UFO Goals for Second Quarter

In January I mentioned in a blog that I joined in the Finish Along with Littlest Thistle. Well, I worked very hard and completed all my goal projects. I was so proud of myself! Did I tell you that prizes were involved with finished projects?  Visions of Quilting Goodies danced in my head! Katy sent out very specific guidlines including the deadline, midnight, April 6. Guess what? I didn't pay enough attention to where she was located——England!

                                          I missed it! I missed it! Phooey, I missed it!

Boy was I disappointed, but I dried my tears, pulled on my big girl pants and decided to try it again. So here goes.

FIRST GOAL:  This is a doll I started for an Alice in Wonderland challenge from a doll group I meet with once a month. We have not met since 2013 due to all the lovely weather we had—you know, ice, snow, etc. I took a rag doll I bought at a yard sale, removed her clothes and started a new dress. I need to finish the dress, make some bloomers and fix her hair and/or make a hat. When we met Monday I forgot I had started it. I will finish it and take it next month. After that I will give it to my 3 year old granddaughter for part of her birthday in May.

SECOND GOAL:  Tree topper angel. I bought this at a yard sale for $1 about 20 years ago. Someone had started the embroidery and I used some of my sewing machine embroidery stitches to do some more. It got packed away until November of 2013. I pulled it out and stitched on it at ballgames. I need to cut it out, stuff it, and sew it. It will go to my grands for their Christmas tree.

THIRD GOAL: Scrap blocks started at our guild's baby quilt workshop in March. There are enough there to make 2 baby quilts. I need to add a couple more rounds, put blocks together, add borders, quilt and bind.

FOURTH GOAL: I started this in a Thread Painting workshop from Heather Thomas with our guild in March. I actually quilted it yesterday and forgot to get a pic of it unquilted for this challenge. So technically I quilted and still need to bind or finish in some way for a completion. I'm not sure what  will do with it.

FIFTH GOAL: Okay, these are the chenille blocks that I have been working on which were started by my deceased friend Margaret. I put it down as a completed project for last quarter, but it is not finished. I still have to go sit with it at the laundromat, wash and dry it so it will fray and be fluffy. I have procrastinated over this because I did not want to spend 2 hrs of my life at the laundromat. Hopefully stating it here will get my butt to the laundry.

SIXTH GOAL: 11 paper pieced shoe small quilts. I need to piece 2 more blocks, applique on each, quilt and finish edges. These are gifts so I can't say anymore.

SEVENTH GOAL: This little quilt was started in a guild workshop by Wendy Butler Berns in October. I still need to quilt and finish the edges. 

EIGTH GOAL: Link up on time in June so that I am eligible for prizes!!!!

Just realized that I never published this. So here goes.

   Kathy

UFO No Longer!!!!!!!

This is my last UFO completion for the first quarter of the 2014 Finish Along from Littlest Thistle. I posted a goal for the quarter in an earlier post.

This is "You Are My Sunshine". I started it in October of 2012 at our guild retreat in a class taught by Nora Krein. It will hang in my sunroom, aka playroom, where my grands keep their toys at my house. I have sung "You Are My Sunshine" as a bedtime lullaby to all of them. I ironed on interfacing to the back and then stitched down the various suns in raw edge applique. I couched fuzzy yarns down and I love the texture. After that was done, I loaded it on my longarm with some heavy wool felt for backing and quilted it with gold metallic thread. I used the felt because I didn't want the puff look of batting. I used a facing on the back instead of binding. 

Here is a close up of one of the suns. Did I say how much I love the fuzzy yarns?

It was a very busy month for me with lots of basketball games and I doubted at one point if I would get this completed. Once I started, it went quickly. Isn't that true with most things? It's all about getting started! I'm glad I joined this challenge because I don't think I would have gotten this particular project finished without it.

I'm leaving for MQS early in the morning and will post my goal for the next quarter when I get back. I certainly have no shortage of UFOs!!!!!!!

Kathy

My Block Challenge Marches On

                                                   Month Three of 350 Block challenge 

First off these are 12 Buggy Barn stars. Yikes! It took about 2 of these before I stabilized. I plan on making a Quilt of Valor from them.

The heart block is mine. Our guild members made these Dreamcicle blocks for Lovina Payton, our Sunshine and Shadows chairperson. She sends us birthday cards, get-well cards, just generally takes care of us in joy and in pain. It was a fun surprise! 

These are the last 4 of my Film at Five Blocks. My next step will be to make the sashing. If you look closely you can find a sock monkey, 2 ducks, a pickle, pink panther, musicians, a pink monkey, a rug rat(I think that is what they are called), and other surprises just in what is visible of these 4 blocks.

The total for this month was 17. Didn't quite reach my goal of 30(I did go over 1/2), but I now have a total of 118. I have some more started, but hopefully they will be done next month.  My life was productive in other ways. The Mountainburg Lady Dragons made it to the Arkansas State Tournament Finals and ended the season with the state runner-up title, 32 wins and 3 losses, Conference, District and Regional championships, and many post season individual honors including Arkansas Coach of the Year from both The Southwest Times in Ft Smith and the Media Group in Ft Smith. I'm very proud of both my husband and his girls!

State Runner-up Team and trophy!

Kathy

Hand Stitching—My Winning Basketball Strategy!

Being married to a basketball coach has a multitude of responsibilities. I wish I had kept a tally of all the games I have watched over the past 48 years. I watched Dan play college basketball for 4 years and then independent ball leagues after we married and graduated from college. I then watched him coach for the past 43, almost 44 years. During that time I also watched our sons play high school and college ball.

I have also had to deal with quite a bit of bipolar-like behavior—from the agony of defeat to the exhilaration of success. I am always amazed that he bounces back so quickly!

As coaches, players and fans, we are required to follow many routines that help us be successful. My husband was in bit of a spot the other day when he could not find his "brown" socks. These are no ordinary pair of socks-- they are his game socks! Luckily he found them. Then there's the matter of the pennies found face up, his blue shirt, travel routes, food, music, and on and on. I have bought him new ties in the past that were worn once and discarded if he lost wearing them. Players and Fans are no less symptomatic.

Embroidery Project

This season I decided to bring along handsewing to ballgames for pregame, half-time, etc. I have done this before, hand appliqueing an entire Sunbonnet Sue mostly at ballgames. I started with paper piecing hexies. I ran out of the papers and the team was doing well so I needed another project. I found an embroidery project that was at least 20 years old and started working on it. I finished it last night at the Regional Finals. Praise the Lord, my hexie papers got here in the mail! I am locked and loaded for the State Tournament!

Game Project Bag

Now, don't get me wrong, we are not superstitious, just careful and systematic. Tomorrow I will drive 5 1/2 hours to the State Tournament site by myself. Sure I could ride the bus or take someone with me, or ride with someone else, but I have always driven by myself. That is the routine and YOU DON'T CHANGE THE ROUTINE!!!

Ever heard the legend about the Emperor Nero fiddling while Rome burns?  Well, I hand stitch while the Lady Dragons play basketball and usually win(29-2)!!! I find it amusing that I am sewing hexies. Perhaps I can put a "hex" on those teams we play next week. Amusing or Diabolic—you decide! He! He! He!

Diabolic Hexies

Kathy

350 Block Challenge Month 2

Well, here's the report on my blocks completed in February:

First: Margaret's chenille blocks started by my friend who died several years ago at 90. She had completed 10 and I finished 30 of them this month. The top is done see post  UFO NUMBER 3 DONE!  

Next: I completed 9 more of my 25 patches for my Film at Five from Wedding Dress Blue. I now have 21 of the 24 I need to complete this leader and ender project.

That gives me a total of 39 blocks for February. Pretty good considering it was basketball season in the home of a girls' basketball coach and a lot of babysitting duty in Tulsa with the grands.

That combined with my 62 blocks in January gives me a total for 2014 so far of 101!

I don't think I set a goal for February, but in my head I was hoping for 30. So I exceeded that.
My goal for March is 30!

I'm getting ready to head out to the 2A Girls' Basketball Regional Finals! Next week we go to the state tournament! Basketball continues!!


Kathy

UFO NUMBER 3 DONE!!!!!!

UFO NO MORE!!!!

Here is another UFO Finish for the challenge from Littlest Thistle.

These are the chenille blocks started by my friend Margaret who died several years ago at 90. She had cut out about 40 blocks and had stitched and cut 10. The 40th block was not complete and I had to sort of piece it together. There were 21 dark plaid background and 19 turquoise.














Here are a couple of closeups of the stitching and cutting. That really took a long time! When I finished with that I had to trim them all down to 12 1/2 inches because they were pretty irregular. Once that was done I stitched them together with 5/8" seams. The good news is that i don't have to do any quilting or binding!


















I decided to make 2 lap quilts. I flip flopped the blocks to make it reversible. One of the quilts has more of the dark squares because of the odd number of blocks.  I will contact her daughter, who moved away, and give her one of them.





















I still have to wash and dry them so that they fluff up and fray, making them really soft and cuddly. After that stage I will post pics to show the before and after contrast. I also need to take them to the laundromat in town so I don't clog up my machines because when they fray, they really, really fray. I don't look forward to going and hanging out there for a couple of hours. I will share pics of that adventure! It has been awhile since I have hung out at a laundromat. I'll take my Kindle and handwork.

Kathy

Music to My Ears and Other Grandkid Pursuits

The 4 grands came and spent 3 days with us. 

Eowyn has been taking piano lessons for several months and entertained us with Ode to Joy.

I taught Ash how to play a piano classic "I Dropped my Dolly in the Dirt". 

Grey accompanied them occasionally with his dancing.

It was so much fun to watch them enjoy the piano. 

I have so many happy memories tinkling the ivories as a kid myself.

Hazel had a stomach bug for the first day she was here, but felt better the second. Ask her what she wants to be when she grows up and she will tell you, "A REAL(WEAL in Hazel Languaage) Queen." 

For now she is a REAL Chuck E. Cheese Queen! She also kept a spare Birthday Crown handy.

Eowyn, Ash and Hazel picked out some fabric to take home. 

Eowyn picked out some black and white fabrics and used fabric markers to color them in. So creative!!!

Hazel picked out baby fabrics and some Disney princess fabrics. I gave her a fat quarter(18"X22") of the princess fabric and she wanted me to make her a dress from it. Oh, my funny girl!

Ash took home some dinosaur fabric that is meant to color on. He was not happy with my fabric markers and wanted to wait until he got home to color it in. I love my picky little boy!

Grey enjoyed one of his favorite toys—the dishwasher! He is sooooooo helpful(AND CUTE)!

Tuesday evening we went to watch PaPaw's girls play basketball. The jr. high girls were not playing as they should(to say the least) and he was giving them correction in a very loud voice. The grands were mesmerized by it. I asked Eowyn, "Has PaPaw ever yelled at you like that?" She answered, "I've never seen PaPaw yell at anybody like that!" Welcome to the basketball court!

We had a great time!

Hazel left a lasting gift—Dan and I both caught her bug!

To top the week off, after the kids went home, Dan's Junior girls won the District Tournament.

My husband, Dan, is not in the picture. He has his assistant, Coach Clark stand with them. I'm going to have to start photoshopping him into these pictures!

His high school girls start their district this week as the conference champs making them the #1 seed.

Go Lady Dragons!!

I hope everyone else had a great week like I did!

Kathy