May Goals and a Stash Report

Keeping up with goals this year is turning out to be a bigger challenge than I expected it to be.   I normally only set one goal a month so this year with the Scrap Attack challenge and the 6 & 6 in 2018 goals it's been a struggle to keep on track.  Even so, I have completed all eight of the goals I've set so far.  I'm just always scrambling around at the end of the month to get it all done.  What can I say?  Life just keeps getting in the way of my fun.  

The slip I pulled from my Scrap Attack bag for May's goal says to make something from the strings basket.  The basket was pretty full at the beginning of the year, but in January I made a small dent in it by making seventeen blocks for Kat and Cat's Covered in Love block drive.  

In April I had to spend a few days alone in a hotel room so I took my strings basket along and set up a personal sewing space there.  It was like a mini private retreat!

I was only able to sew in the evenings after I got back to my room.  The first night I got all this done .....

..... and the next night a bunch more.  Imagine what I might get done in May in my "real" sewing room!

My 6 & 6 in 2018 goal for May is to make a throw sized quilt from batiks.  I'm using a pattern called "Hypnotic" from Brenda Henning's "Strip Therapy 2."  These two blocks will make an interesting secondary pattern when the rows are put together.

Here's hoping that life will settle down a bit, I'll stay on track with my goals, and May will be productive.  Especially since June is already shaping up to be a real mess!

Fabric Added in April  -   11.0 yards

Fabric Used in April  -    36 yards 

Fabric Added Year to Date  -   19.5 yards

Fabric Used Year to Date  -   72.6 yards

Net Fabric Used in 2018  -  53.1 yards

Scrappy Strings Progress

I've made a dent (a teeny, tiny one) in my strings basket since I started making blocks last week for Covered in Love.  It's been kind of fun to do some basically mindless sewing.  Mainly because there's no dreaded math involved!

The strings basket was an overflowing mess.

I just started pulling out strings and scraps, ironing them, and stacking them into piles.  A lot of piles.

I got tired of that and got back to sewing blocks.  Added to the blocks I made last week, I have 20 blocks to mail to Kat and Cat for the block drive.

I didn't even come close to using up all the pieces stacked up in these piles, but I feel like I made some pretty good progress.  Especially when I look at the strings basket now. Dare I hope?

I'm linking up with Confessions of a Quilting Addict 

Strings Galore

Another one of my goals for 2018 is to set aside a week out of each month to work on donation quilts.  Kat's Covered in Love project provides comfort quilts to the families of East Texas hospital patients who have passed away.  For this year's block drive they are asking for 10.5" string blocks with no restrictions on colors or prints.  (If you're interested in sending a few blocks their way check out the details HERE.)

For the foundations I'm using up some fabrics I doubt I will ever use for anything else.  You know - those fabrics you don't know what you were thinking when you bought them, or those mystery pieces you don't even remember having at all.  Starting with a center strip and then using the flip-and-sew method I added strings working towards the corners.

They look like a real mess, not only from the fronts .....

..... but also from the backs. 

Until they're trimmed.

I finished ten blocks this week, but I hope to have more made before the end of next month when I mail them off.

I'll try to incorporate some not-so-bright pieces in the rest of the blocks.  Oh, who am I kidding?  No, I won't!

I'm getting my Whoop Whoop on and linking up with Confessions of a Fabric Addict.  Check out some of the other bloggers' work there!

Also linking up with Oh Scrap! at Quilting is More fun that Housework.