Christmas Holly Stitch-a-Long, part 3

Hi everyone! Not sure where the last three weeks went... perhaps I was abducted by aliens??? But I did do some stitching. 

Here's where I was last time: 

And here's where I am now:

I finished the first color leaves, and added some of the branches to help move me across the fabric. And, frankly, the branches really help the leaves feel, well, like leaves. I also started a bluey-green leaf at the lower left, so I'm hoping to get those stitched by next time. 

In the meantime, don't forget to check out the amazing projects my fellow stitchers are working on -- I love seeing what they're working on! Avis, Claire, Gun, Christina, Kathy, Margaret, Heidi, Jackie, Megan, Deborah, Sharon, Daisy, AJ, Cathie, Linda, Helen, Cindy, and Mary Margaret.

13x13 May edition

In April I finally tore open this (faux) Vintage Halloween kit from Bucilla. The felt-and-sequins vibe is right up my alley!

My play was to make just the skull and the cat -- I didn't think I could get all six done, and those two were my favorites. So I did!

Cute, right? When I eventually go back to this kit I think the pumpkin or the ghost is next. We'll see. 

However, for the next month I'm going to stitch another lovely Satsuma Street kit, appropriately titled "'til death": 

Her work is always so pretty and the colors so vibrant. These are stitched on perforated paper, and the hat / headpiece are stitched separately and attached after. 

As usual, I'll check back in on June 13 to share my finished ornaments, as well as my next project. I'm thinking of something new!

Christmas Holly Stitch-a-Long, part 2

Hi everyone! It's been a busy three weeks -- amusingly, I felt like I hadn't gotten much done, but when I compare my "before" and "after" pics, I feel pretty good. 

Here's where I was last time: 

And here's where I am now:

Thanks for the feedback from my last post -- where I didn't like the colors and thought the leaves felt washed out. I think you're right, that when I get more of the leaves stitched I'll feel happier with it. The different leaves represent different types of holly, and by our next check in I'll have finished all the leaves in this color, and will be moving on to another type. 

In the meantime, don't forget to check out the amazing projects my fellow stitchers are working on -- I love seeing what they're working on! Avis, Claire, Gun, Christina, Kathy, Margaret, Heidi, Jackie, Megan, Deborah, Sharon, Daisy, AJ, Cathie, Linda, Helen, Connie, Cindy, and Mary Margaret.

May OMG - Traffic on Safari

I've been working on my first large quilt -- queen-sized! -- in years. 

So far -- with the encouragement of One Monthly Goal -- I have stitched most of the top, and I am THRILLED by it.

In May my goal is to finish the top (which is close, I just need to trim it up and sew on the top and bottom sashing) and... and this is the "hard" part... arrange to have it quilted by a longarm machine. 

I'm absurdly anxious about finding a longarm quilter. Not the cost (though I know it's expensive), but finding the "right" person, doing the "right" things feels daunting. That's why I'm setting this as my goal, to keep myself accountable. Any tips from the quilters in the house?

The One Monthly Goal link-up is organized by Elm Street Quilts and Stories from the Sewing Room with the idea that we can just focus on one task and make progress. You can see all the monthly projects on the May Link-up Page. 

Elm Street Quilts One Monthly Goal May Link-up

April OMG - Traffic on Safari Top Almost Finished

In April my OMG was to take all the blocks I stitched in March (which felt like a HUGE accomplishment!) and stitch the top together. I started the month here:

I know I'm coming in just under the wire, but I'm happy to report that the top is almost done -- I've stitched most of the columns and sashing together, but still need to even out the top and bottom and then sew the final sashing pieces on. 

It's a queen-sized quilt, so I had to ask my husband to hold it for a picture: 

I'm really really pleased with how it's coming together! 

The One Monthly Goal link-up is organized by Elm Street Quilts and Stories from the Sewing Room with the idea that we can just focus on one task and make progress. You can see how everyone did in their April projects on the Finish Party page! Or choose an OMG project of your own and join us in May. 

Elm Street Quilts One Monthly Goal - April Finish Link-up

Christmas Holly Stitch-a-Long, part 1

Hi everyone! Last time I had just gathered all the pieces to start on a project that I tore out of a stitching magazine in December 2000. I had already acquired the fabric and organized the floss, so I was raring to go.

And now, after three productive weeks, I'm here: 

Weirdly, I'm not so keen on the colors so far... I will say that the fabric in real life is more midnight and less royal, but this set of leaves feels... washed out? Flat? The pattern doesn't call for backstitching so I'm a little worried. But there is a LOT of stitching left to go, so maybe I'm jumping to conclusions.

I realized that I said last time that I wanted to make up the pillow from the cornflowers project; however I wasn't able to get a better look at her new couch to make sure I got a backing fabric that looked right. So that's a project for this next stretch.

And speaking of projects, don't forget to check out the amazing projects my fellow stitchers are working on -- I love seeing what they're working on! Avis, Claire, Gun, Christina, Kathy, Margaret, Heidi, Jackie, Megan, Deborah, Sharon, Daisy, AJ, Cathie, Linda, Helen, Connie, Cindy, and Mary Margaret.

13x13 April edition

In March I made another black-and-orange beaded ornament, Enchanted Moon by Mill Hill Beads: 

This photo doesn't do it justice; it's much more sparkly! 

For April I decided to change tack a little bit. There are more Mill Hill kits to come, but I have been looking forward to working on one or two of the ornaments in this (faux) Vintage Halloween kit from Bucilla. Longtime readers will remember how much I love a sequin-and-felt project, so it's fun to find something Halloween-y to work on. 

I doubt I'll be able to make all 6, so I'm setting my goal to make these cuties: 

As usual, I'll check back in on May 13 to share my finished ornaments, as well as my next project. Depending on how much I like this Bucilla kit, I may do one or two more ornaments, or I may shift gears again. 

April OMG - Traffic on Safari Top

In 2017 I spent a month in Africa, where I climbed Kilimanjaro, went on safari in Kenya, and had a 'vacation from my vacation' in Zanzibar. Having been lucky enough to see lions and zebras and giraffes and elephants and antelopes in the wild, I really fell in love with this fabric collection. Combining it with a pattern called Traffic made me giggle, because we did have some traffic in Kenya. 

Okay, that's a line of our vans waiting to negotiate a steep little gully. 

Sometimes we even had to stop at a zebra crossing... (this is less amusing to my American friends)

We were lucky, we never had one of those horrible "scrums" with dozens of vans penning the animals in so their passengers could take a look. Our drivers kept us spaced apart and let the animals come to us. 

But back to the quilting! 

In March my OMG was really just to get organized, but I ended up cutting the strips and stitching up the blocks. 

April is a busier month for me, so my OMG is to lay out all the blocks, plan the top, and stitch it together. I think I'll struggle with finding the "perfect" or "right" layout, balancing the various colors to create a harmonious look. I often find "improv" challenging -- I like a pattern and symmetry and repetition are my default. So I'm going to really try to stretch myself. We shall see!

The One Monthly Goal link-up is organized by Elm Street Quilts and Stories from the Sewing Room; you can see all the monthly projects on the April Link-up Page.

Elm Street Quilts One Monthly Goal April Link-up

March OMG: Traffic on Safari Progress!

In March my OMG was to just get organized ... to pick up a project that I couldn't call a UFO because, well, I had never started it! I really just wanted to look at the pattern, look at all the fabric I had bought, and figure out what all the pieces were for. 

Here's where I started the month:

Having my kitchen table back as a workspace meant I was able to spread out, get organized, cut strips, and even start stitching strips. In fact, I am thrilled to report that all my blocks are actually cut!

It will come as no surprise that my OMG for next month will be to lay out the blocks... but I'll save that for another day. I'm really happy to have some some quilting during National Quilt Month! (Which, I know for a lot of OMGers, is every month...)

The One Monthly Goal link-up is organized by Elm Street Quilts and Stories from the Sewing Room with the idea that we can just focus on one task and make progress. You can see how everyone did in their March projects on the Finish Party page! Or choose an OMG project of your own and join us in April. 

Elm Street Quilts One Monthly Goal - March Finish Link-up

Delphian Cornflower Stitch-a-Long, part 3

Hi everyone! I can't believe it's been three weeks since our last check in... but I'm happy to say that I have a lot done. In fact, it's happy dance time!

Here's where I was last time, working on a traditional cross stitch pattern in a gorgeous kit from Avlea Folk Embroidery. 

And here's where I am now -- I just finished all the stitching!

I love this pattern, and the fabric, too:

I'm not sure how I'll finish it, but I think I will turn it into a pillow for a good friend. I think it will match her new couch! 

Now, what's next, I hear you asking. Well, first I want to make sure this stitching gets made into something, rather than go into the "stitched but not finished" box in the basement. 

Then I want to work on a project that I tore out of a stitching magazine in December 2000. No, that's not a typo. I tore out this pattern and had it in a folder for more than two decades. Last year I bought the fabric (which is, in real life, a midnight rather than a royal blue) and made sure I had all the floss.  

My plan is to stitch this and then put it into a cushion cover that I can put over my existing cushions come Christmas time. I like the idea that I'm finally going to work on a project that I have thought about since 2000. 

And speaking of projects, don't forget to check out the amazing projects my fellow stitchers are working on -- I love seeing what they're working on! Avis, Claire, Gun, Christina, Kathy, Margaret, Heidi, Jackie, Megan, Deborah, Sharon, Daisy, AJ, Cathie, Linda, Helen, Connie, Cindy, and Mary Margaret.