Another Completed Quilt for 2025

After having no completed quilts for the year up until a week ago, I now have three.  That is so better than none.

This also finishes off a UFO, so a double win.

The next one is the Dr Seuss Quilt.  This one was pieced back in September 2024 from fabric that we found at a garage sale in the street behind us.  You can read all about that discovery here.

This was the second quilt that was quilted using Elly May.

I used a quilting pattern that looked a bit whacko, so I thought it suited a Dr Seuss quilt.  I could have made it a bit bigger, but it does give a nice texture.

I added the binding today while joining in with the final Zoom session for the year.

This quilt will be donated.

Quilt Information 

 Pattern - Made up using a panel and scraps from fabric cut out for face masks from a garage sale and stash.

Measurements - 58” high x 46” wide 

Quilting Design - Chloe E2E Lizzy Allen

 Batting - Cotton/Polyester

Backing - Wide back from stash

Thread - Glide - Steel Blue

Binding - Green solid from stash.

A Rainbow Scrap Challenge Finish for the Year

After working on blocks for just one quilt for the last three years I finally have a completed quilt.  The colour is looking way too yellow in these photos.

I finished piecing the top back in September.  This shows the colour much better.

This was the third quilt that I quilted on Elly May, using an all over loopy design.

I added the binding today while joining in on the final Zoom session hosted by Chookyblue for 2025.

This quilt will be donated.

Quilt Information

Pattern - Split Nine Patch using fabric from stash.

Measurements - 51” high x 41” wide

Quilting Design - Loop Meander E2E

Batting - Cotton/Polyester

Backing - Wide back

Thread - Glide - Cool Mint

Binding - From backing - added and finished by machine.

I am linking up with So Scrappy. Thank you so much for running this challenge and I look forward to participating again next year.

Another Finish For the Year and Post Christmas Happenings

We had a lovely day on Christmas Day, spending time with family and friends. The weather was perfect, being sunny and with the temperature in the mid 20s C.  We may have got a little sunburnt, as it was nice to sit in the sun, without being hot enough to look for the shade.

Boxing Day was a nice, relaxing recovery day, with the Test Cricket on the tele. I have a new tradition, this being the third year, if you can call that a tradition, of starting a jigsaw on Boxing Day.  Another one found at the church fete.  When I had a good look at it I realised that it wasn’t going to be a quick easy one, with all that quilt section in the middle.

This is how much I achieved on Boxing Day and I haven’t done much more as yet.  As you can see, all the easy bits are done and now I have to concentrate.

In the meantime, yesterday was another coolish day.  Check out our morning temperature.  Brrrr.  Tomorrow morning isn’t forecast to be much warmer.

What that did mean was that it was rather pleasant to sit on the back verandah and knit. I now have a completed beanie.  I love the way it turned out.  This was a great introduction to knitting cables.  The pattern chart was easy to follow, I just had to sit quietly so that I wasn’t distracted.  

I had read a comment that it was a largish size, as there was only the one size in the pattern, due to the design.  After blocking, it is definitely too large for me, but Mick has happily claimed it.  My plan was to knit him one the same in blue, but I will now knit another pattern for him in the blue and will find another pattern for me and find some more neutral coloured wool.  A good excuse to knit something else. 

What else have I been working on?  Well, I set up the design curtain and laid out the Wensleydale Quilt blocks.  They have been sitting there for a couple of days and I have tweaked it a bit, when walking past.  I think it will have to do, or I will start to overthink it, which I don’t want to do.  Next, to get it sewn together into a flimsy.

I have found some suitable backing fabric to quilt another couple of quilts, so hope to get to those fairly soon as well.

The other main job for today was to put Christmas away.   We were expecting this to happen a little later than today, as it is normally a job for after the cricket match has finished, but it was all over in two days!  And the Poms won!  Not the plan at all, so we go the decorations down a little earlier than scheduled.  Mick packed up all the lights outside, while I packed away all the inside decorations.  It takes a while to get it all out and then away, but it does look nice for those few weeks.  As usual, everything seems a little bare at the moment.

And that about sums up what we have been up to since Christmas.  I had grand plans for these few days between Christmas and New Year, but as usual, they will not all get done.  However, that doesn’t matter.

Elly May’s First Quilt

After a bit of a play, it was time to quilt my first quilt on Elly May.

In anticipation of her arrival I threw together a very simple quilt top using a panel I had bought a couple of years ago, together with a few other bits and bobs I had.  The advantage of an oversized stash.

The automated quilting has several levels and I have started off with the basic edge to edge level.  The program comes with several preloaded patterns and I chose the one with butterflies.  It seems to suit the quilt.  I had also ordered a few more cones of threads in various colours, so was waiting for those to arrive.

Loaded, ready to go.  I did the quilting two days before Christmas.

I’m really pleased with how it turned out.

And the back.

On Christmas Eve I added the binding by machine.  The quilt is actually straight, it is just the way it is hanging on my design  curtain.

Do you think I look happy?  You bet.

This quilt will be donated.

Quilt information:

Pattern - None, just thrown together with a panel I bought at the Balranald Quilt Show in 2023 and stash

Measurements - 51” x 46”

Quilting Design - Edge to Edge - Butterflies E2E

Batting - Cotton/polyester

Backing - Pieced from stash

Thread - Glide - Tabrid Orchid

Binding - Scrappy from the backing, added and finished by machine

Stitching Update for November

As you can guess, with my obsession with the Wensleydale Quilt, not a lot else had taken place on the stitching front.

Having said that, there is a little to report.

Firstly, my linen knitted top.  I had wished to have it completed.  That happened…..sort of.  You see, when I tried it on, the top section fitted beautifully and the knitted fabric had a lovely drape and I don’t need to wear a camisole, as feared…but…… it is way too short.  It has side splits that now end up half way up to my armpits.

Not to worry….I have a plan…..

I will simply stitch up the side splits and then comes the big experiment….

The plan is to pick up the cast on stitches and knit more of the garter stitch, the same as the bottom band and work another three or so inches to the length.  Fingers crossed it will work.  Regardless, it will be a nice comfy, cool top to wear at home, if nothing else. 

Remember, it was just yarn I picked up at an op shop, so not great financial loss.

Next, I needed some hand stitching to work on at my stitching days.

I worked on the free Anni Downs Christmas stitcheries that she has released over the last few years.  (You can find them on her website and Instagram sites.)

Firstly, I completed the 2023 release that I had started in October.

Then, I traced and stitched the one from 2024.  I do hope she releases another this year and then, hopefully, I will make a Christmas quilt incorporating them and a collection of other Christmas redwork stitcheries that I completed during Covid that were released by “Love and Hugs Australia”.  It will be nice to get them out of their box.

And, that’s all I did.  Everything else will still be there for another time.

How did I go with my 15 minutes a day?  Pretty good.

November = 28/30

Year to date = 259/334 = 77.49%

I Made a Bag - Do Da Do Da

Not only did I make a bag, I ticked off the last month of the Chookshed Challenge.

The project this month was to make something with a Sashiko panel.  You can read about it here.  Well, I dithered about the size.  Then, I completely changed my mind and was going to use different fabric and a couple of small Sashiko panels.  Then, I came back to Plan A and told myself not to overthink it.  Just make a simple tote bag using the fabric you had bought for that purpose.

This afternoon, I finally put on my big girl panties and got stuck in and made the tote bag.

It is a fairly simple design, which showcases both the stitchery and the striking fabric well.

The dimensions are similar to another tote bag I made some years ago that is rather practical for taking projects along to my stitching mornings.  Therefore, this should get plenty of use too.

I’m happy to actually have completed a project in the designated month.  I still have several from this year that haven’t been completed, so fingers crossed I may progress something more before the end of the year.

I still have the scallop Sashiko panel as well as smaller ones with flowers and dragonflies.  Hiding in my stash was a small bag of Japanese fabric scraps I bought about 15 years ago at a market and recently I bought some yardage of another Japanese inspired fabric.  The challenge is on to make something using those before too long, but probably not this year.

I Have a Finish

I was determined to complete the Wisteria coloured Corner to Corner Rug this month and it is done.  Yay!  It’s just a pity that the wisteria isn’t flowering as yet.

I ended up just finishing it with a simple shell border.

This blanket will be donated to Wrap With Love, a charity that provides knitted and crocheted blankets to those in need, with many being shipped overseas.  I attended their annual local knit in back in July, where just over 100 blankets were on display before being sent on their way.

In other crafty news, I had one more play with the design curtain before packing it away.  These drunkard path blocks were made several years ago as yet another Rainbow Scrap Challenge project.  The original plan was to make two cushions, but I really don’t need any more cushions.

I was recently browsing through some old Homespun magazines and noticed this on the cover of one.  The blocks finish at 4 inches, whereas mine finish at 3 inches.  If you look closely, she has them laid out in two settings - a pinwheel style withe low volume centres and then the ones with the coloured centres with the colour in the corners.  I have enough to make the centre of a quilt, or possibly a border to form part of a medallion quilt.  To make that work for a square quilt, which I quite like, would require me to make eight more of the small blocks, which is four colours.  That wouldn’t be too hard.  Anyway, in the meantime, they have gone back into their box to be played with further at a later date.  The magazine is now with them, to provide inspiration.  

I have made a start on the knitted top, but will share a photo when it has progressed a bit further.

Stitching for August

 I’m a bit late with this, but let’s have a look at what crafting I got up to during the month of August.

The Chookshed Challenge ended up being yet another failure.  All I managed to do was restitch the little wording panel for the pincushion in finer thread.

This year has been rather unsuccessful when it comes to this challenge.  It is what it is.

I didn’t make my Rainbow Scrap Challenge blocks, as I was not to be dragging out tubs to get fabric.  It won’t take much to catch up.

Enough of the failures, what did I manage to actually do?

Mum’s little dog bookmark was a bit of fun to make.  A quick, colourful project.  It was nice to actually finish something.

I continued to plug away at the slow stitching panel at my stitching mornings and finished the panel up at Baradine on the weekend.  (More on that in a separate post.) It was fun to have a little play with some stitches other than straight running stitch on some sections. 

I now have to have a think about how I will construct the pouch that it is destined to become.

My corner to corner crochet rug has been slowly growing.  I don’t have a photo at the end of the month, but this is where it was up to mid August.  That would have been the start of the third 200g ball of yarn.  I was working on the fourth ball at the end of the month.  I worked on this in the evenings at Baradine.

The final project I have worked on is the Anni Downs pouch that was the project we were given at Scrub Stitchin’ in 2024.  I don’t seem to be able to get too enthused with the process of making this, but I know I will love it once it is finished.  I had a false start with this back in January, and took it to Baradine to work on.  Once again, not a lot of progress, but at least it was a start and I hope to plug away at it over the next little while.

How did I go with working on something for at least 15 minutes a day?

Surprisingly, I worked on something on 24 days.  Often that may have only been a row or two of crochet, as it takes about 15 minutes to work each row.

August = 24/31

Year to Date = 181/243, which is 74.49%, being a slight improvement over last month.

So, there wasn’t a real lot to show for the month, but I’m OK with that.  The projects will all get done in their own good time.  Now to look forward to September.