2016 Wrap up

As the year draws to a close I always like to look back and see what projects got finished off during the year. This year there is a lot less finishes (something about going back to work programming part time in the mornings starting in March) but there were lots of things worked on. I think I'll also include some in process progress of various projects.

Finishes:
My first big hand quilting project got completed this year - Hugs and Kisses. These were all hand appliquéd a few years ago with the RSC Challenge.

My KT Sampler. This was a sew along with Jo's Country Junction a few years ago using Lori Smith patterns. I used a stack of Kansas Troubles fabrics to make mine. This was also my first stab at using Quilt as you Go and I will be using this method again!

I had fabrics cut out for a baby heart quilt and when an opportunity to make this up to gift happened this spring I got it out and finished for Baby Charlye. I guess I never took a picture of it completed but I promise it did get quilted, bound and gifted!

A finish from last years RSC Challenge was to set my 16 patch blocks into the Goodnight Irene pattern and ta da... my quilt I call Cubes. I do love how this one came out.... and it lives on my bed right now for a little extra warmth.

After a big hand quilting project finish I pulled out the Fireworks quilt and finally got it finished off. This one has been hanging around since the first RSC Challenge I think... back in 2010 maybe? Checked off the list.

A baby quilt needed to be made for my first grand niece who arrived in the beginning of December. Josie should be getting this the first of the year to snuggle under. The pattern is Stair Steps by Joanne over at canuckquilter.com. Very easy to sew up and so darn cute!

Progress on other projects or starts in 2016

2016 Row by Row challenge - this one got to a top just barely!

The hand pieced midget appliqué made it to a top stage. I plan to make an appliqué border for this in the next few months. I hope to start hand quilting this in the fall. This one is completely hand pieced!

I started an appliqué quilt along at sentimental stitches.com in January 2016 for an 1857 Album quilt. I was doing very good keeping up until the the fall hit. I have the blocks all saved off and hope to get back to them in the new year. Not sure I'll 'catch up' but progress will happen.

I finally played with the printer and InkLingo this year and started a little lemoyne star project - hand piecing in the car line. With the Inklingo free download of the diamonds and squares and a printer it will print out he cutting and hand sewing lines onto the back of the fabric! LOVE IT! A few paper jams but once you get the hang of it, it is pretty sweet.

My 2 inch little trip around the world quilt grew a bit this year. Not too much but progress was made. I think this one will come out to play each month for a little bit to add a row or two to keep it moving along.

My 2016 RSC Challenge blocks for me....
I made some scrappy houses. They all need their tilting frames still.

I made more BITA blocks..... I believe I need black, brown and bright/light green still of about 16 each to finish this one off at a 80x80 size.

My dresden plates from 2015 got frames in 2016. They hope to get hand quilted and put together with QAYG method in 2017.

I sure there are other things but it is nice to have a glimpse of what I have been working on this year. It makes me feel like I have actually accomplished something!

LAST RSC for 2016

It is the last day for the 2016 RSC Challenge and time to review what got done this year. I got the last row sewn up this week and sewed all the rows into a top! I had hopes to get a backing and batting cut or pieced  and maybe get it pinned? After a trip to Orlando with the kids Friday it is still at this stage.  We had fun at Build a Bear and got a year pass to The Crayola Experience. There is always the next few days to make progress as I am taking off until Wednesday when the kids go back to school.

2016 RSC Row Quilt

I got the last dresden block framed so all 12 blocks are ready for hand quilting in 2017 and put together with a white sashing in the quilt as you go method.

A shot of all 12 blocks. There is one medium blue that will be made into a wall hanging... just not sure how I want it to look.

I also made some houses this year.... They will continue on into 2017 to get their tilting frames added a few each month.

The Birds in the Air got lots added but I still need some black, brown and light and bright green so they will get added sometime in 2017 - maybe with the challenge or maybe when I pick that to be worked on with my 17 for 2017 challenge.

For my 'new' block for 2017 RSC Challenge....

I missed not having the 16 patch blocks so I plan to make some of them again this year. I have made 3 quilts with them over the years - 2 as stars which have both been gifted and the goodnight irene setting in the header. I love how that one came out!

I think my traditional block will finally be bow ties this year. I am not sure of the size at this point. I still need to dump out 2 huge rubbermaid boxes (ok, there might be 3 plus baskets of bits here and there) and sort by color to see what sizes I have. I think they might be using the 1.5 inch strips but we'll see what I have lots of!

I am going to throw in some spring blooms with the bright colors with a pattern from canuckquilter.com

I am also going to use 2 inch strips (maybe 2.5?) and make color squares. One block in the middle of color surrounded by white and white in the middle surrounded by scrappy color.

I also might pull out the hexagons for their black background.... they have been waiting patiently for years to be added to and really want to see daylight at some point.

Head on over to the RSC Challenge link up and see what got accomplished this year and what the plans are for next year. Thanks so much to Angela for hosting this fun linkup again this year. Looks like we get to start with purple in January!

The kids and their bears and dogs...

Aidan and Alann the Elf

Emily and Cuddles

I got Dottie... since Aidan's was a 2 for $35 deal!

I did get the binding finished on the baby quilt. It just needs a wash and to be mailed out to Wisconsin to it's new owner... baby Josie!

Stair Steps for Josie

It is a 2 post day today click here to see my 2016 wrap up post!

17 for 2017...

I decided to join in with the 17 for 2017 this year. It is a nice challenge where you pick 17 projects of any kind and try to move them along a bit. If you get a finish, great but this is mainly to just revisit some projects and move them along. I think the math comes out to working on one thing for about 21 days - or 3 weeks. I've noticed my attention span has dwindled over the years (nothing to do with all the blog hopping on the internet, nope not me!) and I tend to have to 'be in the mood' to work on something.

I think I have picked my 17 projects... but hey, they may change over the course of the year. I have added a new tab at the top of the blog for my easy reference.... that is not the order they will be worked however... remember that 'mood' thing? It should be fun with a linkup each month to report our progress. Anyone else planning to join in?

Here goes
1.) Crochet Mystery from Yarnspirations
2.) 1857 Applique Sampler
3.) Cat blocks - need mice made for the border
4.) midget applique - needs an applique border
5.) Snowflake quilt - need 3 pp snowflakes to finish the top.
6.) 2015 RSC Challenge quilt
7.) Churn dash blocks
8.) Hexagons (flower garden and spring one)
9.) Scrapbook quilt top
10.) Century quilt top
11.) Birds in the Air
12.) Counted Cross Stitch
13.) Grandmothers Choice
14.) VQF quilt blocks - have finishing kit
15.) Civil war blocks
16.) Midget Blocks
17.) green and brown blocks.

You can find the linkup here.

Sewing time!!!!!

I did get my working hours in today (could not yesterday as the office was closed and I could not log on.). Grandma took the kids out today for a good 6 hours and the house was so peaceful! After work I decided to exercise the sewing machine. I had finished the machine quilting on the border yesterday but trimmed and attached the binding today. I'll be hand stitching that binding tonight.

Then I prepped the fabrics for the last row of the 2016 RSC Challenge quilt. I hope to get it to a top stage tomorrow. Maybe quilted by the end of the year?

The kids were still not home so I pulled some light blue fabrics and cut the border for the 12th dresden plate block and got them sewn on. The kids arrived during this and promptly grabbed their basketballs and were shooting hoops. Poor Emily reached for her ball by the bushes and got a thorn bush... so some cold water and hugs to get her to stop crying happened in the middle of this last sewing.

Greg has been making dinner - Emily's recipe for Saurbauten that has been marinating in the fridge for the last 6 days. It smells yummy so it's a good thing it is dinnertime!

Christmas Eve....

Merry Christmas Eve to you all! We had our 'first' Christmas yesterday afternoon at Grandma's house (my MIL). She loves Christmas and it was a fun time. The kids got way too many things but loved everything. They were to have a double kid sleepover but Papa Andy was not feeling up to it so they came home with us with a Raincheck for another time.

On my way home, I met up with a nice lady I know from girl scouts who had taken in 4 sisters so they could be together. They had been split up between two foster homes so they are now all together again with her and her daughter. I gifted them each a quilt for Christmas.... 6 quilts gone from my house! Thank goodness for the RSC Challenge so I had plenty of quilts to choose from for gifting. It also means I have no excuse to finally finish up some quilts instead of having lots of blocks stuck into drawers just waiting to have something done with them..... which leads me to something new.

17 for 2017 over at Pomegranateandchintz. Since I have so many projects, I will try this new challenge where you just try and move things along over the span of a few weeks. It should be fun and who knows, maybe a couple of UFO's might actually get crossed of the list this year, while others make some progress! See the icon over in the sidebar or click on the link above for more information. I created a tab with my list of 17 projects.... there might be some changes in there before we start in January but at least I have been trying to whittle the projects down a bit.

Hopefully I can get a little sewing reward time today between cleaning the house up, baking off some cookies and generally prepping for my in-laws to come over tomorrow for Christmas. Grandma just arrived and took the kids to the park! Yippee.... at least what I clean will stay clean for a few minutes!

I hope to sew up the last RSC row and get that into a top and maybe quilted this week - fingers crossed!. Hand stitching in the evenings will be on the little doll quilt which has 1/3 of the 30 peels quilted at this point. Time to move the hoop tonight.

The green border needs some swirling circles I think. Maybe I can get an hour of Christmas time to get that stitched tomorrow?

Linking up with the RSC Challenge today while I think of all the pretty blocks I will try to make next year with the challenge.

If you have some skittles hanging around the house..... you can try this. Put them in groups of 2 colors together around the outside of a plate. Pour some hot water in and watch!

This morning was a game of pictionary. One of the new games Aidan got yesterday. They are off to the park to shoot off his rocket (using baking soda and vinegar). Too many trees by our house.

Off to clean before everyone returns! Where is that magical maid and quilter when you need her?

Weekend....

With something every night this week there has been no sewing. I really need to finish quilting the baby quilt and I think that will be happening soon. First a batch of sugar cookies for the girls to decorate at our girl scout Christmas party tomorrow night. I managed to get everything wrapped this morning so other than 2 more presents and getting a package out in the mail tomorrow (and maybe make a batch of ginger cookies for that package) I think I am good! I'll pop out and pick up a few more things for the girls (and siblings) goodie bags since somehow I am one cup short. Good thing the dollar store is near the Chinese Take out Restaurant where I am picking up dinner from!

I found I was a little tired of hand work.... What? I seem to have been avoiding it this week so I picked up some yarn and a crochet hook and made these two dish cloths yesterday. It was just the change up I needed - I forgot how soothing that was. They will be part of a present for bowling on Thursday. Sometimes you just need to change it up a bit! I found the free pattern for this dish cloth online somewhere. Just chain 26.. or 27? double crochet, single crochet, dc, sc to the end. turn and chain one. follow same pattern until length you desire. Easy and pretty. These are a very pretty blue, I promise!

 I think the needle and thread will be calling me this evening.... where I hope to be stitching down a binding. I know, I said that last week but..... I think it will actually happen this time! I just need to stitch the blue and purple logs in the middle, the yellow star and figure out what will go in the green border... then binding time. I'm binding this in the dark pink... since it goes nicely with the pink llamas on the back.

I'm off to stitch a bit more before the kids are returned by Grandma. Linking up with Kathy's Quilting where she reminds us to take some time to take some healing and healthful stitches this holiday season. 

Sunday Stitching......

Another Sunday day for me!!! Love this routine. Kids are headed off to Grandma's shortly with Dad driving them.... which gives me a nice quiet house. (45 minute drive to get there!). I'll be making up some Hershey Kiss cookies for a cookie exchange tonight.... and maybe making up a batch of sugar cookies. Then kitchen work is done and off to the sewing room I go! I'll be making a backing of Pink Llama fabric for the baby quilt... then pinning the quilt and machine quilting. Also need to attach the binding by machine so I can stitch it down by hand later tonight. A full day with the machine and the evening with the needle and thread snuggled under the quilt. A perfect day (did I mention the kids will be at Grandma's all day?)

llama print for the back. 

Linking up with Kathy for Slow Sunday Stitching.

The results of the 'Christmas Crack' or 'Christmas Toffee' from last night. I really don't recall my tester piece being that big! I just took it out of the freezer so I can break it up and put in a tin...then back into the freezer so it doesn't melt down here in Florida. Must remember to use the smaller cookie sheet next time. I like a thicker toffee. Recipe is on the last post... or google it. I use saltine crackers -1 sleeve, butter and brown sugar, chocolate chips and sliced almonds on top. So yummy.

RSC Saturday...

While sewing together the baby quilt top this week I got the chance to finish off a couple of the dresden plates with their borders. Brown and dark blue were sewn up and I just have light and medium blue to finish off.

I think these will be hand quilted next year with the challenge - well I am shooting for one per month and then I'll put them together in the quilt as you go method. I think I have 13 of them... so one will have to  get finished off into a wall hanging.... maybe with another border or two added to it?

This morning we had breakfast with Santa before the boys headed to scouts and us girls headed to bowling. My picture of Emily and Santa did not come out but they took pictures there and printed them out and popped them into a card for us. Ages 8 for Aidan and 7 for Emily.

I ordered myself a little gift and it arrived this week. Aurofil thread was on sale and I got $1 shipping so I HAD to order 2 threads to try them out and see what all the buzz is about. 

I'll be good and wrap one up for under the tree and the other will be tried out on machine quilting the baby quilt that got into a top stage on Thursday.

We are off to see Papa A and have a late lunch/early dinner with him over by his house. I hope to pin the baby quilt tonight and start some holiday baking but we'll see how the evening rolls out.

I'll probably whip up a batch of toffee - recipe that I use can be found here. It is sometimes called Christmas Crack... and my co-workers wife always made some and sent it in for me back when I was working before kids.  Up in VT I used to put the pan out on the porch to cool but in Florida.... it goes into the freezer and I also store it in the freezer. I try for the out of sight, out of mind but that darn stuff 'calls' to me! 

Linking up to the Rainbow Scrap Challenge. Hopefully after finishing off the baby quilt (plans to machine quilt it tomorrow as Josie arrived on 12/8 and is patiently waiting for her quilt to be sent to her!), I can make the last row of the challenge quilt this year and get that one into a top for quilting next weekend. 

We seem to have something each night this week but the homework for the kids should be a little lighter as it is the last week of school before winter break for 2.5 weeks. Girl Scouts Monday, Orthodontist appts Tuesday,  A Church holiday meal and function for the kids Wednesday, Thursday is a holiday concert at school for Aidan and Friday I have my Cooking Class and the kids have a half day of school. Time to get the boys to put the sander down (not even going to ask what they are doing but Aidan is handling the sander with close supervision by his Dad. Emily has the guinea pigs out for a visit. Time to get going... I'm hungry!

It's a top..... now to get it finished!

I took a few minutes after sweeping and mopping floors yesterday afternoon to get the borders sewn onto the baby quilt! This is a pattern Stair Steps from my friend Joanne over at www.canuckquilter.com. The pattern is for sale on her website or craftsy store.

Now to go find that llama fabric today so maybe tonight it can get pinned for quilting?

Figured I'd post the cover of the current Avon book. Lots of great gifts available. To shop on-line at my web store go to www.youravon.com/daylward and you can view the current books and deals. These will ship directly to your house! Today only use code SHIP2U for FREE shipping on orders of $25 or more!

There are a few of the Christmas deals this month!

Dec 8 Use code SHIP2U = Free shipping on orders of $25 or more.

Dec 9 use code RED or BLUE and get the Royal Elegance Necklace in red or blue with any $45 order.

Dec 10 use code SPADAY and get Planet Spa 3 piece Pampering Chocolate FREE with any $45 order.

A resting day...

It seems I have been go, go go for quite a few months now. Well, today is finally my day to play with the sewing machine, needle and thread all day! Ok, I should be picking up the sewing area and office.... but I think it will be a sewing day.

After a quick shower and 10 minute of picking up the living and dining room I will head off to the sewing area and start sewing this baby quilt together! Baby R is due on the 13th and I still have not got it to a top stage! That should be remedied by this afternoon.

picture laid out before the cats got in there.

what I am starting with today!

I see a movie in my future this afternoon where I can happily slow stitch on something.... probably the little orange peel doll quilt

or adding the dark purple peels to the corner of my latest 1857 block finish

or maybe a few stars will get hand pieced? So that's where the binding clips went to!

We will see what appeals when the time comes. So nice to have options.
Greg has taken Aidan to Grandma's and the house is now quiet. Emily was with Grandma yesterday (who took her to bowling as I had a craft show for Avon yesterday and Greg and Aidan had scouts) and kept her for the night. Our elf landed in Santa's sleigh by the Christmas tree this morning, silly elf. After watching Polar Express with Aidan yesterday I think the elf got some ideas....

Linking up to Kathy's Slow Sunday Stitching. Grab a needle and thread or yarn and hook and head on over and see what wonderful creations are popping up over the globe. Also linking up to the RSC Challenge..... heck it is a rainbow of a baby quilt using scraps and those peels on the doll quilt were done with the challenge a few years ago!