December Goals.

I had a bit of a think about what I want to achieve for December. All of my ornament obligations are done, some have even been mailed and are winging their ways over the world.

My Chookshed challenges were all achieved. (Note to self, write a round up blog post for that).

So now what?

My Windswept project appeared twice on my Chookshed challenge list. At the start of the year it was a bundle of fabrics and a pattern.  I worked on it throughout the year making a point of focusing on it when it's Chookshed number was drawn. 

All of the blocks are now made, so it is time to start joining them together. Hopefully this month I can sew the A blocks,

Together with the B Blocks,

And the C Blocks 

And maybe have a completed quilt top by Christmas, or the new year at least.

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My Blue lanterns EPP project saw some love today as I joined Chooky and the girls after work.

I also stitched on a couple of blocks on Friday evening too.

I have only 5 edge blocks and one corner block left to add. 

EXCITING!

This was the last image I took of this project. Another row of blue and the beginnings of the final white row have since been added.

It would be nice to have this one as a completed top by New Year too.

I have a lovely piece of baby blue minky to use as backing. It is wonderfully soft with a cosy drape and a velvety feel. I'm looking forward to snuggling under that next Winter.

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I also want to make progress on my Winter Fairy cross stitch.

And make some preparations for my next EPP

Some of you know already what that will be, you helped me to decide on zoom one day a while ago, but just so we are all in the same page...

I have had this book and the paper bundle since 2021.

They should be nicely matured by now.

And as you know my batik collection is continually growing and evolving. Betty decided that I should use a few of them for this project, so here we go.

It's going to be 

BRIGHT

I'm looking forward to it.

Those off whites that I have labelled for use as the white parts and the diamond pieces have been maturing in my collection for at least 15 years. LOL

The brights at the top were purchased earlier this year, so a good range of maturity should make for a nicely balanced quilt. LOL

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Of course if that is not enough I also have my crochet, some knitting, plenty of tops that need quilting and few other side projects on the go.

And I'm sure a squirrel will hop by at some point.

LOL

I won't be bored.

End of November.

 EEK!
Where did the year go?
I didn't set myself much in the way of goals this month, let's have a look at them.

1) Complete my final Chookshed challenge. If you remember it was set aside so that I could focus on the wedding dresses.

I'm happy to say the stitching is complete and they are sat here by my chair awaiting some final touches.

2) Complete the Happily Ever After cross stitch.

Done, framed and gifted to the happy couple.

3)  Complete the Ready Set Sew quilt.

Done.

A very happy quilt.

4) Get back to my Windswept blocks.

I completed the last few B blocks and made a start on C.

I think I have about two thirds of them made. I'm hoping to get time to make more today. 

5) Prepare fabric and paper pieces for my next EPP.

Well the fabric is pulled from stash but I didn't start cutting yet.

I'm calling it done as I did prepare fabric.

No rush as I still have work to do on my Blue lanterns. 

That's it, those were the goals I set.

Of course me being me, I chased a squirrel or two along the way. LOL

Lets take a look at the unplanned progress. 

The Flutterby Bunny was quilted and bound.

I love this one. It might be difficult to part with when the time comes. 

I completed an adopted cross stitch piece.

There really wasn't much to do on this piece, all of the critters had been stitched and enough of the floral border to enable me to copy it. The hardest part was sorting the threads from my stash as no chart or legend came with it. 

I'm happy to say it is framed and waiting for Mr H to add a hanging cord.

And finally I made a new start.

Winter Fairy won the battle to become my new cross stitch project.

At 16.8 x 15.4 inches and full coverage she might take me a while to complete. But that's ok. 

I've enjoyed what I have done so far.

And found a friend to keep me company while I stitch. 

Today is the last of my rostered three days off this week. My house and garden chores are all up to date so I plan to spend some time turning the completed Christmas mini stitches into Christmas Ornaments and spending some time sewing some Windswept blocks. Then later I'll get back to the Winter Fairy.

*

We finally have some official wedding photos.

A better view of my boys in their kilts. I do like to see a man in a kilt, but a Grandson in a kilt trumps them all. 

And the Happy Couple.

That's it. That was my November.

I wonder what December will bring?

I'll have a think about possible goals today, while I sew.

New Project.

As you know, a finish means a new start.

I've had two completed cross stitch projects this month and while I was working on them I let myself think about what I might stitch next. There were a few things calling for attention but Winter Fairy has won. I really cannot remember where I came across this design but fell in love instantly. I asked Santa if he could find a pattern for me. He did one better and found a kit.

It is a full coverage and should hopefully keep me busy for a wee while. LOL

Some of the white areas are stitched with a special glow in the dark thread. 

I'm looking forward to this one. 

But first, some smaller items. At the beginning of the month I said that one of my goals was to complete my final two Christmas ornaments.

Here is one of them as a WIP. 

Can you tell what it is yet? LOL

I'm hoping to make great progress on this one today. Which will leave only one to stitch.

While digging through my box of stitch kits I came across this wee piece that was acquired at an Altrusa sale, like the Wildlife sampler I recently completed.

It's only tiny and might be a good one to squeeze in before I start the fairy.

Like the Wildlife sampler it had been started. Someone had put sellotape around the edges. EW! I took that off and quickly ran it through my overlocker. Much better.

She had also done 2.5 stitches. Hmmm.

I pulled those out and will start again from scratch.

That's my stitchy news.

Hope you have a great weekend. 

Another one finished...

As I have mentioned previously, I found the cross stitched Wildlife Sampler at an Altrusa craft sale back in 2023. I just couldn't leave it there, it's such a nice piece and someone has put a lot of time into it.

The border had already been started so I was confident that even without the chart I could manage to complete the piece. A query on a facebook group came up with the design name and origin. It was published in a needlework magazine back in 1991. I did find a copy of the magazine on ebay, but decided that I wouldn't need it.  

It took me a while on Friday to sort out the threads needed to complete the border.  And off I went. It really wasn't difficult to copy what had already been stitched. Though I did make a change. My corners are different to the one completed by the original stitcher.

I wanted some way to acknowledge that two people had worked on this piece.

As I have no idea of her or his name I wasn't able to give credit.

The best I could come up with is this...

I have a frame sat in the cupboard that should be just right for this piece, I'll clean it up and then my adopted Wildlife Sampler will be able to hang somewhere in my home.

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I did hint the other day that I was thinking about which Cross stitch to start next.

I think I had better get on and stitch the last two stitched ornaments needed for this Christmas.

Then maybe I'll take a look into that particular rabbit hole...

One I forgot to share.

The Flutterby Bunny quilt is finished.

The binding is on.

It was a greyish day when I went out for the photo shoot but I think I did ok.

She is quilted using a new to me pantograph from Urbanelementz.

It's called take flight.

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I'm making great progress on adding the border to my adopted cross stitch and have even begun to wonder about which cross stitch project I should do next.

I have more than a few to chose from. LOL

A Finish and an adoption....

It's amazing what three days off work can do.  I feel relaxed and rested even though I did a bunch of chores, the grocery shopping, some garden work and even an hour long Fire safety thing at work!

Amid all of that I made time to sew, and I have sewn up a storm. Well part of one. I managed to complete the last of the B windswept blocks. 

And today I made the first fifteen C blocks.

They will eventually all go together with the A blocks 

And my Autumnal windswept quilt will one day be whole.

Not really the finish you were hoping for?

How about this one?

Happily Ever After.

Not quite a wedding sampler, but it shares the same sentiment.

I will gift this to Joe and Lee.

It has stopped and started throughout the year, but here it is, finally completed and in a frame.

So what's next?

I should be working on two more Christmas ornaments, but instead I found myself pulling out something completely different.

I adopted this woodland sampler at an Altrusa craft sale last year. No chart, no threads just an almost complete design for $2. Here you see it as I adopted it, only the borders to stitch.

There should be more than enough here for me to copy.

A plea to a facebook cross stitch group revealed that the design was published in a needlework magazine back in 1991!

I did find a copy of said magazine on ebay for a not so terrible price, but thought maybe I could wing it.

I spent some time this afternoon sorting threads for the floral border. And this evening I have managed to complete the bottom border except for the orange needed for the centers of some of the flowers. 

I'll go to the sewing center tomorrow, before club.

Tomorrow is patchwork club AGM, then sit and sew Saturday. I'll be taking my blue lanterns EPP. It is so very close to being finished. I'm excited to have a completed top so that I can move on to a new challenge.

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That was my exciting news.

Bedtime methinks.

Work, Work, Work.

But there has been time for some play too. 

I've made a few more blocks for the Windswept quilt top and made some progress on the Cross stitch project.

Happily Ever After has more than a few beads now.

The above image was taken on 3rd November and I've picked away here and there adding a few stitches and beads, then yesterday got to sit for a couple of hours and did quite a bit. The image below is where I left it at tea time yesterday evening.

The vines and beads continue on up above the word 'And'.

Then I will need to figure out how best to finish it. A frame with no glass or as a quilted wall hanger.

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The Flutterby Bunny that I was quilting just a few days ago has not progressed. Work and the garden have gotten in the way of that. Maybe I'll get back to it today. But first some more garden work. I have a few things to plant, some more broccoli seedlings, another pair of courgette as I lost the previous pair to a late frost and I also want to sow a few Buttercup squash seeds.  

Our green house is going well, the tomatoes are doing really well with lots of flowers and some fruit already set. Though they are still tiny. In the small greenhouses the chilli peppers and capsicum are also doing well.

The cauliflower I planted in Autumn are much slower that the broccoli planted at the same time, they were finished a while ago, but the Cauli are now ready, we have eaten two, another is in the fridge, one needs to be picked and brought in and yet another will be ready soon. I've made a lot of cauliflower cheese and discovered a new to me Cauliflower salad recipe. I might tweak it a little but will for sure be making it again. 

Right I'm off to work in the garden before it gets too hot. Yesterday we reached 27 C. Today looks to be cooler but I want to get it done early so I can relax and play with my needles.

A finish and some more quilting...

As you know I have been busy quilting since I completed the wedding dresses. 

I've been working a simple clamshell design on to my Ready Set Sew quilt top that I purchased as a kit from Jude last year.

The quilting is complete, the binding is on and closed and I went outside yesterday for a garden photo shoot.

Then I spotted the mistake! A few naughty words were uttered. Too late, it will have to stay that way.

I had fun taking photos over the fence and the deck rail.

On Joe's bench.

And of course Old Man Tree had to get involved.

He is flowering and scattering blossoms on the lawn. Those are not daisies. LOL

Goal #1 for November complete.

Not a goal for November but making great progress anyway is Flutterbys.

This was a panel that I quickly added borders to back in September.

I loaded it on to the frame yesterday and got started.

My studio was the place to be. The sun was in and out so it's wasn't terribly hot, but I was surrounded by nature, birds, bees and butterflies kept catching my eye as I worked.

I even found the perfect panto at Urban Elementz.

It's called Take Flight.

I am just over half way with the quilting on this one and was hoping to complete it today, but life, the dentist and a meeting at work got in the way.

I was able to get a few of my Windswept blocks made though. The pile is getting higher.

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If you look at the tabs along the top of the page you will see that I have made a start on next years Chookshed Challenge.  Just a start and subject to change of course.

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That's it, that is all of my news for now.

Back to work tomorrow.

November goals.

Here we are in the penultimate month for this year.

It has flown by. So what are my goals for November?

1)

I still have one Chookshed challenge to complete as it was pushed aside in favour of the wedding dresses.

I need to stitch and complete two final Christmas ornaments. I might get them both in, or I might stretch them out right up to Christmas. LOL

2)

Complete the Happily Ever After cross stitch for Joe and Lee.

I really don't have much left to do. On my version all of the lettering is done, most of the vine and I have made a start on adding the beads and flowers to the vine.

I've actually been doing some of that today.

3)

I need to complete the Ready Set Sew quilt.

It really shouldn't take long, the binding is on and I've made more than a start at closing it. I'm sure there is only about a quarter to go.

4)

I want to get back to my Wind Swept quilt blocks and make some great progress there.

5)

Finally I need to cut fabric and prepare paper pieces for my next EPP.

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Like many of you I've also been thinking about what I might put on my Chookshed list for next year.

Hopefully there will be no wedding dresses. It depends who asks. LOL

Wedding photos.

There are no official photos yet, but I was able to get one or two shots with my phone.

The bride and her party got prepared at our house and the official photographer came to capture some of that too. Once everyone was dressed and ready to go we had a quick photoshoot outside under old man tree.

I love this shot of Lee and Charmaine.

The bride had a man or brother of honour in place of a maid.

Joe and Torstein both wore traditional Manx hunting tartan and looked very smart. Charmaine scattered flower petals along the aisle, Torstein was supposed to blow bubbles but got stage fright. LOL

He got over that during the ceremony and there were lots of bubbles.

I caught Joe and Tony doing kitchen duties.

Tony caught this shot while I was helping Lee with her veil.

That's it. 

The wedding is over and they are now Mr. and Mrs.