Days of Delight - 2022 BOM by Val Laird

 Another UFO that I finished this month.  I started on this BOM back in January 2022 and kept up with it until October which for some reason, I stopped working on it.  I challenged my quilt club, Stitchin Friends, in January of this year to name three UFO's they would complete during 2024.  This was one that was on my list and therefore I got busy and finished it this year.  It now hangs proudly in my kitchen and each morning when I make my coffee, I update my calendar.

There is a separate embroidery for each day of the week and each Month.  The numbers are 0,1,1,2,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9.

Its just the right size to hide the fuse box that hanss between the two cabinets.  This used to be my laundry room and when we took out the washer and dryer, hung cabinets we could not cover up the fuse box and it has always been an eyesore that I cover up with small wall hangings :)

2009 BOM Christmas Wish by Gail Pan

 Its been since September that I posted.  Time sure flies when you are busy busy busy.

Today I completed a 2009 BOM by Gail Pan.  I have had the embroideries completed since 2009, but never got around to making the wall hanging.  My granddaughter, Tess, is putting together an art showing at our church where members can display their art that depicts the true meaning of Christmas.  She did this last year for the first time and it was much appreciated by the congregation.  She asked if I had something to enter, and really all I had was a Nativity scene that I made and it has hung over my mantle for many Christmases.  She wanted to use it again, and I agreed, but I also wanted something new.  I remembered these blocks made so many years ago, and decided to finish up the wall hanging.  I worked all day yesterday making the wall hanging and hemmed it this morning.  

I did have to change one block, that said "Magic" which she did felt was inappropriate for the spiritual aspect of the art show, and suggested I use the word Faith.  So I also had to make a new block for Faith, and was so pleased that I still had the background fabric and the matching embroidery thread in my stash.  Haha...I have had it for 15 years now, and probably much longer than that.   Sound familiar?

Meryton Progress

This morning I have been working on completing the center star - one more round to go.

I also finished they York County Block of the month.  Not to interested in quilting this one, but one of my dear quilting sisters (Donna) loved it, and she is a long-arm quilter, so I gave it to her.  Another on of the UFO list :)

Meryton - A beginnng

 I have started another Katrina Hadjimichael quilt in the Jane Austin Series called Meryton.  Meryton is a fictitious town in the novel Pride and Prejudice.  This is the internet picture of Katrina's quilt.

I have started working on the center star and am thoroughly enjoying the English Paper Piecing.  Here is my work so far.  My main fabric selection is called Songbird Serenade by Moda.  I have purchased miscellaneous other fabrics that blend. 

I devised a worksheet of how I will assemble this block, which is  differently than the way Katrina instructs in her pattern. The results are the same, but I  like sewing on my hexies one at a time and removing papers as I go.  Once the hexie has other hexies attached on all sides, I remove the paper.  This way I can keep re-using my papers and do not have to cut out paper for all the hexies at one time.

My worksheet identifies what fabric will be used in the block and also shows "rounds" of each hexies,  similar to how you assemble a Grandmother's Flower Garden block.

Looking at Katrina's picture, you see the center hexagon containing the star in surrounded by a background fabric with appliques and then a petal frame.  I intend to make that entire center square with hexies and do the applique on top of the hexies.  This will take a bunch of hexies, but I think it will look perfect.  

I am also working on one of her quilts called Delaford.  I have nearly completed hand quilting this quilt and hope to have it done by the end of September.

Once upon a Christmas Time

 Finished the quilt top for the Gail Pam BOM - Once Upon a Christmas Time today.  Completed Block 6 of 6 yesterday and so glad to get it done today.  I had planned to machine quilt it with a simple cross hatch (as that is about all I do with machine quilting) but decided after finally getting the top done, to just get some with a long arm machine quilt it for me.  

The pattern calls for it to be done in all red and white/cream, both piecing and embroidery.  I elected to use multi colors.  The pattern also called for a border comprised of HST but I decided to go simple with this plaid fabric that I found and really liked.

This is block 6 of 6

Completed quilt top

Delaford Quilting, Once Upon a Christmas Time Block 5 and Clemson quilt

 Wow, that is a long title, but thought I would just do a little cattching up.

On the Delaford Quilt, I have reached the outer bird and flower block border row with my hand quilting.  There are 22 blocks in this border, and so far I have hand quilted 4 of them - it does take awhile to accomplish.   I have been tracking my time and so far I have 133 hours + some minutes in my quilting.

I am using a variety of color threads, only one of which is actually a hand quilting thread.  Its a sample of YLI handquilting thread which they sent to try out and see if I like it.  A new supplier of their hand quilting thread and I love the thread.  Unfortunately YLI told me they will only be offering it in four basic colors at first (ecru, white, black and grey) but hopefully they may have a variety of colors.  I am using this for background.  For stitching around the appliques, I obtained 30 or 25 wt threads in a variety of colors and manufacturers.  Some are Aurifil 30 wt, which the others are machine quilting threads from Coats and Clark.  I find for all of them, I have to a silicon thread treatment to keep them from freying and breaking on me.  Such a pain, I do wish someone would offer good quality hand quilting thread in a variety of colors !!!!

1" stencil I am using for the background

Thread tray

Blue bird block  - it takes me approximately 5 hours to quilt one of these blocks.

Blue Bird Back of quilt

I have also been working on the Once Upon a Christmas Time BOM by Gail Pan, completing Block 5.  I just have one more block to make on this quilt and all the blocks will be completed.  

Block 5

One stitchery started for Block 6.  The pink check is just what I call "extendors" so that the stitchery will fit in my hoop.  A great use of unused binding strips.

Then finally, a quilt top, with only the binding hemming and label yet to do.  This is for Timothy, my grandson, who will leaving for Clemson freshman year on August 15.  He will be studying to be a park ranger and the quilt backing is a panel with 63 National Parks on it.  I will show  a picture of that in another post.

Before sending to Long-Arm quilter.  Not gonna hand quilt this one.

Now to be hemmed and labeled!

Christmas Ornament Fun

 I have been working on making Christmas ornaments in May and June and just having so much fun with the embroidery and beading.

I purchased a pattern from Mary Corbet's website Needle n Thread for making Christmas Wreath ornaments and Christmas Tree Ornaments.  So far I have only completed one wreath, but I did make three of them.  Learning her method for tying the bow was a challenge, but it does make a beautiful bow.  Her patterns are all so beautiful, I am anxious to make some more of the wreaths and start on the trees.

I also discovered some fun embroidery / beading patterns of Folk Art Scandinavian Ornament pattern by Patricia Welch Designs.  She offers her patterns for sale on her etsy shop as .pdf downloads ($6 each)

Here is what I have made so far: