2022 in Review

 

Here are my finishes and some of the projects I worked on in 2022.  So many things not pictured though, that are in process.  Had to include my two babies as well.  So proud of what they have accomplished in 2022 and continue working on for 2023!

Ringing in the New Year with a nice, quiet, day at home with the love of my life!  We will hit 28 years married later this year.  And of course, I will squeeze in some sewing as well!

Best Wishes to all  in 2023!

A few more Project of Doom blocks

 

Have I told you that I hate paper piecing? 

 I HATE PAPER PIECING!

But I am so happy with my singing mermaid egg!  You can't tell from the picture but the white part is actually sparkly metallic silver.  However this is not even the best one....

Enter Hedwig... I actually simplified this one deciding that some of the detail will be done with quilting rather than fabric.  I am a bit frustrated because I couldn't find the fabric I originally purchased for her.  It was about the same color combination but the texture was more feathery rather than mottled.  I looked.  I gave up.  At this point, done is better than perfect.  I want this quilt finished!  She will sit on top of the book case, thus the different back ground.  

I am currently working on the Monster Book of Monsters that will join her in pride of placement.  Then I just need two more book blocks and will start assembling the book case.  

My major home keeping task this week was to paint the garage trim.  We have had the new garage doors for about a year, making the trim look awful!  Finally got it done.  Now the window at the front stands out as nasty so it will be next.  The red front door could use a redo as well.  I think it will end up a dark shade of blue.  There will be no stopping point.  

I will leave you this morning with a view of my faithful companion, Cosmo.  He is so calm in the mornings, preferring to snooze in the chair, until I try to get busy with something.  Then he is Mr. Needy.  

If ignored, Mr. Needy turns in to Mr. Naughty. So, a brisk walk may be in order on this brisk October morning.  

October

 I can't believe it is October already!  And almost half gone at that...

Helping us to move into the Fall mood, we brought home quite the haul from the church pumpkin patch.  My daughter has already baked that "pink" pumpkin in the foreground and it is delicious!  She made a pie that is half gone- I may have had a piece for breakfast this morning- and there is plenty of pumpkin left for more delicious treats.

We had a blue pumpkin last year and it was delicious so we grabbed another of those.  The swan necked gourd will be just for us to enjoy looking at, and the fate of the "warty" beauty in the back is yet to be determined.  It was my daughter's favorite though, so it had to come home with us.  

I have been rereading the Harry Potter series, about to start The Order of the Phoenix- again.  So, I have been inspired to pull out my "Project of Doom" that has been decades in the making.  

14 blocks made.  Currently Working on the Singing Egg block.  Then I want to add Hedwig and a few other book blocks.  Then I will put it together.  Can't just keep making all the cool blocks or it will never end!

My daughter has been helping us to get in the mood for Halloween.  Watching scary movies and creating this lovely piece- a challenge given to her from her work.  They provided the skull and employees were encouraged to decorate as they saw fit.  

She added this lovely snake that she created out of air dry clay.  then moss and stones and paint.  

It is currently at work for judging but I hope we have it back by Halloween!  

I have also been trying to get into the Halloween spirit by taking part in the Sweet Pea Halloween Sew Along.  Here are two of the many blocks I have made.  3 more to go and I will start sewing it together.  I will be doing well if I get it hung up by the 31st!

I am also working on a shower curtain and window curtain for my bathroom, done with machine embroidery and some sewing.  Would love to get that done, including towels to match.  

Lots to do, never enough time!

I am determined to have some nice finishes by the end of the year and hopefully to have my house a great deal more organized!  

Happy Fall Stitching!

Sewing time!

 

It has been pretty busy around here lately with no sign of slowing down any time soon.  This morning I did some cleaning and ironing and then decided to steal some sewing time.  This is a  Leaders & Enders project that I decided needed to become a top finally- just random squares of scraps- mostly from Harry Potter fabrics.  I have it mostly stitched into rows and now will just need to join them.  It will be a nice lap size quilt.  

This is a lovely pattern I found on the Free Spirit Fabrics website.  It is called "Woodland Dreaming".  

I love the fabrics!  However, I have sworn to use my stash so I am creating this pattern with a very different look...

Here is what I have so far- try to ignore my fabric and WIPs in the back ground!  Very little progress was made today, the rest is from a couple of weeks ago at least.  I still have 2 more sections to create and some applique to do before the top will be finished.  

I am very happy with how it is turning out.  I think it will be a beautiful use of all my batiks, which I rarely use because they actually aren't really my preferred look even though they make lovely quilts.  Some of these batiks also belonged to my mother and I think she would love to see them in this quilt.  

Happy Saturday Sewing!

January Wrap Up

 I had 23 days in January that I did some crochet or sewing or both.  To me that is a major win since it seems I haven't been finding much time to do those things in the last few months.  

Yesterday I finished a baby quilt that will make its way in the mail today for my daughter to give to a friend.  

This is actually the second one I made since the quilting came out awful on the first one.  I wasn't paying attention to the back since my long arm has been doing well with many previous quilts and it ended up loopy.  Not so bad that I can't finish the edge and donate it but too bad too make a gift of it.  I am much happier with this one overall- liking the random placement of blocks better than the original diagonals.  

My other finish for January was the quilt inspired by the Ron Weasley knitted blanket.  I have been enjoying its warmth in the evenings as I crochet or watch TV.  My kitty likes it too.  One night, when I couldn't sleep, I came down to find her cuddled up on it on the sofa.  She is enjoying cuddling with me in the evenings on it as well.  

Here is the pretty girl, enjoying another favorite spot.  

She is having lots of freedom this week because our puppy is away at boarding school.  I see him this afternoon and he will be done and come home on Saturday.  We have had our first lesson with him a few days ago and it is amazing the things he has learned!  I hope that, upon his return, we can convince the kitty that he is a nice boy and she can come near without him chasing.  She is not very trusting though...

I hope to get some time with this project this week but there are so many that need attention.  AND, my two tubs of scraps are getting out of hand and really calling for a coin quilt to be made and some more spider web blocks to be built.  

We are also trying to get our kiddy cottage on the market.  So, there are many projects that need doing that will prevent the sewing.  Then there is that thing that most of us are required to do, called WORK.  Ugh!  It really gets in the way of my crafting.  

Ron Weasley's blanket/quilt

 I finished the Ron Weasley Blanket-inspired quilt.  Here are some up close pictures of my really awful quilting...I followed designs that I printed up from online pictures, mixed with free motion waves.  I have never been great at free motion quilting and tracing these patterns with my long arm was just as bad.  However, I am happy with the quilt.  It is going to be a great sofa quilt.

  

I think Ron and Harry would approve.  

I did very little crochet this weekend but am plugging along...

Blue/bright granny square will be a lap blanket.  The granny rectangle will be another lap blanket and the square is one for the Ron Weasley crochet blanket.  

Very happy to have had the long weekend to work on this quilt and have a finish.  So many more to go...

Mischief Managed

 

I got the Ron Weasley Blanket-inspired quilt top put together.  Then I searched and searched for a piece of flannel that I KNOW I HAVE- white with the HP characters on it.  Can't find it anywhere!!!

I have other HP fabrics I could use but I really wanted flannel...I know I will find it-after I finish this quilt probably!

Here's some more views...

Here is the next project I cut out so that it can eventually serve as another leader and ender- simple Irish chain so once I have the 3 square units made with strip sets, I can sew them as L&E.  

Much accomplished for a Sunday, though I have ignored many chores that need to be done...

Back to work...

Back to work in my library.  Here is the decoration for my office door.  We do a different decoration on each door so that we can tell students easily which office to go to -there are four doors in a row on one side of my library.  We still have two of the four doors to go this year...

Once you go through the portal, this is what you see...The Dumbledore quote says "Words are an inexhaustible sort of magic capable of both inflicting injury and remedying it."

Harry Potter quilt finished and hung in its permanent home.  I have had lots of great comments on it.  I may never leave my office again...

I actually finished the two graduation quilts -finally -so after they are gifted today, I will post pictures!

Last week, I had a very unique running buddy on my trail run...

Last few days of summer

So, its back to work for me on Monday, so I am trying to make some progress on the huge "to do" list this week.  I should be able to get this Harry Potter quilt ready for quilting later today.  It will eventually hang in my office- the school Media Center office that is.  Would be nice to get it finished to hang by next Monday but that is a pretty lofty goal.

In addition to the space being my office, it also houses the school ID machine so it has to be student friendly. 

This is one wall.  the blue square to the far left is the background for the ID machine.  The machine and camera will go on that grey desk.  This picture is taken from my side of the office. 

Eventually, I hope to finish my Project Of Doom quilt for the third available wall.  Here is a not so great picture of the blocks I have done so far.   I haven't decided how many more blocks I will need to make but am aiming for getting this done so only a few more. 

We spent a lovely weekend in the Jemez Mountains, a place that is a big piece of my childhood. 

Here you see little speckles that are actually Elk in the Valle Caldera.  I am hoping my husband got some better pictures with his fancy camera but haven't had a chance to look at them yet. 

These pictures were taken a Fenton Lake, which is definitely smaller than it was when I was a kid and I am not sure that is all due to me being bigger.  It seemed small!  And the area was naked of trees due to recent fires. 

We like to stay at the Aspen Ridge Alpaca Barnhaus.  Its a lovely little home away from home, stocked with everything you could possibly imagine needing.  The weather was so nice, a cool respite from the hot weather we have been having here at home.  The evening showers were refreshing and wonderful.  It made it a bit more difficult to return home to the 100 degree weather. 

My insomnia seems to have returned just in time for the school year to start up again.  No surprise there.  You would think a 6 mile run and cleaning/sewing all day would earn me a good night's sleep.  I do my best not to make enough noise to wake up my bear...I mean husband.  He turns in to a bear when his sleep is disturbed, mostly because he gets so little of it with his own insomnia bug. 

Next summer we are planning on an island vacation, lets hope the coffers agree when the time comes.  For now, its back into librarian mode to kick off the school year with lots of energy!