I have been off work for about four weeks now and what do I have to show for it? Well how about this?
I finally got the ends finished and the blocking done. Here are a couple of close ups to show some detail.
What is with this? I thought this was supposed to be a quilting blog? Well I have to show why I don't have much quilting done! OK, how about this?
Four Christmas placemates! These are of the stack and wack variety. You put four fat quarters down and trim down to the size you want to finish with plus four sets of seam allowances (two inches if you use 1/4 inch seams). Then you slice out the stripes you want (plus seam allowances), then mix up the stripes by putting the top one on the bottom for the first one, 1st & 2nd on the bottom for the next one and then 1st, 2nd & 3rd on the bottom for the last one. Sew them together, pile them up again and cut the other way. Shuffle the stripes again, as you did before and then sew them back together. Then you just have to cut some backing and batting. I just sewed them right sides together, leaving a space open on one side to turn them. Then put the batting in, taking a bit of time to get them nice and flat and then quilted as desired. I also did a quilt line about 1/8 of an inch in from the edge, so that I didn't have to sew the opening shut by hand.
I made one more chenille rug. They are really addictive! That makes three, which is quite enough. I have two more sets of placemates to make, one for me and one for a present, so really only one has to be done in the next few days. I also have the fabric for a seasonal wall hanging that I hope to get done before New Years, as I go back to work on January 2.
Since I take over as president of my quilt guild on January 1st, I have also been spending time figuring out what we will be doing next year for 12 months. I have been concentrating on the first four months of the year, when I am very busy at work, so don't have enough spare time to figure anything out. I have also been working on an afghan that my sister had started many years ago. It is hexagons, so I couldn't resist! It makes nice work that I can do while sitting upstairs with my husband, rather than hiding away in my sewing room all the time. Now it is time to finish my baking. I have three more batches of cookie to do, as well as mincemeat tarts, so I had better get moving. I will also be sewing a few more gift bags in order to finish my wrapping. It might be a rather long day!
I hope you all have your Christmas projects finished! Try to take a little time off from busy schedules to get a little quilting done. Most of all enjoy the season!
I finally got the ends finished and the blocking done. Here are a couple of close ups to show some detail.
Four Christmas placemates! These are of the stack and wack variety. You put four fat quarters down and trim down to the size you want to finish with plus four sets of seam allowances (two inches if you use 1/4 inch seams). Then you slice out the stripes you want (plus seam allowances), then mix up the stripes by putting the top one on the bottom for the first one, 1st & 2nd on the bottom for the next one and then 1st, 2nd & 3rd on the bottom for the last one. Sew them together, pile them up again and cut the other way. Shuffle the stripes again, as you did before and then sew them back together. Then you just have to cut some backing and batting. I just sewed them right sides together, leaving a space open on one side to turn them. Then put the batting in, taking a bit of time to get them nice and flat and then quilted as desired. I also did a quilt line about 1/8 of an inch in from the edge, so that I didn't have to sew the opening shut by hand.
I made one more chenille rug. They are really addictive! That makes three, which is quite enough. I have two more sets of placemates to make, one for me and one for a present, so really only one has to be done in the next few days. I also have the fabric for a seasonal wall hanging that I hope to get done before New Years, as I go back to work on January 2.
Since I take over as president of my quilt guild on January 1st, I have also been spending time figuring out what we will be doing next year for 12 months. I have been concentrating on the first four months of the year, when I am very busy at work, so don't have enough spare time to figure anything out. I have also been working on an afghan that my sister had started many years ago. It is hexagons, so I couldn't resist! It makes nice work that I can do while sitting upstairs with my husband, rather than hiding away in my sewing room all the time. Now it is time to finish my baking. I have three more batches of cookie to do, as well as mincemeat tarts, so I had better get moving. I will also be sewing a few more gift bags in order to finish my wrapping. It might be a rather long day!
I hope you all have your Christmas projects finished! Try to take a little time off from busy schedules to get a little quilting done. Most of all enjoy the season!
