January 2023 Recap

Does it seem like January went by really quickly? It sure does to me! Looking back at the month, I am really happy with all I got done. I had a three day weekend (in which I did a little, but not a ton) and then the weekend after that, I spent a good portion of the weekend in my basement/sewing area and accomplished a lot. Settle in to read about all that I did in January. 

Quilting was slow and steady this month - first up was finishing my last Christmas present (!!) - a bag for my bestie Beth. My mom embroidered the monogram and I fit it into the bag. The bag is from a June Tailor quilt-as-you-go panel. You use a jelly roll plus a few bigger pieces of fabric, and it was fun to pick fabrics from the same bundle I used for a similar bag I made for myself at my May 2022 retreat. The bag has been received and I hope Beth will get lots of use from it. 

Sophie Tote bag by June Tailor

The other quilting I did in January was focused on one of my UFOs - this quilt goes way back to October 2014, when I made the quilt top at my fall retreat. I have loved this top since the day I made it and have been stuck because I didn't want to quilt it until I knew I could quilt it without messing it up. I most often get stuck at this stage of the quilting process when I really love the quilt top and don't have a clear vision for how I want to quilt it. I decided it was time to put on my big girl pants and pull this top out again to at least make some progress on it in January. When I laid the top out, I realized there was a pretty bad spot where the seams didn't match. I actually referenced that in my original post but I think at the time, I was done with this one and didn't want to put in the additional time to fix the blocks. But looking at it again, I couldn't live with the blocks that didn't line up correctly. I wound up taking out three blocks and fixing two of them, then putting the top back together. It still isn't perfect, but it is a lot better than it was when I started. 

Urban Pods - ready for quilting (once I get some batting)

On the stitching front, my goal was to start my year strong in my FFO Challenge (#ffochallenge2023 on Instagram) - I am using a WIPGO board to guide which projects I work on fully finishing each month and the pulls for January included something from the design wall and an inspirational stitch. I had several to choose for each category and wound up with these two pieces. 

The first finish was one of my inspirational stitches. This is from Lizzie Kate and was a pandemic freebie. I found a fun piece of purple and gold fabric in my stash to use to make this into a flat fold. I've made this style of finish several times (following Vonna's tutorial) and enjoy how it finishes up. I used two colors of perle cotton for the cording and finished it with a simple knot in the corner. At the suggestion of Michele, I added a little pocket in the back where I will put a personal note for the recipient. I am really pleased with how my first FFO for the year turned out! 

 Next up was something from the design wall, and I had lots to choose from as you can see below.  

I went for the project in the center, Little House Needleworks Autumn Alphabet. I stitched this in 2018 and it really is a lovely piece. I bought the hardware to make it into a bell pull sometime in 2021 or early 2022, so it was time to finish this one up. I again used one of Vonna's tutorials to make this into a bell pull, and guess what? It only took me about an hour. Ugh, why do I let things like this go for so long when it really doesn't take that long to finish them? I am happy with the end result on this one too and look forward to hanging it through the fall this year. 

I was doing so well with my finishing that I kept going the next weekend and finished up the two pieces I stitched in the end of last year as shop models for Persnickety Stitchers, my local shop. I found a raw wood piece at Hobby Lobby for Love Lives Here. I painted the board white and then mounted the stitched piece (with batting) and a lovely piece of hand dyed fabric on mat board. They were glued together and mounted on the wooden piece. I thought the border shape went really nicely with the cut of the wooden piece. I was hoping to put a little trim between the stitched piece and the fabric behind it, but there just wasn't room, so this one will have a simple look. 

Love Lives Here by Country Cottage Needleworks

Last up for my FFOs is Bumblebees and Flowers Please by Cherry Hill Stitchery. I loved stitching this one and knew I wanted it to be a mounted piece as well. I found a great 10x10 in piece at Michael's, and mounted it just as I did with the last one - the fabric on this one is Chelsea's Checks and I think it really makes the black pop in the design. I made a fabric covered button and used some black grosgrain ribbon to make a simple bow. Is it silly to say that I love this one too? 

Bumblebees and Flowers Please by Cherry Hill Stitchery

All in all, it was a great start to my challenge. My goal was to finish two per month, and I am thrilled that I have four finished by the end of January. 

I only added one stitching finish to my list this month, this cutie by Handblessings called Cardinal with Candy Cane. This pattern is stitched on 28 count Slate by Picture this Plus, which I had in my stash. I used the called for threads. I am thinking I will probably finish this as a pillow. I think it will be a great piece to go with my winter decor. 

I decided I am going to add one new metric to my monthly posts to keep a running total of where I am. I started the year with 50 items waiting to be FFO'ed and 9 quilts as UFOs, and by the end of January, here's where I am on both of those lists: 

Unfinished Project Tracking: 

47 stitched items waiting to be FFO'ed
9 quilts (in various states) waiting to be finished

Stitching time report - linking up with Kate at Life-In-Pieces: 

25/31 days with at least 15 minutes of crafting = 81%

Stash Report - linking up with Donna at quiltpaintcreate 

Fabric added this month: 0 yards
Fabric used this month: 3 1/8 yards
Net fabric used: 3 1/8 yards

Always nice to start the year in the green!

Hoping your year started well and see you again near the start of March.