A Weekend of Sewing

I enjoyed a lot of progress this weekend.  A Christmas quilt for my bed has been started.  I've has the fabric for this for a couple of years.  It seems possible that I might have this project done in time for the holiday season.

 



Today I whipped together the next block in the Quilty Christmas project.



 

Now I have four blocks done.  I love this project!

 

Now I have turned the sewing table back to homeschool mode.  I'm happy to have found this balance.... finally!!

Three in a Row

I have been able to carve out time to sew, three days in a row.  

Since the beginning of our homeschool year this has been impossible.  

I'm not sure if we have hit our stride or what, but finally I can make time for myself!

In a wonderful coincidence, Lori Holt from Bee in my Bonnet is running a sew-along on Instagram, and I am having a riot making these blocks.  

Daily, she posts a block from her book (the tree was a non-book bonus block) and these Christmas-y blocks are so much fun.  

If you are on IG you should cruise through the haveyourselfaquiltylittlechristmas hashtag.  

I should get this quilt done soon, especially since I have less than a month until my deadline.  

In my projects cabinet I have the Christmas gift for the hubs and my swoon hanging out.  

The swoon doesn't need to be done until March so I'm putting it on my back burner. 

 I do have a finished flannel blanket ready for Christmas, way to go me for being on top of it!  

The only other project in there is my strings quilt.  

Haven't touched it since July.  

I'm planning to pick it back up after the swoon.  

I have high hopes for lots of scrappy quilts in 2015.  

Emptying my scrap bin is a serious goal for next year.

Time to Get a Move On

 

With October nearly over I am really starting to worry about my progress on this Christmas gift.... or lack thereof. 

 

There is this wonderful moment on Fridays, late morning, when I clear off the school table and claim it for sewing projects.  I am going to seriously bang out a lot of work on this quilt this weekend.  I have a few hours before the hubs gets home from work today, and tomorrow he is going hunting so I am going to make progress! 

 

Here I go.

 

Swoon Blocks

I have all of my blocks sewn now. 

I am so relieved.  Some of the sashing is attached, but I needed to set this quilt aside for sanity's sake. 

Now I am working on some sewing for December- a couple of small Christmas gifts, and a preschooler's birthday gift.  I may or may-not have turned on Christmas music when I got started.  And I may or may-not have loved it! 

Excitement for Next Year

I am so excited!  I stumbled upon a post about this quilt along yesterday morning, and after thinking about it all day, I signed up for the kit last night.  This quilt looks so fun, and I love that the blocks aren't paper-pieced, plus the quilt along will benefit St. Jude Children's Hospital.  How great is that?!  Now I am looking forward to February!(once it's -20 out everyday I will probably change my tune)

 You can read all about it over at Fat Quarter Shop's Blog.  

As far as current sewing, these swoon blocks are coming along...one at a time.  I have three left, but high hopes to change that this afternoon!

BREAKING NEWS

 I am so relieved!  After MONTHS of searching I've finally found a backing for the new quilt I have planned for the monster.  

A loooooong time ago I was gung-ho when I went out to shop for fabric.  I did really well with the prints for the top.  I even found a binding!  

Finding a backing however, was a huge challenge.  Mainly because I knew what I wanted... a blue/green plaid.  Last night I was reading a blog and saw it.  A perfect plaid!  

I am very excited about this development, and I am so glad I didn't settle.  

I am also itching to start on something with the precuts I have collecting in my cabinet! I won't of course until I get my WIPs finished up.

Sewing Giant Swoon Blocks

 The past couple of days I have been back at the swoon block sewing.  These blocks are so darn huge!  I downloaded a new audio book though!  I am 28 chapters in, sewing, and feeling more like myself!  

Still taking it one block at a time.

I did take the advice of my Aunt Susan recently, and I laid all of my folded quilts out to breathe.  She told me to stack 'em right up and let them lay out for a week or so.  It was scary pulling out the quilts from all of the places I keep them stashed.  The hubs kept joking, "what if they break the guest bed?"  I didn't think it was cute.  

It turns out I had 59 quilt stacked here.  Then a count of quilts being used led us to the startling discovery that we own 66 quilts.  Even though several are wall hangings(maybe 15), I was alarmed. 

Lucky for my sister.

 I was making the swoon blocks thinking, this can't be #67....... So now she will get the beautiful Swoon quilt for her birthday.