This and that

Both baby quilts were delivered on Thursday.  Getting those done on schedule really motivates me.  I've finished three quilts already in 2019 - that's got to be a record for me!

So when I had a few minutes this evening, I got started pulling fabric for the #apqquiltalong.  But I can't just pull fabric without cutting it.  And I can't cut lots of fabric without sewing it.  So, while the instructions say to pull this week, cut next week, and start assembling the week after, I'm kinda doing it all at once.  Here's me playing around with what the outer border looks like.

I simultaneously made some progress on my Bonnie Hunter mystery Good Fortune quilt.  Slow and steady, and all that.

I'm hoping to get in a few more hours of sewing tomorrow, too.  I'll be out of town, traveling for work, from March 3 - March 17, so it is important to sew while I can.  While I am traveling, I can knit.  Of course, I could also prep some pieces of my Grandmother's Flower Garden quilt, the one I started almost a decade ago...

So many projects, so little time!

Crushing my goals!

Usually, I set goals that turn out to be too lofty, but this time, I'm getting it done!  I finished piecing the second baby quilt:

I like this one better than the first.  Better balance.

AND both quilted and bound it before the weekend was over, right on schedule.

I will definitely be machine quilting with cross hatching again.  I love the look, and it was so easy! 

I had enough of this super soft yellow to back both quilts.  To bind this quilt, I used up this floral scrap.  I love the feeling of using up all of a fabric.  As much as I hate to see a fabric go, it frees me up to buy more with no guilt!

Today, I basted quilt number two

and I plan to start quilting it tonight, finish quilting it tomorrow, and get it bound by Wednesday so that I can wash and dry them on Wednesday night and deliver both quilts during faculty meeting on Thursday (both dads are back at work already).

It feels so good to finish something, rather than start it and then have it languish.  It helps that they are small baby quilts (both 40" square) and that I machine quilted them.  Whoever suggested cross hatch quilting to me after I stressed over stitch in the ditch for my last quilt - THANK YOU!  I love how it looks, and it was so easy to do!  I was worried that it would detract from the piecing, but, if anything, I think it enhances it.

I'm linking up with Monday Making and Oh Scrap.

Quilt in a Day!

Two of my co-workers gave birth this week.  I told myself I wasn't going to start anything new, that I had enough things going on without adding new quilts to the mix, but I couldn't help myself!  Babies need quilts!  Luckily, both new babies have short four letter names (Otto and Liam) so as I sat up sketching possible quick and easy "Welcome to the World" quilt ideas last night, what I did for one would easily work for the other, too.  I've always wanted to make pineapples...

After lunch, I got started picking out fabric and sewing.  Much of the squares came from my pre-cut scrap bins, and the background is a larger scrap from my neutral drawer.  The size of that scrap pretty much dictated how big the quilt would be.  I was thrilled to have very little of that fabric left - it will quickly be cut up and added to the scrap bins.

I'm moderately pleased with the final result.  There seems to be too much white space on the bottom and in the middle, but I'm leaving it.  It measures 40" square. 

I hope to get the second one pieced by Wednesday, and get at least one quilted (by machine, yikes! but there's no time for hand quilting) this weekend.  By next weekend I'd like to have them both ready for delivery.  That's pretty ambitious for me, but I'm gonna give it a go.

I'm linking up with Oh Scrap and Monday Making.

Pursuing my Good Fortune

Now that my last quilt is in its new home and in use

The recipient posted this photo of the quilt (I cropped it) on her Instagram

I've turned my focus back to finishing my Good Fortune quilt.  All of these blocks are done, time to finish the alternate blocks. 

I accidentally made too many blocks...

Of course, I should also finish LAST YEAR's On Ringo Lake mystery quilt,

I have made no progress since getting to this point.  C'mon, Erin, you're so close!

but the colors in this year's quilt just make me happier, so they seem to always get top billing.  And I'd love to finish my 2018 Temperature Quilt, but I seem to have lost my paperwork/chart, so that project is stalled out until I find my worksheets or redo them (I still have December and part of November to complete).

This is everything through September assembled.

And then there is this quilt that I need to finish hand quilting before my niece's first birthday in April. 

I've finished quilting all the white spaces - now to the colored stars

With all these things to finish, I sure hope I can be disciplined about not starting anything NEW!

I'm linking up with Oh Scrap and Monday Making.