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. 

Back on track with the New Year

But in general I regret not blogging for the past couple of months.  My life has been complicated by lots of travel.  The 2nd trip to Canada was health related after Lloyd was sent by ambulance to the hospital then requiring a pace maker. Then he had a stroke. His recovery is still slow. But after 6 weeks, he was finally transferred to a rehab home. He is DETERMINED to get back home. I think I will return again this month. My last drive was 15 hours one way, so hard. 

Then during the Christmas holidays my spouse and I made a train trip to visit my grandkids. ( So glad I missed all that hoorah of the airlines. ) Love those boys and their parents. Time together makes the relationship build where distance is so hard.  One whole suitcase had presents and I loved the smiles that they brought.    P.S. Notice the Shark pajamas with Christmas hats and scarves.

I made 2 pencil cases for my grandsons. They are SHARKS!  One quilted and lined in red while the other is in orange.  The main fabric is a pair of jeans purchased from Goodwill.   In hindsight, I should have selected a pair having a lighter weight denim. It was so difficult to turn the tail fluke. They zip open at the mouth. Pattern  found online.  I hope they will use them and enjoy them.   I also purchased art supplies to go with them. 

SO It is 2023.   I almost typed in 19.. such a realization of my age. 

Since my return from Louisiana, I am totally focused on getting organized at home and for quilting.  I also got a Fitbit as a gift for Christmas that is making me health conscious. Lots of good vibes going including some devotional readings.   And after only a week, I already feel inspired and reaping the rewards of progress. 

So for quilting goals, 

1) I am hoping to finish one UFO per month.  ( For January I have an old snowman that needs a home. )

 2)  I am working on a quilt to finish for the guild show the end of March: 32 blocks made, 32 to go. This one is my Kim Diehl fabric Ocean Waves. 

 3) And I started a new quilt with a friend to spur each other on.  It is a Bunny Hill design: Merry, Merry Christmas and has 9 pieced and appliqued blocks all in reds. 

4) I have also started the Sewcialites 2 quilt along. I only have 4 blocks made, a little behind. I am using a small bolt of white and some bright Christmas fabrics. 

There are others on the pile, but this is a good start.    Hope your goals and projects are proceeding nicely.