Already two months down in this new year, it seems to be going quickly! I had a good month with a work trip to San Diego, a visit from my cousin and her family and lots of crafty time.
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| San Diego skyline at night |
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| San Diego Gaslamp Quarter |
I finished my first quilt for the year, this one was a UFO from 2021 that I made at a Shipshewana retreat. I got the pattern and fabric from Pumpkinvine Quilting, which used to be in Middlebury, IN - sadly closed now. I purchased the Sew Kind of Wonderful quilting ruler last year and this is the second quilt I've done with it. I quilted a combination of ruler work and freehand quilting and had a heck of a time with thread breaks. I think that it is time for my machine to have a spa day after quilting 170 quilts! I had the machine serviced once since I got it in 2011, so it's probably time. I am so glad to have this one bound and finished and ready to gift. First quilt project and first completed quilt UFO for the year!
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| Urban Chained quilt, pattern by Sew Kind of Wonderful |
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| Here's some closeup of the quilting from the morning I tied off all my thread ends - I use blue painter's tape to make it easy to find the threads. |
Stitching had me with some finishes and some FFOs. Two of the three projects I finished were also started in February - I do enjoy a quick start and finish!
Summertime Berry is from the Summertime Berries collection by Erica Michaels and I am stitching two of them as shop models for Persnickety Stitchers. The first one was a quick 2-day stitch.
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| Summertime Berry by Erica Michael's stitched on 36 ct. White Linen with Classic Colorworks Blueberry Tart thread |
Next up was my ornament for February, Truly Endless Knot II, from the 2015 Just CrossStitch Christmas Ornaments issue. I changed the fabric and all the colors to make it a better fit for the person who will receive it. I enjoyed stitching this one on my flight to and from my work trip and had a nice chat with a young stitcher on the way back.
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| Truly Endless Knot II by Ink Circles |
My last finish is my favorite for the month. I started Autumn Alphabet last year and really loved stitching it. I tried my hand at stitching in hand for the pumpkin, stitching up and down instead of back and forth. It turned out okay but I don't think I loved the process. This fabric was one of my favorites to stitch with and it is really hard to capture in a photo the richness of the dark amber color.
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| Autumn Alphabet by The Scarlett House, stitched on 32 count Autumn Gold by Lakeside Linens with mostly called for threads (I made one sub to look better with my selected fabric) |
I also fully finished three pieces, two of which I'd started to finish before February. Cookie Exchange was a mystery SAL with Hands on Design in 2021 and I really enjoyed stitching this one. The model was finished on a paddle, but I stitched mine with fabric from stash in a different count so had to decide on another finish. I really love the flat fold finish and made this one extra narrow so I can squeeze it in with all my Christmas decorations.
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| Cookie Exchange by Hands of Design, stitched on 28 count Aida dyed by me with called for DMC threads |
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| Side view of my narrow flat fold with cheery fabric for the backing |
My Canoeing Santa was a quick stitch near the end of last year and I was inspired by Carol to finish this one in a pillow finish with simple cording around the edges and for the hanger. I haven't mastered how to make the cording "pigtails" lay nicely, but even so, I am thrilled with this finish and know there will be more of this style in my future - thanks Carol for the inspiration from your great ornaments!
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| Canoeing Santa - pattern from a mini card by Prairie Schooler |
Landscape was my final finish and has been close to a finish for a long time. I painted the frame that it is finished in - it started as a dark brown with green stars and I had to do several coats of white to cover everything up. In the end, I am pretty happy with it, although the frame isn't perfectly square. That's okay, I think the design of this one still stands out great.
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| Landscape by Works by ABC, stitched on 32 count Vintage Smokey White with called for threads |
I did a little work on my crochet project, but really not enough to make for a good picture and I spent some time taking apart and reconstructing my reindeer blocks that I started last year. The smallest units of the blocks were off throwing off the entire block. It is frustrating to take them all apart, but will be worth it in the end.
My stats for the month look okay:
Stitching time with Kate at Life in Pieces: 23/29 days crafting = 82%
Stash Reporting with Donna at quiltpaintcreate:
No fabric added this month
Fabric used year to date: 3 1/8 yards
Fabric added year to date: 0 yards
Net fabric used: 3 1/8 yards
Comments
Do you have to take the longarm apart and take it to be serviced? Or do they make housecalls? Getting it out of the basement could be a lot of "fun"!
Hope your March is going well--can't believe it's almost half over. Enjoy your day, Jennifer! ♥