A BIG Christmas Finish

 I was so excited to finish my 9 patch pretties.   So I dropped it off at my long armer. And at the same time, I picked up the 2 quilts which had been finished.  It was delayed several times due to health issues on her end, my trip to Louisiana and then my long lasting cold.  But here is the first binding finish. 

So I have been sewing like crazy trying to get the binding on. My big finish is the Sewcialites Christmas.  This was a block of the week by Fat Quarter Shop, a free pattern which I made in 9 inch blocks. I enjoy doing these kind of projects and have 2 still needed to be put together. The setting is also a design from them, although I don't know if it was for this series or a previous one.  It is  a slight variation of theirs. 

Center blocks up close

This is a large quilt ending up at 100 inches squared. Which means I spent 3 nights watching football playoff games hand sewing the binding on. ( And the Packers lost in a very exciting game. They were not favored. ) 

Beautiful edge to edge quilt in swirly design with holly leaves and berries. The backing was a wide back thatched fabric by Robin Pickens in Scarlet. 

The binding as leftover strips from many of the  Christmas fabrics in the quilt alternating colors. 

A very big finish.  I am so happy!

Just needs the rod pocket and label.

Fall retreat

 Every October, I get to go to a retreat at a college.  No classes, just living in a dorm with a great big sewing room for the 18 of us. Inspiration galore, jokes and laughing and concentrated sewing time from Thursday to Sunday.  The best!  

I packed way too many projects (Of course). And some took more time than I had anticipated. Yes, it happens. 

But here are the things I was able to complete:  It feels so good to get things done. 

1)  This is the Sewcialites 2 I have been working on for a year.  The blocks were one per week on Fat Quarter Shop from fall to April. My blocks are 9 inches each giving the entire quilt 100 inches square. In other words big! And the missing block is already set in.  These are obviously Christmas colors with lots of different prints. And I will use a scrappy binding after quilting. 

2)  I completed the setting for my gnome blocks which I made last winter in January and February. 

The original patterns were designed as redwork which I made as applique with lots of embroidery purchased from Etsy. Each gnome is 5 by 7 inches to give you and indication of size. 

3)  Lastly, I made 2 trick or treat bags for my grandkids. This was a panel I saw online and had to have.  Each is lined with black fusible interfacing.

Another project is on hiatus as I needed to order more fabric. Frustrating, but it will be SOOO cool when done. 

Other projects I took note of from my friends.:

A little a day makes the projects go away :)

 Well, each day sewing some makes the projects get closer to finishing. And that does a body good.  I feel like I am accomplishing something and it motivates me to keep on going. 

Sew:  

1) A Christmas Sewcialtes 2 I have now got all the setting blocks made.  I needed to make a quick run to a fabric store for more of the same colors. 

All of these are 9 inch blocks:  16 each of the half square triangles. 8 of the red quarter square triangles. and 16 of the green ones. 

I hope to get the background squares and rectangles done as well as begin the piecing. 

2) New project:  Blockheads 5.  

I am making the blocks in batiks and started out with some I already had, but added a few more teals and lights to mix from a trip in August to one of my favorite stores in Appleton, WI: Going to Pieces.

These are 12 inch blocks and this one is paper pieced. ( Needs a good pressing)

Here are all that have been completed thus far. 

3) Finished the feather free motion quilting on my mini trees.  I even have the binding ready.  Now just to cross hatch the in between blocks. 

It's Spring?????

 We have another beautiful snow that flocks the trees and looks so pretty.  5 or so lovely inches of this COLD WET SNOW!   Fortunately, I have everything I need here in the house. So there! I will just sit here and read my book, Lessons in Chemistry, and stare out at the now blowing branches. 

There is a driveway and sidewalk somewhere.

I have been sewing some:  

Quilting the mini: 

The back looks gray but is more of a medium blue.

Sewcialites blocks: 4 new blocks

All my blocks so far of the Sewcialites 2; free weekly pattern from Fat Quarter Shop.

18 out of 20. I have one that I made twice with different fabrics.

Stitching and stitching

 I am enjoying the methodical stitching on the machine each day.  And while I seem to slowly accumulate blocks, I don't get to the computer to talk about it. 

Something I am really like creating are my Sewcialites 2 blocks.  I have really liked using Christmas colors and made several blocks this week.  I am almost caught up with the block a week release by Fat Quarter Shop. And I keep looking for larger pieces of fabrics for the setting.  Although I won't be putting it together until this summer. 

And I am churning out my Ocean Waves blocks.  I am down to the last 2 weeks of my schedule to finish the blocks which will total 64.  My goal to finish it for our quilt show at the end of March.  I already have a reservation to have it quilted by my friend. She took some pictures of my blocks I had taken to guild for planning her exquisite work.

I bought some more off white wool for my snowmen and am getting a little done per week   Total 9 sections and the first is completed.  The 2nd one is heat set with hand work and machine applique to do.  The first half of the 3rd is planned. So I am getting there.

I have been marinating my ideas for my Stay at Home Round Robin all week. The idea started by Quilting Gail and then first row by the Home Sewn by Us was to frame your block with the them of spools.  I truly enjoy a challenge of selecting the block and making it fit the center block I started last week. I did need to change the width of the border to make it work.

While it is not all sewn together, I will complete it this weekend. This evening we are celebrating my daughter's birthday, cutting my sewing time down. 

The block was designed by Nancy Zieman found on Pinterest and my finished size is 3 and 1/2 inches. 

And lastly it is fun just to sit and piece scrappy 9 patches. No matter how many I piece and use scraps up, it doesn't make much of a dent in the fabric stash. 

 

And my January goal is COMPLETE.  All the machine quilting, binding and details are added.  And I hung the new wall hanging on the door!  The snowman top  was probably started 15 or more years ago and I was stuck adding the words below.  I just decided to finish it up as is, forget the words, and SEW I did.  Posted on Elm Street Quilts  One Monthly Goal. 

Startitis: the obsession of creating more quilting projects

 So my machine has been buzzing away.  I love having days home to sew.   Sometimes, I like to be a hermit. I have made 16 of my ocean waves blocks and am on schedule to finish for my guild's show. But I am getting worried at the prospect of matching all these blocks together.

And I am working on the 2nd blocks of my Merry Merry Christmas. 

I even started quilting my UFO for January: Ye Old Snowman.

I used a wool scrap batting giving it puffiness. 

Another block of the Sewcialites 2 completed.

So you think that would be enough?   Of course, not.  I started as a leader and ender 9 patches made of 1 inch squares.  Inspiration from Gretchen's Little Corner.  

And then I remembered the Stay at Home Round Robin. I loved making it last year. But got stuck after the 3rd round.   I pulled out the fabrics and have plenty.  First block made from the Grid Girls mystery.  I struggled  worked at the cat's cradle block and found I had a ruler to make it as well. Hooray. 2 versions: I can't decide. 

Busy sewing week

 New year!  New goals!   

1) Progress on Merry Merry Snowmen! 

I have not only pieced the blocks for area 1 and 2, I have appliqued the features and took 2 evenings to add the hand details:  Block is 14 by 22 inches

2) Working on my Ocean Waves

Several more blocks pieced.  They require meticulous seam allowances to meet at the corners. And that requires removing stitches to fix them.  Ahhh! the joys of unstitching. 

2)  Sewcialites 2  

New block completed. The video by Kimberly Jolly of Fat Quarter Shop is helpful and I like how she showed techniques for square in a square ( with a paper piece) as well as alternative colorings for variations of the block.