What I'm Working On

 How did I do July 7-13?

Amazing progress on the hexagon quilt!! 

• hexagon quilt - take blue borders off  DONE
• hexagon quilt - add pink borders DONE
• hexagon quilt - prepare backing DONE
• hexagon quilt - prepare batting DONE
• hexagon quilt - start quilting DONE
• hexagon quilt - finish quilting DONE
• hexagon quilt - prepare binding DONE
• hexagon quilt - attach binding DONE
• clean off the table top, deal with remains of recent projects  PROGRESS  - enough progress that I can work on the photo albums and was able to square up and cut binding for the hexagon quilt

I am trying very hard to make progress on the photo albums, but I didn't want to abandon the sewing projects.  Having a nauseatingly detailed list kept me moving along each day.  I never imagined I really would finish it this week!

Finished.

An outreach at church helps young women who are expecting and in need.  When they started last year I offered to make quilts for them.  I think they gave away 4-5 quilts.  I was not blogging or keeping track back then.  

When we lived in Guatemala I had a group of women who I taught to sew and our projects were baby quilts for when babies got dedicated in church.  So I love being able to help this outreach in my love language - quilts!  Last week I got a message that there are already 10 women signed up for the current program - representing 12 babies!  

Hence the urgency to finish the hexagon quilt which is already spoken for and cannot be used for this project.  The first due are boy/girl twins in September.  I have this quilt that I made a while back and has been in the closet waiting a home.  

My idea is to make the same Bricks and Stepping Stones pattern, but in pinks for the girl.  I will keep the front solids and then put a fun print on the back so that they coordinate.  Since I finished the hexagon quilt early, I was able cut most of the bricks and sew all of the long strips for the 4-patches yesterday.  

I think it will go together quickly.  I kind of remember that from when I made the jungle one a while back.  The pinks and purple will be the bricks and the turquoise will be the 4-patches.  I need 9 more bricks but I am waiting to see what color it needs when I get to the layout stage.  Due to availability of colors this will have a more random color placement.

The pattern is Bricks and Stepping Stones by Bonnie Hunter.  I highly recommend this pattern.

TO DO LIST FOR July 14-20

• match up the strips and subcut the turquoise 4-patches
• sew the 4-patches
• attach 4-patches to bricks
• figure out the layout
• web the top
• find a backing
• sandwich the quilt
• brainstorm ideas for the twin girls due in November

I have some commitments this week, so I think this will be enough to keep me moving along.  

Hexagon Quilt is Finished!

A little bit every day resulted in a finish for the Hexagon Quilt.  Woo hoo!  I had broken it down into nauseatingly detailed steps to help me stay on track.  This worked out great when I needed a break from working on the photo albums.  Here's the abridged version:

Step one - redo the borders from blue-ish to pink-ish.

new border

Step 2 - prepare baking, sandwich, and quilt

finished quilting

Step 3 - prepare binding - trickier than I anticipated, but I wanted to try mixed colors

Step 4 - bind

All done!!

15 Minute Report

15 minute days/last two weeks = 7/7

15 minute days/July = 11/12

15 minute days/2025 = 190/211

Success Rate = 90%

 

With the finish of the Hexagon quilt, I have stash movement!

2025 Stash Totals

Used last week: 4.05 yards

Used year to date: 77.4 yards

Acquired recently: 0 yards 

Acquired year to date: 24.5 yards

Net used in 2025: 52.9 more yards used

Linking up with Kate at Life in Pieces and Frederique at Quilting Patchwork Applique to share progress.

Hexagons Turned "Pink" - Friday Finish

The hexagon quilt went from reading "blue" to reading "pink."  I was just going to finish it relatively neutral, but then Grown Up E wanted it for her godson's sibling.  So I held off finishing until they found out it the gender.  Good thing - it's a girl!  Having Little S home for the summer to unsew is a real help.  She loves to unsew!!

reads blue

My goal was to use up all of the pink stripe for border and backing, so I did some very careful math and just have a 3.5" piece left that isn't even WOF.   

now it reads pink

I have been doing more photo albums/scrapbooking this week and less sewing, but just doing a bit each day got me to quilting finished today.  I have to clear off the table to trim the top and make binding, so that will have to wait for a good stopping point in the photos.   I am pleasantly surprised with this progress!

What I'm Working On

 How did I do for  June 30 - July 6

• work on Little S's baby cross-stitch FINISHED
• finish hexagon potholders for the girls NO PROGRESS unless you count scowling at them!
• cut pieces for leaders & enders FINISHED
• donate random craft supplies to Grown Up E and the public library FINISHED - Lots of stuff went out!!
• cut fleece for project for public library PROGRESS - made a plan to do it the next craft day so I can use their big tables
• clean sewing room especially under the cutting table FINISHED under the table - Oh so satisfying!  Too bad I didn't take pictures.

I usually try to work on the photo albums in the summer since I can spread the supplies out and leave it out.  Over the weekend I started getting organized for that, so my sewing time will be less.  The only urgency I have is to get the hexagon quilt ready for Grown Up R now that the godson's sibling has been revealed to be a girl!  The baby isn't due until January, but summer is a good time to get things finished.  I broke it down into baby steps so maybe I will have good progress!

Borders are too blue for a girl.

TO DO LIST FOR July 7-13

• hexagon quilt - take blue borders off
• hexagon quilt - add pink borders
• hexagon quilt - prepare backing
• hexagon quilt - prepare batting
• hexagon quilt - start quilting
• hexagon quilt - finish quilting
• hexagon quilt - prepare binding
• hexagon quilt - attach binding
• clean off the table top, deal with remains of recent projects

Fun Little Blocks

I was having fun with the blocks for the Sew Scrappy Spools quilt (Lori Holt).  I still have no big plan, but am enjoying the process.  I have only been using fabrics from my precut scrap users systems.  Nothing larger than a 3.5' strip was harmed in the making of these blocks!  These are small, but fun.  I can't help but compare them to the small Dear Jane blocks.  

One of each style block.

When I was sorting and putting away the fabric from my MIL I found some red, red/cream striped, and green 6.5" squares in the bottom of the precut squares box.   It looked like there were enough to do something with, so I planned for a D9P.  I found a fun print that coordinated for motivation.  

Fun coordinating fabric for the D9P

I ran out of the original striped blocks and found a small similar piece in the stash and then another piece that was close enough.  Then I dug in a found a similar green. I used these as leaders & enders when I was working on the Sew Scrappy blocks.  I had just enough fabric to eeek out one more single unit for a 5 x 5 layout.  

Impromptu D9P

The blocks have been joined, but is put away for now.  I have to decide how I will use the Hawaii fabric.  It isn't quite enough for a backing.  Also wondering if I should add borders of some sort.  There is not enough of the fabrics on the front to do anything else with them.  It is already about 54" x 54" which is not a bad size.

15 Minute Report

15 minute days/last two weeks = 6/7

15 minute days/June = 24/30

15 minute days/July = 4/5

15 minute days/2025 = 183/204

Success Rate = 90%

Not enough movement to measure this week.

2025 Stash Totals

Used last week: 0 yards

Used year to date: 73.35 yards

Acquired recently: 0 yards 

Acquired year to date: 24.5 yards

Net used in 2025: 48.85 more yards used

Linking up to Life in Pieces to show progress.

"Pick Me, Pick Me" - Friday Finish

Little S's cross-stitch birth announcement was my oldest UFO/WIP/PHD.  Whatever I called it, it still wasn't finished after 19 years.

Since I don't watch TV, there wasn't a time to just sit and work on it, so I called it my travel project.  But then I traveled less and less and was nervous to take a needle and scissors when I flew.  Now my eye sight is not what it used to be.  

All the pieces are ready to go!

But.... it kept showing up on the PHD list with a "pick me, pick me" look!  I did not want Little S to have to finish it herself.  That would be the ultimate disgrace - not only did it take me 19 years to finish, but she had to do the finishing.

So... on a slow weekend I turned on my really bright Ott light, put in eye drops, and got to work.  It turns out that the personalization was already gridded and there were only two sections where the backstitching had not been finished.  I told myself I could do one of those parts each day and I'd be done in a week.

Before

Then a nice thunderstorm rolled in, which was very welcome since we haven't had rain in about a month.  So I stayed in the groove and got all but one of the backstitching sections finished.  That even included restitching two of the personalization sections.  It turns out that my initial stitching was less than accurate, so that made the spacing not quite right.  But I made it work.

Finally Finished!!

It is far from perfect, but I am pleased.  My new goal is to get it framed before the end of summer.

June PHD Report

More finishes to report.  Having a list is definitely helping me stay on track.  

At the halfway point of 2025 I have:

• 8 finishes from the original 14 PHD projects
• 3 unplanned starts with finishes!  
• 1 moved from wishful thinking to planned start
• 2 quilts with progress, but are now waiting for someone else's part

With six more months in 2025 and one of those being a summer vacation month, I think I can finish this list!  Time will tell, but I am on the right track.

Unexpected New Start & Finish - baby quilt & burp cloths for nephew's first baby.

Hand delivered to Guatemala in early June.

To be delivered later this year.

Big Finish - Little S's cross-stitch.  I got that done just under the wire on June 29.  Whew.  I have been putting that off due to poor eye sight, but didn't want to have her finish it for herself!

Oldest UFO - almost as old as she is!

Progress - After I got the borders on the hexagon quilt, I found out that Grown Up E's godson will have a sibling.  She likes this quilt for the new baby, but I will wait until they find out if it's a boy or girl before I finish it.  What I choose for a backing will make a difference.  If it's a girl I might change the borders as well. 

Will it be for a boy or a girl?

Progress - Dear Jane is out for quilting.  That was a big step - more emotional than physical.  The backing only needed squaring and ironing.  The top only needed ironing.  The long-armer said 6 weeks.  I can hardly wait!

Another oldie - 10 years in the making!

Planned New Start - Sew Scrappy Spools by Lori Holt.  I received a gift card from a student, so I finally bought the book.  Seeing "buy the book" on my list each month was definitely a motivator!  My plan was to read the book and think on it and eventually start making blocks, but they are really simple.  They use sizes that I already have in my scrap users system, so I started right away.  I don't know how many I will actually make, but for now I am enjoying picking pieces for one block each day.

Fun little blocks!

Miss P Designs USA is challenging us to get those PHDs done!  I am determined to get my PHD in 2025.  Thanks for the motivation.  Check out other June PHD reports at Miss P Designs USA.