Hi Quilting Friends,
Summer time, at last! I always get more sewing done in the summer, even when I am really busy with other things. This month has been no exception.
Fun activities included several leisurely lunches with Mr. Fix-It, as well as various friends & family members. One of these lunches was at a tea room in Tomball to celebrate my retirement. We took dinner to Susan’s house to enjoy together after swimming in their “cement pond”. We went to Nathan & Gaby’s home on Father’s Day for dinner and game night. I also enjoyed a swim in our neighborhood pool one hot afternoon. (Note to self- enjoy that pool more often!)
Most days I take the dogs for a walk (or usually two walks), spend some time on necessary housework, read my current book while the dogs nap on my lap , and play in my sewing studio. I’ve also spent a good bit of time outside in the back yard, trimming overgrown shrubs and cleaning up planting beds. I love having time for “all of the things”, even though it is really quite hot outside right now.
Retirement so far is very nice. I normally have the summers off from work, but I’m not feeling the usual pressure to get everything finished by the end of July this year. I’m learning to slow down a little and enjoy simple pleasures, and to occasionally ignore my “to-do” list in favor of other activities.
Of course I’ll always enjoy crossing off things from the to-do list, and that includes my PHD tasks. By the way, it is still OK to substitute a project or two if time is getting away from you this year. I’m currently doing well on my progress, but it could still happen.
Here’s my June Update-
Project #3- Lone Star Quilt
It is much too hot to work on this quilt! I intend to hand quilt it, and I just don’t see myself sitting under it until at least September when the weather cools down a little. At some point I will appreciate a big warm quilt to cover up with as I stitch, but definitely not in the summer.
I’ve made more progress on this quilt in the last two months than I did in the past 25 years or more, so a few weeks or months more of waiting won’t make any difference at all. I’m pressing the “Pause” button for now.
Project #6 – “Something Smells Fishy” Challenge
I have designed my project and pulled fabrics from my stash and scrap boxes, and even “liberated” a few pieces from Susan’s extensive private textile collection. (Yes, I am committed to helping her reduce her stash, LOL.) No photo today; I will share the finished item in July. I’m pretty excited; this one’s going to be really fun to make!
My “One Monthly Goal” for July is to finish up this project in time to share it for the challenge post in late July.
Project #8- Mint & Chocolate Batik Quilt
I made 12 more blocks this month, bringing my total to 48. I’d like to make 16 more blocks if I have enough fabric left, and then I will begin playing around with the layout. I should be able to wrap up piecing blocks during July, unless I get distracted.
Project #11 – Blue Ridge Mountain Star Topper
Ta-done! My “One Monthly Goal” for June was to finish this project. Read all about it HERE. I’m really happy with how it came out.
Project #13 – Home for the Holidays Kit, a.k.a “Play with Toys #1”
I’ve completed all the blocks for Months #1 through #5! Here’s a picture of some of them-
The kit features a complex wide-striped fabric (called “Strip-It”) that is fussy-cut to create various shapes (rectangles, squares, half-square triangles) that are used to make the blocks. It’s a cool idea, and saves a LOT of stitching time even though it takes significantly longer to cut out the pieces. I’m having fun so far!
New Projects
I made a pair of scrappy “Wild Goose Chase” hot pads to share during the “For the Birds” challenge. Read about it HERE.
I also made these BLUE scrappy items for the June RSC2024.
Read about these projects HERE and HERE.
PHD Progress
Here’s my PHD list for June, with completed tasks shaded in-
Here’s my updated tracker for June-
How are you doing on your PHD in 2024 goals? Join the Linky Party to share your progress!
Happy quilting,
Sharon
Ms P Designs USA 
Love your June OMG table runner and looking forward to your fishy OMG. I’m deliberating on a project that will include fish, so any and all inspiration is good.
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Thank you! The new “fishy” design is developing nicely. Ms P Designs USA
http://www.mspdesignsusa.com
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So glad you’ve been able to enjoy your retirement. It will probably feel a bit different come August as you don’t have to prep for the school year. Congrats on all the progress last month. Stay cool, we were in Austin a couple of weeks ago, it was way to hot to be out doing anything but play in a pool!
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Thank you! Staying cool in Texas can be a challenge. Thank goodness for AC! 😅
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