2026 is Here

As I'm sitting at my computer, staring at a blank screen, I can't imagine what the new year will be, or more accurately, want do I want it to be. I would love an uncomplicated year but that is probably beyond my control. 

Itsy bitty sewing while assembling backing for the baby quilts. 
One inch HSTs for Broken Dish and parts for 18 Bricks blocks

I don't make resolutions for the simple reason that I don't keep them. Ha! But this year, I will set a few goals. No, I will not say "to finish everything started in 2025", lol. 

First: Better sleep - do a few stretching before bedtime. Nothing much, just getting the kinks of the day off my shoulders and some legs stretching, then put the mask on and goodnight. 

I bought an eye mask and it changed my life. I sleep with my eyes opened, well not wide opened but enough for the light in the hallway to interrupt my sleep (when the boys come up to bed, one by one, at different time of the night). The first night with this mask was pure bliss. If you are a light sleeper, consider getting one. 

Or make yourself one. I did mine with a cat print (aren't you surprised it's not orange, lol). The store-bought one is silky and nice except when I'm hot. Then, I get sweaty and the mask just cling to my face. I don't like that feeling. So I did one with flannelette inside. It's wonderful.

Second: Be as nice to me as I am to others. I criticize myself too much. It's like I'm back living with my mother. I can't let that happen, lol. 

Third and last: To remember this one. 

 

And sewing of course. I'll continue to work on the baby quilt kits and 

sew flannelette pieces for the backing.

Cathy showed us her Streak of Lightning blocks and I told her I was doing some too. I lied! 😲 I lied to Cathy!! Mine are Potato Chips blocks not Streak of Lightning. Sorry, Cathy. 😞

Bonnie got me working on her mystery quilt. Here's what I have so far. 

The Half Rectangle Triangles (HRT) demand a big chunk of a scrap. I don't have lots of those so I might just made them scrappy instead of using the same fabric for each set of 8. Only 2 sets made so far. 

Then, I had to redo all the HSTs because I did them the wrong size. The bottom right one looks very pink next to the orange but is orange when next to pink. It might go ... or not. 

I also did the geese units but they flew away. That is to be expected whenever I clean the sewing room, things get lost, a lot!  Not showing pictures of the room yet as I'm still working on it. 

Some sewing (Hollow Nine blocks) done as leader/ender. 

That's all for this week. My holidays were fantastic and I am sorry I have to go back to work. It was fun being at home all the time. 🥰

Have an awesome week. ;^)

Joining these talented ladies this week. 

Angela at So Scrappy

Frédérique at Patchwork and Quilts

Cynthia for Oh Scrap!

Ready for the New Year?

A new year always bring a renewal of energy, of changes (real or imaginary), of planning, of aspirations, and of self meditation. What am I planning to do during the new year? SEW! What else? Oh, I also plan on blogging too. 😊

The Plan
My plan is more about when will I sew instead of what will I sew. Some of you report a 15 minutes sewing to a party link hostess by Life in Pieces. I like the idea but not so much the rigidity of it. So, I'll say that instead of playing Volleyball on Tuesdays this first semester, I will sew. How's that? Sounds like me. 

UFO

The list of UFOs isn't any shorter than any previous years. Should I say I will tackle that? Nope. I'll say that I will look at it and IF I accomplish something then I will feel good about myself. How's that? Too easy; no effort put in = no reward. Okay, then, how about: I will work on two UFOs this year. 

Name them. Now that's easy. Hole in the Barn Door because I want to use this one so much and Spinner which is hiding somewhere. ?? Then  maybe Flannel Crumb quilt. But first, I want to finish the quilting on Ohio Star Shadow. Okay, so four. 👍

Blog

I will continue with Rainbow Scrap Challenge, hosted by Angela and also Table Scrap Challenge hosted by Joy. 

For January, Angela has called the colour Pink. So, Pink came out to play. 

That's all I could find in the scrap mess. So I browsed my stash and came up with these 

which are bigger than a fat quarter but will be sacrificed for the cause. So now the bag looks like this:

Okay. Let's play! 

You might remember that at the end of last year I played with a block that Cathy at Sane, Crazy, Crumby Quilting had made a lovely quilt with and I wanted one too. Now, I can't locate the specific post but trust me it was wonderful. So, this is my first RSC2025 block. I call my quilt Flying Home. Sorry for the dark photo. 

During my holidays, I also cut and assembled two pajamas in flannelette for my youngest one. One is size medium and the other one size large. He asked me to always make them large now because they are more comfy. 

Gosh! They grow up so big! 

Then, guess what? 

I found the pink scrap bags. Lol. 

Now there are more scrap to play with. Whoohoo!

I have more RSC blocks to show you but that's for another post as this one is long enough as it is. 

On January first, we had snow. 

What we had before had mostly melted and whatever we received on that day has basically all disappeared too. That's fine by me. Less time shoveling means more time sewing. 😉

Stay well, take care, and have a wonderful week. 

;^)

I will visit these talented ladies over the weekend. Hope to catch you there too. 

Angela at So Scrappy

Frédérique at Patchwork and Quilts

Cynthia for Oh Scrap

Alycia for Finished or NOT Finished Friday

Nina Marie at Creations - Quilts, Art, Whatever

Too Many Quilts Are Calling My Name! (Plans for 2023)

Can you believe that I forgot to mention Spinners in my last post? After all the trouble I had with this quilt, I managed to forget it. So let's add it here. 

The block was proposed by Border Creek Station as their Stash Buster Challenge block for 2021. 

It was included in my RSC2022 blocks whenever Angela called a colour I wanted to include in it. Then, Raven had an infection, and suffice it to say some blocks got stained. :^(  I've repaired some but there are still a few more to go. It is now considered a UFO. If you want to see the Stash Buster Challenge block for 2023, click this link.

Also not mentioned in the last post are the placemats I did as part of the Table Scrap Challenge hosted by Joyful Quilter. There was a theme picked each month too. 

 Thanks, Joy, for the fun challenges. ;^) Using up scraps is always fun. 

Okay, now on to 2023! Hopefully, I won't forget any. (I'm really getting forgetful in my old age ... or is it the wine?)

I did four different blocks for RSC2022. Although I love the way RSC works, it isn't always easy to integrate blocks that need a multitude of colours. So many of those quilts are calling my name that I decided to work on them this year, and I will join Angela for the RSC2023 whenever possible. The Rainbow UFO Challenge is still on and my list is done. This year, I give myself two months for each UFO. A month goes by too fast for any real work to be done. (Hopefully, I will be allowed to work from home. If that happens, I'll have more time to sew and maybe finish something. Yay!) 

I won't repeat the projects from past years mentioned in my previous post. The following are the new temptations projects. 

Irish Star

Twinkling Scrap Star (I don't know the name of this block; if anyone knows, please share. Thank you.) 

Friends' Favourite (found on Fiona's blog BubzRugz)

I call this one Friends' Favourite because it was made by a friend who altered it from a larger block her friend had made. She shared it with another friend of hers who shared it with me. 

After making these blocks, I realized that the border is actually the sashing. Oops! 

Aah! That's better. (Not in love with the double zero piece here. Hrmph!)

Idaho Square Dance (Bonnie K. Hunter from her book Addicted to Scraps.)

None of the Log Cabin blocks are done. 

Paper Chain from Cathy at Sane, Crazy, Crumby Quilts

I love this one as it uses more coloured fabric than white/neutral fabric. And who doesn't have a bazillion of 2" squares? 

Crooked Creek and Around T Time are on the backburners for now. 

You might have noticed that I am still working with very small pieces. Fun! It might have occurred to you that none of my projects need 9-Patch (97 done in 2022) and very few HST blocks. They will nevertheless still be my preferred leader-enders. Someday, I'll get to those quilts! 

In case you've lost track of all the projects, here's the Summary: 

1- Scrap Jar Star (Sew-Along with the Joyful Quilter. Care to join?)

2- Star Bloom 

3- Irish Star 

4- Twinkling Scrap Star

5- Friends' Favourite

6- Idaho Square Dance 

7- Paper Chain

Now, my expectations aren't very high. I understand that this is my list of future UFOs as none of these quilts will be finished this year and that's okay with me. I just need to get them out of my mind. Any questions? How will I manage all this? Only God knows. 😂

With this, I wish you all a colourful stash of fabrics to play with, a closet full of UFOs, more ideas than there are hours in a day, sharp blades, bobbins that remain full, and plenty of finished projects. May good health and laughter accompany you throughout the new year. 

Enjoy! 

;^)

Spending time with 

Sarah at Confessions of a Fabric Addict

Angela at So Scrappy 

Frédérique for Patchwork and Quilts

Cynthia for Oh Scrap! 

Spinning My Wheels

I am still pondering about my RSC2022 options. The list is way too long and I find it hard to remove some contenders. Anyone else with this kind of problem? 

The 9-Patch and HSTs are still on ... like forever! Haha.

The crumb bricks too as I don't have enough to do anything with these. 

Chaser Crumb Blocks

Chaser Crumb to be trimmed and sashed

What if I make a mask every month? It looks like we will be needing these for some time still. One thing I forgot to say in my previous post is that we are working from home again. I go to the office two mornings a week to distribute incoming mail and to mail out what was printed by the caseworkers. I like this routine as it gets me out of the house without meeting anyone. Win-win. 

Masks done in November.
The cat one has been washed already and the fabric shrunk
but not the liner so I have to redo this one.
The yellow one is not finished. 

I would love to do a Scrap Jar Star quilt. So I will start sewing 4-Patch blocks (or 16 Patch blocks) (same thing). Do I sew the block in rainbow colours or one colour? 

Both are pleasing to me. Sigh! 

Then the strings are demanding some attention. I have an idea that would be an opportunity for some of them to shine. Still on the drawing board but here's what I have so far. 

The solid coloured fabric from my mother's stash is also something I would like to use up and I love this quilt. 

from Google search

There's also this. 

Hmm! It could be interesting. No, I don't know the name. Yes, I know where I'm going with this. 

I would also love to make another Hidden Gems quilt

or a Burgoyne Surrounded but for a big quilt this time. 

How many hours of sewing do I have in a month? Darn!  That really cramp my style. 

There's also my Personal Rainbow UFO Challenge. The colour red calls for a new project but that's for another post. Stay tuned. 

Oh! Almost forgot. I have two finishes to show you. YES! 

First, it's Stars in Blue, labeled and all. My first finish of the year! Yay! 

Remember this panel I salvaged from a year ago? It was quilted with only batting. No backing. See this post for the story behind it. It was the perfect size for Stars in Blue. Win/win! (I know it's not straight but it'll do.)

The binding is built with dark blue scraps.

I think it was the only solution to my dilemma since nothing looked good from the front and the back. 

Then, there's this finish. 

Phew! Made it. Looking at the fabric for clues of who goes with who was impossible in the Spider Web quilt. Once I organized the yellow pieces together, pointing in the same direction, it went so much faster. 

All I had to do was to turn the pieces in my hand and search for the yellow piece going to the right. 

The rest of the pieces were picked as per their unique shape. 

Now, I'll take it apart and put it away so my son can work on the puzzle he received on New Year's Eve. 

It's nothing interesting so I won't keep you posted on this one. 

The original post was supposed to finish with this paragraph. 

I am sorry to announce that the year didn't start on the right foot for us. Raven disappeared on January 3. I've been very down and still am. I'm pushing myself to sew as I know it will help me (and you will too with the comments and your posts about wonderful stuff). Thank you for being there. 

BUT 

After 10 days away, he came back home. I just couldn't believe my eyes when I saw him on the deck. He lost a lot of weight but is otherwise okay as you can tell from this picture. 

He's still sassy! Haha. I'm so happy. 

Have a great one! 

;^)

 

Joining my quilting friends

Angela at So Scrappy

Cynthia at Quilting is More Fun than Housework

Frédérique at Patchwork and Quilts

Sarah at Confession of a Fabric Addict

Bring On 2022!

Edited: If you are looking for the RSC with Angela, it is about halfway down the page. Thanks. ;^)

 

Hello again. It's me. I'm coming out of my shell a little more every day and I'll try this posting business one more time.

(So blogger is still having fun with some stupid changes, I see. I'll try to fix that when my head's in a different shape.) 





I haven't done a lot of sewing, to the point that the machine is gathering dust. My! Do I remember how it works? I fed it a few pieces and it went well.

These were eventually made.

 


Yep, that's the same sewing machine block from my last post. Nothing in the sewing room has moved since then.
November is always a difficult month for me. This year, it started before November even came. Then, very unexpectedly, my father-in-law passed away. We were shocked, numbed, lived on auto-pilot for the rest of the month. I miss him so much. My husband grabbed his old coat to do outside work here. Every time I see him with the coat my soul cries a little. Hubby probably finds comfort in wearing his father's coat so I keep my peace. We all grieve in different ways.


Back to sewing. In October (or about) I found a bag of triangles and started to sew them together. Now I trimmed them down to 1.5 inches and played with them a little.

 
                                             


Like most of you, I am thinking of RSC2022. There are so many lovely inspirations out there that I don't know what I want. Actually, yes I do know; I want them all. 😄 I'll try to be reasonable and respect my limits. My energy level is very low lately.

One thing I am sure of is my Personal Rainbow UFO Challenge. I loved it so much that I want to do it again next year.

What is the Personal Rainbow UFO Challenge?
It's very simple. Just tag one of your UFO quilts or projects to a colour. When Angela calls the colour of the month, you have to work on that UFO. You don't HAVE to finish it, but working on it, and bringing it forward is the name of this game. (Bonus point if you do finish it.) Care to join?


Here's my list in no particular order. (Some are repeats from last year as the project didn't get finished.)

Purple - Framed 9-Patch (2016) (same)
Red - Start a new project - new (well, we all need a perk every now and then, right?)
Orange - Hole in the Barn Door (RSC2016) (same)
Yellow - Buttons and Spools (RSC2020) (same)
Green - Field of Poppies (2020) (same)
Bleu - Crumb Quilt for DS3 (2017) flannel - new
Pink - Westering Woman (2016) new

I might switch some for HST quilt #1, Ohio Star Shadow, Expect Some Flurries, etc. 

The next ones are in case Angela calls a darker shade of a colour.
Dark Blue or Aqua - ???
Dark Green - Tricked Me (2013) (same)
Multicoloured - Getting Better (2013) (same)
Black, grey, or neutrals - Shoreline (2016) (same)

Obviously, I still have some thinking to do on that list. 

I would also like to do a BOM that was gifted to me. We'll see how the months go before I sign this one in. 

                                        🎇✨🎁🎄

I want to take a few minutes to wish you all the very best for the Holidays and the New Year. One thing that is certain is that nothing is certain, so live your life now. Don't wait. Don't let Covid or what's his face distract you from enjoying what you do and being happy. (Looks who's talking? Haha.) 

Anywho! I do think of you all and I hope to "see" you all again in Blogland next year. 

Take care. 

Love always. 💛💚💙💜💝🧡

;^)

Joining Angela at So Scrappy for the Rainbow Scrap Challenge 2022

Two Words for You, Year 2020

GOOD 

BYE

(Yes, I know it's only one word) The year 2020 will be remembered by the words "unprecedented" and "weird" as they were the most spoken words by the leaders of the world. Yes, that sums up the year pretty well also. Personally, I am VERY happy to see its taillights heading towards the horizon. 

Nothing is ever all negative. Everything has a positive side. Let's have a look at the bright side. 

January saw the 365 Challenge quilt all assembled and on the header of my blog. I am very proud of completing this challenge. It started back in 2016! It has a grand total of 10,821 pieces. 

Then, I got some new (to me) furniture for the sewing room. Those were nice and pushed me into a cleaning frenzy. I realized that I needed some baskets to store all my scraps. So, some basket à la Fiona were made. Green, multicolour, and red. 

I finished my DS2's flannel quilt. A huge monster with a robotic theme along with Star crumb blocks and 4-Patch blocks. Made all in flannel, it is a heavy one. 

Did my first assignment in 2020. A friend/coworker asked for two car seat covers after seeing mine. She was really pleased with them. 

Bonnie's Good Fortune became my Field of Poppies surrounded with greens. 

I had some trouble adapting to the confinement. Crazy ideas were having tea with me every day. They grabbed the bin of strings and made me do this. 

Needless to say, I just love it. I still have a string problem but Sarah will share her ideas in 2021 on how we can use up our strings. Can't wait to see that and take care of this 3-drawer organizer. 

On the other hand, I did take care of the flannel mess. They were all cut up this year into useful size pieces and stored properly. One cleaned corner. Yay! 

Cécile in France had us sewing along and the theme was Stars. Of course, I had to do some Ohio Stars. My mini is called Brille (Shine). Everyone is a star and we all shine a different light, a beautiful different light. I am very proud of how this one turned out. Love it.

Here's another one of Cécile Sew Along, done the year before. I finally quilted it this year. Les paniers de Cécile used up a lot of tiny little pieces as the basket is made with crumb blocks. That was fun! 

I also finished another mini, one proposed by Temecula Sew Along. This one is called Amid Joy. I love that one too. 

Then, I challenged myself by adding borders to an old UFO. Jacob's Ladder has been waiting since 2013 for its borders. I don't have a lot of imagination (yet) when it comes to borders. Saw something on Pinterest and BOOM! Jacob has borders. 

Sometime in 2020, I decided to jump on the RSC2020 wagon hosted by Angela. I saw buttons on the net and they invited some bobbins in for fun and voilà! A rainbow buttons and spools quilt. I soooo love this one. 

Bits of fabric in the shape of triangles invaded my desk, so I pushed them under the needle. Little by little, a very scrappy HST quilt is being made. More in 2021 on this one. 

What happens when a friend gives you some quilt magazines? A new project is what happens! Here's a tulip block that I fell totally in love with. That says a LOT because I am usually not a flower girl.

But this one is cute. 

What's up in 2021? 

Well, I decided to give my UFOs a hand. Yep! It was fun finishing a few things in 2020 and I want to keep on that track. 

SOOOooo, I decided to give each UFO project a colour. When Angela calls the colour for the month, I will work on that UFO. It doesn't have to be finished but just working on it and bringing it forward is a plus. What do you say? 

Here's my list in no particular order. (I write it here in case I lose the paper, haha) 

    Purple - Framed 9-Patch (2016)

    Red -  Shoreline (2016)

    Orange - Hole in the Barn Door (2016)

    Yellow - Buttons and Spools (2020) 

    Green - Field of Poppies (2020)

    Bleu - Judy's BOM (2014) 

    Pink - Ferris Wheel (2016) 

The next ones are in case Angela calls a darker shade of a colour, so 

    Dark Blue or Aqua - Star in Blue (2016) 

    Dark Green - Tricked Me (2013) 

    Multicoloured - Getting Better (2013) 

I will also make the Tulip block and HSTs (for the rest of my life) in the colour of the month. 

Wishing you all a very happy and healthy year. Enjoy! 

;^)

Joining (as the links become available)

Sarah at Confession of a Fabric Addict 

Alycia for Finished or Not Finished Friday        

Angela at So Scrappy RSC2021

Frédérique at Patchwork and Quilts 

Cynthia at Quilting is More Fun than Housework 

Denise at For the Love of Geese 

Kelly at My Quilt Infatuation