-Do Tuesday hosted by Carol of Quilt Schmilt.

This past week was spent in lots of family time. Both our grands celebrated birthdays. As it was their last week of Winter vacation, returning to school today, we squeezed in many activities. They had both sets of grandparents as their Arizona grandparents were in town. Lots of fun times were had together!

On to sewing and quilting.

To-Do Tuesday, January 3, 2023

1. Stitch stitch stitch on Homage to Grandmother’s Flower Garden! This was last year’s quilt-a-long and I have 13 weeks to finish! I started late and never caught up. So now it carries over into a new year!  ✔️
2. Sandwich, quilt Irish Chain quilt. Maybe bind?  ✗

1. Homage to Grandmother’s Flower Garden

Week 40 Stitched.

And here are weeks 1 – 40 attached in the growing quilt.

Plus week 41 all stitched together

and added to the quilt top!

And 42 started. These are 1/2″ hexagons. The completed quilt will measure about 42″ square.

2. I didn’t touch the Irish Chain quilt.

BUT I did get started on three clothing quilts.

I’m cutting up clothing into a few 12 1/2″ squares, and mostly 6 1/2″ squares for three similar quilts. There are also hankies to be used that I’m thinking of turning in to baskets. Hmmm. Some of the floral prints might make appliqué flowers for the baskets which will be 12″ finished blocks. I’m aiming for lap size quilts.

This coming week I’m focusing on Grandmother’s Flower Garden in the evenings and the clothing quilts during daytime.

To-Do Tuesday, January 10, 2023

1. Homage to Grandmother’s Flower Garden! This was last year’s quilt-a-long and I have 10 more weeks to finish.
2. Three clothing quilts. Part of the clothing came already fused with a stabilizer. I’ve cut all those pieces into squares. Time to fuse the rest and continue cutting. Possibly construct some basket blocks.
3. Friday quilt group – I’m taking along the hexies for Homage to Grandmother’s Flower Garden as my handwork for the day.

That’s all I have planned for this week, other than my daughter in law wants to come over for a quilting lesson. I’m open to that!

Linking to To-Do Tuesday hosted by Carol of Quilt Schmilt. Go join in on the linky party and take a look around at what others are doing.

Three days into the New Year! And here we are at To-Do Tuesday with a new host! Let’s welcome Carol of Quilt Schmilt for the Love of Fabric for taking on hosting TTD in 2023! Thank you Carol!

I use To-Do Tuesday as a way to keep track of what I’m working on, and to keep motivated to see a project through to the end. Finished! is a good thing! If you have not heard of TTD follow the link and see what others are up to in their quilting and crafting world.

Here is how I ended 2022 -

To-Do Tuesday, December 27, 2022

1. Keep stitching away on Homage to Grandmother’s Flower Garden!✔️
2. Bind Nutcracker, Christmas Countdown. ✔️
3. Come up with a list of PUPs – Previously Unfinished Projects! to work on in 2023! I’ll post about that soon! ✔️

1. I’m plugging away on Homage to Grandmother’s Flower Garden.

Week 39 stitched! This is an English Paper Pieced projects, and I’m using 1/2″ hexagon papers.

Here’s the quilt with weeks 1-39 all stitched together! I completed to this point New Year’s Eve at about 11:30pm! I had set a personal goal to get 39 completed before the new year!

Plus I made progress on glue basting and starting the stitching of week 40.

When will this quilt be finished? Anyone want to make a guess? There are 12 more weekly patterns to complete this quilt top.

2. Nutcracker, Christmas Countdown

Here’s my Nutcracker all stitched with binding, and hanging in my living room. Thank you Helen Godden for another wonderful Christmas Countdown!

3. I’ve written a post about all the PUPs – Previously Unfinished Projects I hope to finish and also new quilts planned which are mostly for charities, and also some Christmas gifts for family. Take a look if you are interested.

Plus I did start a new quit this year -

This is a small Irish Chain quilt kit I purchased last Autumn. I added border fabric to enlarge the top to ~39″ x 49″ to be a charity quilt.

That brings us to this week’s list of what I want to work on -

To-Do Tuesday, January 3, 2023

1. Stitch stitch stitch on Homage to Grandmother’s Flower Garden! This was last year’s quilt-a-long and I have 13 weeks to finish! I started late and never caught up. So now it carries over into a new year!
2. Sandwich, quilt Irish Chain quilt. Maybe bind?

Linking to To-Do Tuesday hosted by Carol of Quilt Schmilt. Go take a look at what everyone is work ing on and join in the party!

Week 37 attached to quilt!

Week 38 stitched!

Weeks 1 through 38 attached! And I have some of Week 39 glue basted. If I was keeping up with this quilt-along I’d be working on the last week of the year, week 52. How long to you think it will take for me to finish this top? I sure hope I have it completed before the end of February 2023!

2. Countdown to Christmas with Helen Godden

I’ve completed the FMQ for each day of the Christmas Countdown. He needs binding and a hanger. I might get to that today.

3.  Anniversary!

Hubby and I celebrated by braving the weather. Many businesses were closed due to the severe weather. A favorite Chinese restaurant less than a mile from our house was my idea for lunch. It was closed. But another Chinese restaurant just a mile from our house was surprisingly open. We headed there. Everyone was driving way under the speed limit being careful and taking time. We enjoyed our meal and brought home leftovers for supper. This was not our usual celebration, but turned out nicely. Happy 45th wedding anniversary to us!

4. Christmas was spread out through several days. Several but not all of our adult children came over for our traditional Christmas Eve meal before heading to our Candlelight Service. Christmas Day only our son and his family who live 3 blocks north of us came over. We enjoyed the afternoon with them. On the 26th my daughter & SIL hosted our family Christmas. Good food, conversation, games, gifts and a Nativity puzzle were enjoyed by all!

Over several days of family visiting this past week we completed this puzzle.

We had a Lego puzzle and this Lori Holt puzzle and one guest selected Lori Holt’s to work on. We finished it Christmas day.

We didn’t finish the Nativity puzzle at my daughter’s house – and I should have taken a picture! 5 of us through out the day made good headway on it!

To-Do Tuesday, December 27, 2022

1. Keep stitching away on Homage to Grandmother’s Flower Garden!
2. Bind Nutcracker, Christmas Countdown.
3. Come up with a list of PUPs – Previously Unfinished Projects! to work on in 2023! I’ll post about that soon!

Merry Christmas and Happy New year!

Linking to To-Do Tuesday hosted by Linda of Texas Quilt Gal. This is Linda’s last week to host TDT. Go take a look and learn who will be our next host. And join the party!

House guests! My son’s in-laws are visiting from Arizona, and are staying at my house for a few nights while my son’s family heal from a few bugs they picked up. I tell you, the littles pick up just about everything and then it passes through their family. The latest was pink-eye. Uck! And one had a stomach bug. Let’s hope they all clear up and stay healthy!

I’ve not been in my sewing room much, but I have been hand stitching on Homage to Grandmother’s Flower Garden.

To-Do Tuesday, December 13, 2022

1. Hand stitching Homage to Grandmother’s Flower Garden, EPP project. ✔️
2. Meeting with two quilting groups, Wednesday & Friday. I’m taking the EPP project to work on both days!  ✔️
3. Keep up with Countdown to Christmas with Helen Godden. ✔️

1. Progress on Homage to Grandmother’s Flower Garden.

Week 36 complete.

Weeks 1 – 36 attached.

Week 37 completed and I’m in the process of attaching, but no photo yet.

2. Both of my quilting group Christmas parties and sewing days were so nice! We exchanged gifts and all were nicely received. We enjoyed good food and our time together chatting and sewing.

3. Hello Godden’s Christmas Countdown

I’ve FMQ my Nutcracker through day 21. I’m enjoying all the little bits of FMQ.

That’s all in my sewing world for this past week – even though I’m ever so late posting. Today is Thursday and we have a winter snow storm heading our way with snow & ice in the prediction. Hubs and I will be all cozy at home. My guests are moving to my son’s house today. Christmas programs are already being canceled with the storm in the forecast. That makes me wonder if there will be Christmas Eve and Day services at my church.  I do love the tradition of a Candle Light Christmas Eve Service. I’ll just have to wait and see what happens.

So! Merry Christmas everyone! Oh Come Let Us Adore Him!

To-Do Tuesday, December 20, 2022

1. Stitch stitch on Grandmother’s Flower Garden.
2. Keep up with Countdown to Christmas with Helen Godden.
3. Enjoy our wedding anniversary! 45 years on the 23rd!
4. Enjoy Christmas hopefully with family!

Linking to To-Do Tuesday hosted by Linda of Texas Quilt Gal. Thank you Linda for all the time you have put into hosting TDT! Merry Christmas!

Another week flies by as the end of the year approaches! December always passes too quickly in my opinion!

Here’s what I accomplished this past week in my little quilting world.

To-Do Tuesday, December 6, 2022

1. Hopefully make progress on Homage to Grandmother’s Flower Garden. ✔️
2. Now that I have a Christmas Countdown going – keep up with it!  ✔️
3.  I’d like to say work on a charity quilt, but I don’t know if I’ll get to it. ✔️

1. Homage to Grandmother’s Flower Garden – I did some stitching but not as much as I had hoped.

Week 35 is attached to the growing quilt.

And week 36 is under way. That is not a lot of progress as in one week’s time I like to stitch up a week and get it attached to the quilt. And start another week. Oh well. I hope to make up for lack of work on HGMFG this week as I have two quilting days with friends.

2. Helen Godden’s Christmas Countdown

I’m calling my Nutcracker Nutty and he is up to date with all the FMQ. Days 1-13.

3. Charity quilts

Quilt no. 1. I taught my DIL, Kim, how to grid quilt her finished quilt top using a walking foot.

Scraps from my stash were used to create this colorful quilt. The grid quilting is one inch on both sides of the diagonal seams and then down the center of the blocks for stability.

Leftovers found in my binding box were used for a colorful binding. That makes one colorful quilt measuring 49″ square. This was one of 27 quilts donated to a local charity. We delivered the quilts for our Women’s Ministry group on Monday. Kim’s donations in the past have been knitted items. This is her first finished quilt! Although she does have several other quilt tops in progress!

Quilt no. 2. I finished piecing simple borders around this cat panel.

Then my DIL had fun with FMQ. Her first go at FMQ! Nice job Kim! This will be a future hospice donation. 35″ square.

On to other creations – I have two Christmas parties this week with my quilting friends. We do a small gift exchange in both groups. I’m making little ivy ornaments to attach to the gift bags.

Four for Friday. I’ll photo the bags and share next week.

To-Do Tuesday, December 13, 2022

1. Hand stitching Homage to Grandmother’s Flower Garden, EPP project.
2. Meeting with two quilting groups, Wednesday & Friday. I’m taking the EPP project to work on both days!
3. Keep up with Countdown to Christmas with Helen Godden.

Linking to To-Do Tuesday hosted by Linda of Texas Quilt Gal. Linda is stepping down from hosting at the end of this month. If you are interested in taking over this linking party, please contact her.

Welcome December! Oh how quickly this month fills up with lots of holiday extras! I was slow going this past week on quilting as I filled up time with some fun outings with friends and family. My son’s house was part of a Holiday Tour, 10 houses in a historic neighborhood in our town. I did the neighborhood walk and tour with two friends and we even took a horse drawn carriage ride. Next up was taking our grands to the Botanical Gardens to enjoy the Christmas decorations.

Our ladies group at church put together these Reindeer bags as gifts for teachers.

The bags are filled with treats, encouraging words, quilted mug rug, and gift card for coffee/tea.

We made 42 mug rugs or coasters, if you like, for 42 bags gifted to elementary school teachers.

To-Do Tuesday, November 29, 2022

1. Continue Homage to Grandmother’s Flower Garden. ✔️
2. Decide on a few little gifts for a few friends.  Not decided yet, store bought or handmade. ✔️
3. Quilt & bind one charity quilt. ✗

This week I didn’t get much accomplished in my quilting world.

1. Homage to Grandmother’s Flower Garden

Week 35 is stitched up and I’ve started to attach it to the quilt. But no photo.

2. Gifts for friends. I decided on buying a few little sewing notions for several friends, and travels mugs for a few others.

3. I did touch a charity quilt this week. But I did start a Squirrel. I knew it was coming – Helen Godden’s Countdown to Christmas. I was thinking of passing on it this year, but decided I’d be mad at myself if I didn’t jump in.

If you follow the link above, you can download this free Christmas Countdown. This year we are FMQ a Nutcracker.

I used Crayola Crayons to color in my Nutcracker. Each day Helen demonstrates FMQ in one of the small areas of the drawing. This is a December 1st – 25th countdown and is rather low key once you have traced the Nutcracker on fabric, sandwich, and stitch on all the drawn lines. Then the fun begins of a small fill each day.

To-Do Tuesday, December 6, 2022

1. Hopefully make progress on Homage to Grandmother’s Flower Garden.
2. Now that I have a Christmas Countdown going – keep up with it!
3. ?? I’d like to say work on a charity quilt, but I don’t know if I’ll get to it.

Merry Christmas & Happy Holidays Friends!

Linking to To-Do Tuesday hosted by Linda of Texas Quilt Gal.

I hope everyone had a lovely Thanksgiving & weekend! We had two days of delicious meals with family and friends. More about those below.

To-Do Tuesday, November 22, 2022

1. Today I start cooking for Thanksgiving! ✔️
2. Keep moving ahead on Homage to Grandmother’s Flower Garden. ✔️
3. Will I sew on anything else this week? Time will tell. ✔️

Focus this week -

To-Do Tuesday, November 29, 2022

1. Continue Homage to Grandmother’s Flower Garden.
2. Decide on a few little gifts for a few friends.  Not decided yet, store bought or handmade.
3. Quilt & bind one charity quilt.

Linking to To-Do Tuesday hosted by Linda of Texas Quilt Gal.

As we celebrate Thanksgiving here in the USA this Thursday, I hope we each remember to whom we are giving thanks. May God Bless you all!

To-Do Tuesday, November 15, 2022

1. Homage to Grandmother’s Flower Garden, week 33. ✔️
2. Enjoy visit with sister & BIL. ✔️
3. Friday is sewing day with quilt group. Hmmm. What to take along? ✗

Here’s what happened with that list -

1. Homage to Grandmother’s Flower Garden

Week 33 completed. Those leaves slow me down with the tiny background pieces. I started attaching it to the quilt last night, no photo.

2. Visit with my sister and BIL went well! I invited my kids and their families over and all but one joined us for an enchilada dinner. Good time, good conversations.

3. I didn’t make it to my friend’s home for our sewing day. Just as I was reading a text from her that her drive was very icy, my husband came into the room and said he just heard of three car accidents in the direction I was to head. Icy roads. He didn’t want me driving. I thought plan B would be staying home and sewing on the project I planned for the day away, but since I was home other household projects kept popping up. You know how that goes, right?! Then once roads cleared, I ended up heading out to get the Covid Booster & the first Shingles vaccination.

Shingles is nasty folks. Have you gotten the two part vaccination? I know too many people who have suffered from Shingles, and one even lost their sight in one eye. That has prompted me to get the vaccine.

I did do just a bit of other sewing, again with my granddaughter.

Two 4 1/2″ square coasters for the grands to use Thanksgiving Day. Granddaughter selected the cat paw print and built from that for her coaster. And her brother loves orange, so we went with those two fun prints and pulled out the green and blue to coordinate.

Granddaughter likes smoothing out the corners with this hemostat.

A friend dropped by with a fabric donation for charity sewing. She was cleaning out her sewing room and part of what she gave me was a bag full of cat and dog prints. My grands enjoyed digging through those fabrics with me! The cat paw print in the coaster came from that bag of fabric.

My DIL got in on the fun and pulled out this cute cat panel. The green and purples were pulled from my stash. The beginnings of another charity quilt! Maybe a white should be added to make HSTs to border the panel. Unless my DIL takes up this project, it will sit for a while as I am still working through my own pile of  To-Be-Charity quilts!

To-Do Tuesday, November 22, 2022

1. Today I start cooking for Thanksgiving!
2. Keep moving ahead on Homage to Grandmother’s Flower Garden.
3. Will I sew on anything else this week? Time will tell.

Linking to To-Do Tuesday with Linda of Texas Quilt Gal.

I squeezed in some extra sewing this past week. With two birthdays coming up next week, it was a good thing I remembered a gift I had planned. Then yesterday my granddaughter wanted to make a gift too!

Here’s what happened this past week -

To-Do Tuesday, November 8, 2022

1. Homage to Grandmother’s Flower Garden, week 31, maybe start 32. ✔️
2. Borders for the HST quilt. ✔️
3. House cleaning, guest room, Sister & her Hub might be visiting next week. ✔️

1. Homage Grandmother’s Flower Garden

Week 31 pieced.

Weeks 1 – 31 all attached!

Week 32 pieced!

Weeks 1 – 32 attached! I spent Sunday afternoon watching 2 movies and hand stitching. I’m twelve weeks behind on the quilt-along. But hanging in there!

2. HST quilt has a border.

Border is on the HST quilt – it will be 4″ finished. I decided to put leftover HSTs in the corners. The top measures  49″ square.

3.  Sister & her Hub should be arriving anytime now! Maybe I’ll get some photos during their visit.

Extra sewing happened with my granddaughter. Her mom’s birthday falls on Thanksgiving Day this year. My granddaughter wanted to make a craft for her. Kim, my DIL had mentioned to me she would like a new mug rug. I had my GD pick out a design and fabric.

And we worked together to create this cute 4″ x 6″ little butterfly mug rug! We couched yarn around the edge instead of binding the little piece. Decorative little hearts had to find a place on the mug rug. Turned out Cute as can be! GD is pleased!

One more extra sewing project happened this week – I luckily remembered I’ll be seeing a friend this Friday and her birthday is next Tuesday. So I pulled fabric I thought she would like, purples and pinks. And sewed together Sew Organized.

I picked up a few gifts to put in the organizer as well. The front purple piece is a pincushion. It is 5 1/2″ wide and 8″ tall on a metal frame that was included with the pattern.

That’s my sewing for this week!

To-Do Tuesday, November 15, 2022

1. Homage to Grandmother’s Flower Garden, week 33.
2. Enjoy visit with sister & BIL.
3. Friday is sewing day with quilt group. Hmmm. What to take along?

Linking to To-Do Tuesday hosted by Linda of Texas Quilt Gal.