2016 Block of the Month for January

 I bought this cute little hedgehog (that I keep calling a porcupine) from Bonnie at her workshop.  It holds my Bernina bobbins, scissors and pins too and sticks to my machine.  Bonnie says she has one she uses in the car for hand sewing--sticks it right to her window.  I LOVE THAT idea and hope to remember to take it roadtripping with me down the line.

 I sewed at Becky's with her and Suzy today.  We even watched QuiltCam!  Becky made a fabulous sweet and sour meatball dinner which I loved.  She shared her recipe and I am going to print it and add it to my cookbook.  I sewed up the new 35th Ave. BOM and then made two of the Bonnie's Straits of Mackinac in purple since that is what SoScrappy picked for the color of the month.  I skipped her challenge last year (so busy hiking I think) but I missed it and missed blogland so I going to do my darndest to participate again this year.  I love that we can pick an block or project we want and link up to show off our progress and be motivated by our fellow quilters who also linked up.

 My daughter asked me to make a few eye spy baby quilts for a few friends of hers who are having babies.  I don't usually do that sort of thing because I have too much I want to sew to add what others want, but my daughter does not ask me for much and we agreed she would buy me some online fabric as "payment" and so we are both happy and hopefully the babies will be too.  I got this one together today as the Packers were winning--tied--winning today!  I have another one with the blocks all cut and ready to go. I plan to tie them both and get them out the door soon.

I am scheduled to teach three ASL classes again this semester so that has been keeping me busy (prepping--one class has a new curriculum) but I really enjoy it and am looking forward to it!  I am doing well on the eat right and exercising front too.  Down 111.4 and going up and down a pound or two mostly but steadily (SLOWLY) going down so I will take it.  I need to get back out and hike.  I just have not done it since my knee healed--I swear I never slow down.  I really enjoyed sewing, watching the game, blogging and updating Pinterest today.  Just enjoying a day!

Taking Stock of Wip's! (ok PUPS)

I finally took stock of my current WIP's and updated my WIP page and my Pinterest WIP board.  I am on a mission to get some of these done so I have no guilt as I start new things. 

I have a few that just need the blocks put together:
1. Betty and Amy's Choice RSC
2. RSC Sampler from 2015
3. Bitty Block Samplers form 2015
4. Fall Leaf Tablerunner
5. Pineapple Blossoms

Some need sashing and cornerstones:
6. 35th Ave. Patriotic BOM

Some need a block made to complete them:
7. Playing with Jacks
8. Tula Pink's Stacks

Some need several blocks:
9. Playing with Jacks
10. Buttermilk 30's

Some need more rounds:
11. Modern Medallion
12. Circa 2016 Temecula Quilt Co.

Some are waiting to grow or to decide that they are done:
13. Wild and Goosey
14. Lil's Crumbler Red and White Quilt

Some are barely started:
15. Barb Janson's Landscape Quilt

Some are handwork and just take time:
16. Hexie flowers mini (started on Quiltville Cruise 2015)
17. A Little Bit Hexie Mini Quilt
18. Denyse Schmidt's Hexies
19. Colonial Bluework blocks

Some I don't want to deal with:
20. Split Nine Patch
21. Tula Pink's City Sampler (needs lots of blocks)

Some are just in progress:
22. En Provence
23. Eye Spy
24. 35th Ave. BOM 2017 (started today!)
25. Straits of Mackinac Rainbow Scrap Challenge BOM 2017 (started today!)

Some I want to get started:
A. Hourglass Leader/Ender Placemats
B. Packer Star Chain
C. Quilty Barn Along

I won't even list the to be quilted stack!

I never think I have very many WIPs since I am a finisher but when I looked through my shelves and my Pinterest and wip page post I realized I have far more than I think.  Goal this year is to get as many of these done as I can while still enjoying a few new ones!  I am hoping to get the 20 true left behind WIPs down to half that or less.  One a month is doable right!  I better go get started.
How many WIPs do you have?
*edit* My friend Laura suggested joining the All People Quilt UFO challenge. I promptly did so!  Crossing them off as I go too!

This month they already drew #6 so I strategically put in the Eye Spy quilts there as I got the one done today and have one more to go.  SEW excited to have a plan!

Antiquing with the Quilt Whisperer!

 Bonnie wanted to hit the antique mall and see what fun we could get up to there in between our workshop and lecture.  Terri and I (and later Kathy too) were happy to oblige!  I have been to this antique mall several times and usually only find about three or four quilts worth looking at so I was crossing my fingers that Bonnie would not be disappointed in the Merchant Square Antique store. 

 These are just some of the quilts we found--she is apparently the quilt whisperer!  They were everywhere! 

 This cute little quilt had "wounded knee" stitched in it and went home with Terri.  We think it may have been tribal made as it did not have a regular binding.

 Bonnie was a hoot of fun and tried out this none too comfortable baseball bat bench!

 It is blurry but here we are laying out quilts in the aisles and taking pictures and then folding them up again.  Sometimes Bonnie redisplays them better than we found them.  Super fun!

We found Bonnie her swimsuit for this summer  Hot stuff!  And her Partridge Family dress too!

 Terry is planning for her quinceanera!

It was a whirlwind trip and fun!  Kathy joined us at the end (after unloading our machines at home and feeding the dogs) and then we all went out for sushi.  Bonnie blogged about it here in case you didn't see it.  

Kathy and I sewed last night so we could get Midnight Flight done and get back to En Provence.  We made a baby size quilt.  This pattern is advanced for the triangle challenged.  I have diagnosed myself with triangle dyslexia.  I cannot tell you how carefully I laid things out...checked...double checked and even triple checked--and STILL I unsewed.  In the end my blocks are mirror image of what they are supposed to be and at least two small blocks have hst's that are turned around..maybe three.  I am apparently letting go of my inner type A because as far as I am concerned it is done!  I will NOT be making this one again anytime soon.  I love it but I find too much frustration in all the checking of chevrons, four patches and hst's for direction.

 I will add a larger border at some point when I need a baby quilt.  Until then, I consider this one done!

Next up the lecture fun!

Midnight Flight Workshop with Nimble Thimbles!

 Our guild waited two long years to get Bonnie Hunter back for another workshop!  It was worth the wait for Midnight Flight!  I learned new things again and had a really enjoyable day with my quilting buddies and Bonnie.

 She gives lots of demos of everything from how to cut your fabric so it measures right, how to get your quarter inch seam right and how to use the rulers required for the pattern used in the workshop.  I love her bonus ruler that comes with the essential triangle tool (which replaces the easy angle and companion angle ruler she used to use but had no affiliation with) because with it you get a perfect bonus triangle that is a useable size instead of one you have to cut down..simply but drawing the seam line correctly!  Saves loads of time and less waste!

Borrowed this picture from Bonnie since I am in it.  This is our table..all old friends with one new gal who was new to sewing joining in. 

 We always have show and tell after lunch and it is so fun to see other quilts!  Kathy showed off her Allietare! 

 Becky showed off Garden Party.  She made this for her son and I love that it came out boyish!  She used boy scout fabric someone gave her and tucked in a few mom blocks too!  I hope the strip I have her wound up in there somewhere! 

 I showed off my Garden Party too.  Can you spot the ladybug?  Becky and I started these quilts in October 2015 on the Quiltville Caribbean Cruise so later we got a picture with both quilts and Bonnie. 

 I also showed off my Allietare!  I love that this quilt was inspired by copper mugs (of Moscow Mule) on the beach--Rocky Point, Mexico to be precise!

 I had about an arm's length of binding to go but I shared my Talkin' Turkey too.  So happy that one is almost done.  Life has been so busy--I put the binding on this on Tuesday morning about 6 AM and spend every spare second at work (when on hold with a customer--I interpret phone calls) working on the binding Tuesday and Wednesday in an attempt to get it done!

 Terry shared the start of this year's mystery--En Provence!  Loving it.  I had hoped to have this much together to share too, but I am still on the last part of the last clue before block assembly.  I plan to get at least this much done this weekend so I can link up!

 Kathy and I had a great day with Bonnie and we are excited to be making a Midnight Flight baby quilt together.

The top left block and lower right blocks are ours (after some unsewing let me tell you!) and bottom left is Barb's in Christmas fabrics.  Laura's (so fun to sit with her and her mom at the  workshop)is on the bottom middle and top right is Becky's.  She had to pick up the chitlins from school so she did not have time to fix her flipped blocks until she got home...

 Others finished their blocks too but we were so short on time we did not get a picture of all the blocks.  Bonnie has more pictures of them on her blog this morning though! 
After cleaning up the church Terri and I went with Bonnie to the antique mall!  More on that in another post!

 It was a fabulous day with friends and Bonnie and new memories made!

Catching up on En Provence!

 My cousin Tara and my Godson Koi (the shark lover) got me these cool metal quilt blocks for Christmas.  She has two more waiting for me in Wisconsin!  I love them!

 We took an unplanned trip to New Mexico to rescue Coleman and his girlfriend (Randy's daughter) Heather and her six kids when their van blew a tire (and another one after we got there) and he went into Diabetic Ketoacidosis.  Was not a fun trip, I missed work and footed the entire unexpected bill.  Sigh.  The things we do for our kids.  I am now dubbed Instagrammy and these kids are a delight.  Things have been crazy around here!  Randy lives down the street so they are staying there at the moment but we see them plenty.

 I added a ladybug onto Garden Party where there was a little hole (seam must not have been a quarter inch!).  Bonnie will be here Thursday so I can show it to her!  I have another tiny spot to cover and a bee to add, but Stash Kitty decided to bat the bee around someplace where I cannot find it!

 Do you see hospital gown fabric?  Figured I might as well commemorate the three days we spent in Santa Rosa at the hospital with Coleman.

 I was behind on the clue since I was out of town...caught up on five.

 Cut six.

 And last night finished sewing six, though I did not take off the triangles/dog ears that hang off.  I also cut my yellow squares since the final reveal is out!  I still have the last set of hour glasses to make in the other colorway but here is sort of what the block looks like.  I even missed the linky since I had no progress to report and was out of town.  First one ever I think!

Hoping to get more time to work on it this week, but Thursday Bonnie will be here and I am in the Midnight Flight class.  I am all prepped for that since I did it ahead of time.  I have six boxes of books and rulers in my trunk for Bonnie too!

I have been working like a mad woman since we were out of town and video relay interpreting is so brain/mind numbing after a certain point.  I come home and crash.  We did trade in my Veloster since it made me carsick, was awful on the bumps and too small.  We got this 2017 Toyota Camry.  I am in love with it.  So much more room and a great ride.  Off to take a hot bath since I have another ten hour workday tomorrow.  Oy!