Finally Finished

Well it's taken me long enough but I am finally finished with my little needle book. I don't actually know when I started it, early last year sometime. It's nothing fancy. If I ever do another one I will do it differently, not that I need a fancy one, just a better approach. I didn't have everything I needed to make a normal needle book when I started this one but went ahead and started and went my own way with it, which turned out to be a rather lengthy process that discouraged me. So it's just been sitting undone for a long while. I finally picked it up last week and got it finished. I like the fabrics and the colors, and it works just fine for it's purpose, keeping my needles safely in one place. 

I've made good progress on my pink String Quilt for the OMG for January but it is now the 31st and I didn't make my goal. It's still high on my priority list but will take a bit longer to finish. This is an early picture, I can't show any progress at this point because it's a gift and a surprise so will show pictures when it's been given. It involves applique which I have never done very well. It remains a challenge though the open toe foot I got for my Bernina machine is a being a big help with getting pieces attached. I've also been practicing with the apliquick tools I borrowed from my friend Kathy. They take some getting used to. I don't know if I prefer them to needle turn applique, it's been a long time since I've done any of that so will have to try some and see what I think.

Speaking of needle turn - I pulled a very old project out of the closet this week. My first and only applique project until now. I was talking with Kathy who took the class with me and finished her quilt many years ago. She mentioned that old project and I went got it to show her my few pieces, only to find that I had finished two of the applique panels before I abandoned it. I just might have to see if I can get some work done on it this year.  There is a lot more work to do on this and I don't know if I'll get to it any time soon, but I'm glad to have found that I'm further along than I remembered.

I also pulled down a box that got put at the top of the sewing room closet when we moved in 3 years ago. I had no idea what was in it and was somewhat pleased with what I found. The box contained a partly done dress for me and one for my niece who is now in her twenties - toddler size. The size of the dress I was making for myself is way off for the me I am today as well. The cancer experience has changed me and I weigh far less than I did when I started that dress. I don't even know why those projects got put aside and never finished. I suspect I was in the midst of doing them when we made the move onto Dan's mom's property, into a house of our own. Anyway, I was pleased to find them because the fabric for the dress is beautiful, one I have always loved. It won't be a dress now - I've removed all the seams from the pieces I had managed to get sewn and will be using the fabric for a quilt. I don't have a specific plan in mind just yet, but it will come. There were also other stray bits of lovely fabric in the box that I will find a good use for.  

In addition to the mystery box from the closet, I took a couple of storage boxes out from under the bed. They have been holding other pieces of fabric that I purchased long ago for other clothing projects that I never got to. One piece will work well for a back for my Peppermint Patty quilt. It's an extra wide fabric and I have 5 yards of it! It's been sitting in that box for years. There was also another floral fabric that I love in that box. I'm not sure what I will do with that, but now all the found fabrics are in the closet in my sewing room with my other fabrics.

I thought I was nearly done making blocks for my Peppermint Patty quilt but I made a change in the layout and realized that it meant making more blocks. I spent most of the day Friday cutting pieces for the blocks. I pulled some fabrics from my stash and scrounged through what little is left of my pink scraps to get enough for all the needed blocks. Here they are all stacked and ready to be pieced. My plan is to get at least five of them done a day before starting work on other projects. It should only take me a couple of weeks at that rate to have all the blocks I need. 

I've done a little work this week with my pink scraps. Getting the right size and number of scraps for any one block has been a challenge. Guess I could cut my little bits down to 1.5" pieces to use for a postage stamp quilt but I don't know that I have the determination to tackle a quilt with pieces that small. So I only have these few pink blocks to show for RSC January. The paper pinned up with the blocks shows what a nine patch postage stamp quilt in pink could look like. 

I worked on my crochet lap blanket before sunrise this morning. It's been sitting ignored for several weeks. A couple of rows needed to be pulled out and redone and so it sat. I got it back out this past week and spent several mornings working on it while enjoying my morning coffee. I also spent today and last Sunday working on hand quilting what I've been calling my "purple leaves" quilt. Don't know quite why I've been calling it that because the print on the fabric isn't of leaves at all, it's of feathers. Old age? Chemo brain? Who knows, but I realized last week when I was working on it that I was stitching around feathers, not leaves. Anyway, I'm making some good progress on it and am enjoying the break I'm taking from the sewing room on Sundays. I'm anxious to get this little piece finished so that I can move on to my Floral Log Cabin quilt which is going to take me much longer to finish. 

I hope your quilting adventures take you to happy places this week.

I'm linking up with the following blogs as their linky parties come available: 

I'm linking up with Kathy at Kathy's Quilts for Slow Sunday Stitching

Alycia at Alycia Quilts for Finished or Not Friday

Angela at So Scrappy for RSC2021

Beth at Love, Laugh, Quilt for Monday Making

Cynthia at Quilting is More Fun than Housework for Oh Scrap!

Fredreique at Patchwork and Quilts for Patchwork and Quilts 

Denise at For the Love of Geese for Put Your Foot Down

Jennifer at the Inquiring Quilter for Wednesday Wait Loss

Judy at Small Quilts and Doll Quilts for Design Wall Monday

Nina Marie at Creations, Quilts, Art ... for Off the Wall Friday

Patty at Elm Street Quilts for One Monthly Goal

Susan at Quilt Fabrication for Midweek Makers