January ~ Week 4 / February ~ Week 1

Sunday 1/23

Spent time with Suzette in my lap. She is more inclined now to spend time there since Nigel passed away. I know she is lonesome for him, he was brother to her for 10 years and she is having to learn to live without him. As are we. He was 15 years old and life is not the same without him. 

Two rows of crochet was all I managed today, but did that after kitty lap time and was able to do it out on the back deck in the warm sunshine, very enjoyable time. 

Monday 1/24

Managed two rows of knitting only. My plan for this year is to complete as many UFOs as possible. The baby blanket I'm knitting was started about 6 years ago. The baby it was intended for is obviously no longer a baby. I don't know who this blanket will go to but want to get it finished. 

Tuesday 1/25

Two rows of knitting and one hour of hand quilting. Fabric cutting for Red blocks for rainbow scrap challenge. I also spent some time looking for quilt pattern for queen size bed in main bedroom.  

Wednesday 1/26

Two hours of hand quilting and started sewing blocks for Rainbow scrap challenge. I also decided on the pattern for the quilt I want for main bedroom and chose fabrics for it from my stash. 

Thursday 1/27  

Continued sewing blocks for rainbow scrap challenge. 

Part of my plan for getting some UFO's done this year is to spend time each morning with either my knitting, crochet, or hand quilting project prior to going into the sewing room to work on new or continuing projects like the blocks for the Rainbow Scrap Challenge. 

Friday 1/28

Figured out the fabric cutting requirements for the new quilt and verified that the fabrics I chose for it from my stash were sufficiently large enough for the job. Also determined the size fabric I needed to buy for the one piece I didn’t have fabric for in my stash. This was a big challenge for me, math is not my thing. But the pattern I chose for my quilt does not have dimensions for a queen size. That took up my morning and then I left to go visit my Dad and Judy. I also visited a quilt store in their area and found the last fabric I needed for the new quilt. 

Saturday 1/29 

Finished sewing red blocks for rainbow scrap challenge and put new fabrics through the wash. Purchased new blades, thread, and a 3.5” ruler all with the new quilt project in mind. 

I don't have much in the way of red scraps so some of these blocks don't have much difference in value which is too bad, but hey they are scrap blocks.  

I don't have much in the way of green scraps for the leaves either. Think I might have to go find a green charm pack to have enough to get me through the year with the RSC blocks. I'm using a white charm pack for the background fabric for these blocks too.

Once I got all the leftover scraps picked up and put away from the RSC blocks I dumped out a dish of cut triangles, mostly from binding prints, that I've been saving for a couple of years. I pulled out those that were already matched up from half square triangles made for previous quilts and got them in a container together. Then matched up as best I could most of the ones that were left. They are in the container with the others and I will be using them as leaders and enders for as long as they last. 

They will be making very small half square triangle blocks. 

I don't know how I will wind up using them but will see when I've got enough to do something with and when I get an idea for them.  I'm using my Lock Block ruler to trim them and even at this small size the rulers give me some very accurate blocks. 

Sunday 1/30 

Started cutting fabrics for my new bed quilt. Cut 90 3.5” blocks for the center of the 9 patch blocks out of the new fabric and realized when I was done that it was the wrong fabric for the center pieces. Fortunately I had purchased more than I needed so was able to cut the 45 4” squares I actually needed from that fabric. I also got all the background fabric strips cut. 

The fabric on the left is intended as the outer border fabric for the new quilt - the stack of the blocks on the right - all the blocks I should not have cut! I also cut some extra 4" squares from that fabric by mistake. I want that fabric for the inner border but am afraid I will not have enough now because of my mistakes. There is some left I will have to wait and see if it's enough. 

Monday 1/31

Finally finished row 71 of my crochet shawl. Luckily I got to the end of the row with just enough yarn left for a Russian join. I spent more time with Suzette in my lap and had an unexpected dentist appointment. I still managed two rows of knitting and sub cut the background squares and background portion of the quarter square triangle blocks for the new quilt. 

Tuesday 2/1

Another UFO I will be working on soon is the snowflake quilt. I finished the top last year. I put it up on the design wall to look at while I'm in the sewing room to help me figure out how I want to quilt it. I've chosen the quilting pattern I want to use and will bring it down and mark it once I'm done cutting all the pieces for the new quilt project. 

Two rows of knitting. An hour of hand quilting. Cut the center squares for both the Stepping Stones and Star blocks for the new quilt.  Actually used the correct fabric this time too. 

Wednesday 2/2

Two rows of knitting. Cut and sewed together strips for 4 square blocks in new quilt project. There are 18 wof strips each so sub cutting and sewing the 4 square blocks is going to take some time. Suzette came in to check out what I was doing. Actually she was sitting there letting me know that she was hungry. 

Thursday 2/3

Continued work on knitting project and began sub cutting 4 square strips and sewing them together. I’m doing one strip at a time rather than cutting all of them at once and chain sewing. Cutting all at once would be painful for my hands and chain piecing would be hard on my back. Doing it a little at a time gives my hands and my back a break.

Friday 2/4

Four rows of knitting. More sub cutting and sewing strips for 4 square blocks. More time with Suzette in my lap. She is not an affectionate kitty in general so I very much enjoy the times she will come sit in my lap. We both got a nap in while she was with me. 

Saturday 2/5

Time to do some more hand quilting. I'm going to have to limit the time spent doing that to one hour at a time. When I did two hours the other day it really hurt my shoulder. I have more strips for the 4 square blocks to cut and sew, but otherwise am done cutting the fabrics for the new quilt. I might pull out my teal scraps and start on the blocks for the RSC if I have time this afternoon. I think I need to begin a better approach to the way I save my scraps. More on that some other time. 

Many thanks if you've managed to read this whole post! I had hoped to do this a week at a time but didn't make it this time around. I will try to get next week written and posted by itself so it won't be so long! 

I'm linking up with the following linky parties:

Judy Hansen of Small Quilts and Doll Quilts for Design Wall Monday

Beth of Love Laugh Quilt for Monday Making

Jennifer at the Inquiring Quilter for Wednesday Wait Loss

Susan at Quilt Fabrication for Midweek Makers

Cynthia at Quilting is More fun than Housework for Oh Scrap!

Kelly at My Quilt Infatuation for Needle and Thread Thursday

Angela at So Scrappy for Rainbow Scrap Challenge

Nina Marie at Creations - Quilts, Art, Whatever for Off the Wall Friday

Kathy at Kathy's Quilts for Slow Sunday Stitching. 

Denise at For the Love of Geese for Put Your Foot Down