Happy New Year!

 Out with the old, in with the new. Are you ready for the new year? Are you ready for 2022 to leave? This past year wasn't as bad as 2020 and 2021. Hopefully next year will be even better for all of us!

This years finishes are few, but I do have finishes!

There are a bunch of links (they will open to a new tab), most free and I'm not affiliated at this time to any.

In quilts, Valentine's Day wall hanging, Oh My Stars table runner and I finally finished the Jelly Snowflake from last year... or was it the year before!? I still have to hide the stitches from the problems I had with my quilting machine. But I can get nice and cozy will I do that. Here's a picture of it, I'll have a better when when I'm finished with the thread mess.

I completed a flimsy of the String Bean quilt from Pat Sloan's block a day in March. She does this every year. I believe this was her third year and she is talking about 2023's block, or at least trying to decide which block would be good. She picks an easy block, beginner friendly and easy to keep up. I don't think I have a picture of it yet, but I will post one as soon as I get one.

Other projects are; several cloth napkins, Tilda Duck from Tilda's Hot Chocolate book and fabric eggs. I finished another Rhapsody shirts from Love Notions and in the crochet department I made the Chill Time cardigan.

For Cross Stitching I finished Chicken Love, Stitches in aquas and Little Quaker Christmas.

The Love Chicken pattern is free from Fat Quarter Shop. Head there for that and other patterns.

Stitches and Little Quaker Christmas are free patterns from Aurifil <follow that link to their site of not only these two but a bunch of cross stitch patterns that are free!

I have several QALs I've started this year, you have to add to the WIPs! Most are Pat Sloan's QALs including Sweet Dreams (4 blocks left), another String Bean Block A Day (10 blocks left), Summer Camp (all blocks done), Hometown Charms (3 blocks left). A couple through Fat Quarter Shop that I started but haven't quite finished are FlapJacks and Christmas Time Mystery QAL both are free quilt a longs. The Christmas Time mystery link will take you to a page that also has the cross stitch patterns, they are patterns are separate so you'll have to go to several pages.

I also started a pattern I designed and hope to get that up and available for you. 

That is basically my year in crafy review. This didn't include my drawings because I didn't track them, but I will from now forward! I'm hoping for more finishes next year, but then aren't we all!

The very best New Year to all! Love Y'all and thanks for stopping by!

Sheila

Hi Y'all! And Merry Christmas!!!

 I know it's been way too long! I've been feeling off and overwhelmed, but I'm much better now! :D 

I've been tending the chickens and it sparked my love of drawing...

This is Dorothy she's a Mystic Marans. I'm still working on her, but wanted to share what I have done so far. I use mostly Prismacolor pencils on Cansons paper. I've been trying different types of colored pencils, Faber Castell for one. I use to do pet portraits and absolutely loved it. I plan on starting a youtube channel for those who want to learn about drawing and using colored pencils. Hopefully that will start the beginning of the year.

I haven't given up on quilting in case you are wondering! I just finished up on Pat Sloan's 'Oh My Stars' table runner. Something quick and easy to get me back on track. I'm also trying to finish up on her Hometown Charms QAL. The end of a QAL always has me dragging my feet! 

The table runner was easy to quilt, except my machine was acting up again. But even with the problems, it only took me an hour and half to quilt it. So here it is...

I had an issue with attaching the binding ends together and after 3x's I decided it just didn't matter! Of course the red flange really draws the eye to the misalignment. Even though I still like how it came out and I'm very happy with it. It fits on the coffee table perfect. Here is the back, which I think that side can be used as the top too!

 Here is a close up of the quilting. Notice the holly leaves and snowflakes, I had fun!

I hope you are enjoying the season. We are getting the arctic blast right now as I type! So I better get this uploaded before we lose power!

Merry Christmas all!

Sheila

Time Flies!

I can't believe how long it's been since I've done a post! Bad Blogger, bad! So much has been going on, working in the garden, doing home improvement projects, trying to organize my studio and getting chickens! The last one is something I've wanted to do for a long time, more on that later.

As for my quilting, I seem to be stalled. I started doing cross stitch and not being a fast stitcher I've fallen behind (I was doing The Fat Quarter Shops stitch alongs). I decided that stitching before bed would be the only time I would work on it and if I fell behind it didn't matter, it's not going anywhere! But the time it took away from my quilting has made it hard for me to get into my room. Yesterday I decided enough foolishness and got back to work! Pat Sloan's QAL just posted it's last block this past Wednesday and I am two blocks behind. Not bad considering! I cut out the fabric for those and should have them done today or tomorrow. I've also been dragging my feet about the sashing and cornerstones. I think I have it figured out so I'll get on that too! 

I'm also working on a two quilts I designed one is for a coworker of my husband and the other is for a friend of ours. It's a ocean theme. HERE is the original post for it. I do have a lot more done then that, but it's pretty sad this post was back in November 2020! I did stop for a time, especially due to the move last year. I believe I only have 6 more blocks to do, then sashing and cornerstones. The one for my husbands coworker is a quilt that I started back in March! I made the blocks to look like sunflowers so I'm calling it Sunflower Field. I am trying to write up the instructions for it, but I'm new at it so it's taking longer than I would like. I'll try to post a photo of the finished block later. Right now I think I have enough Foundation Papers pieced to do 4 blocks... I need 18! I need to figure out how to sew faster! 

Here's a stack of sunflower petals.

And this is one of my favorite blocks in the ocean quilt. Sorry for the wrinkles, I grabbed the pile and took the photo not realizing it needed an iron taken to it and I just wanted to get this posted.

I'm thinking of calling this quilt either Picture This or Snapshot. What do you think? 

So those are my two designs I've been working on. Now for Pat Sloan's QAL...

Here it is up on my make- shift design wall. I was/am trying to see what I like for the sashing and border and if the block placement will work. Hopefully I can get this turning into a flimsy and start deciding on how I want to quilt it.

And now for the chickens!...

They are peaking out to see if I'm coming to let them out of the coop!

The light color one on the left is Rose, the one in the front right is Blanche, the tall black one is Dorothy and the one between Dorothy and Blanche is Sophia...you can see below Sophia has a pearl necklace 😂When she was younger it was two rows of white that made me think of pearls, she has since gotten more pearls. 

 Yes I named them after the Golden Girls!

 So that's it for now. I will try not to stay away so long. I'm a big believer in schedules and routines. I just have to get mine back together! 

Have a wonderful day and I'll see you soon!!

Sheila

 

The Days Are A Blur. Plus A New Years Start...OMG For February!

Wow has it really been over 7 months since my last post!!!! So much has been going on, some good some bad. All I know is this years has been hard on our family. My husband lost two of his brothers within months of each other and his father the beginning of the year.

We decided to move to Bowling Green since our son was going to go to WKU. Finding a house was crazy! I would send texts to our realtor about a house we wanted to see and it was already off market! We did finally find a house and it's only 3 minutes from Timmy's dorm! He's been coming home on the weekends, and I think that has helped him deal with the newness of it all. Duke and Gracie are very happy when he comes home...Me too! Duke and Timmy have gotten very close and it makes me so happy to see the bond they have.

 I love the way Duke is hugging Timmy back by leaning his head into him.

I don't think I ever gave an update on Duke and Timmy. In the beginning he was afraid of Tim and Timmy. After 2 1/2 weeks he went to Tim, but Timmy was proving more of a challenge. The Rescue we were working with almost wouldn't let us keep him because they were worried about Duke never getting used to Timmy or afraid he would bite ending with us giving him up or having to have him put down if he did bite. But I saw that he was interested and just needed more time. He never showed aggression or any indication of biting. When he was scared he would run away from Timmy. It took him around 4 months to finally go to Timmy. I thank Gracie for that! Duke would watch them together and you could tell he wanted some of that attention too. Now Timmy is Dukes boy. He misses him all week, I catch him in Timmy's bed whenever I leave his door open with the saddest of faces. And when Timmy comes home he gets bunches of hugs. I believe Timmy is benefiting from his hugs as much as Duke is.

Our new home was also very close to the tornado that went through western KY in December. It was very scary and way too close for my liking! But we were blessed and had very little damage. The homes a couple blocks away are still waiting on work to be done. And the main street just past that still looks like a war zone.

That's about it on the update of my life, onward with the projects I've been doing!

My first finish of the new year! Well, maybe finished...

Pat Sloan used this block in her new QAL Sweet Dreams that is going on now. She suggested making a throw and has a free pattern available at her site. I'm not sure if I'm going to put another border on, maybe the strips of fabrics I used for the hearts and I'm not sure if I'll do the big HST in the outer border. I used fabric from another sew along and I still have a few blocks left to do and I don't want to use up that fabric on this and not be able to finish it. I plan on working on that, in fact that will be my OMG for February. 

Elm Street Quilts One Monthly Goal February Link-up

I want to finish my Home Is... quilt from Pat Sloan's spring QAL. I have three of the big sections done and put together, I just have to make six blocks and 4 of those are super easy. So my goal is to complete the Home Is... quilt top! I'm not sure about borders, but if I can get the blocks sewn together I will be very happy. 

I'm hoping to get these up on the bulletin board so I can see them better. But there is a bunch of blocks you can't see. I do have a spot in my new Studio for a design wall, just need to buy the material for that. Until then my bulletin board will have to do.

Another project I have been working on is also one of Pat Sloan's QAL called Fall Frolic. I decided to do mine from a fat quarter bundle I bought awhile ago. Most of the fabric was Return To Winter's Lane and Signature Linen by Kate & Birdie Paper Co. for Moda. I added Winter Wonderland (Clothworks) and for my solids I used Kona Cotton in Mushroom. I also purchased a .5 yard of Poppy for the border in case I didn't have enough, but I think I have plenty. The blocks are done I just have a few sashing blocks left to do. Here are some of my favorites.

The sashing blocks are simple, economy blocks using the papers from Fat Quarter Shop. You don't need to use the papers, but I got them in one of FQS Sew Sampler boxes and figured I might as well use them!

I do have more projects to show you, but this post is already a novel! So I'll do another post in a couple days with those in it!  Thank you for taking time to visit my blog! Hope to see you for Part 2 of catching up!

Sheila