It has been an interesting start to 2016. The year started off well and I had a great work day on Monday, January 4, then went to work the next day with a scratchy throat and fought a cold for the remainder of the week. I stayed home for the rest of that week since I had a fever and some massive congestion. Then came the weekend and I was feeling better and even hosted my bee at my house last Monday. Woke up Tuesday morning with a raging fever and massive sore throat and found out I had the flu. So, I skipped this week at work too, and spent most of the week in bed. My doctor doesn't know if the two were related, but I got in early enough with the flu that I could take Tamiflu to speed up the recovery time. I am finally starting to feel better this weekend, but I am not going anywhere!
In the midst of all that craziness, I had a few good sewing days and got a couple quilt tops finished up, going with my theme of first, a finish.
First up is the kit that I started at my March retreat last year. I had worked on it a few times at our bee work day, but really needed to buckle down for a few hours to finish up the applique, which I cut out on my Scan n'Cut. I set to work on the afternoon of January 1st, as this is the UFO that was called in the APQ UFO Challenge for January (I might have made my list after I knew what number was called). It only took me a little over an hour to get the top finished, then I made a back and got it loaded onto the quilt frame ready for quilting. I stopped short of starting it, because I didn't know what I really wanted to do...and then all the sickness hit, so it still waits for me. I do have some ideas now, so will be getting it started soon. I would really, really like to have this one finished - quilted and bound with a hanging sleeve and label - by the end of the month, so I will need to get going on the quilting soon. I even know where I will hang this one in our house during the holidays, so I want to make sure I get it finished before next holiday season!
Next up was the following Monday at our bee workday. I got this Trip Around the World top put together for Diana's Golden Needle, a Girl Scout Gold Award project. The quilt will go to a child aging out of foster care. The blocks were all made by members of our bee and I think that it turned out pretty well. There is one block turned the wrong way and I have been debating whether or not to pull it out and turn it...my initial thought was no, but I may still change my mind. Next up for this one is to get a back made and get it quilted so that I can send it off for donation.
I had one night of sewing at home before getting sick this week and I am really close to finishing a third top for the year! I think the is the quickest that I will have finished three quilt tops into a year...never mind that they were all well underway when the ball dropped!
On the stitching front, I joined a Facebook group to stitch ornaments from the Just Cross Stitch Christmas Ornaments 2015 issue throughout the year. The January ornament is called Let it Snow and is from Blue Ribbon Designs. I am going to try to use existing fabrics for the ornaments that were selected, so I stitched this over one on 28 count Golden Tan Quaker Cloth. As a result, I had to make a few adjustments to the words so that I could fit them in, but I am pleased with how it turned out, just over 1.5" x 2.5". I also substituted the called for green threads with Sampler Threads in Pine and Avocado because I had them on hand and they looked fine :) My plan is to do the finishing on my ornaments each quarter so that I have a couple at a time to work on.
Hope you enjoy my quick finishes for the start of the year, and hope I will have more for you soon!
In the midst of all that craziness, I had a few good sewing days and got a couple quilt tops finished up, going with my theme of first, a finish.
First up is the kit that I started at my March retreat last year. I had worked on it a few times at our bee work day, but really needed to buckle down for a few hours to finish up the applique, which I cut out on my Scan n'Cut. I set to work on the afternoon of January 1st, as this is the UFO that was called in the APQ UFO Challenge for January (I might have made my list after I knew what number was called). It only took me a little over an hour to get the top finished, then I made a back and got it loaded onto the quilt frame ready for quilting. I stopped short of starting it, because I didn't know what I really wanted to do...and then all the sickness hit, so it still waits for me. I do have some ideas now, so will be getting it started soon. I would really, really like to have this one finished - quilted and bound with a hanging sleeve and label - by the end of the month, so I will need to get going on the quilting soon. I even know where I will hang this one in our house during the holidays, so I want to make sure I get it finished before next holiday season!
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| Warm Winter Wishes finished top - applique thanks to the Scan N'Cut |
I had one night of sewing at home before getting sick this week and I am really close to finishing a third top for the year! I think the is the quickest that I will have finished three quilt tops into a year...never mind that they were all well underway when the ball dropped!
On the stitching front, I joined a Facebook group to stitch ornaments from the Just Cross Stitch Christmas Ornaments 2015 issue throughout the year. The January ornament is called Let it Snow and is from Blue Ribbon Designs. I am going to try to use existing fabrics for the ornaments that were selected, so I stitched this over one on 28 count Golden Tan Quaker Cloth. As a result, I had to make a few adjustments to the words so that I could fit them in, but I am pleased with how it turned out, just over 1.5" x 2.5". I also substituted the called for green threads with Sampler Threads in Pine and Avocado because I had them on hand and they looked fine :) My plan is to do the finishing on my ornaments each quarter so that I have a couple at a time to work on.
Comments
Your quilt tops are gorgeous--really love the cardinals in the first one and I wouldn't be able to spot the block turned the wrong way in the second. Hope it doesn't bother you enough to have to pull it out :)
Such a cute ornament and your color changes work well. I wondered why I had seen that ornament stitched up so much lately and the Facebook group connection explains it :)
Take care now--feel better soon!