Wrapping up my Holiday gift giving crafts for this year. I have added a few more cross stitch cards, tea towels and mini pillows filled with love.
I made two of these. Poinsettia’s are a favorite and I couldn’t resist making a second instead of another pattern.
Most people throw out their plant at the end of the season but have you ever kept your poinsettia plant? Just google the directions. It’s easy and fun to see the plant come back to life.
Small Pillow and Tea Towel will be a gift combo. These pillows are so quick and easy to stitch up whether by hand or machine. The pillow is pieced in the Friendship Star pattern, just perfect from a friend.
I peaked in to my remnants box and found about 1/2 yard of this great snow scene material and matched it with the gray and white material. The white dots look like snowflakes – perfect! I loved using the string of pearls for the edging with these pillows. I am pairing this pillow with the card below for a special friend.
Two more cards completed. One last tea towel finished
This year was difficult for so many. A second wave has hit our country and the numbers infected are rising, additional restrictions are being enforced and for the first time since this began, friends I personally know and am close with have become ill with the virus. Thankfully a vaccine is on the horizon. As I continue to hunker down and nestle in for a long winters nap I will continue to craft with gift giving in mind. It’s easy to spread some happiness around, not just through the holidays but throughout the year. Be safe out there!
At our last HQAL posting I had made some progress in filling in the petals in the yellow hue.
I have been a bit distracted with working on some Christmas gifts and cards but am pleased with the progress during this 3 week interval.
I have added hearts A circle and squares Wavy lines and oval leaves Beautiful green to blue leaf and yellow hearts
I love the subtle change of color in this panel, like the changing of the leaves in fall
I also have one other project I had been working on that I finished. I had shared the beginning of it but it was a gift for a friend who follows my blog so I needed to keep it pretty much under wraps. Here she is finished. I machine stitched the blocks but she is hand quilted and bound. (time crunch) Gift sent and received 🙂
Friendship Star Lap Quilt
With the Thanksgiving holiday just days away I am so thankful for this HQAL that keeps me centered and on a path, accountable, when life’s distractions try to derail progress. Thanksgiving is my favorite time of the year, especially this year. With so much division in our country and the pandemic snapping at our heals, causing so much heart ache and havoc in lives, I am thankful for the chance to reflect and remember just how much I am thankful for.
If you haven’t already please take some time and visit the pages of the other amazing hand quilters and projects they are working on
Hand Quilt Along Links
This Hand Quilt Along is an opportunity for hand quilters and piecers to share and motivate one another. We post every three weeks, to show our progress and encourage one another. If you have a hand quilting project and would like to join our group contact Kathy at the link below.
I have been working on “Trick or Treat” an original design by Thea Dueck for The Victorian Sampler
At our last posting on Oct 25th, I had shared the photo below of my progress. I added the witch/farmer, leaf basket and line.
I wasn’t happy with the start to section 2 and took a really good look at the cover photo and way to complicated and confusing directions. I had zoomed in and enlarges the cover photo which gave me a clearer peak at what was going on. You may remember I decided I was going to remove what I had done and start over. I am so glad I did ~ what a difference.
There’s a lot of improvising and tweaking going on with the colors and pattern. I am using the directions and cover photo only as a guide. I moved the second tree and pumpkins over and will be adding another cat and bat into this section, pumpkins and trees. I also adopted a new crafting routine this 3 week period spending 1 hour M -F while watching Perry Mason from 9 – 10 am each day. Who doesn’t like a Merry Mason ala cross stitch 🙂
Now off to do some blog hopping!
Please check out what everyone else has been up to by clicking their names below. We live all over the world so you may need to allow for time differences. Posting takes place every third Sunday, local time. Our next updates will be posted on the 6th December 2020.
A beautiful crisp fall northwest day here and it’s dry with glorious sun. Here is a look at our last posting of the dahlia panel I have been working on.
I have made some progress, not as much as I would like. Honestly I have been working on some holiday projects and another quilt. But Dahlia was not neglected as you can see.
She’s blossoming
Last posting I also shared and showed you the beginnings of another quilt I started. I had 8 of 12 blocks made.
Here she is now. While I pieced by machine, I did hand quilt her. Colorful friendship star blocks were made for a lap quilt for a friend. I still need to hand sew the binding and then make a label before mailing.
I am always excited for our posting days and a chance to see the progress of our fellow quilters. So I am off to blog hop and check in with you all 🙂 Stay well and safe, smiling and quilting.
Hand Quilt Along Links
This Hand Quilt Along is an opportunity for hand quilters and piecers to share and motivate one another. We post every three weeks, to show our progress and encourage one another. If you have a hand quilting project and would like to join our group contact Kathy at the link below.
Here we are at the three week check in. It’s a timely check in for this Trick or Treat project. Here is where I was last time.
For my progress on this update notice I added an additional bottom row to the section one before getting started on the second section.
This project has been a real challenge for me. It’s been extremely difficult to follow the directions and match colors to the suggested floss. I have taken some liberty in making this my own {Halloween nightmare} I have been referring back to the cover photo on the package insert for color guidance but while writing this I had the idea to take the cover picture I had and crop it to show you some of the changes I have made. I am so glad I did because it really gave me a great view, a real eye opener, of what I was looking at. I have decided I will be removing it all and be starting the whole section again after seeing this view below.
Now it’s off to take a look at what everyone else has been working on, please join me. We live all over the world so you may need to allow for time differences. Posting takes place every third Sunday, local time. Our next update will be on the 15th of November.
Fall is one of my favorite times of the year. Not just for the gorgeous foliage or the every thing pumpkin spice ~ yum ~ but as the weather turns cooler with more time indoors, I find it so much easier to have lots going on.
I participate in two different sew alongs. A HQAL, where I am working on a hand quilting project – The Dahlia Project and a SAL with a great Halloween cross stitch in progress but I have also been busy with a few other projects.
5 daughters will each get 2 dish towels this year. I’ve have 9 completed with this one just finished.
This years passion has been cross stitch Christmas cards. I had done one last year that was sent to my Uncle. He absolutely loved it. With this year filled with so much uncertainty, filled with social distancing, and actually not even getting together with friends, I thought these would really make the perfect non gift, gift to say you’ve been thought of and are special to me. Here are 3 of the latest completed.
These 2 Current cards are 5 x 7 and came in a set of 4. I have 2 more to do.
I just picked up these 2 Hannukah cross stitch cards off of eBay and am excited to get started on them. (about 6.50 ea give or take) I would have liked a couple more but only spotted these 2 at this price.
And some tiny pillows for gift giving using The Friendship Star pattern will make perfect friendship gifts.
Keeping me busy, as if I haven’t been busy enough, is a lap quilt for a friend. Using the Friendship Star pattern, I started this on Monday and have completed 8, 9″ blocks. I think 12 blocks may be enough with the added sashing, I’ll see. These blocks, a first for me, have been machine assembled and not hand stitched. When I get to quilting her though, she will be hand quilted 🙂 No idea on the backing yet.
The last on my doing list is this pinwheel block pattern baby quilt. I have been working on it through this last year. The blocks are all hand stitched with the sashing done by machine. I still have 1 more strip to piece together. I had used this pattern and material before in another baby quilt. With a few extra blocks I just kept going and made some more blocks, enough for this second quilt. She will be hand quilted.
It’s been a crazy year for so many. Blogging, reading and following blogs has been so important these past 10 months. It’s kept me focused on not being bored, one of the greatest complaints I have heard from friends. Along with keeping me busy, it’s connected me to those who share a similar passion.
I have been thinking about how the holidays, traditionally, can be a very difficult time for many regardless of this being the year of COVID. I want to make a little extra effort to connect with friends and family this holiday season.
I have been working steadily on the Dahlia Project these last 3 weeks. At our last posting I had begun adding some quilting designs to the inside of the petals. I was using a clamshell stencil to create the design.
I have abandoned using the stencil and have begun free handing a pattern onto the petals.
My inspiration came from Carole Carter of From My Carolina Home Blog and FB page. Her Dahlia Quilt which was done for Bullington Gardens as a raffle fundraiser, is ‘magnificent’ and worth a look see if you have the chance. You can see her post and take a tour of the gardens and see her finished quilt here http://frommycarolinahome.com/…/a-visit-to-bullington…/
Wishing you all a safe, healthy and productive coming few weeks. Now I am off to visit the pagers of the others in this hand quilt along.
Hand Quilt Along Links
This Hand Quilt Along is an opportunity for hand quilters and piecers to share and motivate one another. We post every three weeks, to show our progress and encourage one another. If you have a hand quilting project and would like to join our group contact Kathy at the link below.
A timely posting for the month of October as I continue to work on “Trick or Treat”. At our last posting she looked like this….
Three weeks and I made some good progress. I did not get the back stitching done as I hoped but the bat joined the haunt, a window fixed, a pumpkin got a stem, along with completing the ground and border.
While this looks almost finished, there’s so much more to come with this project.
Now it’s off to take a look at what everyone else has been working on, please join me. We live all over the world so you may need to allow for time differences. Posting takes place every third Sunday, local time. Our next updates will be posted on the 25th October 2020.
Where has the time gone? As I write this there is only 90 days left till Christmas. NO way, I have too many projects left that I want to complete. I have been working on tea towels and cross-stitch cards since the beginning of the year and while I do have quite a few gifts completed – the stack of projects doesn’t seem to be going down. I have completed these 3 cards from the original 4 I purchased in January
I just love these cross stitch beauties and thought this year I would really like to send out a few more. They really do say “your pretty special” I purchased a few more off of eBay or was it amazon…oh hec – one of those two.
I have completed friends and am working on Happy Holidays right now. The other 4 look rather easy to stitch up and will make the perfect gift cards.
I have added another two tea towels bringing a total of seven completed with another being worked right now. The quality of these towels and the ones completed are fabulous, heavy and with a sewn in hook for hanging. The towels were purchased from Joann’s, Stitch Em Up 2 pack Flour Sack
I needed more towels and since I am staying in and doing most shopping on line, I ordered from amazon Utopia Kitchen Flour Sack Dish Towels 12 pack Cotton Kitchen Towels 28 x 28 mid Sept. I was so disappointed when they arrived. They are thin and see thru with no hook. I begin doing some embroidery on one and well – I have ordered on line from Joann’s and will most likely not use any of these for gift giving.
90 days is simply not enough time to get what I want to get done – I will be shifting my expectations very soon now 🙂
I have been working on a Halloween cross-stitch and a quilt, both also for gifts. No deadline on these, with the Halloween being worked for 2021 🙂
May I share with you our blossoming fur baby Skyes The Limit Johnson. Saved thru Cozy Paws Rescue she came to us in mid July. We feel so blessed to care take her or is it her us? She has brought so much happiness wrapped up in her 14 lb mini schnauzer bundle of love. The picture was taken yesterday on a mini nature walk along the Puget Sound.
A break in the weather got us out and enjoying but you should see Skye in her blue with yellow duckies rain coat – adorable and perfect for here in our northwest corner of Washington state where we are no strangers to wet weather.
Enjoy a relaxing weekend ~ I am off to do some baking.
Well guess who was surprised last week when I went to post on the blog for a SAL update and saw my HQAL post from 2 weeks prior still sitting waiting to be posted. I imagine I got so excited reading everyone else’s updates that I forgot to post mine. So this is a combined 6 week posting of The Dahlia Project.Â
#2 At our last posting three  weeks ago, I shared this photo of the Dahlia quilt I am working on. It was a great start for this beautiful panel
I have made significant headway on the petals. There’s just a few more left to do. You can really see some definition and depth to the piece now. Funny how one photo looks so wrinkly and the other looks so smooth. I promise you nothing was done differently and I did not press it.
I used coordinating  Gutterman colored thread for the quilting.
The back is this wonderful daisy print. The fabric was just right for fitting the panel on 3 sides perfectly with a huge chunk of fabric left over on one side. So for the binding I am going to make a bias tape strip to use out of that.
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#3 SO ~~~~here we are 6 weeks later and I have completed all of the outlining of the petals.Â
You may have noticed a little bit more has gotten done. I have begun working inside of each petal. I am using a clamshell stencil 3 1/2 in.Â
This is actually the first time I have ever used a stencil. I bought the wrong stenciling chalk only to discover it would not work in the thin lines. So I simply used a mechanical lead pencil and drew in the lines in the directions I wanted. No two petals are alike in nature and so no two petals are exactly alike either. I am truly learning as I go. I could have, if I had known, bought a smaller clamshell stencil for the smaller inside petals and as it opened up switched to the larger size. What I can say at this point is having discovered and joined this HQAL, corresponded and read so many amazing blogs, I have truly grown and am growing as a hand quilter 🙂
It is going fast and I am having fun with this process.
Now to remember to press the publish button, then go and visit the posts of my fellow HQAL members.
This Hand Quilt Along is an opportunity for hand quilters and piecers to share and motivate one another. We post every three weeks, to show our progress and encourage one another. If you have a hand quilting project and would like to join our group contact Kathy at the link below.
