2025 Annual Goals Recap

With regard to meeting all my quilting goals, 2025 was somewhat hit or miss. Mostly hit, so I'm not beating myself up over a couple of misses. All in all, it was a very successful year. Let's look how I did with each goal: 

1. Work with PCQ's Community Service committee as needed.
    Q1: Developed a new Irish Chain Variation pattern per their request and made two test samples. 
    Q2: Enlarged Irish Chain pattern per their request and made another test sample. 
    Q3: Stepped back from formally working with the Community Service Committee for the rest of the year. 

Irish Chain Top

2. Continue making donation quilts for PCQ's charities. 
    Q1: 2 versions of 42" Irish Chain for pattern test. Also created original pattern for PCQ. 
    Q2: Urban Jungle stacked Slabs, April. Top only, 50" x 66" larger version of PCQ's Irish Chain plus pattern revisions, May. 2 versions of Scrappy Serendipity, Dancing Plus baby quilt (teaching sample), June. 
    Q3: Story Stacked Slabs quilted by Cherie, and Black-White-Bright Lozenges (a' la Tula Pink) quilted by Cherie, August. Wanda's Squares UFO baby quilt, August. Pink Scrappy Serendipity, September. Pinwheel Baby Quilt, September.
    Q4: Red and Black Churn Dash, October. Almost Postage Stamp, November. The Scrappy Pinterest Project quilt, December. 

    In total, including Kevin's two tops that I quilted, I donated 13 finished quilts and two tops in 2025. 

Scrappy Serendipity

3. Teach color class to PCQ members. 
    Taught Group 4, six lessons, January-March 2025
    Also taught Dancing Plus class

4. Completely finish at least one UFO.
    Finished baby quilt of squares gifted by Wanda years ago. Such a small finish and it was already kitted up it should hardly count! 

Wanda's Squares baby quilt

5. Continue using PCQ's long arm to improve skills. Also practice ruler work on my Bernina. 
    Q1: Long arm not available. Completed certification on PCQ's new Innova in March.
    Q2: Quilted Urban Jungle Stacked Slabs in April. Quilted two Scrappy Serendipity quilts in May. 
    Q3: Quilted Cherry Jubilee, Pink Scrappy Serendipity and Red and Black Churn Dash. Helped with Edna's quilt.
    Q4: Quilted Almost Postage Stamp and the Scrappy Pinterest quilt. Attempted to quilt the teal quilt but had major problems. 
    Did not practice ruler work on my Bernina. 

Cherry Jubilee

6. Go on retreat at Ritter Ranch in April and July. 
    April: Completed the navy & pink LCT variation top and the Kaffe Flying Geese top, both gifted to friends. Finished piecing all the blocks for the Almost Postage Stamp quilt. 
    July: Worked on a confidential collaborative project with Cherie; got more done than anticipated, almost to the corners. 

LCT Variation top, given to Edna

7. Plan/create/develop a new long term complicated project to work on over time. 
    Planned Crossroads Wheel, but it took over and became a quicker project than anticipated. 

Crossroads Wheel blocks

8. End the year with more stash used than acquired - net stash reduction. 
    Net stash reduction of 52-1/8 yards for the year. 

9. Finish Kaffe Gradient project.
    No, not touched. 

10. Blog if topics arise but no pressure to post frequently; post monthly recap for my own reference. 
    Q1: 16 posts.
    Q2: 11 posts
    Q3: 15 posts
    Q4: 18 posts

For 2026, my goals will remain the same except for #1 and #3 which are no longer applicable. 

December Stash Report and Goals Update

 Due to unforeseen difficulties, I didn't meet all my goals for December, but I have plans for working around the problems. I did finish my one-year-in-making Scrappy Pinterest Project. With this, and my Positively Scrappy top, my stash usage was good. 

The Scrappy Pinterest Project

December Stash Report: 

IN this month: 1-3/4 yards (1-3/4 yards from 35th Ave.)
IN YTD: 81-1/2 yards

OUT this month: 12-1/4 yards (Est. 5 yards of my fabric (includes leftovers given away) for Scrappy Pinterest top and binding. 7-1/4 yards for Positively Scrappy, includes binding)
OUT YTD:133-5/8 yards

YTD NET CHANGE: 52-1/8 yards OUT

Yardage counted out represents only my own fabrics. I don't count any of PCQ's fabrics that I use in my stash reports. But since I have access to them for PCQ charity quilts and I use them, my actual yardage used is much higher. 

Positively Scrappy top

Goals Update: 

December Recap: 

1. Piece grandson's b-day quilt top. Done. 

2. Shop for fleece backing and lightweight batting for it. Shopped two Hobby Lobby stores; did not find fleece in a suitable color but both stores stock minky so I'll probably use that. 

3. Shop for sashing and cornerstone fabric for Crossroads Wheel. Shopped locally, searched online, ordered swatches from Spoonflower. Still looking.

4. Shop for teal thread of the approved brand and size to quilt the teal quilt. Yes, I bought thread in the approved type but subsequently had problems using it. 

5. Quilt, bind, and finish the teal quilt. No, had a major problem with the quilting. Two passes had to be ripped out. 

6. Bind and finish the scrappy Pinterest-inspired quilt. Done and donated. 

January Goals: 

1. Get Minky and quilt grandson's video game quilt. Bind and finish. Must be shipped by January 31. 

2. Talk to Spoonflower about printing sashing fabric for my Crossroads Wheel project. 

3. Pull fabrics and cut pieces for an X and Plus quilt. 

4, Start planning a long-term piecing project to work on at social sewing. 

5. Go through my UFOs and figure out a plan for them. 

The biggest priority is getting my Grandson's birthday quilt quilted, finished and sent out. His b-day is Feb. 7 so the quilt has to be at his dad's in Missouri by the 6th. I've never quilted with minky backing before. I have a time slot on the long arm on January 8. My last attempt at quilting was a disaster, so wish me luck with this! 

More about Quilting the Teal Quilt

 Since my last post (scroll down) about the problems quilting my teal quilt, there have been some developments. I have unpicked all the bad quilting so the top, back, and batting are ready to start over.

Regarding quilting my quilt, my Pennsylvania friend Cherie has offered to quilt it for me on her long arm. Also, my local friend Carla has offered to let me quilt it on her long arm in her home. I'll talk to Carla in January, and Cherie will be visiting me here in AZ in February, so I'm sure one of these options will work out.

PCQ's Long Arm Committee , aware of my difficulties and that I partially blame the thread, is planning to do some thread testing and they've asked me to bring the problem teal thread and participate in their tests. This is scheduled for tomorrow afternoon. I'm anxious to see what and how they test and learn the results. 

Also because of my difficulties, they have refined the materials and procedures for troubleshooting. They have added laminated pages to the long arm user guide with detailed instructions for all the things that should be checked to see what's causing the problem. They've also instituted a test swatch, a FQ size sandwich of fabric and batting, for testing the stitch quality before starting to quilt. 

I'm confident my quilt will get quilted sooner or later, and I'm gratified that the Committee took my issues seriously and is doing something to help prevent future occurrences. 

Teal Quilt Update

Remember my teal quilt? The top has been pieced for a while, and since I'm keeping this one, I had to get backing, batting, and thread for it. So it was on hold for a while for other priorities, until its turn on the long arm came up. Here it is before I fixed the upside-down bottom border. It's fixed now. 

Finally everything came together: top, backing, batting, thread, and long arm time slot. I got everything loaded and stitched the first pass of freehand meandering. Advanced the quilt and stitched another pass. 

Then I checked out the back where I could see it around the roller. Oh, no. Disaster. 

Eyelashes everywhere. 

Some background: 

 - This machine was new in March 2025 and was professionally installed. 

 - It's shared by 78+ PebbleCreek Quilters who have been trained and certified by our Long Arm Committee to use it. 

 - Only the approved thread can be used, in order to not have to adjust the tension. 

 - We used to use Superior 50 wt. So Fine thread but due to numerous thread breaks, the Committee recently switched to 40 wt. Omni.

 - Due to the change in thread type, the Committee has only stocked basic colors. If they don't have the color you need, you have to buy it yourself. I bought a 6000 yard cone of the approved 40 wt. Omni in a teal color. 

 - Very strict rule for all users using the long arm: NEVER TOUCH THE TENSION.

There is an instruction book for all long arm users to refer to, which includes trouble shooting. 

 - I made sure the machine was loaded correctly. It was. 

 - I checked that the machine was threaded correctly. It was. 

 - I checked the bobbin tension and found it to be good. 

 - Made sure the machine, including the bobbin case area, was free of lint. In addition to being a heavier weight, the Omni thread is much hairier and fuzzier than So Fine. I brushed it out before starting and after each pass. 

When these steps fail, the procedure is to send a group text to the 5 members of the Long Arm Committee. Whoever can respond will text Got It to all and then reply to the user. 

Okay, I was already frustrated, and I'm old, I'm not much of a phone person. I've never started a group text before. I could have cried. It took me a while to figure out that I need to put all the names and numbers into my contacts first, then start the text. Finally I was able to send a photo and a request for help to the Committee. 

One of them got right back to me and half an hour later she arrived at the Fiber Arts Room to help. Together we spent about an hour trouble shooting. She found that the tension, although it looked like the correct setting, was actually one whole revolution too tight. That only partially fixed the problem. We fiddled and tested, fiddled and tested, again and again and again, for about an hour and could not get a satisfactory result. Still getting eyelashes on the back, but not quite as bad. 

Finally we tried another cone of thread, white. Perfect stitching. We tried black and the stitching was acceptable, not perfect but much better than the teal thread. Since the machine was stitching beautifully with white thread, there was nothing more we could do, but I couldn't use the teal thread to quilt my quilt. 

So here's where I'm at today: 

 - I have a top I spent 9 months designing and piecing, that I love. 

 - I have the perfect backing for it, 

 - I bought batting. 

 - I bought expensive thread that now I can't use.

 - I have to rip out two passes of very bad quilting plus numerous test patches in the margins. I don't have and cannot get any more of this backing fabric, so I have to rip out every stitch. 

 - I must use only Omni thread on the club's machine; Omni thread in my color didn't work, so now I don't know how I'll get this quilt quilted. It's too big for me to quilt on my domestic machine. 

 - I don't want to pay to send it out for quilting because this quilt is just a vanity project for me. It doesn't have a purpose and doesn't coordinate with any rooms in my house, so it will probably just sit in a closet. 

I'm beyond frustrated. 

PCQ has a Long Arm Users group that meets once a month under the direction of the Committee. Tomorrow is the December meeting. I plan to take this project and the teal thread to the meeting. Maybe one of the other Committee members will have a suggestion. If nothing else, I can start ripping out the bad quilting. 

Sigh. 

Link Ups: Small Quilts and Doll Quilts 12/15;  Alycia Quilts 12/19

Positively Scrappy

 A few months ago I was working on another scrappy Pinterest-inspired project, but I put it on hold to work on my Crossroads Wheel blocks instead. Here's the original inspiration photo, credit StitchMischief Dec. 2020. 

When last visited, I had all the blocks made and sewn into columns. I took them to Social Sewing this week and got them sewn together. Now it's a finished top:

Easy-peasy Plus blocks, black or charcoal prints against colorful low volumes. Sometimes these kinds of light prints can be hard to use so this was a good use for them, light but colorful, contrasted with the black. I like that the half drop layout prevents the blocks from looking like a big grid. 

The blocks finish at 8" so the quilt will measure 56 by 72", a good throw size. Since the colors and fabrics are gender neutral, this quilt can go to whichever of PCQ's charities needs it. 

Linking up with Alycia Quilts 12/12

The Scrappy Pinterest Project

 A little over a year ago, I saw something inspiring on Pinterest (no attribution that I could find) and thought it would make a good charity quilt project for several reasons. 
 - I could cut and partially assemble it in strips to make it easier.
 - It would use up a lot of random scraps that might not go together so well in a curated palette. 
 - I could work on it at social sewing by kitting it up and having all the parts ready to go in a project box. 

I printed out the Pinterest image and added pattern notes. If anyone knows the source of the original Pinterest image please leave a comment. I would like to credit the source if possible. 
Update: I'm told the pattern is called Three Patch. It's in a Kim Brackett book called Scrap-Basket Knockouts. Please refer to the book if you want to make this pattern, rather than my notes, in order to give credit to the original designer. 

At the time I started it, one of PCQ's charities needed twin bed size quilts, but now that organization has enough for several months at least, so we're focusing on throw size quilts now. I had planned to add additional rows of blocks to make the top longer, then add borders to bring it up to twin size. Not needed, so I just made it the size shown, 54 x 66". 

Now, 13 months later, it's a finished quilt. 

I cut a lot of strips with my 2" die cutter. I joined light and dark strips and sub cut them into twosies, and packed them up in my project box. That way, I could just pull random pieces and lay out four blocks at a time at social sewing. I have to admit, I got pieces turned the wrong direction many times so my seam ripper got a workout with this project. I attribute that to the social distractions....

After starting this project it occurred to me that it would look good with a red and cream color palette, a little less chaotic. So I dropped this multi-color version and jumped into what became Cherry Jubilee. 

Anyway, back to the scrappy version - It's finished and donated. Being gender-neutral and suitable for anyone, it can go to whichever agency our charity committee leaders want to give it to. 

I like how the little bits of extra-bright turquoise pop; it keeps it from looking dull and boring. I have no idea how many different fabrics are in there. Most came from scraps from both my own stash and PCQ's. Some were cut from FQs and from backing off-cuts. When the top was finished, there were still enough twosies in the project box for another top. One of the other girls on the charity committee expressed an interest, so I gave them to her along with the pattern. 

I showed Kevin the Quilter my red version, and he wanted the instructions also. Scrappy piecing is so his thing, so it wouldn't surprise me if in a few months he sends me a photo of his version. 

Linking up with Alycia Quilts 12/5,  Small Quilts and Doll Quilts 12/8

November Stash Report and Goals Update

It seems like all I worked on this month was making Crossroads Wheel blocks. At least, that's pretty much all I blogged about. I did post about my Almost Postage Stamp quilt, which was finished and donated this month. The fabrics used were counted in my October stash report. 

My stash report took a hit this month. 8 yards of it is two 4-yard cuts for future charity quilt backings, from the PCQ Trash-to-Treasures sale. The rest was quarter yard and half yard pieces for Crossroads Wheel. It's so disappointing when you order fabric online and when it comes in it doesn't look right. I should have learned this lesson by now, don't order fabrics online. 

November Stash Report: 

IN this month: 19 yards (9 yards from PCQ sale.  2-1/4 yards from Ritter. 2-1/2 yards from Connecting Threads. 3-3/4 yards from Mulqueen's. 1-1/2 yards from 35th Ave.)
OUT this month: 0

IN YTD: 79-3/4 yards

OUT YTD: 121-3/8 yards
YTD Net Change: 41-5/8 yards out

Still down for the year, and I have all those fresh new fabrics and scraps leftover from making Crossroads Wheel blocks to do something with next year. 

Goals Update: 

November Goals: 

1. Bind the postage stamp quilt. Done and donated. 

2. Prep batting and quilt the teal quilt. No; quilted something else instead. 

3. Continue piecing Crossroads Wheel blocks. YES! All 36 blocks are done. 

4. Make a mug rug for the PCQ Holiday Luncheon exchange. Done.

5. Design and cut out Cannon's new video game-inspired quilt. Done. 

Mug Rug 7 x 10" 
Mini Scrappy Serendipity Blocks

December Goals: 

1. Piece Cannon's birthday quilt top. 

2. Shop for fleece backing and lightweight batting for it. 

3. Shop for sashing and cornerstone fabric for Crossroads Wheel. 

4. Shop for teal thread of the approved brand and size to quilt the teal quilt. 

5. Quilt, bind, and finish the teal quilt. 

6. Bind and finish the scrappy Pinterest-inspired quilt. 

That looks like more shopping than sewing for December's goals, but the next steps in all these projects can't proceed until I have the materials needed. The birthday quilt must be shipped out before the end of January; my January time slot on the long arm is the 8th, so everything must be ready to quilt by then. 

I had hoped to quilt the teal quilt in November. However, due to issues with thread breakage, the Long Arm Committee changed the type of thread exclusively being used on our new Innova machine from 50 wt. So Fine to 40 wt. Omni. By keeping the thread type consistent for all users, the machine tension should never need to be changed, and we have 80+ users. Only a few basic colors have been stocked in the Omni thread, no teal or turquoise, so I will have to buy my own thread. I have a time slot on the long arm on December 11, so I need the thread by then. 

The scrappy Pinterest inspired quilt has been in work for over a year. It was my social sewing project, only worked on a few times a month. Since I couldn't quilt the teal quilt, I quilted this one in my November time slot. I'll post about it separately when it's finished. 

Aside from quilting projects, December has a lot of events on the calendar, so I'm keeping the goal list minimal and manageable this month. If I can squeeze in something extra, it may be adding the sashing to the Crossroads Wheel project. We'll see how much I can get done.

All the Crossroads Wheel Blocks

Here are 36 blocks on the wall. I actually made 38-ish plus parts but some didn't make the cut. 

I don't know if this is the final layout or not. When moving blocks around, these are my considerations: 

- No arms of the same color next to each other
- No blades of the same color next to each other
- No backgrounds of the same hue next to each other except neutrals. There are several pink/peach tinted backgrounds, several yellow, and a couple green, and I don't want them side-by-side.
 - Least favorite blocks go on the far right where they won't be visible on the bed from most of the room. 

With sashing, this quilt will finish 98" square for a queen size bed with an extra deep mattress. The sides and bottom row of blocks will hang down. 

In the photo above, the block at the lower left looks like the background is too dark. I didn't notice this in real life. I'll look again and if it bothers me IRL, I'll replace the background with something lighter. 

Here are the last two blocks I made and one I revised to improve the fussy cut centers. Just by coincidence they all happened to be green arms/coral blades, so they're widely scattered in the layout. 

36 blocks, six fabrics each, no repeats. I even replaced two center squares where I had used a fabric then decided later to use it for arms. My buddy Kevin the Quilter challenged me to use no repeats, and I can say, I did it, 216 different prints. 

When you look at the grouping as a whole, there's a certain sort of messy cohesiveness to it. While no individual fabric is repeated, there is repetition of orange/coral/soft reds and teal/turquoise/cool greens. (Sorry, everything looks dark in the photos.) I worked at avoiding Matchy-Matchy blocks, instead pushing for some clashiness. I figured out a way to achieve clashiness that worked for me, and I'll explain it in another blog post. 

Next up, finding fabric for sashing. That will have to wait until I get a deadline project done, so these blocks will have to sit in time out for a month while I work on the priority project. 

Link ups: Small Quilts and Doll Quilts 12/1

More Crossroads Wheel Blocks

Some new fabrics have recently come my way, and they've made it into these latest blocks. My friend shopped for me at retreat, and I shopped online and at a couple of local quilt shops. Even with buying only quarter yard or half yard cuts, my stash report will take a hit this month. It's okay. 

Here's a closer look. I'm fussy cutting wherever it makes sense. 

A bit of Kaffe

Do you see propellers? 

Another cactus print

I need three more blocks, and I've selected fabrics for them. Plus, I have one existing block I want to replace entirely, and another I want to revise. 

I really need to set this project aside and work on my grandson's b-day quilt. I have fabrics for it, but I'm still playing with design options in EQ. I need to have the quilt finished before February. My scheduled time on the long arm in January is the 8th, so I must have the top done, and backing and batting in hand by then. Since Jo-Ann's closed, I guess I'll have to search online for video game themed fleece for the back. Or solid grey would work. 

Link ups: Alycia Quilts 11/21,  Small Quilts and Doll Quilts 11/24

Almost Postage Stamp

I started this project more than a year ago, but apparently, I didn't post about it until this post in April. It started as an attempt to use this border fabric and my extensive yellow-green and olive stash. 9 yards of this fabric were purchased in 2010 for backing for a green quilt, but the shade of green turned out to be wrong.* So the yardage has been languishing in my backing stash ever since, taking up space I could use for other fabrics. 

I also had an overflowing bin of yellow-green and olive fabrics. My plan was to use them with neutrals in a checkerboard design. Along the way I added some greener greens and some accents of purple and orange. 

I die-cut 2" strips from all the dark fabrics, and from as many low volumes as I could pull together, both white-based and ivory-based. As usual, I cut way too many strips. 

I made strata alternating light and dark strips; cross cut the strata; and assembled checkerboard blocks. Each block has 64 squares and finished at 12". 

The squares finish at 1-1/2 inches, so not truly a Postage Stamp quilt. But almost! 

This was started back when PCQ was making twin bed size quilts for one of the charities we support. Since we don't need twin size now, I set aside six of the blocks and made the quilt a large throw size. It will comfortably cover a grown man, 68 by 80". And the masculine colors make it suitable for a man or possibly an older teen boy. 

I used up a lot of that print for the backing and used the backing offcuts for the binding. I still have some left, so it will go back in the stash until I can find another use for it. 

The six unused blocks will go into another charity quilt, probably to be assembled at a future retreat. And the leftover strata are also being used for another charity quilt, in WIP status now, which I may work on at social sewing after the new year. Die cutting is always helpful, but in my case, I always cut too much! 

*Expensive lesson learned: Always take swatches of the fabrics used on the front of the quilt when shopping for backing. 

Link ups: My Quilt Infatuation 11/13,  Alycia Quilts 11/14,  Small Quilts and Doll Quilts 11/17

Two More Blocks

I was out of town most of last week so I didn't have much sewing time. Since I got home I've been able to make two more blocks.

I think the one on the right is my new favorite. But I have several more to go, so there may be more favorites to come. 

Link up: Small Quilts and Doll Quilts

Crossroads Wheel Progress

I now have 25 of 36 blocks made. This was supposed to be a long-term project, but it's been so much fun designing each block as its own palette! 

A friend asked me to show the blocks in groups of four, so here goes: 

One block needs a little fix. The center fabric in it is used in another block, so I have pinned a replacement swatch over it. It's an easy fix. 

I have 11 more blocks to go. A friend with whom I often trade scraps gave me some prints that will work, and she shopped for me via phone photos at retreat. Can't wait to get my hands on the new prints when she gets home! 

Meanwhile, I have 9 of 11 backgrounds. I'll have to go shopping after I get a few more blocks made with the fabrics on hand, so I'll pick up a couple more backgrounds then. 

Linking up with Design Wall Monday at Small Quilts and Doll Quilts

October Stash Report and Goals Update

Lots of stash activity in October, both In and Out. Due to some finishes in both September and October, I can count a lot out, but I also brought in a lot for the Crossroads Wheel project I'm working on as well as some backings. 

My only complete finish this month is the Windmill Baby quilt. 

Other than that, I mostly worked on Crossroads Wheel blocks. After exhausting my scraps and my stash, it's been fun collecting new FQs and small cuts of yardage to add to the palette. I'm fussy cutting wherever the print offers opportunities. 

I was supposed to have two time slots on PCQ's long arm this month, but one conflicted with an event in the room so it got cancelled. My Almost Postage Stamp top was finished and the backing was ready, so I quilted that during my one time slot. Full post coming soon. The teal top and backing are ready but that will have to wait until my next long arm opportunity. 

October Stash Report

IN this month: 9 yards (3 yards from Connecting Threads.  1-3/4 yards from Hobby Lobby. 4-1/4 yards from Prickly Pearadise.)

OUT this month: 28-1/4 yards (Backing and binding for windmill baby quilt, 1-3/4 yards. Teal quilt top, 10 yards per EQ. Postage Stamp top, est. 10-1/2 yards. Backing and binding for Postage Stamp, 5-1/2 yards.)

IN YTD: 60-3/4 yards

OUT YTD: 121-3/8 yards

YTD Net Change: 60-5/8 yards out. 

Goals Update: 

October Recap: 

1. Quilt the Postage Stamp quilt. Done. 

2. Bind the red and black churn dash top. Done and donated. 

3. Fix the bottom border on the teal top. Piece the backing for it. Done. 

4. Quilt the windmill baby quilt on my domestic machine. Done and donated. 

5. Finish piecing the Positively Scrappy top. No, not touched. 

6. Make some more blocks for the new Crossroads Wheel project. Yes, made 22 of 36 blocks. 

7. Start planning a new video game-themed quilt for grandson's birthday. Found suitable fabrics and got his dad's approval. Piecing will be simple to feature the prints. 

8. Make a banner for my souvenir pins. Done and hung. 

Mostly the Crossroads Wheel blocks consumed my attention this month. I did get to social sewing a couple of times, and finished the scrappy top I've been working on there. I found backing for it in the club's stash. I'll post more about that project separately. 

November Goals: 

1. Bind the postage stamp quilt. 

2. Prep batting and quilt the teal quilt. 

3. Continue piecing Crossroads Wheel blocks.

4. Make a mug rug for the PCQ Holiday Luncheon exchange. 

5. Design and cut out grandson's new video game inspired quilt. 

The video game quilt has an end-of-January deadline, so I need to get as far along as possible with it. I also need to find licensed fleece fabric featuring Mario, Yoshi, Picachu, or MineCraft for the backing. 

Since the top I've been working on piecing for months at social sewing is done, I'll need to take something else to work on there. I'll take the Positively Scrappy project that wasn't worked on in November, and maybe I can finish that top. 

The other big accomplishment for October was the banner for my souvenir pins. I've been collecting pins for years, and I finally got around to making a display banner for them. 

All in all, October was a great month on the quilting front. In addition, the weather here has turned cooler and we're enjoying fabulous resort weather. DH has been working in the yard, so we've been visiting garden centers and cactus farms. We brought home five new specimens. Two will be hardier replacements for a couple of Yellow Barrel cactus that didn't make it through the extreme summer heat in full afternoon sun. The others will be planted in our shadier back yard, some in pots. Who knew cacti do better in the shade!!! In the almost 5 years we've lived here, DH has turned our back yard into a botanical garden. 

Windmill Baby Quilt

I finally got around to quilting the windmill baby quilt. Since it's 40" wide, it fit on one width of backing fabric, but only if I quilted it on my domestic machine. There wasn't enough extra width to load it on the long arm. I gave it a loose meander to keep it soft and drapey. It's been a while since I FMQ'd on my home machine, and I'm out of practice! My loops aren't as smooth as when I do them on the long arm. 

This is another of those projects that my village helped with. Julie sent a couple of the fabrics in the top, and Cherie provided the batting and the backing. Thanks so much, friends!

This little quilt will go to a young family at nearby Luke Air Force Base. PCQ recently added Luke to our vetted charities, and it's nice to have a destination for smaller donation quilts. 

Link ups: Small Quilts and Doll Quilts 10/27;  Alycia Quilts 10/31

More Crossroads Wheel Blocks

These blocks are fun to make because each one is designed as its own unique palette. Since there is a lot of planning and cutting involved, I can make one block a day, in about three to four hours. 

20 blocks will make a 66 x 80" throw. After consulting with my husband, I've decided to make a 36 block, 98" quilt for our bed. There will be sashing between the blocks. 

Each block has 6 prints in it. So far there's only one repeated fabric among all these blocks, and since it's a center square, that's an easy replacement. I'll definitely have to collect some more fabrics in order to not have repeats among 36 blocks. 

The palette is heavy on teals and corals from light to dark, as well as everything else except purples and yellow greens. Any blues are teal cast, and any pinks are warm, not purplish. 

Some of my prints and templates offer opportunities for fussy cutting. 

The block below is a revision of an earlier block that was too muddy looking, with a khaki floral print for the arms. Much more to my liking now. 

I'm still trying to make the blocks more clashy than matchy-matchy. Some are more so than others, but the overall look is the eclectic vibe I'm going for. 

I foresee some fabric shopping in my future. I am rapidly exhausting my suitable scraps, and in order to continue with no repeated fabrics, I'll have to get some new ones. Oh, darn, fabric shopping...

Only small amounts are needed. The blades take a 3-1/2" WOF strip each of light and dark. The arms take a 2-1/2" WOF strip. The background can be cut from half a FQ or quarter yard and still maintain directionality.  The quarter circles can be cut from a 10" square or a 3-1/2" by 16" scrap if not fussy cut. I'll see if some of my local friends want to trade. 

Linking up with Small Quilts and Doll Quilts 10/20 and Alycia Quilts 10/24

Red and Black Churn Dash

For the last few years, Pebble Creek Quilters Community Service Committee has been kitting up quilt kits for charity sew days. This year they took a different direction and decided not to have kits, but to let each quilter do their own thing. There were several reasons for the change. 1, the demand for twin bed size quilts exceeded our ability to keep up with the requests, so we're no longer making bed size quilts for one of our charities. 2, the cost for batting and sometimes backing fabrics became more than our budget could handle, especially for the bed size quilts. 3, our schedule of having a prep day to make kits and a sew day to sew them each month was too much because there are too many demands on the studio time to allocate that much to community service. 4, There was some misunderstanding that only committee members were allowed to come to the sew days, take kits, and work on them, when really the sew days were open to all PCQ members. 

So, this year the sew days, one per month except August, are publicized as open to all and everyone can work on a project of their own choosing. The club will still provide batting upon request, but makers must provide the backing for their tops. Recommended quilt sizes range from baby quilts to teen/tween throw size, to adult throw size, generally about 60 x 80". The charities we support serve new moms, teens, and adults. 

There were some left over twin bed size kits that didn't get made up last year. I heard a rumor that there was a concern about the fabric in them being wasted. So I took one of the kits and repurposed it. 

Originally this kit was for a giant Friendship Star top. I reconfigured some of the pieces and added the sashing to brighten it up. The size is 56 x 74". It's gender neutral enough to go to a teen boy or older man if needed. 

The backing has been in my stash for more than 20 years, so this was a good opportunity to use it up. Back then I had plans for a symmetry project but with working full time and my beginner skill level, it never happened. 

The backing is 2 widths of fabric joined lengthwise. I was able to match the print pretty well; you have to really look to find the seam. 

I guess you could say this project is a win all the way around. One less kit going to waste, a masculine quilt of suitable size for a teen or adult, and a purpose for a long-stashed print. 

Link ups: Small Quilts and Doll Quilts 10/13,  Alycia Quilts 10/ 17