2023 Monthly Recap: July

July certainly was the longest month of the year so far.  I had travel both planned and unplanned, and felt like I mostly worked on one project (my new quilt-along!).  However, when I looked back at my camera roll for the month I accomplished more than I remembered.  August should be spent at home as we ramp up for back-to-school.  The kids and I have a summer bucket list of things we want to do before school happens so I'll be busy with that!

Quilt Tally
WIP List at beginning of month: 12
WIP List at end of month: 12
Untouched in 2023: 4
Active QAL Projects: 1

Quilts Finished

Hello Spring (May 2023)

Quilts Started
100 Days 100 Blocks 2023 - My favorite quilt-along started again!  One block a day is perfect for my small chunks of summer sewing time.  I'm a fan of joining as I go, so this picture shows some blocks that I haven't shared on Instagram yet and omits some of the others that don't go in this section of my layout.  I predict that by the end of August this quadrant will be finished completely.

Quilt Progress (5 WIPs touched)

Under the Sea - A quarter of a block is better than nothing, right?  I haven't worked on this since late May, but I'm still hoping to finish it this year.  Now that I've started I'm motivated to keep going!

Test Block Sampler - The test block sampler is made up of blocks from pattern I've designed this year (and maybe next year too - we'll see!).  I'm using Lori Holt or Lori-Holt-esq fabrics because they are so different from my normal style and I want to see how the blocks look in a different palette!

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

Miscellaneous Accomplishments

A lamp coaster! The lamp on my crafting table in the family room has been sitting on a washcloth to protect the wood underneath for longer than I care to admit, so I pulled out the leftover navy postage stamp squares and made a custom-sized coaster to replace that.  It looks much better now!

I also made a drawstring bag for a well-loved stuffed animal who is losing his fluff.  The owner isn't sure he wants a patch sewn directly to his pet, so for now the bag is at least stopping the fluff from being scattered around the house (his little face peeks out of the top).

What's more, I did two crafty-adjacent things this month.  I dipped my toe into the world of quilt technical editing and it fits nicely into my wheelhouse; doing more of that is definitely in my future.  Additionally, one of my past projects was featured in Issue 53 of Make Modern Magazine!

Next Month's Plan

I am planning on making the full-size sample of my new quilt pattern and typing and formatting my longhand pattern so it's ready for the technical edit. I love a good blender and I've picked out a new one to use to make this sample.