2020 Mid-Year Check-in

Yvonne @Quiltingjetgirl is hosting a mid-year checkpoint for 2020.  Such a strange year it has been - a year where each day seems like the one before and much of what I (and everyone else) planned to do has been cancelled.

So what has been accomplished in 2020 so far?

Before the pandemic was truly upon us, I enjoyed a wonderful trip to QuiltCon in Ashville.

There are also over 100 masks I never expected to make.  I've lost count on the actual number and stopped taking photos of them long ago.  My extended family prefers this style and I make them to allow for a filter pocket.  I've made several of the more fitted style but apparently haven't taken any photos.

A number of finishes - two of these are laps sized while the rest are baby sized or smaller.  I just love the explosion of color in the this photo!

Kristin and I ran a successful QAL focus on hand piecing.  We called the pattern Book Club and named the blocks after characters in our favorite novels.

My quilt Astro was a Modern Quilt Guild quilt of the month.

Image credit: Modern Quilt Guild

I've played with scraps to make this Ombre pillow, this table runner, and these bags plus I've played with cork - so fun -  and made these zip bags.

I've also got some other projects underway that are designed to take awhile - my 2020 temperature quilt, my hand pieced stretched hexies, and my (now completed) 100 day project.

Reflecting back has turned out to be a positive exercise - I've got more to show for the year than I expected.  When the year began, I gave myself a set of goals.  How am I doing?

Create

• Participate in a group quilt for submission to QuiltCon 2021- Nothing on this one yet besides making blocks for our guilds submission to the charity challenge
• Submit new quilt design for publish - have a second quilt publish coming out soon, nothing yet submitted for 2021
• Improve my design skills through weekly challenges - some progress on this
• Keep pushing my boundaries on color  - some progress on this

Motivation and Inspiration (my blog tag line)

• Collaborate with other quilters/bloggers on a project  - Book Club QAL for the win!
• Encourage participation in One Monthly Goal - some progress
• Figure out how the purpose of the ESQ Facebook group - No action
• Publish tutorials at least quarterly - On target for this - there were several tutorials with the QAL and I've another one planned for the summer.

Improve my skills

• Practice and perfect a new FMQ design - no progress on this
• Practice my photography flat shot - no progress on this
• Do more with the fabric I already own - oddly enough, the pandemic is helping me attain this goal as I am just using stash
• Improve my technique in quilting - it's all about the curve!

I'll be linking up here.

Have a wonderful day! Patty

Marathon Quilt

The Grandfather Mountain Marathon takes place each July, starting in Boone, NC and running up the mountain.   My husband ran this race quite a few times.  The race was cancelled this year just like everything else.

The design does not represent the 26.2 miles to scale (clearly!) but the ups and downs represent the various changes in elevation across the course.  The 3 black lines are at 3500 feet, 4000 feet, and 4500 feet.

This quilt was made as a gift to thank someone associated with running of the race.  The design was lifted right from a race shirt.   I first traced the design and then scaled it up.

The quilting lines are on the diagonal to further emphasize the changes in elevation.

This quilt was a fun quilt project.  I enjoyed the chance to do some applique and play with the basic alphabet on my machine.

Quilt finishes 11'' x 16''.

Hope they like it!

Have a wonderful day! Patty

One Monthly Goal July Finish Link-up

Ready to link up your July finishes?

Don't panic - this link-up is open until July 31 at 11:55 pm ET.

My goal for July was to finish the hand quilting on my Carnival quilt.  Quilt is done and I love it!  You can see more photos here.

Now it is your turn to link-up!

There will be three winners this month - Fat Quarter Shop is offering a $25 gift certificate, Aurifil will be sending a thread pack to one lucky winner, and Quiltfolk  is offering a one year subscription to their magazine!

Congratulations to Edith, Rose, and Karen - our lucky winners for July! (updated 8/4)

Visit the One Monthly Goal event page for the specific requirements for links and social tags. 

And remember, to be eligible for the prize(s) by random drawing you must linkup at both the goal setting and the accomplishment linkup in a given month. (July Goal Setting Link-up.)

Make sure you add a link to this OMG post so others can follow where you are linking.   Let's make that easy -  just paste this into your post:  

Elm Street Quilts One Monthly Goal - July Finish Link-up

Sign up to receive email notifications when the One Monthly Goal linkup is open.  Think of it as a helpful reminder!  Joining the link-up from Instagram -see the tutorial.

You are invited to the Inlinkz link party!

Click here to enter

Thanks for linking up!

Have a wonderful day! Patty