Five Shadows

How many quilts or projects do you have planned?

Just a quick look around my sewing room, and I’m coming up with 5 in view. There are more stashed away in closets. Yet, often something else grabs my attention, or needs my attention, so what I thought I’d be working on gets replaced.

Lately this is bugging me. Why am I not getting to the quilts I really want to make? I bought the fabrics, patterns, and even rulers or templates needed to follow the patterns. Yet, I keep replacing my plans with others.

Giving this some thought, I have an idea that I hope will help. My plan is to go ahead and prep & cut the pieces for the planned quilts. Hopefully, having them ready for sewing, I’ll actually get to just that! Piecing the quilt tops!

Here is my first attempt in preparing a project for sewing. I bought this kit in 2015. This week I cut all the batik pieces for this Tropical Snowball quilt. I added many more batiks, purchased during a June Shop Hop, to enlarge it from 48″ square to 72″ square.

Hey look! A finished top, Facets! It is now on the ‘to quilt’ pile. This was my OMG for August.

My hubs has a native garden in our yard. Happily the Monarchs like the Butterfly Weed plant. We have spotted 3 Monarch caterpillars.

I hope we get to watch them form their chrysalis and emerge butterflies!

How did I do on last week’s To-Do List?

1. Start cutting pieces for next quilt top on my list- Tropical Snowball. ✔️ All the Batik pieces are cut.
2. Sandwich baby quilt and begin quilting – a friend’s quilt. ✔️ 2 quilts sandwiched, and one started quilting.
3. Catch up on Sit Down Free Motion Quilting BOM ✗

To-Do Tuesday List for this week:

1. Continue quilting on friend’s baby quilts.
2. Got to catch up on the Sit Down Free Motion Quilting BOM – August block.
3. Piecing – Tropical Snowball batik units.
4. Start prepping another planned quilt top.

Linking to To-Do Tuesday and Linky Tuesday.

Hubs and I took a trip back east, visiting family in PA and MD. While visiting my folks in PA, I stopped at Simply Stashing in Littlestown. Every time we drive to Hanover, PA I do declare that shop is closed when we pass it in the evening, and it has not yet opened when we head back home in the morning hours. Usually I don’t fit in a stop at the quilt shop, but managed to this time. I told my husband I was popping in to ask for their Row by Row pattern, a cute Flying Geese pattern. Of course I had to look around while there.

I found the bicycle fabric which I could not pass up. And those two fun prints were on their discount wall.

While checking out, the gal asked if I would be visiting other quilt shops in the area. I asked where they are located and one she mentioned is in Hanover. It ends up that it is just around the corner from the retirement community where my parents live! (Ok, around the corner in a country mile.) My folks have lived there for 11 years! And I never known about this shop! I do recall passing a shop last year with a Bernina sign, and wrongly assumed it was just machines. Nope, it is a nice quilt shop too! Danners Bernina Shoppe. I bought a book that goes along with the Westalee quilting rulers I own, and another ruler. With practice, I hope to up my ruler work using my Baby Lock Tiara III sit down quilting machine.

Sneak peak of the Facets quilt. Design by Christa Watson.

The top is completed and measures 88″ x 84″ enlarged from the original pattern to fit my son’s bed. I don’t have the back or binding prepared yet, but the top now goes into my ‘to be quilted’ pile. I’m so happy to check the making of this quilt top off my ‘to-do’ list!

While cruising some quilting websites back in July, I came across a Christmas block Quilt Along.

This snow flake was the first block presented August 1st. The quilt along is called I Wish You a Merry Quilt-Along. I’ll be keeping an eye out for the upcoming designs presented, but with a personal reality check, I’m realizing I should just not join another quilt along right now! …  she said backing away from the internet!

I finished a quilt today! Yesterday I completed the straight stitch quilting, and today I attached the binding.

This quilt design is On The Wave from Sew All Around Quilt Along.

I love this fun back used on my little wall hanging. It measures 30″ x 34″.

How did I do on last week’s To-Do List?

1. Safely travel to PA to visit my folks. ✔️ We also visited relatives in MD and IN.
2. Gift Monkey quilt to young nephew.  ✔️ Happily gifted!

To-Do Tuesday List for this week:

1. Start cutting pieces for next quilt top on my list- Tropical Snowball.
2. Sandwich baby quilt and begin quilting – a friend’s quilt.
3. Catch up on Sit Down Free Motion Quilting BOM