Received two quilts back from the quilter - yay!

 It is better than Christmas to receive your quilts back.  I love the surprise of how she quilts them!

One Monthly Goal Update, PHD Progress, 15 Minutes Report

I got pretty close to finishing my One Monthly Goal in April.  The blocks are done minus 3 blocks that need the center circle appliqued.  The borders are done as well.  I do need to wash the glue basting out of the blocks and make the four corner log cabin.  Perhaps this week I will "git 'er done"!

Much of the center circle hand applique' was accomplished in the car last weekend as we drove for 10 hours in two days.  Part of that journey was attending the University graduation for my son.  I am so proud of him. He did it entirely on his own - paying for it himself with scholarships and multiple jobs.  He made it through 4 years without any college debt.  He earned a BS degree in Agriculture with an emphasis in animal science, an Associate degree in equine studies, and a minor in German.  

We are very proud parents!

His sweet wife at his side was such a help to him as well.  She graduated a year ago with a bachelors in hospitality management and earned a culinary certificate.

Here is the update on my PHD Challenge:

I have one finish and am very close on two more.  I only had 7 UFOs to start off the year and have started three new ones.  School will be out in 4 weeks and then I can power down on the sewing.

I worked on 6 different quilts this month.

Here is a list of the ones I started this year.

Here are my numbers thus far YTD.

15 Minutes Update:

I am doing well at 98%

Linking up with:

Stitch N Show

Patchwork & Quilts

Oh Scrap!

Off the Wall Friday

Peacock Party

Beauties Pageant

Quilt Retreat and progress on One Monthly Goal

I took my Windmill Quilt to our little retreat last week and pieced all the blocks plus half the borders. I still need to applique' circles.  This quilt always comes together quickly.  This will be the 5th one I've made.

This is my One Monthly Goal and American Patchwork and Quilting Goal for April.  I don't think I will have the top completely together this week, but pretty close.

The Castle Country Quilter's Retreat was close to home, and I knew many of the ladies there, some of which I have not seen for 20 plus years.  It was like a reunion.  They gave us cute little gifts, provided a make and take every day, organized a quilt block drawing, and fed us the most amazing home cooked meals.  I have decided that quilters are also amazing cooks.  The classes were fun too.  

My long time friend, Patty, brought quilt kits she had purchased through the years and offered them for sale.  I think she realized she wasn't going to sew them.  She set them up in a bedroom at the lodge and let us bag up the ones we wanted.  It was an on-your-honor system that worked great.  We just paid for them when we were ready.  It was a super fun way to shop.  Sometimes I didn't like the patterns, but I liked the fabric and bought them to do with as I pleased.  Here is what I came home with:

1. Fat quarters - no idea how I will use them yet.

2. Chicken Soup panel and coordinating pieces - no idea how I use them yet either.

3. This Kaleidoscope Bloom Kit...I love it so much that I can hardly wait to sew it up! 

 

I am putting it together very different from the pattern using folded insert triangles to make the orange peels without the need for applique'.  I randomly grabbed some pieces out of my scrap bin to test out my plan.  It worked like a charm.  It was so much fun that I threw in a few more pieces and ended up starting a new quilt unexpectedly.  What was intended to be some practice blocks will now become a sister quilt to the kit I purchased.

You can see my progress on it below.  Realize that the folded inserts on the second row are not yet peeled back and stitched down to reveal the correct shape of the orange peel pieces.

Here are a few photos of the progress others made while we were there.

I still have more to share maybe later in the week.

April One Monthly Goal

Yay, it is time to link up April's One Monthly Goal!!  Boy, I sure hope I do better this month than last.  Not to worry though, I was way ahead in January and very close in February.

My American Patchwork & Quilting's UFO Challenge # for April is #9.  Hello Windmill Quilt.  I love you and am excited to get you into a finished top stage.  You will also be my One Monthly Goal.

I have 5 blocks done and 15 to go.  The strip piecing is done, but I still need to cut out wedges for half of them.  The border pieces are also strip sewn together.  My hopes is that I can make 4 blocks and one border a week.

By the way...drum roll please...

Masterpiece returned from the quilter.  Yay, this baby just needs a binding!

She did a lovely job!!

Deana: Quilting Finished!

I finished the quiting on Beck's Windmill Quilt and love it!  I hope she does.

This pattern is available in my Craftsy shop if anyone is interested just click the Craftsy link. 

I am linking up with:

Crazy Mom Quilts

Fabric Frenzy Friday

TGIF

Can I get a Whoop Whoop?
Free Motion Maveriks

1Q Finish Along Linkup

2016 UFO Finishes

Deana: Quilting another Windmiill and other things

I am quilting another Windmill quilt.  It is for my sister-in-law.  I designed it for her a few years back and me, my sisters, and Mom all worked together in a round robin to put it together.  Becky finally got the border on it and asked me to quilt it.  It is fun quilting a quilt pattern you have done before because you know how.  There is no "deciding" time.  You can see from the pictures that I still have much work left to do.

Here it a look at the back.

I also made some more blocks for my Sweet Cherry Orange quilt.  I am expecting two more blocks in the mail and then I can decide how big to make it.

I am also adding another row to a quilt my sister created for me called "Periwinkle".  Here is a sample of what I have sewn up so far.  

I am linking up today with:

Freemotion by the River

Fabric Tuesday

Scraptastic Tuesday

Ester's WOW

Let's Bee Social

I loved reading this post from Adventurous Applique and Quilting.  She tested the fluffiness of her gorgeous feathers out on different batting.  I would like a little fluffier batting, but I don't use a "roll up" system on my sit down long arm Juki.  I baste my quilts and then quilt them.  I have to use a batting that "sticks to" my quilt.  This prevents sliding and puckers.  I may have to try some of the bats she suggested that still stick to the fabric.