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

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

Tumbling Charms Prayer Quilt

Last week I did some organizing and purging in my stash closet. I found a project I had completely forgotten about, with pieces cut and sewn together (and ironed!) along with strips ready for sashing. I was delighted with my find, immediately got to work finishing the blocks, and stuck it up on my design board.

Now I will share the wonderful news that our daughter is 2 months pregnant with her second child (our fifth grandchild and second grandson!). Her best friend was also pregnant, and they were just a couple of weeks apart. They were thrilled and looked forward to sharing their pregnancies. The day after I started on the "found" project, my daughter texted me that her friend had lost her baby. It was devastating news. After some texting back and forth, I got the idea to make her friend a prayer quilt. My daughter was thrilled with the idea, so we discussed colors. On a whim I texted her a picture of the partially pieced quilt I had on my design board, and she loved it!

Before: 10 rows high

After: 8 rows high

The pattern is Tumbling Charms, a pattern I found at Farm Fresh Fabrics. It was pretty simple to put together, and the hardest part was making sure I got the rows in the correct order. The quilt was originally 10 rows high, but I wanted it to be shorter and took two of the rows off to use as part of the pieced backing. I also left off the border, but only because I didn't find a stash fabric I wanted to use. I used two charm packs of Olive's Flower Market and love the pinks, greens, and browns.

My quilt model is very patient

I was happy to find fabrics in my stash for the backing and binding

Quilting was simple wavy horizontal lines

I did think positive thoughts as I quilted and prayed over the quilt before I mailed it. My hope is that it will be used and bring some comfort. The timing of finding the quilt blocks and my daughter's text makes me feel, as I do many times in my life, that "things were meant to be". I believe God is keenly interested in my life, and when situations work out such as this one did, it brings me joy.

Pattern: Tumbling Charms by Farm Fresh Fabrics
Finished size: 45" x 53"

Fabrics used:
Blocks:
Olive's Flower Market by Lela Boutique for Moda
Meow or Never Tomcat Grey, by Erin Michael for Moda
White sashing fabric from my stash

Backing: "X's" from Good Neighbors by Amanda Jean Nyberg

Binding: Twirl by Jill Finley for Henry Glass

I am linking up to Amanda Jean's Finish It Up Friday - Yay!

OMG October Finish - Herringbone Baby Quilt Replacement

My One Monthly Goal finish for October is the repeat of a baby quilt I first did in 2017. You can read about the original post here and the reason for the repeat here, but basically the owner lost her baby quilt and wanted a replacement.

The original quilt looks very similar to the replacement, as you can see from the two pictures below. The difference in the blues is simply due to different lighting - cloudy in one and sunny in the other.

Original 2017 quilt

2018 replacement quilt

I was unable to find a few of the original fabrics, but I actually like the new
quilt fabrics just as well as the originals. I hope the owner does too!

I did more quilting on this one. I started with "in the ditch" quilting
and as always was amazed at how much easier it looks than it is to do. Then
I added a criss-cross pattern, which gave the quilt more texture.

The binding was the same fabric I used as part of the pieced back.

Fabrics used:

Blocks:
Serenity by Amy Ellis for Moda
Meow or Never Tomcat Grey, by Erin Michael for Moda
White with multi-colored mini triangles and light aqua with white polka dot, both from Hobby Lobby
Grunge in Cream (I think - lost the label!), by Sweetwater for Moda

Backing: Meow or Never Playthings in milk, by Erin Michael for Moda

Binding: Light aqua with white polka dots from Hobby Lobby

I am linking to Elm Street Quilts October OMG October Finish.