Happy New Year!

Posted on January 2, 2008 by Norma Hanson

We spent New Year’s Eve at home with our kids and their friends. Tradition on New Year’s Eve in our house is to eat simple snack like foods including cold cuts, cheeses, dips, chips, etc. and to watch movies. We stay up until we watch the ball fall at midnight in Times Square and then head to bed. A quiet bunch really!

This morning, both my husband and daughter had to work and my son slept in. I was able to start the first day of the new year having my coffee with my on-line friends. We kept the communication lines open and checked with each other as we worked through our chosen projects for the day. We all spent the day quilting and working on projects that we plan to donate to our favorite charitable group(s).

This is the quilt that I worked on today. Over the last couple of days I pieced some of my Color Catcher foundation string blocks into this top. Today, I was able to get it quilted. It is now trimmed and “binding ready”.

I love the bright green border. I think that this bright green is my new favorite colour!

I am thrilled to report that everything used in this quilt was from existing stash. I even pieced the batting from 5 different strips of batting that were leftover trimmings from other projects. (Colette, the batting leftovers from your purple quilt are in this project! Thanks for leaving them behind!) I used up thread leftovers on 6 different bobbins. (It is a pain to keep changing the bobbin so often, but it is worth it to empty the bobbins of all that thread and have them ready for new projects.) The backing was made from 11 different pieces of fabric some of which was left from my garage sale find last summer.

I was concerned about the added thickness of the Color Catchers so I quilted this one with a simple pattern–The Wave. I did not need to be concerned, there were no issues at all with the extra thickness caused by the foundations so I will be a little more adventurous the next time around.

I have many of these blocks left in my box. In fact, I still cannot close the lid on the box as there are enough string blocks left in that box to make at least another 3 quilts! I can see more of these little quilts in my future!

Today could not have been more perfect. I spent the day quilting and chatting with friends. Today was the last day of my holiday and tomorrow it is back to work!

Reflecting on 2007

Posted on December 31, 2007 by Norma Hanson

Today is the last day of 2007 and it seems fitting that I should reflect back on the past year. (I will limit my reflections to quilting only as this is first a quilting blog.)

I set a goal of completing 12 specific UFO’s in 2007 and listed them on my sidebar so they were public. I completed 7 of those 12 projects that were listed. This has proven not to be the best way for me to work through my UFO list. I like to work on a specific project when the mood moves me. Listing specific projects just adds to my feelings of guilt and seems to further hamper progress so I won’t be listing specific projects for my goals for 2008. However, of the 7 specific projects that were listed by name in 2007, five were gifted to others which is an achievement that I will celebrate. One of those projects was particularly old and was a challenge for me on the most extreme scale–this was the South American Challenge which was a quilt developed from non-traditional quilting fabrics that had significant meaning to my niece and formed part of her wedding gift when she was married this year.

In addition to the quilts I targeted for completion, I also finished 14 other projects in 2007. Five of these projects were also gifted to others.

This brings my total for the year to 21 completed projects of which 10 were gifted to others.

Projects Completed in 2007: 27 (see two lists below)

Top 12 UFOs for 2007:

1. Christmas Nickels~flimsy, quilt, bind
2. Christmas Gratitudes~flimsy, quilt, bind~completed Jan. 27/07 (Given to Aunt Ardelle for Christmas 2007)
3. Double Four Patch~ bind~completed Feb. 7/07
4. Bluework BOM Snowmen Blocks~completed Jan, Feb, Mar, and Apr
5. South American Challenge~flimsy, quilt, bind~completed Aug. 24/07 (Given to Laureen when she got married September 2007)
6. Bricks and Stepping Stones~quilt, bind-completed Mar. 31/07 (Given to Allison when she got married April 14, 2007)
7. Simple Cross~quilt, bind
8. Nine Patch Path~flimsy, quilt, bind-completed Apr. 29/07 (Given to Mom H. for her birthday in May 2007)
9. Christmas Stack’N Whack~quilt, bind
10. BQ Pumpkin #1~bind~completed Oct. 21/07 (Given to Mom P. in October 2007 for no specific reason)
11. BQ Pumpkin #2~quilt, bind~completed Oct. 5/07
12. Snowman Courthouse Steps~flimsy, quilt, bind

Other Finishes for 2007:

1. Wicked Easy~completed March 2
2. Parrot Building Blocks~completed May 11
3. Octagon Halloween Table Topper #2~completed May 15
4. Ladybug Building Blocks~completed May 25
5. Color Catcher Strings #1~completed June 14
6. Frogs Warm Wishes~completed August 15
7. Laurie and Jamie’s Trip Around the World~completed August 24 (Given to Laureen when she got married September 2007)
8. Butterflies Warm Wishes~completed August 30
9. Nine Patch Path Leftovers~completed October 20
10. 4-Patch Stacked Posies – Burgundy Flowers~completed December (Given to Mom P. for Christmas 2007)
11. Snowman Table Runner #1 w/Warm & Natural batting~completed in November
12. Snowman Table Runner #2 w/Thermore batting~ completed in December (Given to Mom P. for Christmas 2007)
13. Poinsettia Table Runner #1~completed in December (Given to Mom P. for Christmas 2007)
14. Snowman Hot Pad to match Snowman table runner~completed in December (Given to Mom P. for Christmas 2007)

I have been working towards reducing my total number of UFOs for some time now. I managed to add only 3 projects to my UFO pile in 2007 and finished a further 12 projects to the flimsy stage. I am definitely moving in the right direction and seem to have taken control of my UFOs for the first time in years. This I am very pleased about!

Projects started in 2007 that remained unfinished in 2007 and have added to the UFO total:

1. Green and Beige Double Four Patch
2. Poppy 4-Patch Stacked Posies
3. Guild block exchange / challenge – The Elements

Projects completed to the flimsy stage in 2007 and remain unquilted:

1. Dryer Sheet Diamond Strings
2. Canada Day
3. The Simple Life Quilt
4. Color Catcher Strings #2
5. Color Catcher Strings #3
6. Shamrock Table Runner (black) #1
7. Shamrock Table Runner (black) #2
8. Shamrock Table Runner (white) #3
9. Shamrock Table Runner (white) #4
10. Snowman Table Runner #3
11. Poinsettia Table Runner #2
12. Pumpkin 4-Patch Stacked Posies

My goals for 2008:

1. To continue to have fun with my quilting! I quilt to explore and express my creative side and quilting must remain fun for me or else it is just another job.

2. To continue working towards eliminating my UFOs, even if they are just moving to the flimsy stage.

3. Continue to make quilts to give as gifts–of course only to those who appreciate my work. There is no point in going through the effort to make something for someone that doesn’t like quilts! That is a waste of my time and effort aside from the costs involved. I have some specific quilts in mind that I want to finish for certain people in 2008–one person in particular who has patiently waited for years for a quilt just, just for them. (Sorry to remain cryptic, but I want to keep the surprise just that–a surprise!)

4. And finally, a commitment that many on this blog ring are making, use from my stash first! Of course, my stash may require “enhancement” from time to time to keep the stash in an overall usable state! Thanks to Hanne for creating this button to remind me of this commitment.

Progress on Projects

Posted on December 28, 2007 by Norma Hanson

Yesterday, I finished the center of the Double Four Patch quilt. I just need to add borders now and quilt it.

I also got out the shamrock / St. Patrick’s Day fabric that Pam sent me last year and made a couple of table runners. These need to be quilted as well.

Notice the socks of the quilt holder? She specifically asked to be “cropped out of the picture”. I couldn’t resist showing her feet since they matched the table runner!

A White Christmas

Posted on December 28, 2007 by Norma Hanson

This was the view from our bedroom window when we went to bed on Christmas Day. We managed to have a white Christmas this year–something that only occurs once in every 10 years here.

These photos were taken on Boxing Day just before my daughter and I headed out for the traditional Boxing Day shopping. The temperature had warmed up quite a bit from the day before and this snow quickly turned to slush.

This morning we woke up to even more snow. I am now officially tired of this white stuff and will be welcoming the liquid sunshine should it decide to return!

Images of Christmas 2007

Posted on December 26, 2007 by Norma Hanson

This post is all about the Christmas season at our house.

First, is a picture of our tree. This year, I considered not putting up the large tree. I was feeling overwhelmed with all of the preparations leading up to Christmas, work commitments, etc. My husband insisted that we needed to have the tree and so while I cleaned the house and rearranged the furniture to make room, my DH put up the tree and with my DD’s assistance, the tree was decorated. This is how handsome our tree looked this year in the corner of the living room.

I collect snowmen and these are some images of my favorite snowmen that were displayed in the house this year.

My DD not only assisted her father with the decorating of the tree, but she was also responsible for unpacking of the snowmen and other Christmas decorations and setting up the displays throughout the house. My DD was also responsible for wrapping most of those presents that were under that tree.

Of course, Joey the helper cat was never too far away!

This is a picture of my DS and DD on Christmas morning. They are just starting to open the presents in their stockings.

Later, we were joined by my parents. We continued to open presents–just look at that pile of wrapping paper in the center of the room!

My DS.
My DD with some computer software that my DH and I gave her. She looks tired, doesn’t she.

My Mom received some quilts from me. Here she is with one of the table runners that I made for her.

And here is my mother with her latest table topper – the first 4-Patch Stacked Posie Quilt that I made. The quilt collection grows! Note the quilt inspector (Joey) in the foot of the photograph.