Make-A-List Monday: the best laid plans

Most days, I love that I have several options when it comes to projects.

Last week, I had several of those days. I know what I said I wanted to work on, but when it came to it, I just wasn't feeling it. So I did something else.

Here's what I wanted to accomplish last week:

• Trim up the rest of my Simple Life Dottie blocks and finish them up

 This is as far as I got. I need more white fabric for the sashing, so I'll have to wait on this one a bit.

• Layout and sew three more Glamping Hexies columns

 

Do I need to even mention how much I love this quilt?

• Get the serger set up and tension issues solved so I can finish the serging projects - yeah, didn't do this one. It involves clearing off a table and I didn't want to clear off a table. So I didn't.
• Finish Gypsy Girl Weekender bag panels - sort of forgot about this one, so I'll add it to this week!

All in all, I was happy with what I did accomplish. I also pulled out a UFO I started in Seattle (gulp - 2.5 years ago!). It was fun to see it again. I needed a break from it. Sorta like a boyfriend that got on your nerves.

But I can only take this project in small doses. Don't know how I'm going to lay it out just yet. But I'll keep trimming. Just keep trimming, just keep trimming . . . .

This week is going to be my "Prep for the 3QFAL!" I haven't participated in the Finish Along this year because I knew I wasn't going to get anything done done. That's all about to change. My awesome sister-in-law actually asked me when I was going to come quilt a quilt on her long-arm. Be still my heart!

And so, my list looks like this:

• Piece backs for all the quilts I have backs for (like 10ish)
• Layout and sew 3 more columns for Glamping hexies quilt
• Layout and sew Backyard Bugs patchwork quilt
• Finish Gypsy Girl Weekender Bag panels
• Make my 2 Bee Blocks
• Get pictures for 3QFAL post!

Busy week, but then I'm not going to get much done next week - we've got friends coming in for Independence Day, so I'll mostly be getting things ready (and their baby will be sleeping in my sewing room during the day).

What are you working on this week?

Make-A-List Monday: Better than I thought!

Good mornin'!

Great. Now I've got that song in my head.

Oh well. There are worse things.

I had a productive week. It did get me to a point  I don't like, which is deciding on borders. Yuck. But I'm there, so I may as well get out of Dodge as quickly as possible.

I finished my Happy Go Lucky Briar Rose quilt top. No border yet, and there may never be one, frankly.

I kinda like the look of it as it is. Sometimes a big border just screams "I needed to make it bigger!" I don't NEED to make this bigger. I could, and put it on my bed, but I don't have to. Your thoughts?

I was thinking of using one these two for the border:

And one of these two for the binding:

See my dilemma?

I also listed my Cowgirl SW Taffy blocks. Wanted to get those ready to go so I could finish the quilt. It's a harder pattern than it looks - some of the blocks have to have part of the border fabric on them, so you have to decide ahead of time before you can put the corner triangles on them. (For inquiring minds, the pattern is Salt Water Taffy by Fig Tree)

But I figured it out and I just went ahead and finished the top.

Funny/frustrating story. I had JUST enough of that pink floral print for the border. I mean, 30" of it. So I planned on cutting 8 3.75" strips and life would be peachy.

Well, I had to use my old old old cutting mat, having destroyed the others (a whole 'nother story!). It doesn't have the extra line on the edge so you can cut off the uneven edges first and then start at zero. So I started at one. My first strip was 2.75". Ugh.

Rather than order more fabric, because I was short, I just pieced that skinny strip together and made do. And it looks just fine. Can't hardly tell, unless you're looking for it. So don't look for it!

I also pieced together three columns for my Glamping Hexie quilt top. Like I said before, slow going, but super fun.

On to this week!

My plan is to:

• Trim up the rest of my Simple Life Dottie blocks and finish them up
• Layout and sew three more Glamping Hexies columns
• Get the serger set up and tension issues solved so I can finish the serging projects
• Finish Gypsy Girl Weekender bag panels

That should be sufficient, right? My husband got to play ALL day on Saturday, so he kinda owes me. And before you remind me that it was Father's Day weekend, let me just say that he got to play all day the day before Mother's day as well. And he got a fabulous breakfast and dinner yesterday that he didn't have to cook himself. He owes me.

Tuesdays Favorite Things: Quilting books

Okay, books in general.

In fact, I'm reading this book right now:

HIGHLY recommend it, whether you are an introvert (yours truly) or not. Brilliant. Mind-blowing. Life-altering. Really, it's that good.

Actually, what I'm so excited about is this: digital quilting books.

Having just packed and moved far too many boxes yet again, I'm ever so grateful for my nook account at Barnes and Noble. Love my digital books. So portable.

I freely confess to being a book snob a few years back, when e-readers were hitting the market. I liked holding an actual book. I liked the smell. Yada yada. Blah blah.

I'm so over that. Got my first e-reader (a nook) 3 years ago and haven't looked back. Except in the bathtub, where electronics and water do not mix, I'm glued to my e-reader. For Christmas, my husband surprised me with a Google tablet, so I can do just about anything on it - check e-mail, read blogs, surf Pinterest, play sudoku.

When Camille Roskelley's book came out, I checked the price at Amazon. Not bad. Free shipping (if I ordered more, and who am I kidding, that wouldn't be hard!). Went over to Barnes and Noble to check out their price and, um, HELLO, a nook version was available.

For just over $10 little dollars. I didn't even blink, I was so giddy! You are given a link to download any full-sized templates, etc., so don't worry about that. As I have a nook app everywhere, it's just awesome.

And now every quilting book gets run through the e-reader gauntlet for me. I'll still buy hard copies when I have to, but this is so much better, and here's why (in my ever-so-humble-opinion):

Say you're like me, and you finally get to go to a quilting store. You've got a hard copies of you favorite quilting books, dog-eared with the projects you want to make but are waiting for the *right*perfect*best* fabric.

You get to the quilting store. You find your perfect fabric for that one quilt in that one book. But how much fabric do you need? Was it a layer cake, or a jelly roll? The book is at home, because who wants to lug around dozens of books? You might get lucky and find a copy in the store. Or you're like me and do most of your fabric shopping online.

But what if you had all your books on your phone? How great would that be! See, awesome, isn't it?

Okay, I'll get off my soapbox. Still, it's pretty cool.

And look what else is available as a digital copy:

If I don't win one during the blog hop, I'm totally scoring a digital copy! Love Sherri's blog, and this book looks just as great!

Make-A-List Monday: Lesson Learned

Sharpies are my friends. Had quite a few around when we were moving so I could label boxes.

Sharpies are my enemy when my 20-month-old finds them and decorates my sewing machine with them. Hairspray has done the best job of getting some of it off, but it's there to stay. I guess it's a good reminder to me to 1. not leave Sharpies down and 2. not leave my door open! If only I was the only one who needed to remember this!

Decorating my sewing machine was one thing. Make the quilt blocks I had been sewing together into rows "prettier" is another. Still, it's minimal and I'm keeping it as it is. Another lesson learned.

So here's my list for the week:

• Finishing sewing together HGL Briar Rose flimsy
• Layout my Cowgirl SW Taffy blocks so I can finish them
• Play more with my Glamping Hexies!

I'm ever so grateful for the glorious thing called air conditioning. No more hot, miserable days with cranky kids and cranky mommy. If only the kids would remember about keeping the back door closed!

Have a lovely week! Linking up over at little and lots for the weekly "Let's Get Acquainted" linky party.

What was I thinking?

Sometimes a little quilting idea pops into my head and won't go away until I just get started.

When I got a Glamping FQ bundle for my birthday (guilt-get-out-of-trouble-gift), I thought how fun it would be to make a big hexie quilt for myself.

Cue the crazy music! (By the by, what should be on my crazy playlist? Patsy Cline? Aerosmith? Madonna?

I cut the hexies with my Go! cutter last week - no biggie there.

Now the fun has begun. It's going to be 26/27 hexies per column. 25ish columns. INSANE, I tell you!

I have the first two columns done and am sewing them together as I finish them. I'm using the wonderful tutorial for machine stitching hexies at from the blue chair (part 1 and part 2).

It's slow going, but it's going. I might have it done by Christmas.

Seriously.

Okay, I hope to have it done by the end of the month, but it's going to be tough.

Thank goodness for Otter Pops, sprinklers and library books!

As for my finish for today, I finished my May (I know, I know, but I was moving!) bee blocks and sent them off today. Fortunately, June is my month, so I won't be late this month!

I liked this pattern - they came together quickly. I might use them again. The block (Rolling Diamonds) was designed by Queen Sara of the Haven do.Good stitches bee. Contact her if you'd like the pattern.

Linking up, since it's been oh so long, with Amanda Jean and Sarah. Celebrating small victories over here.