Christmas Stars

How about a Xmas in July ..... hmmm ..... August ..... quilt?   I meant to post this quilt in July, but time slipped away and here we are in August!

"Christmas Stars"

A close-up of the quilting design.

It's not often that the back of the quilt is shown, but here it is for this quilt.

Quilt Details:

Pattern Source:  Inspired by a quilt shown in Fons & Porter Love of Quilting, Nov/Dec 2021.  Their      pattern was all machine pieced using only a few fabrics, but I did my quilt using the EPP method and there is quite the variety of Xmas fabrics.

Diamond size:  1-1/2" edge

Started:  November 2021

Top Finished:  April 2022

Quilt Finished:  June 2022

Quilt Size:  59-1/4" x 81-1/2" (top size before quilting, washing and drying:  61" x 83-1/4")

Batting:  Hobbs 80/20

So, there we have it ..... another quilt to display come this Xmas.

This quilt was worked on during Chookyblue's (http://chookyblue.blogspot.com/) zoom meetings.  Many of the ladies (from around the world) who zoomed in at the same time as myself saw me working on this project.

Cherish your day ..... cherish your life!

Done, done, done .... well, almost!

Finally, my Xmas Stars center is done!   My arm is sore from sewing and so are my fingers ..... but Lordy, I have a centre!  Now to get borders on ......

The outer border was almost ready to be sewn on ..... but hit a snag.  I just don't like the way the flower design is lining up.  So, my thinking cap is on and a solution will be decided on.

See the arrow?  I want the flower on the left to line up, but I can't get them to line up at both ends.  One end would be lined up, but not the other end.  Grrrrr   This will never be in a quilt show, so why bother?  Well, it bothers me to no end.

A few ideas have come to mind .... now to decide on which one.

Cherish your day, cherish your life!

Getting there!

Oh my, progress has been made on my Xmas Stars.  This is an excellent project to work on while watching the Olympics.  All the remaining pieces have now been prepped, but the sections need to be sewn together.  Very soon, this will be a top!  Oh happy day when that happens.

Last Friday, there was an impromptu garage day with three of us stitching away and getting caught up on news, etc.  It has been over two years since we last did this and it was such a happy visit for us.  Just a few hours to catch up and then back to our homes.

Claudia showed us her hexagon top that she finished.  During Covid, she has made a couple hexie tops/quilts.  Will there be another garage day with more of the girls soon?  Time will tell.

Now, I'm going back to stitching my Xmas Stars and watching the Olympics.

Cherish your day, cherish your life!

Xmas Stars update

This project is chugging along .... slowly but surely!

Border fabrics have been selected and that is a win-win for me as this is where my projects usually stall.  Even backing fabric has been figured out.  So, I will continue stitching away and hopefully by the end of February, it will be done and ready to send to the LAer.

  

Right now, this project is all that I want to work on.  Borders, etc. on UFO's will just have to wait a week or so .... but this must be done!  LOL

Cherish your day, cherish your life!

Xmas Stars update

Life in the slow lane ..... good for the soul!

It has been slow going, but progress is being made.  More than half done now.  The big section at the top has been sewn together.

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How satisfying it feels when basting stitches are starting to be removed ......  

..... along with the paper templates.  Such a nice feeling!

Cherish your day, cherish your life!

Xmas Stars

This project is moving along better than planned.

Fabrics on the right side are being auditioned.  Which ones will be the lucky ones to go into this quilt?  Pick me, no pick me .....

Anyway, fun, fun, fun!

Cutting up of the Xmas fabric continues.  Another bin was found!  Another?!  In that bin is fabric that will be perfect for backings.  About four backings.  Perfect!  Once that fabric has been sorted, cut or set aside for mailing to a friend, three bins will be free!  Oh my, how happy that makes me!

This sorting has come in a timely manner.  I've been having issues with dry eye disease and clogged tear ducts.   There is a staph bacteria that has been eating away at my corneas.  Corneas are supposed to be nice and smooth looking.  My corneas look like swiss cheese.  Not good.  If this doesn't get under control, my vision will go blurry.  Many, many eye drops are being taken.  At my last visit this week, there is some progress and my corneas are looking better.  Not perfect, but better.  So, the eye drops will continue for another month and then a month with no steroids being taken and then another checkup to see what improvement has happened.

More sorting of fabric and projects will continue.  Time and life is marching on.

For me, quite a number of ufo's were dealt with this year.  Next year, there will be more working on them.  There will always be squirrels to tempt me away and that will be ok.  Gotta have fun.

A tally of my accomplishments will be shown in the new year.  This will be my last post until then.

Wishing all Merry Xmas, Happy Holidays and a Happy New Year.

Stay safe and wear a mask, wash your hands.

So on that note, cherish your day, cherish your life!

Xmas Stars Away!

The year is closing down ..... less than a month to go.  Where has the year gone?

I've been busy working on my new project ..... hummmm ..... squirrel!  Xmas Stars is coming along very nicely.   It will be just a large lap size and if one star is completed per week ..... well, this should be done in a few months.  I'm still deciding about the edges.  Not sure if this will be the final look.

Some fussy cutting is happening.   Loving them!

A little bit of Xmas decorating is changing the look of our rooms.

Hubby and I have downsized our Xmas tree.  I saw on Pinterest how folks are putting a tree in a crock.  Well, since we have two ..... can do!  The tree sits right in the middle of our living room window and is now (what we consider) our outdoor decoration.  It is just too hard now for Hubby to manage the outdoor stuff, so at night with the lights on, everyone can see it from the street and it helps to keep up the look of the season.  This tree is also easier for me to handle by myself.  The two of us have to become smarter about ageing in our home.

Xmas quilts make up the majority of my decor and this quilt is the first time it is on show.  So lovely to see the quilts up.  They do make any room feel cozier!

Cherish your day, cherish your life!

Oh, those squirrels!

Well, I have a very bad squirrel problem here!  Only in my studio just in case someone really thinks that there are squirrels in the house.  LOL

After finishing my last top with the rectangles, more pieces were cut out and another top started.  If I really concentrated on this project, the top will be sewn together very quickly.  It is just that easy to do.

Oh, dear ..... then after purchasing the 2021 November/December version of Fons & Porter "Love of Quilting", there was a star quilt that kept me going back to look at.  So, I've started my own version and am doing it in the EPP method using mostly Xmas fabrics.

 

So, that is where I'm at now with projects.  My UFO's have been abandoned for now, but they will get pulled off the shelf in the new year when enthusiasm comes around for goal setting, etc.  You know how it goes!  LOL

Last week when I Zoomed with Chookyblue and other ladies from around the globe, I mentioned how cold it could get up here.  This was the second time that I Zoomed with these ladies and how interesting it was.  

It snowed overnight and this is what we woke up to.  A good couple of inches.  This snow could stay for a few days because the temp. will stay below freezing.  The windchill is making it much colder but not as cold as it can be during the winter months.  So there, Zoom ladies, this is just the start of much more snow!

There was a scramble last night to pull out winter boots.  Check.  They are out and ready to be used.  Hats, scarves and gloves.  Check, check and check.  Snow tires on the car?  Check!  We are ready for winter!

Cherish your day, cherish your life!