A mix of projects

Do you work on more than one project at a time? And if so, where do the pieces go when you switch from project to project?  Mine end up on the end of my ironing board - which I'm not going to photograph this week because it's embarrassing.

I made the effort on Wednesday to clean off that ironing board.  First up was getting Olivia's pillowcase made.  It has a piano key print. She's into music and swim team right now.  That makes 2 of the 5 finished for the grandkids' Christmas stockings.  The other 3 are now pinned and ready to sew.  I use the "sausage roll" method so there are absolutely no raw edges on these.  Maybe I'll get them done today.

Next up was prepping the binding for Hello Birdie.  I picked it up from the quilter a few days ago, and now it's ready to do the hand stitching down of that binding.  The quilt and binding strips had been draped over - guess where?  The ironing board.  

There were some partial string sections mixed in with some other various block parts and pieces underneath everything else on that ironing board.  I've been using them as leaders/enders as I worked on other projects lately.  So now those partial string blocks are completed Rainbow Connection blocks, and hanging neatly in the closet with the other 9 made during 2022 for Rainbow Scrap Challenge months.  They finish at 11", so more will need to be made during RSC23 to make a nice big quilt. Have I mentioned that my color sorted scrap bins are still overflowing in spite of so much scrappy sewing this year?  It's just ridiculous to have so many scraps and never seem to use them up. 

The other block parts and pieces (Plaid and Scrappy Irish Chain blocks) laying on the ironing board were also sewn.  No more partial blocks are laying there, which doesn't happen often.   

However - now there are block pieces laying on my cutting board.  Do you see the overflowing small box in the upper left corner?  That is the box for 3.5" squares cut from scraps and I knocked it off the table accidentally, making a whole new mess.  It was actually already a mess because it's overflowing.  Still is overflowing.  But while putting squares back in the box, I sorted out any that I thought could work in an I-Spy quilt using that Plaid block pattern below.  For each block I need 4 squares (3.5"), 1.5" strips, and a postage stamp (1.5") for the center square.  These Plaid blocks will make an excellent I-Spy quilt for donation.  

And yes - I'm still procrastinating about that applique I'm avoiding.  But the ironing board is now cleaned off, at least until the next WIP project moves over there. 

Pillowcases & plans

 Well, I do believe that I've got the grandkids' pillowcases all nearly in the ready to sew stage.  

Yesterday was a good day to run errands and do a little Christmas shopping.  I probably should wrap up that new roll of stamps I just bought and put it under the tree.  Yikes!  Those stamps should be gold-plated at that cost, right?  

Design Wall Monday - December 5

 December is here, ready or not.  And I’m NOT.  We’re possibly doing our family Christmas gathering on New Year’s Day and that might give me time to be actually be prepared. 

Only 1 of the 5 new pillowcases for my grandkids is actually made.  The chess themed one is for the oldest grandson who does enjoy chess.  One more is cut and ready to sew, but the other 3 are still in the “thinking about it” stage.  I’m really hoping I can find some wrestling themed fabric for the little wrestler in the family.  The plan for this week is to get the second one made, and hopefully find fabric for the others.  

On Sunday I did manage to get the Sewcialites blocks for last week all done.  I’m viewing the 3” versions as a personal challenge.  And this one was a challenge for me.  But they’re done.  

This 6" version went together almost as easily as the green 9" one did, thankfully. 

Saturday was a busy day with guild in the morning and then I attended a DAR meeting as a guest. The DAR meeting was held at the local Carnegie Resource Center, a beautiful old Carnegie Library building that now is a historical society center.  This display was just inside the door. Isn’t it lovely?

The vintage dress was carefully taken apart, and the top was used as the top half of a Christmas Tree, with the tree branches forming the skirt.  The hat is definitely the perfect touch.

What is on your design wall today?
https://smallquiltsanddollquilts.blogspot.com/

Another RSC quilt top - Nanci's Stars

One more RSC project has reached the quilt top stage.  This is Nanci's Stars.

The darker blocks in this quilt were made using the monthly colors during 2022.  The lighter blocks were made this fall to alternate with the dark ones, and to make the quilt bigger.  It began with the blue blocks below that were part of a batik table runner kit I was gifted.  The kit and other quilty goodies were given to me after a friend (Nanci) passed away suddenly.  Her stash was divided up among friends and various charities, with the hopes it would be used.  All of the rest of the batiks used in this quilt came from my own stash.  

Once this one is quilted, I plan to give it to her sisters to choose an appropriate charity to donate it to, possibly as a fundraiser.  Or just to a needy cause.  Nanci and her late husband were community minded people, so I think it's fitting for me to donate the quilt that began with Nanci.   

There was a bit more scrap busting going on this week, but this was based upon pure procrastination.  These blocks will most likely be a part of my scrap challenge for next year.  But I made a few now -  just because I wanted to play with scraps.  And because I'm avoiding the applique project currently laying on my ironing board. 

I'm linking up with Rainbow Scrap Challenge today:
https://superscrappy.blogspot.com/

Dipping my toe in

I've dipped one toe into the latest Bonnie Hunter mystery, Chilhowie.  I love the colors this year, but am not going to actually commit to making the whole quilt.  Instead I'll play with the clues each week, and save all the instructions just in case I decide to make the whole quilt. 

Most of the aqua and purple in my stash has a lot of bigger print, so yesterday I bought a half yard of both.  I'm not sure about the 3rd color which is orange. There are quite a few options in the stash.

The project box is a 2-tiered one which snaps all together nicely and holds fabric and printed pages of instructions.  What's in the bottom you ask?  A couple of blocks from the Grassy Creek mystery along with a few fabrics I had collected for it.  Maybe I need to set a goal for 2023 of doing something with those blocks too.

More blocks and some December goals

 One of the block patterns that I had flagged in the Scrappiness Is Happiness book was Plaid - which is the Week #7 block for the sew-along.  So, I'm now a week ahead because I just had to make this one.

There is a blue post-it note marking this page because I loved how the whole scrappy quilt looks that was made just with this simple block.  Plaid is only a 7.5" block, but uses very basic piece sizes.  I have a whole box full of 3.5" squares, and lots of 1.5" squares and strips too.

While I had this block on my radar I played with a couple more versions of it for possible Rainbow Scrap Challenge blocks for the future.  And my little box of 3.5" squares is overflowing anyway.  The cat version here used the leftovers from some baby quilt blocks I made for guild.  I'll show those later.

And this one is done with squares from that little box.  This is a 5-minute block so it would be perfect for RSC, or for any other block drive.  A whole quilt done with a totally scrappy set of these blocks will be really fun, especially for a child using fun novelty prints and bright colors.  OMG - I have too many ideas floating around my head lately.  And some of those ideas are a definite distraction from finishing some on-going UFOs and WIPs.  

I have managed to sew the blocks into rows for the Nanci's Stars quilt, and now I need to sew those rows into a quilt top.  That is one of my goals for this week.  

Since today is December 1, I really need to set a few goals to focus on this month.  Anything beyond these goals will just be a bonus.  

#1 - make pillowcases for my 5 grandkids for Christmas
#2 - finish the applique for Humble Homes (PHD for 2022)

#3 - keep up with Sewcialites & Scrappiness Is Happiness (sew-alongs)
#4 - get Nanci's Stars quilt ready for the quilter
#5 - plan final layout for Country Bunnies (last PHD project of 2022)
#6 - plan my UFO and PHD lists for 2023

#7 - bind at least one quilt

Switching from fall to Christmas

Swapping out the fall decorations for Christmas is partially done.

On Sunday all of the stockings were hung from the mantle, lights and some of the ornaments were added to the tree.  Somehow those fall flowers just don't fit in.  I have this big pot on the hearth and change out the flowers for different seasons.  Guess it's time to turn this into a poinsettia pot. 

It was easier to decorate an 8' Christmas tree when I was younger.  I have a huge collection of ornaments collected over my entire life.  My mom gave me a new ornament every year, and I've continued that tradition with my kids, and now my grandkids.  And I add at least one new one for myself each year.  Even an 8' tree can't hold them all.  

So I work on it for awhile, then take a break to do something else before going back to work on it more.  It won't feel like the holiday season until that tree is done and the rest of the house is decorated.  It's the only season I go overboard with decorations.