Five Shadows

Yikes. Migraines are no fun and I just had a few days this past week fighting the pain. And wouldn’t you know it, we had sunny days mixed in with our drab winter gray. Oh did that sun reflecting off the snow and coming in my windows hurt my head.

I only working on Homage to Grandmother’s Flower Garden this past week. Missed a family outing. Missed attending church. And I’m thankfully feeling tons better now.

To-Do Tuesday, January 31, 2023

1. Continuing with Homage to Grandmother’s Flower Garden!  ✔️
2. Finish SAL quilt top.  ✗
3. Friday is sewing day with my quilt group. I plan to take Homage along. ✔️

1. Homage progressed

Week 47 stitched

and attached.

I also did a lot of glue basting hexies for the remaining weekly patterns.

2. No headway made on the sew along quilt top.

3. I did make it to the quilting group Friday. But I stitched the wrong back ground to one leaf unit and had to rip it out. At that point I switched to glue basting.

Next up?

To-Do Tuesday, February 7, 2023

1. Homage to Grandmother’s Flower Garden of course!
2. Non sewing related – daughter bought a fixer upper 100 yr old house. Hubs and I are helping out with some remodel and updating. Ok, Hubs is helping out A LOT! Hopefully plumber & electrician will finish up, inspection will pass, and dry wall can go up soon. Looking like “soon” might be a month or more. Sigh. There’s more to the story. There always is. I’ll spare you.
3. Other quilting? Maybe.

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

The last day of January, can you believe it!?

We are back into a cold snap here in NE Indiana. 11 degrees when I got up this morning. It will stay below freezing most of this week according to the weather channel. For me, that means a space heater running to keep bathroom pipes from freezing.

It will be nice to stay cozy inside and do hand stitching.

Here’s my progress for the past week -

To-Do Tuesday, January 24, 2023

1. Homage to Grandmother’s Flower Garden! ✔️
2. Pick a machine sewing project.  ✔️

1. Homage is coming along -

Week 44 stitched

And attached.

Week 45 stitched, part of top edge of quilt!

And attached!

Week 46!

And this is what the back of the hexies look like when attaching week 46 to the quilt. I honestly didn’t realize I had completed so much on Homage this past week until I looked back at last week’s post.

2. New quilt projects, two Squirrels!

Moda had a weekend charm pack challenge earlier this month with a free pattern. I pulled fabric to make two from my charm pack stash. Ha ha! I sewed up one this week. Made with a Kona Solid charm pack by Robert Kaufman- oops not Moda! –  and Moda Zen Chic fabric for back ground.  I added a border with HST in corners to enlarge a bit. 39 1/2 ” square.

Then Wendy Sheppard of Ivory Spring hosted a Crockpot SAL that also used charm packs. She had links to crockpot recipes so ppl could make easy meals and sew all weekend. I didn’t use the recipes but I did grab the free pattern.

I used a bright Moda Poems from Pebbles charm pack for this one. HST made and trimmed. Sewing is under way but no photos yet.

To-Do Tuesday, January 31, 2023

1. Continuing with Homage to Grandmother’s Flower Garden!
2. Finish SAL quilt top.
3. Friday is sewing day with my quilt group. I plan to take Homage along.

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

Snow is coming! Since I live in NE Indiana, what is winter without snow!?  Maybe up to 8 inches falling on us tomorrow. Pictures next week!

On to quilting -

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! ✔️ No sewing but collecting patterns.

Here’s what I did this week -

1. Homage to Grandmother’s Flower Garden

Week 43 stitched together.

And attached to the quilt!

Week 44 underway.

Plus I counted out the 1/2″ paper hexagons for the remaining eight weeks of the quilt-along putting them in sleeve protectors with the instructions for each week.

2.  Clothing quilt tops are completed and sent to the longarm quilter.

I cut hearts out of 12 hankies and appliquéd them on to solid t-shirts or as in this photo a scarf. There are hearts in all four corners of the quilt tops. I didn’t take any more photos. I think I was just so happy to complete the three tops and move them to the longarm quilter! Here is the one I did photo last week.

3. I’ve been printing off free patterns that look tempting as they show up in email or on Facebook. Have you heard of the 365 Challenge quilt? Created by Kathryn Kerr? She designed a quilt several years ago making one block a day with 3 inch, 6 inch, and 12 inch designs. It’s free and can be found on Facebook as Friends Who Like 365 Challenge Quilt Blocks.

This week I just want to focus on the EPP  -

To-Do Tuesday, January 24, 2023

1. Homage to Grandmother’s Flower Garden!
2. Pick a machine sewing project.

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

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!

I’m making a list and checking it twice. Actually several lists of quilts to make headway on in 2023.

My first list is of Charity Quilts. Earlier this year I cleaned up my sewing room and organized fabric leftover from finished quilts. I put all those leftovers arranged by color into ~11″ x 13″ open bins purchased from Target. While cleaning up, I tossed fabrics, patterns, and kits into a pile that I thought would make good charity quilts for several organizations to which I donate. I came up with a list of 23 possible quilts for charities.

I have finished and donated 7 quilts from that list since September. That leaves 16 quilts to continue to finish this upcoming year.

Today I started this quilt using a Pods kit put together by Maywood Studio.  Pods were new to me.

I could not pass up this cute little kit. I’m thinking it might have been in a clearance section of a new-to-me quilt shop I visited this summer. This simple Irish Chain uses Christina Cameli’s Moongate fabrics. I do like Christina’s fabrics and patterns! I’m adding a border also from the clearance section of the shop. The finished quilt will be about 40″ x 52″ instead of 30″ x 42″ as per the kit.

For the organizations I donate to, quilts have to be at least 36″ square up to lap size. Those 36″ quilts get put together rather quickly.

In 2023, I hope to expand/improve my FMQ and ruler quilting, while having fun finishing the charity quilts.

The second list is of finished quilt tops, most have backs and batting ready for quilting. There are 17 quilts on this list. Sigh. I have nothing more to say about that sad state, other than I must start quilting those larger quilts. One was to be a gift to my eldest son, and one is for my husband. Hubs will be the first one I quilt in 2023.

The last list is of PUPs. Previously Unfinished Projects. I can see six of these projects from where I am sitting. These have been set aside for numerous reasons like being asked to make a t-shirt quilt, help with a gift, etc. One of these was started in 2012. From this list I’ll start by picking a favorite and get back to it!

Next is the Christmas list. I would love to make an Advent calendar for my grandkids. I made one from felt years ago when my kiddos were littles. I’d like to update it to a quilt. I’d also like to make several stockings. I have a bag of Christmas projects and gift ideas, I’m not even counting, but I know they are there.

I could have a fifth list – of newly purchased patterns & fabric. I can’t resist a good sale and LQSs have been holding them this month of December! I’ve added at least four more quilts to my stash this month!

That’s a total of 50 quilts is some stage of making. Whether its fabric & pattern purchased, self planned quilts, tops is some stage of piecing, and tops ready to sandwich & quilt. I think I might be crazy! Keep me OUT of the quilt shops! Here’s hoping for lots of progress on these lists in 2023.

I’ll be posting on To-Do Tuesday linky party with the progress I make throughout the year. Carol of For the Love of Fabric will be the new host of To-Do Tuesday starting January 3rd. Go check her out!

To all my quilty friends, Happy New Year!

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.