Ruminating on a Slow Stitching Sunday...

 Hello - I know I said I'd be back last week to post pics of my recent Christmas quilt finishes, but... the week just got away from me... and then we did Christmas Eve and Christmas morning and I totally lost track of what day of the week it was (thank goodness my phone tells me the day and the date...sheesh)... So I'm here now and I do have pics of the quilts and I have some thoughts about my tentative crafty plans for 2021... which I figured I should talk about this Sunday since by next Sunday it will be 2021 and I will again not know exactly what day of the week it is unless I look at my phone... and hey where is my phone??? Oh there is it... stuck in the cushion of my chair... big sigh... I misplace it several times a day... and it doesn't do me any good to call my phone because I always have it on silent... so unless I'm close enough to hear it vibrate I'm out of luck... oh well

So here are pictures of the 4 Christmas quilts I finished for this holiday...now the first two I started last year and early this year... 

This is Meet in the Middle... a free pattern you can see here... now it was jelly roll friendly but I made it with a layer cake because there were a lot of directional fabrics in the Basic Grey Kringle & Klaus collection I used and I didn't want my ornaments or my Santa's laying on their sides... so I just cut everything into 2.5 x 10" strips and it worked fine... 

and here's a close up of the quilting from Quilting by David... 

I picked a panto with ornaments which I thought echoed the fabrics... and it washed up nice and crinkly!

Next is Snowfall with another Basic Grey Christmas collection... this one a well aged one called Fruitcake..

This one used charm packs and the pattern is from the book Charm School... I had David use a snowflake panto on this one...

Next up is this one using another well aged layer cake... this one is called Very Merry from Sandy Gervais ...

The pattern is Piece of Cake 3 from Thimbleblossoms...you can see it here... I'll be making this quilt again... easy construction and it shows off the fabrics nicely... 

And last but not least a scrappy quilt ... I started with wanting to use up the border and other fabrics I had from the Heather Ross Sugarplum collection... I added in a bunch of other Christmas fabrics from my stash and I'm very happy with how it came together...

Now these are different pictures of these quilts from what I posted on Instagram... but if you want to see more you can find them here... 

And with these quilts complete I thought I'd play in my sewing room and somehow I started another Christmas quilt... my thought process is that I'll be ahead for next year... that is if I stick with it... but there is always a possibility (actually a very STRONG possibility)   that it will end up in a plastic bin before I truly finish it... I'm already having second thoughts about it... here's a pic of what I've done so far... 

the pattern is Jelly Roll Dash, it is a lovely pattern, and you can see it here...  now the pattern is written to be strip pieced but I'm not fond of that method because my strips get wonky and there is too much repetition of fabric placement... I like things all mixed up (kinda like my life.. but that's another story...LOL) so I'm sewing individual squares together... and yes it it going to take about 4 times longer this way... but then I'm not thrilled with how it is looking...  I like mixed up... but... this is looking too mixed up to me... I think I'm going to unsew what I have and just do simpler blocks... like a nine patch or maybe a rectangular block that is pieced and alternated with a solid block... hmmmm....oh I LOVE the fabric ... it is the Oh Deer collection by Urban Chiks... along with some leftovers from their Christmas collection of 2 years ago... here's the Oh Deer collection 

I love these fabrics because you have YELLOW Christmas fabric... I even found yardage of the yellow print with the deer and I ordered it for the border... ruminating here ... and this is going to be re-worked... and that's ok..

And I did some cross stitching last week... I was in a holiday mood so I started (are we seeing a pattern here... I am such a GOOD starter... we will not discuss finishing at this time)... a Christmas piece from Prairie Schooler book No. 63 called Christmas Samplers... you can see it here...

I needed some simple stitching... all DMC and a mystery piece of 32 ct linen from my stash... it is a nice warm tan... I didn't feel the need to paint or dye it as not much of it will show when the whole piece is complete... 

But I put it down yesterday and picked back up my Heart & Hand sampler from With Thy Needle & Thread...

I LOVE this sampler... I LOVE that berry filled vine and the white flowers and the birds and the big house and the lady gardening... I'm using the called for flosses and the fabric is 32 ct I dyed with Rit dye... I think I might be able to finish this by the end of the year... and if I can I am not going to put the last stitch in till 2021 because I will NOT date anything 2020 ...ok I did date one piece 2020 but it was a tombstone for Halloween... I can't think of any year I want more to be behind us and I don't want to be reminded of it by my stitching.. there will be plenty of other reminders ... so I that's the plan...

And then there is the rumination of what to work on in 2020... I like to start a cross stitch piece on New Year's Day and I like to do a bit of sewing and a bit of knitting and I want to eat something very tasty... my philosophy is you need to do things on New Year's Day that you want to repeat as much as possible the rest of the year... get things off to a real good start... and the Lord knows we need a nice good start for 2021!!

Sooooo... what to start... I have a couple of samplers I want to do that are already kitted up... but this sampler is also calling my name... it was the Linens & Threads Mystery Sampler for 2020... now I never like to do a mystery piece until I can see enough of it to be sure I want to join... and I didn't find this one till about October... and I love what I see... here's a link to the project and it is free...and this is a finished version that I LOVE...

And you can see more versions here at the hashtag #linenandthreadssampler2020.... so many wonderful color combos... I think this is my favorite ... lots of people did it on 40 ct... but I'm not fond of stitching on 40 ct... I'd rather do 32 ct ... and I think I could dye a piece of linen similar to the picture... and it will be LARGE ...15.25" square... and I do like the idea of a light color thread on a darker linen... but 2 threads of a light color on 32 ct is sometimes sloppy looking... soooooo I purchased some 12 wt Sulky ... I want to play with it and see if I like that coverage... so I'm ruminating on that... and the fact that they have another mystery sampler for 2021 and darn it sounded interesting too... "Our 2021 mystery sampler is inspired by the Mexican and Spanish pottery tradition from Talavera de la Reina, in Spain"... oooohh... I went and looked at the pottery and it is very colorful... more temptation....

And I have this project teed up for 2020 too... another needlepoint stocking... this one is for my daughter in law...

I did get to the needlepoint shop last week and picked up a bunch of fibers for all the ornaments and I got green wool for the tree and I ordered a bunch of skeins of a minty green for the background... so I should probably put a few stitches in it on New Year's Day...

And I'm ruminating on starting a new knitting project... I think I'll go with a new pair of scrappy socks... something easy... 

And I can't help but ruminate on what 2021 might bring... I don't know if we'll have another lockdown here in Ohio...(but it was the reason I went to the needlepoint store last week as I'm pretty sure a needlepoint store is the definition of non-essential/sigh) ... I have plenty to keep me busy, but then I had plenty to keep me busy last time but I didn't get a lot done... I wonder if we had another round would I be more focused... but focus is a big problem now... I waste too much time on the internet reading stuff and not getting anything done... I've been trying to ignore the news/politics as that is a deep deep rabbit hole that leaves me feeling  anxious and ticked off...I'm trying to avoid that and it isn't easy... my current strategy is to watch youtube and flosstube videos while stitching or knitting... at least I'm getting a little accomplished. 

Soooo... I don't make New Year's resolutions and any plans I made are extremely flexible... but there are definitely projects I want to do...now if I can spend less time endlessly scrolling through IG that would be a step in the right direction... I can't totally give up IG as I get the best ideas for new projects there ... it is like looking a new magazine every time... and remember magazines?  I LOVED magazines... LOL

I'll link up with Kathy's Quilts today... I hope that you all had a nice Christmas and that we will all have a much better 2021... 

happy stitching-

carol fun 

Christmas Decor 2020... on a Slow Stitching Sunday...

 Hello - where did December go to???  I just don't understand how time goes so fast and so slow simultaneously, but it sure seems to do it... I was patting myself on the back for getting my Christmas decor up early (for me ) this year... first week of December... but it wasn't "finished'  every space I arranged still needed a little of this or a little of that and it has taken me all month to finish up... and I think I'm done... I want to be done... I want to sit and look at my displays and stitch on a Christmas piece that won't be finished for this year and try to find a bit of peace in this crazy year... that's my goal for the week... we shall see how it turns out... but you aren't here for my introspective ramblings, you'd like to see some pretty Christmas stuff, right??  Okay... here goes...

HO HO HO ... Santa is gracing the wall again this year... I added some garlands around the top as I liked how that looked on my Halloween quilt... 

and the tier tray is a nice collection of Santas .. a couple of my now getting to be vintage needlepoint Santas and a cross stitch one that I never can decide if he's a Santa or an elf... 

Moving around the room we have the TV stand... I crammed a lot in here... a stack of Santas, and small pack of pixies, a flock of deer and mine and Nick's needlepoint stockings...

And speaking of stockings, Elliott's came back from the finisher and I'm very happy with it...

It is hanging on the mantle at his house waiting for Santa to stuff it will goodies... and as a side note I've already purchased a stocking for his Mama ... it will be my BIG project for 2021... then the whole family will have stockings... 

Continuing to circle the room... the shelf unit... lots of stuff from previous years ... 

I like the nativity scene at the top... I have a good view of it from my stitching chair... 

I have picked up a new Santa head or two... that collection is definitely growing and I like the trees growing out of their heads... I want some candy cans to put in that biggest one but keep forgetting to pick some up at the store..

And this is a new addition to the cross stitch... its from With Thy Needle & Thread entitled " The Most Wonderful Time of the Year"... and now I have Andy Williams singing in my head...LOL

I'm quite proud of myself for this finish... it was a super quick stitch ... I think it only took about 4 days and it is the first time I've inserted pompom trim into the seam... boy the flanges on pompom trim are tiny... had to find my zipper foot to get it sewn in... but it came out exactly like I wanted ... a rather flat pillow ...not puffy... and instead of using interfacing on the back of the stitching and the lining I used fusible fleece.. I had it sitting on my cutting table from a previous project... it gives it a nice bit of loft ... I'll be using it again in my finishing...

And a bit more of the shelf unit... I can see that I've got a turquoise/red theme going with my Christmas stitching... and I like it... it works for me...

A look at my Christmas tree... on the small side but it's best attribute is that again this year it made a successful trip up and down the stairs to the storage room fully decorated... all I did was plug it in and straighten a few of the bubble lights and it was good to go... the chairs are sporting dueling Basic Grey Christmas collection quilts... and I made another one this year... still need pictures...

And I have a new spot to decorate in the living room... I took the little yellow cabinet to the basement (and I still need to finish decorating it... will try to post more pictures tomorrow too).. and I moved in this shelf unit... I like that it is open and you can see what is on the lower shelves... and it is a little longer so there is more space for more STUFF... and you know how I LOVE MY STUFF!!   LOL

The shelf unit came from Amazon and I replaced the knobs with those turquoise ceramic ones I picked up at Hobby Lobby... I like the pop of color... stayed with a red/white/yellow theme here ... added one new piece of cross stitch...

This is from the No. 25 Prairie Schooler chart "Up on the Housetops"... I've had it in my stash a long time ... copyright 1989...  I made the house a bit more yellow than the called for floss and found that little white trim in my stash... a organdy bow and some little jingle bells in the corner... oh I also used the fusible fleece in this one too ... 

And now for the porch... you may remember  I was lusting after a what I thought was a fluffy white kinda 50's tinsel wreath at Joanns... and I bought it...

as you can see when I hung it up on the  storm door it has a definite pink glow... but that's okay because the porch display has a definite pink vibe..

and I think the pink goes well with the lime-y green and turquoise... I finally finished the Lizzie Kate Christmas ABCs that I started probably 2 years ago... it takes a longer to stitch those words than you would think... I don't think that any 2 of the "e"s are the same design... 

and I'm glad I snagged that pink deer at Target back before Thanksgiving... if you've been shopping you know how picked over every place is ... it was definitely not a year to waffle on a purchase... buy it when you see it... and I think that is going to be the case going forward for a while... 

So I do have a bit more decor but I haven't taken any pictures yet ... I'll try to post something in a day or two... I have 2 displays of gingerbread guys...one in my kitchen and one downstairs in my sewing room and a reindeer vignette down there too... and I've gotten four Christmas quilts done this year... 2 I did late last year and early 2020 and two I did in November 2020... I put the binding on the last one last night... need to pop it into the washer... and maybe I can get some outdoor glamour shots today... it is cloudy which is good for pictures and my neighbor's decorative porch railing is newly painted...however there is an issue there...

I am quite sad to say that my neighbor Jane, passed away a couple of weeks ago... she was a very sweet lady and I miss her... Jane never married and has no extended family in the US, just 2 nephews in Canada... they did come down and look at the stuff in her house but turned it all over to a local attorney to dispose of ... and her house went up for sale on late Thursday... it has been quite a stream of potential buyers... in one hour I saw 3 showings and I wasn't even trying to be nosy... it has been listed as pending since Friday night but I've seen at least 3 more showings since then and I haven't been sitting by the window watching, I just catch a glimpse of the activity when I look out my kitchen window... Jane told me I was always welcome to use the porch railing to take quilt pictures... I hope the new neighbors will be as accommodating ...

And a bit of rambling... this Christmas just isn't the same, is it?  I understand the need for masks but when you can't see people's entire faces you can't tell if they're smiling ...and I don't think they are... I don't feel the same upbeat energy you usually get this time of the year... and I do think it is going to be a long cold winter ... not sure if our governor will lockdown things again.. I hope not... I feel so bad for all the little businesses that are hurting ... just how does the powers that be think these people are going to survive?  I do think that if those that called for lockdowns weren't getting paid, they would have a different take on the situation...  just my opinion... 

So I'll link up with Kathy's Quilts today and try to post some pictures tomorrow of quilts and other displays... I'm almost done with my Christmas shopping...just need a couple of stocking stuffers and I want to get my gifts wrapped today (that is get out my fabric Christmas bags and stuff them in... LOL)... and I think I'll have a bit of a year end wrap up in a week... I'm surprised at how many quilts I finished this year... now a bunch were started in previous years but this was the year I got them quilted and bound (ok not all of them are bound.. but I'm getting there)... didn't do as much cross stitch as Elliott's stocking took a lot of time and there was that totally unfocused lockdown part of the year... I started several cross stitch projects and finished none of them... and lately I've wandered off into the realm of reproduction samplers... somehow 3 different reproduction charts have come through my mail slot... and 3 makes a collection, right??  I've got a very strong urge to do samplers this upcoming year...  I found this one ... Linens and Threads Mystery Sampler 2020... a gorgeous gigantic Quaker piece ... it is free and you can see it here. And there are several started samplers in my UFO box...so many many things I want to stitch... big sigh... 

Okay so if I don't see you before the end of the week... MERRY CHRISTMAS!!! and lets pray that 2021 is not  a continuation of the dumpster fire  of 2020...

happy stitching-

carol fun