Third Quarter Recap and Going Dark. . . Maybe

Lone star quilting in process

My third quarter goals were:

1. Clean and organize my studio. I thought that I could do this in a month. I rather doubt that I can do it in a quarter; but, I plan to make a little progress each week.

2. Keep up with the blocks in the Temperature quilt for 2022. It takes me about two hours to put one block into the top. I have four rows to add to the top. I didn't add those rows as I started because I thought it would be easier to add two rows each month once I got to July than it would be to add one block at a time. I have learned it is easier to add more block at a time. This will be my TV project.

✔3. Finish the 2022 Bonnie Hunter Mystery--I'm down to the binding, sleeve and label. This is one that I want to give to a four time bronze star Vietnam Veteran. I would like to give it as a Quilt of Valor. I need to reach out to the contact near me and learn what the steps are to complete this task.

A portion of the completed studio clean up

✔4. Begin quilting the Lone Star quilt. It is ready to be quilted. I need to get started on it! Perhaps, this will be my August monthly goal---to ditch quilt it.

5. Help my granddaughter finish her project. I learned earlier this week that the gal where I was longarming, is no longer renting her machine. Perhaps, using the walking foot on my domestic machine will work out for her. She is eight and it will be important that she make progress quickly.

✔6. Help my eight year old granddaughter make a swimsuit. My granddaughter didn't stitch her suit. I decided if the suit was to be used this year, I'd better stitch it myself. 

Book club project 

✔7. Fully finish the cross stitch projects I began in London. One will be a Christmas ornament and the other. . .was destined to be a refrigerator ornament. .  .maybe it will
and maybe it will become something else.

✔8. Catch up with the Rainbow Scrap Challenge. I enjoy looking through my scraps and coming up with the blocks. Some months, I "get" to stretch myself because I have little in that color way! Yesterday, I finished  cutting the colored pieces for the months that I'm behind. Before I left on my trip, I cut all the backgrounds. Now, I have "kits" to sew one of these days!

I had a great quarter and had I not been rear ended on September ninth, I likely would have made even more progress. At the beginning of September, I began planning my fourth quarter goals.

My Fourth Quarter goals are were:

1. Finish quilting the Lone Star Quilt. 

2. Continue with my studio reorganize. I started this project in July and it's been a long arduous journey. There will be "thinning"; but, for this first pass it's all about excavation!

Make a quilt out of some of these flannel scraps

3. Finish the Book club quilt

4. Help my granddaughters make progress on their quilt projects. These are the churn dash top and the Rainbow Scrap Challenge string blocks.

5. Make a couple swimsuits for myself.

6. Make a flannel baby quilt from Martha's scraps.

7. Post about the guild challenge project.

8. Determine the block for the RSC for 2023 as well as a temperature block.

Guild challenge

Since my car accident, I have been unable to machine stitch. I can't sit at the machine and hold my arms to feed fabric without causing neck and back pain. I am slowly improving. Some days, I'm able to live with the headache pain without Alleve. The numbness in my fingers and thumbs is less noticeable. Last week, I had an acupuncture treatment and a cold laser treatment during my last chiropractic appointment. All have been helpful in a small way. While the improvements are heartening, I'm not stitching. If I'm not stitching, I'm not able to move toward my goals which is so disheartening. 

So. . .I'm not making any fourth quarter goals. Gertie, my inner squirrel, has hibernated. Other than my temperature quilt which I can work on each day as a hand project, nothing is happening on the sewing front. Sigh. . . .

Earlier this week, I decided to take a break from posting on my blog because there is so little "material" to share. I was sad to be going dark. I planned to continue reading blogs and leaving comments as that is a great way to stay connected to the quilting community. Bonnie Hunter will releasing the fabric colors for her next mystery soon. I sure want to participate in that mystery. 

I had hope to return in a couple of months as I'm determined to machine quilt and piece again! This morning, however, I felt a bit of a spark. Yesterday, I traveled about two hours to watch our alma mater play a football game. After the game, we drove home. It was a long day; however, I am only a bit more sore than I am on any other day. Perhaps, there is a chance that I can be successful at machine sewing in the next week or two. I'm willing to try. 

I do have one more post that I can write about a project I finished in August; but, couldn't share until after next week. Let's see what happens. Fingers crossed!!!!

In the meantime, I'm linking up to Cynthia and Oh Scrap/Quilting Is More Fun Than Housework.