March Finishes for Bucilla Projects

Two lovely kits were finished in March.

Winter Santa, Bucilla kit #86935E

I love all the detail stitching on Santa's royal blue coat. 

All that stitching makes this an intermediate project.

I especially love the reindeer...

and the arctic fox.

Santa's face was pretty simple in terms of stitching.

I received a complimentary kit of Winter Santa from Plaid Bucilla as part of their ambassador program.

The next kit I finished was a set of Sparkle Snowflake ornaments.

This kit was in my extensive stash of Bucilla kits. The toughest part of constructing the ornaments was stitching them together as I stuffed them.

Both kits are currently available from several needlework kit sources.

#plaidcrafts#plaidamb

Life Goes On...

As people-moving events become more restricted by the minute due to the Coronavirus, I am thankful most of my daily routine revolves around spending time in my studio...I am lucky!

I ran into an issue with the stitch regulator way back before Christmas on my Nolting Fun Quilter midarm. I overcame the issue by turning off the stitch regulator. After quilting two tops I finally got around to calling Nolting during hours they were open and I wasn't sleeping. (A major downside to living in Alaska.) Maybe the Daylight Savings time switch is what had be up earlier than usual so I got that call made! (The Daylight Savings switches always shakes me up twice a year for at least a week!)

It was a great relief...and a little bit embarrassing to figure out the problem is dirt. This simple little wheel pictured below needs to be cleaned. I can even see some tiny sparkles of glitter on it.

I do tend to use parts of my quilting frame as extra table space when I am not quilting. I'm sure that has a lot to do with that dirty wheel!

I'm sharing that bit of knowledge in the hopes it might help someone resolve such a simple issue.

The first three days of this week were spent taking down all my Christmas decorations. I have never kept my stuff up until March...but I think I will do it again. I still hate how bare everything looks without all the lights and garland. 

And...it turns out a couple of large drywall cracks redeveloped around two of  the picture windows in our great room. We had several large aftershocks this winter and we can expect another year of them. The garland I hang around those picture windows covered those big cracks very nicely. On the up side...I haven't found any other cracks re-emerging anywhere else in the house. 

I just want to make a brief mention about how anxious I felt this winter. I think it started with a major septic tank issue that lasted for two months. Then several good aftershocks and the anniversary of the big earthquake on Nov. 30th. We had just as many dark hours as we ever do this winter but I just didn't power through it like I usually do. We did do some traveling to warmer, sunny climates and that definitely helped. It's the first time I've struggled so much with our winter months...hoping next winter I am back to normal and getting lots of quilting done.

On to fun stuff.

With three trips out of Alaska I managed to get three cross stitch ornaments done. These are all from Mill Hill and are Jim Shore designs. These can be challenging little projects with lots of color changes in small areas. I have one Santa in the series left to make.

I'm definitely behind on my Bucilla projects for the year. I'm getting back into that grove. I'm about halfway through this stocking.

I did take a simple Bucilla kit on a trip and got it started. Like quilting...it's always nice to have an easier project to pull out if lots of fancy embroidery work gets you bogged down on another project.

I am trying to stay on-task with the quilted stocking I started. I have the front and back sections basted for some hand quilting. I was planning to start the quilting tomorrow at a quilting session that meets at a senior center but with the Coronavirus warnings the session was cancelled. Totally understandable since it is held at a senior center with varying levels of health concerns for residents without new stuff hitting them.

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And finally...a little look at life in Alaska 

Yep...a note that says "Moose," on my deck door. 

My husband had called to tell me minutes after he left the house that a moose was laying in our yard, right by the driveway...but a few minutes later I got distracted and when the dogs rang their monkey bells on the deck door I let them outside. 

They ran around the corner of the house and found this guy.

There was another moose in the woods behind him. 

There was a lot of barking and after much screaming on my part, both dogs finally came back in the house. I immediately wrote the pink sticky note so I wouldn't make that mistake again!

This same moose was in the yard yesterday evening and my male dog, Logan, tried to chase the moose through snow that is two feet deep. The moose charged him and since the moose has longer legs he was making ground on Logan when my dog finally cleared the deep snow and hit the driveway.  

Later this afternoon, both moose left for other parts of the mountain. They will probably be back all too soon.

Snow = Quilting

We needed some more snow and we got it! The dogs were very happy! 

We got 22-inches in a 24-hour period. It made for some wavy deck rails.

We got about an inch of snow every hour during the storm. I stayed home and worked on getting the binding done for the Christmas Presents quilt. One of the plowed berms along our driveway worked well for a quick outdoor picture. No yellow snow in this vicinity. 

This is a fat quarter pattern. It takes 30 fat quarters, 10 on each colorway. You stack the fat quarters and cut the present shapes using a freezer paper template...then rotate the fabrics, sew and trim to size. Really a fun quilt to make. 

I bought this kit from a local quilt store...many years ago...and gifted it to my quilting mother-in-law. She gifted it back to me two years ago which was perfect.  I had actually bought extra fabric for the border when I gave it as a gift...the original pattern is border-less.

Most of the fabrics are metallic. I was so jazzed to find the perfect backing that was creamy with gold metallic. The low light photo shows all that scrumptious quilting. I am not quick...and I did struggle with ideas for quilting. I am always thrilled when ideas make it from my head to the quilt successfully.

I broke some "quilting rules," and didn't match my bobbin thread to the top thread color. I wanted cream thread on the back side for all the stitching. I sacrificed a few places where the cream bobbin thread shows through in the red and green fabrics...I did switch my top thread to match the fabric in the blocks.

Really...I should use my best Pirate-voice and say it was "quilting guidelines," I chose to ignore. I am really not a rule breaker.

If you are interested in this pattern the official name is, "#229 Shopping's Done! Gifts Wrapped!" The designer is Sandy Gervais from her company, Pieces from my Heart.

I also need to share the projects I worked on at the last retreat. I finished making the butterfly blocks for, "Madame Butterfly," from the book, "Charm School." I used layer cakes which is perfect as you need two or three charm squares of each colorway for the individual butterfly blocks. 

I'm thinking about using my scraps for a piano key-type border. 

The next big project was a carry over from the fall retreat. I finished all 20 blocks for the pattern, "Skyfull of Stars." This is a free pattern on Moda's Bakeshop website. 

It is a lot of intense piecing but the blocks finish at an impressive 16-inches. I have made this quilt before and will add a small border to finish the stars on the outside edge. 

Not a retreat project but ongoing studio project...

 I am so proud of myself for finishing all the paper piecing and hand applique work on the motorcycle-themed stocking. I need to hand quilt the top and coordinating plain back piece. I'm sure that will take me another month! 

And I have to make the little bear to sit in the pocket, too!

I get to visit my granddaughter soon...I can't wait to see how much she has changed. My son does a wonderful job of sending me pictures of her almost everyday. I can see a little personality starting to show up in those photos.

Then when I get home I need to get my challenge quilts loaded on the quilting frame and done for the next retreat the first few days of May...eek...soon all the snow will be gone and it will be time to work in the garden. I thought the end of winter couldn't come soon enough and now I am almost in a panic that it will be ending.

Retreat Show and Telll

I did some severe cropping on the photos and many where taken at night so the colors are not always as vibrant as they are in reality...but it is still fun to see all the variety of projects tackled at retreat.

Notice the bottom right corner of photo above. When I was reviewing photos from our retreat I noticed the flipped block. I passed on the problem and am pretty sure it has already been fixed. Thank goodness it is on an outside edge!

Lots of scrappy projects at retreat. Many ladies had blocks completed for several projects.

Then there were a handful of projects that needed the final step...binding.

Just a quick look at some of the projects others worked on at retreat. 

Packing for Retreat

My prep work for the upcoming retreat has been pretty easy since I'm going to work on two projects that are in progress. 

I was hopeful I would get my current quilt on the frame done in time to work on the binding at retreat but unless I forego sleeping that isn't going to happen. So close...but it never works to rush quilting.

One more little cross stitch ornament done.

I'm hoping next week to have a lot of great pictures to share from our show and tell at retreat. 

The Month That Was Gone in a Flash

January 2020 was a month of few stitching opportunities.

 I did finish three cross stitch ornaments that had to be replaced due to my killer cat tearing them apart in previous Christmas seasons. 

We made our regular trek to somewhere warmer...Kauai...where it rained almost all day...all seven days we were there. But it was a warm rain while temperatures at home were sub-zero. 

On our way home we diverted to Oregon where we met the newest Bailey family member, our granddaughter, Kate. I love babies anyway...but it really was wonderful to hold this little bundle. 

Just two days after getting home it was Breakfast Club!

I did my own project. I just love this book...

I had to start the pattern, "Madame Butterfly." 

My design wall has the four blocks I managed to finish at class. There are 18 projects in this book for charm squares and I like so many of them. Fun book.

 I have completed the hand applique parts of the motorcycle on the newest stocking under construction.

I did load a quilt on my frame and got a bit of it started. I hope this will go quickly. My next quilt retreat starts February 6th. It would be nice to tackle the binding at retreat.

The second biggest news (after #1 granddaughter), is the sun has returned to shining on our house. We lose it for a couple of months every winter. Very happy to get it back. It was -12 on our dog walk today but it felt warmer...like it was a balmy 2 degrees.

2019 Year in Review

I hoped to officially close out 2019 on my blog yesterday, but with the holidays our usual meeting date for Breakfast Club got switched to New Year's eve. Not good for my procrastinating habit when it comes to blogging.

Maybe one of these years I'll make a cute collage of all my finished projects for the year but this post will have to get done now so I can move on to new plans and projects.

Just a quick note about the unhappy parts of 2019. 

My dad's death in March was tough. We had a close relationship and I miss him. Every time we have a new event with our sons, I think of my Dad and how much he would have enjoyed being a part of it too.

We had a major home repair, our septic tank had to be replaced and nothing seemed to go right in the process. We fixed an issue with the drainage line from the house to the septic tank in the summer but in the fall we discovered we had a hole in our steel septic tank. I'll spare you the details but since we have lots of ground water...it found its way into our tank. The high water alarm was in overdrive!

It was an expensive and nerve wracking process that lasted over two months. 

I didn't blog about it at the time because I was trying not to dwell on it!

By Thanksgiving we were finally back to normal. 

In the process my front landscaping/rock work was torn up so I have quite a lot of work to tackle next summer. It seems really daunting to me right now but I'm sure once I get my hands in the dirt I will get in the groove and probably even enjoy it.

Quilting definitely helped me get through all the rough times.

My goal for every month is to: finish a quilt, finish a Bucilla felt kit, and finish a cross stitch kit. That means 12 of each.

 One of these years I am going to get 12 quilts done...but not this year.

Batiki Argyle II. I have it on my leather couch right now. Love it!

Carpenter Star, a wall hanging made from scraps.

My big endeavor, Sparklers.

A spooky wall hanging.

Two baby quilts with an Alaska theme batik. One gifted to my son already. The other needs to get mailed out for a baby due in February.

And my two tall tree wall hangings.

So far, eight quilts are the most I have gotten done in year. I need to improve on that number because I'm pretty sure I make more quilt tops than that every year.

 I'm just going to list the quilt tops I made this year.

Baby Honu

Gimmie Diamonds in Hawaii

Alaska Baby (X3)

Spumoni Spin (X2)

Patchwork Butterfly

Wandering Bigfoot

Pumpkin Seeds

Brown Bag Debbie Caffrey Mystery

Sweet Christmas Redwork Embroidery

Aurora Nights

Tall Tree Wall  Hanging (X2)

Halloween Silhoutte

16 quilt tops for 2019.

I also finished this major cute pincushion...to include making the pins. These pins have been used on more than one project this year. Very glad I made them.

Only seven Bucilla kits got finished this year.

The 3D Santa got started in 2018. It was wonderful to have in my decorations this year. 

Then I worked on a kit I had opened several years ago and became quickly overwhelmed with and put it in the bottom of a box.

Noah's Animals. 

Twenty-five pairs.

I worked on these animals from the second week of January 2019 until April 30, 2019. 

Wow! And I did work on them regularly in the evenings. I need a sweet, small Christmas tree to display them on next year. The one I used this year is really too small for 50 ornaments!

These Holiday Shopping Spree ornaments were also very time consuming.

No photo but also got a set of three Nutcracker ornaments made.

The stocking kits go much faster. I only made three of those this year.

Santa Says Hello

Snow Princess

Ornamental Deer

Only seven Bucilla kits...very low count for me.

 But that Noah's Animal kit was like four or five kits in one...just saying.

I did great on the cross stitch kits, getting 13 ornaments done. 

South American Santas

Victorian Santas

Christmas Eve Santas

Two more were Skiing and Sledding Santas. 

I also made some of Jim Shore ornaments designs release in 2019.

 I made Snowman with Lights and Snowman Dancing. 

  

I blog because it gives me a great feeling of accomplishment to review my work every year. 

I like to give myself a little pat on the back now and them.

I am officially closing out 2019 and welcoming 2020.

Hope you have a Happy and Productive New Year!