Bye Bye Summer

Well, summer is officially over, school is back in session, and the to do list is a bit crazy. I don't know how it happens, but it seems to get busier every month. I keep thinking it can't get busier, and then it does.....

It's full on market prep at the moment. I have all my fabrics picked and the patterns drafted, now just to sew and photograph everything. We're at less than 60 days now, so I really need to get going to get everything back in time.

In terms of sewing and quilting, I have and haven't gotten much done this month. I did spend a week in Montana working on my Paradise in Blooms TOM for 2015. So far, I really like my sample, even if it is a little "unconventional". Interestingly, I thought mine was more "traditional", but it seems to be so different than all of the rest....I chose a light center, while everyone else chose dark....and it is amazing what a difference it makes in terms of what size everything appears. I'm excited to get started on the appliqué portion of this quilt, which i will likely work on while on the road. But other than the appliqué, I likely won't work on this one much between now and Market -- there are just too many other things to do!

So, on that note, back to the project list....

The goals as stated at the new year are in black, amendments (changes/additions, etc) are in blue, and status is red....

Piecing
1. Captain's Wheel complete and sent to the quilter in February.
2. Celtic Wave (Queen) - Piece Along to start in mid-February! complete and sent to the quilter in July.
3. Flower's for My Wedding Ring - Didn't make much progress on this one this month.
4. Scrappy Trip Layout completed and labeled, just need some time to sew.
5. Osprey's Nest Done. Closed.
6. Hawaiian/Prairie Star - Added in April, I have cut it all out. and I will be taking it on retreat this weekend. So fingers crossed a lot will get accomplished. Got nothing accomplished on this one.....
7. Fire Island Hosta Queen - Added in April. I have cut this one out as well. I should take it to retreat, but that might mean I get neither done...so we'll have to see. Done. Hanging at Cozy Quilt Shop in San Diego for a class that starts in September.

Quilting
1. Winter Wonderland - I got it back and I love it. I posted some pics, and did a blog post.
2. Glacier Star - Handed over to the quilter while I was in Montana.
3. Mariner's Compass done. Quilted and bound.
4. Compass Rose - done. and blogged. 
5. Meandering Star - done. 
6. Captain's Wheel - at the quilter
7. Celtic Wave Queen - sent to Montana for quilting
8. Flower's for My Wedding Ring - 
9. Scrappy Trip
10. Osprey's Nest - Done.

Pattern Writing
1. 2014 Block of the Month - starts on January 13th! - Done. started February 13th. whole year worth of patterns have been scheduled!!! Yippee!!! Have you been following along???
2. 5 new patterns for spring market - all done!!! I'll be introing all of the patterns over the next few weeks.
3. 5 new patterns for fall market - 3/5 done!!!

Other projects :
1. Amazon Star finished
2. Pepperdish finished - worked on this one, I am in the middle of the curved piecing, once that is finished this one is complete.
3. Crackers finished - complete
4. Feathered Star Queen finished - complete
5. Project Destash - current total is --57.25. I should be a lot better on this, but I bought a few things while in Montana, including a couple of large pieces for backings and borders, so I didn't take as much advantage of these as I should have.....


September Sewing Plan
September Sewing is all about Market. I need to finish piecing one quilt a week every week in September! So, back to the grindstone.

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

Happy Quilting!!!

Catherine

Work in Process Wednesday

So, I was in Montana last week....working on my Paradise in Blooms quilt....

One day it will grow up to be this....

Other than that it has been a week of paperwork, and super secret market sewing....

What have you been working on this week?

Catherine

Classes, Classes and more Classes

It's been a busy few weeks as I was in Montana for a Certified Retreat. We were working on the new Paradise in Bloom Pattern. It is gorgeous!!! There were 10 of us working on our own versions of the quilt and it was fun to see all of the versions... I can't wait to see all of the versions and variations, we all took a completely different style approach, and the results were amazing!!!! Most of us have other deadlines and teaching engagements, and a few of us will be teaching or vending at market and festival, so it's a little bit crazy.

I wanted to keep everyone up to date on classes and workshops, since there are several going on at the moment...

Beginner Paper Piecing - Friday, September 5th - Cotton and Chocolate, Thousand Oaks, CA

Fire Island Hosta Class 2 of 6 - Saturday, September 6th - Cotton and Chocolate, Thousand Oaks, CA

Open Judy Work Day - Sunday, September 7th - Cotton and Chocolate, Thousand Oaks, CA

Prairie Star - Saturday, September 13th - Memory Lane Quilt Shop, El Cajon, CA

Prairie Star - Sunday, September 14th - Memory Lane Quilt Shop,  EL Cajon, CA

Osprey's Nest - Sunday, September 21st - Cozy Quilt Shop, Rancho San Diego, CA

Fire Island Hosta Class 1 of 5 - Sunday, September 28th, Cozy Quilt Shop, Rancho San Diego, CA

September will also host the Santa Barbara Quilt Show on the weekend of the 19th and 20th....at the Earl Warren Fairgrounds. Stop by and see us if you are in the area!!!!

See you in classes soon!


Catherine

Greetings from Portland

Well, we made it to Portland safe and sound and got everything unpacked and squared away....

The show opened on Thursday at 10, and it was amazing to see a bunch of ladies from SoCal...and meet tons of new people. 

Here's some booth snaps so you can see what we got going on.....

Thanks for stopping by! And have a great week of sewing!

Catherine

Monday = Saturday

Well, it's Monday again, and it's been 10 days since I posted last. Portland was fun, and Montana was amazing, but the travel and the crazy has caught up with me, and I'm feeling a little under the weather. Hopefully nothing serious, but I'm planning to lay low today to make sure that I can kick it. So, I'm going to pretend that Monday is a lazy Saturday. A day to relax, catch up on the DVR, maybe stop at the dog park for a little exercise for Penny. Nothing that requires thought or work. 

I might even take an afternoon nap.....but starting tomorrow it's back to the grindstone! Market is just around the corner, and there are a million things to do, but they will have to wait until tomorrow....

So, here's some pics from Montana, I'll post more later but for now, here's a sneak peak....

Until tomorrow....

Happy Sewing!

Catherine

Make a List Monday

Today's Make a List Monday is brought to you from the backseat of a white Tundra headed up I-5 to Portland. We're a few hours from our destination, and have gotten to the silly point, when the stuffed animals start exercising. Seriously, they jump from the back seat to the front and dance to Radio Disney....what can I say, we've been on the road for 14 hours! The delirium has set it! 

I'm done binding....at least for the next few hours...I'll take some pictures once we stop moving....I'm not done, but I'm taking a break + I need to save some for the Montana trip. I made a lot more progress than I expected,....so there are only a few turns left to bind.

This week is a busy week, but not much sewing will be happening....Tuesday is a pal around Portlandd day, Wednesday is set up, and Thursday through Saturday is the Quilt, Knit, Stitch Show in Portland. Then on to Montana.

So, hope you guys are ready for some crazy stories, because these trips invariably turn into Comedy Central...

See you soon!

Catherine

WIP Wednesday

Well, this week has been busy....I taught at Cotton and Chocolate over the weekend, and then came home with the intention of prepping for the Portland Show all week. We leave on Sunday, and there are still a ton of things to do, but I can say that at least I feel like the booth will be ready. I might be naked, because I haven't tackled the laundry yet, but the booth will definitely be adorable.

So, what sewing did I get done?

Not much....I spent most of the week so far doing this....

Bagging and boxing fabric for the show.

Which involves cutting approx 600 yards of fabric, folding them precisely so that they will fit into these....

You see the lines on that mat, those are new....finally to the point that the rotary blade is hitting the inner core of the mat ( which is a yellowish color). So, mat replacement will be pretty high on the list once I get back....

I did do some of this....

Scrap sorting....not that I hit very far...these are now the "anything larger than 2 1/2 x 2 1/2 bin. These will get cut into sizes once the ginormous pile is all sorted.

I did get to work on these.....they are from Urban Winter by Sew Kind of Wonderful and use the Quick Curve Ruler.....the top is together now, and I made a quick drop at the quilter this morning, so that I might be able to squeak this into my luggage for the show, but we'll have to see, I am not counting on it being ready, since I decided I was going yo make it just yesterday.....nothing quite like a last minute decision.

Did you notice that the lighting is horrible in all of these photos? I averaged the time that they were taken, and the answer is 1:17 am, my night owl ness is insane lately....I've been up at all hours, and still managed to get Penny out for her 3 miles every morning at 7, but I suspect a late morning soon, since I am really tired right about now. Maybe I should just go to bed now? It's only 8:30pm.....we'll see!

So, I really didn't get much sewing done...it just wasn't the right week for it!

The sad part of this tale is that next week will be even worse, as Wednesday is set up day at the show, so unless I do lots of car sewing, there will be nothing new!!

So, if I'm not here next Wednesday, you will know, I got no car sewing done....

Happy Sewing !!

Catherine

Hello, Tuesday....

Happy Tuesday everyone, I just wanted to say a quick hello for some non quilts stuff....such as...

Hello new week of craziness....

Hello to new projects, both big and small. 

Hello to packing and preparation for a two week out of town stint.

Hello to seeing friends that I haven't seen in a few years, super excited to see you guys, and your new adopted city!

Hello to house sitters and puppy wranglers who love my Penny as much as I do and make travel possible.

Hello to the new workout routine, which is kicking my bootie....

Hello to dentists and hair appointments.

And laundry, lots and lots of laundry...

Well, by for now, see you next Tuesday!!!

Catherine

Make A List Minday

Well, this week is going to be CRAZY!

We leave for Portland and the Quilt, Knit, Stitch Show on Sunday, which means I have hard stops for all of these!!!!

Gonna see how many I can finish up before we go, and I have to teach this week too, so not a lot of time....

But first, an update on last week...

1. Bindings- done and ready to sew down on the way to Portland!!! Yay!!! Only took me 4 weeks!

2. Signs - made, just need to be laminated this week!

And for this week....

1. urban Winter - a cute little sample for my booth demo! I have made a couple of items with the quick curve, but decided to add an extra one in this week....

2. Make a skirt and add a border. This lovely mermaid material will very shortly be a skirt!!! So excited!!! Hopefully I can put in a casing without too much trouble!! The black is for borders on a couple of quilts.

3. Last minute order fulfillment and packing....

4. Picking fabrics and packing for Montana.... I head straight to Montana from Portland, so I am mailing myself a box.... So far, I have nothing to go in it, and haven't secured a box.....that's gonna be fun!

5. Pre travel prep.....dentist appt, vet appt, never ending list of todos....

Well, that's all I have planned, and I think that will be plenty, since this week is going to be over before we know it..

Next week, Make A List Monday will come to you from Montana....

Happy Quilting!

Catherine

August Already ????

Can it be that summer is almost over. It is already August, and school starts in just a few weeks (and for a few in just 10 days). I can't quite believe how quickly the summer has passed and how quickly we will be in the throws of fall. Market and festival will be there before we know it, and the "90 day window" -- the 90 days before market when life is basically insane. A full teaching schedule, a crazy fall work schedule, shows, and market prep all occur at the same time, and I must say it is the time of year when things get a little crazy....

I've done lots of weird things this month, lots of business things and not a lot of sewing, and of course sewing for the next few months will consist of super secret sewing and project deadlines, and photography and pattern writing and editing and all those things that have to be done for market.

The goals as stated at the new year are in black, amendments (changes/additions, etc) are in blue, and status is red....

Piecing
1. Captain's Wheel complete and sent to the quilter, I was expecting it back this month, but alas, it didn't happen, hopefully this month....
2. Celtic Wave (Queen) - Piece Along to start in mid-February! Sent to Montana for quilting. It's about a 3 month wait at this point. No change.
3. Flower's for My Wedding Ring - Got all of my fabrics picked, my backgrounds cut out, and am ready to get started with piecing. (No change since last month). This month I managed to get about half of the rings pieced, so making good progress on this one. I didn't get anything done in August....but I am demoing this at the Portland Show, so perhaps I will get some progress made.
4. Scrappy Trip (80 pairs prepped), 8 blocks finished (no change since last month). I made lots of progress this month. I managed to get 25 blocks completed, and another 2 dozen prepped in regular cottons, so it's assembly time!!! I haven't really done anything since last month....I have gotten them out and played with layout, but no decisions made.
5. Osprey's Nest Done. Closed.
6. Hawaiian/Prairie Star - Added in April, I have cut it all out. and I will be taking it on retreat this weekend. So fingers crossed a lot will get accomplished. Got nothing accomplished on this one.....
7. Fire Island Hosta Queen - Added in April. I have cut this one out as well. I should take it to retreat, but that might mean I get neither done...so we'll have to see. I managed to get most of the components made on this one....just have the outer borders left to cut out, and then do all of the curved piecing assembly and the veins....All piecing is done, and this one is ready for a little bloggy introduction.


Quilting
1. Winter Wonderland - I got it back and I love it. I posted some pics, and did a blog post.
2. Glacier Star - I finally got this one back, and a backing made, so I will take it to Montana with me in a few weeks 
3. Mariner's Compass done. Quilted and bound.
4. Compass Rose - done. and blogged. 
5. Meandering Star - done. 
6. Captain's Wheel - at the quilter
7. Celtic Wave Queen - sent to Montana for quilting
8. Flower's for My Wedding Ring - 
9. Scrappy Trip
10. Osprey's Nest - Done.

Pattern Writing
1. 2014 Block of the Month - starts on January 13th! - Done. started February 13th. whole year worth of patterns have been scheduled!!! Yippee!!! Have you been following along???
2. 5 new patterns for spring market - all done!!! I'll be introing all of the patterns over the next few weeks.
3. 5 new patterns for fall market - 3/5 done!!!

Other projects :
1. Amazon Star finished
2. Pepperdish finished - worked on this one, I am in the middle of the curved piecing, once that is finished this one is complete.
3. Crackers finished - complete
4. Feathered Star Queen finished - complete
5. Project Destash - current total is -51.25


August Sewing Plan
My August Sewing plan is very small, since the month is super busy....I have a couple of shows, and a Certified Retreat and a million things to do, so I have no real intended finishes this month. I'll be working on Paradise Blooms at retreat, so I will get some of that done, though I have no real thoughts that I will get it all done while at retreat....

If I have some time, I'll be working on some finish projects, rather than any new ones....I really want to work on my Pepperdish, I've been working on that one for so long, and I really want to get it finished and checked off on the list.


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

Happy Quilting!!!

Catherine