Five days later, I still feel like I am treading water. I am getting things done, but not feeling like I have accomplished anything. It could be that I have too many plates in the air, and only a few finishes. Which means I need to slow down a bit (?) or breathe and relax. I looked back on my last post and I have worked-on/finished most of the things listed in my accomplishment list. The project that is really bugging me is the peacock panel quilt top. I keep adding more to it and I just don’t like the composition. I sewed all the cats cradle blocks together, I think I need to get rid of the cheddar squares. I may sub in some chartreuse, that might calm it down a little. I ended up ordering more feather fabric for the outer border, it is getting very hard to find. I had to resort to EBay, although I am realizing that there is a lot more available on that platform than the Etsy one. Some stores I looked at do both, which got me wondering about the differences in fees and such. I don’t have the time or inclination to open on another platform. I finally have a handle on the Etsy one, and although it is a bit expensive, I feel that it provides a good service. Thinking back to a few years ago, when I tried out the Michaels Maker site, and Amazon Handmade. Those were frustrating and a time sink, for very little return.

The blocks for the Eclipse quilt, using the Art Haus fabric, were next on the design wall. I finished sewing them and squared them up. I also realized I cut way too many background pieces, twice as many. Now I have enough to make another quilt top, with the addition of a 10″stacker. I don’t know if I want to. I do have a Stacker of the Zen Chic backgrounds that go with the Olive You line, I could get another stacker of those to go with them. But then I would still have all the extra Art Haus ones. Anyway, once I started putting them up on the wall, I realized I only had 50. I went with a 7 x 7 block layout, and it’ll work. I need to tweak the placement a bit, but it is pretty.

Yesterday I worked on quilting the first of the Peter Rabbit quilts. I did a flannel backing on this one, and used a new to me panto, Folk Art Bunnies, from Bunny Cup Embroidery. It’s cute, and not too dense. I like the Peter Rabbit drawings and characters, but I can’t seem to remember the stories. I sort of remember Peter being naughty and going to eat veggies at Mr. MGregor’s garden. Oh, I just read a summary, seems that Peters father was put into a pie by Mrs. McGregor and thats why he’s not around anymore. Good enough reason to stay out of that garden.

The binding of the Tilda quilt went quickly, as did the Candy Corn one and the 12 Days quilts. I just need to sew the hanging sleeve down on the Tilda. It took me about ten hours to quilt that one. I ended up doing some cross hatching in the borders, stitch in the ditch around all the appliqué and stipples in all that negative space. I used a wool batting, so light and fluffy, I think it will be a wall hanging, but it would be a cuddly throw too. Happy to have that one done before the recipients first birthday. I started it in June/August 2024, Just Keep Stitching, thinking that I could get it finished before the birth. That didn’t happen, I was really trying, but the amount of appliqué was more that I thought. I didn’t count the number of pieces, but there are many. I think if I had been monogamous on this quilt I would have finished it earlier, oh well. I have gifted many other hand made things and three quilts, so no worries that they are going without.

I have been making knitting headway on the Wonderful Wallaby sweater. I am making a size 2, in a slightly smaller size yarn than the called for worsted. I have had this yarn for quite a while, I think I got it at a Stitches West show (rip 2023) about 15 years ago. It’s wool, but chained instead of twisted. I am hoping it is hardy, it is machine washable. I started a sleeve yesterday and have the body and front pocket knitted. The last time I made this sweater was for my daughter, at least 25 years ago. I remember using pink (her favorite color) acrylic yarn, I wonder what happened to it?

Lastly, although the new sweater has been getting the most stitching this week, I managed to get a few more bricks done one night. That’s how houses and stitchery projects get made, right?

Be Kind.