Neutral Summer: A Finished Quilt

This past summer (2018) I participated in the Summer Sampler 2018. I challenged myself to use mostly scraps and to do the quilt entirely in neutrals (black, white and grey) because I love to use colour and it would push me to think differently about each block in terms of contrast.

The finished result delights me and my mom claimed it almost immediately.

Here is Neutral Summer:

 The impact of the neutral pallet is, I think, pretty powerful. I had some trouble with those hourglass filler blocks at first because they were reading too dark so I switched some of the colours and was much happier.

 The backing is just a grey I found for a reasonable price at Lens Mills and though I usually like a pieced backing my mother does not. 

I quilted it using straight-ish horizontal lines which was simple but effective. Especially considering the size of the quilt (80" x 80") it made sense to be practical rather than too decorative. That is a big quilt!

2019 Goals

So what are my plans for 2019? Last year I managed to accomplish every. single. goal. Wow! I am impressed with that. Maybe I can do the same in 2019!

Here are my goals:

1) Finish my Summer Sampler 2018. The top is all finished and I have the batting. I just need to buy some backing (7 yards of it!) and it is already spoken for. My mom hinted very strongly that she sure would like this one. So to Mom it goes!

2) Finish my Polaroid quilt. This top is made, and so is the backing. It is one of the one I will be basting at my friend A's house this week. I LOVE LOVE LOVE it and it isn't going anywhere. (Except nowhere near the dog).

3) Finish the quilt I started for my older daughter's teacher as her year end gift (end of June). The top and backing are made. This will be basted on Thursday.

4) Finish the quilt my now-10-year-old made when she was seven so I can donate it. It is quite the colour combination but she has lost total interest and with very little work it can be finished and donated.
5) Make a Stack quilt for my younger daughter's ECE. I haven't picked the fabric yet but I am dying to make a Stack quilt so I am excited. 

6) Make a Banner Year quilt for my younger daughter's Junior Kindergarten teacher. I haven't pulled this fabric yet either, but there is so much potential.

7) Make a Meadowland quilt for my best friend who is getting married in September. I have a fabric pull for it but I think I need to beef it up some more. Stay tuned for progress on this one!

8) Speaking of that wedding, I need to make about 70 fabric succulent pots for her wedding favours. Yikes! Wish me luck!

9) I have a whole bunch of Lizzy House fabric squares all cut. I want to add the newest Constellations fabric and then make a basic patchwork Lizzy House quilt with each square being different!

10) I have a bunch of red and white HSTs ready to sew into a baby quilt to donate.

11) I also have a bunch of turquoise and grey HSTs to sew into a baby quilt, also to donate.

12) I have assigned myself a BOM using the Doctor Who pattern from Quiet Play and A Joyful Fox. I will make one doctor a month (and hopefully she will make a Thirteenth Doctor before 2019 is out!)

13) I won a bunch of book cover blocks at West End Modern Quilt guild and had already cut fabric to make a ton more for a book quilt for my uncle.

14) Speaking of West End Modern Quilt guild, they are doing a BOM too, so I will participate in that. I'm hoping to do it in 100% scraps (with the exception of the background fabric).

15) A Sew Together bag for my mom. She saw the one I made for my MIL and commented on how much she liked it. I am thinking for her birthday in May.

And those are my goals! I think they are achievable, though I need to find a way to baste in my own house. Oh, which I guess brings me to:

16) Repair the three quilts my dumb dog damaged. Already almost done repairing my Christmas tree quilt. The one I made my husband for our anniversary is a much more serious case. And my quilt made of tiny text fabric squares just needs a binding repair. Note: Puppies and quilts do not mix! 

Summer Sewing

Despite having a busy summer I did find time to sew. I have several that are nearing finishes but I thought I would track a bit of what I have been up to!

My Aviatrix Medallion is almost done! I just need to get the binding on it and then it is going right on my bed!

I had it quilted because I was worried that I would mess it up. I chose an edge to edge pattern and Quilting by Design quilted it for me.

The binding is ready to go on. It is the same fabric as the backing, an Alison Glass fabric from my favourite of her lines, Ex Libris.

I have also been hard at work on my Polaroid quilt. The top is actually all finished and I just need to get the backing made. I even have the batting ready to go!

I also have been enjoying Summer Sampler 2018. You receive a new travel-inspired block pattern every Monday. This coming Monday, September 10, will be the last of the blocks. I have managed to make every block on time! I challenged myself to do them in neutrals (blacks, white, grey) and with scraps. It has been such a good exercise for my creative brain! Here are the first blocks!

I will have to decide how I want to finish this one up.

I also did LOTS and LOTS of fabric purchasing this summer. I mean, that is not unusual but I am definitely ready for a fast. From September 1 to January 1 I will not buy any fabric with the following rules: 
1) I can preorder Lizzy House Constellations. She is THE designer for me and she is not even designing fabric anymore so I absolutely need her to add to my giant stash of LH.
2) My guild has a shop hop on October 20. I will try to be modest but to not be able to buy anything will make it much less fun.
3) I can buy materials that are required to finish a project. Batting, more of a solid that I need, zippers, fusible, etc. If it is for a specific project that can't be completed without that then I can buy it.
4) Spending gift cards doesn't count.

I think the just because buying will be shut down with this fast but note that I have many preorders arriving in the next few weeks because of preorders so I will still be showing lots of pretty on my Instagram account!

Hope everyone else has been getting lots of sewing done!