2017 FAL Q2 Wrap Up + Q3 List

1. Do everything for the mystery Gift Quilt.
2. Finish Quilting, Bind and Lable Maybe Lyz Quilt.
3. Finish quilting, bind and Label Tom Mat.
4. Finish Top, Create Back, Baste, Bind and Label MCQBOM2016 Quilt. 

Some work was done on each of these quilts is Quarter, but sadly no finishes were made!! I did have a few off list finishes, so I do not despair. But I would really like to get more done in Q3. 

1. Do everything for the mystery Gift Quilt.

I'm rolling this one over. It needs to happen even if it's the only quilt that gets finished in 2017!

2. Finish quilting, bind and Label Tom Mat.

I'm so close to finishing this one!

3. Baste, tie, bind and label Little Baby Quilt. 

This one is new to the list and I'm hoping it'll be an easy finish. 

And that's it!! Only three finishes for this quarter; two hopefully easy, one very necessary. I'm too late to link up with the globle hosts this Quarter, but that's OK! I am linking up with Move It Forward Monday, MCM and Monday Making.

OMG July

Not only did I not finish June's OMG, I didn't touch it! But for July, it's time to get down to business. 

This WIP is time sensitive, so for OMG July, I need to get the top and bottom completed, the quilt basted and figure out how to quilt it!

It seems a little bit daunting especially bc of my lousy track record so far:
Jan - Quilt Maybe Lyz - Not Finished
Feb - Quilt Tom Mat - Not Finished
Mar - Finish Tom Mat - Not Finished
Apr - Finish Little Baby Quilt Top - Not Finished
May - Finish Little Baby Quilt Top - Finished!!
Jun - Baste and Tie Little Baby Quilt Top - Not Finished

I'm putting my head down and hoping for a OMG finish in July! I'm linking up with Elm Street Quilts, Move It Forward Monday, MCM, and more!

New Block: Precious Fabric (Solstice Block 15/25)

Finally!! I'm back to making Pat Sloan's Solstice challenge. I couldn't get the corners to stay down for the pic, but besides that, this block was nice and easy. And it feels good to be back on the horse. 

Linking up with BOMs Away, Monday Making, Move it Forward Monday, and more!

YOTS2017/#30daysoffabricstacks

On Wednesday, Stitched in Color announced her new challange, 30 Days Of Fabric Stacks. I read the post that morning and have been thinking bout it ever since. I don't usually go in for monthly challenges, but although this one is a 30 day challenge, you have more than 30 days to complete it! I love how she says:
"Would you like to explore the possibilities of your fabrics on hand, to rekindle that spark of excitement felt upon their first arrival?"
That line got me thinking about how perfectly this challenge fits in with YOTS (Year of The Stash)!

The first challenge prompt is True Blue and here's my Fabric Stack -

Tray as I might, I couldn't keep the cats from sitting on this stack. Cat hair!

I thought of a cloudless, fading-to-night sky while putting these fabrics together. I'm not sure if they will ever become more than a stack, but it was fun to imagine while putting them together. 

Racheal encourages you to do them in order, but at your own pace, and finish by Aug 6th. There's a contest and prizes, so you should check out her full post! Personally, I'm not sure if I'll finish this challenge but I plan to use it as some YOTS inspiration, for sure! Here are the rest of the prompts:

• Day 1:  True Blue
• Day 2:  Ethereal
• Day 3:  Orange
• Day 4:  New Fabric
• Day 5:  Baby
• Day 6:  Folksy Fall
• Day 7:  Yellow
• Day 8:  Hand Dyed or Printed
• Day 9:  Softly Against Black
• Day 10:  Fabric I Want

• Day 11:  Complementary Colors
• Day 12:  Green
• Day 13:  Scale
• Day 14:  Masculine
• Day 15:  Aqua/Teal
• Day 16:  Novelty
• Day 17:  Pink
• Day 18:  Clashy Bright
• Day 19:  Gray
• Day 20:  Fabric I hoard

• Day 21:  Purple
• Day 22:  Analogous Colors
• Day 23:  Teen
• Day 24:  Almost Primary
• Day 25:  Old Fabric
• Day 26:  Rainbow
• Day 27:  Brown
• Day 28:  Soft Botanical
• Day 29:  All Solids
• Day 30:  My Style

Are you joining in with #30daysoffabricstacks? 

Off Season: From The Garden

Ever since we moved a few years ago, I'd been hearing about From the Garden. The good word is out on this local fruit farm and apiary. 

We finally visited when we met up with my family for their Spring Fling. We got to walk the grounds which were just blooming in late April. We saw some of the bees on the grounds but they have hives all over Monmouth County. We also enjoyed the little market set up for the Spring Fling. We ate our share of pastries and tried local jams, and of course bought honey! 

I'm not sure what From the Garden is like when there isn't an event going on there, but I intend to find out. 

From The Garden
353 Fairfield Rd Freehold NJ 07728
- Look out for events and special days!
- local@fromthegardeninc.com
- Family owned and operated.
- First visit April 2017

Something Nice

When your neighbor brings you home grown spinach and homemade jam early in the morning!

New Block: Circle Appliqué

This isn't my smoothest appliqué job, but it's the first circle I've ever worked on. I've been working on sewing a lot of orange peels and curves, lately so it was nice to try a different kind of curve. 

Next time, I hope to hide my threads a little better, but other than that, I like the way this block turned out!

Linking up with Needle and Thread Thursday, Finished or Not It's Friday, and more!

Gypsy Moon Mini: A Finished Mini Quilt

I was so inspired by my new mini and the little scraps that came with it, that I got right down to business making a mini of my own!

I rarely can make any work to completion in one day, so this was an especially fun finish! All the pieces needed fell into place. First, inspiration: The scraps from @gypsymoonquilts gave me were lovely and easy to work with. I happened to have a few other scraps right at my fingertips that I used to round out this mini. 

Second, I had time! I had a fairly free day to sit and sew! The top came together quickly, the batting scraps were on top of a pile, I used one of my favorite prints as a backing. The quilting and basting goes so fast with a mini!

I hope my inspiration hangs in there! I love the feeling of a finish! 

Linking up with Move It Forward Monday, Monday Making, Oh Scrap and more. 

Winner!

I recently threw my name, well my new name @madcatquilts, in the running for a giveaway with @gypsymoonquilts on instagram. And I won!

Credit for all this loveliness goes to @gypsymoonquilts!

What a sweet little mini mini/mug rug! Some lovely scraps! A cute needle minder! Her work is lovely so check it out!

Just a Top...

But also a finish! Finally, I've managed to finish one of my OMG goals!!

I'm excited to link up with Elm Street Quilts at the end of the month and I can link up with Monday Making, Needle and Thread Thursday, Move it Forward Monday, and more!

New Block: Honey Bee Block (Solstice Block 14/25)

Here is another block I heavily modified for Pat Sloan's Solstice Challenge. Her Honey Bee block called for appliqué, ut I chose to make some orange peels instead. 

Her block also called for petals or peels at all four corners, but three were enough for me. I'll need to sweep some threads off this block and square it up, but I'm pretty happy with how it came out! 

Linking top with Finished or Not It's Friday, Needle and Thread Thursday, Slow Sunday Stitching and  more! 

OMG May

Oh brother, I was this close to finishing my April goal! And yet... it didn't get done. I've been flitting from project to project lately and not finishing anything! My OMG2017 list is looking pretty abysmal. 

Here's another sad look at OMG2017 so far:
Jan - Quilt Maybe Lyz - Not finished
Feb - Quilt Tom Mat - Not finished
Mar - Finish Tom Mat - Not Finished
Apr - Finish Little Baby Quilt Top - Not Finished

For May I'm rolling over my April goal. Ever the optimist, I'm hoping to finish this baby quilt top. 

Linking up with Elm Street Quilts OMG, Building Blocks Tuesday Needle and Thread Thursday, Move it Forward Monday and more!

Something New: Introducing Mad Cat Quilts Instagram

Recently, I decided that I needed more quilt photos in my life so now Mad Cat Quilts officially has it's own Instagram! I hope any one interested in this blog follows @madcatquilts!

I've long had a personal insta, and feel free to follow me there, but I wanted a place for all the quilty goodness! Instagram is one of my favorite ways to connect with people and learn so I'm hoping to meet a lot of great new people, learn some techniques, branch out and connect, and see lots of quilts, of course!

Here are some of my recent posts:

I hope to show lots and lots of quilts, but a good mix of cats and other pretty things that inspire me to quilt, too! Playing records, walking my neighborhood, seeing art, and exploring all manifest in my quilt making. 

So far, I'm loving @madcatquilts and I'm trying to branch out from my usual instagram MO by trying to post new things (like videos!). I'm hoping to add more features and use this tool as a companion for the blogs, so next time you're on the gram, stop by and say hi!

Solstice Challenge Check In

I've gotten a bit behind in Pat Sloan's Solstice Challenge. But It's given me some time to play around with layout and arranging the blocks. 

It's exciting to see a chunk of the blocks together and to imagine what the final piece may look like. I'm liking the idea of these blocks being all joined up with no sashing. Seeing them laid out makes me realize what colors I'd like to add more of. 

Has anyone else participating in this challenge thought out lay out yet?

Linking up with Monday Making, Move it Forward Monday, BOMs Away, and more!

New Block: Studio Time (Solstice block 13/25)

I'm still trying to catch up on the Solstice Challenge, but I'm getting there one block at a time. Studio Time is another great name for a block.  

I like that there are a few variations of nine patches in Pat Sloan's BOM. I'm excited to see all the blocks together. Who else is working on this BOM? Are you planning to use the planned layouts? Or are you gonna come up with your own?

Honey Pot Bee April + New Block: Starry Sky

Molli Sparkles' Honey Pot Bee has two block designs a month. This month was one of the first where there wasn't a picture block. This is also the first month where I plan to make both blocks! Here's the first one:

Starry sky was created by A Persevering Mom and my version came out pretty wonky. I could see this block being really fun for a whole quilt. I like how this block matches with some of the other blocks. After a few blocks I'm starting to get excited about how this quilt will turn out! 

Linking up with Molli on instagram and Monday Making, Move it Forward Monday, BOMs Away, Oh Scrap! and more! 

Something New: Writing Letters

I debated even making this post when I still have a letter that needs finished and sent.

Writing letters in an old thing that's new again for me recently! When I was a teenager, I loved writing and receiving letters and had penpals that I wrote to until my early 20s. But living in the city, the internet, a cell phone, etc... helped make letter writing fade from my routine. That was almost 20 years ago. 

About a year ago one of my BFFs moved across the county and started writing letters to folks back home. We've exchanged a few and I'm hooked again! Now I'm looking for other far off friends to write letters to. That's not a car test when most of my friends live at least one state away. 

Letter writing isn't as easy as I remember it from my childhood. It's hard to find the time to get a letter written, hard to wait for a response (especially if there's any mail shenanigans), hard to remember what you wrote about in the last letter. It's hard not to text, call or email the person instead. But so far, I'm finding it a fulfilling and lovely pastime. 

I've settled into liking to use a Sharpie Pen and grid paper for my letters. This is basically the same set up I use for my Bullet Journal as well. I love to sit at a cafe, bar, or my dest and write, uninterrupted. If I have a beer, cocktail or cup of coffee, all the better. A cat in my lap helps, too. 

I think letter writing is a great mindful, slow activity, and I need more of those in my life!

Any letter writers out there? Any favorites, tips, tricks, ideas? Feel like adding a pen pal to the mix?

New Block: Quilt Math (Solstice Block 11/25)

I was pleased to see the name of the 11th block for Pat Sloan's Solstice challenge bc "quilt math" is something I never do. I never use a ruler or other measuring tools when hand sewing and quilting. Quilt math is something I see many quilters get frustrated about, but not me! 

This was a fun block to make and come together quickly. This is another block I could see repeated to make a fun and geometric full quilt. 

Linking up around blog land. What are your favorite block link parties?

YOTS2017 / Evolution of a Stitch

One of my goals for this year is to be more mindful in how I improve my quilting craft. To me, this is a goal that coincides with Year Of The Stash. To be mindful of what fabric you use and how you craft it goes hand in hand!

One thing that I've been working on is the size and consistancy of my stitches. I'm completely blown away when I see the tiny stitches that many practiced hand sewists have. Being self taught, I really stumbled my way thru my first dozen years sewing and quilting. Now I'm finding my technique and style. 

After years of sewing and watching quilters, I'm trying to get my stitches small and even. This is a great collection of hand sewing videos. Practicing stitches is a great way to use my stash!

So far, my work isn't as precise as I'd like. But I'm trying!

Here's my month Stash Update for April:
Fabric Added from the Since Last Update: 0
Fabric Added Year to Date: Approximately 13.25
Fabric Used Since Since Last Update: Approximately 2 yd
Fabric Used Year to Date: Approximately 8.5 yd

What are some of the ways you practice your craft and use your stash?

2017FAL Q1 Wrap Up + Q2 List

Although I did have a strong a start as I would have liked, I did have two finishes in Q1. Only one of them was on my Q1 list but that's ok. 

1. Finish Quilting, Bind, and Label Maybe Lyz Quilt
2. Finish Piecing Top, Make Backing, Baste, Quilt, Bind, Label, and Use, TOM Mat.
3. Finish Top and Backing, Baste, Quilt, Bind, Label and Name MadCatQuilt2016BOM Quilt
Bonus: Gift Mat
Mat for Ollie is Finished!

For Q2, I'm hoping to show more progress. I've chosen 4 projects to finish. 

1. Do everything for this Gift Quilt.

I want to have this secret sewing done by the end of this quarter. 

2. Finish Quilting, Bind and Lable Maybe Lyz Quilt. 

This has been on at least 4 of my finish along quarters along the way and I'd love to see it finished. I lost the thread that I was using (How does that happen?!) but I'm just going to forage ahead. 

3. Finish quilting, bind and Label Tom Mat.

Tom needs his mat already!

4. Finish Top, Create Back, Baste, Bind and Label MCQBOM2016 Quilt. 

I haven't touched this all year so far. I'd love to have this one done.

I'm happily linking up with our global hosts this year and can't wait to see everyones finishes for Q2 - 2017!!

Also linking up with Move it Forward Monday, Monday Making, MCM and more!