Currently Stitching: Holiday Sewing

The real present I am giving myself for the holidays is finished projects! There have been several entries in the last few weeks that have ended with me saying - I'll send you an update on these once they're finished! And finally, at long last, here they are! Most of them anyway!

For starters, I went back to the store where I got the border/ background fabric and they had some of it left! I got another quarter yard and was able to piece the last two corners. Yay! I am so pumped to have this one done!

I have not chosen a backing yet but I have quite a few patriotic fabrics in my stash. I would consider this an oversized lap quilt. Soon she'll be on the way to the long arm!

Next is this Coastal Collection quilt top from Robert Kauffman, which will be used as a shop sample! For at least a month, I have been working on this quilt, which is unusual for me. I even took it to quilt retreat in November, trying to get the blocks done - each square had like 15 pieces!

After I'd gotten all the blocks finished, I laid it out four or five times because I just couldn't decide how to put it together. Phew! I do love how it turned out though. Plus it's a size that I like, somewhere between a twin and a queen. It's perfect for snuggling or medium sized beds.

This is the fabric I chose for the back! It reminds me of the little flowers that grow in the sand dunes. They're so sweet and delicate and it very much goes with the colors on the front! 

Here she is, all quilted! We used this light mint/ sea foam green color with a swirling wave pattern. I am so pleased with how it looks! And now all that needs done is the binding. (puts on list for next week...)

A shameful long while ago I wrote an episode about baby quilts. I started piecing this hexagon baby quilt and just could not decide on borders! It wasn't a complicated project, and I've made a hexi quilt before. I've even worked with these fabrics before!

I made it from a charm pack I had leftover from another quilt, plus a few other squares form my stash that matched! It was so busy I felt like the thin white inner border would help calm it down. Plus it allowed for another border to be added - this burnt orange almost hexagon fabric. I think it turned out really cute! I'm looking for something in the yellow or orange for the backing. 

I am overjoyed to have this one put together. KaBlam!!! Here's the t-shirt quilt I started a weeks ago! I am very stoked about how it turned out! It came out a lot bigger than I was expecting, it's somewhere between a full and a queen.

I am also glad it is not part of my UFO (unfinished objects) stash. I did have a few moments where I couldn't get all the parts to line up, but I figured it out! I like that it's offset between the rows and columns. And I like the that they're all different widths. There were a few bits here or there that got cut off, but I really am happy overall with the final balance of the quilt.

I went through my growing stash of fabrics to see if there was anything that spoke to me for backing this quilt. Truthfully, nothing felt right. I was at work and my long armer was there! What luck! She and I went through some of the wide-back fabrics and chose this wavy blackish brown. In some lights it looks grey/ black, and some it looks brown. It definitely matches the sashing color fabric that I used to put this quilt together.

We talked about possibilities for designs and thread color. But this might be one of those times where I trust her opinion on how it should be quilted, instead of stressing over what feels right. She knows her patterns and thread better than me, and I always trust her to find the right look. Which may sound silly or wishy-washy. BUT if people can trust me as an artist to design their quilts, should I not then also trust my designers to choose?

I know I've mentioned several times the ornaments for the tree at work! Would you believe how cute it turned out! We got the tree put together, lights on and then garland, topper and ornaments! It has been such a crowd pleaser with all the folks who come in and look around the shop.

I finished the last the poinsettias just this week, they took a long time to get all the way done. But they're so stinking cute and worth it! I think they'd be nice in traditional Christmas colors too! This is my first time working with this kind of free-standing embroidery and it's pretty cool. I could never have thought this up myself!

And now, you think I would sit and enjoy the work that I got done, right?! WRONG! I have since moved on to other holiday projects! Oddly enough I don't have very much festive wear, bags, or quilts for the season! Which I am more than happy to remedy! 

I'm putting together a herringbone bag! I've done this style of project for a bag and a quilt before and I always love how it looks! It's also a great pre-cut or stash buster! I'm hooping to get it finished this week so I can use it to carry gifts around to all the festive gatherings. 

Back at the shop, we've started dabbling in towels! This Christmas wreath was too precious not to use this season. It stitched out so quickly and nicely!

I've never done towels before. We decided to use a lightweight tear away for the wreath.  On the other side of the towel it's either going to be a recipe or another symbol of the season. It's cheerful and an easy pattern to follow, which made it even more fun!

Follow up next week to see how the bags, towels and other embroidery projects are coming along! Send me pictures of your seasonal projects! It always inspires me to what other people are creating!