The top is done. I think I have about a thousand more loose threads to clip off the back.  I used the two rolls of 1 ½ inch wide Kona cotton, about two yards of Kona white and 1/4 yard of Kona black.  The white I had to purchase, but everything else was in my closet.  The jack part of the title is due to the ripping that was involved, mostly with the borders. Forget measure twice cut once, it should be measure twice sew once.  I didn’t measure the first inner black borders, which was fine for the first three sides.  Every thing was going swimmingly, until that last square that should have been black, but was white.  That side had ‘grown’ an 1 ½”, so there was un-sewing and much pinning and sewing.  It all worked out in the end :). I need to figure out a quilting plan for this one.

I received the first installment of the Mrs. Millers Apprentice block of the month.  These blocks are small, 6 inches finished, and the 2 inch square four patches are to go around the center piece later in the making. I like the lay out of this quilt, its on point with sort of a medallion in the center.

The pattern has an interesting way to make the cats cradle blocks, using the Easy Angle.  Strangely, it doesn’t use the EA for any of the other triangles in the quilt.  As you can see in the above quilt there are many, I will be using it for all of them.

This past weekend I made some progress on the Forest floor quilt, I’m about ½ way done.  The quilting motifs are pretty intense, but I am getting better at placing them with the software and stitching them out where they should be.  I took that quilt off the frame to do a quick pantograph on a baby quilt.  Finished that quilt up during the big game (no interest from me) and now I need to put the Forest back on the frame.  It’s quite large, 108 square I think.  Here is a photo, but it doest really show the quilting much, my next post will.

Linking up with Judy at Small Quilts and Doll Quilts for Design Wall Monday today, a day late.

I made some progress on the pluses this week.  Made an additional 14 blocks and I think I need about six more.  They are fairly mindless to make, especially when using the 1 ½” strips.

The fabric that I ordered came in.  The Batik will do nicely, it’s the Snow color way, has just a hint of blue in it.  I also got the first installment of the “Mrs Miller’s Apprentice” BOM.  The pattern and the first blocks fabrics came along with a shiny new Easy Angle cutting ruler.  My current one is probably over 15 years old, so many triangles made with it through those years.  I also use it to join binding strips and borders, I have the other two bigger sizes but the 4 1/2″ one is my go to.  It has definitely seen better days though, the top flat side is a bit bumpy and the lower corner is nicked, the lines and markings have held up very well.

Speaking of useful tools, I should mention my Olfa cutter.  I got this one when I first started quilting as a hobby in 1991.  I had to buy a cutter, mat and ruler for a class I was taking in a local quilting shop near my home at the time.  I made a small Amish style/color-way double Irish chain quilt.  I remember being amazed at the ease of cutting strips and blocks.  In my previous quilting experiences we used cardboard templates and scissors.  I guess I should also mention that I was hand sewing pieces at that time, this class taught me how to use my machine too.  It was very exciting.  I think my Mom might still have that quilt, somewhere.  I have been looking at the new red Olfa cutter, and may just order one for a replacement.  Supposedly, it is designed like the first ones they made, like mine.  I have four or five other cutters, different sizes, brands, even an ergonomic one.  I always go back to my trusty old friend.

Linking up with Judy at Small Quilts and Doll Quilts for design Wall Monday today.

I have been steadily working on the next block of the Christmas figs BOM.  This one is a Carolina Lily block with eight apostrophe-like leaves.  The leaves are backwards, not really noticeable unless you compare the books block picture to my block.  Once again its the whole backwards/forwards/flip of doing appliqué using the back basting method.  It usually doesn’t matter in the end though, as most designs have enough symmetry that it doesn’t change the design.  In this case they are all the same, so its perfect.  It has been raining steadily most of this week, so no outside activities, but for some reason I feel I should be out there, maybe I have cabin fever?

I have my black and white plus sign quilt on the design wall.  I think it needs to be bigger, maybe I’ll add more borders.  It has a stark quality to it, but then it just ends, it needs to be fenced in.  After playing with the design a bit, I came up with a larger version, but not really anything with borders.  I think I might try a tooth-like border of black and white, or more pluses in the corners.  This one is red and white, but mine is black and white (see below) in person.

While organizing last week I ‘found’ a box of blue batik scraps from the Storm at Sea and Chaos at Sea quilts.  I set to work weeding them out and cutting them into 2 ½ triangles and 4 ½ triangles, some useable strips and pieces.  Which then triggered the idea for a blue and white quilt of these pieces.  Which in turn triggered a need for white batik fabric.  I bought three yards, that ought to be enough to do something with.  Planning on using the white as a constant to unite all the blues.  There will be more EQ8 work on this one as the ideas percolate.

In the meantime, I have another order for a pink baby quilt.  I am hoping to use more scraps, I seem to have lots of pink, I have to find a pattern that they will all play nice in.  That’s what I’ll be working on this week.

Linking up with Judy at Small Quilts and Doll Quilts for Design Wall Monday, check out her little basket quilt.

I worked on my Christmas figs blocks this past week.  I had an appointment one morning and was trying to finish before I left.  Instead of finishing quickly, I made more work for myself.  I’m still not too sure how this happened, I use the webbing method to lay out my blocks.  With these large blocks, it’s very easy to see if one is turned or out of place.

Once I got home again I set it right and started to appliqué the ovals on to the green squares.

Two weeks ago we had our house appraised for a ReFi.  The appraiser came by and took lots of pictures.  We got our copy a few days ago, I glanced through it, and most of the pictures looked okay, black and white, my house wasn’t too messy, there were no photo bombing pets. No other articles present that one wouldn’t want saved for posterity in the pictures.  But the second bedroom photo, ugh.  My sewing room.  It looked like a, well, a hoarders lair.  It’s not a big room, maybe 14 x 14, with a closet on one side and a window on another.  The two other walls have stacking drawers with fabric and my stuff in them.  I use every square foot of that room, and usually there is a slight disarray of projects, fabrics, papers, books, thread, batting, the ironing board, the machines and my portable design wall.  It was like seeing your favorite movie star without makeup.  I began to think how I could better organize to keep the clutter at bay.  Then I thought of my DS’s mostly empty closet.  He is away at school, and doesn’t have much in it, in fact I have been using it to store some of my personal quilts.  I decided that it would become my new yarn closet and then I could re-arrange my fabric closet to include some of the fabric that had been free ranging in my room.  I worked on it this past weekend and I’m pretty happy with the results.  I got rid of a bunch of cardboard boxes and some bags, sorted some scraps and rearranged some other piles.  It’s a work in progress, but it feels good to have a bit more space with calm and orderly places for my eyes to rest.

It’s Monday again, so I’ll be linking up with Judy at Small Quilts and Doll Quilts for Design Wall Monday.

Thanks for reading.

1. Blue throw finish piecing etc.
2. Guatemalan fabric finish piecing etc.
3. Dragon quilt finish quilting embellishing etc.
4. Garden Sampler needs quilting/binding
5. Berties year needs quilting/binding
6. Catkin mystery needs quilting/binding
7. 365 Batik block quilt 270 blocks to go…
8. Coxcomb Medallion needs quilting/binding
9. Fire Island Hosta needs quilting/binding
10. Rubies Diamonds and Garnets needs quilting/binding
11. Shelia needs quilting/binding
12. Growing up Odd needs quilting/binding
13. Farmers Wife needs sashing, quilting/binding

This is a list from January 2016, I revisited it in December of 2017 and now in January 2019.  There are still four that need finishing, #’s 2,3,5, and 7.  I don’t really have another UFO list to work on this year.  There is one top (not on list) that is a UFO, the Maze quilt that I was making for my DS.  It is a mess, too many bias seems that don’t line up, besides, I gave him the gravity quilt instead.  My to-be-quilted pile is about eight quilts high and includes two from the list above.  A quick count reveals that I’ve made/finished about thirty quilts this year.  Most of them were baby or crib sized but there were quite a few queens in the mix as well as two king size.  I’m contemplating my goals for this year.  I would like to sell more of these quilts.  I am listing them on Amazon Handmade along with my Etsy store.  My inventory is high, as is my personal supply.  I would like to make another appliqué quilt, possibly one that I design.  Then there is a new BOM I signed up for and I have six more months of the Fig BOM.  I would like to make a dent in my stash, I keep trying, but then I fill it with new fabric.  I didn’t sell at the local holiday craft fair this year, as I was out of town for a wedding that weekend.  I really was looking forward to that local exposure, and I think that I need to start advertising and doing social media promotion more.

Goals

1. Work on To-Be-Quilted Pile
2. List/Sell More Quilts in Shops
3. Design and Make Applique quilt
4. Use Stash
5. Make BOM’s
6. Explore Social Media, Blog

Yep, Simple.  Six steps to happiness, but I’m already happy, so how about six steps to more happiness?