My December Wishes

December, the final month of the year.  I can’t quite believe it.

On the stitching front I don’t have a great deal planned.  

The main priority is to remove all the foundation papers from the Wensleydale Quilt blocks and get them stitched together into a flimsy.  I’m rather looking forward to playing with this one.

I have a little secret stitching to still complete, but that won’t take too long.

The blue and cream linen top needs to have its extension created, so I can actually wear it, once the weather finally decides to become summery.  I do hope it works out.

On the non stitching front, who knows?

We do have to get our Christmas decorations up very soon.  They should be up by now, but we have both been a bit otherwise occupied.

We would like to sneak in a couple of Christmassy outings.  If they happen they do, but if they don’t it doesn’t matter.

I bought a few Christmas themed novels at the recent Lifeline Book Fair, so would like to read at least one.

While I’m at it, check out their beautiful Christmas tree.  This was used for Santa photos, which would be so much nicer than some of the ones you see.

Christmas Day will be rather low key.  It will be a very different day, being the first one in 60 years without seeing my Mum.  Obviously, Mick will miss his Mum too.

In that rather strange few days between Christmas and New Year Mick will be glued to the tele, watching the Boxing Day Test of cricket.

I will keep up my new tradition of completing a jigsaw puzzle.  I came across another quilt themed one earlier in the year, so it has been placed at the top of the queue.

Oh, and I am receiving a nice Christmas gift.  I’m a tad excited.  More on that as the time arrives.

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%

My Stitching Wishes for November

My goals each month seem to be less and less as the year progresses, especially as the Rainbow Scrap Challenge and the Chookshed Challenge have finished for the year.  This takes some pressure off and anything that is achieved is a bonus.

The main thing that I want to achieve is to finish the knitted top that I am working on.  Since my last post I have completed knitting the body of the garment and just have to knit the bands around the neckline and the armholes.  One armhole was completed this afternoon.  By far the slowest part is picking up the correct number of stitches.  After several attempts and ripping back, the actual knitting took very little time. Hopefully, I will have a finish to report shortly and a garment that I can wear, now that the weather is finally warming up.

I plan to keep working away in the redwork stitcheries that were freebies from Anni Downs over the last few Christmases.  I’m currently working on 2022, then I will have to prep 2024 to stitch.  2021 and 2023 are completed.  There are still no concrete plans on what to do with them, but at least if they are stitched I have something to play with.  Chooky had a Zoom session this morning, so a bit was achieved while chatting away, until my eyes decided that they didn’t want to focus on the work, so I called it quits then.

Unfortunately, I didn’t get all my Chookshed Challenge projects completed during the ten months.  I would like to work some more on the outstanding ones.  They are the Natalie Bird pincushion, then the project using the hexies that I prepped, when it was discovered that the charm squares I had planned to use for a table runner weren’t square.  I’m still not sure what they will become and I really want to get the Sew Together Bag made.  

In addition to all these there is the Anni Downs Pouch we were given at Scrub Stitchin’ 2024.  Fingers crossed, at least one of the above projects will be progressed this month.

If I do any machine stitching there should be some progress on my leader and ender project, Bonnie Lass.

Hopefully, I will have some decent progress on something to report at the end of the month.

Stitching Wishes for October

The weather is delightful and I am starting to feel a bit more like myself than I have for the last little while.  However, I am still going to keep my wishes (not goals) fairly simple and with a bit of luck there will be some bonus projects, like happened last month.

Firstly, Betty sent out the next fabrics for her group quilt.  The instructions were to make the prescribed block using the fabrics provided and select a contrast from the floral fabric.

No worries, I could quickly whip that up.  Job done……….then I read the instructions properly……. no green!  Blast!  Jack the Ripper to the rescue.  Oh, and we were to include an additional square of the contrast fabric and I had used a strip. Doh!  Lesson - read the instructions properly…..Well I had, but not when I went to actually make the block.

Here we go again.  Job done…..and sent off in the post this time.

It’s so nice to be able to tick something off nice and quickly.

Now to my other wishes.

The final number for the Chookshed Challenge is #3.  After all my swapping around during the year, this is:

“SASHIKO PROJECT - I have a couple of Sashiko panels that have been stitched.  It will be good to get at least one of them into a completed project.”

These are the two panels I am looking to play with.  I’m leaning towards the ribbon one.

I have a project in mind and bought this fabric while at the Braidwood Airing of the Quilts last November.  I’m thinking it will pair nicely with the ribbon panel to make a tote bag of some description.  I still have to decide on a pattern.  I think the design of the fabric will be too close to the scallop Sashiko panel to be effective.  I will have to come up with something else for that panel at some stage, and I also have a few other small motifs to use somewhere as well.  All in good time.  No pressure.

I don’t have anything on the go for Rainbow Scrap Challenge at the moment.  The colours for this month are brown and black.  Maybe nothing will happen.  Maybe it will.  Once again, no pressure.

I have made good progress on my knitted top.  It is looking very wonky here, so will need a good blocking once finished.  As it turns out, I will have oodles of yarn.  Up to just before the cream stripe only took two balls.  It is knitted very loosely, so I will definitely have to wear a cami underneath.  With a bit of luck this will be finished by the end of the month.  It is knitting up very quickly.  I have a few ends to weave in and need to work out what I am doing with a few stripes to transition to the cream yarn.  Hopefully, it will be something that I will wear.

Yesterday, I was at a bit of a loose end as to what to take to my stitching morning, so had a bit of a look in some project boxes and discovered where I had traced off a couple of the free patterns that Anni Downs provides each Christmas.  This one is from 2021 and I have 2022 traced off as well.  I have stitched 2023, but 2024 is still just the pattern.  There seems to be quite a few Christmas redwork pieces in the box, so I am thinking that at some stage they may be transformed into a Christmas quilt.  Not this year, but it would be nice to get at least this panel stitched.

You may notice that I have an embroidery hoop sitting with it.  I’ve never been comfortable using one, but decided to have a go when I stitched the little dog bookmark recently.  I just grabbed a small one that was earmarked to be used as part of a Christmas decoration.  Being so small, I didn’t mind it.  So, I thought I would have another go this time.  I even ratted around the drawers of odds and sods in my sewing room and found some cotton tape to wrap it, like Mum always told me to do.  I think the last time I would have used this tape was when making a lampshade in high school.  You never know what is squirrelled away and may come in handy one day.

We’ll see how much I end up achieving, but I am feeling inspired to get a wriggle on.

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.

Spending Some Time With my Sewing Machine

When I look back at what I have done this year, it has become apparent that I have done very little stitching at my sewing machine since Scrub Stitchin’.  It’s time to get back into it.

So, what have I been up to so far this month?

Once we arrived back home from our latest trip to Baradine, my first priority was to make three shadow blocks for Betty’s group quilts.  These were July’s prompt, but this was the first chance I had to make them.  Fortunately, there was no real urgency for them.  The prompt was one to be brownish, one kid’s print and one a favourite print in blues or greens.

The next thing I wanted to work on was the Rainbow Scrap Challenge blocks for this and last month and look at the Chookshed Challenge goal of putting together the Split Nine Patch quilt top.

It was time to bring out the Design Curtain again.  How to lay out the blocks?  I ended up grouping them by colour.  Now, I have just been making two blocks each month for the last three years, not thinking about the layout.  Of course, that has meant that I have six blocks, which make up one and a half big blocks.  To make it bigger I needed to make quite a few more blocks, which I wasn’t really thrilled about doing.  The alternative was that I could use what I had to make a smaller quilt with two blocks left over.  That seemed a much better idea, so no extra blocks were made.

It didn’t take too long to stitch them together.

While I was stitching away, I continued to make some more leader and ender blocks for “Bonnie Lass”.  I had stitched up what I had previously cut out, so it was time to dig into the scrap tubs and cut some more. There are now sufficient to keep me going for a while.  

Meanwhile, while the design curtain was up, I thought I would see what it was looking like and what other fabrics it would need.  This is 60 units and I will need 396, so quite a way to go.  Mmm.  Some brighter, clearer colours are needed, as it looks rather muddy at present.  I now have 110 units stitched, so a quarter of the way there.

Let’s make good use of the design curtain, while it is adding its decorating style to the sitting room.  Why not have a look at those Rainbow Scrap Challenge fish, now that all the blocks have been appliqued?

My plan has always been to make two smaller quilts, rather than one large. So a bit of juggling to work about the best colour distribution.

Next, to add some filler blocks.  I must say that being able to play with the blocks here, rather than the floor or bed, has been a game changer.  It works so very well.  

Then it was time to add the narrow border around them.  I wanted to have them not quite the same.

Today, I have added the border to the Split Nine Patch and the second border to both of the fish quilts.  That blue batik has been in my stash for about twenty years.  I think there is enough for the bindings and then it will be all used, other than some small scraps.  That is a big win in my books.

I’m so pleased to finally have these to the flimsy stage.  Now they have been added to the ever growing “To Be Quilted” pile.

While the design curtain is still hanging in the sitting room I am going to have a play with something else that has been hanging around for too long.

Did I say that I like the design curtain……

Stitching Goals for September

After quite a few months of our life being turned upside down, my sewing room is in utter chaos, with projects not put away, ironing to be done and quite a bit of Mum’s stuff to be sorted through.  Therefore, I will continue with the theme of this year by setting minimal goals and just going with the flow.  Having said that, a little bit of direction won’t go astray.

CHOOKSHED CHALLENGE and RAINBOW SCRAP CHALLENGE

This year has not been a good one for working on the Chookshed Challenge.  There are just two projects remaining and the one that came up this month is the Sashiko bag and I’m not even going to start to think about that at the moment.  The other is to make the Rainbow Scrap Challenge quilt.  That is more achievable.  I have to catch up with the aqua blocks from last month, which won’t take long and the prompt this month is to add whatever you need to add, maybe a light blue or green.  I will pull out all the blocks I have made over the last three years and see what else is required.  I think, from recollection, that I only need to make six more blocks, so the aqua two and four more of whatever looks like it is needed.  Then, it is time to pull out my design curtain and have a play with the layout.  That may be a fun thing to do this month, that is not too onerous.  It would be so nice to have the quilt top for this made this month.

RAINBOW QUILTERS BLOCK

I have joined with Betty and her friends in making some group quilts.  The prompt in July was to make a couple of shadow blocks.  Now that I can start pulling out tubs of fabric it is a priority to get the blocks made and sent to her, as I hate holding up the project.

CROCHET CORNER TO CORNER RUG

I would really like to finish the rug this month before it gets too hot.

This is where I am up to today.  I have just started the fifth ball of yarn.  I think it will probably take seven.  The finished dimension for Wrap with Love blankets is 70 inches by 40 inches.  It is currently 55 inches long, so a little way to go.  Each row takes about 15 minutes at the current length of the rows.  That will get better once I start to decrease for the other corner.  It will have a few rows of trebles added for a simple edging.  I am finding it to be a nice mindless project to work on, particularly at my stitching days.

And that is it.  Anything else will be a bonus……It would be nice to have a bonus something worked on.  We will see how we go.

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.