Two more projects were checked off the 2023 to-do list during the last three months.
Finley’s Advent calendar was finished just in time to send home with him after Thanksgiving so that he (or actually his mom!) could start adding ornaments on December 1st. I searched high and low for a new kit that I liked but was unsuccessful in that endeavor. There are plenty of them that have little pockets where you can put 24 little trinkets that the kids can find each day. However I prefer those where you can hang up a little fabric ornament to count down each day. I ended up purchasing the same kit that I had made for Henry last Christmas. It is a cute pattern that features the Grinch (or the Gwinch as Ruby likes to say) and a big Christmas tree. And it went together very quickly since I knew what I was doing the second time around.
After finding its way onto my to-do list three times I was finally able to finish my scrap quilt made from a pattern called Katie’s Quilt from the Missouri Star Quilt Company. I had cut out all of the squares and rectangles in 2020 (must have been a Covid thing) and finally managed to get them stitched together this year. It was a fun quilt to work on as I could just chain-piece all of those squares to make the 4-patch, 8-patch, and 16-patch blocks. A little mindless sewing at times is really a good thing! I plan to donate this quilt to the Panama Quilt Guild’s charity in hopes that it can provide a bit of comfort to someone in need. Now it is time to find another scrap quilt project. Heaven knows I have plenty of scraps!
Progress was made on two other projects on my to-do list.
In between stitching bindings on quilts I was able to add yet another row to my English Paper-Piecing project. The challenge with this project is that the rows become increasingly larger as it is a Trip Around The World pattern. As a result it takes longer and longer to make any progress. But now that it gets darker earlier and there are more basketball games to watch on tv I seem to be able to accomplish quite a bit more.
I have now completed eight of the twenty blocks in the Swoon Sixteen quilt that I am making for Ruby. Each block takes about two hours to complete so I feel like I need a big chunk of time if I’m going to get anything done on this quilt. I think I would get more done if I would get it into my mind that I don’t have to finish a block each time I work on this quilt. I enjoy the fabric and the construction so just need to keep plugging away and making progress even if it is just a little. And I can’t wait to see what the quilt is going to look like when it is finally finished.
I also added a new project this quarter. (Shocking I know!)
We bought a small-size folding table and chairs for the grandkids so that they have their own place to sit for family meals when we are all together. I thought it might encourage them to actually sit there if I made them some fun placemats. I found some fat quarters at Quilt Stitches in Beatrice that featured the Grinch, a snowman, and Ho Ho Ho. They stitched together quickly and then I quilted them on my long arm. A fun project that I hope Ruby, Henry, and Finn like as much as I do.
And I stitched 19 customer quilts and eight Quilts of Valor during October, November, and December so it has been another busy quarter of quilting. I’m looking forward to seeing what I can accomplish in 2024!