February 17 in 2017 recap post.....

Well, progress was made and that is what this 17 in 2017 is all about!

I had pulled a kit from the bin (over 8 years old...) in January and got the 12 blocks created. This month I got the top finished and quilted and bound. It finished at 43x33. A completed quilt. Check!

I also pulled out my RSC 2015 sampler quilt. This one made progress as well although not as much as I would have liked. (darn flu bug this weekend!) But... the border parts were all created and one pesky block oops was fixed. I will be sewing these into 3 sections to machine quilt the parts in March in hopes that it will be a finished quilt by the end of March. I can dream =) This picture is part of the quilt - there are two more columns and the border on the right missing. The patterns can be found at Angela's blog under the RSC 2015 tab.

It was teal this month in the RSC Challenge so I pulled out 12 teal/blue cats I had made a few years ago. They were sewn into a quilt top but..... I have always envisioned mice running around the border of the cats. So... I found a kids printable mouse and started making some appliqué mice this month. I see 3 on the top and bottom and 3 or 4 along each side. I'll continue working on these guys in hopes of getting my mice finished in March. Soccer practice starts tonight - so 1.5 hours of hand work time a week. I have 2 mice completed with the detail stitching, another 2 ready for detail stitching and one more half turned. Time to draw up a few more for back basting and needle turn applique.

Completed mouse.

My 1857 Album blocks are still in process and I have made a little headway from being 5 months behind on the blocks. Last months blocks got their corner peels added. No picture of that, sorry. But these are the ones that were worked on and completed this month. These are hand appliqué and will be 10 inch finished blocks. The patterns are from sentimental stitches.com

For March.... I hope to have the cat quilt into a top, the RSC2015 quilt quilted and bound, more 1857 blocks made - shooting for 4 this month, and for something different maybe the crochet mystery will come out to play. I didn't like how it progressed so stopped but I think if I just make more of the granny square blocks I can connect them all in a fun design. I also got a Grace EZ3 frame in the mail last week - I hope to open the box later today and start putting it together. Something might slide....as I really want to put my hand pieced trip around the world quilt top on there and start hand quilting it!

Linking up with the 17 UFO's in 2017. Head on over and see how everyone did this month.

Slow down Sunday

I have been doing a little slow stitching this week. I have gotten these finished off with their peels last night while watching the last episode of Downtown Abbey in a quiet house while the others were at Aidan's Blue and Gold ceremony.

That means I can start on the next one - this is my last block from the December bunch. I need to cut out my fabrics so I can begin back basting. I think the flower will be the medium purple, with the dark purple center and green little peels on the edges.

 For now... I started the cross hatching in the back of the purple dresden plate. I drew the lines light with a pencil earlier this week. Once this one is done.... I really need to start on the light blue one.

Of course.... this box arrived this week. I have yet to open it. That might happen today... although I have been told to take it easy and not overdo. Sounds like a perfect day to slow stitch away. Does anyone have this frame and if so, did you stain it before putting it together? I am debating.... I think I will keep it unfinished and hope the hot and humid down here in Florida doesn't warp it. It will stay inside in the AC so I think it will be fine. My big 90x90 hand pieced trip around the world will be it's first customer.

Linking up with the other Slow Sunday stitchers at Kathy's Quilts.

RSC in Teal....

Good thing the month is not done... I still would like to make some friendship stars in teal. I also need to finish sewing the 2015 RSC quilt into 3 sections.... I have the middle section in rows so a little progress was made.

But.... woke up with a head cold on Thursday and morphed into a flu like 12 hour thing yesterday afternoon. Not much energy today... so I missed cooking club last night and my BOLT training weekend at girl scouts today and tomorrow. I was asked if I would do Aidan's blue and gold tonight... I would love to but... I don't want to make anyone sick so I'll stay home and slow stitch to a downtown abbey episode I think. Maybe I'll finally finish the cross hatch on the purple dresden so I can start that light blue one!

I did get a little sewing in this week - I got 12 bow ties made in teals/aqua to go with the 12 purple ones. These will finish at 4 inches.

I also found a couple of oops blocks from last year... and made them into a 12.5 inch block to go with the purple diamond one from last month. I seem to be finding small blocks in each color so I think this will be a very unique quilt of 12 blocks when done.

Linking up with the RSC Challenge.

Design Wall Monday

OK, I have laid out this quilt quite a few times over the last 2 years... and yet I just noticed one connector block was sewed wrong yesterday! So glad I caught it before I sewed it together. Yup, the missing area is the oops block. I do love how the border connects the chains. This was the 2015 RSC Challenge Quilt that is available on Angela's blog under her 2015 sampler tab.

I made great progress yesterday cutting and making all my border parts. I was 3 4.5x12.5 strips short on my background fabric.... so I found another similar and am calling it good enough.
This quilt is too big to completely lay out (except in the living room but someone was in there) so here is all but the last 2 rows and border.

Hopefully I can sew a few of these together today. Today the kids are off from school for Presidents Day. Emily is at Grandma's for an over night and will be returned this afternoon so she can go to scouts tonight. Aidan has his first guitar lesson tonight while we are at scouts. I hope to get Aidan in the garden with me today - we need to weed and plant a few more things..... like the seeds he got for his birthday from Uncle David and Aunt Donna. We have radishes coming up Mom.... sure you don't want to head down in a month and have some?

Linking up with Patchwork Times for Design Wall Monday.

Sunday binding and appliqué......

My slow stitching last night was hand stitching a binding finish!  I started free motion quilting it last week but it was not going well.  I think the machine needs a spa day for cleaning. I pulled that all out and just did a walking foot wiggle on it Saturday. While Emily was playing with her half square triangles.... I was able to make the blue binding and press it. I quickly attached it  after baths and reading last night. Since this is a little quilt (43x33) I was able to finish the hand stitching of the binding last night.

That leaves some appliqué for today's slow stitching. I have two more blocks prepped for the 1857 quilt.

A few mice are back basted and ready for needle turn applique.

Head on over and see what others are slowly stitching today at Kathy's Slow Sunday Linky party.

Saturday at the RSC in Teal....

I got a little play time in this week in teal. I made up a couple of 16 patch blocks and a few bow ties got sewn in between.

I did get the cats all sewn together and started working on the border mice..... 2 are finished and another 3 are in process.

I'm linking up with the RSC Challenge. Head on over and see what fun things are popping up in teal.

A mouse in the house......

Mouse after detail 

Good thing it is a fabric mouse! My mouse is a free pdf that I printed off and traced onto the back of my fabric for back basting. I basted it and then turned it yesterday while waiting in a car line.... I went early since it was looking like rain and that usually means one line instead of 2. I added some details to it today in the car line again. Not too bad for my first attempt at detail.. using the supplies I had in the sewing room. One strand of DMC embroidery floss in a grey and brown for the face. One down.... and either 11 or 13 to go! I was thinking 3 mice on each side..... but I cut the block 6.5 x 8.5 to match the 8.5 cat block... so two sides might get 4 mice instead of 3.....

Mouse before detail.

Must go trace some more out. Free Play at soccer tonight - both kids are signed up for the spring session already and of course...have grown out of their cleats from last fall. First though, Aidan has an orthodontist appointment.... so soft food for him tonight after practice. Tomorrow is the first girl scout cookie booth! I almost have all Emily's Pre-order cookies delivered - just 3 orders for bowling on Saturday morning and one to Papa A Saturday afternoon. Mom's will get shipped up with her birthday present sometime in the next week or two =).

Ut oh... what did I just do?

I have been avoiding pin basting my hand pieced trip around the world quilt cause it is so darn big... 90x90. I have been thinking of getting a frame or making one...... and I caved. I just ordered this Grace EZ3 frame and am also getting the cloths for pinning to and the side clip attachments. The quilt is so happy now that it has a start date in sight!

I really, really hope this works out well for me. Should I warn the rest of the house this is coming? Nope, I didn't think so either =)

Weekend wrap up...

Teal is the color over at the RSC Challenge. I saw this cutie on Wednesday when we went to Crayola on a half day of school. This is Turque.

I pulled out some teal and blue blocks.....cats from a few years ago. They are starting to be sewn up into a top. I am planning to make 4 scrappy spool blocks for the corners and 12 appliqué mice to go around the edge of the quilt. Each of the cat blocks are 8 inches so it will be a nice small quilt.

Now for the slow stitching. I finished one of my 1857 blocks this week and started another. One leaf got appliquéd down last night and hopefully the other 2 will get stitched down this evening.

 Linking up with the RSC Challenge and Slow Sunday Stitching.

Mid week checkin....

Monday we celebrated a birthday. Aidan turned 9.... how in the world did 9 years pass so quickly? Grandma got him roller skates - Emily asked for some at Christmas so he needed a pair. Holy cow - she had his feet measured last week to order the right size - he was in a 4.5 sneaker and now he is a 5.5 and in a 6 for the skates! That is MY shoe size!

 I cancelled girl scouts that night and we got to go out to eat as a family. He got to choose the restaurant.... since we had just gone out to Yamato's the Japanese Steak House for Greg's birthday last month.. he chose Golden Corral. His birthday present still isn't here (bad Mommy didn't order it until Friday - oops!). We got him some extras to go with the Dash and Dot robot that Santa delivered for Christmas. The Launcher and Xylophone should be interesting for them to program and play with once they arrive.

Yesterday the Guinea Pigs got their nails trimmed and got to feel the grass outside for the first time. A carrot from the garden and Aidan added spinach from the garden for the other one right after I shot this photo. The black and brown one is Jimmy Jr - Aidan's and the other is Flower - Emily's. Yes, despite the name they are both boys!

Today is a half day at school, again. Both kids get to go to Crayola today... assuming everyone is healthy. Emily has been battling a cold for a while now (almost 2 weeks?) and Aidan's legs have been achy and he is tired a lot - growing again I think. I swear this kid is going to be taller than me (5 feet 2 inches) by Christmas!

No sewing yet this month... other than hand work on the 1857 blocks (all those corner peels are onto the blocks I did last month). So.... what are my plans for the 17 in 2017? Continue with the 1857 blocks - 20 to make to 'catch up'..... I hope to get 4 or 5 done this month in the car line and at bowling.

Since Teal is the color for the RSC.... I am going to pull out the 12 - 8.5 inch cat blocks and sew them together. I found a mouse that I think will work as a cute block in the borders (surfing mouse coloring photo's while helping with homework!) ... thinking 3 on each side running around with a teal spool block in each of the 4 corners. Will see how I do with that =) The mice with be 2 shades of grey I think and will be appliqued.

I also pulled out the RSC 2015 quilt. I forgot how pretty this one is. I am extending my chains into the border so they 'finish'. I think I stopped because I was out of pink or red or brown or purple...but I think I found some so we will see if I have enough of the background white to finish it off for the blocks. This one is huge... so I am debating on how to put it together. It will finish too big to finish on my sewing machine. I don't want to hand quilt this one (have too many others in the queue). I am thinking maybe do sections (border + 2 columns; 3 columns; 2 columns +border) and quilt each section and then connect carefully the top together and then use a sashing on the back. It will be an experience to do it without a sash on the front but I think it will work. Worst case - I'd like to get this into the strips by the end of the month. Maybe to quilt it next month?

I also got my Thangles quilt to a little top last month - 33x43 I think. I pulled a backing and some strips of leftover batting to piece together to work for the middle. I hope to get this little one quilted and a scrappy binding onto it by the end of the month. Lofty plans... along with my normal RSC blocks for the challenge. If not... there is always next month!!!

Slow Sunday Stitching....

Today I was up and out in the living room before the rest of the house. I was able to get a few purple stitches in the squares of the dresden plate. I pulled the light blue to work on this month (Aqua for the RSC Challenge) but realized I never finished the purple one! Oops! 11 squares to go.... and maybe some cross hatching in the white I think.

No aqua so I'm doing light blue this month for my RSC hand quilting on my Dresden.

I'll also plan to get some of these peels added to the corners of my 1857 blocks so they will be finished. I had to prep some more peels on Friday as I only had one left in the little baggie.

Maybe the cat will stay away so I can finally stitch down the binding on the quilters scrapbook tonight? Every time I pull it out, Maxie thinks she needs to jump up and snuggle in.... and it would be rude to disturb her. Spoiled cat. I only got one strand of thread into the binding before she took over!

First though..... the boy turns 9 tomorrow so the grandparents are coming over today for a BBQ for lunch. Dad is attempting a layer cake for Aidan this year. The kids are outside with crepe paper to decorate. I still need to clean up the kitchen - make a taco salad, pasta salad and I think that is all that is left. Dad is in charge of burgers, brats and dogs on the grill.

Linking up with Kathy over at Slow Sunday Stitching. Also a very late RSC Saturday link up showing some purple from January and beginning plans for Aqua on my dresden this month. I think my 2015 RSC Quilt will try and become a top this month too! So exciting! I am extending the chain into the border so that is the step I am on at this point. All the blocks are not sewn together either - so lots to get done on this pretty quilt this month.