Friday, January 31, 2014

January Check In

How in the world did I lose a whole week??? It was pretty easy actually, I managed to get the crud....just when I was congratulating myself for not getting in while almost everyone around me succumbed. It eventually caught up to me and hit me like a ton of bricks, and basically wiped out a week....and I am still trying to catch up on all of the things that have to get done and should have gotten done....CRAZY TOWN!

So, just a few updates....I got the center of my Captain's Wheel finished, leaving just the joining of the border units (curves are all done, whew!), and then adding them to the quilt. I'm at the awkward layout stage where I need more space or less dog to make sure that the borders rotate correctly. Hopefully, the weekend will afford me the benefit of just such an adventure. I'll post on that once it is done. It will be this weekend, I promise!!!!

I had pretty big plans for this year, somehow they have morphed a bit, but I am generally okay with that since I was apparently both more and less efficient than I imagined....

The goals as stated at the new year....

Piecing
1. Captain's Wheel (90% complete)
2. Celtic Wave (Queen) - Piece Along to start in mid-February! (Papers prepped)
3. Flower's for My Wedding Ring
4. Scrappy Trip (44 pairs prepped)
5. Osprey's Nest (Papers Prepped, fabrics picked)

Quilting
1. Winter Wonderland
2. Glacier Star
3. Mariner's Compass (got it back, it looks fantabulous!!!, now for some binding)
4. Compass Rose
5. Meandering Star
6. all quilts above

Pattern Writing
1. 2014 Block of the Month - starts on January 13th! - total fail at this one
2. 5 new patterns for spring market
3. 5 new patterns for fall market

Other projects :
1. Amazon Star finished
2. Pepperdish finished
3. Crackers finished
4. Feathered Star Queen finished
5. Project Destash

How are you doing on your quilty goals for the year????

Saturday, January 25, 2014

DeStash update

So, I started DeStash by going through my 2.5 inch strips.....I sorted first, pulling out the batiks, and storing them separately.....

And then starting a Scrappy Trip....sewing 2.5 inch strips into pairs.....i am planning on a throw for this one, which will be 42 blocks (6x7). That equates to 252 half strips, or 126 wof strips, just over 3 jelly rolls, or 378 inches....or just over 10 yards.



Any bets on how long it will take?

Happy Quilting!

Catherine


Thursday, January 23, 2014

The Great DeStash

So, lots of people are destashing on etsy, fb, and Instagram.....

I will be doing my destashing by finishing projects.....using various free patterns and what-nots, and limiting my purchasing. That's right, it is time once again for a fabric diet. And with that, here are the stash reduction rules :

1. No fabric shall be purchased except as required to finish existing WIPs - borders, backing, binding, etc.
2. Tracking, tracking, tracking
3. Finish, finish, finish
4. Focus on the projects and get them done.
5. Sew 5 hours a week.....I really want 90 minutes a day, but I realize that is unrealistic given my current schedule.


Now, off to work....

Happy Quilting!!!!

Catherine

Wednesday, January 22, 2014

Captain's Wheel -- Finals Week -- aka, cramming my way to the finish line

Can you believe it's the last week??? I can't -- I feel like it has absolutely flown by. So many things to do, so many seams to sew....

So, let's get back to it :  here's where we are :

Week 1 - November 18- November 24 - Paper Preparation,  Bags and playtime *complete
Week 2 - November 25 - December 1 - Fabric Selection *complete
Week 3 - December 2 - December 8 - Cutting out your fabrics. *complete
Week 4 - December 9 - December 15 - Bag #1 - Compass Rose Units *complete
Week 5 - December 16 - December 22 - Bag #2 - Compass Rose Alternate Units - Rights - *complete
Week 6 - December 23 - December 29 - Bag #3 - Compass Rose Alternate Units - Lefts - *complete
Week 7 - December 30 - January 5 - Sewing Bag #4 - Border Units - Rights - *complete
Week 8 -Jan 6 - Jan 12 - Sewing Bag 5 *complete
Week 9 - Jan 13 - Jan 19 - Sewing Bag 6 *complete


And here is this week's assignment/plan :
Week 10 - Jan 20 - 27 - Putting it all together - AKA Finals Week -- it's sort of like cramming for the final exam at the end of the semester.....

I'm still technically caught up this is the week where the mettle gets tested. Can I get it done???? Well, it's Wednesday and this post was due on Monday, so what do you think??? It is a busy week, but it looks like a nice relaxing, sewing weekend is ahead, so off I go to sew, sew, sew....

What about you??? Have you managed to stick with it for the 10 weeks????

Happy Quilting, see you later this week!!!!


Catherine

Sunday, January 19, 2014

Sunday, Funday

Well, it is the end of yet another week.....I can't quite believe it! It's the close of the next to last week of the work-a-long, and by next weekend, it will all be complete.

I didn't get much done this week.....all the papers pulled, and the side and corner units all assembled, this week will be the main center components.....the truth is, I've been dreading the repressing component (as I always do), so instead, I worked on borders and corners.

Everyone here is looking forward to Road to California....the big SoCal quilt show is next weekend. So, forgive me if I am a bit quiet, you see there is quilt planning happening in these parts....


Happy Quilting!

Catherine

Trunk Show

I'm doing a trunk show today......thought you might want to see....

Weeping Willow

 Celebration Tree Skirt

 Compass Rose Tablerunner

A Touch of Spring


 And Mariner's Compass which I am binding during the break.....


Happy Saturday everyone!





Friday, January 17, 2014

Celtic Wave Work-A-Long Schedule

So, a couple of people reached out to me on instagram and on facebook about wanting to do Celtic Wave this year, and wanting someone to work on it with. So here's your chance. I will be hosting a Celtic Wave Work-A-Long -- similar to the work along we just finished for Captain's Wheel. This one is going to be a little less intense, since we are going to take 16 weeks to finish it, BUT we aren;t going to have as many run up weeks before we get started. We are going to spend more time sewing and less time picking fabrics and prepping papers, which is why I am telling you so far ahead of schedule. We'll start sewing on Bag 1 on February 17th.





So, if you want to join us, it's time to procure your pattern. In traditional fashion, I'll be holding a sale on them here on the blog until January 27th, with 15% off the pattern and the extension. So, email me your paypal and I will invoice you if you are interested. Main patterns are $25.50, and extensions are $17.85. My email is Catherine@queeniequilts.com if you want to place an order or need additional information.

So, without further ado, here is the Work-A-Long Schedule for Celtic Wave

Checkpoint 1 : February 17 - final pre-flight checks, Bag 1 start
Checkpoint 2 : March 3 - Bag 2 start
Checkpoint 3 : March 17 - Bag 3 start
Checkpoint 4 : March 31 - Bag 4 start
Checkpoint 5 : April 14 - Curved Piecing
Checkpoint 6 : April 28 - Border Units (if you are doing the Queen)
Checkpoint 7 : May 12 - Start Assembly
Checkpoint 8 : May 26 - All DONE!!!!

Hope you will join us! See you soon!


Catherine

Wednesday, January 15, 2014

The boring part

We have officially entered to boring part of the assembly process.......paper removal.

This is what my sewing room looks like....


Penny is bored.....


If she can't be outside on a walk then at least the machine should be going.....

Until next time.....


Tuesday, January 14, 2014

Working Working Working

Did you guys enjoy the Work-A-Long??? It was great for me, it kept me accountable to get things done...and kept me on track (even if I did occasionally go off track). Anyway, I'm going to do it again. I have a couple of people who would like to do the Celtic Wave. It's actually a pretty easy Judy pattern, and a lot of fun, but the units are all the same, and as such a little bit tedious, it kind of all comes together at the end of the CG units....did I mention there are 48 of those units??? Not hard, not complicated, no crazy layouts or Y seams, just some simple easy curved piecing and a lot of geese. A whole lot of geese.




For this one, the schedule is a little different. I've got a lot going on and the deadline is a little looser on this one, so we're going to do 2 week check-ins. And I am going to give you more info about color options. Most of these that get made, stick to one of the original color ways -- green and teal with black accents, or blues with navy accents. Mine will be a little different, for a couple of different reasons.....

1. My geese will not all belong to one color family (the original has all black geese). Mine will rotate around the quilt.
2. Mine will be scrappy (are you surprised)?
3. Mine will be bright (see comment above)...... 

So, let me know if you are interested in playing along with us????


Happy Quilting!!!
Catherine

Monday, January 13, 2014

Captain's Wheel Work-A-Long

As you already know, I had a rather unproductive week last week from a Captain's Wheel perspective. It was crazy at work, and I had lots of prep for this weekend's teaching adventures, and when I did have time to sew, I just wasn't motivated to work on Captain's Wheel. Oh well, not a lot I can do about it now, other than buckle down and get some things done this week....

So, let's get back to it :  here's where we are :

Week 1 - November 18- November 24 - Paper Preparation,  Bags and playtime *complete
Week 2 - November 25 - December 1 - Fabric Selection *complete
Week 3 - December 2 - December 8 - Cutting out your fabrics. *complete
Week 4 - December 9 - December 15 - Bag #1 - Compass Rose Units *complete
Week 5 - December 16 - December 22 - Bag #2 - Compass Rose Alternate Units - Rights - *complete
Week 6 - December 23 - December 29 - Bag #3 - Compass Rose Alternate Units - Lefts - *complete
Week 7 - December 30 - January 5 - Sewing Bag #4 - Border Units - Rights - *complete
Week 8 -Jan 6 - Jan 12 - Sewing Bag 5 *complete

And here is this week's assignment/plan :
Week 9 - Jan 13 - Jan 19 - Sewing Bag 6 *complete


I'm still technically caught up (even still ahead), but this weekend will be a busy one with 2 teaching engagements, so I need to be head down to get these done before my final deadline....wish me luck.

What about you??? Have you managed to get all of your homework done???

Next up we have....
Week 10 - Jan 20 - 27 - Putting it all together - AKA Finals Week -- it's sort of like cramming for the final exam at the end of the semester.....

Happy Quilting, see you later this week!!!!


Catherine

Sunday, January 12, 2014

Captain's Wheel Weekly Update

This is what I got done on my Captain's Wheel this week....













Huh??? What???? There's nothing there??? That's right. I did not get one single seam sewn this week on my Captain's Wheel. I had great intentions, even great plans, but they were not to be. I can't say I didn't sew, because I did (I worked on a class sample for a March Scrap Busters Class). I just wasn't into it this week, and rather than frustrate myself, I took a week off from the Captain's Wheel.


Good thing I was ahead......


Hope you had more success this week....


Catherine

Tuesday, January 7, 2014

Cotton and Chocolate - class 1 - Mariner's Compass


So, this past Saturday we started a six month series for Mariner's Compass at Cotton and Chocolate in Thousand Oaks, CA. 

It was great to see a group of returning students, and some new faces.

We were very busy picking colors, and working on the Compass Flower blocks....

We had a huge variety of fabrics and color combos, and I am super excited to see how these will turn out!

Vicky's glacial blues....


Monique's black and whites...
Debbie's --- they reminded me of corn, and certified instructor Jodi Madsen who was in my CI class
Wendy's are Asian inspired

Who wants a little Christmas? Judy does

And Lauren used a beautiful verigated.....

All amazing interpretations of this fantastic pattern. Can't wait till next month!

See you soon....

Catherine












Monday, January 6, 2014

Captain's Wheel Work-A-Long Week #8

The year is in full swing, and it seems like Christmas was eons ago, rather than just a few weeks, Work work is busy, and quilting work is busy, my schedule is packed, and I am loving it!!!! There is always something about a busy schedule that keeps me going! Perhaps it's the "no time to dwell on it" or the "gotta get to the next thing" -- or maybe it's just the overall pace, who knows??? 

I managed to get tons of stuff does this past week, which was really nice. I completed by reorganization of all of the closets. I did a complete reorganization of my calendars and got some new pens and stickers to keep my motivated (yes, I am five, and probably should have been a first grade teacher, I love stickers!!!). I managed to get all of the tax stuff put together, so that as soon as the W-2s come I can send those right off for preparation (which means I might actually get them all filed before April 15th!!! That will be a miracle!). I got the car smogged, I got my lesson plans done for the next 6 weeks, and I got all of the orders placed for Hoffman, Quiltworx, Island Batiks, Robert Kauffman, and Checker. Of course, now there is no money in the account and my shopping must come to an end (at least for a while)!

But for now, let's get back to the Captain's Wheel :  here's where we are :

Week 1 - November 18- November 24 - Paper Preparation,  Bags and playtime *complete
Week 2 - November 25 - December 1 - Fabric Selection *complete
Week 3 - December 2 - December 8 - Cutting out your fabrics. *complete
Week 4 - December 9 - December 15 - Bag #1 - Compass Rose Units *complete
Week 5 - December 16 - December 22 - Bag #2 - Compass Rose Alternate Units - Rights - *complete
Week 6 - December 23 - December 29 - Bag #3 - Compass Rose Alternate Units - Lefts - *complete
Week 7 - December 30 - January 5 - Sewing Bag #4 - Border Units - Rights - *complete


And here is this week's assignment/plan :
Week 8 -Jan 6 - Jan 12 - Sewing Bag 5 *complete


So, since I am caught up (for once), and even ahead (crazy, right???).....I am going to work on getting assembly started, and work on planning the next one of these little Work-A-Longs and do some neglected required sewing. But just for a couple of days and then I'm getting a head start on assembly. I can't decide whether to start with the curved piecing or the straight piecing, part of me says do the  curves and get them done (they are the dreaded S curves, btw). Part of me wants to take the easy way out and finish the inside of the quilt and leave the borders for the end.......decisions, decisions. Regardless, I want one or the other finished by this time next week!!!

What about you??? Have you managed to get all of your homework done???

Next up we have....
 
Week 9 - Jan 13 - Jan 19 - Sewing Bag 6 *complete
Week 10 - Jan 20 - 27 - Putting it all together

Happy Quilting, see you later this week!!!!

Sunday, January 5, 2014

Captain's Wheel Work-A-Long Week #6

Well,

I managed to catch up on last week's delinquent homework, and get all of the border units for this week done!!! And with that, I am finished with all of the units for the Captain's Wheel. Yippee!!! now I can work on assembly!

So, here are some pics....

The left border units (Bag #4)....

All of the border units.....

SO, if you are still working on units, kep going, and we'll catch up next week and see how it is going!!!


Catherine

Saturday, January 4, 2014

Quilty Goals for 2014

It's that time again when we all figure out what we want to accomplish for the year -- lose weight, exercise more, be more adventurous, practice moderation, read the bible, etc, etc, etc. It's funny that some years are go all out years, and some years are pull back years, we all seem to have different patterns to get ourselves to where we want to be in life. I was talking to my Mom about it, discussing how we plan out our lives, how we are rarely happy to be where we are...we are always striving to be somewhere else, doing something else, being better, more fit, less lazy, etc.....Part of me hates resolutions, because why do you need to wait until New Year's to change the things that you want to change??? But the other side of me loves them. Loves the fresh slate that a new year gives....So, I am in 2 different minds about this.

I want the accountability to get things done, and the flexibility to change my plans as I want to. I want to make sure that I get the things done that I need to get done, and ensure that I still enjoy it. I want it all, what can I say??? There are tons of items that I want to do, and some that I need to do....with a constantly changing teaching schedule, I find myself needing to rearrange priorities to meet new teaching options and opportunities -- and I don't want to beat myself up for changing the plans, while still being accountable.

And with all of that said....here are my quilty goals for 2014.

Piecing
1. Captain's Wheel
2. Celtic Wave (Queen) - Piece Along to start in mid-February!
3. Flower's for My Wedding Ring
4. Scrappy Trip
5. Osprey's Nest

Quilting
1. Winter Wonderland
2. Glacier Star
3. Mariner's Compass
4. Compass Rose
5. Meandering Star
6. all quilts above

Pattern Writing
1. 2014 Block of the Month - starts on January 13th!
2. 5 new patterns for spring market
3. 5 new patterns for fall market

I wish that this encompassed my list, but there are so many half done projects that I want to "finish up" and so many others that I want to do but I am just not sure how to fit it all in.....I literally need an extra 24 hours every day, so if you see some wondering around loose, send them my way, I could really use them....

Other projects :
1. Amazon Star finished
2. Pepperdish finished
3. Crackers finished
4. Feathered Star Queen finished

So, for now, that is the list.....wish me luck!!!! I'll check back in and let you know how it's going!

What are you working on this year??? Do you make resolutions??? Do you have any large scale projects you want to work on???

Happy Quilting!!!
Catherine
 

Thursday, January 2, 2014

Captain's Wheel Work-A-Long - Status Update

It's New Year's Thursday, and I am happy to report that I had an uber-productive New Year's Day in the Sewing Room.....for a bunch of reasons. I promise to get some pictures later this week, I have been posting to Instagram and Facebook, but I haven't figured out how to transfer all of the files from my phone and ipad to the PC for writing blog posts. I know it can be done, I just haven't sat down to actually work it out. Just one more thing to add to the list. I am sure it is simple, and even quick, I just need to sit down and do it.....

But in the meantime, I finished Bag #3 homework, and all of the center spikes are now complete. I had already finished bags #5 and #6, which left me with only bag #4 (left border units). I got those started on Wednesday, and got through section 5 before I decided that I was bored and needed to clean and organize my projects for 2014.....so I set it aside, and cleaned the sewing room (which is an adventure in itself)!!!!

I also got a start on a leader and ender challenge for 2014. I am going to work on a Scrap Trip this year, one of Bonnie's patterns from a couple of years ago (and was the rage in early 2013). Basically, I am going to try to use up all of my half strips -- all of the jelly roll and Bali Pop leftovers. I am not yet sure if I am going to separate the fabrics or not. I suspect I may make 2 quilts, one batik, and one regular cottons, but we'll see how I feel once I actually really get started! I also want to work on Celtic Solstice, I haven't had a chance to follow along on the 6 week mystery, and keep up because of my schedule, but I intend to do that quilt this year (before the new mystery starts next Thanksgiving)!!!

Well, that's my update for New Year's Day festivities!!! Hope you all had a wonderful time with friends and family and sewing circles, and look forward to a super productive year in 2014!!!


Happy New Year!!!

Catherine

Classes Q1 2014 - January

Just prepping this seems wrong...talking about Q1 plans, and then I realize that Q1 is here. The holidays are over, and it's that time of year to work on planning and scheduling and goal setting and time management, and closet purging, and spring cleaning will be here before we know it!!

Q1 is looking really busy on the teaching and show circuit. I can't quite believe how busy, and to be honest, part of me just hopes I survive the tornado!!! I guess maybe the realization of exactly what needs to get done is part of the getting organized thing....because if I am not organized there is no way that I will survive!

So, onto what you wanted to know about....

Class and Show Schedule for January


January 4th - Mariner's Compass, Class 1 of 6 at Cotton and Chocolate in Thousand Oaks, CA
January 5th - Open Judy Day, Class 1 of 6 at Cotton and Chocolate in Thousand Oaks, CA

January 11th - Mariner's Compass, Class 1 of 6 at Memory Lane Quilt Shop in El Cajon, CA
January 12th - Mariner's Compass, Class 2 of 6 at Memory Lane Quilt Shop in El Cajon, CA

January 18th - Meet the Teachers, mini trunk show, at Piecemakers in Costa Mesa, CA
January 19th - Winter Wonderland Tablerunner, Cozy Quilt Shop, Rancho San Diego, CA

January 23-25, Demo Days, Road to California Quilt Show, Ontario, CA
January 26 - Glacier Star, Class 1 of 6 at This Sew and Sew, Glendora, CA

For those of you that know that I still have my day job, you will have figured out that my first day and only day off in January was January 1st. Yesterday. My next day off is Super Bowl Sunday!!! Go Titans!!! (yes, that is how clued in I am to football!)

Just kidding. I'll be around, but during the week only, as the weekends are going to be crazy, and amazing! So, wish me luck and I'll see you in the classroom!


A Blurry Glacier Star

A Mariner's Compass from Tennessee Quilts






Happy Quilting!
Catherine  

Wednesday, January 1, 2014

Recap of 2013 - A Year in Review

Before I start talking about the plans for 2014, I thought I should review the ones from 2013, and see just how they came out in the end.....In looking back at posts for the year, I realized that I didn't post nearly as often as I had planned about these....I was good for the first 6 months, and then didn't post again.....so, here's the Year In Review


2013's  quilty goals....

1. Finish a new pattern every month for QQ. That's 12 new patterns released in 2013. -- *completed - released 12 new patterns this year.



2. Finish a new Judy quilt every quarter. That is 4 quilts this year. Specifically, I will be working on Coxscomb, Farmer's Star, Feathered Star and Celtic Wave. And the Glacier Star -- because I need to get that one done for teaching purposes. So, I technically met this goal, though I did not finish the quilts that I had planned to finish. Glacier Star, Winter Wonderland, Forever Yours,

3. Attend 2 Judy events -- Asilomar in March, and Montana in August. - *completed


4. Teach 2 Judy classes or retreats each month. - *completed. I taught I total of 43 days in 2013. Way more than I expected. But it was great!!! 

5. Finish up a bunch of Judy quilts that just need final touches -- quilting, binding, borders -



Touch of Spring *completed
Cappuccino Party for 4 *completed 
MiniStars *completed
Summer Solstice *completed
Amazon Star *remains in the finish it pile
Pepperdish *remains in the finish it pile
3 Ducks in a Row *remains in the finish it pile, though the borders are now on the quilt


6. Blog more regularly -- I finally figured out the scheduling feature, so that should help!! My goal is three times a week. I started the year at 102 total posts. This post is 197. so that is a total of 95 posts for the year, which isn't horrible, but it isn't that close to 156 which was my goal. I might have to keep this goal this year and be more aggressive about it.....or take less bloggie breaks, or more pictures (so that I have something to show you), or work less, the real issue is I need more time, so if someone can work out the time machine thing for me that would be fantastic!!!!

7. Learn how to use instagram. Done. You can follow me at queeniequilts


8. Learn how to code in XML for the website. *Done the new site is live!!!!

9. Sew every day -- even of it is only for 10 minutes, or one section of binding! I really should do some binding prep work to have some projects ready to go for this!!!! I didn't do horribly on this one, though I spent as many days cleaning the studio and filing orders and doing taxes as anything else.