Houses quilt

This has not been a time for quilting; it's been a time for thanksgiving!  I am so thankful for my family and I did see most of them on Thanksgiving Day, we ate and talked and enjoyed each other's company on that day, and promised we'd get together like this more often - not just on holidays.  Christmas is coming and we will meet and talk and eat and visit again.

The only quilting I've done is to finish layering and binding the "houses quilt."  I still would like to do something special in the 'vacant lots' and can't quite decide what.  I tried a sashiko roof outline and had LOTS of trouble getting the sashiko needle through the layers.  I might try a smaller sharper needle with embroidery floss.  Or machine-quilt the outline with contrasting thread.  Indecision!

I am more concerned at this time of year to finish recent projects, and to decide about Christmas gifts, quilting and otherwise.  After Christmas I will be able to look at my UFOs and more recently begun projects and make decisions and actually SEW.

Progress

I'm making slow progress this week.  Doing more thinking/planning than actually doing.  I guess that's necessary too.

The table topper is done, ready to set on one of the tables at the Crazy Quilters' holiday luncheon.  The topper is very simple - I'm into simple lately.

I've assembled my 'Houses quilt.'  On the pattern the houses were outlined and doors and pathways were shown.  I determined how to free-motion quilt these details with no thread breaks and a minimum of  stitching over lines already made, and started in...  My machine-stitching is so bad that I had to take it out!  So I will use my walking foot instead and quilt less detail.  My friend Joan suggested hand-quilting the outline of a house in those spaces.  This is 'Neighborhood Charm Quilt' on Moda Bake Shop.

I'm previewing some novelty prints and other fabric to make a needle case or two that I saw here at CuttoPieces




NOW I need to decide what to give family for Christmas.  I saw at  exuberantcolor so many, many ideas - simple technique - great, wild color combinations.  I will look at my fabric today and see what I like.

It's baaack!

<singing> hey la di la my Bernina's back
I REALLY missed it!

So I quilted this little Christmas table topper - a simple stitch-in-the-ditch - and made the binding.  I will machine-bind it today and save the hand-binding for chatting for friends.

During my downtime, I layed out the squares for my houses quilt, balancing the colors.  Hopefully will assemble this one today.

and I rearranged my fabrics.  I had boxed those older ones that I didn't use much, but I found that I wanted to be able to see and touch all my fabrics at once.


I plan on a little FMQ practice today too!

Still downtime

Well, this has been a disappointing week for me - my Bernina is in the shop and I am at loose ends.  It is so sad to walk into my sewing room and not to see it there.

The members of my class were requested to make Christmas table toppers for a Holiday 'do' in December, and I DID put one together, and layered it.

I also finished binding my Squares quilt (UFO #1) and it is the first quilt I have made that I have been able to actually cuddle under!  I am sooo enjoying it!  The few finished quilts I've done in the past have been baby quilts and table toppers and hanging quilts.  I am so proud of this quilt!

In the absence of my machine, I layered 2 of my UFO tops and gave away 2 more of my boxed UFOs.  I am soon going to be down to the really difficult, long-lasting ones.  But that's a good thing I think!  I will be doing the quilts that are really worth doing and that I will really be proud of when they are done!

My number of UFOs is down to 8 tops and 11 boxed.  I will spend this downtime planning the quilting stitches for the recently layered ones.

Downtime

I finished layering the Christmas table topper and started to quilt it when my sewing machine started making a loud buzz and wouldn't sew!  Oh no!!  I took it into the Bernina dealer and they found that the bobbin winder was engaged!!  I felt silly AND relieved!  Since it was way past its free yearly service, I decided to leave it there anyway - there's really no GOOD time to not be able to sew!  It will be back home in a few weeks.

So now I'm layering some of those UFO tops so they'll be ready.  <sigh>

One down, lots to go

Yayyy!  I finished the Squares quilt completely.  It took just a few evenings to hand-bind, and it's done!  What a feeling!

This week, I also made the squares for a simple table topper.  It's for a Christmas party in one of my quilt guilds.  I don't usually make something that's not from a pattern - but this one wasn't hard to decide on and do.  I had this pretty cardinals fabric and just made scrappy red and green squares to go with it.  And I LOVE my design wall (haven't had it very long).

I spent 4 days scrapbooking at Big Bear last weekend, starting to learn digital quilting.  Some of the designs didn't load so I'll spend some time today on the phone to technical support.  I hate that!

Today I will probably square and put together the Christmas table topper and the Houses quilt, then...  maybe start another UFO, probably Monsters Quilt #1 which is already layered.

One at a time WIP

Thanks Leah always for your inspiration!  I will list my seemingly neverending list of projects in a different way, and I WILL do one project at a time. 

Finished this week (none of them UFOs)
halloween pillow
table runner from a throw-away bag - why does the edge curl?

WIP - the ONLY one-at-a-time WIP
UFO top 1- squares quilt - just hand-binding to be done

Waiting in the wings:
streaky quilt top - still deciding how to quilt it
Houses quilt - squares and strips are cut

UFO tops (8)
2- child's quilt
3- star hanging
4- gypsy quilt
5- monster quilt #1
6- brick quilt
7- sampler quilt
8- mama's hand-worked quilt
9- fancy circles

Boxed UFOs (13) (several given away this week)
1-   Angel tree skirt
4-   Double Irish Chain quilt
5-   Mama quilt hanging
6-   Morning Glory large quilt
7-   Elf in a box Christmas ornament
8- Monster quilt #2
10- Nativity hanging
11- Variable Star
12- Lovebird Lane
13- Whimsical Garden hanging
22- Fabric manipulation hanging
23- Bird houses  hanging
24-Snowmen hanging