Prioritizing

So many projects, so little time! I think it is a plight among all the quilters I know. For my part, I sometimes get so wrapped up in the project-of-the-moment, that I lose sight of all of the other things I'm working on. So I'm going to take a little time here to lay out my current projects and attempt to prioritize them. Hopefully, this will help me focus my energies in a more effective manner (and help get some of those lingering projects done!).

1. Snip.Sew.Send. block for Anne-- sigh... I already missed the proverbial boat on this one as it was supposed to be done in June. But I am making progress on it. Hopefully I can get it finished soon. (I'm so sorry I'm late, Anne!)


2. Greenpiece-- I want to try and stay on top of this BOM. I have 3 applique blocks and 2 pieced blocks I'd like to finish before the end of July.


3. Pinwheel Party-- I want to get this one finished for baby Abigail by the beginning of August. This one is currently hanging on my design wall.
   
   
   The top is nearing completion! (Yay, progress!)


4. Prairie Pinwheels-- The center is together. It needs two borders and then quilting. In my fantasy world, this will happen before the end of August, as my father-in-law's birthday is in the middle of the month. But it is a big quilt. We'll just have to wait and see.


5. Autumn House-- This has been basted since February, I think. It still needs to be quilted.


6. My Snip.Sew.Send. quilt-- I have all of the beautiful blocks made by my Snip.Sew.Send. virtual quilt bee friends. It's time to make that quilt for my baby boy! I plan to start once I finish one of the above.


7. Jane Stickle Quilt-- We're nearing the end on this one. In addition to just keeping up with That Quilt, I really want to start focusing on getting sections put together.


8. Paintbox Quilt Along-- All of my blocks are done. Now I just need to get them all put together. As this isn't for anyone specific, I'm not feeling rushed.


9. Playtime Quilt-- I tend to work on this one when I'm feeling inspired to do so. Currently, this is at the bottom of the list. Not because I don't love it. But because the projects above are just higher priority.

The list above is not all-inclusive. There are a few UFOs that I'm just ignoring for the time being and so didn't include on the list. And there are other projects I want to do as well, including summer hats for the boys and I, a new diaper bag, and another pair of pants for BB. These are smaller projects that I'm hoping I can kind of fit in between the big ones above. And don't get me started on all of the various new quilt projects I want to jump into... Focus, Robin, focus!!!

Greenpiece: Applique blocks 14 & 15

Here are a couple more applique blocks from the Moda Greenpiece BOM I'm participating in at my local quilt shop.

Applique block 14:


I actually really like these little flowers. It is such a pretty design. And once again, I sing the praises of Karen Kay Buckley's Perfect Circles... my circles are sooo much better looking these days!

Applique block 15:


A happy little bird. The beak caused me some trouble, and I'm not thrilled with it. I really need to work on sharp, narrow points and getting them to be cleaner looking (and sharp!). Not sure how to go about it though. Any suggestions?

Shop hop Saturday!

This last weekend was the annual Western Washington Quilt Shop Hop. I honestly didn't think I'd get to participate at all this year. But my husband, knowing how much I enjoy trekking about to shops, really encouraged me to do it... so much so, he even volunteered to come along and carry the baby!

So, papa, the boys, and I all got into the car and managed to visit four shops on Saturday. Not much compared to some people, but it was a fabulous little road trip for the four of us.

We started at Keepsake Cottage Fabrics to pick up our "passport", as it is closest to our house (and one of my favorite shops). Then we packed back into the car and drove to Anacortes, a little more than an hour away. First we stopped by Fabrics Plus where my older son (who shall henceforth be referred to as "Big Bear" or "BB") picked out a couple of buttons for himself, and where I found some super-soft Flurry in yellow to make a blanket for the baby (who shall henceforth be referred to as "Little Bear" or "LB").

We stopped for lunch at a local cafe and then headed down the street to The Quilt Shop. While we were there, I ran into my longtime friend Louise. We've known each other for about 14 years, and since moving back to Washington state (nearly 4 years ago), the only times I've seen her are when we bump into each other at quilt shops-- usually during shop hop (though we do keep tabs on each other via Facebook). It was so awesome to see her and do a little catching up.

Finally, we headed off to Arlington and the final shop of the day, The Quiltmaker's Shoppe. They were featuring a couple of gorgeous raffle quilts. One woman selling tickets was asking a couple of shop-hoppers if they were interested in purchasing any raffle tickets. BB heard from across the room and then, in a very loud voice, responded "Yes!" Fortunately, papa had some cash and was able to make good on our boy's affirmative. BB was thrilled to receive his very own ticket stub. How awesome would it be if he won!

We stopped at a little bakery across the street from the shop for some yummy treats and then headed home. It was about a 6 hour adventure, and were all tuckered out by the end.

Overall, I was pretty good (having to chase around a toddler prevents too much actual shopping):


Despite having only 24 blocks to go (and more than enough fabric), I can't seem to stop buying greens for my Stickle quilt.

Jane Stickle Quilt: F-9

Block number/name: F-9 “Autumn Aster”

Date completed: June 26, 2010

Number of pieces: 13

Notes on block: As I took the last stitch in this block, the baby awoke. Perfect timing! Once again, I used the freezer paper and starch technique I learned at the last guild meeting. I’m so pleased with the results! Placement of the pieces was a breeze, the points are relatively sharp, and the shapes are all pretty consistent. Woot!

Gettin' my Pinwheel Party on!

Lately I'm finding that late afternoon is a good time to visit the quilt mines. That seems to be a time when the baby consistently naps, and when my older son is happy to play on his own for a bit. (I really need to find some better monikers for my sons... I don't want to use their actual names for privacy reasons, but I can't really go around calling my older son "The Boy" anymore, as there is another boy now. Hmmm...) Anyway, I've been using some of my afternoon quiet time to continue work on my Pinwheel Party quilt. I'm going to give it to my neighbor's soon-to-be-born baby girl. They are planning a "Meet the Baby" party in early August. With that as my goal for finishing, I'm feeling very motivated to get going on this project.

Block 9:


I just love that big block of orange in the center. Mmmm... orange.

Block 10:


Block 11:


This might be my favorite of the bunch. I love how the different colored pinwheels sort of join together in the center.

Block 12:



Woo hoo! All of the big blocks are complete! Now I'm focusing on getting all of the tiny sashing pinwheels put together. Hopefully, I'll have a top soon!

Jane Stickle Quilt: TR-6

Block number/name: TR-6 “Carla’s Candle Flame”

Date completed: June 24, 2010

Number of pieces: 22

Notes on block: At the June quilt guild meeting I heard a speaker talk about her method for machine appliqué. It is essentially a freezer paper and starch method that can be used just as easily to prep pieces for hand appliqué. I gave it a try on this block and am really happy with the results. That tiny melon looks so regular and truly melon-like compared to previous ones! Though I’m lazy at heart and still prefer needleturn as my appliqué technique of choice (as there is very little prep work involved), I have to say that this new method is awesome for those itty-bitty regular-shaped pieces, or for a set of pieces that need to be uniform in size/shape. I’m definitely planning on using it again in the future (in the next block, in fact!).

Greenpiece: Applique block 13

Initially I was going to talk about all of my recently completed Greenpiece applique blocks in one post. But I actually have enough stuff to say about number 13 that makes me think it will be better to break it up a little. Anyway, on to the block!

Applique block 13:


This isn't the "real" block 13. The design for block 13 in the Moda quilt is nearly identical to applique block 4, just with the leaves oriented a little differently. An enterprising lady in the Moda Greenpiece BOM group at my local quilt shop decided that she didn't want to have two of pretty much the same block in her quilt. So she asked her junior high aged daughter to assist her in designing a replacement block that would fit the look and feel of the quilt. Her daughter came up with this awesome little mushroom design and drew it out for her mother who then shared it with the rest of the group. How cool is that?

I took advantage of her generosity and used her mushroom block. I'm pleased with how it turned out, though I worry that maybe it is a little complicated compared to the other blocks in the quilt. Maybe I should have left off the dots on the mushroom caps? On the other hand, they're pretty subtle, so I think the block will still work. And I love that they'll help make my quilt just a little bit different from the original.