OMG Finish! At the Last Minute

I'm squeaking in at the last minute -- or almost the last minute.  I'm hand stitching the binding down on Christmas Favorites -- should be done long before midnight tonight.  I'll still have some threads to tie off -- I did several different background stitching including a diagonal stitching that had a million starts and stops and every one has to be tied off.  I'll be working on that tomorrow. For the most part it is done. Well, except about 30 buttons that need to be hand sewn on -- but I'm still saying it is done!  I'll share pictures later when I can get some decent ones.  It's suppose to be cloudy and/or rainy for the next few days. 

I'm linking up with One Monthly Goal at Elm Street Quilts.  I've got a few days to figure out what my next OMG will be.  It probably should be to finish one of my Taps quilts.  Only a couple of rows need to be sewn together and then it needs quilting.  I'll let you know in a few days. 

Have a safe New Years Eve.  And Happy Quilting All! Bonnie 

Goals for 2017

Are you looking forward to the new year coming up?   I know I am -- I'm looking forward to some great times with quilting friends, finishing UFOs and quilting some customer quilts, to name just a few.  

Here's what I've been cogitating over the last few weeks -- my goal list for the whole year of 2017. 

Make 6 seasonal wall hangings for the house

Finish 4 UFOS (consider more?)

Finish one knitting UFO

Add at least one more day of blogging each week

Try designing at least one quilt rather than using a published pattern

Use my Go cutter more

Quilt a few of the quilts that just need quilting

Participate for the full year of Rainbow Scrap Challenge

Start long arm quilting for local customers 

When I worked in education goals were suppose to be measurable.  I'm not worrying about that part too much although several of these goals are definitely measurable.   

I'm going to print these goals up and post them on the bulletin board in the studio.  It really helps to keep goals whether yearly, weekly or daily somewhere easily visible to make sure I don't go off on tangents.  

The picture above is the center of my friend Nancy's quilt that she started at our in home retreat this spring.  I need to ask her if she's finished it yet! 

I'm linking up with Quilting Jetgirl's 2017 Planning Linky Party.  Wow! A lot of folks have linked up already.  I'm just making the deadline myself! I'm also linking to Can I Get a Whoop Whoop.

That's it for 2016.  Here's to moving on to 2017 with lots of new experiences and fun times. 

Happy Quilting All!  Bonnie 

Review of 2016 Accomplishments

Over at A Quilting Life Sherry wrote about 5 Tips for Setting Quilting Goals.  Take a few minutes to pop over and read her suggestions.  I found them well worth the time.  dum, dum, dum dum, dum, dum, dum.... ok are you back now?  Wasn't that a worthwhile few minutes?  I already keep a list of my in-works projects except I call it my UFO list.  I've been slowly whittling it away over the last few years.  I was so excited that I hadn't started too many projects and had finished 6 UFOs with the possibility still of finishing a 6th one.  Alas, I forgot to add two three projects I have started this year but haven't finished.  Here they are: 

This is going to be donated to TAPS.  It is sewn together except for about 4 short rows on the bottom left.  I think I have a wide back that I can use this so it should be a quick and easy finish.  

This one is waiting for quilting.  Hum, don't remember if I have a backing for it but I do have the binding fabric.  Again, probably a pretty quick finish. 

This is a leader/ender project that I've been adding to slowly.  It, too, will be a TAPS quilt.  But it has a long way to go.  

So my UFO list has 51 items on it.  Three are new this year.  Last year there were 54 projects listed.  I finished 6 items but added 3.  I've been looking over the UFOs listed and the actual projects recently and realize a few of them I really won't do anything with.  At some point I'll take them off the list.  

Now on to my finishes this year.  Honestly,  I didn't think I'd done much this year but when I include quilts, knitting and embroidery -- I really did quite a bit. 

QUILTS: 
FCQ Project Linus Quilt "Bricks"
FCQ Project Linus Quilt 2 "Leftovers"
Star Block Mini Quilt  in peaches and green
Red White and Blue Mystery Table Runner 
Mystery for Relay #12 in olive green, magenta and beige 
Pink, purple and white baby quilt
Dog quilt for MAESSR
Basket Quilt from Brown Bag Challeng
Girl Happy Quilt 
Lotto block Quilt 
Water Lily "art" quilt from class
Online Friends small quilt 
Shadow Box Mini Quilt Challenge -- Halloween 
Fox Quilt for Theo with Jenny Lang

OTHER SEWING PROJECTs
4 Log cabin Santa ornaments 
1 Pillowcase

EMBROIDERY PROJECTS
2 fleece hats made and embroidered
Big Sister shirt for Ellie
3 Halloween Shirts for the grands
4 onesies for Theo
3 Christmas/Winter shirts for the girls 

KNITTING
Knit scarf for Jenny
1 pair of socks for me
3 knit beanies for the girls 
QUILT for customer
Finished and quilted antique pink and green quilt 

That's enough tooting my own horn today.  I'll be back before the end of the year with my goals for 2016 and my OMG finish (or possibly not finish) sometime soon.  

I'm linking up with Needle and Thread Thursday. 

Happy Quilting All!  Bonnie  

Monday Meandering 12 - 26 - 2016

Did you make it through Christmas?  I'm happy to report I got all the presents, wrapped them and brought them to our family Christmas Celebration on Sunday.  It was wonderful to have all the kids and grandkids together. (And, better yet, I didn't have to cook!)  

Every year I make an ornament for the grands.  These cute Santas weren't the original plan but they did a great job being the back up plan.  Only issue is they are huge. 

Sophie agreed to sit next to their tree with the Santa hung close by.  Hum, I may try making smaller versions of this later.  Here's a link to the directions.

The hats shown here were a big hit.  Unfortunately, only Sophia's fit really well. Natalie's and Ellie's were a little small -- as in their ears weren't completely covered.  I may try making two more hats for them but I haven't decided yet.  They did love their colors and the tassles. 

The Hitchhiker scarf was finished but it isn't quite as long as it should be.  Hopefully Jenny will be able to wear it with her coats.   

Some goals last week got finished; others were let go for some other time. 

December 19, 2016

Cross stitch blech – postponed for another year

Continue quilting Christmas Favorites didn’t get to it

Wrap presents √

Get last-minute shopping done √

Enjoy Christmas with the kids and grands √√

Embroidery a gift √

I didn't come up with a huge goal list for this last week of December.  I'd really like to get Christmas Favorites finished so maybe I'll really focus on that.  Time will tell. 

December 26, 2016

Continue quilting Christmas Favorites

Blog about year long goals for 2017

Knit on sweater

Clear off cutting table

I'm linking up with my two Monday linky parties Monday Making and Main Crush Monday.  And, now, I'm taking a nap.  My cold is lingering on.  I'm really tired of it. It was a busy weekend finishing everything for Christmas, singing at midnight services on Christmas eve and driving to Maryland and back Christmas Day to enjoy our family celebration.  We were out and about most of the morning today singing at a funeral.  I'm ready for a nap and down time for the rest of this week. (at least that is the plan!) 

Happy Quilting All! Bonnie 

Monday Meanderings -- 12 - 19 - 2016

Are you making progress on what you need to before Christmas?  I finally feel like I am!  In pictures, rather than words I've finished (or almost finished...) 

AND 

AND

And I got a start on the Christmas Favorites quilting.  Yikes, after doing one border and one block, I realize it is going to to take me a lot longer than I thought.  See all those strings hanging on the block below?  They all have to be hand tied and buried.  Yea, a little time consuming. But, I really like the stitching on that block. (Just a heads up -- I hadn't stitched all the lines when I took this picture.  There were LOTS more when I finished the block. Sigh.) And I don't think I'll actually get more done this week... but maybe since I really want to get it done this month.  

I'm still fighting off the creeping crud although I do feel quite a bit better.  But now Pat has it.  Fun times here!  I'm just hoping we don't keep giving it back and forth to each other.  Talk about a gift that keeps on giving! 

Here's last week's goals list.  I've given away the fact with the pictures that I got everything crossed off on the list. 

December 12, 2016

Send Christmas shirts to Theo and Ellie√

Knit√

Load√ and start quilting Christmas Favorites on the longarm√

Prep and send Christmas Cards√

And here is this week's goals.  Hum, looks pretty long.  I sure hope I can get everything done.  

December 19, 2016

Cross stitch

Continue quilting Christmas Favorites

Wrap presents

Get last-minute shopping done

Enjoy Christmas with the kids and grands

Embroidery a gift

That's it for me.  That's a rather long list of things to get done this week -- in only 6 days!  So I'm signing off after I tell you I'm linking up with Monday Makings and Main Crush Monday.  I'm hoping I have some time to do a little surfing this week. 

Also, are you a goal maker?  Check out the button on the upper right.  It's a linky party about 2017 Planning Party.  I will be writing a blog about 2017 goals and linking up with the Quilting Jet Girl's linky party.  Of course, I need to find the time to think up some year long goals.  

Happy Quilting All! Bonnie 
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Monday Meanderings 12 - 12 -2016 OOPS!

This blog is being posted a lot later than I normally do because we went shopping yesterday   The refrigerator was bare and the shelves were showing in our tiny pantry.  It was time to get some food in the house.  And, we were able to do some "stealth" Christmas shopping -- get into the store, find the gifts and get out.  But I was totally worn out after 3 hours of shopping so didn't bet much else done.

Here's what I've been working on over the last week or two. I finished Ellie's Christmas shirt.  Time to mail out Theo's and Ellie's shirts to them.  MUST DO TOMORROW! 

The backing to the Christmas Favorites quilt is done and I've already loaded it on Ruthie, the long arm. The center fabric is an old VIP or maybe Cranston print.  I had to add length and width to it.  But I noticed I really didn't get enough width to it.  I won't have much fabric to spare on the sides.  I will make this work! (Even if I trim the border a little!) 

Last I want to show you a little gift that Colleen gave out at our last fall retreat.  See those little pink squares on the fabric.  They are fabric weights.  She put something heavy in them.  They were heavy enough so my fabric didn't slip around while I was cutting it.  Worked like a charm! 

There was only a small list of goals last week and I succeeded with all of them!  Yes, I did sing three concerts on Saturday and Sunday.  Needless to say the voice wasn't fabulous but I was just 1 of 70 Spotsylvanians singing this weekend.  

December 5, 2016

Embroider Ellie’s Christmas shirt√

Keep knitting√

Make backing for Christmas favorites√ I finished the last two seams around 8 yesterday morning! 

Sing three concerts√

And this week --- a small list but it represents a lot of things that need to be done. 

December 12, 2016

Send Christmas shirts to Theo and Ellie

Knit

Load and start quilting Christmas Favorites on the longarm

Prep and send Christmas Cards

Start wrapping presents

We'll see how I do!  As I said above I have already gotten started on Christmas Favorites. It would be fabulous to hang it before Christmas but I'm not counting on it as most of it is going to be custom quilted. Time will tell.

I'm linking up with Monday Making and Main Crush Monday. I'm hoping to take some breaks this week and visit blogs across the internet as folks get ready for the holidays and/or enjoy the end of this year. Yikes, 2017 is creeping up awfully fast! 

Happy Quilting All! Bonnie