Happy November everyone! I hope everyone had a fun Halloween. We are the odd couple out in the neighborhood (we don't have kids). Thankfully, my husband bought candy for the Trick-or-Treaters because we had people before dark and before our porch light got turned on! I thought the porch light was the universal signal, I guess not!
Anyway I got my Quilter's Planner yesterday and I squealed with glee! If you haven't gotten one yet, hopefully there are some left and you can get your hands on one. For everyone that's ever asked me how I get everything done in my crazy life, this planner is laid out so well: Monthly calendar, weekly calendar with hourly breakdowns, and to-do lists for personal, work, and crafting! It has a plastic cover and it's really a nice book. I'm in love. There are also patterns, tips and tricks, weekly blocks and free motion tutorials, reference quilting pages, project tracking, and a place for ideas or notes. I cannot wait until January to start using it! I use Google Calendar and Outlook like it’s going out of style, but nothing can replace a paper planner. I'm so excited! The Quilter's Planner mini is the smaller version you can throw in your purse to keep track of your busy life. I got both to figure out which one will fit my life better.
This is the first week I didn't feel super behind and pressed Monday night to get everything done. One of the first things I talked about was setting achievable goals and I feel like I've gotten very aggressive. That means any procrastination or slacking off during the week results in stress Sunday and Monday night trying to make sure I got everything completed. I am definitely someone that will be accountable as long as someone else (the internet) knows I'm going to do it.
Pattern #101 is out to the pattern testers this week. I can't wait to see how people fared making the block. I have also finished both the first and second sample of this quilt and I'm so excited! One of the things I did notice about myself is that I didn't follow my color instructions completely so I hope that doesn’t confuse people. I wonder if I should be making a quilt that follows the instructions or if the different colorways I chose will work. One of the best compliments I got from one of my friends, "I'd really like a photo print of the [first sample], it's like a work of art!" I may have paraphrased a bit, but it was super cool!
When I was finishing up the binding for both of the quilts, I ended up with enough binding to make 2 of the smaller 10" x 10" design boards. So here's your sneak peak on the binding of my samples!
Design boards are one of my favorite quilting tools because they help lay out blocks in a way that is portable! You don't need to move the design from a larger wall in pieces to the sewing machine with the potential of messing up the layout. The design boards also have batting that allow the fabric pieces to stick on the board so they don't fly away while moving. The Fat Quarter Shop and Lori Holt made a YouTube tutorial to make the boards or you can purchase some from the Fat Quarter Shop.
I have a debate with my own patterns and other cute patterns that I want to make. It takes quite a bit of effort to get my patterns made and written, therefore I need to dedicate most of my time to do that. However, I have a stack of patterns and fabric designated for said patterns that are just waiting to be created! I know this is going to be a constant struggle moving forward but I don't seem to be coming up with a feasible solution. My solution was to quit my day job and quilt full time… but my husband vetoed that solution. So my goal is to find a balance, work on my own patterns, and work on another cute pattern at the same time!
Speaking of adorable quilts, the Cozy Christmas quilt sew-along is coming to an end quickly. Here is the awesome block 11, the cozy gift block!
I can't believe there is only one more block left and then the assembly of the quilt top. I am trying to decide if I want to join the next two Lori Holt sew-alongs. The next one is Sweetie Pie with her new Sew Cherry 2 fabric line starting in January and then Bee Happy next September. Both are super cute but take up precious time to create.
11/1-11/8 Weekly Goal:
Available time for quilting:
Tonight and Monday night
Projects I want to work on:
Cozy Christmas
Powered by Quilting Patterns
Goals for the Projects:
Cozy Christmas: Complete Block 12 and finish the quilt top!
Powered by Quilting Patterns: Photos and update pattern to prepare for launch