Thursday, December 22, 2016

Happy Christmas!


To round off the week I've mostly caught up on the 150 Canadian Women quilt along that is being offered by Kathryn Wilson Tucker at Next Step Designs. You can see that I have succumbed to the temptation to start fussy cutting a few of the blocks! The maple leaf batik is by Cantik batiks, a special release for Canada's 150th birthday in 2017.

I was too lazy to dig out any Christmas fabrics this week, but this red plaid is a little festive. And I am fussy cutting it again! (Brinton Hall was the first time, here.)

One of the required blocks is a basic Shoo Fly.


3 by 3...


...switch out the middle and lay down the triangles in the corners...


...sewing lines lightly marked in pencil...

...keep everything pointed the same way...


...and hey, presto! Shoo Fly block.

Editing the photo, I can see the middle row is too wide, but I'm going to leave it. The yellow and tan lines are the main thing, and the rest will vanish into the seams.

And, here's the whole next batch. I may not keep that flower on the bottom left. We'll see how it looks in the final layout!


I'm sure it would be lovely to photograph all the blocks together, this set and the previous one, but I want to avoid handling the blocks too much. It's going to be a long year.

I've realized that this is four new projects in the past month -- this one, Flamingos en Provence, Wild & Goosey, and Cheddar Broken Dishes. All queen-sized quilts, and all 100% machine pieced. Since I wrecked my back in October, I have not been able to hand stitch almost anything. The ergonomics just aren't working for me. But, I have a very good chair for the machine, and it is almost like physical therapy for my back to sit and machine sew for a couple of hours. More fun than a gym!

So all my hand stitching projects are on indefinite hold, which has taken out most of my current projects. And, I've started to think about things I could do by machine instead. Like binding for sure. And maybe applique... I even think a little free motion quilting may be doable soon. Overall, it's different, but not bad. New things to try!



Happy holidays everyone!

9 comments:

  1. blocks looking good, such a shame that the back still stops you hand sewing, hopefully 2017 will bring more relief for you. Machine applique of course is much quicker than needle turning but allthough I can do niether I do prefer the hand version to look at
    Have a lovely Christmas and new year

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  2. Beautiful blocks! The plaid shoofly especially. More cookie baking going on here. Then a pear tart for our family dinner on Christmas. Bonnie posted clue #5 early last night. Another easy one and still no yellow or green.
    My wish for you in 2017 is good health. Merry Christmas!

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  3. There are a couple of steps in there that look like magic to me. It's going to be great. Certainly sounds a lot better than the gym - or exercising outside. Have a great Christmas and I look forward with interest to your New Year resolutions!

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    1. Well, apparently this year we can win prizes just for making resolutions, so I guess I will think about that! I have to read the fine print. :D

      All the best to you, Jillian. Have a great holiday!

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  4. Sewing if definitely more fun than the gym . . .at least in my book! I hope that you continue to improve and "adjust" so you can achieve your goals in the way you want. Your blocks are lovely. I did some drooling over the maple leaf. . .I'm a sucker for red! :) Merry Christmas!

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    1. Thanks very much, Terry! It feels exciting to think about some new solutions for how I quilt. I think it may open things up a bit. Happy holidays!

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  5. I love the plaid shoofly (and admire the attention it takes to match the pattern so neatly). I also admire that you are finding new solutions for your quilting to accommodate your back - I hope that quilting in 2017 is productive and satisfying for you.

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  6. A Merry Christmas and a Blessed New Year to you and your loved ones! Very pretty block. You do such marvels with your fussy cutting!

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  7. Good luck with your back rehab. I'm glad you've found a way to keep sewing. Like Kaja, I love the plaid and your excellent matching. Merry Christmas.

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I'm told Blogger has been bouncing some comments, so if it happens to you I'm sorry! But the settings look right so I can't explain it. In any case, thanks for reading!

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