Monday make - Christmas quilt

 

My neck pain improved after Christmas, so I sewed two more blocks. I then had nine blocks for a Christmas throw. All but the centre present block are from the sewalong with A Quilting Life.

I reduced this block in size to a 12" finished block so that I could add a red border. The fabric for this border is deep stash by Kate Spain.

The centre block of the quilt is a free block from the #Quiltmas range of blocks which I sized up to be an 18" block. I was pleased to get all of the directional prints going in the right direction.

It was a quick job to stitch the nine blocks together to make a quilt top. I went for no sashing and ended up with a 72" square. I used an Anne Bright pantograph called Frozen with a grey thread top and bottom. I had a Zoom call for the Sewology BOM with Modern Quilt Club on Saturday evening and was productive and managed t trim the top, wadding and backing, make the 2 1/4" binding, stitch the binding to the front of the quilt top and machine stitch down one side of binding.

The backing was a Christmas gift from my daughter by Gutterman from a local shop called Rachel's Textiles.

Cross stitch WIPs

 

I have been very unproductive this week, so I thought I'd share the cross stitch WIPs that are out and ready to work on.

First is Santa's Ride by Barbara Ana Designs. A small start.

I am doing quite well on Lori Holt's Sew Happy chart and I'm working to the left and up to the top left. There's too much green in the quilt block in the corner so a substitution will have to be made. I am travelling to London on Monday for tests so will take this project into hospital with me.

Big Hearted Tiny Town by Heart in Hand is making progress but I think progress slowed because the fabric is too light to show off the white stitching. I need to knuckle down to finishing this in February. I'd like to do the Bloomin, Christmas and Halloween Tiny Towns too.

WIP Wednesday - mini block sampler

 

Monday was the release of block 4 of the mini block sampler with Art East Quilting. This block is called Th Mushroom, but mine looks a little psychadelic!! I was really unwell on Monday and only got up at 2pm to eat breakfast and was back in bed by 4pm, so it's only been stitched today. Luckily these are only 6" blocks so it took less than an hour to choose fabrics, cut out and stitch.

I love that there's only one block per week so there's no stress to keep ahead or even keep up. My stash is light of grey 

Yesterday I finished the pattern to submit to Make Modern so my next project to work on is my Xmas quilt.

Monday make - animal quilt

 

My Wednesday morning Guild have a Christmas lunch and challenge reveal this week. As I had expected to be away, the challenge had not made it onto my to do list. With the Sewology quilt off my long arm, it was time to quilt this panel ready for the lunch. The theme is an animal quilt to be donated to Project Linus. My friend Laura was giving away this panel at our Jersey Modern Quilt Group meeting last summer and I immediately thought it was a quick way to join the challenge and meet the theme of the challenge.

I found some leftover wadding and backing so everything just needed a press before loading. It was quick to be quilted using the grey thread already on the machine and the pattern Malachite by Urban Elementz, Unfortunately I didn't have any yardage that was suitable for binding as I prefer a clear modern palette, so I used the selvedge from the panel with the spots of colour used in the panel and matched it to the turquoise Kona cotton.

It's now ready to be donated on Wednesday and it's time to finish my Christmas quilt. The nine blocks need to be pieced together into a quilt top and I have the backing and wadding ready to go.

Friday Finish - Sewology BOM

 

I chose the Christy Dillon pattern Square root E2E to quilt this BOM using Glide thread in the colour Bone. The thread colour was an easy choice as it was still on the machine from my last project, but it suited this project very well.

Just as I thought I was getting near to finishing the quilting, I realised there was a tuck in the backing so I started to undo two rows of quilting. Unfortunately, my back objected to this, and I saw our physio just before Xmas. It's only in the last two weeks that I have been pain free and able to tackle the unpicking again.

I think the button block is my favourite as I realised that an unused Accuquilt alphabet die was the right size to cut the lettering. I buttonhole stitched around the lettering which wasn't a quick job but looked great once complete.

I went a little rogue with the needle and thread block. I altered the methodology and inserted the thread in the eye of the needle into the seam allowance. The result was fewer ends to hand applique.

I added the binding to the front of the quilt on Tuesday and took it to my Wedensday morning group to start hand stitching the binding to the reverse. I don't know what came over me but when I got back home, I decided to just get on with the binding and finish it.

Details:

Pattern Sewology BOM by Pen and Paper Patterns via a BOM with Modern Quilt Club

Background and binding: Kona Silver

Coloured fabric : an assortment of Ruby Star Society fabrics

Backing: Speckled Dove 108" wide by Ruby Star Society

WIP Wednesday - Santa's trips

I have started another cross stitch WIP. I blame Michelle of Momma loves you GB on Youtube for showing off her finished piece. This was a mystery pattern with portions revealed every week but now the pattern is available to purchase as one pdf from Creative Poppy.

I am using the called for DMCs on a hand dyed 32 count evenweave from Chromatic Alchemy called RAI. I am liking how it looks so far. I started with the middle octagon and then have moved upwards and to the top left with the borders of the nine blocks. 

As always, I have a plan to stitch this which will be spread over nine months. In January I plan to stitch the top left block and half of the top border. I think the borders will take some time to stitch if I leave them until the end. Then each month I will work from left to right and stitch one block and half a border. When I get to the middle block, I will stitch the green leafy motifs making the corners of the octagons.

 

Pattern: Santa's Trips by Barbara Ana Designs from Creative Poppy

Thread: called for DMCs

Fabric: hand dyed 32 count evenweave from Chromatic Alchemy called RAI

I have also finished quilting my Sewology BOM so that will be going to today's quilt group and Saturday's Jersey Modern Quilt Group to hand stitch the binding.

Monday Make - zickzack scarf

This is my no 5 UFO for our group challenge. I have been working on this over the last two weeks, adding eight rows every day. I had no enthusiasm for this project which become boring. It’s a simple twelve stitch pattern for 60 inches of scarf. This pattern is created with two 100g skeins of self striping yarn.

I am thrilled that it’s now finished and I can focus on another project.

Friday finish - 2004 Santa

 

Number 4 was the UFO number chosen for us to work on for our guild challenge for January 2023.

I am now one step closer to a full set of Prairie Schooler Santas with just three more to stitch. I’m now going to work on my knitted scarf and one letter on Sew Happy.

 

WIP Wednesday 2023 SALs

I have only signed up for two Sewalongs for 2023 and have the Sewology BOM to finish quilting too. 

The first is for the cross stitch pattern Big Hearted tiny town by Heart in Hand which I purchased from Peakside Needleworks. This SAL starts on 6 January, and I plan to stitch one motif per day.

The longer term SAL is from Art East Quilting Co and is 49 weekly 6" blocks. I'm not sure in what order the blocks are released but this was cut and stitched in an hour.

My plan is to graduate from a white background in the centre to an almost black background in the corner blocks. I pulled a few greys from stash and paired them with Ruby Star Society scraps and a Basic Grey black grunge which was to hand. I need to see what other greys I have in stash to use as a darker grey and a white for the centre.

Monday make -twice as nice pouch

After making good progress on sorting scraps this morning, I decide to make my daughter, Lizzie, a twice as nice pouch - pattern by Aneela Hoey.

I have made the pattern before and made just one mistake but unfortunately, I compounded the mistake by doing the required top stitching, so I had two short seams to unpick. The fabric was left over from Lizzie making the bowler bag from my stash but I managed to find enough to co-ordinate with the bowler bag and Lizie is delighted. 

 I used Aurifil 2745 for the top stitching and Aurifil 5005 to close the bottom of the lining. I kept some cheap charms that Lizie was getting rid of some years ago and they are perfect to finish off the zipper pulls.

Friday finish - Bowler bag

My daughter found the Bowler Bag pattern by Patterns by Mrs H in my stash during the summer so decided that we would do two projects together over Xmas. We used fabric from my stash along with vegan leather from the Sew Quirky mystery boxes from 2022.

I have just ordereed a teflon foot for my Atelier 7 which will make similar projects easier in the future. Part of my Christmas present was the silver fittings for the bag which can mount up quite quickly. The supplies list in the pattern wasn't as comprehensive as I expected and one of the fittings was wrongly described but we found two of the right fittings in my stash.

From the Sew Quirky box I used the pink vegan leather, pom pom, zipper tape and zipper pull. A great finished bag and Lizzie is already planning for Xmas 2023. It ould be a while before you see the second project we did as mine is in time out.

 

December 2022 achievements

I expected to be away this month but instead we've been at home celebrating Christmas with my family. However, a pain in my neck and shoulder has impeded my sewing.

1. 2000 Prairie Schooler Santa. There are now just four to complete for a full set

2. Christmas Tree by Barbara Ana is framed and on display.

3. I have also finished Christmas Window by Barbara Ana from Punch Needle and Primitive Stitcher - winter 2022 edition

4. Trick or Treat, also by Barbara Ana is also complete. 

5. Bowler bag

Monday make - trick or treat

A quick little pattern by Barbara Ana for Punch Needle and primitive Stitching magazine - Fall 2020 issue. I think this pattern is also now available from Creative Poppy.

I used the called for DC colours on Zweigart Smokey Pearl linen with a 32 Count. Now to stitch another letter on my Sew Happy project, which I'm hoping is not my chosen UFO for January as it's my biggest cross stitch project in the 2023 UFO Challnge.

 

Sunday Stash - Sew Quirky Mystery box

This mystery box had sat in Customs at Coventry for a week, and it arrived just before Xmas. The postman rang the doorbell and I oohed as I accepted the parcel. Lizzie was having an afternoon nap, but she knew what had arrived so hot footed in downstairs to join in the unboxing.

You can see how full the box was. There was no packing list so I will have to try and remember what was there before we dispersed the contents. The first item to be examined more closely was the sorbet coloured vegan leathers. The pink piece was put to one side for me along with the pink striped zipper and a pom pom zipper pull. My daughter, Lizzie and I are attempting the bowler bag by Mrs H over the festive period.

There is always an exclusive pattern with the box and it comes with all of the fabric for the applique, last time the project was a pennant and this time it's a scissors case.

The sweet treat sincluded a melted snowman, yum and a small candy cane in the cracker. Loved the leopard print ribbon tying the cracker which has been saved. The cracker contained the candy cane and an apricot thread which Lizzie now has to take home with her.

Lizzie also has the limited edition iron on patch which is so detailed. The rest of the box was:

Black zipper pulls to match the tape

gingerbread bath fizzers

glittery strapping

a pineapple pouch with large wonder clips

a toucan pin - again very detailed

Now we need to focus on working on the Bowler bag using some of the goodies from this box and some from the last box. I would buy one of these mystery boxes again.