I know. It's June. But the August 2019 issue of American Patchwork arrives in June so it's time for a Bucket List update!

Finish Faster? I just need to finish something!

So these are the tasks the sweet folks at American Patchwork have checked off their lists since April-June.

No. 1. Use acrylic or paper templates to piece a block. I have the templates - Shooting Star by Jen Kingwell. I have fabric. But that's as far as I've gotten. Just one block, that's all I need, right? I can make a pillow - a small one.

Why this one? Because I love this quilt.

Made with Jen's Looking Forward collection. This is a Bucket List quilt.

No. 2. Donate a pillowcase to charity. I haven't made these yet but I make about a dozen each summer to donate to the Million Pillowcase Challenge. I already have some fabric picked out - Annie Brady's Fish Tales. How cute is this?

No. 13.  Submit a reader tip to American Patchwork.  I haven't done this but years and years ago, I was sometimes asked for tips and tricks. I was usually asked for tips on "faster finishes" and my answer was always the same... slow down. Making a quilt isn't a race, it's supposed to be a pleasurable experience so why rush it?

If you'd like to submit a tip - [email protected].

No. 19.  Label a quilt.  (Don't forget your name and the date.) Ding ding ding!! I've got this one! I used to label every quilt - big and small. But I've gotten a bit forgetful the past few years and I've missed a few.

While I haven't finished a quilt this year that I can share - I include labels on almost all of my quilts.

For quilts that are large enough to require two lengths of yardage for the backing, I piece a panel that goes between the two lengths. I use leftover pieces from the front because when it's scrappy, I always seem to make more pieces than I need.

I also have one other "quirk" with labels. I'm not sure why I started doing it but it's something I've always done.

I always include a quote as part of the label - something that speaks to me at the time I'm finishing the quilt.

No. 40.  Learn a new embroidery stitch.  I'm working on this one because I really want to make this little quilt.

Eastmoreland by Kathy Schmitz. I've got the pattern, mini charm packs and I've been watching Kathy's Stitch This videos. (They're here on Facebook.) I love the Fishbone Stitch.

As for the rest of the list, I'm making progress. I was at the Kansas City Regional Quilt Festival last weekend so that's No. 27 off the list - attending a national quilt show. (I know, the title says Regional but folks are attending from all over the country so it counts in my book.)

No. 16.  Creatively piece your quilt backing. Been there, done that. That's not new but knowing that I had this list, I did that for a quilt going off for quilting next week.

That's creative, right? (Now that this quilt is finished traveling, it's going in the wash to make it all quilty and soft.)

No. 22.  Sew a quilt for charity. Does it count if I donate quilts to charity instead of making them specifically for that purpose?

No. 24.  Make a quilt using only solids. I'm working on this one - my fabrics are ready. And I know what I want to make. I'll update this one as it progresses.

I'm working on this one - I've got a preliminary "pull" started. It's got more yellow and gold than I want - it looked different on the swatches. So I'm going to edit this - pull out a few pieces, and add a few.

That's it for this update.

How about you?

If you missed anything about American Patchwork & Quilting’s Bucket List for 2019, we can help.

• The first Cutting Table blog post – Quilting Bucket List.
• APQ Bucket List update No. 1 on The Cutting Table - Bucket List No. 11.
• APQ Bucket List update No. 2 on The Cutting Table - APQ Bucket List Update.
• American Patchwork & Quilting Bucket List – and download.

Happy Friday!