New Month - New Goals

It's April already and we are into the 2nd month of Autumn and yeah its actually cooled down a little. We slept under the quilt last night, for the first time since probably October.

Usually I post my goal wrap up and my new goals in the same post but I didn't yesterday - just wanted to get the wrap up done and no time to think about what I want to achieve this month.

We are away for a lot of this month but I still intend to do a fair bit of sewing... anyone who knows me won't be surprised. The deal I made with my husband when we decided that we would do some big trips in our camper trailer and now caravan was that I could take my sewing machine with me. I bought a smaller more portable sewing machine as part of the bargain. Now its have machine will travel. 

This trip is not in either our van (which is still being repaired from a bingle we had a few months ago) or our camper trailer (which we are still trying to sell) but is in our car. The machine is still coming with me. (actually its already in Brisbane awaiting my arrival as I am flying down to Brisbane a week or so ahead of Fixit Guy). However socialising and travelling does cut into ones sewing time (a sacrifice I know but one has to concede sometimes).

In planning my sewing related goals I need to take into consideration the restrictions that being away from home will impose.

This is also April (I have mentioned that and you probably already know that) and for the 3rd year I am taking part in the Blogging from A to Z Challenge where participants undertake to blog every day apart from Sundays, for the whole month. The added challenge (the A to Z bit) is that the first day we blog on something starting with A, and the next with B, then C etc. This year I have chosen to blog about patchwork blocks starting with each letter of the alphabet and not just blog about them but sew them too. Ok I admit... I have already sewn them. And I have mostly written the blogs but need to edit them all - zush them a bit. So that is my first goal for this month

1 Complete A to Z challenge - blog every day. 

Not only that. I want to have the quilt completed by the end of the month 

2. Complete A to Z quilt (I have already put the top and backing together. Have to quilt and bind it) This is my OMG (One Monthly Goal) Goal. I have been asked about a photo but I can't reveal it till the end of the month as it will be the Grand Finale for my month of blog posts. So No Spoilers Here.

3. Complete 2 secret projects. No more details as they are surprises for people who just might read my blog. By the end of the month I will be able to reveal all. (again No Spoilers Here)

4 Work on Labyrinth Walk quilt. I have fabric bought and cut and it is going to be my main sewing project on the trip so I am really hopeful I will get lots done.

5. Prepare a stack of items for my Comic Con stall to take away with me. Cut out, iron on interfacing, choose zippers, sort out hardware etc.

6. Complete 20 items for the Handmade With Love Comic Con stall. I want to make more of the messenger bags of both sizes (big enough for a lap top = large, big enough to carry an ipad = small) and will make more of the small zipper pouches from the scraps. Also the cosmetics purses. I am also thinking about making some of the pencil cases I have made previously. Am considering making  pot holders and kitchen type items but may leave those till next month. I am going to be visiting Supanova on the Gold Coast later on this month to get a feel for the types of items on sale already and the age and interests of attendees.

That is going to be more than enough I think. If I manage all that - and socialise with my family and friends, go to shows, travel etc etc... I am going to be doing pretty well.

End of the Month Goal Wrap up

Its suddenly the end of the month and time to wrap up my goals. Its come as a bit of a shock. This past week has been a bit lost. I was actually thinking last week it was almost the end of the month and that I only had a week till I was heading to Brisbane and then I realised I had another week ... but suddenly it has gone, it really is the end of the month and I basically just lost this last week.

Well maybe not the whole week but some of it. Our area has been affected by Cyclone Debbie which has wreaked havoc along the coast of my state. Cyclones, like many weather events are somewhat unpredictable. It was originally predicted to be hitting the coast around Townsville or North of there but it gradually drifted South and eventually crossed the coast between Bowen and Proserpine. We have a lot of friends who live in areas badly affected so it was a worrying time. We have heard from all of them and they got away with minor damage. 

Anyway - the rain depression drifted over us, and we got some heavy rain for a day or so, but no where near as much as many other places so we have been thanking God that we were spared. It put out a lot of things - no one came to our sewing day on Wednesday (including me... I ducked up to grab some more needles as I had left my spares in the club rooms) and so I didn't get a couple of projects finished that I was going to work on in the club rooms. So I am a little behind in a couple of my projects for the month.

My monthly goals were 
Complete A to Z  quilt top and make backing. This was my  OMG goal. I got the top and backing completed and I was hoping to get it quilted as well but that will have to be pushed back a month as we are on the last day and I wasn't able to get anyone to help me load it onto the quilting frame. (all that rain... everyone was staying home).

Complete March clue for Charlotte's mystery quilt This was done! All the units for the quilt are now done and we await the revelation of the next clue which will tell us how to put it together.

Make 20 items for Comic Con stall I have met this goal well and truly.  I've made some Easy Cosmetic Purses, 2 large messenger bags and a small one,  Some teeny tiny zipper bags and a pile of ear bud pouches. That's a total of 45 items all up. That goal was SMASHED.

Complete my mystery project This is the one things that I haven't quite completed. I just have to sew on the binding but with no sewing at Patchwork this week I didn't get it done. Perhaps I could slip up there tonight and get it sewn on... otherwise I will do it tomorrow. I am determined.

Work on En Provence. I got this completed. I am not sure what I am going to do with it but its done and folded up ready to go to where ever I deem it needed.

OMG Linky party can be found here

February Goal Review and setting some for March

February always confounds me. I know its a short month but somehow i still get a shock when it goes from being a week to go till month end till NOPE its the end of the month boom!

End of the month means its time to look at those goals I set back at the end of January and see how well I have gone with them. And of course set myself some more for March. I love the process of setting the goals and even more so the delight in ticking them off. I know I get way more done when I set the goals and admit to a certain irritation with myself when I complete a project that I hadn't listed on my goals for the month.

Anyway this month I get to crow with delight and say that I got them all done in good time. Yes. They are ALL DONE

I  made 12 items for the Comic Con stall, not the 10 I set myself. I made 5 zipper pouches and 7 small Messenger bags.

I not only completed the backing for Stringen Em Along (My String X quilt) but I finished the whole quilt - quilted and bound! This was my OMG goal and I reported about the finish here

I not only attached the borders for Handwork Heritage, I made the backing, quilted and bound it... and labelled it.

I quilted not one but 2 quilts on the longarm at our club. I got Hexagon Garden and Handwork Heritage both completed.

I assembled the blocks for A to Z mystery quilt. Currently contemplating what I will do for borders and backing.

I worked on En Provence Mystery Quilt. I got the top together and have made the backing. I have cut the batting and hope to organise a time when I get load it onto our club longarm and get it quilted. (I fixed the top border which is upside dwn in the picture)

I got the February clue in Charlotte Hawks mystery quilt completed.

And the extra projects - well I started a secret project I can't talk about here as the recipient reads my blog sometimes. I made a denim raggy quilt. I finished a Sparkle baby quilt, I finished Chillingworth Mystery quilt (formerly known as our club mystery quilt).

See ALL DONE.

Now for March.

Complete A to Z  quilt top and make backing. This is my goal for OMG. I need to buy the fabric for the borders (I am looking for some alphabet fabric) And then work out what I will do for the backing. I have some around the world type fabric which isn't quite A to Z. I have to put the Z block on the back and plan to incorporate the 2 blocks I remade as well. I am thinking I might put in an alphabet strip - 26 pictures of things starting from A to Z. I used to make baby quilts that featured eye spy pictures chosen for each letter of the alphabet.

Complete March clue for Charlotte's mystery quilt

Make 20 items for Comic Con stall

Complete my mystery project

Given that I will have a few days away this month I might have to declare that enough on my list. Mind you I am taking my machine with me when I go to Brisbane to visit our children but I will lose 2 days in travelling there and back. We also have a day out this coming Saturday travelling to Rockhampton for a 60th birthday party. 

February OMG

My OMG goal for February (One Monthly Goal) which I set back at the end of January (but which I think I forgot to link to the OMG linky) was to finish off Stringen Em Along.

This quilt is to be a gift for our dear little Japanese host grand daughter. In 2004 we had hosted her dad Sho for a year and became his Aussie parents. So she is our  little grand daughter. We have yet to meet her but will be seeing her in July when we visit her (and her parents of course) in Japan. I will take her this quilt when we go.

I had made the top last year whilst we were travelling in our caravan. It was one of my projects. Based on Bonnie Hunter's String X it was made entirely from my stash and the apart from the background fabric (a lavender homespun) came from my scrap drawers.

Oringinally I had intended that it would be a charity quilt but I loved it so much which I finished the top I knew I wanted it to be for someone special. I was trying to choose a pattern to make Sumi a quilt and then it came to me that I could give her this quilt. I hadn't made a backing for it at this stage and since it was to be a gift from her Aussie Grandparents I decided to make the backing from Australian fabrics. Being as how she was a child I decided that she would probably enjoy animal pictures so I fussy cut lots of pictures of Australian animals from me store of fabrics and then framed them in both bright and also Australian themed fabrics.

I quilted it on my domestic sewing machine and finally bound it in a strippy binding, that I had made originally to be another border on it but then changed my mind. It was VERY scrappy and I love the way it has turned out on the front of the quilt. It probably doesn't suit the back of the quilt quite so much but... you get that.

I have already blogged about this finish here but here are some of the photos for you to enjoy again

Linking up with the OMG February Linky party here

January Goal wrap up and Setting my Goals for Feb (including OMG)

Its the end of the month and time to go through my goals. I have done pretty well.

• Work on one project from my UFO list. I smashed this one! I finished off my Norwegian table runner plus 3 batik wall hangings. Go me

• Tidy the craft cupboard. I tidied 3 cupboards and my scrap drawers. There is one cupboard that I haven't touched but did pretty well
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  

• Quilt one quilt on the long arm. Didn't get to this one. 
• Complete 8 blocks for the A to Z challenge. I got all 26 blocks done (no pictures cause I'm saving them for the blogging challenge)

• Set up Excel spreadsheet for fabric tracking 2017. Done - up and running. Unfortunately I am still in the red with more fabric purchased than used but hopefully as soon as I get a couple of quilts onto the long arm that will change.
• Work on En Provence clues. All the units are now done. Now to start to put them together!

Now for February Goals.

So many things that I could work on. So many WIPs to complete. I could list them all here and see how I go... or not.

I really need to get started making things for the comic con stall that I am going to have in September. With our trip to Europe in August I need to get myself prepared by mid July. So - time to get started. Make 10 items for the stall.

Continue working on the A to Z quilt - put the blocks together.

Quilt one patchwork quilt on the long arm

Work on En Provence

Complete 2nd clue in Charlotte Hawk's Mystery Quilt 

Attach borders to Handwork Heritage

Make backing for Stringen Em Along This is going to be my OMG (One Monthly Goal). I need to get it done as it is a gift for a baby who is going to be one in a few months time... 

If you are interested in participating in the OMG then follow the link here and it will take you to the page which tells you all about it.

January OMG goal met!

Today I completed my OMG goal. At the beginning of the month when I set out my monthly goals (see the sidebar of the blog to determine what they are) I selected one to be my OMG... my One Monthly Goal for the purposes of the OMG challenge.

This month the one goal I chose was to make 8 blocks towards my A to Z challenge. The A to Z Blog challenge is to blog every day for April, apart from Sundays. The topics of the blog are to follow the letters of the alphabet. I have participated in this challenge (that has a couple of thousand bloggers sign up each year) 2 years in a row choosing to blog on quilting subjects. 

This year I decided to step it up and to actually make something for each day. My daughter Fangirl has done this each year she has participated in the challenge. She has designed and then stitched cross stitch alphabet on one of the geeky/pop culture things she is interested in. Last year it was Pokemon and Supernatural. AND she did a travel one as well on a different blog. Overachiever much.

I am not a pattern designer so instead I have decided to find pattern blocks for each letter of the alphabet and to make them. To start with I assembled patterns for each letter of the alphabet, usually a couple so I had some choice. I did this last year, soon after the last Blog challenge finished and this month I have made 8 of them - ones starting with A to H. I'm making them 12" and will make the quilt in a 5 by 5 grid. I am yet to decide if I will put the extra block on the back or if I will try to make 2 blocks 6" finished and put them on the one block to get them all on the front. So far all my blocks have come from the same website Quilter's Cache however others may come from elsewhere.

Ideally I would love to have the quilt finished by the end of April... blocks together, quilted, bound, labelled already for the final reveal. So I am going to have to get a wriggle on and not just make the blocks ahead of time. So if I can I want to have half of the blocks done by the end of the month - that is make another 5. Not sure I can manage it but willing to give it a try. So I had better get off the computer and get on with the sewing.

Now I am facing a dilemma. The A to Z blog is kind of a big thing for me and I want my blocks to be special when I reveal them on there so I don't want to give too much away early BUT I really need to have a photo here for the purpose of the OMG goal... so... I will post a photo but I am not going to go into any detail about the blocks or tell you there names (now you are all devastated)

How did you go with your OMG project?

 Elm Street Quilts One Monthly Goal January Linkup .

OMG Finish

Now that Christmas is over and presents given and received I can finally post about my secret commission which was my OMG (One Monthly Goal) project.

I had selected making a messenger bag as a carry case for my friend Suzy for Christmas as my OMG. In my original posting when setting my OMG I hadn't at that stage chosen what the pattern would be. I had several different ones to choose from.

My final selection was the "Kid Messenger Bag" by the Merriment Design Company.



I ended up making 3 of them over the course of the month. Whilst waiting for the Doctor Who fabric to arrive I made one out of cat fabric. My friend, for whom I was making the Ipad bag loves Doctor Who but she also adores cats so if the fabric didn't arrive or I stuffed it up then this would do instead. It was also a pattern test. I had plenty of cat type fabric but would only have a little Doctor Who. It worked just fine.

I then made the Doctor Who bag for Bek to give Suzy for Christmas. 

And to top things off I made Bek a Rugrats one. I even got fancy in the end and used magnet clip fasteners.

I used the original bag I had made as my contribution to the Secret Santa at our Christmas Lunch/break up for Handmade With Love. I was so pleased when my friend Di ended up with it. She was just hoping her grand daughter didn't spot it and claim it for herself.

I was really pleased with how my OMG worked out.

Linking up 
 Elm Street Quilts One Monthly Goal.

One Monthly Goal

I recently came across this Linky  party on Elm Street Quilts which tallies with something that I am already doing. 

For several years now I have been setting myself monthly goals at the beginning of the month and at the end of the month reporting back on how I have gone with my goals. Patty, from Elm Street Quilt invites bloggers (and posters on Instagram or Flickr) to select one of their monthly goals at the beginning of the month and then at the end of the month to link in to a completion blog.

I was hoping just to be able to link my goal setting blog for December (here) however you have to choose one goal and I had several listed. Next month I will select one of them to be my OMG goal. This month, in looking at my monthly goals I have chosen my "secret commission" for my friend. I didn't go into details about this when I set my goals as my friend reads my blog occasionally when I put the link on Facebook. I won't put the link for this on Facebook so I can go into more details. 

My friend offhandedly mentioned to me that she would like a carry case for her iPad with a shoulder strap. I told her step daughter this, as a suggestion for what she could give her for Christmas and told her that I would make it and she could give the money to Handmade With Love, the craft group I sew for (we raise money for a school, Our Rainbow House in Zambia for the poorest of the poor children in a particular area.)

This friend is a keen Doctor Who fan and so I asked my daughter, Fangirl to get me some Doctor Who fabric from the fabric shop near her in Brisbane that specialises in licensed fabrics - all things geeky. Its called Make It Hobby n Craft and is only a couple of kms from her place.  She has purchased .5m each of Doctor Who Tardis fabric and Darlek fabric. That should be plenty for me to be able to make a simple satchell type bag for her. I still have to find a pattern - or invent one if I can't find what I am looking for.

Most of the patterns I can find for Ipad carriers don't have straps so instead I am looking at messenger bags. I've been collecting patterns on Pinterest. These are the ones I am considering













Since it is to be a Christmas Present then I definitely HAVE to get it done. Wish me luck.