Now that the last year is finally in our rear-view mirror , it's time to look forward with anticipation and hope. I tend not to make resolutions but choose to call them goals.
My big quilting goal for this new year is to finally finish the oldest ufo in the room, Quilty 365. Hoping to work on the hand quilting for at least an hour every day, and beginning with good intentions I started working on it again yesterday. It may take most of the year since my hand quilting progresses slowly, but slowly is definitely better than not at all!
My goal for the month of January is to set all the sunflower blocks for my Diamond Jubilee quilt into their backgrounds. I worked on the first one today, my least favorite of the 13 total (in case it turned out to be a disaster - which it nearly was).
The background is just a tad lighter than the photo would indicate. There was only a smallish piece of this fabric, and the ONLY thing in my stash that even came close to being a good background for this particular block. And, I was planning to cut a big circle out of the background and inset the sunflower, pin baste and stitch it all down on the old Singer 201. Of course I read the directions for the circle cutter template wrong and my first cut out was an inch too large! So, trimming up the remaining pieces of that fabric I stitched a frankenblock from three pieces (wouldn't our great-grandmothers have done the same?) and recut a smaller circle. Lots of pinning and slow stitching later this is the result. Needs a better press and a bit of squaring up but I'm pleased overall with the result. Now, on to the more fun blocks! Maybe one or two per day until all 13 are finished, then we can move forward to all the surrounding flying geese sashings in February.
I'm joining Patty at Elm Street Quilts again this year by linking this post to her
One Monthly Goal linkup for January.
I hope you're enjoying this first day of a brand new year with better weather than we have right now. We're expecting freezing rain over the next 12-18 hours, our area is expecting around 1/2 inch of ice before it warms up sometime on Saturday. That will probably mean loss of power over wide areas of the state, so my husband powered up the generator to be sure everything is in working order when that happens.
Til next time, or when the power comes back on,
14 comments:
Good luck w Q 365! Oh that Sunflower is gorgeous. Tho that is not at all how I'd applique it, the results are great.
The freezing rain is headed here too, tho the projected temp by morning is 50*. These weather guys had too much champagne, I think. I'll be home sewing binding anyway, tho I always make a point of visiting the beach ["Neptune! Mermaids! Sea creatures! The year has turned, summer awaits us all!"] right after the year is new.
Good luck with your goal this month. Sounds like you are already on the right track. All the best for the New Year! ;^)
Despite the incoming freezing weather, I'd say you're off to a good start for 2021 even with your little miscut. You fixed it beautifully. Stay warm.
The sunflower block looks wonderful, so glad you got into the groove at last! And good luck on your goals. I really am not a fan of resolutions either. Goals sound much better.:)
Love the solution to the mis-cut. We have all been there. Prayers for a safe weekend during the storm.
That’s a good goal. I finished up my oldest UFO in 2020, and it’s a good feeling getting those oldies off the list. Your sunflower blocks are so pretty. I’ll be looking forward to seeing the rest of them come together.
I think I will join you in trying to finish hand quilting something that has been in my frame for more years than I care to mention!! I just need to do some every day, even if I can't manage a full hour.
I am proud of you for patching together what you needed to make the block work. That is what our quilting fore-mothers did without a second thought. Every vintage top/quilt I have in my home has pieced together bits of the same fabric (and sometimes just a close match--other times not a match at all) in order to make a piece large enough to cut the patch they needed.
I love the sunflower block and the new border looks great. We are having lots of rain here (of course), but at least it's not freezing.
Good luck with your January goal. The first block is beautiful, so you've made a good start!
I have a stack of blocks from Quilty365 that aren't even together in a top. You remind me.
And I like the franken-pieced back.
I'm so glad you gave the set-in circle sewing a try! As I learned too, it's picking the right sizes to cut convex and concave arcs that makes it fiddly. But once you know, you KNOW. :-) Good for you to keep hand quilting. I admire you for taking the time for such slow sewing, and I hope to do the same (though big stitch quilting) on my next quilt top. I hope you achieve your 2021 goals!
Love this block! I like the idea of goals versus resolutions. I'll have to make a few of those. Happy New Year! Jan in MA
Yay - one Sunflower down, 12 to go! Am I correct in thinking your sewing technique was reverse appliqué? Happy to hear you used a trusty 201; I may have to follow suit and use mine. Hope the power doesn't go out!!
I think this block looks wonderful but since you said it was your least favorite, I'm interested to see (again) the ones you like best! After the challenge and success of setting this block, I hope the rest go smoothly. Best wishes to accomplish your goal for the month!
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