Slow Sunday Stitching on Frosty McChill

I am only a little over a year late in starting on the Frosty McChill stitch along Melisa created in November 2021. I am using different thread for me - a DMC 5M in blue # 312. I was thinking of using 2 strands but found that one is fine. It has a nobby texture rather than the standard DMC floss. I am working on getting better at the stitching, but I do love how he is looking so far!

After sleeping in until 9AM! I plan to putter around the house today. I think the kids are headed to Grandma's house for the day so I'll have to make the 45 minute trip to pick them up later tonight. I'm sure some more stitches will be added to Frosty after I get home tonight. 

Linking up with Kathy and the Slow Sunday Stitchers.

 

RSC 2023!

 It is always fun to start a new year of the Rainbow Scrap Challenge. Since the scraps are still overtaking the sewing area, I'm joining in again this year. 

With a RSC 16 patch stars finish this week, I feel good starting some new projects this year. Everything is subject to change... you know, as life and what you feel like sewing tends to interfere occasionally!

I want to play with my Accuquilt Dies a bit more this year. I might make some one or two color quilts in certain months. I may play with some all year long! 

The first ones I want to start with are the kite dies from the 8 inch Cube companion angles - die #14 and #15. I reached into the blue bin and pulled out this pretty blue and since I have this bin unsorted, there was also 2 pieces of this white dotted print in there too. A quick press and they went through the die and cut out these parts for me. I'll plan to sew them up later today. I might mix things up and have some in the reverse with the background as the kite. We will see what happens!

Since it is the blue month, I also plan to work on quilting this blue and white UFO called Hoarfrost. Pattern is from Joanne at Canuckquilter, although I did modify 2 of the snowflakes a bit. Foundation piecing and I don't mix well. I appliqued the last 2 snowflakes!

Linking up with Angela and the Rainbow Scrap Challenge 2023. 

Emily and her Dad headed to school for morning feeding of the animals in a chilly start to the morning in Florida at 35 degrees!  I'll jump in the shower and be ready to take her to her horse riding lesson mid morning and then she also has the afternoon feeding. I see a bit of driving time in my life today. Horses is about 30 minutes away and school is about 20 minutes in the other direction.

Embroidery Wednesdays!

Long ago I did 'Tiny Tuesday' posts when I was working on the midget blocks. I liked the idea of having a consistent day to post about something during the week. It forces me to work on it, so I have something for the post! Saturdays are the RSC and Sundays are Slow Stitching with Kathy. This year I think I'll add Embroidery Wednesdays. 

Melisa at Pinker n Punkin Quilting & Stitching offered a fun free Frosty McChill stitch along back in November 2021. I am finally joining in to make my own Frosty's. I have the first one cut and traced with pencil. I might have to change that as it is pretty light. I'm going to be doing mine in blue. I have this pretty thread but I know I also have another blue in the top drawer that I originally was planning to use. I think I'll pull that out and see how different they are. I know I have more of the other one so that might be the color I use. I have embroidery needles and found a little hoop to use. I should have some progress to show next week. I have the first 3 printed out and the first 8 backgrounds cut out.

Advise on tracing tools? 

I would have been stitching this last night, but I was watching a few episodes of the new Disney series National Treasure: Edge of History, before the next episode came out today. I put it on late last week and watched the first one with Emily. She binge watched the other 4 that night after I went to bed. I figured I'd better catch up, so I pulled the knitting of the dishcloth to work on while watching it. If you like mysteries - it is a pretty well written series so far. I love the historical information they add to the stories. 

 

First finish of the year! 16 Patch Stars

 I am so happy to call this quilt completed! I machine quilted around all the stars. Then outlining on the white parts a / through the square area and outlining around the white box between the stars. A simple squiggle line in the border all around. It should hold the quilting enough for plenty of washings with the warm and natural batting. I used the backing for the binding. It is a galaxy type print with splashes of pink, purple, blue and green. I just need to finish trimming a few stray ends from quilting and get it washed and ready for gifting. This is #14 on my Winter 2023 UFO list. 

Feels good to get that first finish out of the way! I'm using this as my December 2022 Table Scrap Challenge with the rainbow stars... a bit bigger than normal but.... it is a finish!

Winter 2023 UFO Challenge

I seem to have lost the quilting mojo for a bit the end of 2022. Life is settling down a little and new projects and old UFO's are calling my name. I went back and looked over my previous lists for the last year or two. I'm impressed with how many on the lists have actually been finished! Alas, there are still plenty of UFO's in the sewing area that need some attention.

1.) I know I have at least one more cut somewhere to fill that open spot for a 7x6 setting. These are hand pieced.... and might need a little fixing along the way on some of those middle joins. Just ordered some kona solids for an alternate block for these to become a quilt.

 2.) Hexagon flowers on a black background. These are a stack of blocks I hand pieced a few years ago then hand appliqued to the black background a couple years after that!  Not sure if they will become one or two quilts....

3.) Midget Applique quilt from Sentimental Stitches. I need to add more flowers and leaves and the vines... and the bottom yellow border. This one is completely hand pieced.

4.) Ella Maria Deacon blocks - make a few more and finish them off into a top. I believe I was making these by hand. Patterns from Sentimental Stitches.

5.) Purple applique hearts... need to figure out how they want to be set. They think they want a nine patch alternate block in a white and solid purple. I'm not sure if I should listen to them?

6.) Midget block collection - I started these in Vermont in 2010! I have a light blue for sashing.

7.) Civil War Blocks

8.) Birds in the Air block collection

9.) Harmony - hand pieced project started March 2021- one 28 inch block completed - 3 to go.

10.) Erin's Butterfly - I made the wings in 2021.  Need to add one more set of wings... thinking 9 is a nice number?

11.) Garden Path blocks - a few more got added last quarter. missing light green. I made 2 orange during the orange month. I need a couple of bright greens to round this one out.

12.) Full Stop Sew along.... 2021 . Re thinking this one - might eliminate some of the white space and make a few more of some.....????

13) extra strips from a quilt that might become a mini 'coin' type quilt? Or placemats? *completed 2/16/23. 3 placemats.

14.) ** From some of the 16 patch blocks in #15 - I made this quilt that needs quilting.  Finished 1/2/2022. 56x73 quilt for Holly.

15.) 16 patch blocks from RSC2022

16.) Brimfield Awakening EPP. I did start this and have the first fabric thread basted in purple!

Quilt Tops: 

17.) Cat and mouse is on the frame in process of hand quilting but has been sadly neglected.

18.) Vermont Quilt Festival Booth Hop from either 2008 or 2009.  it is 71x71.

19.) Green Tumblers - a hand pieced top. 

20.) Hoarfrost - top is done ** Completed 1/28/2023.

**21.) Baby Bear Paw quilt top. Made back from a class in 1999 I think from Yankee Pride.  Hand quilting started 9/27/22.

22.) Trip around the World - 2 inches hand pieced. 60x60.

23.) Y2K Joann's BOM - quilt top

24.) 1857 Quilt Along Top

25.) Spring Hexagons - not sure if this wants to be bigger or not.... 

26.) Triple Irish Chain - green. 80x80 I think. I did find both fabrics extra with it... Might need a green or cream border first or both... Made in the early 2000's. circular feathers in open spaces.

27.) mostly cut out and some 9 patches are made. Hehe... from the first quilting book I had and made a quilt from. Introduction to Quilting 101 - the basics by Sharon Hultgren. I think this was Sunrise Surprise! The four patch from this book is at my Mom's hanging over a crib still!

28.) I forgot I had this. It is a cute birdhouse wall hanging but is foundation pieced, which I dislike. Maybe I can deal with it enough to get this done? Or rework it?

29.) This is a kit I purchased mid-90s - butterfly's. I think all the parts are there and I did start arranging them.

30.) Quilters Patch. A sew along that I completely did not meet my goals on in 2022. One block is done.

31.) Scrappy Flowering Snowball - I started cutting these with my accuquilt from scraps with the color of the month in 2020. I think it is time to start stitching them together. I see I need some orange added and purple and lots of lights!

 

32.) Bittersweet Briar

Slow Sunday to start off 2023!

 I have been adding some slow stitches of hand quilting to the Bear Paw quilt this week. This is moving much slower than I imagined, but then again if you don't work on it, progress does not happen!

I'm shooting for some bit of hand work each day in 2023. It could be knitting, crochet, hand piecing, hand quilting, embroidery, counted cross stitch.... Wow - I have lots of options to choose from! There might be multiple options for each of these hand piecing choices. 

Last night I added a few rows of knitting to this dish cloth. This is my 'standard' pattern. I think I need to branch out this year and try a new pattern each month or quarter. I see lots of pretty crochet patterns online that I would love to try. I think this will be the year to try them. Hmmm. Something is a little off with this knitting project! Since it is just to clean my dishes, I'm going to leave it and continue on. I'm wondering if the girl picked it up and did a pearl row? We won't mention how long this has been sitting in a bag with a few rows added here and there every few months!

The house got switched last night from Christmas to snowmen. Yes, I live in Florida and yes, I still decorate January as snowmen! The Christmas tree just needs to get put into it's new bag and put away until the end of November. 

I plan on spending the day in my sewing room! It is the perfect way to start the new year. I have a quilt that needs machine quilting on my domestic sewing machine and another project that needs to get started and finished.

 I should pick up in there as it looks like a tornado went through .... but that will wait for Monday I think. Today is a play day and I plan to enjoy playing with my fabrics. A dog walk over at the trail head might happen as well. Lunch is leftover Chinese food from last night. I'll let one of the kids figure out dinner tonight. Emily does have a new chef knife to play with so she might be on tap to figure out dinner! Breakfast was mushroom, orange pepper and an egg with a slice of 5 grain bread. Maple - one of the 3 chickens finally started laying eggs again after a 5-6 week break to molt. We will see when the other 2 join in. I miss my green Poppy eggs. The price of eggs is crazy! I had not bought eggs in a couple of years and was surprised at the prices when I had to purchase some in December.

Poppy is our Americana and the other 2 are Barred Rock chickens  - the black and white ones.

A photo of our 65+ pound lap dog Bear. After 7 months, he is perfectly at home in his house with his new family. He figured out how to get up on my recliner a couple of weeks ago and it is now his favorite spot - as long as we put a quilt down on us for him to lay on! Such a quilt lover this boy is! He was holding Emily down in this photo!

Wishing you all a creative, happy and healthy 2023. Linking up with Kathy and the other Slow Stitchers. I hope to be slow stitching a binding this evening!