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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 ...

I'm slowly recovering from our yard work marathon on Saturday.  Thankfully my back and knees held up pretty well, it was the rest of me that hurt afterwards.  Even My Guy was feeling it on Sunday.  We definitely aren't as young as we used to be.  

Even with the Saturday yard work excursion, I had a good week in the sewing room, Squared Away is sashed and bordered. 

I'm pretty happy with how it came together.  This is upside down from how I've had it on the design wall during assembly, but it looks good from ...

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's been a pretty good year in the sewing room. All the stitching time has allowed me to make some progress on every project that was on my stitching plan (and a couple that weren't).  The focus on progress has meant I've gotten 5 finishes so far this year, but I'm set up for even more next year.  

The last project on the plan is Squared Away. This project was the 2018 Rainbow Scrap Project quilt along.  I finished all the blocks in 2018, but then they sat waiting for inspiration on how to set them ...

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.  

This time of year it seems the weeks just speed by.  We'll hit mid November by the weekend. I'm really not ready for the end of the year, which will be here before we know it.  So it's probably best to concentrate on the now and look at what's getting done.  

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 ...

The 2 year anniversary of my retirement was last Friday.  Has it really been that long?  I've enjoyed most of it, I've had some health challenges over that time that made me very glad I wasn't working.  But some days I do miss the fun technical stuff from the job, but most definitely don't miss the politics.  Looking back, last year really was about getting my back issues under control and just figuring out how to navigate not going to an outside job every day. This year has really been about navigating my sewing room.  I ...

We've reached the mid point of October.  This month is certainly speeding along.  I'm not going to think about it for now and just appreciate how much progress there was on my to do list.

To Do List for 10/8/2024

1. String Lights: Make backing - changed direction 

2. Marble Mystery: Finish October clue ✔

3. Guild BOM: Finish October block ✔

4.  Chocolate Marshmallows: Start assembly - progress

5.  Squared Away: Decide on layout, pick setting fabrics - progress

6. Wild and Goosey: Finish orange blocks - progress

7. SS Summer Scrap Quilt: Continue as leaders and enders ✔

Only three check ...

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 ...

This will be my 6th attempt to achieve a PHD in quilting projects.  I've yet to manage that.  I doubt it happens this year either, but I won't know unless I try.  There are new hostesses for the PHD in 2024, Sharon Anderson and Susan Hatcher of Ms. P Designs USA.  Here's my list of this year's UFOs for the PHD in 2024.  

My strategy this year is to work on a new quilt or a quilt that needs the blocks assembled plus a quilt top to be finished or a quilt top to be assembled ...

It's the last day of 2020.  The pandemic has made life challenging in so many areas, but the year has been good in that I've been home to sew more. That helped take a small bite out of the UFO list.  Playing along with Quilting Gail's PHD in 2020 challenge was also a good motivator.  Gail is again hosting a PHD in 2021 Challenge, as my UFO list still has 22 projects on it, I'm definitely playing along again.    

It has been a while since I actually finished a quilt. Hurray for Squared Away – all finished and so pretty! I started this quilt in the beginning of 2018. The block of the month was hosted by Mari at Academic Quilter. Somehow I didn’t end up following along all year though. I can’t honestly remember why. Then the blocks sat and waited, all lonely and sad, until I stitched them together last spring. Since I didn’t have enough blocks for an entire quilt, I interspersed them with a modern print of Pat Bravo’s. It was from ...

Happy New Year Everyone! Last year I set and linked up an OMG with Elm Street Quilts exactly once, in January. I finished the goal, so that was a good thing. I didn’t remember to link up the finish though. And that was the end of my organization plan for 2019! Anyone want to take bets on whether I can do a bit better in 2020? Who knows? I am going to give it a shot though. So many times I flit from thing to thing which doesn’t make for a lot of finishes. Hoping this will help ...