When I started this project I thought maybe we would be further along on the road to Covid recovery, by the time I finished it. Well, I think the truck has pulled over to the shoulder and is taking a rest. Perhaps I should have stitched more slowly? This piece was done as a stitch-a-long with Judy at Patchwork Times, Denise at Just Quilting and Jo at Jo’s Country Junction. I started stitching on August first and finished September twenty-eighth. Just shy of nine weeks, 59 days. At first I didn’t stitch on it everyday, I was alternating every other day with the Newcastle Bouquet piece. Then I added another cross stitch project, a small free chart I found on the Aurifil site. These last two weeks I have been working exclusively on CW, and now I can concentrate on NB a bit more. I got the flower finished yesterday and a few letters started, who knows, maybe by Christmas that one will be done.

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The Purple Pineapple is a top, again. I had to take the errant block apart in order to make it right, not just a simple rip/flip/resew job. The center part of it was turned, it was unlike any of the others, poor thing, I kinda felt bad taking away its individuality. The quality control manager in me is smiling though. Still needs borders, I have plenty of lavender to use for them.

I started quilting the Reflected Harmony quilt. I was all set to do a pretty rose pantograph on it. I had gotten a 108″ wide piece of pink and white floral for the backing, but it clashed terribly. Then I remembered the Strawberry Thief print 108″ backing I got on sale, it works. I am using all the roller bars for this quilt, I usually float my tops. Floating is when you baste the quilt top to the backing and batting at the upper edge, and let the quilt top hang over the front of the frame. As one quilts closer to the bottom edge, some securing is necessary to maintain smoothness. I usually pin at this point or I have large pink fabric clamps. Once I got the quilt on the frame. I realized that I couldn’t do an all over design, because there is a half inch red fabric flange that separates the center from the borders. After a bit of searching through my collection of designs, I remembered seeing a Rose set on Wasatch quilting, it was a bit pricey, but I had some points saved up and I get 25% off being a club member. I bought it, downloaded it and had it stitching out in no time.

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Speaking of downloading, I got the final block and finishing instructions for the Elefantz Simple days quilt. I have seven blocks made, two embroidered (finished) and two to start/make. I think I want to do something with the sashings or borders, maybe some piecing. I thought I would use up my stash of reproduction/ 1930s fabrics, but I ended up adding to it. This isn’t a very large quilt, but I think is more of a wall quilt than a lap quilt. So some interesting sashings might be just what it needs or not.

Linking up with Sarah at Confessions Of a Fabric Addict for the Friday Whoop.

Be Kind.