Starting the new year

Starting my first "Stay at home Round Robin (SHARR)" experience!

If you want to join me, the rules are,

#1 go find a 12" block in your UFO pile to start with.

Mine is the star in the center.

You build up your quilt by adding rows to your center block by following the prompts.

The first round prompt is the "kings crown" block

or a block named for the first initial of your name.

I chose the "kings crown" there are 4 variations, (see here,

https://kathleenmcmusing.com/2025/01/2025-sahrr-first-round/ )

to choose from, I chose to make one big block around my center block instead of maybe using the
"Kings Crown" block as corners, a companion block, or a surround.

How else would you use this block in a quilt?

I'm also joining in on the "Rainbow Scrap Challenge (RSC)"

January's color was Pink, did you know Pink is not a color in the rainbow?

First set are the 9-patch stars, made with 2 1/2 squares in a 6" block.

they are a little hard to see as the contrast between the pink and white is difficult to pick up with the camera.

The second set are made with 4" alternate squares

in pink and white and white and pink

The center square is 2" and the surrounding layers

are alternating strips of 1" to 1 1/4" scraps.

Starting the new year with enthusiasm is simple

It's trying to sustain the enthusiasm throughout the rest of the year

as the mundane home and family stuff start to demand attention away from sewing, But I make the attempt every year.

Happy year of the Wood Snake everyone!

Sewing room update

 Ever begin to feel like you have too many hobbies?

me neither.

I'm in the process of ripping apart my sewing space in preparation for

moving into my new Sewing room, soonsometimeinthenextmonth 

that should all be said together in a hummmmmmmm!

in which there is now a floor, 2 windows and a door!

 woo!

I'm trying to be methodical in my sorting and boxing

but my squirrel brain keeps running amok

She's finding all the buried nuts of old 1/2 finished projects, she was going to do. 

Sounds like my lost tribe no?   Princess allthehobbies of the Wasgonnado tribe

Anyhow a week of boxing up aaaand.

I've run out of boxes and all that's moved is fabric and books.

I've barely made a dent.

Awwwe..........

This Years Wrap up

 This post is just a reminder to myself that I did manage to get some things done this year

All the way back in January and february I finished my frog sized frog

This is also a reminder to try one in a smaller size

And I also made this tiny "Casket toy" glove of flt ribbons and gold passing thread

I also finished this Chatelaine Purse in January, Though to be fair she was started in november

All the Tarot cards were begun and done during this year

I have in my head to do more of these

They were fun

Started and Finished My youngest daughters Crazy Quilted Ellie 

Helped put together costumes for a play in march

Not these ones, I somehow managed to forget

to take any pictures of the ones I worked on

Though it's understandable we had the usual 

2 weeks to complete 3 Robe a la Frances dresses for men from scratch including underpinnings!

It'll be fine!

Went to our quilt Guilds Retreat in the mountains 

just so I could finish this one!

She was my first foray into making an entire 

English Paper pieced Quilt with scraps from my pile

I'd say that was successful!

Finished 2 Rainbow Scrap flimsies

And a Quilt for my SeaStar (Step-Sister) 

As a gift for when we went to visit family in April

After the Eclipse

Plus a couple of silly little projects 

The ongoing garden Cleanup 

Numerous Quilt group things

The shophop quilts I just posted about 

and the studio renovation backadagarage

I got a lot done this year!

So whenever you start feeling like"ungh! why can't I get anything done?"

go through you're photo roll and take stock

You'll be surprised at how much you actually did get done!

No wonder you're so tired all the time!

What I am getting for Yule Tide

Back of the garage

We are renovating the big space at the back of our garage for a dedicated studio for meeeee!

Needless to say I'm am a bit excited.

Right now the only way to get back there is through the garage it's self

So let's go on safari!

Passed the car 

and through the jungle of everything of mine that was formerly stored in that area!

Plus the thirty odd years of Adams satellite stuff

 and computer tinkerings

old Bicycles, etc.

and all the stuff in the garage part

At least it's all sorted now.

This is the corner where it flooded 

and the critters took advantage

there was also a leak in the ceiling here 

where the roof flashing was missing, when we had the roof redone 10 years ago.

And here is that corner now! Much better.

There will be a door to the left of that window

Which will be a bigger window eventually,

There will be lots more windows eventually!

So this is the north west corner that faces the house.

This is the south east corner that faces the driveway/Back neighbor's right of way 

and the yard behind the garage, yes there is more yard.

Since I will be able to see it now I should plan to do something with it, as well.

We are raising the floor so its even with the garage floor, 

which is 10" higher than this space 

it's a biig step down  

I want it level so it's easier to get things in and out of this room from the garage

This room, including the ceiling, was originally fully sheet rocked and very claustrophobic

We had our contractor take it all down and it opened up everything!

I no longer feel like I need to duck every time I walk in here

I'm thinking 3 rows of track lighting along the V points on the joists     

                                                                          which will be insulated and covered  

And more windows, OMG I need some light in here!

The contractor is taking the rest of the year off but this is where he has left it

2/3rds of a sub floor and the plans for where the door windows and all the outlets and light switches go

Lots more to do but it's a good start.

I can't wait! Happy Yule tide to mee, happy Yule tide to mee .....

Happy Holidays Everyone!

Some more flimsy finishes

The benefit to setting aside blocks as you finish them, is that one day,                                                                                                                        when you have the spoons,                                                                                                                                                                                              you finish them all at once and look like the biggest quilting hero ever!                                                                                                                              I finished this flimsy from Shop-hop 2010 and even used up all the fabric!

I also finished this Shop-hop 2009 flimsy                                                                                                                                                                I was given the blocks years ago by Susan at the shop in Woodinville                                                                                                                    They came in a box with other stuff from someone who was destashing, or moving, or had passed.                                                                                                                                                               The store got a lot of things like that.                                                                                                                                                              Since Susan is affiliated with Stray Threads Quilt guild                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                      

2"short! AAAAAgh!

                                                                                                                      We would go through the boxes and separate them into piles                                                                                                                                                     which would then go to their respective committees within the guild                                                                                                                                     Then someone would either come pick them up                                                                                                                                                                     or we would take them to a meeting, whichever came first.                                                                                                                                          Anyway, provenance aside I got the blocks for this shop-hop   

                                                                                                                      all finished with about a fat quarter left of the ground fabric                                                                                                                                             It was not enough for the top and bottom border  -.-      !                                                                                                                                                     EVEN THOUGH I measured a bunch of times! pooh!                                                                                                                                                       But, There was an extra block! Woo-hoo! Oh fraptious day!                                                                                                                                       Enough to rip apart and piece a 2.75" x 5" piece to complete the border!   

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                        I win!

 on the back

Not pretty on the back,                                                                                                                                                                                                           but you hardly notice it on the front. Even in a close up!                                                                                                                                                 So that's 2 more flimsies on the pile TBQ                                                                                                                                                                         I'mma be a busy girl when It comes to longarm time!                                                                                                                                                       Now there is just the 2018, 2021, 2023, and 2024                                                                                                                                                       and somewhere in there I was given the part for the 2014 SH                                                                                                                                           but I don't like any of the blocks for it so...........thinking cap there.

A shop-hop finish!

This year I had a goal to finish at least one           old shop-hop                                                                                                                                                   Here in Washington we have a yearly event called a Shop-Hop.                                                      

Where 20-30 stores, along the I5 corridor and west side of the sound, all participate in picking a theme.

Each store makes a pattern to that theme 

which draws in quilters for miles around, even internationally!

We have two weeks, 

to gather in groups of excited revelers, to visit all the shops we can get to, 

gather the patterns and any extra fabric we may "need" 

get lunch and eventually, put together a quilt.

Don't try this in one day!     

It's loads of fun and we gather together to take turns driving  the rout.

Sometimes we go for the day sometimes we do more, It's an arduous journey 

that takes you from Bremerton to Vancouver on the east side to Port Townsend    

Lots of beautiful scenery and lots of yummy, yummy fabric!   

This is my completed 2022 Shop-hop top

I didn't get to all the shops in this one so 

I made up some of the blocks myself      

                                                                                                          And here's my sewing space after a couple days of fooling around

It's bound to get worse I've two more sets of blocks to get to!                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                 

Gold work update and some sewing stuff

Here Mr. Snail has gotten his body                                   antennae to come

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                      I'm working on the stems now.                                                                                                                                                                        It's very slow going mostly because working the stems is fiddly.                                                                                                               More fiddly than clumping them all together, as you can hide some mistakes in the mash potatoes.                                                                                                                                                                             You can't hide a single strand of Purl Purl when it's all alone.        It's lumpy af all by it's self.

And any mistakes are going to trumpet their ick everywhere                                                                                                                                                                                                                                        Doesn't look so bad this way

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                       The bottom of the stem didn't look thick enough                                                                                                                                                             I added some more smooth Purl, cut small and threaded at an angle                                                                                                                                 Which gives the lower half more definition and makes the stem look more able to hold up the rest of the assembly.                                                                                                                                                                    I will all add gold sequin berries at intervals and I'm wondering               if I should add some smaller leaves or would that make it too busy?                                                                                                                                That's a ponder for later.

I have also been working on a bunch of old shop hops                                                                                                                                                       On tap right now is the 2022 featuring homestead type imagery                                                                                                                                       canning jars and labels, pick-nick baskets, pies etc.

                                                                                                                                                                        The blocks are mostly done,                                                                                                                       just the hand work to finish up on a few of them,                                                                                        I will give the blocks a lattice setting,                                                                                                     then use up as much of the rest of the fabric as I can in multiple borders                        

                                                                                     Gearing up for this years Rainbow scrap challenge                                                                                      sorting out the scrap bags, I need to make that yellow one bigger.                                                      I also need to make an orange and a teal bag, those two are way to small now                                                                                                                              And how is it I end up with all that blue?                 As a rule I don't use all that much in the way of blue, yet that bag is always over full to falling over.                                                                            I don't understand.                        

                                                                                    The state of my sewing space has become a bit on the Idea laden side                                                                                                                                          I keep wondering if I should clean or leave it                                                                                                The new studio is coming along and will probably be ready to move into after the first of the year.                                                                                        So clean or pack up? Leave it until I have to move it?                                                                                                                                                                As none of it is especially in the way,                   it's just cramped, 

                                                                                                                           or do I preemptively start moving to storage, I.E. the garage,                        the things I know I don't need now?                                                                                                                                                                                                  Do the lazy bit and leave it make some room                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                              I'm Feeling                                                                                                                         Meh right now, though I do see the efficacy of doing a bit of a tidy.                                                                                                                                                                                                                    

Goldwork on damask

 I have embarked on this goldwork adventure

the way I embark on most of my adventures

by doing the research, buying a bunch of books,

These are two of my favorites

 

watching a bunch of videos and pictures, 

inhaling the the knowledge within, 

And then trying out the techniques, 

through small projects and kits 

that is to say 

enthusiastically jumping in with both feet

SO far, so good

Gerry's Block

It was past time for my own project

So I took an old Embroidery Idea I used for the 

False gold Round Robin with Crazy Quilting International

In which we used all the cheep left over christmas ribbon, 

gold lame and what-not we could find. 

This was the block I did for Gerry Kruger,^  somewhere around 2012

re translated that block for this project and

Working from the goldwork masterclass book

Using actual tools and techniques this time

I am coming up with much better results

outlined in gold passing thread the pomegranate and leaf 

looks much better It's such a tiny detail but it adds so much

Mr.Snail got his Shell using 1 strand of  a 3 strand 

silk wool, I don't know which brand 

this is a remnant that has been kicking around 

for a decade or more.

I needle wove it separately with a simple stumpwork Detached Buttonhole  stitch

Then tacked it down around the batting shape and stuffed it a little more