I'm Not Missing June's ALYOF!

Boy, I sure spaced April and May for my ALYOF projects. Well, I didn't actually complete anything of my own in those months, so I guess I'm good on that account.  But this month I did want to be accountable for something of my own, so here it is.

I've made two spring/summer table runners out of a charm pack of Moda's Somerset.  I was piecing it in March when we were waiting for spring to get here. Good therapy! Putting different colored borders on them certainly makes a difference in the look, doesn't it?

This is a happy project to quilt this afternoon during this rain/lightening/thunder/hail storm.  I'll just unplug my longarm if I hear it thundering again - I've got it on a surge protector, but I'm just not the risk-taking type.

What are you up to this month?  Be sure to link up your projects with A Lovely Year of Finishes with either Melissa or Shanna.  I don't know about you, but having a goal is the Golden Ticket for me getting things done!


Quilting with a smile,
Barb

Lovely Year of Finishes March Goal

K.I.S.S. - you all know what that means, and that is exactly what I need to do to keep myself on track with my goals:  Put blinders on, set the goal, ignore all those other projects that are calling to me, and just get 'er done!

With that in mind, my March goal for Lovely Year of Finishes will be to get this lovely Christmas quilt quilted and bound. This way, I can take it out in December and have a special surprise!  I'm actually excited to get 'er done!


And best of all, I'll be quilting with a smile :)

Barb
Linking up over at Linky Tuesday, Sew Cute Tuesday, WIP Wednesday, and Show and Tell Tuesday.

Facelift

Of all the weird things!

I woke up this morning and decided my blog needs a facelift. Where did that idea come from? Crept in there from some far corner of my brain.

And today, of all days, to add this task to my To Do List! I need to pack because I'm making the trek to Phoenix for a few days of Quilt Show Loveliness at the AQS Quilt Week Phoenix.  I'm taking longarm quilting classes from Lisa Sipes and Judi Madsen, and will get to spend some fun time with my husband's aunt - golf, cocktails, maybe take in the Dale Chihuly glass exhibit at the Botanical Gardens. Who knows what - just relax and enjoy the moments.

Relax, Barb. Just relax. This blog facelift will definitely wait. I'd better pack. My plane leaves in a few hours. YES!!!

Oh - I finished binding my first quilt for Scrap-A-Palooza! Even snuggled in it last night. Fun, fun, fun! And this is one of my February goals for A Lovely Year of Finishes. Right on target.

I apologize here - cannot figure out how to get the photos turned correctly. But you'll get the idea!

Remember to quilt with a smile!
Barb
Linking up with Freemotion By The River's Linky Tuesday and Quilt Story's Fabric Tuesday

February Goal for Lovely Year of Finishes

Well, shoot. I made my January goal too difficult. It just wasn't realistic with everything else I had going on.  But I did feel accomplished to get the Round and Round quilt pieced. And I have finally figured out how I am going to quilt all the negative space in it.

Looking at the calendar, February is a short month, plus I'm going to be gone for nearly two weeks, so I will make my goal easier.  My goal for February is actually two goals.

1.  I want to finish quilting the Round and Round quilt.

 

Sneak Peek at Round and Round Quilting

 2.  I will bind my Freedom Quilt, which is a project for Scrap-A-Palooza.

It's hard to see the quilting, but it's a floral motif and works well!

That's it. #2 will be easy. #1 is taking forever and the next day, but I will get it finished because if I don't, I can't get anything else quilted until it's off the frame. Good incentive for me. 

Looking forward to seeing what everyone else is working on for February!

Remember to always quilt with a smile!
Barb

January Goal Setting

With a new year it seems only appropriate to take time to clear the dust and cobwebs away and begin fresh and new!  I'll do that when I put away my Christmas decorations, but for now, I'm doing that in my sewing room.

I have so many ideas and so much fabric to put into those ideas. Having access to so many blogs and seeing all you wonderful people making gorgeous quilts in every color and design leaves my mind, well, simply put - boggled!  Which quilt to do? Where to start? "Oh, oh, oh! I like that one. Wait! No - I love that one."  My tendency is to have the My-Eyes-Are-Bigger-Than-My-Stomach Syndrome.  You know the one - I bite off more than I can chew.

So, once again I am thankful for my bloggy friends to have challenges in place to keep me on task and moving forward! This year I am going to participate in A Lovely Year of Finishes by Fiber of All Sorts and Sew BitterSweet Designs.  Also, Quilting Is More Fun Than Housework Scrap-A-Palooza (don't ya just love that name!) will be hosting a Scrappy Quilt Along this year and I'm jumping in on that one, too.





Just these two things. That's all I can put on my plate this year.  I'd love to do a BOM, QAL or some swaps, but realistically, I don't have time. I would start out fine and then fail by not following through and then feel bad. So I'm not going there.  If I can get 12 projects of my own finished this year, I will give myself a hardy Pat On The Back!

So to start off, my January Finish will be getting this quilt top pieced together, quilted and bound. I've got most of the pieces cut out already. I'm using a pattern that I won in December from Michelle who blogs as Mrs. Sew And Sew.  It's called Round & Round by Camille Roskelley.  So far, I'm liking the overall design.  I'm not sure about the gray background fabric that I chose. Gray is just not my color, but when it comes all together, it will probably work just fine.

Since I began my longarm quilting business, the time I have to make things 'just because' is very limited. So I'm excited to have these goals in place for this year.  It will be fun to hear what your quilty goals are for 2014!

Quilt with a smile,
Barb

Linking up with Linky Tuesday at Freemotion by the River!
and Needle and Thread Thursday