Grand Illusion Quilt Top Done!

I'm happy dancing!  My Grand Illusion top is done at last!  I don't have a place big enough to lay it out and get a good picture, but here it is:

 

 

 

 

Linking up with Sarah:  http://confessionsofafabricaddict.blogspot.com/2015/01/can-i-get-whoop-whoop-time-for-another.html

  Amanda Jean: http://crazymomquilts.blogspot.com/2015/01/a-new-bedroom-floor.html

and Pink Doxies:

http://pinkdoxies.blogspot.com/2015/01/linky-party-pet-project-show.html

 

 

 

 

 

Grand Illusion Progress

Here's what I have done so far on Grand Illusion.

You can't really tell from this picture, but the rows across are all that is sewn.  This is a wild quilt. When I make a Bonnie Hunter mystery, I like to use up odd ball scraps.  This time I had to buy some orange.  The rest of the quilt is from my stash.

 

In my mind, a mystery quilt is a crap shoot.  You don't know what you'll get, and you will like some mystery quilts more than others.  It bothered me to hear unkind criticism of this pattern.  This pattern was a free gift.  How should you react when you open a gift?  You say 'Thank you!'  You don't say 'This really isn't my taste. I'd like another style or color'.  And if you are compelled to say something like that, you don't post it online where the person who has created the pattern and given it to you for free is likely to see it. 

 

  There are kind ways to critique, and there are unkind ways.  One of my child's teachers used to teach, 'three pats and a wish'.  The kids needed to say 3 things they liked before they said the one thing they wished was different.  I think we need to be gentle, especially when we critique something someone has made.

 

To see more design walls:  http://www.patchworktimes.com/2015/01/12/design-wall-january-12-2015/

 

Stash Report and Tokyo Subway Quilt

I bought six fat quarters to use for specific objects and books in my new POD quilt.  I used up a bunch of my white-on-whites and silver-on-whites in my Grand Illusion mystery quilt and need fabric appropriate for Hedwig and the crystal ball. 

 Used This Week:  0 yards                                                    
Used Year to Date: 0yards 
Added this week:  1.5 yards 
Added year to date: 10.5 yards
 Net Added:  10.5 yards

I don't have any pictures of my current work, and I'm out of town today, so I can't get a picture of what I've been working on.  But I try to put some sort of picture in every post, so here's my Tokyo Subway quilt.  I finished it in 2011, but forgot to get a picture before I gave it away. 

I've seen some discussion about quilters making quilts that aren't appreciated by their recipients.  If you want to make sure your quilt is loved, give it to another quilter.  My friend cried when I gave her this quilt.  And when she left the country a year ago on vacation, she brought me her heirloom jewelry and gave me the quilt back to keep for her while she was gone. 

To see more stash reports:  http://www.patchworktimes.com/2015/01/11/fabric-report-week-2-2015/

POD Block

I finished the embroidery on another POD block tonight.  In case you can't tell, that red object is a phoenix feather.

 

Broken Balls: When Fortune Turns Foul; Advanced Potion-Making; Dragon Breeding for Pleasure and Profit; Little People, Big Plans;  Advanced Rune Translation

 

Just one more block in the body of the bookshelf to go.  Then I need to work on the objects that sit on top of the bookshelf.  The end is in sight!  In 2 days, we start the POD sew along.

 

 

Adding to the New Year's Goals

When I made my New Year's goals list a couple of days ago, I totally forgot about a few things.  In addition to the following list and the 2 quilts for my brother's kids,  I need to add the next mystery quilt by Charlotte.  That one is already cut out.  I'd also like to make a quilt for my oldest son. He is using a loaner of mine that I'd like to get back someday. I also have one obligation project, a quilting round robin that needs to be mailed out in February.

1.  Finish Gypsy Wife
2. Finish Carolina Christmas
3. Finish Grand Illusion
4. Finish POD2
5. Finish one recycled fabric quilt
6. Continue working on Wild and Goosey
7. Start Turkey Tracks quilt
8.  Keep up with POD3
9. Optional:  another One Block Wonder quilt

That's a lot of quilting.  Maybe this should be my list for the next 18 months!

Grand Illusion Progress

I've gotten all the blocks together for Grand Illusion.

 

Here's a close up of my fabrics.  My GI is going to be super busy, and unlike a lot of GI quilts I've seen, I'm not going to do anything to calm it down.  My sashing is orange!

 

To see more GIs:  http://quiltville.blogspot.com/2015/01/mystery-monday-link-up-part-6.html

 

To see other design walls: http://www.patchworktimes.com/2015/01/05/design-wall-january-5-2015/

Stash Report and New Year's Goals

I ordered 9 yards of fabric last week, and it arrived after my last stash report of 2014.  I got background fabric for my next Project of Doom quilt.  I don't really need another POD quilt, but I can't pass up a Harry Potter sew along.  I think they are doing one block a week but can't remember the details.  Here's my background: 

 

I like the black background I've been using on POD2, but it has presented some problems since it is so dark.  I think dark items like the witch's hat and Harry's glasses will show up on this new background. 

 

I also bought some yellow and orange fabrics because I'm always running out of them.  At $5 and $3.5 a yard, I couldn't pass them up!

 

 

Used This Week:  0 yards                                                    
Used Year to Date: 0yards 
Added this week:  9 yards 
Added year to date: 9 yards
 Net Added:  9 yards

To see other stash reports:  http://www.patchworktimes.com/2015/01/04/fabric-report-week-1-2015/

I've thought about New Year's quilting resolutions, but instead of resolutions, I'm just going to set some goals.
1.  Finish Gypsy Wife
2. Finish Carolina Christmas
3. Finish Grand Illusion
4. Finish POD2
5. Finish one recycled fabric quilt
6. Continue working on Wild and Goosey
7. Start Turkey Tracks quilt
8.  Keep up with POD3
9. Optional:  another WBW quilt

By 'finish', I mean finish sewing the tops together.  If they all get quilted this year, it probably means I've won the lottery.  I don't quilt my own tops. It isn't something I enjoy, so I don't do it.

If my brother adopts two more kids, I will need to make them each a quilt too.

I have 2 big cross stich projects that have stalled out (Sleepy Hollow and VS Gingerbread House).  I would like to get at least one of them done.  That's probably overly ambitious, but let's just see how it goes. 

I want to increase my baseline steps from 10,000 a day to 10,500.  That should not be a big deal because I usually get 11,000-13,000 steps a day.  But it is hard to do in the winter, so I'll need to more aware of my activity level. 

I also want to break even this year with my fabric in vs. fabric out.  If I get all those tops put together, I'll probably be ok.