Wednesday....

Today was to be a crazy busy day but instead it will only be slightly busy. Good thing I double checked on the new insurance on Monday and realized despite reassurances my doctor took the new plan, they in fact did not. I had a Mammogram scheduled through him but as he is not in network and I have a HMO now... I had to cancel. It did prompt me to look into a new doctor... which I have been meaning to do for a few years now. Got that all set and will schedule with the new office soon. I was lucky and after a few phone calls, the kids doctor was put back to the office I had to swapped them to last year. This new one is about 5 minutes from our house and I have been impressed with them the two times we have had to go - for annual checkups in the summer and in December with Em's neck/fever issue. 

I just got back from picking up another 23 cases of cookies (small potato's compared to some years but with no booths I am opting on too few on hand!) The parents can pick up tonight what I owe them.

I had tucked the chickens into the run before I left since Greg was away at a PT appointment. When I let them out I checked the boxes and found a GREEN EGG! Woo Hoo. I am guessing Poppy but who knows, maybe it was Rosie since we have not seen a white one in over a week. 

I have started with the yellow hexagons and prepped 7 on Sunday. 3 are completed so I am on track again this month for my one a day.

Back to work for me for a couple of hours before I go pick up the kids from school.

OMG for February

 There are so many projects that I want to work on and move forward that it is so difficult to choose this month. I think I am really in need of getting an actual 'finish' so my goal in February is to sandwich my 2020 Stashbuster quilt top, pin it and get it machine quilted and bound this month. I did piece a backing for it last month  and I have a roll of warm and natural batting that I can cut a piece off from. 

Between Emilys first FFA fair showing her chickens this month and being girl scout troop cookie Mom -  I'm also the leader - we are trying to meet on Zoom rather than in person although a few of the troops in Florida are indeed meeting in person!

 It will be a crazy month. Wish me luck.

Linking up with the February OMG.

First Winter UFO finish.....

 

I finished stitching the button eyes on tonight. I'm calling it done. 

I like the look of the buttonhole stitch around the duckies. This was taken before the ducky got his sight! 

Now to hang it up in the sewing room.

Slow Sunday and a completed OMG goal!

 My goal for January was to make one hexagon quilt as you go a day. I decided to make one per day this year and coordinate it with the rainbow scrap challenge where you play with one color of scraps each month. January was pink so here are 31 pink hexagons! I am going to wait to put these together but will probably mix all the colors up at that point. February will be yellow, so I need to see if I can find 28 different yellows in the scrap bins and stash to play with. Linking up with the OMG Challenge for January. I was lucky enough to win a gift certificate from Fat Quarter Shop in December and decided to reward myself with a bundle of butter churn basics from Kim Diehl. I have been looking at this bundle for a while and figured I needed neutrals and it was the perfect opportunity to pick it up. Service was fast and I love the new fabrics.

I also started a new block this week in pink - Erins Butterfly is the pattern from Grandmothers Scrap Bag book. Page 34.

I need to hand stitch that curve, then hand applique it to the background and add the body and some embroidered antennae. 

I think I am done making the Endless Diamond blocks (those flowering snowballs are so much easier to hand piece!) so I will start hand piecing those 20 blocks together to make a quilt top here and there when I have time this week as well.

Linking up with the Slow Sunday Stitchers. 

Wrapping up pink in the RSC

 My roundup of pink from the month.

I made 2 of these Flower Garden Path blocks. I am playing with the Accuquilt for these and making the hst using my 8 inch cube die. These finish at 12 inches.

I found this stack of 4 patches at the bottom of a basket and decided to sew them together. They also finish at 12 inches.

I made 2 of these blocks - they finish at 14 inches.

The Table Scraps challenge - I had these blocks hanging around and they decided to be unpicked into flying geese instead of square in a square and turned into this little runner. I'm linking up with the Table Scrap Runner/Topper Challenge

I added some plus blocks for the Full Stop! challenge.

I added a block this week..... because I remembered I meant to do it this year. It is called Erin's Butterfly and was found in the Great Scrap Bag Quilts where I found the Endless Diamond block. It is a mix of machine and hand piecing and will get finished off this weekend. 

Then there are the Hexagon Quilt as you go blocks. I have most of them completed and all are prepped to finish the full 31 this month in pink.  I see I have 4 left to do and will stitch those while Emily does a cookie booth on our lawn this afternoon.

Linking up with the RSC Challenge where we get to pull yellow for February. I think I need to enhance the pink, yellow and orange in my stash as those colors are lacking in variety!

Thursday....

I had big plans today.... but not too much of it actually happened! I did get a little sewing in, not exactly what I had planned to work on though. Oh well, progress was made. Some will wait for Saturday and the RSC but I will show a progress shot of a 'new' project.

I know, last week and you are adding another 'block' to the mix? Why yes, yes I am.  I had marked page 34 - Erin's Butterfly in the book that has hand drawn blocks where I found a version of my 'Endless Diamonds'. 

I had just enough template plastic to make the 3 parts needed. Must remember to get another sheet of that stuff! I cut out the 20 'fans' and then found a light pink fabric for the inner part of the wings. I machine stitched these fans, then hand pieced the curved portion on. Now I'll baste the drawn stitching line under so I can applique it to a background... then add the body in the middle and some embroidered antennae. 

I might have been sewing around this. It appears someone thought he needed to be sleeping on my lap and Mom was not sitting and allowing that. This was his response! Peanut, ever the helper in the sewing room. 

I added another of the flowering snowball block and have another in process. I had cut out more parts over the weekend and forgot to make more of the middle squares. A quick cut last night and I was good to go for another 4 blocks. 

I did manage to get this one pinned and then just did a machine line down the middle and made and attached the binding. I 'might' add hand quilting... I 'might' just add the eyes and call it done!

5:30 and I am guessing the kids are going to want dinner. I really wanted a burger for lunch.... so went out to Five Guys and got one. I am still full so will prep something for them and if I am hungry later I'll just have some strawberries and a salad.

After 2 months. I rearranged my living room (and vacuumed Mom!) so my recliner is back where it was closer to the sliding glass door rather than by the kitchen divider and facing it. It was nice where it was for Christmas so I could enjoy seeing the Christmas tree but it was time to get my stitching set up back to 'normal'. I may regret it later tonight as it is going to get cold (30's freeze warning) and the big glass window is not insulated. I guess it will be a quilt and 2 cat lap night!

 

Slowly on Sunday

I started off my morning with a little hand stitching today. I had finished the 4 sides yesterday on this #21 Endless Diamond block and stitched it together this morning while watching an episode of NCIS on Netflix.

I also stitched my hexagon QAYG for the day this morning and put a line of hand quilting in it around each side. I have quite the stack of finished ones building up - 24 for the first 24 days of this year =).  I prepped the rest needed through January 31 last Sunday so I am just waiting to see what color Angela will pull for February and the Rainbow Scrap Challenge. 

I added another hand stitched Flowering snowball block yesterday as well. I have 6 done and another one all prepped. I think I am going to need to be creative to cut out more from the bits of FQ's I have left. No worries - I have a whole bunch of blues and greens hanging out on the fabric wall to pull from! I used the Accuquilt Go to cut these and I love how easy and quick it is to cut accurate curved parts. 

I took a break and was cleaning up the kitchen. I have been working through drawers and cleaning and wiping things down. Today was doing the vinegar cleaning of the coffee maker and the keurig machine. I need to sweep then actually pull out the fridge and vaccum the back. I hope that will cause the loud noises to stop. We have defrosted it and replaced the ice maker part in the door. Multiple replacement shelves for the door have been purchased over the years after first using lots of glue for repairs. I am not impressed with this Samsung purchase from Lowes 10 years ago at all. Let's hope the removal of dust will help. 

After that and a vaccum of the house while it is out I think it will be reward time to sew. I am going to have to piece a backing for the Stashbuster 2020 quilt top, cut the batting off the roll and then pin it for quilting. I think it will just be a minimal machine quilting on it as that is all that is needed with the warm and natural batting. I have been informed I am not allowed to add the binding (which I have not made yet) as Emily wants to press it for me once I have it made. That means binding will wait for another evening. 

So... later tonight after retrieving the kids from Grandma's I will add my first hand quilting stitches into this lovely hand pieced quilt along quilt from 2019. It finished about 29x38. The 3rd quilt along will be revealed tomorrow at Elmstreetquilts.com (Patty) and Kristinesser.com from Simple. Handmade. Everyday.  I'm sew excited to see what they have come up with this year. I have enjoyed learning from their sew alongs so much.

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