2023 Plans

Almost Happy New Year!!

With only 2 1/2 days left until the calendar changes to 2023, I've been thinking a lot about the goals and changes I want to make this coming year. I am only two years away from full retirement, so I also have to start thinking about succession planning. When my boss and I went over it, he finally realized I am doing the job of three people, (branch manager, mortgage broker/underwriter, investment consultant and compliance officer), so he thinks we will have to hire two full-time people, and I will continue to do the compliance on a part-time basis (good for me, as I will keep my benefits!)

I have quilting, cross-stitch and crafting plans, so I have joined Yvonne @Quilting Jetgirl 's

#2023 Planning Party. I was led to this by Barb at Cat Patches. (If you're looking for a good blog to follow, she posts almost daily and has a great sense of humour) PS: I'm Canadian, hence the spelling difference! I also have some personal goals, so I'm going to add those at the end of the post, so that I can hold myself accountable.

Goal #1.  Finish some quilts, make progress on some quilts, and start some quilts.  

I'm great at starting quilts, not so good at finishing them, so this year I'm focusing on finishes and progress. I will let my self start a couple, though!

Obviously some blanks to fill, but if I get the first six items finished this year, it will be wonderful!

Goal #2 - Spend 15 minutes a day stitching something, whether is hand stitching, cross-stitching, embroidery, sewing machine piecing or practicing on my new mid-arm machine.

Goal #3 - Speaking of my new machine, I would like to develop my free-motion quilting skills. I got some new books this Christmas for Graffiti Quilting, by Karlee Porter - I love her style.

Goal #4 - Get my studio under control. I need to purge and organize everything that is left, so that I can make the best use of my space. I did put in new cabinets in this year, so now that I have good storage and a defined space, it's time to do the purge!

I also need to press, cut and sort my scraps. I already have a system in place, but I was given a lot of scraps this past year. What I don't keep gets sent to my niece (same age as me on my ex-husband's side!) who has a group of quilters that do things for charity. The last couple of years, they focused on scrub bags and hats for nursing personnel, who were coping with the Covid crisis.

Personally, I need to prepare for three upcoming trips! I want to lose 50 lbs., build up my stamina and lung capacity so that I can do a lot of walking. My first trip will be less strenuous, as I am off to Mexico with my youngest daughter's family. The next one will be to Germany, the Netherlands and Belgium, so I need to be ready by May. The last one is tentatively booked for Provence, France and the French Riviera.

Wish me luck!!  Terri in BC

It's finally Fall! - What I've been working on

I had high hopes for the summer, but the weather was too nice to be in my basement sewing studio.

We had a very long, wet spring, but summer was glorious and the warm weather just ended this past week. Unfortunately the last month was smoke-filled due to numerous forest fires near us on both sides of the border. Fall is definitely here, but we may even have snow next week!! Work kept me busy, but now we are winding down a big project, so I'll have more free time.

I finally have felt some motivation to start putzing and getting things organized, and as I'm going along, I finishing a few things.

I pulled out a cutting project that stalled, and in small increments this week, I got it finished up.

It is all the pieces for Bonnie Hunter's Jingle Bell Square, even the sashings.(Pattern found in her book Addicted to Scraps - ps: the book is on sale, with a free pattern as well). I'm saving this to assemble during my Christmas break. I have done some test blocks, so I have 3 of 49 blocks done. See those red/green 1" strips? Instead of cutting out the strips separately, I sewed the strips together and cut the 4 matching pairs. This will save me a lot of time later on.

Strip sets ready for cutting!

A look at my messy work area. I do all my piecing on a 1947 Featherweight.

More projects behind the machine - each basket has parts for future scrappy quilts.

This project was a great way to use up some old Christmas fabrics - a lot came from my mom's collection and from fabric bags she made. She's been gone for 22 years now, so it is going to be a great memory quilt for one of my daughers.

Next up today - opening up my new-to-me 222 Featherweight!  I've dreamed of owning one of these for a long time. I can't wait to try it out.

Have a great day,

Terri

Happy First Day of Summer!

 It doesn't feel like it yet, but today is the first day of summer. The morning started with some sun, but just like it has for the last 8 months, it slowly moved to rain. I don't want to jink it, but maybe, just maybe the sun will come out on Thursday when the kids are finished school, and stick around for a bit!

The downside of the hot weather means that we will be on flood watch once again. Last November, we had terrible flooding in our area - so much so that my city became an island cut off from the outside world for a full week, and limited access for three weeks after. I worked from home for that whole period of time.

This is my route facing east towards home - and that is Highway #1, the Trans-Canada Highway running down the middle. They don't expect this area to flood again, but there are other areas that are in jeopardy. Needless to say, I will be bringing my computer home this weekend just in case.

Last Saturday I went to Quilt Canada, which was being held in Vancouver, about an hour away. I can't let it get this close without going, but I must say, I was somewhat disappointed. Probably because of the pandemic, I felt that it didn't have nearly as many entries, nor as many vendors as the one I attended four years ago. I'm still up in the air about the Best of Show winner. It was beautiful, but really pushes the boundaries of what I "think" a quilt is. You can see it and all the winners at Canadian Quilters.com

It is exquisite in its detail, and the border and the centre medallion had cutouts (it looked like Indian glass (Shisha) embroidery at first), with beading added. There were also very large beads like cabachons added with embroidery. It really was a toss-up for me whether this was an embroidery piece or a quilt piece, hence my hesitancy as to whether to consider it as Best in Show at a quilt show.

My favourite piece didn't win anything, It was called Dear Humans, but for some reason I didn't take a picture of it. Hopefully, I'll find it soon and post it. 

Now I'm off to sew for a bit!

Committing to 15 minutes a day of stitching

If nothing else this year, I want to get back in the habit of spending time doing something each day that I love, and one of those things is anything stitching related. It helps me relax after a tough day at work, and activates the right side of my brain after using the left side all day. In my work life, I am a branch manager of a mortgage and investmant company, so after dealing with numbers, playing with fabric and thread is so much fun!

Kate at Life in Pieces hosts a weekly check-in that I'll be following.  She has counted today as Week 1 of 2022, but since she has been doing this for a number of years, it also captures her last week of 2021.  I'll be starting next Sunday, and counting today as Day 1 of my first week. I'll follow her format plus adding one more tally - fabric in and out!

I used to track my fabric in and out, which helped me curb my purchases and motivated me to use up what I had. I don't bother counting what I already have, I just try to use more than I buy.  So my posts will look like this:

• 15 minute days/week 1 =  /7
• 15 minute days/week (month) =  /31(or 30 or 28) days
• Success rate for (month) = (# of days stitched/# of month) expressed as a percentage %
• 15 minute days/2022 =  /(# of days year-to-date)
• Success rate for 2022 = (# of days stitched/# of days year-to-date) expressed as a percentage %
• Fabric used = # of metres (counted at flimsy stage and when backing/binding added, or donated/sold)
• Fabric gained (purchased, gifted) = # of metres
• Net fabric used/gain

You'll note I have Fabric gained as purchased or gifted - I have two friends who have been destashing and sending fabric my way. I have been sorting through it and donating most of it to good causes. I also plan on selling some select items through a destash group, and will donate the profits. Some of my personal stash has made its way out in the last year, and I plan on continuing to do so.

Since a post isn't any fun without pictures, here is my latest finish and what I'm working on:

Dragon lap quilt (extra-long) for my son-in-law.

Unfortunately, I wasn't able to get it quilted in time due to an allergic reaction that affected my eye. 

December 23rd (don't mind the bed-head!)

December 30th, a week later. 

It's now been two weeks since it flared up, and it is slowing going down. It now looks like I got popped in the eye! Good thing I don't have a partner, people would be looking at him funny.

What I'm currently working on:  I have 3 main projects on the go, all Bonnie Hunter quilts.

Quilt One is her current Mystery Quilt, Rhododendron Trail. I have completed up to Step 3 and currently working on cutting out Step 4. I'm doing the cutting for 2 quilts, as my friend Kim is doing them as well, but gets confused when it comes to the cutting. This is her Step 3 cut, with a sample of how to put them together with Step 1. 

We recently discovered someone's method of sorting parts using paper plates, and it has been a game changer for Kim. She has picked up some older projects and been able to move ahead, thanks to this method.

Quilt 2 is QuiltMaker magazine's mystery quilt - Ruby Jubilee, based on Bonnie Hunter's Addicted to Scraps column. 

I'm doing mine in teals and aquas, and you can see my units for the pinwheel block in this photo. Kim is doing hers in solid pinks, as seen in the upper corner. I'll do more detailed posts on both of these.

Quilt 3 I'm completing as a Leader/Ender project in between the other two. It is Bonnie Hunter's On Ringo Lake mystery quilt from a few years back, and my 15 minutes a day project. I have all the units made and I'm now assembling the blocks. I hope to have this flimsy finished by the end of the month.