What Are Quilters Blogging About Today?

We are a few days into April so it's time to look back at what got done last month and post a March PHD report and join the linky party over at Ms P Designs USA.  I appreciate these monthly look backs, especially when I have no finishes.  It helps me remember that I did actually do stuff even though there are no updates to my PHD tracking sheet.

No new starts either, so I'm at least not adding to my UFO list yet. There was some good progress on several projects this month.  

Usually January feels so slothful, the days drag and the month feels like it goes on forever. Not this year.  I'm amazed to find we've reached the end of the first month of the year.  It will speed up from here, so 2025 is set to move fast it seems.  

January seems to be chugging along much more quickly then it normally does.  Tomorrow we'll be halfway through the month. Wasn't it the first like yesterday?  Maybe it's because a cold has put a damper on my stitching time and I don't feel like I got much done last week. Progress on last week's to do list isn't bad, but I definitely didn't have the most productive week. 

To Do List for 01/07/2025

1.  2025 Guild BOM: Start February blocks ✔ 

2.  2025 SAHRR: Select fabrics, start center block - progress

3.  2024 ...

With the cold I had last week, I didn't spend a lot of time in the sewing room.  Grad Girl and I did have one marathon sewing session Thursday evening.  She started some trivets at the retreat and she wanted to finish at least one of them before she went home.  So we cut the batting and backing for one of the mats. Since I've not done any quilting, I really couldn't teach her. So we played with the machine settings while I tried quilting the mat. She provided discussion and support.  Then I showed her how ...

The last week has been full of end of year summaries and plans for the new year.  I posted my share of both. Grad Girl and I sewed our selves to exhausted on Saturday, but we both got a lot done.  My big accomplishment was getting the 2024 Guild BOM assembled. I finished the first round of borders just before I headed to bed last night.  

This year will be my seventh attempt to earn a PHD. Ms. P Designs USA is again hosting the 2025 PHD challenge.  The rules are simple, 1) finish twelve UFOs and 2)Finish all new starts (unless they are mysteries/BOMs that run into 2026).  I've never finished more than seven quilts in one year. I'm hoping that all the progress last year will help me finish 12 this year. Even if I don't get that far, if I can reduce the total number of UFOs this year I'll be happy.  

Last year's efforts reduced ...

It's the last day of 2024, so this list is really the first to do list for 2025. I had to decide to add this week's list to the 2024 tracking tab in Notes or make a new tab. Since most of the next week is in 2025, I decided it needed to go on a new tab.  Before I get to this week's to do list, how did it go with last week's list?  

To Do List for 12/24/2024

1.  Old Town: Work on clues 1, 2, 3, 4, start 5, 6, & 7 ...

It's been a busy week, lots of holiday preparations, not much stitching stuff the last few days. I did work in a few stitching sessions in the sewing room before the holiday schedule completely took over.  

It's been one of those weeks where life hasn't gone as expected.  My uncle passed after a short illness, he was 87. My mother really wanted to go to the funeral originally scheduled for the 9th, but she has health issues that make an 8 hour road trip difficult. I agreed to take her, but we'd break the trip up over a couple of days. We made the trip from her house to mine on Saturday.  Then the aunt who was married to the uncle, was found unresponsive by their son. She passed the next day, so ...

November was a quiet month, well except for Thanksgiving week. I got a lot done so there's a bit to report for the November PHD report at P Designs USA.  Though you won't see a lot of progress reflected on my PHD spreadsheet.  

No finishes in November, but one new start. But the Bonnie Hunter mystery has been on the list since the beginning.  Besides the clues won't end till the new year, so it's not one that has to be finished this year.  I'm hoping to have one more finish this month, so hopefully ...

We were in Texas for most of the week, so I didn't have a lot of time to sew.  Consequently, last week's to do list was pretty simple.

To Do List 11/26/2024

1.  Old Town Mystery:  Finish clue 1 and start clue 2- progress

2.  Embroidered Medallion: Take a few stitches ✔

3.  Wild and Goosey: Continue making red blocks ✔

4.  Summer Scrap Quilt: Continue as leaders and enders ✔

With all our holiday travel I only had one day in the sewing room, so I'll take three check marks and progress on the 4th.  

I should ...

Mid-November has come and gone.  Thanksgiving is next week. I'm really not ready for the holiday to ramp up and the year wind down.  But as I don't have a choice, it's time to just go with the flow.  I've been keeping my to do list's pretty simple and it's paying off with good progress.  

It finally feels like autumn here.  It's been pretty chilly in the mornings, but warmer in the afternoons. We seem to be done with the highs in the 80s.  I'm hoping to get back to my photography walks this week, assuming it stays dry most of the week.  Before I get to far into on what else is on the list for this week, here's how I did with last week's to do list.  

It's been a very weird autumn. October was cooler than September, but not by much.  My sewing room was my preferred location for most of the month. That means I have lots to blog about for the October PHD Report posted over at P Designs USA.  

It's been nice to be home for a stretch.  I was able to get some chores done last week that really needed to get done.  It's easier to wander off to the sewing room if the house is at least reasonably in order.  The sewing room time has been paying off, there was good progress on last week's to do list. 

To Do List for 10/29/2024

1. String Lights: Package and mail out for quilting ✔

2. Chocolate Marshmallows: Continue assembly ✔

3. Wild and Goosey: Continue making blocks ✔

4. Sensational Summer Scrap Quilt: Continue as leaders ...

We got home late Saturday afternoon from vacation. So I had Sunday and Monday to work on the non-hand stitching part of my to do list.  With that in mind, I didn't do too badly with on the list for last week. 

To Do list For 10/01/2024

1.  Diatom: Finish hand stitching binding ✔

2.  Guild BOM: Start October block ✔

3.  Marble Mystery: Start October clue ✔

4.  Chocolate Marshmallows: Decide layout, start assembly - progress

5.  Wild and Goosey: Finish orange blocks - progress

6.  Sensational Summery Scrap quilt: Continue as leaders/enders ✔

Considering we were on vacation last week ...

September was just a weird month for some reason.  I guess because, though it has cooled off some, it was still pretty warm. Didn't feel like autumn at all.  At any rate, the higher temps made the sewing room the place to be so I got a lot of stitching done this month. So there is plenty to report for the September PHD Report linky party over at P Designs USA. Here's my PHD report for the last month.  

It's October! I'm really not ready for that reality. We've got a lot going on this month, so I'm sure it will go faster than September.  Oh well, at least I got a lot done last week.  

To Do list for 09/24/2024

1.  Rhododendron: Finish binding ✔

2.  Diatom: Make label, binding, trim, sew on binding ✔

3.  Guild BOM: Make September block ✔

4.  Chocolate Marshmallows: Decide on setting ✔

5.  Wild and Goosey:  Continue making orange blocks ✔

6.  Sensational Scrap Quilt: Continue as leaders and enders ✔

Six for six last week.  I took the finishing of ...

With all the hot, hot days in August, the sewing room was the nicest place to hang out most days.  Consequently there was a lot of progress on the various projects.  Now that we've moved into September it's time to link up with P Designs USA for the August PHD Report.

Another finish added to the chart with no new starts. That's definitely a good month.  So I'm up to three finishes for 2024.  The latest finish was my 2024 Stay at Home Round Robin (Quilting Gail) project. 

It's been another hot week, so the sewing room was my favorite place to be. My shoulder issues did require me to minimize my time early in the week, but by the end of the week, I could sew for more than my 15 minutes each day. That made it much easier to tackle the to do list.   

To Do List for 08/13/2024

1.  2024 SAHRR: Finish binding ✔

2.  Indigo Way: Add last border ✔

3.  Diatom: Finish sashing, start borders ✔

4.  Guild BOM: Make August block - progress

5.  Wild and Goosey: Continue making orange blocks ✔

6.  Sensational ...