2018 Cross Stitch Projects

My last post for 2018 features four cross stitch projects I completed this year. Over the years I have sporadically cross stitched, and this year I enjoyed it while watching TV at night. It has been fun!

"In All Things Give Thanks" by LizzieKate sat on the the
autumn table runner I made for Thanksgiving

"Love Coffee" and "Love Tea", Hinzeit patterns purchased at Stoney Creek hang next
to the coffee and tea station my husband made for me in our kitchen. I made them
twice as big by stitching over 2 threads, because I wanted them to be readable!

Lori Holt's "Farm Girl Fall Cross Stitch", purchased at Fat Quarter Shop is still unframed.

Recently I discovered Lori Holt's "Vintage Christmas Sampler" cross stitch pattern, which was released on November 28, from Fat Quarter Shop. I was unable to start it because I wanted to use the same vintage oatmeal 10-count cloth that Lori used, and FQS has been out of stock! So I ordered something similar in a 14-count cloth and will make the adjustments.

I'm looking forward to more cross stitching in 2019!

A Quilt Like Dad's - OMG December Finish

My One Monthly Goal for December was to complete quilts for my son and daughter in time for Christmas, and I made it! You can read about the inspiration here, but basically both my kids wanted "a quilt like Dad's", which was one that I made for him in the early 1980s. In the picture above, son's quilt is on the left and daughter's quilt is on the right, with Dad's in the middle.

I hand-tied instead of quilting and machine-sewed the bindings on both.

The backs of both quilts - son's is above and daughter's is below.

The quilts were a surprise, especially since we had drawn names and they weren't expecting a gift from me. The looks on their faces when they realized what was inside their bags made me very happy! They were both quite pleased.

My son's quilt colors were pretty close to the colors in his Dad's
quilt with cream, dark brown, tan, dark blue, and denim.

For my daughter's quilt I chose cream, dark red, dark purple, mustard,
and a splash of aqua, and I added a band of gray above and below.

THINGS I'VE LEARNED:
A quilt by any other name would feel the same!
My concept of an ideal quilt - a pieced design, low-loft batting, and a complimentary quilting pattern - is not the same as that of my son and daughter. They still view the quilt like their Dad's as "the quilt" - one with cheater fabric, puffy batting, and hand-tied quilting! And the purpose of the quilts is comfort and enjoyment, so mission accomplished.
Don't worry too much about the density of quilting
When I "quilted" my husband's quilt, I hand-tied about 4-5 inches apart. That quilt has been laundered and used, and the ties have pretty much disappeared, but the 35+ year-old quilt is still holding together with no bunched-up batting.

ALL ABOUT THIS PROJECT:
Son's Quilt:
Approximately 48" x 68"
Random piecing, no pattern
Front fabrics:
Grunge (blues) by Basic Grey for Moda
Memories of The Civil War II by Jodi Barrows for Studio E
Eclectic Elements (Bottle Caps) by Tim Holtz for Free Spirit Fabrics
Enchanted Pond by Holly Taylor for Moda
Scraps from stash
Hand-tie thread:
Bonbons by Lion Brand Yarn 100% cotton
Backing:
Woolies Flannels by Bonnie Sullivan for Maywood Studios
Binding:
Hobby Lobby cotton
Thread:
So Fine Pearl (#402) by Superior Threads

Daughter's Quilt:
Approximately 47" x 68"
Pattern adapted from Jedi Craft Girl's Birdies for Baby
Front fabrics:
Atelier by 3 Sisters for Moda (I've hoarded this for a few years)
Nightfall by Maureen Cracknell for AGF
Eclectic Elements by Tim Holtz for Free Spirit Fabrics
Elizabeth's Dowry by Karen Styles For Marcus Fabrics
One of her Dad's old plaid shirts :)
Hand-tie thread:
DMC 6-strand Ecru
Backing:
Hobby Lobby flannel
Binding:
Grunge in Moutarde by Basic Grey for Moda
So Fine Pearl (#402) by Superior Threads

I am linking to Pattie's OMG Finish for December

A Quilt Like Dad's Flimsy #2 Finish

My daughter's "quilt like Dad's" flimsy is complete. My design inspiration was this pattern from Jedi Craft Girl. As of now it is 46" x 67" but should end up a tiny bit larger with the binding.

I think she will like the fabrics I chose, especially the plaid, which is from one of her Dad's old shirts.

Next is to make the backing from some Hobby Lobby flannel and a "Woolies" piece left over from my son's quilt backing. Then I will sandwich with "lofty" batting, hand-tie, and bind it. I anticipate another 2-3 days to finish. I have an extra day to work on it, because our kids will all be here the day after Christmas. I'll post photos of my kids with their quilts. Hopefully they'll be smiling - lol!

My husband gave me an early Christmas gift. I've wanted a wool pressing mat since I read reviews of one on Elm Street Quilts. I chose a different brand than the one Pattie reviewed. This one is by Glaciart and measures 19" x 26", and so far I am very pleased with it. Wool enables the iron to press more crisply and stay pressed. But I'll have to keep it covered so the kitties won't use it as a scratching pad!

I'll close with two collages - one of the "down-sized" decorations we do since we retired and one of my favorite ornaments. (Click on the photos for a closer view) I gave the remainder of our family collection of ornaments to my daughter last year.

Merry Christmas to all of you!

A Quilt Like Dad's Flimsy Finish

The flimsy for my son's "A Quilt Like Dad's" is finished, and I also have the back and binding ready to go. (You might notice my helper Rosie inspecting for me). This quilt is one of two I hope to complete in time to gift at Christmas. Once this one is done, I will start on my daughter's quilt. You can read about the motivation for these quilts here.

Tomorrow I will sandwich it all together with the medium loft batting purchased at Hobby Lobby. Then I will begin hand-tying with embroidery floss.

I used a mix of stash fabric in browns and blues. The backing is soft flannel. I hope it stays cold until Christmas so he can enjoy being under a warm quilt!

OMG For December - A Quilt LIke Dad's

In the photo above, my husband (and quilt model) is displaying a "quilt" I made for him in the early 1980s. At that time, my sewing machine was primarily used for my daugher's clothes and repairing tears or splits on our clothes, but about a week before Christmas, I got an idea to make my husband a warm throw for cold winter nights on the sofa. I found some quilted "cheater" fabric at a crafts store, some fleece to back it, and used fiberfill batting for the middle. I layered it together and sewed around the edges with big brown bias tape. I had no idea how to quilt at the time, so I hand-tied it with embroidery thread. I'm guessing it was about 42 X 84 finished because it has shrunk to 38 X 80. I have no idea why I made it so narrow!

My daughter was 2 or 3 and my son was 7 or 8. Apparently that quilt made a big impression on them, because the last couple of years both of them (age 43 and 48 now!) have requested "a quilt like Dad's".

Fabrics and a very rough "draft" for my son's quilt

I'm liking these for my daughter's quilt

Instead of using quilted cheater fabric, I will either do simple patchwork or log cabin blocks for both quilts. I intend to use fiberfill batting and hand-tie both quilts, because they both love the (former) puffiness of their Dad's quilt. My goal is to finish both in time to gift them for Christmas.

Over the years, this quilt has been used and laundered many times. It is faded and has frays on the edges, most of the ties have disappeared, and is mainly used as a pallet for sleeping children or sleeping kitties. When I told my husband about his kids' requests, he said he wanted to start using it again. So now it is back on our sofa - lol!

I am linking to Elm Street Quilts OMG for December.
Click on the logo to link up your project

Autumn Table Runner

This reversible table runner was completed around the first of November with plenty of time to enjoy it before the cranberry sauce stains came on Thanksgiving - lol! I used fabric purchased from Bernie's Needle and Foot Etsy shop. I love the kitties and pumpkins in rich jewel tones. When I posted pictures on Instagram, Pam at Pamalama Jo Designs commented that it could be used right up to Christmas.

No pattern was involved, I simply wanted to feature the fabric. I fussy cut favorite scenes and surrounded them with squares of blue, green, burgundy, and cream.

On Thanksgiving, our little granddaughter had strep throat, so my daughter and son-in-law were unable to drive down from the Dallas area. In spite of that, everyone else was here for a beautiful, fun, and "filling" day. And I wasn't kidding about the cranberry sauce. My husband dropped some on the table runner and immediately started apologizing. I told him that made me happy because it means my handmade things are being used! (And it washed right out!)

Details for Autumn Table Runner:
Finished Size: 17" X 45"
Pattern: My own concoction

Fabrics
Harvest Happiness Patch by Beth Yarbrough for Daisy Kingdom
Cream, Blue, and Green Grunge
Burgundy fabric from Enchanted Pond by Holly Taylor for Moda

Backing
Harvest Greetings by Quilting Treasures

Binding
Pin Dot in Spice by Waverly
 

I hope all of you had a wonderful Thanksgiving!

I am linking this to Crazy Mom Quilts last Finish it Up Friday. I wish her well in her decision to transition out of running her business and focus on her family!

OMG November Finish - Mercyful Quilt

Last month I was inspired by Bernie at Needle and Foot to make a quilt for Mercy Hospital in Sacramento. The quilting group that normally made quilts for dying patients was no longer able to do so, and a nurse at the hospital (who is also a friend of Bernie's) reached out to Bernie to see if she could provide a few quilts. Well provide she did, backed by several quilters who contributed quilts.This week the total was 27 quilts donated! You can read an inspiring update here.

I used a bundle of Enchanted Pond and a pattern by Kelli Fannin called Flower Power. I already had six blocks, started in 2017 as a quilt for my sister-in-law. Enchanted Pond has beautiful shades of burgundy, purple, sage green, and cream. When my SIL painted her bedroom turquoise, I decided this quilt wouldn't coordinate well, and it became a UFO. I guess it was destined to become a comfort quilt instead!

When I was looking in my stash, I found a beautiful Enchanted Pond panel I had purchased, put away, and forgotten! So I changed the pattern just a little bit to accommodate the panel, which I cut and pieced as the top and bottom borders for the front, and as a middle section for the back. The panel features creatures such as cranes and dragonflies among the pond grasses.

The binding was pieced with strips cut from leftover scraps. I still have enough unused Enchanted Pond fat quarters to make another quilt!

I quilted a simple grid.

One of my kitty-helpers, Rosie, approved the final details.

I also donated a quilt I made in 2015 for my mother-in-law, documented here. My sister-in-law was her care-giver, and she put it in a drawer "to keep it nice", so my mother-in-law never used it! I know she would approve the donation, and at least it will get some use.

Details for Mercyful Quilt:
Finished Size: 56" X 70"
Pattern: Flower Power by Kelli Fannin

Fabrics
Enchanted Pond by Holly Taylor for Moda
Apple Cider by P&B Textiles

Backing
Atelier by Three Sisters for Moda
Enchanted Pond panel

Binding
Enchanted Pond

I am linking this post with Patty's Elm Street Quilts November One Monthly Goal Finishes

November OMG - Mercyful Quilt and Christmas Project

I had been undecided about which of my UFO quilts I wanted to finish for November when I saw Bernie's post about a need for quilts at Mercy Hospital in Sacramento. She is organizing a drive for quilts to comfort dying patients at this hospital which is renowned for cardiac care. My Mom had CHF and received such incredibly compassionate and expert care at Oklahoma Heart Hospital when we lived in Oklahoma, and my husband had a heart attack in 2012 and was blessed by angels-in-disguise cardiologists and caregivers, so cardiac units are very special to me. I told Bernie to sign me up. I know I can send at least one and possibly two quilts in the next few months. If you are interested in contributing, leave a comment on Bernie's post.

The quilt I hope to complete this month is Flower Power, a quilt I first blogged about here. The pattern is by Kelli Fannin. I started it with good intentions last year, and it has become a UFO since my SIL changed the colors in her house - lol! So it will become a quilt of comfort instead.

I also want to finish something Chrismas-y this month. I LOVE Christmas fabric, so I have several Christmas UFOs and love all of them. At some point I will decide on one and complete it.

I am linking to Patty's One Monthly Goal for November