Goals for June...

Well... we are half way through the year and I am ready to throw my Goal List out the window!!  Life got in the way this month and my list of things to do didn't get checked off as I had hoped!  Isn't it funny...goals are GREAT as long as everything on the list gets checked off!  Once you falter, slip or out and out FALL, you want to toss that list right out the window! But let's persevere...

1. Clam Shell Quilt..my goal is to add TWO rows of shells each month.  This month it just didn't happen...the two rows got prepped and the first row got tacked down ready for stitching...but that was it!  I now have FOUR rows to do next month!  UGH!!

2.  The Winter Wonderland Sew Along...the blocks are NOW an official TOP! ...I finished off all of the wool applique...even those darn snowflakes...which took me forever to stitch down!  But they got done and the quilt is NOW ready for machine quilting...which will be part of next month's goal!  If I was a better blogger I would have pressed this before taking a picture!!  But it's still stinking cute!  (Maybe if I hang it up, the snow will cool down my sewing room!:o)

3. 'Where the Cows Come Home' Block THREE...done!!

The  'Home for the Holidays' block is finished and is sew sweet...for a total of three blocks done!  Now onto block #4!

4.  My goal for June was to Quilt and Bind the 'Secret Quilt'...YES, it's finished and is no longer a secret!!  It was gifted to my great niece for her high school graduation gift!  I wish I had a better quilt holder :o)...but you get the idea. A royal blue print binding went all around the quilt. It was a big quilt (needing two people to hold it up!)...the pattern is from Moda Bake Shop and the fabric is called 'Horizon' by Kate Spain!  LOVE the fabric...and love the pattern!  I will definitely be making this quilt again!

And of course, it got a label....

 Goal 5. Finish off a UFO...well...I finally got the borders on the 'Buds in a Basket' quilt...and I have decided to Big Stitch Hand Quilt it.  So it will be going on 'the rack' in July!

 And a close-up of my buds!

The other UFO that I worked on was this oldie!  It's been in my cupboard FOREVER... so I finished cutting the 45 degree blocks out of the rest of the striped fabric and sewed them together. To my dismay, I  discovered that the quilt just wasn't big enough...and I only had small snippets of striped fabric left!  So I pulled out my yarn dyed Diawabo and Diamond Textile fabrics and found that they were the perfect fabrics to add to this quilt.  They gave it more texture and a spark of much needed colour, plus the addition of these blocks make the quilt lap size...maybe even bigger than lap size!  The blocks are now in rows and I will experiment with borders when the time comes.  My goal in July is get this into a topper..and then get it quilted!

                                                         

6. Finish the WEDDING QUILT was my main goal for this month...and YES, it got DONE...well almost DONE!!  Hazel did a beautiful job quilting it, the binding is hand stitched down...and I also put a quilt sleeve on the back just in case the Bride and Groom decide to hang it...although it is BIG! The label is ready for stitching but that won't take long to do ...then we just need the wedding, which is in JULY!  Yup, my quilting daughter is getting married...we are now down to counting DAYS...EIGHTEEN DAYS to be exact!! (I will post pictures of the quilt after the bride and groom receive it...but here is a snippet!)

7. Wee Houses...I LOVE making these houses...ten more got added for a total of 62 of the 4 1/2" houses...

No...they aren't wonky...they just need a good pressing...:o)

                                 

And these ten got added to the mix to form a whole village...almost a town!

And this is the GRAVY....I continued to work on my Orange Peel blocks whenever I got a minute or two!  The secret is to have them prepped and ready to go!  They go with me when I go to Heritage Quilting on Mondays or when I am a passenger in the car.  All of those stitches add up!  Twelve blocks finished!

 WELL...after writing this and after reflecting on what got done...and what didn't get done...I realized that I need more balance between my sewing machine projects and hand work projects!  This month I needed to be an octopus to get all that hand stitching done!  There was way more hand stitching than there was piecing, cutting, creating!  Two bindings, applique and all that wool work will do it to you...and my clam shells suffered because of it!  Oh well...all in all, it was a great month!  
What about YOU?  Did you achieve your goals this month?

I say bring on July...It's going to be a fantastic month!

Have a terrific Tuesday and Happy Stitching!~P