July Goal for ALYOF

I haven't' participated in this shaming, er, encouraging linky party since January when I had my Scraps of Calm as my goal, and succeeded.  Since then, I've been focusing on the quarterly goals list for Adrianne at On the Windy Side...clearing of throat...and not succeeding quite as well. In Q2, of 9 projects, I got 5 finished, one of which was 2 days past the deadline.  I digress.

Here is my project for the month for ALYOF at Sew Bittersweet Designs:

I made my mum this bag from the Premiere Issue, 2005, of Quilts 'n More.  I made myself one, my aunts each one, my sister, a few friends; in short I made a lot of these bags.  My mum has loved and used hers until it literally is falling apart.  I replaced the handles once, but when she was here in May, she said she really could use a new one.  A good friend of mine bought this fabric for me to use in a quilt for my mum, but I found a different one I liked more, which I used and made for her 70th birthday.  This has sat on the shelf since.  So it is now going to grow up into the outside of the new bag.  I have to go shopping in my stash for a lining and maybe a contrasting band as per the pattern...maybe not.  Anyhow, I hope to get this done asap, since I know how often she uses the other (or maybe she can't now with it falling to shreds...) At 10 years old, I'd say she got her use out of it!

In other news, I got my fabric all cut for Part 1 of Cheryl's Mystery Quilt.

Looking good...

 Saw these on my walk with Rocco the other day, known as trumpet vine.  Stunning.

subconsciously they might have been the inspiration for this mystery quilt colour

Breath-taking for sure, they climb up poles 30 feet into the air.

Yesterday MacGyver and I tackled the bobbles/jumps in the track on Avril.  He got one pretty much gone, yay.  Of course, I had to load some muslin to find the exact spots, and also so he could run the machine (yep!  I got him to quilt something!) to get the exact feel of how sudden a jump/grab it can be.  We ran diagnostics too.  I got my Karlee Porter on (always wanted to play with her graffiti quilting style).

I looked at pictures of her stuff for inspiration.  Some are based on her designs, tried Kathleen's swirls with pebbles (I call them bracelets), and even invented a few of my own motifs, "QUILT" bubble letters, and the two pale blue semi-circular motifs, tried some zentangle, did some feathers, and Angela's flame feather...just had fun...well not all the time. I had major tension issues and spent 40 minutes ripping all the green.  Found that the needle was jammed in really tight for some reason (Mac to the rescue with his pliers to pull it out, that was weird; don't recall hitting anything) and then I found a thread of the rayon in the bobbin area somewhere...actually it kinda "appeared" when I was brushing it out really really good... Popped in a new bobbin of The Bottom Line, and away we went.  I'm still not totally pleased with my precision, but I have to slap that perfectionist witch down, right?  What am I doing with this, 18X40" piece?  No clue.  Maybe bind it and pin tack it onto the wall in my basement corner.

Finally I got the quilt-on-feet shot of my Auntie Phyl's quilt, Blue Ribbon Stars, this afternoon with the sun on it so hopefully some of the quilty crinkly goodness will show now that it's been washed and dried.  I'm having a very hard time letting this baby go... which is a good sign, I know.

Linking up at Patchwork Times for Design Wall Monday.  Lots of great quilty ideas there.  Like I need more...I have to write my Q3 FAL post yet with that list!