2024 Monthly Recap: January

January!  We set record high and record low temperatures and are on track for beating the lowest snow totals record set in 1930 by almost 10 inches!  My sewing is also up and down.  On the plus side, I finished six quilt projects this month and sent a seventh off to the quilter's, but on the minus side, I had to table the Pebbled Prairie pattern.  It's 100% finished, but my quilt mentor pointed out a design issue with the finished design that was later echoed by several others so I won't be releasing it at this time.  Such a bummer, but it's the right decision to make.  On to the next pattern!

Quilt Tally
WIP List at beginning of month: 12
WIP List at end of month: 10
Untouched in 2024: 5
Active QAL Projects: 0

Quilts Finished

Pebbled Prairie: Boats (November 2023)

Pebbled Prairie Throw (December 2023)

Game Tracker Personal Project (January 2024)

Project Quilting: Birdhouses (January 2024)

Project Quilting: Sky Color [Chattermax] (January 2024)

Quilts Started
None!

Quilt Progress (4 WIPs touched)

Under the Sea - This block came together very quickly.  In fact, it may be the quickest one in the entire quilt top so far!  I was procrastinating because I was struggling to pick the fabric colors and I told myself to just grab something and start sewing.  I had my doubts at first about the yellow in the outer ring, but I'm glad I went with it and left it in!

Mother - I wasn't really planning on working on this one, but once I started I couldn't stop!  I pieced the paw print teardrop and then put the frames on the seven teardrops I had pieced recently.  Doing all the frames together was a snap and it was easy to sew all twelve blocks together after that.  The day I finished this was overcast, but it went off to the quilter's the next morning so this is the best photo I could get of it.

Blocks made for my memory scrap quilt and leaders and enders quilt.

Miscellaneous Accomplishments

Quilt Mini Quilt - This is an orphan block that I originally planned to use on the back of my Rainbow Blossom quilt. I ended up using a wideback instead and this block was left to sit. I actually basted it and started the FMQ last spring, but the thread kept breaking and it got put in the time-out pile.  I finally pulled it out again and had it finished in an afternoon.  I think Rainbow Blossom deserves a prize for spawning the most mini quilts from orphan blocks - anyone remember the spool?

Modge Podge Derby Car - My youngest child is doing his last pinewood derby next weekend and I jokingly said that he should use fabric to decorate the car and he took me up on it!  He chose all the fabric scraps and cut them how he wanted to, and I taught him how to use the modge podge to stick it all together.

Next Month's Goal

As I'm writing this, I'm still very in a "small project" mindset. I have an orphan block that I want to turn into a pillow and I'm planning on continuing with the Project Quilting challenges. I also need to hop on the computer and work on some backend pattern design stuff!