Progress, New Projects, and Organization

So this post has you can probably see from the title is a little bit about everything. After making a few EPP (English Paper Piecing) projects, I have found that for me it is easier and faster for me to put the hexies into rows before attaching them together. Here is my latest progress, I know only one small row complete, but at least it is now a complete flower (assuming you don't count the sashing).

This is a new project that I started while on retreat, it is a embroidery panel I purchased for $7.50. The panel has various flowers and baskets on it. The one thing I like about this is that they already have the colored pattern on it. I need a little bit more thread since I don't have all of the colors in my stash, but only need a few as I have most. I tried to get close up pictures, as from far away you can't really tell what work I have done since the pattern is so bright.

 In trying to get more organized I decided that I needed to go through all of the embroidery/counted cross stitch floss that I currently have. Normally what I do is get all of the thread and put it with the corresponding pattern (with copies of original and copies) in a big ziploc bag. In deciding that I needed to know what I have and needing to put thread away once I completed a project, I decided I needed to have a better idea of what thread I currently own. I already had one thread organizer box full, but quickly found out I needed to another one. I still have a big ziploc bag full of thread that I need to place on bobbins and reorganize in the boxes by number. I went on the DMC thread website and printed a free list of all their threads. I mark away the ones I own, then I know what I do not have in stock for a current project. On each box I will list on a piece of paper what numbers are in the container. I think it will help in not wasting time before starting a project by going through big ziploc bags to see if I have the correct thread or not. I still have a long way to go, but think this organization will be worth it.

Progress from Retreat

I took some pictures from the annual Quilt retreat that I go too. Below are pictures of nature and a little progress that I made on a project.

I am making a Grandmothers Flower Garden item for one of my grandmothers, I think it will be made into a lapghan. The flowers will be various prints of flowers themselves. I find it is easier to make them into rows and then attach them together, instead of making the flower section and then adding the path around.

Upcoming Quilt Retreat

Every year I go on a retreat with several ladies from the quilt guild I belong too. They have about three a year but I only go to one. Planning what to bring is always I think an issue, the  first year I had no idea what to bring, so I brought lots of projects with me. I didn't think that much ahead and should have pre-cut fabrics. Last year I did precut some fabrics and brought only a few projects with me. My original plan for this year was to bring two pillowcase projects, bring a quilt that I need to complete the backing and then quilt it, and precut fabric to make a small child's quilt. Yesterday, I was using my sewing machine when I ran into issues with it, I think it needs to be serviced and given a tune up. Every project I had thought about bringing has now changed.  I will now take all handwork and even some counted cross stitch work with me. I have precut several fat quarters and even half yards of fabric into 2 inch squares so I can work on a English Paper Piecing project that I have started. I will also be taking a small applique wall hanging with me. The only other projects I am taking are counted cross stitch items, the Good Morning with the rooster and the Music Is Love, Love Is Music (previously shown about two posts ago). I was thinking about bringing another quilting or applique project with me, but then thought I might not focus on them enough. I really want to get quite a bit done, especially since I have not even basted that many hexagons for the English Paper Piecing Project or even cut the fabric from the applique wall hanging kit.

Classic Spin Number Is....

   I am late in writing about the Spin Number that was selected yesterday, but was not feeling well at all. The number the Classics Club picked was number 2! This means I will be reading a previous Spin book that I didn't get very far at all called The Railway Children by E. Nesbitt. Have you ever read the book or seen the miniseries? I never have but I think the book looks interesting and I am sure that I will at some point see the miniseries.

Spring and Counted Cross Stitch

This is the first signs that Spring has arrived here.

You may have seen this counted cross stitch project before, I haven't worked on it for quite awhile. I made the mistake of just wanting to work on one color, so I was skipping places on the pattern and lost my spot. I finally figured out where I left off and now I will only be cross stitching row by row.

This is what it looked like before:

Here is some progress I did today, not that much of course but at least a start.

I did start on a new project today, and here is the small about completed.

It will end up looking like this, and will be put in the kitchen near a farm painting we have.

Deciding On What Book To Read.....

I think is one of the hardest things to do as a book lover. There are so many books that I want to read at the same time, which is what I do sometimes, but then it seems I never finish all of them or it takes forever to finish just one. In rejoicing that there was finally another classics spin (it seemed like a long time since the last one, but it has only been a few months) and seeing a post on facebook about drawing names of books from a jar, gave me an idea that I think I will do. Every month I will put names of books I have started but need to finish, book challenges, library books, and then books that I really want to read either in a jar or through random.org to pick the book to read. I will then only read that book until I am finished or given up on. If I find that I am not liking a book, I try at least three different times to read it and then that is it. In doing this I hope to be able to finish more books as well as "deciding" which ones to read first. Since the Spin is coming up I will wait until either mid-month or next month to start this, depending on how long of a book is selected for my spin. I know this might seem really weird to someone who is not a book lover. So, how do you decide which books to start reading?