It's the weekend after Christmas - I'm sure everyone is still pretty much in a holiday stupor, but hopefully getting things back together and able to spend some time recuperating in your sewing spaces!
On Wednesday (Christmas Eve Day) I spent a few hours at the QPO stitching the big pink behemoth backing together from the squares I had finished the previous day.
What a crazy mix of fabrics being sewn down!
And you can see here that seams are pressed open.
Pressing seams open is a last case resort for me when it comes to the patchwork front, but on the backings I like them open to eliminate as much bulk as possible for ease of rolling up on the machine rollers. It stops baggy-saggy areas and other areas that are too tight where the seams are.
Two haves ready to join -
How is it that this barely made head space in that pink hunks & chunks bin?
It's together!
And I think it's going to be a great backing, making it a tow-sided reversable quilt!
This is where I left things Christmas eve night, saving the quilting for yesterday.
After all the dishes were done and the house was back quiet on Christmas night, we settled in to watch a movie...I'm now on the 2nd side border for the everlasting hexie quilt. Slow progress is still progress.
When people say "You are so prolific" I think of this quilt and the fact that this quilt was stared un 2018 when I went to China. This is not a prolific quilt. It's taking forever!
But here I am in my comfy spot with hexies, Lola, and my Christmas socks.
Yesterday - let the quilting begin!
I knew the name of this last night when I came home.
This morning it's out of my head - so I'll look it up again when I go back.
I'm quilting in a baby baby pink thread. It's crossing through everything, both light and dark areas nicely.
Crackers & Jam has some pretty small piecing and I like the quilting to not be too large for the scale of that piecing so I'm quilting fairly tightly.
Reaching the end!
It was time for me to shut it down and come back to spend time with the family.
It's wonderful having Jason here. He and Dave went to a Christmas Cornhole thing last night to hang out with the local guys giving me more relax time to sit with hexies and watch something mysterious and detective-y on Brit Box.
I was in bed long before they got home.
My goal for today is to head over the feed the porch kitties, finish that last row on the quilt, trim it up and get binding on so I can be stitching down binding over the next couple of nights of movie binge-watching.
A peaceful slow weekend incoming!
I hope your holiday was wonderful and filled with family, food, friends and fun.
And if you preferred to have a quiet holiday surrounded by four legged barkers and purry furries, I'll hold that space for you too.
Holidays are a lot. Sometimes too much.
Quiltville Quote of the Day -
There is magic in the feeling of the fabric.
In the pressing, cutting, sewing, creating!
Get in there and discover the possibilities!
Have a wonderful weekend, everyone -
Peek a boo!
I loved seeing the random block I pieced into the back make its way around the take up roller.
In the pressing, cutting, sewing, creating!
Get in there and discover the possibilities!
Thanks Bonnie, for all you do - yes, yes you are very prolific! Look at how many quilts you make each year - all so beautiful. And look at just how many hexie quilts you've made in between all those pieced quilts. I most especially want to thank you for understanding that though I love my friends, this year I just needed to be by myself. Had a little bit of the blues in me this year, but I think I figured it out. Turns out chocolate can interfere with how well my heart meds work and I think the blues and crying jags were caused by all the Lindt chocolate balls I consumed in the week leading up to Christmas. Also, I tried making chocolate mixed with nuts, peanut butter, marshmallows and cranberries, but by the time I got everything stirred together in the crock pot, the chocolate turned sort of grainy. After spooning them onto parchment paper and seeing how awful they looked, and, of course trying a few to see if they tasted awful too, yep grainy, I threw away the whole batch and bought some Christmas cookies and more Lindt chocolates to give along with jars of homemade strawberry marmalade. Once I stopped eating the chocolates, it took only a day for me to feel better and the difference was amazing. So, I'm officially off chocolate, sigh, that makes me sad, but not like the down in the dumps crying jag sadness that I don't want to experience again. So now I'm looking forward to a very very happy New Year! Hope yours will be happy too!
ReplyDeleteThe Crackers quilt is so bright! I love it. I don't have a lot of charm packs, but I do have a 5" accu ruler so that would work. Looking forward to this one.
ReplyDeleteSo does Lola remember Jason when he comes home?
Love your Christmas night photo. Christmas socks, a cat lap warmer and hand sewing. It just doesn't get any better! My idea of a perfect evening.
ReplyDeleteMary in FL
I have been making pieced backings for my scrap quilts and struggled with how to put odd-sized chunks together. I don't know why I never thought of doing it the way you explained recently, by making random blocks and trimming them with a large square ruler. This is brilliant! Will be so much easier to handle and measure. Thank you for your teaching over the years. You have made a huge impact on my quilting life.
ReplyDeleteI got to stitching my Part 5 of Lupine and Laughter. It was great how the seams just fell right into place with nearly perfect pressing. Cute purples and pinks. I'll get back to cutting and sewing parts 3 and 4 so Part 6 can catch up. I am guessing that we use the 3.5" and 2.5" hsts with the Half rectangles. The instructions didn't specify.that leaves the smaller hsts for later.
ReplyDeleteLoved your pieced backing!! Great idea. 💕
ReplyDeleteCrackers & Jam is going to be fabulous when it's all done. I love how you always explain your thought process. Christmas week was unusually busy for us, & I am dealing with allergies & migraines. Ugh. Here's hoping that next week slows down a bit and I can do what is planned. I am piecing some pinwheels together and then I plan on cleaning my cutting table area. Enjoy that binge watching and happy stitching!! :-)
ReplyDeleteLove the Christmas socks!!! 😁 Thanks, Bonnie. Merry Christmas.
ReplyDeleteLola looks a lot like one of mine from the back! LOL
ReplyDeleteBonnie, you do such an amazing lot of work! I love your Crackers and Jam quilt!! It is delightfully, over the top, scappily happy!! I'm thoroughly enjoying your Mystery, and have managed to encourage a few new-comers to the experience too.
ReplyDeleteA big hello from Teresa in Australia.
Bonnie, you are so inspiring. Your creativity blows my mind. I am printing and saving all the clues. I have collected most of the fabrics and tools to make this challenge. Now to start, 12-28-2025, has come and is almost gone and I have pieces for the first clue cut. I'm determined to finish but who knows when! I have watched you for years. Miss the basement days and the leisurely chat as we stitch. Those were the days that actually inspired me to want to make a quilt or two and I have! Thank you and keep up the good work. Also glad things are working our for Jason!
ReplyDelete