July 2020

I hit the halfway mark of the year in a full sprint - or maybe I should say a full yawn. The big project I am on at work went live at 6am on July 1 and we all woke up early to participate in a virtual count down. It was a great celebration and then we just ran through the month like a marathon. When you implement a new global system in 88 countries, there are bound to be a few challenges. Thanks to a great team, we've gotten through the most difficult items and are now working on the rest. It is the third time in my career that I've been part of a big system implementation; this one was by far the largest and the team has done such a great job. It is pretty rewarding to be part of something that will be used for many years down the road, and hopefully by the time they decide to replace it, I will be retired! 

Despite long work hours, including lots of weekend work, I managed to get some decent time in my stitching spot and my sewing room. I have several finishes to share and an exciting stash report. 

Let's start with the quilting projects this month. Most of my quilting time this month was on the weekends, but I still managed to get in just under 20 hours, with more than half of it on an overnight sewing weekend with my mom (Fri morning - Sat night). The first activity of the month had me pulling bright and cheery fabric from my stash for mask-making to support the local schools. Back at the beginning of July, we thought we'd send the kids back in masks...that's changed, but I still managed to donate 20 yards of fabric to a lady who said she'd make masks for the kids. Once I pulled all that fabric, then I decided to finish a top of my own. This is my sashed half-hexagon, which I worked on at both retreats last year. I added the borders to finish the top - not sure yet exactly how to quilt it, so if you have any good ideas, please let me know! 
The rest of the month had me working on...
1) I quilted a top for my mom, no pictures as it will be a gift later this year - remind me to share them later. 
2) A camping mini-wall hanging that I bought several years ago - I even have the hanger for this...just need to find it now! 
3) Blocks and pieces for my End of the Rainbow quilt - I made 6 red blocks and cut out a bunch of background fabrics - I hope that I have enough as I didn't really keep count! This project also had me adding the first stash of the year as I raided my mom's blue bin to add to my fabrics. Good news is that I also promptly cut it up. 
4) The start of a new quilt called Which Way by Judy Niemeyer. I am using some of my batik stash for this one and I will keep going on it a little at a time until I get bored making these blocks - pictures to come when I have enough to share
5) Quilt backs - the part where I usually get hung up in my quilt-making. I dedicated an afternoon and made up 3 backs - from my newest finished top to one of my oldest, now they are ready for quilting when I get the bug to finish them (the one in the middle is loaded on the frame to be quilted in August)

And not to be left out, I also had some fun with cross-stitch - have a seat if you're reading this standing, as I fully finished 4 projects this month! Patriotic Cracker is a small project that I finished last month (!!) and made into a pillow. 
The chalkboard pieces are from Hands on Design and I stitched them all last year. I decided I needed a few more summer decorations, so finally got them finished - they will all rotate on the board with velcro. 
I also finished up a few smaller projects this month - don't expect them to be fully finished for a while ;) 

Mini-Pumpkins by Little Leaf Designs - I picked up this kit at a stitcher's garage sale last year for $3 and the kit included the overdyed threads and the charms. I used R&R Witches Brew and loved this linen - my first time using R&R and I will definitely look for it again in the future. 
Next I had some catching up to do on my Stichingly Months of the Year project - I started and finished the June block and did get the July block started (but not finished) before the end of the month. 
Last was a quick project I picked up for Jolly July, a kit that has seasoned for a long time - it is the last of the Victoria's Sampler kits that I have and I am glad to have stitched it up. I plan to finish this as a pillow ornament with a nice pop of red behind the cutwork. 
Whew, that was a full month! I am glad for the quiet evenings and weekends to be able to recover from long days, take a few naps, and enjoy some time with my crafts. Hope you saw something you enjoy! 

Here are the reports for the month: 

Stash Report
Fabric added in July: 2 5/8 yards
Fabric used in July: 36 1/8 yards
Fabric added year to date: 2 5/8 yards
Fabric used year to date: 54 5/8 yards
Net Fabric used: 52 yards

Stitching time: 15 minutes or more 23/31 days = 74% 

Exercise report (this is where I fell apart this month!) - 1/4 weeks = 25%

Comments

Laura said…
You've accomplished a lot this month! I can't wait to see what End of the Rainbow looks like with a dark background.
Jennifer, you have had a busy July with your work project going live, your quilting, and your stitching. I enjoyed seeing your various quilting and stitching projects. Well done! Hope you have an awesome August!
Kate said…
Congrats on the successful project implementation. Those roll outs can be rough. Even with all the time you spent on project troubleshooting you had a really good month on both the quilting and needlework fronts. Love your pumpkin stitchery and your Jolly July project. You'll have some nice seasonal decorations once those are finished off. Hope August is slower paced at work and you have some breathing room.