The First Bag Of Christmas

I finished the embroidery on the first of the four Christmas bags.
It sounds like a broken record, but it took much longer than I thought it would. I love Christmas and I love the look of this, but I need to move on to something else.
It’s best to keep the bags as one piece of fabric to decrease the fraying. The fabric has a coarse weave and the threads come off in chunks. I should probably serge it before I embroider the others. Sewing the first bag together will have to wait until I embroider the one next to it.
I’m linking to Whoop Whoop Friday.

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Ideas Into Form #4

We left off with the flower fabrics chosen but nothing cut out.
I used the fabrics and the design as planned. Once I cut out all the flower pieces I auditioned leaf and stem fabrics the same way, by laying them out with the flowers.
After a lot of tracing, cutting and fusing it all came together.
I plan to add some greenery between the flowers to fill in some of the open spots, but not until everything else is appliqued.
For now I need to set it aside and work on a few other things. It took a lot longer than I anticipated to get the top fused, and life got in the way.
I also learned that I need to start sewing projects a season or two ahead of time so that I can actually use them when they are finished. By the time I get the runner done it will be about autumn.

Sunday Stash June 17, 2018

No fabric in or out and no money spent this week.
I’m fusing the table runner and should finish it today. I meant to have it done before the weekend, but things didn’t happen that way. Here’s a sneak peak of some of my favorite flowers.
I don’t make many fused quilts, and I’d forgotten how long it takes to trace, cut and fuse everything.
Unfortunately, I have a long way to go before it’s finished.
Fabric In: 5.25 yards
Fabric Out: 9.25 yards
Net Fabric Used: 4 yards
Quilt & embroidery spending: $110
How did you do this week?

1 Melissa G
2 Meloney
3 Kate
4 maggie f
5 Quilting Gail
6 Aileen K
7 Julie in GA

Sunday Stash June 10, 2018

No fabric in or out and no money spent this week.
The full scope of the work changes became more clear this week. It will be months before things even out again.
My small group also decided to stop meeting. I really liked that group, and I’m sad to see it end.
Now I’m looking at the June The Short List and realizing my projects don’t work that well for me, and I need to add Safehouse quilts back to the list. I’m also looking at less time in the sewing room.
It will all work it out eventually. So much change at once just created unexpected challenges.
My new focus is to cut all the pieces for the floral runner and fuse them. I need to be able to move the quilt and reclaim my piecing table.
I’m also considering my next Safehouse quilt. I started one at a guild sewing day but don’t know if I want to work on that one or a different one. I sewed some of the blocks but haven’t cut anything yet. I may even get two quilts out of it because a lot of the fabric is red and blue, and the spattering of other colors look out of place.
The unsewn pieces are on the right, the sewn on the left. You are seeing the back of the sewn fabrics. They are much brighter.
That will be a decision for another day.
Fabric In: 5.25 yards
Fabric Out: 9.25 yards
Net Fabric Used: 4 yards
Quilt & embroidery spending: $110
How did you do this week?

1 Meloney
2 Chrisknits
3 Kate
4 Julie in GA
5 Mary-Kay
6 MartiDIY
7 Aileen K
8 Quilting Gail
9 Patricia – Mia is mine
10 DesertSky Quilting

Seeing The Light

The embroidery finally got to the point where I could move the hoop. I’m stitching the swag that shows on the back of the bag now. Here’s what the front will look like.
I have a ways to go but should finish it this month.
That means I need to decide if I stitch another one or move on to something else. All the bags have different designs but are all equally stitch dense. I was a bit surprised by how long this one is taking.
The results are worth the time, but other projects call.
Decisions, decisions…

Sunday Stash June 3, 2018

No fabric in or money spent this week.
I’m counting out the fabric for the surface design round robin. I haven’t seen it since November. Whoever has it stopped coming to the group and likely forgot about it. If it comes back later I’ll adjust it back in.
Changes at work have me working longer hours, which greatly reduced my sewing time. Maybe I’ll do better this week.
Fabric In: 5.25 yards
Fabric Out: 9.25 yards
Net Fabric Used: 4 yards
Quilt & embroidery spending: $110
How did you do this week?

1 Melissa G
2 maggie f
3 Chrisknits
4 Patricia
5 MartiDIY
6 Quilting Gail
7 Aileen K
8 Angie in SoCal
9 Mary-Kay

June Short List And OMG

I can’t believe it’s June already. I only finished one of my May projects, but it was a big one.

I have a lot going on this month and hope to get outside more, depending on the weather and the mosquitoes. We live in a swampy area and get swarmed when we walk outside. I may not get a lot of sewing time in.

The Short List includes something old (UFO), something new, a handwork project, a scrap project and a project in the design phase. I started using this system in November 2014 to keep myself focused. I add and delete categories over time as my interests change.

Something Old – In May I started appliqueing the poppy quilt by machine. I want to finish the applique and get it basted for quilting this month. I’d really like to get it finished, but I think that’s more than I can fit in. This quilt is my OMG for June.
Something New – I’m making some small items for my guild’s silent auction in July.

Handwork – I’m embroidering the Christmas bags. I’ll finish the current bag and start the next one.
Scrap Project – I picked a scrap bag and am making a table runner. I’m cutting out the fused pieces.
Design – I don’t have anything in the design phase right now. I’m thinking about the next project, but want to have the current projects further along before I start anything else.

I am still working on the leader and ender project.

June is yet another month with no piecing but plenty of machine time. I may have to sneak some in.

I’m linking to Elm Street Quilts for my One Monthly Goal.