Wow, Sharon, you sure are prolific! I'll be happy to maybe get this scrappy log cabin done. However, I'm having some difficulty with the foot petal, it is hesitating to go and I'm aggravated when that happens. I looked online and saw that the price of a replacement is $50. What's weird is when I hold it in my hand and press it it goes fine but when I put it down and press with my foot it hesitates, then goes, then when I stop on a seam and start again, the same thing - sometimes I have to stomp on it several times to get it to go.

I had to replace the foot pedal on my backup Pfaff last month. Cost of $90. Plus exchange on Cdn. money, plus shipping. Costly but worth it to relieve that aggravation you mention, and make sewing easier.

For May, I hope to finish up three tops. Everything is ready, top, backing, batting and binding, so need to sandwich and quilt. Then I am looking forward to getting the April lotto blocks and putting them together.

We may be taking a trip to see new DGGD so that will cut into quilting time.

Theresa

Well I've started the month off right and did the May lotto blocks this morning. I've got several things sitting on the stack that might get started in case I don't get distracted with other things. A friend gave me a stack of fabric with a lot of gingham and also some stripes. She's a cat lover so I'm toying with using the gingham for a cat themed something or other as a thank you for her donation to my habit. We'll see how it goes.

I'd love to finish piecing my En Provence top. Then I should probably go on a quilting binge - I have two lap-size Allietare tops (2015 Quiltville mystery) and the king-size top I finished last weekend, plus at least two tops I brought home from my Mom's last year. I don't even know how big they are; I just assumed from the way they are folded that they are completed tops.

That should take me well into June, if not July. LOL

Donna

In May I want to finish 2 UFOs and make a top from my scrap bucket.

I have five completed tops plus their backing waiting to be sandwiched and quilted. I'd like to finish a few of them. I need to bind my daughter's table cover. Plus I'd like to finish my One Block Wonder. I have it half pieced now (not counting borders). I also have 29 of 42 string blocks finished and 7 of 36 scrappy log cabin blocks. They're always good for that odd half hour when you don't feel too ambitious, but want to do something. And now I have plans for a Warm Wishes and a View from the Cabin. Lots to do, but there's no time crunch on any of them, so who knows what I will do in May. Whatever strikes my fancy, I guess.

I would just like to get back in the sewing room this month. The past few months have been really busy for me as my company acquired a facility in Alabama. I have had to travel back and forth a lot. I also fly out to Vegas Sunday and will be gone a week. My design wall has had the same quilt on it for quite a while.

What with painting and gardening this month, my only goal is to finish my DD's quilt. It has been so cold and wet, it is not a lot of fun to garden right now. And not much sun in sight for a while.

My mother was visiting last week and I showed her a couple of "in process" quilts and I casually mentioned that one in particular I was thinking about making for my brother's long-time girlfriend. Well, she went ahead and told my brother so now I am feeling "stuck" with that decision. My bad for saying anything (I know better), but now I'm feeling pressured (self imposed) to get that quilt done and gifted.

My, you are all ambitious....that is awesome! . I only hope to finish a top for my great niece...retirement can't come soon enough!

I'm preparing for retirement sewing though ... my fabric stash continues to grow...just love those fabric sales!

I have the borders decided for the Crayon Quilt.......I think that's half the battle, so hopefully, they will get on this week. I pulled a scrappy donation top I had put back because it was too narrow, and added a 6 1/2" X 50" scrappy piece to it.....next will be borders and I think I'll just add TOT off white.

Hope everyone got their machines and pedals to stop acting up and to behave. :-)

Since I usually just fly by the seat of my pants, I seldom really have any 'goals' unless I'm in the middle of something and have a finish deadline! Maybe setting a couple of goals would be helpful!! So, the May lotto blocks are done, so goal 1. main the blocks! 2. finish a patriotic type table runner for my daughter in law and get it in the mail 3. make a patriotic table piece for my own house 4. piece a small 3 yard quilt with some Mary Engelbreit fabric that has been ready and waiting for over a year now, I think. I'm in a quandary over this one, tho. The top is not any question, but this is for a friend and I know that she loves minky (she always carries my hubby's chair blankie to her room when she stays here - has minky backing!!) but I hate trying to quilt with minky. Sigh. But she loves it. and 5. maybe get a patriotic pillow cover done for my daughter in law.

I picked up the foot petal from the floor, unthreaded my machine and started sqeezing the foot petal over and over again, letting it run. So now it's working right again, haven't a clue why but happy about it.

Beth, how do you baste your minky? I have glue basted with Elmer's School Glue and it works like a charm. No stretching or wrinkles.

Wow, REALLY, Lois? I have tried thread basting and pinning. It just likes to travel!! Do you use a particular type of batting with minky? and regular school glue? Do you brush it on??

Beth, Here's a patriotic one I did:

Plus, I love to google for holiday pattern suggestions.

I also glue and it is awesome! Sharon, very cool runner.

Have you ever written a post and then cannot find it?? It's probably best to be sure to hit the 'submit' button!! So, I'll try again! About the goals for May: got 3 out of 4, and, since today is the last day of May, I suspect that I'll not get that chair blankie done for my girlfriend!! But, I DID manage to finish and mail the lotto blocks, 2. I got the table runner for my DIL done and mailed, and, #3, the patriotic table topper for my house is finished!! (not nearly as intricate as that beauty that Sharon showed, tho!) I'm okay with the topper; it's a little 'busy' - pattern is great for a Halloween spider web, I think!! Hahahaha. Also, I sewed up all the little scraps from the patriotic stuff and made three hot pads or holders. (found some insulbrite in the closet - I've never used it before.) just have to do the binding on the hot pads. So, I'm feeling pretty good for May goals.

Nice, Beth!

I finished my En Provence top (!) and added it to the to-be-quilted pile.

I didn't start quilting, but I did finish a hand-pieced runner for my dressers and a small hand and machine pieced project.

I will get some quilting done in June!

Donna

I finished my one and only. It's a scrappy log cabin blocks. I used all scraps for the blocks and I intentionally used different sized center squares and strips. I basically just kept on adding strips all the way around until I got to 15 inches and then trimmed if necessary. Some came out off center but I didn't care. I made each block in the same color family except for the center one which is all different colors mixed up. Then I started in the center and quilted in a circle around and around to the edges. (Very hard wrestling that quilt around and around, let me tell you.) But I like how it turned out. I pieced the back with larger fabric cuts. I call it Rainbow Log Cabin and I consider it a goofing around quilt, one that the quilt police would surely hate!

Here's the back:

I did buy fabric for the plain alternate blocks, not enough in my stash since I wanted something that had all different colors in it, so the polka dots, and I didn't have a multi-color stripe enough to do the binding either so I had to buy that also.

Let's see how I did. I got my daughter's table topper done and finished two of four placemats for her. I finished the center of my One-Block-Wonder, but it still needs two borders. I did find border and backing fabric for it, so that's good. I made a View from the Cabin top, and it's now in the "to be quilted," or TBQ pile. (I did not make a dent in the TBQ pile. In fact, I added one.) I've got all 36 scrappy log cabin blocks done, and I'm just trying to decide if I should add one more row. I completely made and mailed off my Hawaiian quilt to my friend on Maui. It arrived safely I'm happy to say, but she hasn't been home from the hospice to open the box yet. I'm fooling around with Bonnie Hunter's Boxy Stars pattern. I cut a bunch of blue, green and purple 2.5" strips into the prescribed lengths, and I've gotten several blocks done. I looks like it will be pretty. All in all, it was a productive month. I really do have to spend some time actually quilting those six, soon to be eight, quilt tops though.

Rita, we were posting at the same time. I love your Rainbow Log Cabin quilt. Very creative. And Beth, your table topper and hot pads are very sweet.

Rita, I like your log cabin! Great use of scraps!

Donna

Did get the three tops finished plus the April Lotto quilt and a set of placemats. And this morning I have been sewing strips for another top.

June may be a busy month on the home front so probably won't be as productive.

Theresa

You girls are awwwwwesome!!!!!! Wonderful that y'all were able to spend time at the machine this month. I also completed my goals.....and then some. :-)