Stitching in December

I just had a look at my goals for this month and think I did rather well.

I’ve already posted about the Three Yard Dog quilt that was my goal for the Chookshed Stitchers and One Monthly Goal, and the Christmas decorations.  

In addition, I completed a long term UFO, being a little quilt to donate to the neo natal unit at the hospital.  I made its matching one a couple of years ago.  Can you spot the boo boo?  I couldn’t until I was in the process of quilting the cross hatch.  I had cut the second row from the right half an inch too wide.  Oh well, it will stay as it is.

I also added the final two borders to the Dr Seuss Quilt.  It is now waiting in the wings to be quilted.

Remember how I sorted out my sewing threads.

Well, at the same time I actually got my overflowing little scrap tub that lives on my cutting table and took it out into the kitchen and sorted the scraps by colour.

The scraps were then put in their designated coloured box.  That looks better.

While on a roll, I went through Mum’s embroidery threads that now live here and pulled out all her DMC threads.  Any that were on cards are now in the containers with mine and any duplicate skeins are put aside, so that, like my sewing threads, when I run out of a colour I can shop the duplicates first.  Add to this, all the odds and sods that Mum has and I think I have a lifetime’s supply.

My final project start for the year is a kit that I purchased at Baradine at Spring in the Scrub.  I made a promise to myself that I would make it between Christmas and New Year.  I’m pleased to report that I succeeded.

My one comment on this make is “What a Cow”.

I had my first go a spray basting.  It went well, but made the machine needle sticky, so had to keep wiping it down.

The bag stiffening is really stiff, like a hard felt.  It was incredibly difficult to manoeuvre under my machine.   Even to quilt it was rather difficult. Maybe, foam such as Soft and Stable would be easier.

Also, when stitching the sides to the base, there were three layers of batting and eight layers of fabric.  My machine really struggled with it.  However, we got there in the end.  It is definitely not my finest work, but finished is better than perfect.  

After all the trials and tribulations of this project, I like it very much.  It is really pretty and will be good for taking my projects to my stitching days.

Lastly, my hexies.  Yes, I did manage to get all the remaining hexy flowers stitched.  A long session on Zoom one day certainly helped.  I then proceeded to get them all glue basted and have already appliquéd lots of the one inch hexies onto their background.  Tomorrow will be a Zoom day for the Chookshed Stitchers, and I plan to have a very long sewing session, so should get quite a few more done.  Getting the quilt top made before Scrub Stitchin’ is looking very promising.

Finally, a Finish

 On Saturday, Lou put out a challenge that we both “dust off our quilting frames” and get quilting.  My first reaction, while having breakfast, was “Oh Loo-ou!”. Then once I did a couple of other things I was brave and headed into the sewing room to start to have a tidy up.

A few hours later, Monique had been excavated.  Now, this photo was strategically angled.  We won’t look at the other side of the room.  LOL. However, quite a bit of tidying up and putting away did take place.

The quilt I was going to play with was the little half square baby quilt that I finished piecing up at Scrub Stitchin’.  This was to be my Chookshed Stitchers’ Challenge for May, after I was unable to find my NZ fabrics.  Our impromptu trip to the UK put paid to that, so now was its time to shine.

This little quilt has transpired to be something created from not much.  The feature fabrics are a partial charm pack that I purchased quite some years back at a market stall for $3.  The white is from stash.  I always have a supply of white.

I stitched the HST blocks as a leader and ender while at Scrub Stitchin’ in 2022.  They were trimmed down shortly thereafter, and then languished in the “To Do” pile, getting carried over month after month……until Scrub Stitchin’ this year.

In some respects, it was a good thing the quilting was delayed, as I found the ideal backing fabric on our recent trip north in an op shop.   To my delight, it was wide enough that I didn’t have to piece the backing.  I also found I had a batting off cut that was just the right size.  Everything was falling into place.

Once loaded on the frame I was using up the last little bits of bobbin for the basting and first partial pattern row.  All was going swimmingly, until the last little curvy bit.  At least it ran out beside the quilt top, and not in the middle of the stitching.  Other than that, it all went rather well.

By late Saturday afternoon the quilting was completed.  What a bonus.  I definitely didn’t expect to have a quilted quilt and a somewhat tidier sewing room when I hopped out of bed that morning.

Sunday morning, after baking a cake, saw me back in the sewing room to finish it off.  Keeping on the “it was meant to be” theme, I just happened to have four 2 1/2 inch by width of fabric white strips cut out.  Just the right amount for the binding, which I attached by machine.  I’m feeling quite comfortable with this method on donation quilts now.

And showing the cute backing fabric, which was just the right colours.

This turned out to be a very cute little baby quilt.  I really like the way the twisty lines worked out.  It will be donated, once I get a few more quilts made.

Another one to tick off the list.

It’s Done.

Once again I have left my One Monthly Goal until the last moment.  This was also my Chookshed Challenge Number 9, so doubly important to get it achieved.

You may recall that my goal was to complete the Harry Potter donation quilt that had been sitting, cut out, for over twelve months.  I had the flimsy pieced at Scrub Stitchin’.

I’m happy to report today I have found some backing and batting pieces that will work, joined the backing, quilted and bound it.

I used the stars pantograph, as I did in the first version of this quilt that I made last year.

What made me very happy was that I won the bobbin lottery, not once, but twice during the quilting process.  Firstly, I used the last little bit on a bobbin to bast the top of the quilt and ended up with a couple of inches of thread left over.  Then, I was watching my first bobbin, and it ended up stitching right to the end of a row, to the very last stitch, so there was nothing on the bobbin when I ended off.  Phew!

While I’m going, let’s do a round up of this month’s stitching.

My Rainbow Scrap Challenge blocks were completed.

The Split nine patch while at Scrub Stitchin’.

The fish after I returned home.

Now to wait for a week or so until the next pattern is released.  I believe the colour is pink, so some pretty fish next time.

My spiked granny rug has the squares joined together, awaiting the ends to be woven in and the border to be added.

I have stitched some of the appliqué on the batik fish.  Five done, except for the eyes.  They will gradually be caught up when I want something simple to sew.

My Sashiko panels have once again seen the light of day.  The first and second panels are now complete and the third half done.

I progressed my Laundry Basket Spring Mystery Quilt.

The Half Square Triangle Baby Quilt also reached the flimsy stage.

Add to this the swap gift I made for Scrub Stitchin’.

There weren’t many finishes for the month, but several projects have been moved along.

I’ll link up with Deana for the Chookshed Stitchers Challenge, So Scrappy for Rainbow Scrap Challenge and Stories From the Sewing Room for One Monthly Goal.

I know I’m jumping the gun by a day, but I am confident that I will have achieved  my 15 minutes each day.  Some days that was all I did. I’ll be linking at Life in Pieces.

April = 30/30

Year to date = 121/121

Success Rate - 100%

All in all, I'm happy with the month.

Final March Wrap Up of Goals

 I enjoy looking back over the last month and seeing what I managed to do.

My One Monthly Goal was to complete the Moda Love quilt from Scrub Stitchin’ last year, which was done at the last minute.

The Rainbow Scrap Challenge colour was purple, so I made my split nine patch blocks.

Then it was time for the purple fish.

At the same time I prepped my first blocks for the batik fish quilt I am making as well.

The Chookshed Challenge was number 4 and for me a panel quilt.

My knitting or crochet project continued to be the Spiked Granny Square rug.  I completed the coloured section of the 30 squares and then added the final cream round.  That was as far as I thought I would get, but in the end, on the final day of the month I wove in all the loose cream ends.  The squares are now ready to join together, which I am looking forward to doing.

Now to my other stitching goals:

WORK ON A DONATION PROJECT - That is the Teddy Bear Panel Quilt.

USE MONIQUE - Yep, three quilts, which I am pretty happy about.

WORK ON A WIP - Yes, the appliqué on the final border of my blue quilt is done.

WORK ON A UFO - Yes, Moda Love and the Twister Quilt were both completed.

DO SOME HAND STITCHING - There was lots - the appliqué border, hand stitching down two quilt bindings and making this cute little EPP pincushion.

FINISH SOMETHING - There were four finishes, three quilts and the pincushion.

I'm not participating in PHD, but am pleased to report that I have now completed five UFOs for the year and that other than the ongoing fish quilts, everything I have started this year has been finished.  Fingers crossed I can keep on this trajectory.

15 MINUTES A DAY - Yes, I managed to work on something for at least 15 minutes every day of the month.

March = 31/31

Year to date = 91/91

Success rate = 100%

I’m going to link up over at Life in Pieces.

Now to the other goals for the month:

READ A BOOK - I have already told you about three books I read, but at the last minute I listened to an audio book. This is the fourth book in the Thursday Murder Club series and I really enjoy them, especially as an audio book.  I do hope there continues to me more in this series. Not only do I binge read, I also binge listen.  I started it half way through the binding of the Moda Love quilt and wish I had started it earlier, as it really makes the binding go much quicker.  It is while listening to the book that I ended up weaving in the ends of the crochet squares.  

TRY A NEW RECIPE - Yes, the zucchini chips.

GO AWAY WITH THE CARAVAN - No.  Our new little truck has not arrived yet, but I’m crossing everything that it will be here this week, so we can take it to Baradine for its maiden voyage.

HAVE A FUN DAY OUT - Yes, there were a few of these, which we always enjoy.

I have removed a motorcycle ride from my monthly goals, as they just weren’t happening, but that was a bonus for the month, despite our little incident.

It has been a good month and now I am looking forward to the next one.

One Monthly Goal - Another Ta Da - Moda Love Completed

The thing with One Monthly Goal is that I can generally leave it till towards the end of the month to get it finished before the cut off……..as long as nothing untoward crops up.  Fortunately, nothing did this month and I have another completed quilt to report. That’s three for the month, which is a good feeling.

This is yet another UFO, but a relatively new one, being pieced at Scrub Stitchin’ last year.

Having kitted it up before the retreat, I had the centre section pieced on the Wednesday that we arrived.

The next round was pieced by lunch on the following day.

Then it was time to play on the design bed in the caravan to set out the final round.

I had that section pieced by the end of that day.  And that is as far as it got at the retreat, as I came down with the dreaded COVID.  Blast!

I added the final grey border once I returned home and that is how it has sat for the best part of twelve months, as I still wasn’t all that confident to quilt such a large quilt on Monique.

The wish to take the completed quilt for show and tell this year was the push I needed to finally quilt  and bind it.   I love it!   It is such a dramatic quilt and rather different to my usual style, whatever that is.

I used the “Scrollworks” pantograph with a dark grey thread, so that it just provided texture without detracting from the bright fabrics and am really happy with how it has turned out. It has finished at 76 inches square.

I’m linking up over at Stories From the Sewing Room.  Pop over and see what the other ladies have been working on.