Tag: Penguin Party quilt

#craftygoals: November 2026

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October was chockful of goodness and fun! It didn’t leave a whole lot of time for crafting, but I snuck in a little bit of work, so I’m happy. We had a great time with homecoming, cross country races, and Halloween, and I was still able to finish the small crafty goals I set!

Debrief: October’s #craftygoals

  • Penguin Party Quilt: Sent it to the quilter AND got it back! It’s currently chillin’ on the craft room floor in a wadded-up pile because, no matter where I put it, someone moves it to the floor.
    • BONUS: Layer Cake Crepe Quilt: When I was pulling the Penguin Party quilt out of the UFO pile, the Layer Cake Crepe quilt fell out of the pile and I decided to just bite the bullet and send it off to the quilter as well. So that’s quilted, too! Two Christmas quilts, just in need of binding!
  • Rachel’s Graduation Signature Quilt: I finished the pencil crayon top! Yay! I need to appliqué a couple of straggler signature blocks to the quilt backing and then I can send it to the quilter as well.
  • Husband Christmas Socks: They are finished and blocked and hiding in the secret handmade Christmas gift hiding spot.

November #craftygoals

Time-Sensitive Things That Need Working on ASAP:

Band Vests: Our band director asked if I could organize some volunteers to reinforce the stitching on the band’s concert vests, so I have been minding that for the past couple of weeks. I’ve finished my buttons, but I kept all the vests that were missing some buttons as well. The kids will need to go through the upcoming concert in vests with missing buttons, but I’ll get them back afterwards and attach the new buttons that just arrived in the mail the other day.

Things to Work on after the ASAP Projects:

Machine-Stitching:

  • Penguin Party Quilt: I’d like to finish this completely before Thanksgiving so it can go on Renaissance’s bed the Saturday after Thanksgiving when we do our traditional “remake the beds with Christmas linens!”
  • Layer Cake Crepe Quilt: It’d be nice to finish this up and enjoy it this year.
  • Rachel’s Graduation Signature Quilt: It’d be nice to get this sent off to the quilter. Need to do that appliqué for that to happen.

Hand-Stitching:

  • Husband Christmas Socks: Once Christmas decorations are up I’m hoping to get the photography and blog posts written and scheduled for these so I can wrap them and not worry about them anymore.
  • Gingerbread Christmas Socks: I had to give up on Project Snickerdoodle because it was just not going to work, so I’ve pivoted to an adorable pattern that came out last year that I saved for some future moment. I don’t know if I’ll get them done by Christmas, but they are so much fun to work on because they elicit a lot of Christmas cheer!
In-progress image of Drops Design Gingerbread Love socks made with Knit Picks Stroll fingering-weight yarn.

Summary of November #craftygoals:

  • Finish reinforcing and replacing the Band Vest buttons.
  • Completely finish the Penguin Party quilt before Thanksgiving
  • Completely finish the Layer Cake Crepe quilt
  • Get Rachel’s Graduation Signature Quilt sent off to the quilter.
  • Write and schedule posts for the Husband Christmas Socks.
  • Have fun working on the Gingerbread Man socks.

Enjoy this catch-yer-breath month of gratitude and coziness before the real fun of Christmas begins!

Needles, Thread, and Halloween Dread (Just a Little!)

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Another week in October is DONE and it was another busy one: Donation pick-ups for the band fundraiser, setting up volunteers to sew/reinforce buttons on band uniforms, various doctor appointments for the kids, the Cross Country Leagues race, dinner with my granny and aunt…all good things.

Freshly-Quilted Quilts!

I picked up the freshly-quilted Penguin Party and Layer Cake Crepe quilts from the quilter and they look FABULOUS. I was pleasantly surprised, as was the quilter, that the Layer Cake Crepe quilt turned out so well…it’s kind of a boring pattern, but when you get the quilting done on it, it really starts to sing! I’m looking forward to binding those soon!

Rachel’s Graduation Quilt

I even managed to sneak in some sewing and I am ecstatic to report that the top and backing of Rachel’s Graduation Signature Quilt are pretty much DONE! I thought they were done-done, but then remembered I still have to appliqué a couple of late signature blocks to the quilt.

ASAP Projects

But I can’t get to any of those quilts until I finish up two projects: The Ward Harvest Party Chili Cook-Off Champion apron and the Band vests’ buttons.

Chili Cook-Off Champion Apron

The Ward Harvest (really: Halloween) Party is this week, and we always have a chili cook-off competition at the same time. I’m a huge fan of friendly competition, so I suggested we award some sort of prize with low-key bragging rights and volunteered to make Champion aprons for our various cooking competitions throughout the year. I made one for the cobbler contest we had at our Pioneer Day BBQ and it turned out super cute! I decided to go more gender-neutral on the chili apron because I think we’ll get a lot of guys participating and rick-rak isn’t a favored look by that demographic.

I was having a hard time motivating myself to work on the apron last week because I want to finish Rachel’s graduation quilt, and eventually I had to crowdsource some motivation from my family: Renaissance offered to “bully” me by refusing to watch the series we’re working through together UNLESS I was working on the chili apron. Worked wonders. Something went a little wonky with vinyl placement–shocker (vinyl is not my preferred creative medium!)–so I need to create and cut another little bit of the illustration to fill in an empty spot, but then it’ll be done.

Band Vest Button Reinforcements

The band vests aren’t that big of a deal, but they popped up out of nowhere and it’s just another thing I’m keeping tabs on until they’re done. Our director noticed that the buttons were wearing through their attaching stitches and asked if it was something we could fix before it became a bigger problem. I threw together a Facebook post asking for sewing volunteers. Some people offered to help, I told Nathaniel to bring the vests home from school, and the volunteers came to my house to pick up their assigned vests. No biggie. Love being part of a community that helps!

I did notice some vests were missing buttons, so I’ve taken over those particular ones. Of course, they’re satin-covered buttons that match the vests’ golden-butterscotch color, but I just got off the phone with the company that made the vests and it turns out you can just order the buttons from them. They will be here sometime next week and I’ll reattach them then.

Another Christmas Knitting Project

I also decided to throw prudence to the wind and commit to another Christmas gift project, but discovered that I didn’t own the correctly-sized knitting needles for it. So I ordered those, and they’re set to arrive sometime this week.

Last-Minute Halloween Preparations

Oh, and it’s Halloween Week, duh. So I need to be working on Michael’s and my costumes for the Halloween party, and our trunk-or-treat setup. Might go super simple, might go super creative and awesome. It will really depend on how this week goes.

Last Week’s Progress:

  • Picked up Penguin Party and Layer Cake Crepe quilts.
  • Finished piecing the top of Rachel’s Graduation Quilt.
  • Almost finished the Chili Cook-off Champion apron.
  • Distributed Band vests to sewing volunteers, ordered replacement buttons.

This Week’s Goals:

  • Finish Chili Cook-off Champion apron.
  • Halloween costume creation.
  • Create Trunk-or-Treat decorations.
  • Ward Harvest Party miscellaneous creations.
  • Reinforce Band vest buttons while waiting for replacement buttons.
  • Maybe start working on the new Secret Christmas Knitting Project. I need a good codename for this one…I think I’ll call it “Project Snickerdoodle.” I don’t know if I can pull this off in the time left before Christmas, but the beauty of knitting is that it doesn’t go bad. If I completely miss this year’s deadline, it can always be a gift next year.
    • Milestones I’ll need to hit if I want to finish this in time for Christmas:
      • Oct 26-Nov 1: 13% done
      • Nov 2-8: 25% done
      • Nov 9-15: 38% done
      • Nov 16-22: 50% done
      • Nov 23-29: 63% done
      • Nov 30-Dec 6: 75% done
      • Dec 7-13: 88% done
      • Dec 14-20: 100% done
      • Dec 21-24: Blocking & wrapping

The UFOs are Calling, but so is EVERYTHING ELSE

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I’m just too busy to craft, y’all. Thankfully, I’m busy with good things, so I’ll keep the tiny violin-playing to a minimum, but man, I’m itching for some uninterrupted time in the craft room!

I did schedule a time to drop off the Penguin Party quilt in the upcoming week! And, whilst digging said quilt out of the UFO pile, the Layer Cake Crepe quilt fell out as well and I realized I also had the backing for it, so I think I’m going to drop it off as well. Two Christmas quilts!

I did sneak in time on the Husband Christmas Socks and we are almost to the point where I’ll start the toe decreases. SO CLOSE.

Other than that, not much crafting time. A lot of work is going into Band Boosters right now, and then I was asked if I’d be on the board for another parent support committee, so I was helping out with that until Michael asked me to decline the invitation. [insert sad face here] Lots is happening in my church callings as well with the upcoming Linger Longers, Halloween party, and non-stop social media duties. Busy, busy. Autumn is so much fun, but fun takes A LOT of work!

Cross Country is keeping not only Nathaniel, but Michael and me, very busy as well, but that’s normal. Nathaniel set a PR yesterday, so he’s quite pleased. We then went to watch his friend perform in a marching band competition and it was a nice way to spend a Saturday afternoon.

Things will calm down after a couple of weeks; once Cross Country season ends I’ll get my Saturdays back and that really helps me balance my life. I like the uninterrupted time with Michael and Nathaniel at those Saturday meets, but Saturdays are big work days around the house so all that work gets loaded onto weekdays and it can just feel like a lot while it’s happening. See you next week!

So Much for a Breezy Homecoming

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This last week went COMPLETELY SIDEWAYS! Lemme break it down…

Homecoming Chaos

I woke up last Sunday thinking I had homecoming completely under control. No dresses to make or hem, only a tie and corsage to purchase, and that was already done. Dinner and photos set up. This was going to be a BREEZE.

And then I went to church.

I caught up with the other two moms of the boys going to homecoming and found out that one of the boys’ dates was gluten-sensitive. The mom who had originally volunteered to host dinner at her house declared that she was really uncomfortable with feeding someone with a gluten sensitivity, and the other mom, who was already taking the photos, was super busy that day and also not completely comfortable with the responsibility of providing a gluten-free dining experience. So I volunteered to take over. I have a handful of friends with gluten intolerances whom I have fed in the past, so I knew I could handle it.

Alright, I could host a dinner for five teenagers. The theme of the dance was something like “Nights in Rio,” so I decided we’d go with something that would be easy to make gluten-free: Mexican-ish, which I could pass off, in the most white bread of ways, as Brazilian/South American. My husband loves to grill, so he said he’d make carne asada and fajita veggies. The other moms volunteered to bring the cilantro rice and fruit platter, and the grandmother of one of the boys heard of the theme and insisted I take a strawberry horchata drink mix home with me to serve them, which I thought was the cutest thing ever. That left me to prepare the beans, taco toppings, tortillas (wheat and corn), and desserts (which Renaissance took over). Renaissance made her now-famous pumpkin spice cupcakes (not gluten-free) because Nathaniel requested them, and then she also made Brazilian brigadeiros and pineapple-coconut sorbet.

I was thinking about what it would be like to be a teenage girl who just learned that she’d be having dinner at her date’s house, and I decided I wanted to make it a little fancier for them than “dinner at home” because, c’mon, it’s HOMECOMING. I decided to keep leaning into the “Nights in Rio” theme and turn my dining room into an elegant Brazilian(ish) restaurant.

I sent out a request on my ward’s Relief Society Facebook group to borrow anything that would support my vision and my sisters in Christ did not disappoint! Linens, serving ware, lighting, florals, greenery…I had ordered a few things from Amazon to decorate with, but ended up not using any of it because my dear friends came through so generously, down to the fairy lights and LED candles! This was SUCH a fun experience, and a reminder that we are all so much better off within a loving community. These ladies were so joyfully committed to giving these dear boys of ours a beautiful homecoming experience from start to finish, and I love them even more for all their help.

So, yeah, kind of chaotic, but it all worked out in the end.

BUT WAIT, I’m not finished!

Because I said CHAOS.

In my #craftygoals post I mentioned that I almost took the Penguin Party Quilt to the quilter’s house this week, but didn’t end up getting to that task.

You know why that was?

Oh, I’ll tell you. Because, in addition to setting up this charming homecoming dinner at home idea, I’m also the president of the band boosters and homecoming means a parade and halftime performance and all the logistics that go into that. But whatever, I’m old hat at this by now.

And then Wednesday happened.

I was working on the homecoming dinner plans and getting ready to reach out to the quilter to set up a time to drop off the Penguin Party quilt, when my phone buzzed with a text. I picked up my phone and saw that it was the Band Booster Board Members’ group chat.

. Secretary: My son just told me the homecoming football game is canceled tomorrow. ???

Me: LoL if that’s true because I just can’t .

. Secretary: He said the other team canceled the rest of their season.

I’ll spare you the rest of the panicked text conversation, but yes, ten minutes later there was an all-district alert sent out stating that our homecoming football game was called off because the other team had ended their season. THE DAY BEFORE our homecoming football game, we found out the opposing football team had canceled the rest of their season.

The school district made the decision to keep the parade on the books and move all the football-game-related stuff (homecoming royalty, marching band halftime performance) to the next football game, so we adjusted a few things surrounding the parade and went to work. The next day and a half involved a lot of texts, waiting for confirmations, and a general feeling of anxiety. But it went fine! Woo hoo!

Parade? Check.

Game? Canceled.

Dinner? Check. (So good…the carne asada smelled AMAZING and I think strawberry horchata is one of my new favorite things!)

Dance? Check.

Wandering around the house on Sunday in a comatose state? Double-check.

An excellent homecoming week, despite the obvious hiccups!

Crafting

As you can guess, not a lot of time for crafting. But since the Husband Christmas Socks live in a portable knitting bag, I have managed to sneak in a few rows here and there. We’re getting into the home stretch with these, I’m so excited!

I am really pining for some time to work on Rachel’s graduation quilt, but I don’t even remember the last time I was in the craft room.

I’m looking at my calendar for the upcoming week and I don’t think I’m going to find much time to work on creative pursuits this week, either. I need to break down all the homecoming decorations and return them, and it looks like this is THE week for planning meetings and rehearsals for a bunch of other stuff. A big life takes a lot of work! See you next week…maybe I’ll have finished up the socks by then?

No pictures because I’m feeling protective of our guests and don’t want to splash other people’s kids’ photos across the internet, and because the Husband Christmas Socks are a gift.

Rainbow Pencil Crayon quilt in-progress for an artist graduation

#craftygoals: October 2026

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I was sick for almost two weeks in September, so I lost out on a lot of creativity time, AND THEN there was homecoming, which took up a lot of time, which subtracted from sewing and knitting. To be fair, homecoming prep was a very creative endeavor, so I’m not upset about it; I had a grand ol’ time working on homecoming!

Debrief: September #craftygoals:

Rainbow Pencil Crayon quilt in-progress for an artist graduation
  1. Rachel’s Graduation Signature Quilt: I finished the backing with all the signatures. And I sewed up the individual pencil crayons and drawing lines.
  2. Husband Christmas Socks: The goal was to get through the heel and maybe some of the foot. I am definitely into the foot! Woo hoo, Me! I wish I could show you pictures of these!
  3. Penguin Party Quilt: The goal was to drop it off at the quilter’s house. It ALMOST happened. So close. I’ll explain more in my end-of-the-week post.
  4. Wonky Stars Baby Quilt: The goal, which was really just a wish by the beginning of last month, was to finish it and gift it. I still haven’t touched it. I think I may need to release my desire to make this project a reality.

October #craftygoals:

Time-Sensitive Things That Need Working on ASAP:

  • Penguin Party Quilt: Drop it off at the quilter’s house. It’s so late at this point that I may not make the Christmas deadline. Ugh!

Things to Work on After the ASAP Projects:

Machine Stitching:

  • Rachel’s Graduation Signature Quilt: I could conceivably finish piecing this quilt this month. I don’t know if I’m going to quilt it or send it out.

Knitting:                 

  • Husband Christmas Socks: I want these done before the end of the month and blocked. No one’s going to die if it doesn’t happen, but I’d have a lot of peace in my heart if I didn’t have a Christmas gift looming on my mind when November starts.

Summary of October’s Crafty Goals:

  • Penguin Party Quilt: Drop quilt off at the quilter’s house.
  • Rachel’s Graduation Signature Quilt: Finish the quilt top and move forward with the quilting. Possibly finish completely.
  • Husband Christmas Socks: Hopefully finish and block.
A Smitten English paper-pieced quilt in-progress.

#craftygoals: September 2026

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We’ve done it, y’all: We’ve arrived in the ‘Ber months! Woo hoo! It’s all about the cinnamon from now until the end of the year!

Debrief: August #craftygoals

Pencil crayon quilt blocks in red, yellow, green, blue and purple.

Rachel’s Graduation Signature Quilt: The signature backing just needs its top and bottom borders, and legitimate work has begun on the front of the quilt. My knee started acting up the last two weeks, so I haven’t done more with it since. Bah.

Husband Christmas Socks: Got to the heel of the second sock yesterday!

A Smitten English paper-pieced quilt in-progress.

Smitten EPP Quilt: This wasn’t technically on the August list of goals, but I pivoted to it when my knee started acting up and I’m happy to report I’m almost done with attaching all the rows to each other!

September #craftygoals

I’m looking at my calendar for September and I’m hesitant to commit to the idea of lots of crafty progress, given how much awesome back-to-school stuff we’ll have going on much of the month. However, if I were to have some #craftywishes, they’d be:

Penguin Party Quilt: Drop it off at the quilter’s house!

Wonky Stars Baby Quilt: This needs finishing, ASAP.

Rachel’s Graduation Signature Quilt: Keep chugging along, knowing that I cannot start another project until it’s done.

Husband Christmas Socks: Obviously, finish the thing. Realistically, get through the heel, maybe some of the foot?

If I can get through all of that, and it’s highly unlikely that I will, then I can recommence working on the FQS Sewcialites Cherry Limeade Quilt. The Moda Blockheads sew along is starting up at the end of September and I so badly want to join in on the fun, but I know I shouldn’t; I have way too many projects in-progress. I talk out loud about joining up, but then Renaissance rolls her eyes at me and tells me to stop because she knows that what I really want is to finish the already-begun projects and TO STOP CREATING MORE WORKS-IN-PROGRESS. Sigh.

Hopefully I have an actual finished quilt (or two!) to show you by October…I seriously don’t know, though, especially with adding the House & Holiday Plan into the mix.

craftygoals: May 2026

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Everyone in my household is flabbergasted that we’re already a week into May; like, where did April go and when did it actually happen? Needless to say, spring is in full swing around here! Lots of fun stuff, plenty of sunshine, and a reinvigorating of the soul as we cast our eyes towards the end of the school year.

Debrief: April’s #craftygoals:

  • Riley Blake Designs Block Challenge Sew Along: GUYS. I am officially caught up! Fourteen blocks sewn up! Patting myself on the back here because it is rare indeed when I get that far behind on something and then am actually able to truly get caught back up again. I haven’t had a chance to do photoshoots on all the blocks yet, so I’ll have to come back and do another post for that.
  • Fat Quarter Shop’s Sewcialites 3 Sew Along: Staying caught up on that! The Cherry Limeade quilt is coming along beautifully, and I’ve found some great internet friends via the Sewcialites Facebook group. It’s such a nice group of people who are cheering each other on and lavishing praise left and right on everyone. This might be a sew along I continue with for many years because I’m enjoying both the actual sew along and also its participants so much.
  • Renaissance’s Chef Clothing Tailoring: She never approached me about it and it doesn’t seem to be bothering her that much, so I may not actually help with this after all.
  • Rachel’s Prom Dress Tailoring: I had to install a lining because the bodice was made from see-through MESH, but I figured it out easily enough and did a good job. Minimal hemming, woo hoo! She looked gorgeous; I’m so thankful that she really loved big, poufy ballgowns and we were able to go crazy with the full skirts over the years. Also thankful that my formal dress-hemming days are OVER. (No, I will NOT be making their wedding dresses, making the prom dresses cured me of that dream.)
  • Graduation Quilts: I have all but one signature for Renaissance’s quilt. I’ve marked the seamlines on all of the blanks for Rachel’s quilt and have handed out quite a few of them to former teachers. I also realized that I think the signature “top” should actually be a signature “backing” because both of the girls have said they think they’d prefer that. SOOOOOOO…I’m designing new tops for the quilts to match the vibes of the now-backs of the quilts. Because when I said I’d make them a quilt each, I really meant two quilts each but cleverly packaged as just one quilt. ::rolls eyes::
  • Penguin Party Quilt: Quilt top completed! Yaaaayyyy!! And that is where it will remain for a few months as I shift my attention to Rachel’s graduation. Anti-climactic? Yes. But I told you that THIS IS THE YEAR I FINISH THIS QUILT.
  • Smitten EPP Quilt: I did put some time in on it. Can you tell? Not really. Rachel started her own Smitten quilt in the last couple of weeks to deal with the boredom of the last weeks of senior year. Everything is wrapping up and she’s tired of wasting time on her phone, so she asked me for some pointers on fabric placement and the like and then employed the EPP skills she acquired when I taught it to her and all the other Activity Days girls in our Utah ward forever ago. She’s completed about five of the large blocks and two or three of the small blocks and they look pretty good. It’s been so much fun to hang out in the craft room together in the evenings as she cuts fabric for her next block; like a little pause between school days Rachel and adulthood Rachel. I’ll cherish these conversations forever. So much is changing on the horizon for her and it is running at us full-tilt.
  • Jingle Bell Socks: They are done! They still need blocking and finishing, which probably won’t happen until the knitting bug hits again in autumn, but they are technically done.
  • Rainbow Coin Strip Quilt: Not technically a goal last month, but I decided to start every sewing session with fifteen minutes of quilting/finishing and lo and behold, the Rainbow Coin Strip Quilt is officially quilted! I’ve also trimmed it and created the binding for it. I’m just as shocked as you are. It’s only taken six years.

May #craftygoals:

Time-Sensitive Things That Need Working on ASAP:

Graduation!: I’ve got some massive graduation party planning to do in the next month, so my craft progress may be extremely impacted, but it’s totally fine. I need to make graduation leis for Rachel and her friends, and all the random things that will make her graduation party extra nice. So many fun projects!

Riley Black Designs Block Challenge Sew Along: This ends this month! There are sixteen block and I’ve sewn fourteen of them! Woot woot! There are a handful of setting blocks and sashings to actually finish this thing, but we’re not going to focus on that too much. I’m trusting that the energy of finishing the last block will push me to keep going. Wouldn’t it be great if I just finished this whole quilt by the end of May? A girl can dream…because if it’s not finished by the end of May, it will languish due to graduation and the absolute insanity of our summer schedule. So yeah, I guess the goal is to finish this completely by the end of May.

Fat Quarter Shop Sewcialites 3 Sew Along: Almost halfway there! Block #12 comes out tomorrow! I am still just absolutely loving this sew along. I ordered my border, backing and binding fabrics last week. It’s going to be such a pretty quilt! It’s so different from what I normally do and it’s proving that deviating from your comfort zone can be a really, really good thing. With graduation coming up and some really crazy scheduling in the weeks right after graduation, it would be a good thing if I could actually finish both May’s and June’s blocks during May. I’ve mocked up the entire quilt already so I’d be working off my own guesses at how the scheduled blocks are going to go together, but who cares?

Sewcialites 3 Block #6 Window Seat made with green, red, orange, yellow and pink fabrics.
Sewcialites 3 Block #7 Flower made with green and pink fabrics and altered to look like a watermelon flower.
Sewcialites 3 Block #8 Beacon made with green, yellow, and pink fabrics.
Sewcialites 3 Block #9 Daylight made with green, yellow, and cherry print fabrics.
Sewcialites 3 Block #10 Little Berry made with pink and green fabrics.

Graduation Quilts:

  • Renaissance’s: I might be able to really get going on Ren’s here soon. Needing to also construct a new top is going to slow me down, obviously, but the quilt will be used a lot more as a result and I cannot stand it when people stuff a quilt in a closet, so here we are. It would be good if I could finish Ren’s quilt entirely.
  • Rachel’s: It could start moving forward; I’ve received quite a few signed blocks back already. I’ve mocked up her quilt top design and she’s enthusiastically approved it, so the fabric for that was included in the Sewcialites order and will be here next week. It would be good if I could finish the top this month and add the borders to the blocks that have already been signed.

Things to Work on After the ASAP Projects:

Machine Stitching:

Rainbow Coin Strip Scrap Quilt with black venom binding
  • Rainbow Coin Strip Quilt: It’d be good if I could get this finished for good! That fifteen minutes at the start of each sewing session accomplishes a lot! We’ll see…
  • Sew Many Stars BOM Christmas Quilt: This is the next UFO to finish on 2026’s list. I highly doubt I’ll get through my other projects to the point where I’ll work on this, but I’m listing it as a possibility.

Hand Stitching:

English Paper Piecing: Smitten EPP Quilt: My Smitten quilt is permanently located in its rolling cart next to the couch in the TV Room, and I’ll pick it up here and there to work on, but with daylight lasting longer and life being busy I don’t know how much work will go into it during the month of May. Watching Rachel’s quilt come together makes me want to get my own quilt going again, though, so perhaps her enthusiasm will rub off on me?

Knitting: I need a new car knitting project. I could wind some cool yarn and just make some regular ol’ socks? Although, with warmer weather coming up I probably won’t accomplish much knitting in the next while. I do prefer to do embroidery or EPP in the warmer months.

Embroidery: Perhaps, given the knitting conundrum, I should figure out an embroidery car project? There’s a beehive embroidery kit that’s been languishing for some time. I could pop it into the car for the summer.

It’s a great time of year, full of all sorts of fun things! I hope your projects are going well, and if you’re too busy with other things at the moment, remember that it’s totally fine to take breaks because the yarn and the fabric will wait for you. Enjoy the sunshine, the celebrations, and the time with family and friends, if that’s what’s pulling you away.

Summary of May’s Crafty Goals:

  • Graduation projects: Leis, party prep, etc.
  • Riley Blake Designs Block Challenge: Finish up last blocks, maybe finish the entire thing?
  • Fat Quarter Shop Sewcialites 3 Sew Along: Definitely finish May’s blocks, but try to get June’s blocks done ahead of time, too.
  • Renaissance’s Graduation Quilt: Try to finish completely. Crazy goal.
  • Rachel’s Graduation Quilt: Try to finish the new top and add borders to the already-signed blocks.
  • Rainbow Coin Strip Quilt: Finish completely.

Penguin Party quilt top in-progress, made from aqua and pastel flannel fabrics

craftygoals: April 2026

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Happy April! We made it through Gray February and Cold & Dreary March; we are LEGIT into spring now and I’m so happy!!!

Debrief: March #craftygoals:

  1. Guild Show & Tell Quilt: Seeing that it’s April and I’ve yet to succeed in this area once again, I’m starting to think this may not be my year for making progress on this in this way? I’m even struggling to attend my guild’s monthly meetings! The kids are super duper busy and their activities inevitably conflict with guild meeting almost every month. I’ll keep trying, but I’m definitely not beating myself up over this. I’ve only got two and half years left of minor children parenting; I’ll lean into guilds and the like once this chapter has closed.
  2. Secret Project: Is off the ground! More on this when it feels right to share.
  3. Penguin Party Quilt: A LOT of work done on this! Getting close to completing the flimsy top!
  4. Easter Say-It Sew Along Banner: Never got to it, boo.
  5. Renaissance Graduation Quilt: Was able to put a little bit of work in on it, nothing much.
  6. Rachel’s Graduation Quilt: I have received a number of signed blocks back, but haven’t done any sewing on it. I still need to distribute some more blocks for signatures.
  7. Smitten EPP Quilt: Put in a few work sessions on it. Doesn’t appear like it accomplished much because it’s in that stage of work…sigh. Slow and steady, consistency, etc…it’ll get there eventually.
  8. Jingle Bell Socks: Made a lot of progress on them! First sock is finished.

April #craftygoals:

Time-Sensitive Things That Need Working on ASAP:

Riley Blake Designs Block Challenge Sew Along: It’s my hope to get completely caught up by the end of the month. I’ve sewn up five of the released ten blocks thus far, and there will be another three released in April, so eight blocks over the course of the month. Two a week, if conditions are favorable.

Block 1 in the RBD 2026 Block Challenge Sew Along sewn in pinks, blues, and green
Block 2 “Spin Around” by Amy Smart in the RBD 2026 Block Challenge Sew Along sewn in blues, and green
Block 3 “Starry Bloom” by Cherry Guidry in the RBD 2026 Block Challenge Sew Along sewn in blues and pinks
Block 8 “Turning Point” by Sandy Gervais in the RBD 2026 Block Challenge Sew Along sewn in navy and pinks
Block 10 in the RBD 2026 Block Challenge Sew Along sewn in pinks and blues

Fat Quarter Shop Sewcialites 3 Sew Along: I am caught up on this, and will hopefully complete the four blocks that are released in April on-time. Goodness, am I enjoying this sew along! I am using a goodly portion of my lime green scraps, but am worried that there were too many scraps to begin with and I’ll still have enough leftover for another four quilts. Oh, I also hope to get all the setting blocks sewn up in April, but it’s not the end of the world if they’re not completely done. I did get them all cut last week and will probably just use them as leaders and enders.

Fat Quarter Shop Sewcialites 3 Block 1 "Idyllic", sewn by Cara Brooke of That Crafty Cara
Fat Quarter Shop Sewcialites 3 Block 2 "Twinsies", sewn by Cara Brooke of That Crafty Cara
Fat Quarter Shop Sewcialites 3 Block 3 "Cabin Life", sewn by Cara Brooke of That Crafty Cara
Fat Quarter Shop Sewcialites 3 Block 4 "Spring Wind", sewn by Cara Brooke of That Crafty Cara
Fat Quarter Shop Sewcialites 3 Block 5 "Little Love", sewn by Cara Brooke of That Crafty Cara

Renaissance’s Chef Clothing Tailoring: Renaissance started pastry school! She has to wear a chef uniform and the pants are a disaster. I’ll need to spend some time hemming the length and maybe taking in the waists.

Rachel’s Prom Dress Tailoring: We are awaiting its delivery and I’ll then push forward with whatever tailoring needs to happen. Odds are there will be torturous hemming. Last prom dress ever. [insert bittersweet Mommy feels]

Things to Work on After the ASAP Projects:

Machine Stitching:

Jelly Bar Quilt blocks in-progress, made with pink and green cat fabrics
  • Graduation Quilts: I’m still collecting signatures, and I don’t technically need Rachel’s until June, so we are doing perfectly fine with hers at the moment. There are three people who have expressed interest in signing blocks for Ren’s quilt and I need to get that done so that I can finish up that step and plough through towards completion on hers.
  • Penguin Party Quilt: Getting really close to finishing the top, so it’d be good to complete that soon. No rush at this point in the year. I don’t know when I’ll get this sent out for quilting; might need to wait until after graduation and all its craziness. (Tangent: I discovered a new-to-me local quilter! I’ve reached out to her and she is super nice and looking forward to working with me in the future! Yay!)
Penguin Party quilt top in-progress, made from aqua and pastel flannel fabrics

Hand Stitching:

English Paper Piecing: I always hope I’ll be able to put in some time on the Smitten EPP Quilt, especially since the weather has turned so nice. Maybe I’ll remember to put the bin into the car so I can work on it while waiting for the kids to come out of practices. I always think I’ll be able to work on stuff at Nathaniel’s track meets, but I end up talking with other parents and y’know, social interaction is healthy and good. As previously stated, there aren’t many years left in this stage of parenting, so I’m going to lean into it all while I still can. There are many empty nest years ahead of me for extra sewing.

Knitting: Keep making progress on the Jingle Bell Socks. Maybe make progress on a Christmas project I’m kicking around in my head.

Handknit sock in-progress in red, white, and green self-striping yarn

Nicer weather, gardening, track meets, prom prep—lots going on in April! I like to start with a big list of goals because it’s my vibe, but I’m totally OK with just enjoying the spring weather and finally being able to be outside in the sunshine again.

craftygoals: March 2026

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I am so tired of reporting that I was sick and it affected my ability to move forward on my crafty goals each month, but alas, such is what I need to report. Yet again. Ugh. February kicked my butt, but that’s pretty normal for this time of year EVERY SINGLE YEAR, so I’m not too terribly upset about it, just annoyed. I caught that nasty flu that was going around and that took me out for two weeks. And then, because I was lying around for two weeks, my back spasmed once I got back on my feet and I was down and out with that flare-up for ten days. I finally got to moving around somewhat normally, enjoyed a couple days of productivity, and then BAM(!) migraine for two days. Then another migraine for six days that require an ER visit to shut down. ARRRRGHHHH. So, y’know, basically four weeks of no real progress on anything. I remain optimistic that my luck will trend upwards in March. Always optimistic…

Debrief: February #craftygoals:

  1. Rainbow Coin Strip Quilt: Can’t quilt when you’re sick. Sigh.
  2. Secret Project: I’ve made a lot of progress on this, but it’s not ready to unveil.
  3. Penguin Party Quilt: Did make progress here and there.
  4. Rachel’s Graduation Signature Quilt: I’ve gotten a few of the blocks signed, and am in the process of getting the blank blocks sent out to various people. I am killing this.
  5. RBD Block Challenge: I am almost done with Block #1. Let’s just ignore the fact that SIX of the blocks have been published. Progress is progress.
  6. FQS Sewcialites 3 Sew Along: I am done with the first block! Yay me! I’ll get to working on the second block this weekend. I haven’t photographed it yet, sorry.
  7. Jingle Bell Socks: Coming along nicely in the stolen moments.

March 2026 #craftygoals:

Time-Sensitive Things That Need Working on ASAP:

Guild Show & Tell Quilt: I’d still like to finish the Rainbow Coin Strip Quilt to show, and I’ve got the Sew Many Stars BOM Christmas Quilt on my list for March. I’m so far behind, so I have only the faintest glimmer of hope to get both of these done, but hope I will!

Secret Project: I had to push it back a couple of weeks due to the illness and injury, plus I grossly underestimated how much behind-the-scenes learning I was going to have to do to pull this off, but it should be ready to unveil sometime in March. So excited!

Things to Work on After the ASAP Projects:

Machine Stitching:

  • Penguin Party Quilt: I’m going to commit: I want to finish the top for this THIS MONTH.
  • Easter Say-It Sew Along Banner: Easter is April 5 this year so I want to sew this up in March so everything is ready for the big day.
  • Renaissance Graduation Quilt: Hoping to make more progress on this. I’m still waiting on some signatures, so I’m doing the best I can.
  • Rachel’s Graduation Quilt: I don’t know if I’ll get to touching this, but it’d be great if I could get some signatures back so I can start assembling the blocks. It’s largely dependent on others’ efforts/timeliness, so I’m keeping my hopes low so I don’t feel disappointed if nothing happens this month.

Hand Stitching:

English Paper Piecing: It’d be good to get work done on Smitten. It’s a weird time of year, whatwith the weather changes and garden needing more attention, so I have no idea how this will shake out.

Knitting: It’d be great if I could finish the Jingle Bell Socks.

Embroidery: I don’t have anything in the works for March.

There’s a lot of stuff to get caught up on in regular life before I can really get into the craft room, so this might be a low achievement month. However, sometimes things come together easy and then I get to do lots of crafty stuff, so we’ll see. Gardening needs to start happening too…it’s that time of year! So much fresh goodness coming our way with more light and sunshine as well. We made it through the darkest part of year, friends! Good job! Enjoy the upcoming spring!

Sorry there’s no pictures to go with this post, but if I take time to do pics, it takes up time to craft. I’m going to get caught up eventually and then it’ll be Picture City ’round these parts!

Rainbow Scrap Quilt in-progress, featuring scrap fabrics in pink, red, orange, yellow, green, aqua, blue, purple, and white.

#craftygoals: February 2026

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Happy February, everyone! I don’t know what it is about this year, but I feel like it’s gotten off to a productive start!

Debrief: January #craftygoals:

  • Bowling Senior Night Stuff: Turned out GREAT! I’m so pleased with the sashes, and the baskets and bowling pins looked really good, too. Her senior year feels incredibly real now that we’ve done the bowling senior night. Graduation is in our sights!
High school senior girl bowling senior night with personalized sash and gift basket in maroon and gold
  • Lori Holt Say-It Sew Along Valentine’s Banner: I put in so much work on this, and then realized I’d messed a really important step and there was no saving it. I’m not even going to post pictures of any part of this project. So annoyed with myself. I cut up some really cute fabric for it, too.  It’ll stay on the To-Make list though, I really love it. Next year, fingers crossed.
  • Rainbow Coin Strip Quilt: Nope. Hoping to put in work on it soon.
  • Penguin Party Quilt: Got a little bit of work done on it.
  • Smitten EPP Quilt: Also got a little bit of work done on it. It’s in the super boring part of attaching the rows together and it is thankless, no-ending-in-sight work. Slow and steady will win the race. I guess.
  • Jingle Bell Socks: Got a little bit of work done on these, too.
  • Christmas Alphabet Embroidery Sampler: Didn’t touch it. I’m not sure I even know where it is in the craft room, ha ha ha. I don’t know, man, this one might go into the archives until the Christmas spirit strikes again. It just needs to be framed, but it’s not like I’m going to display it anywhere when it’s done, so it’s just not a priority. Maybe I’ll feel like tackling this tiny task after graduation.

February #craftygoals:

Time-Sensitive Things That Need Working on ASAP:

  • Rainbow Coin Strip Quilt: As part of my “Quilt Guild Show & Tell” goal where I want to have a finished quilt to present at each month’s quilt guild meeting, I’m hoping to have this one done in time for February’s meeting.
Rainbow Scrap Quilt in-progress, featuring scrap fabrics in pink, red, orange, yellow, green, aqua, blue, purple, and white.
  • Secret Project: I’m really, really excited about this, and that’s all I’m going to say. Hopefully I can tell you more at the end of the month!

Things to Work on After the ASAP Projects:

Machine Stitching:

  • Penguin Party Quilt: As always, hoping to make some significant progress. I WILL FINISH THIS QUILT THIS YEAR.
Penguin Party quilt made with pastel plaid flannels
  • Rachel’s Graduation Signature Quilt: The fabric has arrived and I’ve put out requests for signatures, to which many have responded. I’m hoping to get all the blank blocks sent out to people by the end of the month so they can get signed and returned to me well before I’ll get started with the actual sewing of this.
  • RBD Block Challenge 2026 Sew Along: I’ve committed. The fabric finally arrived. I’ve even cut the pieces for the first block. It’d be great to get caught up on January’s blocks and stay on top of February’s blocks.
A stack of Riley Blake Confetti Cottons fabric in shades of green, blue, peach pinks, and whites.
  • Fat Quarter Shop Sewcialites 3 Sew Along: It starts at some point in February, and I’m hoping to sew along. I’m going to work from my scraps and use up the huge amount of yellow-green/leaf green scraps I’ve accumulated over the years, paired with pinks, reds and yellows. Think “summer fruit” color palette.

Hand Stitching:

English Paper Piecing: I’ll try to get more work done on the Smitten Quilt, but I also think it’s going to go back into hibernation until after graduation. We’ll see…

Knitting: I hope to get more work done on the Jingle Bell Socks. I’m not terribly worried about them at the moment, we’ve got all year.

February is always a good month for getting some crafty work done, so I imagine we’ll see some progress on things. There’s some birthday work to do, and I think I need to start busting out some seed starting things pretty soon, so gardening will start taking up more of my time come March. It’s the last of the cozy winter months, better use it well!