July PhD Update

Hi Quilting Friends,

July has been lots of fun, with a little bit of sewing in between my other adventures. 

We spent Independence Day with friends at their home on Lake Conroe.  We made pizza in the outdoor kitchen, took a sunset cruise on the lake, and watched fireworks displays when it got dark.

I traveled to Montana earlier this month and spent 10 days with my parents and brothers.  We went hiking in the afternoon and played games after supper most days.  We ate, reminisced, and spent a lot of time laughing with each other. The Gallatin Valley had a lot of rain during the spring, so the flowers were in their full glory.  Here are a few of the highlights-

In other news, we spent a busy weekend in San Antonio immediately after I returned from Montana. Our younger son will be starting a new job in about a week, as an engineer for a NASA contractor in Houston (So exciting!!). We put in some sweat equity (painting, installing baseboards, cleaning, etc.) to help them get the house ready for the next owners or renters. Gaby & I had a “Girls’ Night” with her mom and sister, and saw the new Barbie movie. (I’ve never been much of a Barbie girl, but the movie was lots of fun!)

Kitty update, for those who have been following the saga of the mama cat (aka “Katniss”) who chose our back yard to raise her family:

Four of the five babies have fur-ever homes and now we have just the one adorable baby and Katniss, living their best lives as outdoor cats (unless we find homes for them). I’m very allergic to cats, even though I love them, so I can’t have them inside the house.

And now, at last, a quick update on my July stitching-

PHD in 2023 Projects

Project #10 – Celebrations Throw Quilt

Ta-done!  The finishing process went much faster than anticipated.  Read more about it in our post from “Picnic Party”.

“Celebrations” was my “One Monthly Goal” for July, and it is (obviously) Ta-Done!

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

New Projects

I finished making a second sleeveless blouse for myself, using more of the fabric from my stash-

The “One Gift a Month” challenge for July was a hexagonal trivet with folded accents that make a star.  I made a pair, and they went together so easily that I may make several more for easy Christmas giving.

I showed Mom how to make them, and we sewed three more trivets while I was visiting her-

I’ve started piecing some brightly-colored flower blocks that will be used for an upcoming design release.   Here’s a sneaky peek-

My “One Monthly Goal” for August is to finish up the rest of the pieced flower blocks. Ready, Set, SEW!

Elm Street Quilts One Monthly Goal August Link-up

Ongoing Projects

The “Rainbow Scrap Challenge” color for July was RED.  Here’s what I stitched-

Carolina Chains

Rolling Stone

Progress Update

Here’s my updated task list for July –

And here’s my updated PHD tally for July-

So #12 for 2023 is finished!  Yay!  I would like to finish at least one more project from my original PHD list, and I can  probably keep up with completing the new projects that I start, so my PHD in 2023 is totally on track.  Yay!

Happy quilting,

Sharon

Linkup with Quilting Gail’s July PHD Report