Scrappy Saturday

My blue scraps haven't had much attention this month, but I did make a couple of blocks this week. I cut out pieces for an ongoing RSC project that I started last year. I really like the blocks for using up scraps, but truth be told... I can't find the original blocks I made last year! 

They will show up eventually, but for now here are the new blue blocks - a star block and and the alternating 25 patch block.

These blocks were made from scraps on the cutting table. Does your cutting table look like this? 

Honestly mine always does. I tell myself it's the sign of a creative quilter! But really it's the sign that I haven't kept ahead of organizing my scraps. So today's the day to clear some space and cut some scraps, so I'll have more space to cut! LOL

Linking up to the Rainbow Scrap Challenge

Mystery Update

After last week's fiasco I needed to put my Chilhowie mystery in "time out". We needed a sanity break from each other, and one of us had to go in the UFO closet. And it wasn't going to me because it's scary in there! 

I have slowly taken the blocks out,  deconstructed them and sewed them back together correctly. It wasn't actually as bad as I thought it would be and I now have 5 blocks ready.

I'll be going to a quilt retreat in February and the Hot Mess Express (aka Chilhowie) will make an appearance there, where I will complain at great length, and my friends will console me with chocolate and sympathy.

In the meantime, I need to figure out how many sashing strips I need, and how many more border units I need to sew for this project to make some headway at retreat.

Linking up to Design Wall Monday

Slow Sunday Stitching

Welcome to the weekly linkup for all projects hand stitched. 
We welcome stitching artists of all types. Yes you! The definition of "artist" is: a person engaged in an activity related to creating art, practicing the arts, or demonstrating an art. 
You are an artist if you have ever picked up a needle and thread and tried to make something with it. Your results may not have been stellar, A+, earth shattering brilliance, but that's okay. We welcome all stitching artists here!

I am still very slowly stitching my son's Christmas/birthday  project. I make myself stitch at least 2 thread lengths every day and that is working well. Santa brought me a wonderful magnifier lamp for Christmas and it is helping me so much.  

I am bribing myself to finish this project by telling myself that when it is done, I can start a new stitchery from Melisa's patterns!

I also had to do some mending this week, which I dislike, but my Dad had a hole in one of his cardigans so I had to fix that for him. I store my DMC floss in Floss-a-way bags and went through the bags to find the right grey for the job. I have so much floss that I always have the "right" colour!

Again, my new magnifier lamp came in so handy. I was proud of how it looked on the right side of the repair, but the back was a bit messier than I wished it was. However, the sweater is useable and it's usefulness is extended, so it's all good.

I also had a quilting finish this week... the first finish of the year! Click here to read more about the finished baby quilt. I really enjoyed hand stitching the binding while I got caught up on episodes of "This is Us". (I'm sad that this is the last season of this wonderful family drama series).

What are you hand stitching today? We love to see the projects that you are stitching at the start of 2023 - share your challenges and victories with us!

You are invited to the Inlinkz link party!

Click here to enter

Finished Quilt

My sister and I joined forces to make a baby quilt for our nephew's baby who will be born in February.  My sister sewed the quilt top from a kit from Cherished Pieces and did a great job. When I did the pin basting it laid completely flat which doesn't often happen with my quilt tops!

I free motion quilted vertical strings of hearts in the centre panel. The stitch length was an issue since I was quilting too fast (as usual) because it was fun!

I quilted simple straight line Xs through the border squares. The fabric was so adorable and I had warm fuzzy feelings the whole time I worked on this quilt.

We were pretty excited that the quilt was actually finished in time for the baby shower! We also put the book that inspired this fabric line into the gift bag with the quilt.  We are all so excited for this baby to come and I am predicting it will be born on my brother's birthday in February. We shall see!

This is my first finish of 2023! Woohoo! 

Finished size: 40" x 50"

Linking up to Alycia's Finished (or not) Friday

Design Wall Monday

I'm back to working on the Quiltville mystery and have finished 4 blocks to put on the design wall. I was very proud of getting this far and thinking of how big to make this quilt. 

I was in a zoom sewing meeting on Saturday when I noticed a problem on the design wall. Did you spot it right away?

I have been looking at this for days, took photos, downloaded the photos to my computer, edited the photos, and still did not notice any problems until I screen shared the photo during the zoom sew. I can't believe my eyes didn't see it - it's as plain as day! It's yet another life lesson - sometimes you don't clearly see a problem even when it is staring you in the face. Sheesh!

My guild friends suggested I leave it that way, make a 9 block quilt and put the problem block in the centre. I'm not going to unsew the renegade until the other blocks are finished. 

Stay tuned for the outcome!

Linking up to Design Wall Monday at Judy's

PS... See Julie's comment below!  Up is down, wrong is right! UGH!

Slow Sunday Stitching

Hi stitching friends! Welcome to the hand stitching zone! Why not join us today? Get out your project, enjoy some relaxation, try not to think about your "to-do" list, or ruminate about your worries. Just take a stitching break and focus on pulling thread through fabric or knitting stitches with yarn. 

I have been stitching very slowly these days since my thumb joint is giving me pain again. I noticed it at Christmas and usually if I don't stitch too much and use Voltaren cream, it slowly goes away. 

But not yet. 

I did get my Family Portrait embroidery pin basted last Sunday and started hand quilting it. I am using a silicone finger tip needle puller to decrease strain on my hand and I am limiting myself to one thread of quilting every day. We'll see if this works to decrease the pain. Other solutions are welcome!

Many times people have asked me if the pin basting is annoying when hand quilting, and truthfully it sometimes is. But if a pin gets in the way, and the thread keeps getting caught on the pin, I just remove it. It's still my preference over aerosol sprays or other ways of basting quilt layers.

I have also been working on a cross stitched gift for my son, which was supposed to be for Christmas. But the hand pain didn't allow me to meet that goal. He will receive it eventually whenever it's done!

I cannot fully express how much I am hating this stitching! The majority of the design was partial stitches (ie. making four 1/4 stitches in one tiny, little Aida square). Ugh - I'm hating it! Although I do love this photo of me poking "The Dude" in the eye with a needle! LOL

I am persevering and determined to finish it because I know my son would like it. And when it is finished, I will immediately return to my old 1991 cross stitch project, which used to seem hard, and now seems much easier in comparison! I want to remind myself that I do in fact like cross stitching, just not in micro form with a bad stitching chart! 

Okay friends... it's your turn now. What are you hand stitching this week? Are you enjoying it, or are you trudging through to the finish line? Link up your instagram or blog post below and share your finishes or your miseries!

You are invited to the Inlinkz link party!

Click here to enter

Multitasking Friday

Sometimes it gets a little frenetic in my sewing space! There are projects everywhere I look. Quilts I want to work on, stitching for a birthday gift, an embroidery pattern I want to trace, and a baby quilt that need to be finished by Sunday's baby shower (to name just a few!) Yikes!

I had to focus on projects with a deadline and put the fun mystery quilts to the side. I pin basted a baby quilt and started machine quilting.

I love the fabrics in this quilt with all the bunnies playing. Here the Mom is swinging the baby around.

And here are more bunnies playing in the snow and talking to the birds. So darn cute!

It has been a long time since I've worked on a baby quilt, and I want to do more of that in 2023 because it just makes me happy!

I will post the finished quilt photos after the Mom and Dad-to-be get to see their quilt.

Happy Friday the 13th! It's my son's birthday today and yes, he was actually born on Friday the 13th!