Hi everyone and thanks for coming by to see what I've been up to. April was another busy month although not quite as crazy as March was! I have a lot to share, so settle in for lots of pictures!
Let's start with the minimal quilting activity - my big sewing this month was in Florida at my friend Beth's house. She stitches projects that are too big for a standard project bag, so we made some oversized bags for her to fit her frames. It was a fun day of measuring and sewing to make something that would work for her. In the end, there were 4 new bags and she has even pulled out the sewing machine since then and has made a few more for herself.
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| Me and Beth surrounded by project bags |
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| The four bags - the longest one was about 40"! |
Back at home, I started working on a quilt but just spent a day on it so didn't get too much done. I also used some fabric for finishing (which is still in progress, but the fabric is cut so that's when I count it used. May will be a busier month for sewing as I have my spring quilt retreat in a few weeks and I am looking forward to spending some good time with my machine.
On the stitching front, I have some finishes and some FFOs. Let's start with the finishes.
First up is my second Christmas ornament of the year - this is a Primrose Cottage Stitcher's pattern called White Christmas and I picked the cute little reindeer - the picture doesn't quite show it off well, but trust me, it's cute in person. This one is stitched on 25ct. Pewter Lugana with all the called for DMC colors.
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| Reindeer from White Christmas - Primrose Cottage Stitchers |
Two more quick stitches rounded up the month for finishes - first up is Reminders of Love by Bent Creek. I adjusted the words at the top so that I could add in the wedding info at the bottom. This is for my friend who went through a covid courtship between Philadelphia and London! They managed to work it out and got married over the holidays. It is stitched with called for Sampler Threads on 28 ct. Latte Linen. It is a finish in progress, so hopefully next time I post, I will have it full finished.
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| Reminders of Love by Bent Creek |
Finally, I started and finished this super cute piece in just two days - it is the Ooh La La Scissor Kit from JBW Designs. I picked this one up on a shopping trip last year and just love how delicate it is. Although I studied French in high school, I haven't yet been to Paris (except for a quick hour in Charles de Gaulle airport), but hope to get there one of these days! This came in a kit with the finishing supplies and I plan to finish it as a scissor kit. It is stitched on the linen that was in the kit (I think 32 ct. white) and DMC threads.
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| Ooh La La by JBW Designs |
Now we move on to a couple more FFOs. The first is a big sigh of relief - I finally finished up the last of my Lizzie Kate monthly flip-its. I have been FFO'ing these a few at a time and got the last three finished up. I am so glad to have them all ready to rotate out monthly. I had a good time with these 12, trying something just a little different on each of them.
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| March Lizzie Kate Flip-It |
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| February Lizzie Kate Flip-it |
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| October Lizzie Kate Flip-it |
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| The set of all 12 |
Last up is one I had professionally framed - it is the Lighthouse ABCs I stitched last summer (you can find the details
here) - it is framed in a simple navy frame and I just love the way it highlights the stitching.
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| Lighthouse ABCs |
Finishing up, here are the stats for the month - I enjoy tracking through the month and sharing the results:
Stitching time report with Kate at
Life-in-Pieces - days with at least 15 minutes of crafting time - 23/30 - 77% of the month
Fabric added this month - 0 yards
Fabric used this month - 3/8 yard
Fabric added year to date - 3 1/2 yards
Fabric used year to date - 12 yards
Net fabric used - 8 1/2 yards - not too bad for the first third of the year!
Last up, I want to send a special hi to
Laura and
Julie - I've been reading your blogs but have been getting errors when leaving comments - I enjoy seeing what you're both doing and if you see random "anonymous" comments, they are probably from me! If you haven't seen what they are working on, take a stop over at their blogs for some lovely quilting eye candy. And if anyone else has seen this and knows anything I can/should do, I'd love to be able to comment again directly.
Hope everyone is getting some lovely spring weather - I am happy to see sunshine and lots of green today and looking forward to some warmer weather this week. I will be busy stitching and prepping for quilt retreat over the next few months. Hope you have lots to keep you busy too!
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