Week 7: A Star Spangled Finish

Here we go, 2026, we're already flying through ya.  Sheesh.

With what we have going on, I'm sorta okay with the days

flying by--until next fall.  One of the year's distractions I'm

diving into is America's 250th birthday.

Easily enough done since I love American history.

I also love a good patriotic quilt, including the red/ivory and

blue/ivory quilt schemes, all of which my stash can currently

support quite well.  Always the planner, I started snatching up

these fabrics last year, knowing I'd be kicking 2026 off making

several quilts with the good ol' U S of A in mind.  

So here we are into February and the first patriotic quilt is

a finish.  I also have a second well underway.  Huzzah!
Time to check 'em out....

1) Patriotic quilt #1:  Finished!

Star Spangled (56x71)

Free pattern: Toutes Les Etoiles/All the Stars

I opted to add another row to balance out the blocks and I'm

quite happy that I did.   I do think it looks better and I always

prefer a larger quilt for selling.

A good call but boy did I cut it close on the background fabric.
I had literally less than 1/8" left!  In full disclosure, I increased

the outer border to use up every snibble.

To add to my use-it-up efforts, my backing choice also used up

every snibble of a bolt--one that I've been trying to use up in a

quilt for quite awhile.

Anyone else get excited when a stash-piece fits exactly into a quilt?

This one delivered multiple moments of stash-busting excitement!

2) Patriotic quilt #2

There are so many fun patriotic quilts out there that I

deliberated over my next project for days--weeks even--but

by the time I finished Star Spangled, I'd made my choice.

(photo credit)

 Next up is Flag Day.  

3) Finish knitting UFOs, starting with socks.

Still working on small gifts in the evenings.  I'm close to a

finish but I have more to go before getting to those UFO's.

4) Work out my plans for 2026

Currently in progress 

5) Golfing

I love the cold and snow but it's still great to get back at it,

out in the sun and fresh air, finally getting my steps in again.

6) Move efforts
With less than 2 months to go before transitioning to our

temporary rental, I'm working on emptying the freezers, fridge

and pantry.   It's a challenge I enjoy but I really thought I'd be

farther along here.  Not that we haven't made a huge dent;

we have.  It's just that we've somehow managed to add

items at the same time.  I find very much like how using up

your fabric stash often requires that you buy more.

I guess just as in the fabric game, it's the overall negative

that counts but the fact remains that there is still plenty

of food in this house and I need to up my game.

Crockpot Pea Soup w/Ham (Nourish and Nestle)

Pinterest is my go-to for playing "What can I make with it?" but

the above recipe is from a blog that I've recently subscribed to.

(Knitting/crochet, recipes, DIY, homestuff)

This will debut later this week when the excellent golf weather

will be replaced with excellent soup [and quilting] weather.

Who doesn't love taking back their afternoon/evening by

passing on the dinner responsibilities to Chef Crockpot?!?

Happy quilting!

Linking to:

Monday Musings

Sew & Tell
Tuesday To Do

Put Your Foot Down