Design Wall Monday

The Super Bowl mystery project is still on the design wall. I want to extend the quilt and change it from a square to a rectangle by adding borders on the top and bottom. 

I made some pinwheel blocks to add as a border, and realized that the pinwheels in the quilt that are on the right spin the opposite way to the pinwheels on the left. So... half and half it is! Oh wait... that isn't exactly even. I'll fix one of those to make it even.

I'm thinking something like this. Three blocks on each side seems like a good balance. This will extend the quilt length by 8" to make it a rectangle. Perfect!

Linking up to Design Wall Monday at Judy's

Slow Sunday Stitching

Welcome to the weekly hand stitching party! Take some time today to power down your brain and enjoy the benefits of relaxation with your favourite hand work. 

I can hardly wait to get my hand stitching bag out today. I haven't had enough stitching time this week, and we all know what that means... my sanity is hanging by a very thin thread!  Everyone knows that I must stitch to restore my sanity! 

As I have shared previously on my blog, I have been experiencing pain when hand stitching and usually just power through with Voltaren and pain meds. I first started complaining about this in 2019 and wrote more about it in January. I have used these assistive items to help me, but truthfully it has been getting worse. It's a real problem since as I already mentioned... stitching = sanity!

This week I was so thankful to be assessed by an Occupational Therapy hand specialist. She made me a specially designed orthosis to try to relieve the arthritis pain in my thumb. She also created a fancy doodad to help align my thumb joint. It's all feeling very awkward when I'm stitching now, but I'll definitely use all these if it allows more stitching to occur! And apparently I will get used to this, just like I am now accustomed to using a thimble.

I have been adding embroidery stitches to my Winter Mystery Stitchalong from Days Filled with Joy. This is the clue from week #4.

I am highly motivated to stitch clue #5 to finish this project since there is now another free SAL posted on Days Filled with Joy called Tea Cup Critters. This will be an adorable embroidered BOM quilt design. But I will NOT allow myself to start this until I finish the Winter stitching. I must have some self control!

Slow progress has also been made on my Alphabet Sampler by JBW Designs. Some stitchers have emailed asking me where I found this project. I originally saw the project on the JBW Designs Flosstube and I ordered my chart and fabric at Stoney Creek. (I have no affiliation, just a very happy customer!)

What are you hand stitching this week? Linking up your blog post, or photo, or instagram post below and share what you are working on.

You are invited to the Inlinkz link party!

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A Christmas Finish on the Design Wall!

The Fat Quarter Shop provided a free Christmastime mystery quilt pattern last fall. I really enjoyed sewing the 4 blocks - Christmas cards, a mug, candies, and presents. (There was also a mystery cross stitch pattern that was adorable but I didn't stitch that.)

My quilt was made totally from stash fabrics and the quilt top was finished in October. The machine quilting is very simple stitch-in-the-ditch (or in close proximity to the ditch!) straight lines. Nothing fancy, but finished!

I love having little projects like this around the house during the holidays. I sewed a hanging sleeve so this could be a wallhanging. Or it could be an outdoor decoration. 

The cardinals backing fabric piece that I found in my stash was just the perfect size for this project! You can see the split hanging sleeve that I sewed into the binding.

Finished size: 23" x 27"

I don't know why I was so interested in finishing this Christmas quilt in February when my OMG was to work on a Valentine's quilt ?!? 

There is no logic to creativity! 

Linking up to Design Wall Monday at Judy's

Slow Sunday Stitching

Welcome to the weekly hand stitching party! Grab a beverage and your favourite hand work project and enjoy some time with like-minded stitchers. 

I finished a quilt last week and enjoyed stitching down the binding late at night. It was so relaxing.  I love the cardinal backing fabric and the striped binding! I'll post more about this quilt tomorrow.

And of course I had to start a new cross stitch project this week because of Flosstube. And also because of this beautiful alphabet sampler design, and the  pretty DMC floss. 

Resistance is futile!

Here is my start. 

I am stitching on 32 count Parisian Linen using 3 strands (for better coverage) over 2 threads. Look at me using the cross stitch lingo that I have recently learned! I started with the letter 'K' of course!

And we are not talking about all the other cross stitch projects I have in progress since I re-discovered my oldest UFO from 1991! I may soon need an addiction intervention!

What are you hand stitching today? Have you started too many projects in 2023? In the comment section, please add your tips for managing a severe case of Startitis!

You are invited to the Inlinkz link party!

Click here to enter

Pinkness

February is pink month at the Rainbow Scrap Challenge. I worked with some pink scraps to  make blocks for my Scrappy Stars quilt. I have the January and February blocks finished for this project. 

My sewing room is full of pinkness since I opened my 2023 Limited Edition Cupid Box from the Fat Quarter Shop. I unboxed this treasure with 2 of my quilting friends. Click here to watch our unboxing zoom video.

The box is full of quilty treasures, new products, and 2 projects. It's always a treat to receive one of the Fat Quarter boxes!

And just look at these fabric strips OMG I love them so much! The fabric line is XOXO by Heatherlee Chan. Florals, hearts, hugs and kisses, and look at that bicycle with a puppy in the basket, the red truck full of flowers, the sweet dalmation  - adorable! 

And here is the empty Cupid box which I will keep for re-gifting - so sweet!

I hope you are enjoying Valentine's month and all the pinkness in your sewing room.

Linking up to the RSC party at Angela's

Design Wall Wednesday

For many years my little group of mystery quilt loving friends has been sewing the Super bowl mystery provided by Kris at Scrapdash. Every year we gather to enjoy food, laughter, and sewing while the rest of the world watches a football game.

Here are some of her previous mysteries that we have sewn:

2014  Apian Way Log Cabin

2015 Neighbourhood Garden

2016 Peekaboo

2017 Ghosts and Mosts

2018 Three Cheers for the Red, White and Blue

2019 Garden Party

2020 I don't know what happened that year to my blogging, but we did meet and I sewed this mystery quilt.

2021 Princess Charlotte

2022 Tag Sale

And last year's mystery event held on zoom was the best so far! Mystery designer Kris joined us on zoom as we were sewing! We had the opportunity to show her some of the past mysteries that we have sewn with her. It was very exciting! 

This year, we had a hybrid event with some of us meeting in person and some joining on zoom. We worked on the Scrapdash mystery called Dancing in the Stars. Labelling every step was crucial since making this quilt was like a big fabric jigsaw puzzle.

Here is the wrong way to sew the quilt top together. UGH! Only one wrong seam, but it was a long one!

Here is the correct way to sew the design. I love it!

I want to add some pinwheels to the top and bottom to make it more rectangular.

What a fun day and a pretty quilt design! You can see more variations of this design on the Scrapdash blog picture page.

Linking up to Design Wall Monday at Judy's

Slow Sunday Stitching

Welcome to the weekly hand stitching party! We hope you will get out one of your own projects and put a few stitches in today.

Apparently February is National Embroidery Month, so it's only fitting that I started Joy's mystery Winter Stitchalong project. This combines 2 of my favourite things - a mystery adventure, and embroidery!  I just had to take a photo of the Winter embroidery project in the snow! We have had some snow this year, but not nearly as much in previous years.

Here is where I am at week 3, and the week 4 pattern has just been posted on her blog, so I will work on that today. I am using whatever floss colours I can find in my floss tin. I only used 2 strands of DMC floss for the word WINTER and it's too thin for my liking. So then I used 3 strands for the other stitching and like it much better. 

I seem to have experienced  a flare-up of my chronic condition of Startitis, and took a photo of the hand stitching projects on my desk. 

Uh oh!

And some projects are noticeably absent (I'm looking for you DUDE)!

Well, Startitis can't be helped and there is no known cure. I'm confident it will settle down soon and the symptoms will subside. I'm blaming Flosstube where everybody brags about their UFOs and WIPs! 

What are you stitching today? Do you have a case of Winter Startitis (or Summer Startitis if you live in the Southern hemisphere)? Link up your projects below with a photo, instagram link or blog link.

You are invited to the Inlinkz link party!

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Scrappy Saturday

Yippee it's pink month! I love pink and was so happy to put away the January blues, and get out some pink scraps. 

First I made some blocks for my Sewcialites project starting with block #11 called Nurture (by Lissa Alexander) - perfect to sew in pink! I fussy cut my feature/border fabric in the centre.

Next up was block #12 called Captivate (by Barbara Groves). This one looks easy, but only if you follow the instructions! On my first try I sewed the HST blocks too small for some unknown reason?

Then I followed the instructions and it all worked out perfectly!

I will continue working on the these blocks in March. One block pattern is posted each week until April. I will be a bit behind and stretch out my enjoyment, sewing 2 blocks each month according to the colours at the Rainbow Scrap challenge.

Here are my 12 Sewcialites blocks on the design wall. I love sewing a sampler quilt in rainbow colours!

Linking up to the Rainbow Scrap Challenge

A Quilting Life BOM

On the design wall this week is the 2022 BOM from Sherri at a Quilting Life. I am finishing sewing the blocks and trying to decide on a layout. 

You know how that goes when it's a scrap quilt being made from leftovers (from Save The Bees). I have to decide what I like, and what fabric I have available. It needs sashing to bring it up to a useable size. But what kind of sashing? Gold? Grey? Narrow at 1.5" or wider at 2.5"?

Cornerstones or no?

All of these decisions will be made once the blocks are finished being sewn. If you have any ideas, let me know!

Linking up to Design Wall Monday

Slow Sunday Stitching

Welcome to the weekly hand stitching linkup! Here's your weekly reminder that slow stitching is like medicine - just a spoonful eases the aches and pains of life, and makes it feel more bearable. It helps you to feel more relaxed, and enjoy the healing powers of creativity. I don't have any specific research data to support those statements, but I do have a lot of lived experience!

Recently I have been inspired to cross stitch a couple of little heart projects for dear friends who tragically lost a family member 2 weeks ago. Their hearts are breaking, and I want them to know that so many people are thinking of them and holding them close to our hearts. I'm planning to insert this stitchery into a card to mail and am hoping to finish another heart today. The free pattern is available when you subscribe to Little Lion Stitchery.

You know how sometimes something just takes a hold of you for no apparent reason?! Well, I have become obsessed with this little book (Really Cross Stitch by Rayna Fahey) that was gifted to me. I have bookmarked several patterns I want to stitch for my office, my home, and my friends. 

It was difficult to pick which design to start with, but here's my choice. It looks like nothing - just like the beginning of every creative endeavour does. It will become something eventually. Stay tuned.

I also plan to stitch the Winter Mystery  embroidery pattern from Days filled with Joy so hope to trace the design to begin today.

What's getting stitched in your hands today? Link up your blog post, photo, or instagram and share your slow progress with us.

You are invited to the Inlinkz link party!

Click here to enter

February Goals

What am I going to work on this month? My primary goal is to finish last year's Cupid box project so I can open the 2023 Cupid box with a clear conscious! LOL

It won't be a hardship to work on since I love the quilt and the fabrics. I haven't been motivated yet to quilt it since I don't have any ideas for the design. 

Do you have any inspired quilting ideas for me?

Linking up to One Monthly Goal

Design Wall Wednesday

Apparently I am posting my design wall Monday post on Wednesday!?! I do not know what is happening to my concept of time! 

The same project (Quiltville mystery) is on my design wall, but so much progress has been made that is not noticeable. 

I have done the math to  calculate what fabric and units I need for a 9 block quilt.

I have sewn all the outside border units for the size I am making, and have cut all the sashing pieces. I want everything ready to pack up for my upcoming retreat so I can mindlessly sew together this quilt top - hopefully without any errors!

Linking up to Design Wall Monday at Judy's