The Winter Village houses have received their borders and all appliqués are securely zig-zagged. Into the TBQ pile it goes (reminder stitch backing together soon). Next up was the Starry Signs BOM blocks, January and February editions. These went together fairly easily, as there are good instructions and cutting lists to follow. I had an oh-no moment when I thought I may have done most of block 1 (Capricorn) on the wrong side of the paper. After checking the video, I confirmed that I was doing it right, and there was a huge sigh of relief. These blocks aren’t the easiest, but not the most difficult either. I have been using the Add an Eighth ruler for some of the inner seams to prevent too much build up of folded fabric. I am using a Riley Blake Blue for the background, a Craftsy Ombre yellow I unearthed recently, and a lighter blue piece of cut off backing fabric. Some stash reduction, but not enough to offset the recently acquired Sparrow quilt fabrics.

I started the bed size Sparrow quilt yesterday, got all the pieces cut and 108 HSTs sew together. Having everything cut and ready to go is going to make this quilt easy to put together. I did use my Accuquilt cutter to get all the HSTs and 2 ½ inch squares cut quickly. Making 36 blocks sounds easy, but each one has about 27 pieces. There is some fold and cut too, but not a lot of waste. There will be a lot of assembly line stitching today, I have to remember that there are left and right facing birds.

With all this rainy weather I have had lots of indoor time to sew and ignore cleaning house, although I did manage a bit of vacuuming and laundry. The Tilda quilt top got a bunch more appliqués sewn down. I am at the point where I need to add more basted shapes. I ended up ordering more backing fabric for the peacock quilt, a quick search found me a half yard of the 108″ wide feather print I used. It should be here this weekend, so that project will move into the binding pile soon. I did purchase a few layer cakes for a quilt wanted to make, from Zen Chic quilt patterns called Eclipse. That fabric is up in the mail box, if the rain lets up a little I’ll go grab it. Hopefully the pattern isn’t too fiddly, curved piecing Yay! – said no one ever.

Be Kind.

This week I am working on the Winter Village quilt kit I bought on sale last year. It was a good deal, as it included all the fabrics and the appliqué cut-outs. The houses went together fairly quickly, although cutting the pieces often took longer than sewing them together. The appliqués are pre-cut and have adhesive on them. It is sticky enough to adhere to the top before ironing it on, which is nice as there are a lot of branches and pieces. The machine stitching part is tedious, a small zig zag, and happily I finished the snowflakes yesterday. I am using non-stick needles as the glue is building up, I also noticed that there is a residue on the bottom of my presser foot. I have been wiping the two periodically, stitches look good though. I would like to finish this today, the two borders are cut and I get extra credit for cutting and ironing the binding. Maybe I can get it on the long arm once I finish the Peacock quilt.

The Peacock quilt was started yesterday, I had gotten it on the frame Thursday, but needed to make a pieced batting for it so it was delayed a day or so. As I started advancing it, I realized that I had put the top on upside down, luckily the panto isn’t up/down directional, just left-right. As I advanced the rows, I saw that my backing was too short, some swearing ensued. I had pieced the backing a few months ago, and didn’t re-measure it before mounting it, because I never make mistakes in measuring . Well, it’s about ten inches too short, and I don’t have any more of the backing used. I “found” a purple print that is going to work. Now I am hoping to keep the quilt attached to the top leader and sew the extra piece on with my small sewing machine. I am thinking I can put the machine on the back of the frame’s table and stitch the pieces together. It will be awkward, but if I don’t have to re-mount the quilt, it will be easier to line up that last row of quilting.

Happily the new lighting system is working out well, I can really see what I am doing. No more “bring the sew head over to provide light” on the quilt. It will be very helpful when I do more design placement and ruler work. Plus I will be able to see appliqué edges easier for stitching around them.

I have been stitching on the Fabulous Houses – Haunted house this week. I would like to finish this whole project soon. It’s been a long year of monogamy, so many other project temptations ignored. I don’t think I will do another giant piece like this for a long while. I will finish up the Consider the Lillies after this is done and then I will try not to be tempted by anything larger than 8″ x 10″. I have already sworn off samplers, especially ones with big red houses. I did buy a pattern for a new baby sampler, but it doesn’t have a house. Maybe my enthusiasm for cross stitch is waning again, it has been five years of stitching since a twenty year hiatus.

The de-cluttering of the sewing room has finished. I made a dent, and lost the mojo when I started sorting fabric drawers. I did get through my large pieces drawers (fabric pieces over two yards) and for extra credit, I marked their sizes on them. Plus I separated specialty fabrics from the quilting cottons. When I got to my main fabric stash drawers, I was done. These drawers of fabrics need to be taken out and re-folded and organized. I’ll revisit in a six months or so.

Be Kind.

I had a nice time away from home, now I am back and recharged. I have lists of things I want to accomplish and lists of things I need to finish and lists of things I want to start. Then there is two weeks of laundry, vacuuming and dusting, yard work and such to do too. Guess what gets priority?

While I was away, I ordered a light bar set up for my long arm machine. Currently the machine is in the lower level of my home, because it fits there and it is more accessible. The space is nice because it is cool in the summer and warm in the winter. There is a slider door and a large window, but they face east. The ceiling lights are old style can lights with HID lights in them. Due to the ever safety consciousness of CA, I cannot get bright enough lightbulbs to use in them. I checked with an Electrician about changing them to LED spots, but the cans are not the right type. Changing those fixtures (redoing ceiling) would be more expensive than the light bar set up. Being a rational person, I got the light bar. It was relatively easy to set up, I just needed an extra hand to get the bar attached to the legs. I turned it on and wow! my first though was daylight is here, my second was, look at all the dust and thread scraps. Before the next LA project there will be a thorough vacuuming and dusting of the room.

Off site, I got a chance to work on the Tilda appliqué quilt top. Before I left, I basted about 20 pieces to it, that way I could stitch a few on at a sitting. Plus I only had to bring the top, thread needles and scissors. I had some time for a little shopping, I got a few more patterns and a commission project. I have made a bunny from Julie Williams Little Cotton Rabbits patterns a while back, probably close to 10 years (yikes) ago. I really enjoyed making the piebald one and a little sweater for it. I got the fox/deer pattern and the horse pattern. These patterns are well written and many-stepped, but the resulting stuffies are worth the effort. The commission project is for four bench pillows, a few days sewing. I did a little fabric shopping too, I want to make a bed sized Sparrow quilt. The throw size one I made a few years ago, sold quickly, I had briefly wanted keep it for myself. Although it’s a relatively easy block to make, I hadn’t felt the need to make another until I saw the cutting sheet for the bigger one. The pattern is from Pen and Paper Patterns and lucky me, there was a sale on Bella solids at 123stitch.com. I generally used to buy only thread and cross stitch supplies from them, but they have a relatively large fabric selection and notions too.

Before I left, I was also trying to participate in the 21 day decluttering challenge by Just Get it Done by Karen Brown. I made it through the first 12 days, left off on the notions clear out. I have a small dresser that I use for my notions. I think I’ll go through it drawer by drawer, the top drawer is bag hardware and zippers. That should take about an hour, as I want to inventory and organize it. The challenge is to declutter only, but I want to organize it while decluttering. This need to organize is what is stopping me from going through the fabrics. Karen has the fabric decluttering on days 19 and 20. My fabrics are in three systems of wire drawers and shelves. This doesn’t include the large bins of scraps. Eww, I’m getting an overwhelming feeling of chaos just writing about it. It’s not that bad, really. I have a sort-of-plan to do it drawer by drawer. I just need to empty one drawer and then fill it with a category/type. In my mind I have a mass dump and sort scenario, ha! that way lies madness for sure.

Be Kind.

These past four days have been a whirlwind of activity for two reasons, my Dh is away and I am going away in a few days. I am itching to start something new, but instead, I am prepping for when I get back. I have been loosely following the 2025 Declutter Challenge at Just Get It Done Quilts , I say loosely because I haven’t really done any purging of stuff other than trash and recycling. Yesterday I cleaned off a surface and vacuumed a bit more. Where does all the dust come from? I thought the dog hair was bad, but lint from fabric may be a close second.

Meanwhile in Etsy shop land, I packed up and sent the last of the custom quilts. That was a major To-Do item off my white board. Six quilts and a table runner in about three months. I forgot to take a picture of the table runner, I made it from a free video tutorial from Shabby Fabrics.

Next on to the finish side were the last two blocks of Simple Days. I am so happy to get these finished, but I am debating on whether or not to sew them together yet. I am toying with the idea of combining the current Elefantz BOM, Sewing room, with it for a larger quilt. Sewing room has 9 embroidered blocks and 27 patch blocks (finished size 6″x 8″). I did want to use a different fabric line for it other than the thirties scraps. I was thinking of making it into a sashing for the Simple days quilt. But do I really want to extend this UFO another nine months while I wait for the stitchery blocks to be released? I guess I could just put in the blank blocks and then embroider them as they are released. Right now the Simple days quilt top finishes at about 46″ square, so adding four rows of sashing that is 8 inches wide, would make it 78″ inches wide and 90″ inches tall. Will ruminate on that a bit.

I made a bunny yesterday too, from a Funky Friends Factory pattern by Pauline McArthur. It was fairly easy to do, the hardest parts were turning the arms and legs right side out and stitching the face. I used a plush wool fabric that has been in my sewing stash for many years and a remnant of silk velvet for the inner ears. It was originally destined to be a teddy bear, but that got waylaid some time ago. My son had a bunny plush toy given to him by his grandma, so I will continue the tradition.

I am trying to decide on a project to bring on my trip. I am knitting a scarf, but it is about half way done, and a good plane knitting project. Plus the lucky recipient will be seen in a week, so that needs to be finished. But I want to work on something else, maybe a Wallaby sweater, mindless knitting in the round. I should bring the cable sweater that has been languishing for a year or so, but that’s too much thinking/knitting/counting. I haven’t even packed my clothing yet, and here I am worrying about projects to do.

Be Kind.

I have been working all week to try to finish up the last commission quilt, Improv Christmas tree by Amy Smart. I added two borders to make it a bit bigger and use up most of the fabrics left from the other five quilts. This one will finish at 84″ x 102″. Good queen size with a pillow tuck, or not. I had wanted to make the Merry Christmas Darling quilt, but the client didn’t want it, they wanted the Improv one. I had originally planned on doing it, but after making the first block, I disliked the technique as it was a little too improv for me. The blocks were a not uniform, and I wasn’t feeling like I could make a 100 of them with out trying my patience. I made the Plaid trees quilt instead, my fault I didn’t contact the client, but I figured it was similar and with the tree theme. They do like it, just wanted the Improv tree one too. I came up with an assembly line way of making the blocks and the unfinished size was 7 1/4″ by 9 1/4 inch. I made thirty or so a day for three days and then spent another day making the 2 ½ inch scrappy squares outer borders. The quilting was going to be an all over panto, but when I got it on the frame, it was calling out for a bit of custom work. I am doing cross hatching in the outer border and circles in the red inner one. The snow flake panto fills the center nicely, I like that it is relatively quick to stitch (45mins a row) and no back tracking. My goal today is to finish the quilting and get the binding on. Tomorrow is picture day for all three quilts and I am hoping to get them shipped by Wednesday. Ready to be finished with that project, started in late October 2024.

This week I am sort of participating in the DeClutter Challenge 2025 by Just Get It Done Quilts If you want to join up, there is still time to catch up. I like her approach to de-cluttering, 15 minute increments and breaks in between. Plus some rational talk and help with “letting go” and not getting side tracked or overwhelmed. Yesterday I tackled days one and two, today I may get to three (subscriptions), four (books) and five (patterns). I would like to get the subscription mags whittled down, the two I have left are Knits and Quilt Maker. I did some culling a few years ago, ripping out patterns and ideas and putting them in a binder, but it’s time consuming. These two magazines are on-line now, so if I ever want to revisit them I can. I may just keep the current years and recycle the others, hard decisions, but I would like the shelf space back. I did my books last year, and got rid of a lot of them in a donation. Patterns too, but I would like to sell some of the bigger ones. I was pleased with my work after yesterday, just getting the garbage and “out of place things” out of the room was almost “cathartic”. I think with the finishing of the customer quilts, it’ll be like a new year/leaf turning for me. I am looking forward to starting new things after I get back from my vacation.

I did decide to do another BOM, I have no business starting another Elefantz one, but I am. The new one is The Sewing Room and it is simple embroideries and patchwork. It did make me pull out the Simple Days blocks, and while the long arm was doing its thing, I finished block 8 and started block 9. Last summer I had sewn them together and had them all ready to finish, but didn’t. It’d be good to check this of the UFO white board. I am going to take the Tilda quilt with me on vacation, so that leaves the Message in a Bottle quilt to languish.

My Fabulous Houses cross stitch is still waiting for more stitches too. I started the Haunted house on New Years Eve day, while I was on the phone with family. A little start, but it’ll be back in the rotation for February too. Cottage garden Samplings has a new BOM starting in June, Forest Animals themed. I really like the first collection they did, A year in the Woods, in 2022. I can’t start/do any more giant projects until I finish my Consider the Lillies piece. I really need to look through my cross stitch patterns and kitted up things. Spark some interest in doing the ones that I have, not the shiny new ones on the screen and Floss Tube.

Be Kind.