Countdown to Christmas

I recently finished up a Christmas advent calendar for my niece. Using the same pattern as my Thanksgiving countdown, I used fabric from two collections for a bright and cheerful Christmas version.

I added a red mini pom-pom trim below the numbers for a fun effect, although I didn't take into account how difficult it would be to sew on. Lots of slow sewing to make sure it was securely attached.

For the holly leaves I used scraps and the same buttons from my niece's cherry dress.

The binding was a perfect last minute find at my local quilt shop. Silly me didn't get binding fabric when I bought the other fabrics, but this bias stripe in red and aqua from the Hello Darling collection was the perfect finishing touch. It reminds me of striped Christmas candy. :)

Pattern: Quilted Advent Calendar by Sew Sweet Violet (altered for larger pockets)
Fabric:

• Multi color snowflakes: The Cookie Exchange by Sweetwater for Moda
• All others: North Woods by Kate Spain for Moda
  
• Background: Mochi Dot Unbleached Linen by Moda (#32911-11)
• Backing: North Woods by Kate Spain for Moda
• Binding: Hello Darling by Bonnie & Camille for Moda

Embroidery Floss: DMC 321
1/2" white cotton twill tape and red mini pom-pom trim found at Joann's
Stamp set and fabric ink: found at Hobby Lobby (use a coupon!)

September Cottage

I finished this cute little cottage schoolhouse on Friday. I'm so excited that it's done, it is so cute.

I saw another stitcher had changed the cottage to an old fashioned schoolhouse and I fell in love. That is what made me want to start this project.

I changed up some colors as well and switched up the borders. The same stitcher who changed the cottage also did the ABC123 which I loved but then I thought what's a schoolhouse without books? So I added some tiny bookshelves and books for the bottom border.

I also decided to add a second color for the apples, to add some subtle dimension. I darkened the roof color and switched out the darker brown in the basket to match the roof.

It turned out so cute, I'm very pleased with it. The whole piece is starting to take shape. The next cottage I'm going to work on will be July, which will go on the other side of August.

Changes:
- Changed the cottage (obviously) to a schoolhouse
- Roof and basket uses 433
- Omitted floating flowers around month name
- Secondary apple color is 347
- Bookshelves uses 920, 825, 552, 986, 581, 351, 728, 433 and 3829 for back stitch/details


Pattern: Cottages of the Month by Country Cottage Needleworks
Fabric: 14 count Aida in Vintage Country Mocha found at 123stitch.com
Threads: all DMC

You can see my progress through the cottage of the month series here

In Everything Give Thanks

I decided this year I wanted to find a fun way to teach my son about gratitude. I remembered seeing a countdown calendar with activity cards a few years ago and thought that would be perfect. And then I saw this pattern with patchwork pockets and I fell in love. Patchwork has my heart, it's my favorite.

I had to enlarge the pockets a bit to get the cards to fit and I also made the rows have 5 pockets each (that was a boo boo on my part, but I went with it). Of course I changed the embroidery to reflect the holiday and I also added a rod pocket on the back for hanging. The muslin I used ended up having a more open weave so I backed it with interfacing to help stabilize it better. 

Now that I've made one I think I got all the kinks worked out. I plan on making a Christmas version for both my son and my niece, so you will be seeing more of this cute pattern.

Pattern: Quilted Advent Calendar by Sew Sweet Violet
Activity Cards:  Thanksgiving Countdown Cards by Everyday Celebrations
Fabric:

• Cream cherries: Unknown designer (found in my local quilt shop's scrap bin)
• Taupe pumpkins: Home for the Harvest by Heather Mulder Peterson for Henry Glass
• All others: Welcome Fall by Deb Strain for Moda
• Background: muslin found at Hobby Lobby
• Stabilizer: Shape-Flex SF101 by Pellon
• Backing + binding: Postcards from the Lodge by Pela Studios for Windham Fabrics

Embroidery Floss: DMC 498, 729, 367, 920, and 898
1/2" wide cotton twill tape found here (color: natural)
Stamp set and fabric ink: found at Hobby Lobby (use a coupon!)

August cottage

I recently finished the August cottage in the cottage of the month series from Country Cottage Needleworks. I'm so happy with how it turned out.

I made a few changes to the original pattern:
- I flipped the clouds
- I used DMC 3022 instead of 3023 for the shutters (I liked the subtle green better)
- I used DMC Variations 4230 for the waves
- I came up with my own sand castle design to use in place of the seashells. Here's a better close up of the sand castle:

If you remember, I'm doing all 12 cottages on one fabric starting in the middle and working my way outward. I'm doing 3 across and 4 down. Here's a look at the two middle cottages all finished.

I've already started working on the September cottage and there will definitely be some changes to that cottage. It's going to be cute!

Pattern: Cottages of the Month by Country Cottage Needleworks
Fabric: 14 count Aida in Vintage Country Mocha found at 123stitch.com
Threads: all DMC

You can see my progress through the cottage of the month series here

Embroidery Floss Organization

I thought I'd share with you what I've been doing for my growing floss stash, in case you need to organize too. :)

Bobbins
When I first started out I used cardboard labels but I've found they aren't very good for long term storage. That's when I switched to plastic bobbins. The DMC brand is pretty expensive and to be honest, not all that  great. I've found that my floss unravels easier because the little slits are not very tight. I ended up buying 250 generic plastic bobbins for around $5 from here and I like them so much better. The slits are smaller which means the floss stays put. I've been putting all new floss on the plastic bobbins and I'm slowly switching over the floss on cardboard.

Labels
I originally bought the little DMC number sticker labels when I was using cardboard bobbins, but I've found that they don't stay very well on the plastic. Can't have a number label go missing when working on a project! You could of course write it on with a fine point permanent marker but I liked the look of the printed numbers. So I've been using my label maker to type up the numbers. If you want to do the same here's a few tips:
- Use the label tape that is plastic coated, the paper tape will smudge over time. It comes in white or clear, either color will work.
- I use the smallest font size possible. It's actually the same size as the DMC stickers.
- Between each number I put 4 spaces to allow for cutting and trimming.
- I do large batches of labels at a time to not waste any tape. I keep typing numbers until the machine tells me it can't fit any more, then I print.
- After the numbers are printed and trimmed I put them on the bobbins right away so I don't lose anything. Then whenever I have a few minutes I wind up the floss on its corresponding bobbin. It will take me a few days to get through a big stack but since it's mindless work it can be done while watching a movie.

Storage
I originally had 2 plastic bobbin cases that can be found at any craft store. But I needed more space and I didn't like the idea of having stacks of these cases. But I'm so glad to have come across some fellow stitchers on Instagram who get just as excited over organization as I do. I saw someone's stash in this double sided case on their Instagram and knew that was the answer. Apparently it can hold the entire collection of DMC floss (#stashgoals ;) ) You can find the case on Amazon for $15 but I recently found this case at my local Meijers on sale for $6.50!! I may have squealed and done a little happy dance in the craft aisle. So if you happen to have a store in your area, hop on over there and get yourself one. I've barely filled one side, so there's definitely some room to grow.

Hope this helps some of my fellow stitchers out. If you have any questions please feel free to ask. :)

Hand stitching while I wait

We had a cross country move at the end of April and the last stitch I made with a sewing machine was for my dad's quilt. Since then I've been doing a bit of hand stitching until the room where my machine will go is painted. I've been working on my cross stitch cottages of the month. After seeing others on Instagram I got the itch to finish what I started. I finally finished May (only took a year!) and moved on to August. I plan on doing a few changes to August. I already ordered the next two I'll be working on, July and September, and I'm really excited to keep going. These cottages are so cute.

For embroidery, after I got my summer pattern done and framed (I got it framed right before we moved) I started working on the winter pattern. I'm hoping to have it done by the end of winter but we'll see. It took a year to get summer done so eh...I'm not holding my breath. ;) I already purchased the spring and fall patterns so I'll be able to start on them whenever I get done with winter.

I'm hoping my sewing machine will be set up soon because I've been feeling the itch to sit at my machine again. My poor Farmer's Wife has been calling to me and I really want to get back to it. And I finally found a backing for my son's twin size quilt so I really want to get that one finished as well.

My Daddy's Quilt

I put in the last stitch on the binding today and this quilt is in the wash as I'm typing. :) I can't wait to gift it to my dad.

I used a wave stitch on my machine to quilt it. I just followed the seam line so it's quilted every 2" or so. Of course I had to include my custom labels and my favorite PS I love you tags. My custom labels came from Mad Mad Graphics (they are the vintage care labels) and the PS I love you tags came from my local quilt shop.

Quilt Stats:
Fabric: Cycles of Life by Maywood Studios (top and binding)
          Spot On by Robert Kaufman (108" wide backing)
Batting: Warm and White
Pattern: Jelly Roll Race
Size: approx. 51" x 65.5"

More photos on my Flickr account

My latest embroidery finish

I recently finished this embroidery. I started it back in June last year and now it's finally done.

It's still on the Q-Snaps but I plan on framing it. This pattern is part of a four seasons series and I hope to complete them all.

All the raspberries are made up entirely of French knots! I ended up doing them last and I kind of wish I didn't. French knots aren't my favorite stitch and so it became quite tedious. But look at them, so worth the effort!

I did change up some of the stitches. I used very little stem stitch (I substituted with back stitch) and I added on to one of the bunny's ears, it just made more sense visually to me. If you look at the original pattern you'll see what I mean.

This pattern was a challenge to me. I've never worked with a single thread and made such tiny stitches before, but I absolutely love it. I highly recommend it, even if you are a beginner. Just go slow and feel free to substitute stitches if you're not confident on one (but don't be afraid to learn something new either). I'm looking forward to starting my next one, I already bought the winter pattern!

Stats
Pattern: "His Mercies Are New" (Summer) by Clementine Pattern Co.
Size: fits in an 8"x8" frame opening
Floss: all DMC, according to pattern
Stitches used: back stitch, stem stitch, chain stitch, French knot, lazy daisy, satin stitch, straight stitch

Check out my Flickr for more photos.

Alex's twin size quilt

I finished the quilt top for my son's twin size quilt. It turned out way more busy than I originally anticipated.

Even though it's very busy, I love all the fabrics in this. I have quite a bit of the older Sarah Jane fabrics, along with some Sweetwater, scraps from Joseph's quilt and other odds and ends. My son helped pick out quite a few of the fabrics and I filled in the rest. I think if I were to do it over, I would make the smaller squares more consistent. Instead of using low volume fabrics, I would use a solid white to break it up and give your eye somewhere to rest. Or just follow the pattern and use a color solid and a white solid. Just a thought.

I'm having trouble finding the perfect backing fabric so this one may be a while until it's quilted. But I'm hoping not too long.

Quilt Stats:
Pattern: Scrappy Summer by Cluck Cluck Sew
Size: 64" x 88"
Fabrics: Mix of Sarah Jane, Sweetwater, DS Quilts, and others

More pictures can be found on my Flickr with some close ups of my favorite fabrics.

Crinkle love: Feed Company BOM

My Feed Company BOM quilt is done! It already been washed and snuggled with. I'm in love with it!

I have more photos posted on my Flickr account but I just wanted to share a few of my favorite here. Marion did the custom quilting and I have nothing but high praises for her work. She is truly awesome! I loved the quilting done on the original quilt so she mimicked it on mine. I'm so very very happy with it. If you have a quilt needed custom work please look her up. You won't be sorry!

Quilt Stats:
Feed Company Block of the Month by Sweetwater Fabrics
Started: December 2014
Completed: March 2016
Quilted by Marion McClellan

For those curious, the iron on designs do soften up quite a bit and get a bit more distressed in the wash. Just remember to wash them gently with cold water and let them air dry. After mine fully air dried I did toss it in the dryer for 10 minutes on low heat to soften it up a bit, but I wouldn't do more than that.

This quilt was part of my edited first quarter goals for the 2016 Finish Along. Well, 1 out of 3 ain't bad in my book. :)

Re-evaluating

Some exciting things are happening in our neck of the woods that's caused me to re-evaluate my 2016 goals. I'm going to have to seriously whittle it down if I'm going to save my sanity over the next few months.

So here were my original 2016 quilt goals:
1. Mom's quilt
2. Winter Wonderland BOW
3. Holly's Tree Farm BOM
4. Gavin's quilt
5. Logan's quilt
6. Winterberry Stars
7. Strawberry Fields Revisited granny squares
8. 1930s Farmer's Wife
9. Re-quilt Fair Isle
10. Alex's twin size quilt

And if you remember, my original goal for the 2016 first quarter finish along was to get my Winterberry Stars and my son's twin size quilts completely done. I had to seriously look at my list and re-prioritize some things.

Here's my new list:
1. Alex's twin size quilt - completely finished and washed
2. Feed Company BOM - completely finished and washed
3. Dad's jelly roll race - completely finished and gifted

These 3 are top priority and need to be done in the next month. Everything else can wait until the dust settles. When that happens I'll do another re-evaluation and see what's next on my to-do list. Most are almost done anyways, it's just a matter of quilting and binding. In fact my Feed Company is getting custom long arm quilted as we speak. Check out my Instagram feed for pictures. It's turning out beautiful and I'll definitely blog more about it when it's done.

Jelly Roll Race

My dad took an out of country job and will be leaving soon. So I thought he needed a quilt from me as a goodbye gift. He's been a cyclist my whole life and so when I saw this new fabric line I knew who to buy it for. Under a time crunch I decided to go with a jelly roll to make a Jelly Roll Race. This pattern really is super quick and easy, but they were not kidding when they said the first seam was a doozy. But I'd definitely do it again and again. I love how fast it comes together and the way the strips randomize themselves. You never know what you'll get until you're done! All that's left now is to find some backing, batting and binding. I plan on quilting it myself to make sure it gets done in time. I'll post again with the finished quilt after I gift it.

My favorite print is the little bicycles popping wheelies

Fabric: Cycles of Life by Kite Flying Society for Maywood Studios
Pattern: Jelly Roll Race (do a Google search, there are some great videos and tutorials)