Last effort for 2023

 Where have I been and what have I done?  I have been to Arizona, played tennis in sunshine, took lessons early in the morning (7am is early for retirees) and had some long walks with a good friend.  Then, we returned home because, as always, my husband continues to be anemic and the medical system is slow, but there are still tests to be run.  I did get my house semi-decorated for Christmas and seem to have been spinning my wheels since that happened.

But, I did attend two different quilting guild Christmas parties and I have been playing indoor tennis and pickleball and tidying, organizing and writing lists! 

I have been stitching a 'hug block' with one per month to show my traditional guild and encouraging them to make one.  In the past, I had many kits cut for a variety of hug blocks (Quilts of Valour, Northcott fabrics, Oh Canada) but it was a lot of work and if two or three got picked up at meetings, then it wasn't enough to be worth my time.  So, I decided to focus on one block per month and do some step by step instructions.  This will be the block for January because, yes, we will still be in the rainy Pacific Northwest at the time of the guild meeting. 

I signed up for the Missouri Star Christmas Advent box which gives you a gift per day.  One day was a package of charm packs and another day was a pattern plus handles and magnetic snap for this cute little purse.

One side and then the other side. 

Of course, crazy weather.  Two days after we arrived home from sunny Arizona, we had this happen. 

There was a fun sewing activity at the modern guild meeting and we had 5 sewing stations set up and a package of fabric given to us along with instructions and we could do as we wished with the blocks.  This was what our group came up with and I brought the blocks home to finish and will get it layered, quilted and bound though it isn't due until March. 

Before I left for sunnier weather, I was working on two different 'blue' quilts.  This is a Villa Rosa pattern called Something Positive and I used a variety of blues and browns.  This is now a finished top waiting for the next step. I had started some blocks here and then made more from my AZ stash and brought them home to be added in to the quilt top.

This one is all blues and is a GE Design called Koby and is also a top living on a hanger until the next step happens.

While in Arizona, I worked on another set of blocks that I had a hand written pattern for, called Corn off the Cob.  It took me awhile to realize it is the same idea as Town Square, a 3 yard quilt.  I brought the blocks home thinking that they might be good for surrounding a panel (which I have a large number of for Quilts of Valour).  I used browns, reds and creams though the colour in this picture isn't great.

The weather was quite lovely while we were there though a bit nippy first thing in the morning as I headed out to early morning tennis lessons.

I worked on some blocks for a block lotto for the guild Christmas party, that I knew I would be home for and made two and posted the pictures.  It was then pointed out to me that they are supposed to have a green background, not white so, I made two more.

I also got my last set of blocks made for the Patterns by Jen challenge for 2023 and now I can pull out the blocks from this past 12 months and decide on a setting. 

I made an entire set of blocks with this pattern but apparently, I didn't take a picture of them?  They are tucked away in a bag and again, hoping I can use them with a panel.

When we arrived home, my Christmas cactus was in full bloom.  It obviously enjoyed being ignored in a cool house. 

My decorations are minimal but I did put out a few things on the mantel in our sitting room.

My tree got put up and decorated because it isn't Christmas without one and love the lights shining and reflecting in the windows.

I like to do a small arrangement in the window well as you go down the stairs into my sewing area and added some lights to this area as well. 

This Christmas pennant was in a doorprize that I won at the modern guild meeting and how perfect is that for the space? 

A gift in a Canadian Advent box were the instructions and supplies to make this gift bag for a bottle... could be wine or could be bubble bath? 

And another project in the Advent box were Styrofoam cones plus the stars and instructions on using twisted ribbons for them... but, I cheated and used chenille yarn. 

There are many more projects, some small and some larger to be done but one day at a time.  With appointments, rec center, tennis and basic housekeeping, I don't seem to have had much time or motivation to be doing any serious sewing but am liking some of these smaller, projects that can be completed in an hour.  

I am sure I won't be blogging until  2024 but you never know!  Happy New Year and stay healthy. 

November already! Using my extra hour for my blog update.

 This is crazy that it has been over a month since posting here but, lots to show you.

 After my October binge on finishing the quilts for Survivors, I took a bit of a break and made lots of small things like mug rugs for Autumn and Halloween.  

Then, I decided that it was time to get my quilt tops off hangers and turned into finished quilts.  I had to put together a prize package for our guild's annual Holly Jolly Bingo game and decided that a 'quilty' pillowcase was a good choice.  Once I dug through my fabrics that were quilting themed, I made more than one to use up some of the stash. These will all be used as door prizes at guild meetings or gifts for quilters. 

My autumn table runner got finished and put on display.

I dug out this kit from Dragonfly fabrics that came in one of their surprise boxes and got it cut and ready to sew.  The pattern is Snow Ruby from Villa Rosa.  Easy to cut, easier to sew!

The rainbow scrap challenge for October was lights/neutrals but I chose to use brown fabrics since my bins are overflowing.  Most of these scraps are from backings that I have used to finish quilts. 

Strings and plus blocks are made and now it is time to dig out the blocks made all year and complete some quilt tops in November and December but I think I will end up with the blocks as Works in progress in 2024. 

The patterns by Jen for October was blue and I have been making two blocks per month with lights and darks reversed.  So these got finished.

I did make some Quilt of Valour blocks for my monthly guild challenge but sadly, after getting them done, they will have to wait until 2024.  Our guild meeting is late this month just because the second Tuesday isn't until the 18th and I won't be able to make it on that day or in December so hopefully, January?

This is finish number 1.  A friend of mine in the modern guild, Barbara, donated a stack of fat quarters to Quilts of Valour.  As I was putting them away, I stopped and thought, why not just get a top made?  I found fabrics to cut up into 12 fat quarters and stitched up St. Louis 16 patch blocks.  I only needed 20 blocks for the quilt top so have 4 blocks leftover, the start of the next quilt? Then, why not just get it quilted and bound and finished! 

I bought a Moda 'leftover scraps' bag many years ago and in it were 3" strips of Halloween fabrics.  They were various lengths with most being 22" long.  This idea appealed to me and I did have to add in more strips from my stash and used a gray background for the blocks.  Again, I decided to just get it quilted.  The idea was to finish it before Halloween and it was done by the 31st but not in time to gift or use it.

Cozy Quilt pattern: Simplicity II.  These blocks were made from a Tonga Treats set of gray, black, dark blue strips.  I added in the reds and a few more grays and kept stitching until I had enough blocks.  Yes, in the finished quilt, there is a block turned the wrong way... I knew it but left it as my 'humility' block since no one is perfect.  Another finish for Quilts of Valour.

Every month I made Rainbow scrap blocks and these were blocks leftover from previous years that were sitting in a container and they were in my way all summer long.  Finally, some inspiration happened along with some gray borders on the blocks and a top got completed. While doing my quilting marathon in October, the quilt top became a finished quilt.  Number three for Quilts of Valour.

Kimberley by GE designs is one of my 'go-to' patterns for layer cakes.  This was another, well aged, Tonga Treat of 10" squares and again, I added in a few of my own to get enough blocks for a finished Quilt of Valour. 

Using the block idea I saw many years ago on Facebook (and didn't write down where I saw it), I made these blocks from fat quarters.  A floral assortment but I think it works for Quilt of Valour and it is also another finish for October. 

The St. Louis 16 patch is always an easy, mindless block to sew from fat quarters and I had a bunch of them sitting in a container that was left over from making a couple of quilts for friends of my Wednesday Diva quilting group.  I made a few more blocks to have enough to complete a quilt and this is going to be given to someone who is crafty and deserves to be wrapped in a quilt but it will live here, finished, until that happens. 

The Snow Ruby quilt at the beginning of this post also got stitched and quilted and binding is on... yay! Another finished quilt! 

This is my stack of leftover batting pieces and the next time I get the urge to finish quilts, I will be making a 'frankenbatts' from these.  Waste not, want not!

Some beautiful sunsets in October that I love seeing.  Such glorious colours.

It is always fun to go to a monthly sew in with my friends in the Modern guild.  This was me working on my Halloween quilt blocks.  I did a few hours of power sewing that day.

A perfect room for chatting, sewing on your machine or doing hand work.  We get lots of visitors checking out what we are working on.

My steps for the Meadowland mystery for October got completed.  Now I am ready for November.
We had a prediction of frost for a few nights in mid October so the tomatoes got picked and they are slowly ripening in our dark, cool bunker.

It is fun to decorate for Halloween even if we only get a few trick or treaters.  I kept it simple with my decorations and then to hustle to put them away on November first as torrential rains were predicted.  I didn't need wet 'stuff' to pack in containers.

The views, when we get a nice evening, are spectacular of the valley.

And, end of October, all is now packed away and the house looks very empty and sparse but, also dusted and clean. 

Hopefully, I can take more time to post a little more often but how often do I say that?  sigh.   This month is going to be no stress with only my patterns by Jen blocks to make and my mystery steps to complete.  Time to tidy up and look at the potential UFO's and WIPS for next year as well as the many kits from mystery boxes that are waiting patiently and of course, the 3 yard kits that I cut up the fabrics for so that I would have simple, mindless projects for Sew In days. 

October has arrived - great weather and horrible, rainy days.

 The great weather days are perfect for doing some outside fall cleanup chores and tasks because you know you might not get another chance and the sunshine feels awesome.  The rainy days are not so great for me as I feel totally unmotivated to do some of my "inside" tasks such as defrosting the freezer.  When it was hot, summer weather, it was too warm to do that chore.  Today would be perfect but the gas fireplace is on and it feels more like getting comfy and reading? 

I had a real push in September to get all my 'survivor' quilts finished.  I had 9 sitting on hangers waiting to hear to hear if they would be needed locally for Orange Sunday at the Anglican church or, if a few might be needed, or none.  If they weren't needed, I was going to box the tops up and mail off to Ontario to Vanessa who runs and organizes the Quilts for Survivors program.  On the Tuesday afternoon I got a text saying that they would like quilts for Sunday Sept 24 where they would be blessed and smudged.  I managed to get 4 quilt tops ready with batting and backing and then got them layered, ready to go.  My quilting was simple: stitch in the ditch and diagonal lines.  

I did some serious stitching and managed to get eight of them quilted and bound by Friday evening.  Saturday, I loaded the last one on the B-line quilting frame (it was a little larger) and managed to quilt it in the morning and then stitched the binding on and they were picked up by 2pm.  WHEW!  

But the quilts are gone and hopefully heading to be wrapped around their recipients in the next week or so.  

A huge thank you to Shirley from my traditional guild.  She had given me some fabric the previous week that was perfect for backings.  I also had purchased a bolt of orange fabric for a great price so that was handy to use for backings as well.   These are the first 6 quilts all quilted and ready for binding.   

 

 And they are labelled and bound and finished.

Here are the nine of the finished quilt.  Photography wasn't the best as I was hurrying to get the pictures taken so that they would be ready for pickup and I threw them on the floor for each picture.

Once that was done, I did a major clean up of the disaster zone that was my working and sewing area.  

Another friend from the local guild was making some hug blocks for Quilts of Valour.  These are 9" finished blocks that are required to be made using Northcott "Oh Canada" fabrics and I have a variety of kits cut for these from a few years ago.  I made up six to send to the coordinator.  She puts together groups of 30 blocks that are sent to her from all the provinces and territories which are then made into quilts by volunteers and the blocks represent quilts across our vast country. 

Then, a nice break for an afternoon.  It was last day of being able to fish for "pinks" - a variety of salmon and this area is only 20 minute drive from our house but.... I had never been here before.  My husband didn't fish but he wanted to watch the fishermen in action and it was lovely down at the Fraser River.  We were on the south side of the river, just east of the Mission bridge and an place completely unknown to me. 

In order to motivate my guild to make hug blocks, I dug out a kit for the prairie flower and stitched it up. I will show it to the group on Facebook and maybe some of the new members might want to make a block when they see how simple and easy it is to cut and put together. 

After that, I decided to make a few of the wonky shoo fly blocks for the Modern quilt that I belong to.  That was fun and there were 3 different methods to choose from.  I chose the easiest one, of course, and had fun making these. 

My blocks for September, Patterns by Jen, were done.  Mustard yellow was the colour choice.  A simple block and was easy to piece two... I like to do two with the lights and darks reversed. 

My rainbow scrap challenge blocks, aqua, were finished and these are my plus blocks completed.

The scrappy strip blocks got made. 

I wanted to something a little different and looked at my list of  projects waiting or works in progress and thought that this table runner would be perfect for this time of year.  I dug out the bits I had already cut and started preparing the rest of what was needed.  This is where I am at this point and now, time for some tiny stitching and the embroidery.   I have the owl to assemble and fuse on but didn't want to try it last night... the pieces are tiny! 

Since it was the autumn equinox last week, it was time to put away summer and bring out fall decor.  The first job was to clean my copper kettle... a chore that is always worthwhile when the job is done. 

I keep my decorating simple since there are only two of us who will probably see it but, gives me a warm feeling when I walk into these rooms.  Of course, along with decorating, there is major cleaning happening, which is a good thing. Dust begone! 

My stairwell makes me happy because I am up and down the stairs all day long.  The new tablerunner will go in this space when it is finished. 

I will work on my tablerunner and then I have cut 4 kits of fabrics to make 3 yard quilts plus, my Heartstrings group chose jelly rolls for the project of the month.  There are also quilt tops on hangers that need to be finished and would love to see the space empty until I fill it up again with new tops.  

Happy fall y'all. Appreciate the sunny days but time to pull out some warmer sweaters and long pants.