lesmel in 2019

I managed to set up my dining room as my crafting area again. I even have my January wall hanging laid out ready for finishing. AND I found the pattern for my September wall hanging! Now if I can just get to it. I've been sidetracked by food shows on Netflix, trying out my Anova circulator for sous vide, reading for my book club on Monday, and tomorrow I'm cooking all day with a friend!

Oh, you do sound busy! We'll enjoy seeing whatever you manage to get to!

How are the hangings going? And the sous vide experiments?

>3 mabith: Hi! Thanks for dropping in!!

I should have named this year's thread "Hiding From My Sewing Projects" - I haven't done a stitch of sewing yet. No promises; but I am hoping to finish the four remaining wall hangings before the end of the year. Right now I am obsessed with doing jigsaw puzzles. So far, the sous vide has gone well. I have discovered that sous vide is great for feeding more than one. It seems barely worth the effort for just me; but the food is consistently fantastic.

Since I appear to have abandoned sewing (for now), I do have some other threads this year:

Cooking - http://www.librarything.com/topic/301955
Reading - http://www.librarything.com/topic/301802
Puzzles - http://www.librarything.com/topic/304625

Supposedly, my library is having a sewcial this weekend...wait, no. It's next month. Booooooo! Guess I will just read my book club book instead. Although, I really do have the itch to sew. I may set up my dining room as my sewing area tomorrow night. Tonight, I have my first ever puzzle swap. I hope it is a hit.

>5 lesmel: A "sewcial"! how clever! (I sewed for two decades on the kitchen table). A puzzle swap? They certainly make some awfully cool (and difficult) jigsaw puzzles these days.

Glad to see you out and about.

No one pass out. I'm all set up to craft for the rest of the year! In fact, today, I'll be finishing the January wall hanging I started at least a year ago. If I'm diligent (and lucky) I might manage at least two more wall hangings before I have to go back to work on Tuesday.

In other news, the puzzle swap was a flop and I'm not even sure it's worth the brain power to try to make it work. Oh well.

I read that someone was coming to Houston for QuiltFest. Are there more than a couple of us in the Houston area? Anyone interested in a meetup?

>7 lesmel: We are here to cheer you on!

Finished the January wall hanging! I'm not really thrilled with it as a stylized firework(s) but I do like it as a quilt piece.

OOO, is that whole piece hexies, or is the design appliquéd on? It's certainly very well done either way.

>10 avaland: It's all pieced hexies. I thought for sure they would be a lot harder than they were. Instead, they were exhausting!

Oh - I think I remember when you started this. I like the geometry of it. I hardly ever work with solid colors in my quilts, so I admire that too. I'm the one coming to the Quilt Festival. I'd love to at least grab a coffee if I can, but besides the cousins we're staying with, there are other cousins in Austin that want us to come by. And we're only planning to be there a week. So it looks like a busy trip right now. But I'll keep you in mind if I can fit in a meetup. (And since they moved, I'm not even sure what area of the city they live in.)

>12 dudes22: Let me know it goes! I totally understand how busy that week can be!!

Am working on my Sept wall hanging. I've hit a road block...namely, I need two different fabrics from the ones I picked today -- one I bought today (the white on tan pumpkins) & one I had (leaves on green background). I need pumpkin ones.

*sighs*



I could cut the other sets of fabrics for my blocks; but I just realized I don't have most of the fabrics for one of the blocks -- I need browns. This is why I shouldn't be allowed to fabric shop when I am feeling ill. I should have left as soon as I got nauseated; but I was being stubborn. And I am missing one more fabric for the fourth block.

*double sighs*

For those keeping score, that is seven fabrics I am missing to complete this wall hanging. This could be the most fabric heavy wall hanging of the series!

This is my plan for the wall hanging:

Don't you just love graph paper? I couldn't live without it.

Can we help at all with the missing fabrics?

I'm sure I've got something.

I'm good. I made a run to the other Joann's (yay labor day sale!). Thank y'all both for offering!

OMG. I love graph paper. Especially this 4 squares style I've been working with for ages now.

I've spent too much time away from sewing. The past three days have proved to me that my planning skills are a little rusty. My design skills seem to still be functioning...mostly! I managed to nail three of the four blocks!



I am not in love with the pumpkin block. It feels too chaotic. Thoughts?

>18 lesmel: Back in the saddle again.... (I'm singing that....) re: pumpkin block, I tend to agree but it's your project. Go with your gut.

I'm not sure from the way you have it drawn, but, if you're going to put sashing, would adding a stem in the sashing help? I think if you had a stem it would look more like a pumpkin.

(Now that I look more closely, I realize you will have sashing.)

>19 avaland: Ha! I have had that song stuck in my head all day. My gut said remake...so I did. Much happier!!

>20 dudes22: There will be sashing of a sort & a stem. I plan to appliqué the stem (and maybe a curly vine) onto that block once I have more of the top pieced.

Here is where things stand for tonight:

Pumpkin remade:


Ear of corn in process of remake


I have a sneaking suspicion my remake of the corn is not going to go well in a few more seams. We shall see tomorrow. If you haven't noticed based on the photo, I am getting ready to tackle some Y-seams.

Y-seams. You. Brave. Gal.

Well, that went better than expected!!



The red is just to show placement. I'll decide tomorrow how I want to layout the four colors that make up the sashing. I also still need to make stems for the pumpkin & acorn. I plan to appliqué the stems as the last thing before sandwiching.

That's really nice. And just in time for the season.

Ok. Definitely rusty. I never once keyed into the fact that my pattern was significantly larger than the rest in the series. So. I modified the pattern to fit the series size...



I have to read for bookclub this weekend. I am aiming to get as close to finished as possible tomorrow before I pause to read my book & then get right back to it!

>25 lesmel: It's starting to be very pretty. I really like it.

>26 Lyndatrue: Very seasonal!

Finished on Saturday...or maybe it was Sunday. The weekend is a giant blur.

>28 lesmel: It's really lovely! Congratulations on the completion!

That looks great! I love the acorn.

>28 lesmel: ooh, fabulous. I also like the way the light dapples (is that a verb?) the quilt in the photo.

Very nice! (and just in time for Fall!)

November's wall hanging has been driving me batty. I'm finally *almost* done with the top. The turkey still needs button eyes. Then I'm going to use up as many of the blades I cut thinking I would use them on the top...

>33 lesmel: I'm in love with the turkey. Are those actual buttons for the eyes? They look like buttons, and yet they don't.

I'm excited to see this one finished. It's really lovely!

>34 Lyndatrue: The eyes at the moment are fabric; but I'm going to add buttons once I quilt the piece.

That's cute. Are those extra pieces going to be the back?

Aw, I love it!

Adorable! (and he doesn't look threatened, so I imagine he will escape the oven). Wow, you are almost done with a year's worth of wall hangings!

Just adding more turkey love. And like Lois, I'm impressed with the year of wall hangings thing.

>36 dudes22: The extras will be the back. I see a lot of flip-flop sewing in my future!

>38 avaland: & >39 lauralkeet: *snorts* It would be so much more impressive if there hadn't been a 1 year and 4 month hiatus between the previous piece and the January and September pieces. I looked back, the last time I worked on the wall hanging project was http://www.librarything.com/topic/279904#6440933

I won't be doing any sewing for at least a week...maybe...if it will STOP RAINING.

Just wanted to stop in and say that it doesn't look like I'll have time for a coffee this visit to Houston. Since I posted we were coming, my husband's other cousin who lives north of Fort Worth wants us to come up and stay overnight and meet a cousin who is here from Sweden. If I'd known that earlier, I would have planned a longer visit. But I'm sure we'll be visiting again and next time we'll get together.

>41 dudes22: Hope you packed a warm coat and layers!! Enjoy your visit in our fair city/state. You are getting the good weather!

Ok. The backing for the November wall hanging is daunting. I caved under the pressure of the THOUGHT of all those blades...but I'm gonna work on it this weekend. After my morning runs. After I work on a financial thing that my dad has practically begged me to work on for nearly a month. After I pick my belly button lint... No. Really. I'll work on the November wall hanging this weekend....uh huh.

I didn't bring a very warm coat. And it was colder here this morning than back home - it figures. We're actually staying in Rosharon about 45 min outside the city. And wow- all that construction.

I've finally been putting in some hours at the sewing machine!

I finished the November wall hanging:



My boss is retiring at the end of the year. I have had her fabric for probably two years.



Now I'm drafting the December wall hanging. I have been second guessing my design; but I'm sticking to my guns. This was my first run at the first four blocks.



I've already made some corrections -- the mitten thumb is wrong -- and some adjustments -- the ornament looked weird and then I realized it was missing the funny little neck thing where you put the hook or ribbon. I just have to decide what the other eight blocks will be. As if I didn't have a big enough challenge, my blocks are slightly different sized: 10x8, 9x8, 9x8, & 8x8. Just means I'm going to have to be really careful about building my rows.

Possible blocks:

snowman face
bell
gingerbread man or house
skate
present(s)
candy cane
hat
light bulb
snow globe
peppermint candy

>45 lesmel: Your boss is a lucky person. I got some decent gifts (some extremely thoughtful) when I retired (nearly 14 years ago, which seems like yesterday, and a hundred years, all at once). I received a bottle of port, which had to be held at the guard station (and I picked it up as I left for the day).

Your quilt is lovely. If it doesn't warm your boss's heart, you can always give it to me. ;-}

That was a great idea for the turkey feathers. I love the different fabrics.

Yes, the quilt is indeed lovely. I hope she appreciates it! Will be interested to see what your final thoughts are for your December hanging.

The year ended in a wild rush to get some craftmas done. The wall hanging went on hold so I could whip out four mug rugs for my mother's present. I still owe her eight more mug rugs -- and she was quick to tell me so. 🤣 You can see the mug rug project here: https://www.flickr.com/photos/bloglass/albums/72157712478982163

I must have missed this last post! Those are adorable. I will have to make some of those later this year for some friends....