SAL: Christmas Greetings

Christmas Greetings is moving right along. I have worked on her pretty consistently in the last 3 weeks. Perry Mason reruns keeps me on tract with an hour of stitching each morning. Here is where I was at our last posting.

Santa has his skates on for a spin around the pond and his beard is filling in nicely too.

Keeping with the Santa theme I alternated skating Santa with another cross stitch Santa Christmas card this reporting period.

It’s always a highlight of the 3 week posting to check in with the others in this SAL. You can join me by clicking on the links below 🙂

Avis, Claire, Gun, Constanze, Christina, Kathy, Margaret, Cindy, Heidi, Jackie, Sunny, Megan, Deborah, Renee, Carmela, Sharon, Daisy, Anne, AJ, Cathie, Linda, Helen

About the SAL

Please note this SAL is not accepting any more new members until further notice but this is what it’s all about anyway. This SAL (Stitch Along) is slightly different to other SALs in that we don’t all stitch the same design at the same rate. We choose ONE unfinished project, or ONE new one, and show progress of its completion over a series of three weekly updates. There are no deadlines and no set amount to stitch. The result is that the space in our drawers full of WIPs (works in progress) is gradually being freed up to store lots of new crafty goodness. It’s surprising how much motivation I’ve gained from being in this SAL.

Table Runner in Blue

Back in January of this year I had decided to participate in the Scap Dance Pachanga Mystery Quilt Along that was hosted by Carole of From My Carolina Home.

I had never participated in this type of project before but it sounded fun. The idea was that this was a mystery and I would have no idea what pattern I would be making. Twice a month, on the 2nd and 4th Friday of the month, Carole posted a new direction for the construction of the quilt or in my case I decided on a table runner. There was no deviating or changing the directions.

I was going strong at the beginning. But it wasn’t to long into the project that I realized I was in over my head and lost. In fact what I learned about myself is that I am a total visual learner. I don’t do well with written directions. I have to see it being done. I also need to see what I am making to see what I am doing. Anyone else craft the same way? It’s like a jig saw puzzle. You prop up the lid to see the puzzle while you work on it.

But I soldiered on and continued with each clue in the construction as best I could. I was working this project all by hand and not machine so a lot of work had already gone into it. When it came time for the assembly, I quickly discovered I had to many pieces, and piecing it together was not working. I had no idea what it should look like but I knew it wasn’t suppose to look like what I was doing.

So as the saying goes when life gives you a lemon make lemonade. I decided to continue with making the table runner and using the extra pieces to make coasters to go with it.

I’m happy with the way it turned out. But if you really take a look at it you can see lots of ‘interesting’ oddities to the 2 larger end blocks. I should have had enough pieces to have the same blocks.

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With more of the extra pieces I made the coasters to go with this.

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It was a fun project, I learned a lot about my crafting style and turning lemons into something sweet and wonderful. I have an idea what I will be doing with this project. I have some deep blue glassware, goblets, pitcher, water glasses that would look wonderful on a table setting with the table runner. Thinking this will make a nice birthday gift paired with glassware for someone I have in mind 🙂

HQAL: Log Cabin Update

I am happy to report at this 3 week update I have completed quilting the Log Cabin.

Hoping to add a bit more interest, I went back and stitched a X in each of the center squares. With the very first one I could see it would be lost and didn’t pop as I had hoped but what the hec – it stitched up fast so I went ahead and did all 16.

I really like the back fabric’s. The fabric was from my stash and there wasn’t enough of one to cover the whole thing so … use two and make one and I added some contrast to an other wise pretty flat backing. I should have doubled up or even tripled up on the batting but I am happy with a light throw. It will be perfect on the couch for fall.

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Hoping I’ll get her done by our next check in. Fall has definitely arrived. The mum’s are here in the stores and I purchased some for the garden in front. Pumpkins are showing up too. My mini tomatoes – finally – are ripening, I can’t believe how long it took them this year but they sure are welcome for a fall treat and I love the pop of color they provide. I just want to add my zinnias are prolific this year with reds, oranges, yellows and deep pinks smiling up at me.

Now it’s off to check in with the other hand quilters. And if you are a hand quilter I hope you will consider joining us.

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.

Kathy, Margaret, Deb, Nanette, Sharon, Karrin, and Daisy

SAL: Christmas Greetings

A new month and our three week-check in is here again. I am working on a Joy Sunday cross stitch actually called The Skating Santa Clause. For some reason I renamed this Christmas Greetings. Either way its cute and fun. After a rough start and an all new floss change, my last posting looked like this.

I have been trying to work on this pretty faithfully as I have a few other holiday projects in the works. I don’t know about you, but once we get to September I feel the crunch to get things done before it’s to late. Here is where I am now

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I am off now to visit the pages of my fellow SAL stitchers. I am always excited to see their progress and fabulous projects.

Avis, Claire, Gun, Carole, Constanze, Christina, Kathy, Margaret, Cindy, Heidi, Jackie, Sunny, Megan, Deborah, Renee, Carmela, Sharon, Daisy, Anne, AJ, Cathie, Linda, Helen

About the SAL

Please note this SAL is not accepting any more new members until further notice but this is what it’s all about anyway. This SAL (Stitch Along) is slightly different to other SALs in that we don’t all stitch the same design at the same rate. We choose ONE unfinished project, or ONE new one, and show progress of its completion over a series of three weekly updates. There are no deadlines and no set amount to stitch. The result is that the space in our drawers full of WIPs (works in progress) is gradually being freed up to store lots of new crafty goodness. It’s surprising how much motivation I’ve gained from being in this SAL.