Oh my gosh, you guys -- this is a rare surprise.  There are still 7 whole days left in the month of August, and I just realized that I have finished all of the quilting goals I'd set for this month.  Finished them EARLY.  I know, right?!  Who IS this imposter, and what has she done with the REAL Rebecca Grace?!

And it's not like I was wimpy with those goals, either.  Let's recap:

August Quilting Goals:

I finished the last sampler block that was in progress on my cutting table, clearing up the space I needed to finally get my Sermon Scribbles (nee Spirit Song) quilt trimmed up and ready for binding!

That makes a total of 12 out of 48 blocks finished for my version of the Moda Modern Quilt Blocks sampler.  

The blocks are laid out on the design wall now according to where they will be positioned in the finished quilt.  I've completed 25% of the blocks, but I predict smooth sailing with the remaining 36 blocks.  Those enormous blocks were a ...

Good morning and Happy Tuesday!  My post for today's Long Arm Linky party got awfully long, so I thought it would be best to put my To Do's and Ta-Done's in a separate post this week.  Without further ado:  

Last Week's To-Do List:

Stay on top of the linky party and continue to spread the word to other machine quilters.  Get the linky post written and scheduled to publish in advance.

Finish the three remaining in-progress blocks for my MMBB quilt before I clear off my cutting table.

Trim excess batting & backing from Spirit Song

Digitize ...

 Good morning and happy Sunday!  Today marks the beginning of the last week of this weird "summer break" for my family.  My husband hasn't traveled overnight for work since March, all of the usual summer activities were canceled, and yet here we are, preparing for Back to School once again.  Dr. Seuss needs to write us a new book, "How the Grinch Stole Summer Vacation!"  We have Anders' 17th birthday coming up this Thursday (with no party), then Lars gets moved back into his dorm at Appalachian State University next Sunday, and then classes begin for both of them ...

Good morning and Happy Tuesday!  Here's the view from my studio this morning:

Just to recap (and to keep myself honest!), these were the weekly goals I set for myself last Tuesday:

Last Tuesday's Weekly To-Do List:

1. Write and schedule publication of my first linky party post for next Tuesday
2. Continue to spread the word about the new linky party 
3. Trim excess batting & backing from Spirit Song
4. Digitize, machine embroider, & hand stitch Spirit Song label to back of quilt
5. Make binding for Spirit Song, machine stitch to front of quilt, & begin hand stitching binding to the backing

Hmmm ...

Happy Friday, friends!  I'm still quilting away on my Spirit Song quilt, probably about 40% of the way finished with the final background quilting, but there's nothing new to show on that front.  However, I did make another block for my son Anders' bed quilt yesterday:

This 15" block is the fifth one, and the easiest BY FAR of the blocks I've completed for this sampler quilt, my convoluted and overcomplicated version of the Moda Modern Building Blocks sampler from a few years ago.  I foundation paper pieced the corner units and then pieced the rest of ...

Good morning, and Happy Tuesday, everyone!  I spent some time tidying up my studio yesterday, so I rewarded myself with a few design diversions this morning before getting back to work on my Spirit Song quilt.  

First Tangent: AQS Summer Star QAL

First I played in EQ8, redrafting the AQS Summer Star QAL project that caught my eye in their email newsletter.  Here's what I came up with:

The original design by Betsey Langford, shown below, finishes at 72" x 72", which is not a useful size for me right now.  I thought this would make a good baby ...

Good morning, Fearless Quilters!  Happy First Day of Spring to those in the Northern Hemisphere, and I suppose Happy First Day of Autumn to those South of the Equator.  

Yesterday I pushed myself out of my news-induced funk and into my studio for a few hours. I had a lot of clutter accumulated on my cutting table that needed to be cleared away before I could cut borders for my Spirit Song quilt, and one of the things I unearthed there was the foundation papers, templates, and precut fabrics for the next block of my son Anders' "Beware the Ishmaelites ...