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Progress report on my Winter Stitching List

Way back in October (was it really that long ago?!) I (along with many, many others!) linked up with Sarah @ Fairyface Designs to plan our winter stitching.  Now, at the time I thought I'd been fairly sensible and realistic with my plans but I somehow forgot that Christmas comes in the middle of the six months from October to March and that I'm always shattered for weeks after Christmas.  And, for those of you thinking 'what she's really saying is that she hasn't ticked many things off her list'...yes, you're completely right!  Let's just say that after a quick look a few days ago I've made myself a dunce's cap and you'll find me in the corner of the room for the foreseeable future!

So, let's get on with my update humiliation shall we?!

1&2Add backs (cord?  Velvet?) to my knitted and crocheted squares to turn them into cushion   covers.

I put them in a box, does that count?!  I also bought a striped fabric for the back of one of them but haven't quite got round to doing anything more than washing and ironing it.  (Actually, now I think about it I'm not sure I even did that!)   

3.  Finish sorting my scraps.

Done!!  My scraps now look like this

(neatly arranged IKEA boxes with coloured labels)

4.  Make my BQS Pillow Fight cushion for my secret partner (deadline = 21st November)
  
Done!!  I made this for Trudi
(Sea green/aqua/teal shoo-fly blocks with a white background)
 

5.  Make a cushion for a friend (deadline = as close to 21st November as possible!)

Done!!  Well, sort of!  The cushion is done (finished it last week - does that count as being close to 21st November?!) and I just have a couple of bits to finish make.  Posting day has been set for next Tuesday - wish me luck!

6.  Finish the Twelve Days of Christmas red work garland for my mam (deadline = Christmas day!)

Delayed...once I'd finished the Pillow Fight cushion I picked up the garland again and quickly realised two things - I wasn't going to get it finished for Christmas 2011 and I was sick of it and needed a break!  So I'm now aiming for Christmas 2012.  I did make her these instead...

(Three Suffolk Puff mini Christmas trees)



 7 .  Start the blue and white snowball and nine patch quilt for Mam and Dad's spare bedroom
Er...does washing, drying and ironing about a dozen metres of blue and white fabric count?

8.  Decide what size to make my Christmas quilt and firm up the design (embroidery or raw edge applique is the debate currently going on in my head!) PLUS create some (all?!) designs for the (multiple) embroidered panels.  

Ah...well, here's the thing.  I did design the quilt top and design two of the six embroidered panels.  And then I thought about whether I wanted a Christmas quilt with embroidered panels on my bed/settee and the answer was no.  I was really looking forward to doing the embroidery but I think one of the reasons I was having so much trouble pinning down my ideas for this quilt was because I wasn't entirely sure when I would use it.  So now I'm keeping my eyes open for a block that will work well with my Christmas fabrics - if you have any ideas please shout!   So, technically I did do what I set out to do, I just had a change of heart afterwards and created more work for myself!


9.  Make some more hexies - maybe another four dozen, which will almost take me to the halfway point.  (Not all of them have to be pieced as I need some whole hexies to balance out the completely scrappy look!) 

I've been more successful with this one.   I haven't made another 48 yet but I think I might be just over halfway there!  Not that I've shown you a lot of them yet (bad blogger!) so here are the ones you have seen before



and here are the new ones (not all of them though, I'm holding some in reserve, just in case I hit a slow slower patch!)




I'm really not sure sure about the one on the bottom right but I'll wait until I see it with the rest of them before deciding whether I need to commit hexicide!


See?  Dunce's cap required!   Even Archie's laughing at me...

Come on then, where's that Dunce's cap?  You're really going to suit it, I can't wait!

He soon sobered up when I mentioned that dogs who laugh at the afflicted don't get biscuits...

Gulp...really?

And he said sorry and promised not to do it again, well, not until next time!

If I apologise could I have that biscuit you mentioned?  
I'm really sorry and not just about the biscuit!

See you soon, I hope, when I'll be sharing some lovely parcels I've received this/last week!

P.S.  The children/scissors thing is going well so far and all of the 12 can now do running stitch and straight stitch and almost all can do blanket stitch - yippee!

P.P.S.  It's almost Archie's birthday - he'll be 12 on Saturday!  It's as accurate as I can be (as he's a rescue dog) but he seems quite happy with the arrangement!

Comments

  1. Awwww! The cuteness of Archie just kills me!

    I always think it is much better to look at all the wonderful thing that have been achieved or finished rather that the things not done.

    You have made loads :-) no dunces cap required for you at all.
    Gold stars all round :-)

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  2. Archie is 12? Is that in dog years? He looks great for his age, must be all the good rest he gets in that bed of his! I love your scrap organization. Do you think you will pull the boxes down from the top shelf? Just curious! Loving your projects. The finished pillow is wonderful! I must add, do you watch Downton Abbey? It's probably old news for you! I am a recent fan, as in I've watched all of Season 1 in 2 days!!

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  3. My cat Bix, who currently is living with my parents in a very tranquil part of the world with fields to play in and nothing much for a cat to be troubled with except eating, sleeping, bird watching and grass cutting, is about that age, maybe plus another 1 or 2!

    You have an impressive list of things you've made, even if they have been at slight tangents from what you originally planned! You have made far more than I, who have the grand total of one quilt and learning to thread a needle to my credit!

    I wonder why nobody makes hexagon shaped cakes ...

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  4. Enjoyed your post. Brightened up my otherwise difficult day. Just what the doctor ordered :-)

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  5. I'm very taken with your scrap sorting. I just love nice, organized boxes!! All your projects are very impressive and I see you're plugging along nicely. That Christmas does tend to get in the way of our plans, doesn't it??

    Happy Birthday to sweet Archie! Give him a nice little scratch behind the years from me :)

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  6. Your hexies are just fabulous I love them all. Yeah way to go Archie 12!!! Happy Birthday for Satureday I hope your Mum has lots and lots of treats for you. Hugs

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  7. Very organised!! Do you need a ladder to get them down though??! The hexies are amazing, if I'd done just that I'd be happy :)
    Archie, as always, is adorable!

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  8. I think you have done very well on your list...we still have a month and a half of winter. Ohhhh....you must tell Archie that Flanders is 11....all I am sayin', if Archie doesn't mind a girl with a beard....maybe we could arrange something :) Happy Birthday, Archie!

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  9. I do so love to look at pictures of your sewing space. Its so light and bright and welcoming :-)

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  10. I love your organized shelving units! beautiful place to work.
    Karen

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  11. Jeeez I didnt realise he was an old man dog, he always looks so cute...Big happy birthday weekend to the old hound ;-)
    Sounds like the only reason you didnt end up with a whole pile of ticks in your list is because you rethought a lot of the things on it - and thats no bad thing at all. And your hexies are all fab! Even the one you're not sure of.

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  12. Your hexies are SOOOO cute! Wow. I can't even imagine making those, I've got the patience of a 2-year-old! p.s. Our black lab turns 11 this March. Tell Archie Happy Birthday from his American friend Belle! ;)

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  13. i just heart you and your happy go lucky attitude. loving the hexies. im hexobsessed at the moment too! Tell Archie happy early birthday for me:D

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  14. Ohhhhhhhhh; I wish my sewing room looked like yours!!!! It's so tide and neat;clean....does Archie help you?
    Love all of your projects....adorable

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  15. OK I am still totally fixated with your sewing space..... I kept going back to re-look at that photo and check it wasn't sneakily from a magazine. I am in awe, total awe..... check out those colour coded boxes, and all those beautifully arranged books. (Can you guess why there's never any piccies of my house on my blog???)

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  16. You are so tidy Helen - you need to mess it up a bit girl! And I see what you have done - distract us from the UFOs with cute pics of Archie - give him a birthday hug from Saffy and I! And a biscuit! Or 12!

    Love your hexies and I'm almost done! Well I would be if only I had my mate to help me choose a binding!?? I need another Helen??!

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  17. Definitely not so bad!
    Make a Ruby Star from the Christmas fabrics!!! Oh please!

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  18. It's much better to enjoy the little you do than do oo much and not enjoy it. Love the hexagons and your scrap storage.

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  19. Och your list isn't that bad, and I had a few abandonments too. Hope Archie got his biccie!

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  20. adore the hexies helen - they're really pretty and will look sensational together - all of them!

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  21. You're doing really well with your list! HAPPY BIRTHDAY to Archie for tomorrow x

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  22. Happy birthday Archie! So glad you haven't killed off any of your wee students yet! Keep up the great work! Jxo

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  23. hope Archie enjoys his day tomorrow - love those pics of him. And your hexies look great too!

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  24. Dont worry about the "Xmas" fabrics too much...an idea will pop into your head at the oddest time and it will be brilliant! This is when its nice to do "research"....curl up with some quilt books and mags.
    Does Archie have to get a bath on his birthday?

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  25. Happy birthday Archie!!

    How about the Fab spring cleaning quilt from this month's FQuarterly?


    LOL "hexicide" xx

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  26. if you've done more than one thing you've achieved in my book :) and happy birthday to gorgeous archie - hip hip horray

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  27. Really NO need for a dunces cap! I'd be patting myself on the back if I'd made three of your hexies, I wouldn't even know where to begin...as for the scrap sorting, now that's a job and a half too, so well done! Sending Archie Happy Birthday wishes :) x

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  28. Seems like you have done very well to me ;)
    Love the captions under Archie's cute photos, love your hexes!!!
    Happy Birthday to Archie :)) hugs Ellyx

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  29. Fabulous fabric scrap organization! I wish I had scraps anywhere near as well sorted!
    Love the pics of Archie -- he is so adorable!

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  30. I always find the sight of Archie very fortifying. And I think that you have certainly achieved more than I have on the winter stitching front . . .

    Pomona x

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  31. ack!!! i love that cushion cover with the little shoo fly blocks. i bet it wasn't easy to part with. you did a fantastic job!!!

    thanks for linking up to finish it up Friday!

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