Weeks 15 and 16 of Fifteen Minutes to Stitch

 I posted week 14 results late, which made me lose track of time in posting things.  This means you get to see two weeks of progress. 

15 Minutes to Stitch Week 15

This week, I finished editing the Dozen Quilts in a Dozen Weeks video. I have posted it here in case you want to watch it. There is a large variety of fun projects and you get to see their relative sizes. 

Also I had posted earlier a YouTube video about the Quilt National Show if you want to see that. I didn't notice until linking it here that the thumbnail picture is crooked. I have fixed it, so hopefully it will appear straight to you. 

I continued the relaxed pace that I started in Week 14. Cleaning the sewing room and sewing some more Sawtooth Stars and Lupine and Laughter blocks.

I have been very particular with the colors in the Green Sawtooth Stars. I started with a bluish green and was trying to work my way down to the yellow greens, but I don't have a lot of fabrics in the solid green. My older fabrics don't seem to be as clear as the newer ones.  I don't know why this quilt is being so particular, because in the past, I would say that if it is in my green fabrics box, it will work. I had plans to take care with the directional blocks, but as you can see in my haste to get them together, I didn't place them right, and I am not changing them. As you can see in the bottom row, color placement changes the look of the block. I'm not sure I like them, but for now, I am going to say that it is going to add to the quirkiness of the quilt without breaking any rules.

• 15 minute days this week = 7 / 7
• 15 minute days / April = 11 / 11
• 15 minute days / 2026 = 101 / 101 days
• Success rate = 100%

15 Minutes to Stitch Week 16

This week, I didn't do any sewing, though I did clean a little.  Mostly, I was focused on other tasks around the house.  Just doing a spring refresh around the house and spending time with family.

• 15 minute days this week = 1 / 7
• 15 minute days / April = 12 / 18
• 15 minute days / 2026 = 102 / 108 days
• Success rate = 94%

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15 Minutes to Stitch

Frenzy for 15 Minutes to Stitch Week 13

 It's the last week of the quarter, so I have been working at a frenzy pace to meet my quarter goals.  This year, I made 6 projects for Project Quilting, and one of them, the Dresden Plate, wound up being four quilts. I plan to sew those together, potholder style, so it is one quilt, but for now, it is four quilts. I also made some more Pocket Hugs or a tutorial. Since there are so many little projects, I thought it would be nice to be able to say I made 13 projects in 13 weeks. 

This means I have to finish up the things I have outstanding, like quilting and binding the Dresden Plate quilts, and while I am at it, I have a few small quilts that still need quilting. I am usually good at quilting the small quilts right away, but last year, time just got away from me, and I have a pileup of small quilts. I figure they would be quick enough to finish and add to my finish count for the first quarter.

15 Minutes to Stitch Week 13

 

This week, I made more Green Sawtooth Star blocks.  Even though I know this quilt won't be able to be finished in the first quarter, they kept drawing me to them to make just another one. And just like potato chips, I can't make just one.  The fabric combinations are really intriguing to see how each one will add to the quilt. I am making a scrappy quilt, even though it uses my newer fabric.  For some reason, I have been very selective in fabric choices for this quilt, and so far, my older greens don't look like they will fit. The fabric combinations are really intriguing to see how each one will add to the quilt.

  I did make some small progress on Lupine and Laughter blocks, mostly so I can get them finished and off the design wall to make room for the Sawtooth Stars.

• 15 minute days / March = 28 / 28 days
• 15 minute days / 2026 = 87 / 87 days
• Success rate = 100%

It may seem like there is a green tinge in my photos, but no, all of my projects definitely veer in the teal range. I did have to brighten them since it was already dark when I took the photos.  I didn't notice that green projects happening, except that the new projects keep coming from fabric that is already on the table. It doesn't seem like a forbidden new quilt if I am not actually looking for fabric to make a new quilt. The fabric on the table just tells me what kind of quilt it wants to be.

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Relaxing 15 Minutes to Stitch Week 11

This was my week off from the Project Quilting challenges. The new one was announced today. So hard to believe that this is the last theme for the year.

The theme is Happy Handful in which we make something small enough to hold in your hand. My Pocket Hugs would work for that. 

Marsha Cooper wanted more information about these, but she may be a no-reply blogger, so I will answer here. It is not a formal organization or anything, so they can be any size, or shape. Pocket Hugs are little things you can make (or buy) to give to someone as a remembrance of your love and support. You can give it to someone especially when they are going to do something like a trip, getting married, job interview, etc.  Or you can just surprise someone with it in their lunch box, pocket, etc. for a random act of kindness.

I am working on a video tutorial for it, and will make some printouts that can explain its purpose and be attached to them for gifting.

There is a related thing which is more formal called I Found a Quilted Heart, where you make little hearts and hide them around the world for strangers to find. You put a note on it so people know it is for them, and not something that has been lost or stolen. There is a Facebook group where people can post the ones they find or hide.

Anyway, this challenge makes me excited. Although I could easily make another Pocket Hug (and I still might do that), I have a glass cookie jar I got from the thrift store several years ago. My plan was to make little bowl fillers, and this challenge is a great way to start on that challenge. I have also been thinking about making those hanging chickens (prosperity hens) that I saw in a tutorial. I was about to make the hens, but then I didn't want to start anything new, and I started about thinking about other shapes to make instead of hens.   I hope this is a good start to make those little stuffed things.

15 Minutes to Stitch

 I have continued to make progress on my week away from the Project Quilting challenge. I felt like I should be continuing at a speed pace so that I could make good progress on my off week, but then I decided that I needed to rest up so I could be successful next week.

Also, sewing is supposed to be fun, and productivity is something for the job, and not for quilting.

In my relaxed snake, I made the "snake" I made for my Dots and Dashes quilt a little bit bigger and sewed it around the quilt, log cabin style.  It is now about 30 inches across, and I think I want about 10 more inches, so I have started another snake. A snake, in case you don't know is one and a half inch strips sewn end to end. They are from scraps so they can be long strips (dashes) or super short ones (dots).

Apparently, part of the sentence I wrote in my last post was deleted while I was editing it, so I completed it.  I continued to make progress on the Lupine and Laughter mystery quilt, and it is now looking more like the intended quilt than just parts and pieces. Although I have seen posts from people who made their quilt scrappy, I think I will probably win the award if there was one for the most scrappy. I hope it will look okay in the end.

• 15 minute days / March = 14 / 14 days
• 15 minute days / 2026 = 73 / 73 days
• Success rate = 100%

Linked with 15 Minutes to Stitch 2026.

Busy 15 Minutes to Stitch Week 10

 This week was Project Quilting Challenge week, with today being the submission date. But since I submitted a quilt earlier in the week, I felt like my "off week" started early, and I have been busy relishing my time off.

I finished a bonus quilt.  I showed both of my quilt finishes in my last two posts.  Then, I worked on making progress on already started quilts. 

 I added some more patches to repair the bunk bed quilt my mother made. counted what still needs to be made for my Lupine and Laughter quilt.

I made more "snake" for my Dots and Dashes quilt.

I did some sorting in the sewing room and made a pile of quilt tops that need to be finished.   I even found backing and batting for most of them, so they are all ready to make more progress to the completion line.

I trimmed some half rectangle triangles, made some half square triangles, and counted how many more blocks and parts and pieces I still need to make.

• 15 minute days / March = 7 / 7 days
• 15 minute days / 2026 = 66 / 66 days
• Success rate = 100%

I was sick one of these days, and although I didn't do any housework that day, I did manage to get my sewing time in, so I am still at 100%. Good thing we aren't tracking housework!

Linked with 15 Minutes to Stitch 2026.

15 Minutes to Stitch Week Seven

 There is no project quilting theme this week - the theme is announced every other week. This means there is time to take a break, but the momentum of making the Fire Horse is high, and with the theme being announced the following week, it makes sense to keep the momentum high.

I have been tempted to start lots of quilts. Right now, I am thinking about making a simple sawtooth stars quilt in greens, with an emphasis on teals. I am also thinking about joining a challenge by Reprolover with four patch made with HSTs. I could use the teals scraps and add other colors with that.

But so far, I have been resisting, because I need to keep working on the quilts I have already started. The Lupine and Laughter quilt is still hogging up the design wall. I did this on purpose to keep things organized, and keep my focus on it. I followed along making about a quarter of the blocks, but I ran behind, and then I decided I needed to make a few more blocks to make the size I want. I have been making more pieces to fill in the missing blocks.

So this week, I have been trimming more half rectangle triangles. I printed out templates for Jane blocks. 

To take a break from those, I brought out the Dots and Dashes quilt. I have been thinking about that quilt because my plan is use my leftover scraps from the L&L quilt to the D&D quilt. I am cutting all scraps into one and a half inch strips and sewing them together end to end. One of my viewers called them "snakes," and I think that is a fitting name.

I brought out the quilt and sewed two rounds. The "rule" is that the snake gets sewn into the quilt, around and around, log cabin style, and letting serendipity decide where the pieces land. I like how some of the fabrics turn a corner, but it does make me nervous as to how things will turn out.

I used up the snakes I had already prepared, so will make more snakes with the small amount of strips  have already prepared..

• 15 minute days/Feb = 14/14 days
• 15 minute days/2026 = 45/45 days
• Success rate = 100%

Linked with 15 Minutes to Stitch 2026.

15 Minutes to Stitch Week Five

 Look at me, posting on time.  This week was a week off from Project Quilting challenge.  The challenge for this upcoming week, is Year of the Horse, which makes me happy. I was hoping that they would do that. I made a horse quilt last year, and even though I was afraid it wouldn't turn out right, tracing a pattern does let me make a horse that looks like a horse.

In this time off, I continued to work on the recently started quilts.  That is the Lupine and Laughter mystery quilt. I had one block done, but I still needed to finish the half rectangle triangles to make the star block.  I also decided to make another couple of blocks to make a 4x4 setting. These quilts look better with repetition, and although a 4x4 setting doesn't create a lot of repetition, it is better than a smaller setting.

I also finished the quilt top for the Valentine's mystery hosted by Kathleen Tracy.  I still need to applique the heart. Her small quilts are fun to make and although I usually resist making them, I usually also regret not making them.

• 15 minute days/Jan = 31/31 days
• 15 minute days/2026 = 31/31days
• Success rate = 100%

Linked with Kate's Life in Pieces 15 Minutes to Stitch.

15 Minutes to Stitch Week Four

 It is going to take me some practice to remember to post my progress on the 15 Minutes to Stitch challenge every week.  I have been stitching every day though.  

I've shown you some of the quilting from this month already on the blog:

• The Project quilting challenge #1 where I made An Open Space to Breathe (I originally wrote that as A Quiet Place to Breathe, which is also a good name)
• The project Quilting challenge #2 where I made Change
• The bunkbed blanket I am repairing
• The peacock made with leftovers from the Lupine & Laughter mystery
• The Lupine & Laughter mystery

Since then, I have made a little more progress on each of the unfinished projects aforementioned.

But that's not all.  I found a group on Facebook that is making a Jane Stickle block a week, and I've made a couple of Jane Stickle blocks with them.

I have also started a small mystery quilt by Kathleen Tracy. I am very tempted to start a lot of quilts, but have been resisting, but I think this small quilt shouldn't take too much time. Plus it uses the tiny extra fabric from the Lupine and Laughter mystery quilt. The tiny blocks are the Valentine's mystery quilt and the bigger HSTs are from Lupine & Laughter.

• 15 minute days/Jan = 24/24 days
• 15 minute days/2026 = 24/24days
• Success rate = 100%

Linked with Kate's Life in Pieces 15 Minutes to Stitch.