Scrappy Play All Day

Happy last day of 2021!  This year was about as patchwork as it comes, with all the horrid national events, lockdowns, weather extremes, COVID virus and deaths, and extreme upheaval of normal life.  It was balanced with the joys of family, friends, and crafts.  I can always count on sewing to take my mind off things, sharing/reading through blogging is also very restorative.

Not having any particular ambition for cutting a new project, and not planning to take down the Christmas decorations until New Year's Day, yesterday I pulled out my orphan blocks drawer for vacation day play, as I had taken the 1/2 day off. 

Notice an oops in that yellow green block?  I passed by that set of blocks initially and worked on a leftover cross block from a quilt I made my son a few years ago. 

A few leftover setting triangles and a partial fat eighth joined the QUAG party. 

Very simple borders and the sandwich was called done.  Next I pulled some HSTs I had made in the wrong color combo or size for a quilt.  The green is a hand-dyed Ricky Tims fabric I'd hoarded since 2006!

I turned some of them into hourglass blocks, but thought the mini was too mini.  Luckily I found scraps of both fabrics in the scrap dresser!  Benefit of being a hoarder, I guess :)  2" strips were added to round out a design.  Some smaller HSTs got the same treatment and I quilted it up with batting scrap and a chunk of backing from the scrap basket. 

I fixed the wrong side up piece on the little cross blocks and the sandwich is ready to quilt.  Some leftover large blocks from a Guild project will make a lovely table runner. Someone else made those blocks.

Fat quarter scraps, and rummage through the bin on the cutting table produced all the backings.  It was so fun to play with no deadline.  I'll hunt through the leftover binding drawer for some options to finish these up.

We have had a LOT of rain in SoCal, but it has been light and steady over multiple days.  I took this pic of my Poinsettia on a rare clear day last week.  Happy New Year to everyone! 

Design Wall Monday--last of 2021

On this final Design Wall Monday of the year, a quilt top has been chosen to be finished.  See more Design Walls on Judy's Small Quilts and Doll Quilts blog. 

My younger daughter Erica has a long time friend who has been diagnosed with brain cancer, shocking for someone only in her early 30s.  Erica asked me for pics of any unclaimed quilt tops that could be finished for Stephanie.  There were a lot to choose from--one of my New Year goals is to get several sent out for quilting! 

Erica chose this bright '30s print top I finished last year.  The pattern was called Summer Breeze, from Kim Brackett's Scrap Basket Surprises book.

Lots of sweet prints in this quilt.  The medium blue print closest to the bottom is an actual vintage fabric from the 30s. The rest are repros.

There was fabric set aside for binding as well.  I ordered a 1930s print from Fat Quarter Shop, it is from the Aunt Ella's line, a sweet floral with butterflies.  Erica chose the print in orange, it is also offered in pink. 

Happy New Year, everyone! Here's to a better 2022...

Slow Sunday Stitching--post Xmas

Linking up with Slow Sunday Stitching--see more stitching on Kathy's Quilts blog.

Progress on the cross-stitch of the moment, the DMC kit of the Cat. I put a lot of stitches in Christmas Day before starting the cooking for our expected guests. 

Actual cat inspection by Mini :)

The only other slow stitching  this week was the binding on this tablemat I gave to our daughter-in-law. I love the gray minidot.  The triangle squares were all cut offs from other projects and the mini-dot binding was cut from a fat quarter. 

I made it two sided--I've hoarded this pretty floral long enough!  Ashley was excited to use it on their new dining table, which took at least 10 weeks to get  here from Canada. 

Slow Sunday Stitching--More Christmas stitching

 Slow Sunday Stitching--see more beauties on Kathy's Quilts blog. 

My main DMC kit cross-stitch project is perking along slowly this week due to a certain holiday coming up :)  I was able to get started on a new color, the light green of the cat's body.

I am looking forward to getting some more slow stitching time during the holidays. We have 12/24 and 12/31 off as our paid holidays due to the weekend dates, and are closing at noon on the Thursdays before.  So nice!

Other slow stitching did involve cross-stitch.  Many years ago when I worked as a medical historian and transcriptionist for an orthopedic group, I made stocking ornaments for most of the employees, that hung on the reception room Christmas Tree. 

This one was for one of the doctors, who passed away many years ago.  I loved the vintage Santa fabric and didn't have a stocking for Grant, so I made him one by unstitching the top of the stocking and embroidering his name on a new piece of Aida.  

I reused the satin cord as well.  The Dear Santa ornament I made years ago always makes me smile. 

Here's mine.  The kids all have one as well and I've made many more over the years as gifts :)

The final slow stitching this week was tacking down the binding on the secret Santa mat. 

There was quite a struggle to attach these leftover bias binding strips to this little mat, but I am always happy to get those used up. It looks a bit wonky in this pic!

Okay, off to wrap gifts and make a list for the Christmas Eve dishes I've volunteered to bring to our family dinner with the kids. So nice of Elaine and Chris to take it over!

Design Wall Monday--Christmas Sewing

 Design Wall Monday--see more design walls on Judy's Small Quilts and Doll Quilts blog. 

I hadn't sewn much in the past several weeks, but wanted to make some Christmas items.  The Scandinavian folded stars have caught my eye.  I rummaged through a big tub of Christmas fabrics for some fun prints. 

These are not hard to make but do require cutting and prepping.  I used this tutorial for the cutting sizes and directions.  

Some came out better than others but I like them all.  I'll use some embroidery floss to make a hanging loop.  The red fabric in the lower left star is nearing vintage status...

..well at least legal drinking age!!🤣  I used to really like the sweet Cranston prints back in the day. 

I cut my strips 4x16" and the trimmings during the star point folding were often more than 2" tall.  I cut them all to 2"x4" pieces and made a mini mat and perhaps a future placemat. 

The mat is pretty small--I used a 7" strip for the backing and cut my binding 2" wide.  I think I'll give this to my friend and manicurist when I see her this week.

I'm way behind in my Christmas shopping but did get a few things off the list! 

Slow Sunday Stitching--12/12/21

 Slow Sunday Stitching--see more great handwork on Kathy's Quilts blog.  

I'm still being faithful to one project, the DMC Cat kit stitch.  There's been good progress this week. 

The tail is complete except for a few details and I've made it down to the bottom of the design where the cat's toes are.  Still enjoying this very much.  Otherwise I have a couple of names to embroider for tree ornaments, one of which is my husband's, and that will get done this week.

I went more minimalist for our smaller tree this year, limiting the Christmas balls to red and gold and paring down by at least half on the other ornaments.  As you can see, the tree needs to be small to tuck into everything that is already packing the living room/dining room, including two toyboxes for the grandsons :)

We dropped by my parents' house to check on the new HVAC install.  Mom and I were accidental sweater twins, lol! Otherwise we hardly look alike at all 😉

Mom had this old photo pinned up in her kitchen.  That's my brothers, sister and me mimicking the stairs behind us.  My Dad still stands exactly like that--and so does my oldest brother.  We were at our paternal Great-Grandparents' 50th Wedding Anniversary party.  I posted this pic on Facebook and my paternal cousin confirmed that this was Logan and Lizzie's apartment in San Pedro.  I must have been about 6 years old; I'm the middle child. I remember running around a lot with cousins at the party!  Great memory.  

Slow Sunday Stitching--Cat/Chat Progress

 Slow Sunday Stitching--see more great needle and thread projects on Kathy's Quilts blog. 

I'm getting stitches into the Cat/Chat DMC kit here and there.  I like to prop up in bed and stitch at night--it is certainly warmer upstairs and I have a Ott light I can see well with. 

One thing I really liked about this kit was the embroidery details stitched on top of the cross-stitch, once completed.  I'm looking forward to that part. 

We got the grandsons together the other day after Grant picked up Hunter from school, and I was watching Dane while our DIL was working.  His mama had bought a huge bin of wooden train tracks and all the trains for $20 at a garage sale.  Hunter had a grand time making a big track.  Dane mostly pulled pieces out of the build, but I watched him and put them back. 

He was riding the foam roller earlier :)

Christmas decorating has begun.  We are getting our tree today after I get my COVID booster at the pharmacy. Lots and lots of boxes were opened and rummaged through yesterday.  

I saved room for the tree :)  

This year's Mischievious Kitten is pretty cute.  Santa gets one less cookie!