I am so excited because I finally have the top of Raining Cats and Dogs finished!  Once I got going on border #2 it was a couple of hours and the most difficult part was measuring the borders and pinning everything!

Raining Cats and Dogs
Finished Top
4/10/2016

I’m leaning towards hand quilting this project and since my hand quilting is very slow, I’m going to put getting the backing and batting together and basted to the top of the list (either something I want to do this month or wait until May) but sometime soon.  I’m planning on machine quilting in the ditch between blocks and then doing hand quilting within each block.   The only thing I’m not looking forward to is basting.  I may go to my favorite LQS to see if I can use their back room.  When I first learned to quilt they had these tables that you can clamp your quilts on to baste.  I’m not sure if they still have them but it doesn’t hurt to check.  I’d rather do that than use my floor.

Last week’s to do list:

1. Cross Stitch – keep working on the welcome project … done
2. Border #2 for Raining Cats and Dogs ….  done
3. Knit – keep working on the Rosie Hat … done
4. Celtic Solstice – press more Block A’s and top row of Block B … not done
5. Hand work – Work a bit on A Rainbow Garden …  done
6. Scrapbooking – do 1 page … not done

This week’s to do list:

1. practice quilt on the quilt frame to prep Moon Glow‘s threads and get Bailey ready
2. Cross Stitch – keep working on the welcome project …
3. Hand work – Work a bit on A Rainbow Garden …  
4. Knit – keep working on the Rosie Hat …
5. Missing Ivy – pull out the project and do the next step … I need a little break from Celtic Solstice
6. Celtic Solstice – press more Block A’s and top row of Block B …

I’m looking forward to a great week!

Check out more at  and  and  and  and   and 

Have a great week!

~Melanie

My sewing area still looks like this!

I haven’t touched my sewing machine since last week.  I’ve been working on a lot of hand projects though!  I spent yesterday knocking out the last yard of Scrapitude so now…(drumroll please)… I’m happy to announce…

Scrapitude finished!
4/3/2016

Scrapitude
the back
4/3/2016

Last week’s to do list:

1. Scrapitude, 2015  – Finish hand binding. …. done.  
2. Cross Stitch – keep working on the welcome project … done
3. Border #2 for Raining Cats and Dogs ….  didn’t touch
4. Knit – keep working on the Rosie Hat … done… I’m now working on the decreasing section.  I finished the first row of decreasing. 
5. Celtic Solstice – press more Block A’s and top row of Block B … didn’t touch
6. Hand work – Work a bit on A Rainbow Garden …  done
7. Scrapbooking – do 1 page … didn’t touch

This week’s to do list:

1. Cross Stitch – keep working on the welcome project …
2. Border #2 for Raining Cats and Dogs ….  
3. Knit – keep working on the Rosie Hat …
4. Celtic Solstice – press more Block A’s and top row of Block B …
5. Hand work – Work a bit on A Rainbow Garden …  
6. Scrapbooking – do 1 page

I’m going to take a break this week on quilting my queue of quilts.  Now that Scrapitude is done, the next step is to get some practice fabric/batting on the frame and test out the thread I want to use to quilt Moon Glow.  But I’m going to step away this week and work on the other items on my to do list that I’ve been moving from week to week.  I also know that work is going to be really busy (it’s the first week of the quarter) so … I may find myself working longer hours than normal.

I’m looking forward to a great week!

Check out more at  and  and  and 

Have a great week!

~Melanie

I don’t have a design wall so my sewing area still looks like this.  I’m spending all my quilty time binding Scrapitude and I’m very slow at this.

Last week’s to do list:

1. Scrapitude, 2015  – Finish hand binding. …. half way done with this.  
2. Cross Stitch – keep working on the welcome project … done
3. Border #2 for Raining Cats and Dogs ….  didn’t touch
4. Knit – keep working on the Rosie Hat … didn’t touch
5. Celtic Solstice – press more Block A’s and top row of Block B … didn’t touch
6. Hand work – Work a bit on A Rainbow Garden …  done
7. Scrapbooking – do 1 page … didn’t touch

This week’s to do list:

1. Scrapitude, 2015  – Finish hand binding. ….
2. Cross Stitch – keep working on the welcome project …
3. Border #2 for Raining Cats and Dogs ….  
4. Knit – keep working on the Rosie Hat …
5. Celtic Solstice – press more Block A’s and top row of Block B …
6. Hand work – Work a bit on A Rainbow Garden …  
7. Scrapbooking – do 1 page

I’m looking forward to a great week!

Check out more at  and  and  and 

Have a great week!

~Melanie

Happy Monday everyone!  Today is my boy’s birthday and he is now 11.  I am taking the day off work and he actually is starting his spring break.  There are no plans today so we’ll see what he wants to do.

Yesterday, I spent most of the day working on Celtic Solstice and it felt great!  I got a lot of pressing done.

Celtic Solstice
Block A
Pile on the left are pressed blocks
Pile on the right are unpressed blocks
AND left pile > right pile!
woohoo
3/21/2016

And now it reminds me that I should during the block creation more and the final press when it’s a full block will not be so bad.  So, for Block B, I’m doing a bit at a time.

Here’s my work area
3/21/2016

More bits for block b
3/21/2016

And I got about 10 done for the top row of Block B.

Celtic Solstice
Block B
Top row
10 completed
3/21/2016

In between working on Celtic Solstice, I planted some potatoes (because I had some potatoes going bad).  The hubby was able to prep some of my big pots for me (he needed to drill holes into them) and over the next week, I’ll be planting tomato plants.  I love fresh homegrown tomatoes.  It’s been a couple of years I’ve been able to grow some so I’m excited to get going on these this year.  On to this week’s list:

Last week’s to do list:

1. Scrapitude, 2015  – trim and bind … was able to get it trimmed and the binding on but I still need to hand stitch the back. 
2. Cross Stitch – keep working on the welcome project … done – worked on the project a bit. 
3. Borders for Raining Cats and Dogs … finished border #1 
4. Knit – keep working on the Rosie Hat … yay!  did a couple of rounds last week. 
5. Celtic Solstice – press the Block A’s and start on the next step … started pressing but that’s the most BORING part for me.  It’s okay when I’ve just got a few things to press but there are a lot and I have to be super careful not to press something the wrong way so, I’m only doing a few at a time.  
6. Hand work – Work a bit on A Rainbow Garden … done, I was able to get further along on this project.
7. Scrapbooking – do 1 page

This week’s to do list:

1. Scrapitude, 2015  – Finish hand binding.
2. Cross Stitch – keep working on the welcome project
3. Border #2 for Raining Cats and Dogs
4. Knit – keep working on the Rosie Hat
5. Celtic Solstice – press more Block A’s and top row of Block B
6. Hand work – Work a bit on A Rainbow Garden
7. Scrapbooking – do 1 page

I’m looking forward to a great week!

Check out more at  and  and  and 

Have a great week!

~Melanie