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.  

I truly detest sewing to deadlines, but I really wanted to finish the Marble Mystery Quilt top in time to post it at the Meadow Mist Designs Marble Mystery quilt parade.  The linky party closes at midnight and I didn't finish the quilt top till 3:30 this afternoon.  That's cutting it a bit close for comfort. 

The mystery started back in July of last year.  One of my rules for mystery quilts is that the fabrics have to come from my stash (well at least most of the fabrics from the stash).  The yardage requirements were pretty ...

No surprise that February went fast.  I just wasn't ready for how fast it went.  Now that we've moved into March, it's time to post a February PHD report and join the linky party over at P Designs USA.  

There's been no change in my PHD tracking sheet. 

No finishes, but no new starts either.  So not good, but not bad either.  Though I've not had any finishes, there has been progress on several projects.  

To get finishes, backings are needed. I didn't get very far with my plan to move Chocolate Marshmallows (Seabreeze ...

In spite of a weekend of pretty much nothing but stitching time, I still didn't do so well on my to do list for last week.

To Do List for 2/25/2025

1.  2025 SAHRR: Finish borders, 4, 5 and 6 - progress

2.  2025 Guild BOM: Start on April Blocks - no progress

3.  Chocolate Marshmallow: Assemble backing - no progress

4.  Marble Mystery: Finish assembling quilt - progress

5.  Wild and Goosey: Make blue blocks, start sashing yellow ✔

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

It wasn't a bad week, I just had way too much on ...

The drive home from Texas was mostly uneventful.  But it's a long time to be in the car, it's a 9 hour drive.  The worst part was the heavy fog from College Station to Waco, thankfully there wasn't much traffic. But I was pretty tired when I pulled into the driveway. I ended up in bed a good hour before my normal bedtime last night, but feel much better this morning.  

I got in several solid days of stitching time last week, but because I was so behind on my priority projects (projects with deadlines), I didn ...

I'm finally feeling better. Which is good as this week I'm in Texas visiting Grad Girl. The timing was dictated by a concert we both wanted to attend. It's been a girls "week" as several of Grad Girl's college friends also came down for the concert.  I feel very fortunate to be included. The concert was last night and we didn't get back till almost 1 AM. Definitely not my normal hours.  The friends left after lunch, but I'm staying through the weekend to have some hang out time with my girl.  

The early ...

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.  

Starting paragraph

I wasn't ready for it to be February already.  We've already had a full weekend in this short month, so now it's almost over.  Well maybe not really, but it certainly feels that way.  It will certainly go fast that's for sure.  

The weather was nice this weekend, so I got out and enjoyed it.  So there wasn't as much time in my sewing room as typical. Still there was progress on a few things.  One of which is my version of Marble Mystery (Meadow Mist Designs).  

There's a lot of purple in this ...

Just a couple more days in January. This month seem to have passed much quicker this year.  Usually I feel like January lasts forever.  I can't say that we were any busier this year than last. My to do lists have been pretty long this month, though last week's was one of my shorter ones.  

To Do List for 01/21/2025

1.  2025 SAHRR: Finish first border ✔

2.  Marble Mystery: Continue block assembly ✔

3.  Old Town: Continue working on clues ✔

4.  Wild and Goosey: Continue to make purple blocks ✔

5.  Summer Scrap Quilt:  Continue as leaders and ...

Winter is wearing out it's welcome as far as I'm concerned. It was miserably cold all weekend.  I'm ready for a warm up and more color than the shades of brown that currently on display outside my window. The temperatures should start to moderate a bit in February and I'm ready. 

It always seems like the Tuesdays of the weeks with Monday holidays are actually second Mondays.  It's not as bad as it was when I was working. But I still get off schedule as My Guy is home and I don't follow my typical weekly routine. It's been too cold to do much of anything but sew over the three day holiday weekend.  That worked out well for the to do list from last week. 

I'm not really ready for it to be Monday, even if it is a holiday.  Of course being retired, it's almost like another day, except I get to hang out with My Guy because he's off work.  I did spend a lot of time in the sewing room this weekend. I finished priority project #1 on Friday, my center block for the SAHRR. 

I've seen the prompt for the first round posted over at Kathleen McMusing's blog.  My plan is for 3" or  4" borders for each round so her first part of the prompt ...

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 ...

Hard to believe we are a full week into the new year.  I've spent more time this week looking over what happened in 2024 and deciding what should happen in the sewing room this year than actually doing anything in the sewing room.  Thankfully, I did have a one day retreat that helped me move along with some projects.  It was a fair week for the to do list.  

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.  

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.