Saturday Stitch Report #8

A Bag, a Block, and a Question

It has been a busy stretch around here. Family has needed my time, and I’ve been working on posts for my clinic, Inspired Life Wellness Clinic at www.inspired-lifewellness.com. If you’d like to follow along with that writing, you can find the clinic online. The quilting page and blog have been quieter.

I did manage to finish a few things.

The latest block for the Fat Quarter Shop Designer Mystery quilt is pieced and ready for the growing collection. I also made a bag using a pattern I created as I went. The blue and cream fabrics and patchwork came together into a bag I’m happy with, even though the pattern itself exists only as a vague series of decisions in my memory.

Did I write any of it down? Of course not. I winged it.

So if I ever want to make this bag again, I’ll either have to reconstruct the process from the finished one or accept that the next version will be a completely different bag with the same general ambitions.

Lately, I’ve also been questioning whether I should keep the page and blog going. There are so many good quilting blogs out there. Many share tutorials, detailed instructions, and videos. I don’t feel especially qualified to talk about quilting in that way, and I don’t have the time right now to make videos or build a library of tutorials.

I’m still figuring out what I want this space to be—and whether I have the time and energy to keep tending it. I don’t have a decision to announce today. For now, I have a finished block, an improvised bag, and a reminder to write down the next pattern before I forget how I made it.

Have a great week and happy stitching!

Chris

saturday Stitch Report #7

FIVE DOWN, TWO TO GO

School has been underway long enough that, for the most part, everyone is falling into the routine again. Mornings have structure, calendars have filled, and football is a thing—which is probably the most accurate way to describe how thoroughly it occupies our time and conversation right now.

The sewing room has been busy too, although I have once again reached the point where I have several perfectly reasonable things to work on and cannot decide which one I want to do next.

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ANOTHER RAG QUILT FINISHED

I finished another rag quilt for one of my grandchildren, all have been patterns I created, which has been a fun twist to quilt making. All seven of them are getting one for their birthdays this year, and this finish brings the official count to five down and two to go.

For this quilt, I used the Kindness collection by Deb Strain for Moda Fabrics. It is a wonderfully cheerful mix of pink, coral, aqua, yellow, florals, and plaids. I also used coordinating flannel solids, which add softness and help tie all the prints together. Rag quilts have such a soft, relaxed look once all those exposed seams begin to fluff. They are not particularly complicated quilts, but there is still a great deal of sewing involved—and then comes the clipping. So much clipping.

When it comes to clipping the seams, my favorite pair of snips helps make the job much easier. They are comfortable to use and help reduce some of the hand fatigue that comes from all that repetitive cutting. With seven rag quilts on the birthday list, anything that makes the clipping more manageable is welcome.

Still, there is something satisfying about making the same general kind of quilt for each grandchild while choosing fabrics that make every one of them different. By the end of the year, all seven will have a quilt made by Grandma, and I will presumably have regained full use of my hands after cutting all those seams.

ONE BLOCK, TWO COMPLETELY DIFFERENT QUILTS

I also completed the latest block for the A Quilting Life Block of the Month—twice.

As I mentioned before, I am making each block in two different colorways so I can eventually make two quilts. The design is identical, but the fabrics make the blocks feel entirely different. One is soft and quiet in blue-green, taupe, and white. The other uses navy, red, and bright florals and has considerably more to say.

This is exactly why fabric selection fascinates me. The piecing does not change. The shapes do not change. The placement does not change. Yet the finished blocks have completely different personalities.

WHAT COMES NEXT?

The Spring Dreams blocks are ready to be pieced into a quilt top. After that, it will still need to be basted, backed, quilted, and bound—which makes “almost finished” feel like a somewhat generous description.

The next Designer Mystery block is also waiting to be made, and there are still two rag quilts left on the birthday list. Any one of those would be the logical next project.

Naturally, I am thinking about working on some repurposing projects instead.

I have old clothing and other materials I would like to experiment with, and the idea of turning something no longer used into something useful has been tugging at me. Apparently, having several active projects does not prevent my brain from suggesting entirely new categories of sewing.

For now, I am stuck in that familiar place between wanting to finish what I have started and wanting to follow the latest interesting idea. I could make a sensible list and work through it in order. I could also reorganize fabric while listening to an audiobook and call it preparation.

Both remain possibilities.

LIFE BEYOND THE SEWING ROOM

Mom’s cancer treatment journey has begun. After so much waiting and uncertainty, we have finally moved into the treatment itself. There is some relief in having a plan underway, but treatment brings its own worries with it. We are praying that it goes well and trying to take each part as it comes.

Meanwhile, the rest of life continues to require attention. Interior painting remains on the list, along with the routine house and yard maintenance that needs to happen before the cold and snow arrive. In North Dakota, fall is beautiful, but it also comes with a quiet warning: enjoy this weather, but perhaps locate the snow shovels.

The cool mornings have arrived, and they have been glorious. Fall is my favorite season, and I am planning to decorate the house this weekend. I am ready for the quilts, warmer colors, candles, and all the comfort-food recipes that have been waiting patiently for summer to leave.

While I sew, paint, decorate, clean, or wander from one unfinished task to another, I have been listening to the Shenandoah album book series. Audiobooks remain one of the best ways I have found to make progress on two things at once—or at least to make whatever I am doing feel more interesting.

So that is where things stand: five rag quilts finished, two grandchildren still waiting, two versions of the same quilt growing one block at a time, several projects competing to be next, football underway, treatment begun, and fall finally arriving.

I may not know what I am sewing next, but I do know the fall decorations are coming out this weekend. Some decisions are easier than others.

Happy Fall!

~Chris

The Stitch Report #6

Catching Up While Life Keeps Moving

It has been a few weeks since my last Stitch Report, which means I had to reconstruct this one from completed quilt blocks, photographs on my phone and whatever details my brain happened to retain. Apparently, this is one more reason to keep reporting regularly. I do have a personal journal that could help with these things. The journal, unfortunately, cannot remind me to write in the journal.

Still, quite a bit has happened—both in the sewing room and everywhere beyond it.

Mom’s Quilt Is Finished

The most important finish was Mom’s quilt.

I made it for the treatment days ahead, although we are still waiting for the official treatment plan. There is something particularly difficult about knowing that something hard is coming without knowing exactly when it will begin or what it will look like.

The quilt was one thing I could do while we waited. I could choose the fabric, sew the pieces, finish the quilting and put something tangible into a situation that otherwise offers very little control. It cannot change the diagnosis or hurry the answers along, but it can keep her warm and remind her that she is loved. Sometimes that is what making things is for.

Affiliate disclosure: This post contains affiliate links. If you make a purchase through one of these links, I may earn a commission at no additional cost to you. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

Progress in the Sewing Room

Beyond Mom’s quilt, I finished the final blocks for Spring Dreams and completed Boo to You. I also finished the latest blocks for the Fat Quarter Shop Designer Mystery Block of the Month.

For someone who occasionally feels as though she has accomplished nothing, that is a respectable amount of evidence to the contrary.

Spring Dreams has now reached the stage where the individual work simply needs to be sewn together to become an actual quilt. Boo to You is finished, which is satisfying both because I enjoyed it and because completing something before the holiday it celebrates always feels exceptionally gratifying.

The Designer Mystery quilt continues to grow one installment at a time. A block of the month is a lovely system: someone sends me just enough work to feel productive, but not enough to make me question all of my life choices at once.

Football Season Has Arrived

Football season has started, which means it has become nearly the only topic of conversation between my husband, my son and me.

To be clear, my contribution to these conversations is limited and I’m generally an innocent (and silent) bystander.

My son plays on the line, which means his job involves a considerable amount of deliberate collision. While he is on the field, I am not analyzing formations, coverage or yardage. Other people apparently see strategy unfolding. I am watching my son make and absorb repeated contact while trying to determine whether he is all right.

The detailed analysis happens after the game, when my husband and son discuss what happened, what should have happened and what everyone else on the field was apparently supposed to be doing. By then, I am usually listening while washing a very stinky uniform and trying to follow a conversation conducted almost entirely in a language I still do not speak.

I have been around football for years. I recognize many of the words. I simply cannot guarantee that I understand what any of them mean when arranged into a sentence.

My real interest remains much simpler: Is my kid okay? Is he injured? Did he have a good night? The formations can be reviewed by the people who understand them. I will continue monitoring for limping and locating the stain remover.

Everyone Keeps Growing Up

Grandchildren have started school, that makes four attending now.

My daughter is now working two jobs and becoming an adult with alarming determination.

There is pride in watching her take on more responsibility and build a life of her own. There is also the strange parental adjustment of realizing that the child you have spent years guiding no longer needs—or necessarily requests—your opinion on every decision.

Apparently, raising children successfully results in them becoming independent people. This seems like something we should have been warned about more clearly at the beginning.

Between one child working two jobs and another spending Friday nights on a football field, I am being reminded that parenting older children is largely an exercise in standing nearby, trying not to interfere unnecessarily and remaining available when they need you. It is considerably less physically exhausting than raising toddlers, but I am not convinced it requires less worrying.

The Yellow Jackets messed with the wrong person

I say that with conviction now, but on that day….

The yellow-jacket situation began without any awareness that we had a yellow-jacket situation.

I was pulling weeds in the garden when I went to pick up what I thought was a rock. That was the exact moment the attack began. I was simply gardening, which the yellow jackets apparently interpreted as an act of war when I apparently jostled their home.

Yes, I was chased, yes I ran around the yard like a crazy woman, fortunately I escaped with only a few stings. Of course that would be after sundown, with ammunition and protective gear.

The nest was raided. The yellow jackets are dead. I would like the official record to show that they initiated hostilities.

Gardening is supposed to be peaceful. Mine now requires situational awareness and possibly protective equipment. So, I think I’ll stick to quilting, fewer insects.

In My Ears

While some of this sewing was happening, I was listening to Wedding Ring by Emilie Richards. It led me into an unexpected investigation of “pelsnickling,” a genuine Christmas tradition carried into the Shenandoah Valley by German-speaking immigrants.

I had never heard the word before and was not entirely sure I had heard it correctly. As it turns out, there are so many accepted spellings—Pelsnickling, Belsnickling, Pelznickling and several relatives—that guessing was practically the traditional method.

Pelsnicklers dressed in disguises, visited neighboring homes and expected people to identify them, usually while creating noise, confusion and general seasonal disorder. Christmas customs have apparently not always involved matching pajamas and carefully staged cocoa.

This is what happens when I listen to audiobooks while sewing. I begin with a novel and emerge several hours later researching masked German Christmas visitors. The quilt progresses, but so does the collection of information in my head that will almost certainly appear in an unrelated conversation later.

What the Past Few Weeks Added Up To

Mom’s quilt is finished while we wait for her treatment plan. Spring Dreams has reached its final blocks, Boo to You is complete, and the Designer Mystery quilt has moved forward. Football season has returned, along with the vocabulary I still cannot master and the worry I understand perfectly. Grandkids are growing up. My daughter is working two jobs and steadily becoming her own person. The yellow jackets have been evicted with extreme prejudice.

This is why the Stitch Report cannot be only a list of quilt projects. The quilts become the timeline for everything happening around them. Mom’s quilt will always belong to this period of waiting. These blocks will remind me of football games, stinky uniforms, children becoming adults, an audiobook rabbit hole and the day I tried to pick up a rock that fought back.

A few weeks from now, my brain may reduce all of this to a vague impression that I did not accomplish very much. The evidence says otherwise. I finished a quilt, completed blocks, kept several projects moving, worried about my children, survived a yellow-jacket ambush and learned what pelsnickling means.

That is considerably more than nothing—and exactly why I needed to write it down.

~Chris

Saturday Stitch Report No. 6

One Finish and Several New Distractions

The Jolly Tree Farm wall hanging is finished.

Not merely the blocks. Not almost finished. The entire project is complete, which means I can officially count it as a finish rather than moving it from one work-in-progress list to another for the next six months. It was a Fat Quarter Shop quilt-along, and I am pleased to have the whole wall hanging completed while we are still far enough from Christmas that I can enjoy feeling unusually prepared.

I also completed the August blocks for A Quilting Life Block of the Month. I am making two of each monthly block in different colorways because I plan to make two separate quilts from the pattern. One will be a red, white, and blue quilt for the Fourth of July next year. It is far enough away that this currently feels like responsible advance planning, although I reserve the right to be sewing the final binding on July third.

Finishing one quilt-along apparently left a small opening in the schedule, so I immediately filled it by beginning Fat Quarter Shop’s weekly Boo to You Quilt Along. Week Two is already waiting for me, along with Month Eight of Missouri Star’s Spring Dreams Block of the Month and Block Three of the Fat Quarter Shop Designer Mystery Block of the Month.

There was a brief moment when I could have admired the completed Jolly Tree Farm wall hanging and enjoyed having one fewer active project. I chose not to linger there.

Affiliate disclosure: This post contains affiliate links. If you make a purchase through one of these links, I may earn a commission at no additional cost to you. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

My Quilters Select 6½-by-24-inch acrylic ruler and Creative Grids 3½-by-6½-inch acrylic ruler both got a considerable workout this week. So did my ride-or-die Missouri Star scissors and rotary cutter. The Oliso iron, ironing board, and sewing chair were all used extensively as well. It was not one of those weeks when the sewing room sat looking tidy and decorative. Things were being cut, pressed, stitched, trimmed, and completed.

School is starting soon, which means notebook covers need to be made. Before I begin those—or work on any of the quilt blocks currently waiting—I need to pull out the serger and do some clothing alterations.

The serger is patiently waiting, but I cannot wait to bring it out. I love this serger. Clothing alterations may sound like the practical interruption standing between me and the quilts, but using a machine I genuinely enjoy makes them considerably more appealing. There is something deeply satisfying about watching a serger trim, stitch, and finish an edge all at once. It is industrious, efficient, and perhaps slightly smug about how much it accomplishes in one pass.

The handwork projects continue to occupy the quieter parts of my sewing time. I am finishing the hand binding on a completed quilt and continuing to hand quilt the Garden Girl quilt. I have also been practicing embroidery and English paper piecing, and I am still mindlessly making Manx blocks whenever I want something uncomplicated to work on.

The Manx blocks do not yet have a definite destination. I am simply making them, adding them to the collection, and trusting that eventually there will be enough of them—or enough of an idea—to determine what they are becoming. It is a pleasantly low-pressure project, which may explain why I continue reaching for it.

I have also discovered that I really enjoy Hawaiian appliqué. I like the symmetry of the designs, the process of revealing the shape, and the amount of visual impact that can come from one carefully cut piece of fabric. I am now trying to develop a pattern that I could use to make an entire quilt with this method.

This is slightly inconvenient, considering the quilt-along blocks, alterations, notebook covers, binding, hand quilting, embroidery, English paper piecing, and Manx blocks already in progress. Apparently my sewing plans were at risk of becoming manageable.

Tomorrow’s Sewing Chair will look more closely at what I am planning next. A crazy quilt has entered my thoughts, and unlike some fleeting project ideas, this one makes a suspicious amount of sense. I have embroidery I want to practice, old clothing I want to repurpose, scraps I cannot quite bring myself to discard, and a growing interest in projects that invite handwork without demanding absolute precision.

But first: the serger, the alterations, the notebook covers, and the projects already waiting in the wings.

Probably.

~Chris

Saturday Stitch report #5

Apparently, I’m Making Two of Everything Now

This week involved a satisfying amount of actual sewing, a little embroidery, some handwork practice, and enough organizing to confirm that I do not need more projects, fabric, thread, or supplies.

Naturally, this realization will probably have no lasting effect on my behavior.

I completed this month’s A Quilting Life Block of the Month block in two different colorways. Somewhere along the way, I decided that instead of choosing between the two fabric combinations, I would simply make two quilts from the pattern this year.

This is the kind of practical decision that makes perfect sense when you already have several other block-of-the-month projects underway.

Both versions are developing their own personalities, and I am enjoying watching the same block look completely different depending on the fabric. That is one of my favorite things about quilting. The pattern may provide the structure, but the fabric gets quite a bit of say in the final result. 

Caught Up at Jolly Tree Farm

I also completed all four blocks currently available for the Jolly Tree Farm Quilt Along.

For the moment, I am officially caught up and waiting for next Tuesday’s instructions. There is something deeply satisfying about being caught up on a quilt-along, even when everyone involved knows the feeling may be temporary.

Still, caught up is caught up, and I intend to enjoy it.

The blocks have been fun to make, and I am looking forward to seeing how the quilt develops as more of the pattern is released.

Designer Mystery: Month Two Complete

Month two of the Designer Mystery Block of the Month is also finished.

Monthly programs always feel very manageable when they arrive one block at a time. Then several programs begin arriving one block at a time, and suddenly the sewing room has quietly developed its own project-management department.

So far, I am keeping up reasonably well. More importantly, I am still enjoying the process rather than treating the blocks like assignments that need to be submitted before midnight.

Spring Dreams Continues

I am currently working on Month Seven of the Missouri Star Spring Dreams Block of the Month.

This project has required a little more patience because of the templates and construction methods involved, but I have learned quite a bit from it. Some blocks come together quickly, while others require me to slow down, check the instructions again, and occasionally reconsider every choice that brought me to that exact moment.

Month Seven is still in progress, but it is moving forward. 

Freezer Paper Piecing With the Guild

I also completed a freezer paper piecing block for another monthly quilt-along through my online guild.

This was a separate project from the other block-of-the-month programs, because apparently the current theme of my sewing life is that one monthly quilt project is never enough.

Freezer paper piecing is one of those techniques that can sound more complicated than it is. Once the process begins to make sense, it becomes a very useful way to create precise shapes without some of the paper-removal frustrations that come with traditional foundation paper piecing.

The block is finished, and I am pleased to have added another technique to the growing collection of things I am willing to attempt without being entirely certain what I am doing.

A Little Embroidery and Handwork

Not everything this week happened at the sewing machine.

I spent some time working on embroidery and practiced a little more English paper piecing. I also completed two additional Manx quilting blocks.

The Manx blocks have become a particularly good project for working from the recliner. They are portable, repetitive without being boring, and satisfying to complete one at a time.

There is something very different about handwork. Machine sewing gives me the pleasure of visible progress, while hand stitching slows everything down enough that I notice the process itself.

I am still learning, still experimenting, and still mostly trusting that repetition will eventually make everything feel more natural.

The Great Supply Organization

I also organized some of my sewing supplies.

This was useful, productive, and somewhat revealing.

I knew I had plenty to work with, but seeing everything gathered, sorted, and returned to its proper place made one thing very clear:

I have a lot to work with.

Not “I could probably make a small project this weekend” amounts of supplies.

More like “I could remain indoors through several winters and still have options” amounts of supplies.

The good news is that organizing everything reminded me how many lovely fabrics, patterns, threads, and unfinished ideas are already here. It also made it much easier to see what I can use for upcoming projects instead of automatically looking for something new.

Whether that lesson survives the next fabric release remains to be seen.

What’s Next

The next major project on my list is hand quilting the Garden Girl quilt.

I have been looking forward to learning more about hand quilting, and Garden Girl feels like the right quilt for it. I have my 12-weight Aurifil thread, a milliners needle, and the confidence that comes from watching approximately two minutes of a video before deciding the rest could probably be figured out along the way.

What could possibly go wrong?

I am also beginning to think seriously about Christmas gifts.

Christmas sewing always seems comfortably far away until it suddenly is not. My goal is to begin early enough that December does not become a frantic combination of sewing, wrapping, baking, family gatherings, and wondering why I once again believed handmade gifts would be relaxing.

For now, the supplies are organized, several monthly blocks are complete, the handwork pile is growing, and Garden Girl is waiting patiently for her turn.

That feels like a very good sewing week.

What are you working on this week, whether it's crafty or otherwise?

~Chris

Saturday Stitch Report #4

Another week has come and gone in the sewing room, and while it wasn't a week filled with multiple finishes, I did complete one project that had been waiting patiently—my uncle's quilt. Seeing that final stitch go in is always satisfying, especially when it's a quilt made for someone you care about.

One unexpected discovery this week was the Micro Stitch tool.

You know how one random thirty-second clip on the internet can end up costing you money? That's exactly what happened. I spotted it briefly in a quilting video, got curious, ordered one, and now I'm wondering how I managed without it. It made finishing my uncle's quilt much easier, so this impulse purchase actually paid off. Time will tell whether it becomes one of those tools I reach for on every project, but my first impression is a very good one.

Of course, finishing one quilt doesn't exactly leave the sewing room empty.

Waiting in the wings are A Quilting Life Block of the Month, the Designer Mystery Block of the Month, Spring Dreams Block of the Month, and a sampler quilt that has become one of my favorite long-term ideas. The goal is to learn quilting techniques from around the world, one block at a time, and eventually bring them together into a single quilt. It's not a race—it's a project I expect to enjoy over quite a while.

There's also the quilt I'd like to hand quilt, along with a growing collection of Manx quilt blocks that I work on from my recliner while watching television or listening to an audiobook. Those quiet hand-sewing sessions have become their own little ritual.

And because apparently quilting isn't enough to keep me busy, there are cross-stitch and crochet projects patiently waiting for their turn, along with an entire house that keeps reminding me it would appreciate a fresh coat of paint.

In other words, I don't think I'm going to run out of things to do anytime soon.

What are you working on this week? Are you faithfully finishing one project at a time, or do you also have a few "waiting in the wings"?

Saturday Stitch Report #3

Christmas Trees, Mystery Blocks, Family Sewing, and One Very Full Project List

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Welcome back to the Saturday Stitch Report!

This was one of those weeks when I felt like I had been busy in the sewing room, but it took making an actual list to realize just how much had moved forward. No entire quilt was finished and dramatically displayed across the bed, but there were completed blocks, a new bag, some necessary repairs, and several projects lining up for their turn.

In other words, it was a very normal week in a sewing room.

Christmas Sewing in July

I completed Block 1 of the Jolly Tree Farm Free Sew Along with Fat Quarter Shop.

There is something slightly strange about sewing Christmas trees in July, but quilters stopped following normal seasonal rules a long time ago. We buy Christmas fabric in the spring, start holiday projects in midsummer, and still occasionally find ourselves binding them on December 23.

Block 2 is printed and ready to go, and I plan to work on both Blocks 2 and 3 this coming week. At least, that is the plan. Printed and sitting beside the sewing machine is not exactly the same as finished, but it is a respectable first step.

The Designer Mystery Begins

I also completed the first block in this year’s Designer Mystery Block of the Month from Fat Quarter Shop.

Mystery projects are always fun because each block gives you a small piece of the story without revealing the entire ending. You know the blocks will eventually become a quilt, but for now, each one gets to stand on its own while the larger design slowly comes together.

The next Designer Mystery block is already on the list for this week because apparently the reward for finishing one block is assigning yourself another.

Spring Dreams: Month Six

I completed the Month 6 blocks for Missouri Star Quilt Company’s Spring Dreams Block of the Month as well.

These blocks used foundation paper piecing, a technique I have done before and did not particularly enjoy. The actual sewing was not the problem. It was tearing all those tiny pieces of paper away from the stitches afterward that made me question whether precision was truly worth the irritation.

This time, I learned a fold-back method that allowed me to use the paper pattern as a guide without sewing through it. The paper was folded along the seam line, and I stitched beside the fold instead of through the paper.

No freezer paper, no paper sewn into the block, and no tiny paper confetti waiting to be removed at the end.

Apparently, I do not hate foundation paper piecing. I hate picking paper out of seams.

That is an important distinction.

A Quilt for My Uncle

I am also midway through a quilt kit that my aunt purchased and sent to my house for me to make for my uncle.

There is something especially meaningful about working on a quilt when you already know who will receive it. Every quilt takes time, but quilts made for family seem to carry a little more purpose with every seam.

This one will continue moving forward alongside the block-of-the-month projects, provided the other projects agree to share the cutting table.

A Little Useful Sewing

Not everything I worked on this week was part of a quilt.

I made a cute crossbody bag and also reinforced the straps on backpacks I had previously made for my grandchildren. I noticed a few areas that looked as though they might become future strap failures, and I decided it would be much better to fix them now than wait for a backpack full of school supplies, toys, or mysterious grandchild treasures to hit the floor.

Preventing a backpack emergency may not be glamorous sewing, but it still counts as a finish.

Haven Has Arrived

My materials for the Haven Charity Quilt Along from Fat Quarter Shop arrived, so I will finally be diving into that project too.

I have been waiting for this one to begin, and now that the fabric is here, it has officially moved from “upcoming project” to “another box in the sewing room asking when it gets a turn.”

That seems to be how most projects enter the rotation around here.

Learning to Hand Quilt

I am also preparing to sandwich a quilt and continue learning how to hand quilt.

I have admired hand quilting for years. The texture, the slower rhythm, and the character of the stitches all appeal to me. Of course, admiring someone else’s beautiful hand quilting and putting a needle into your own quilt are two very different experiences.

I am expecting uneven stitches, sore fingers, and at least a few moments of wondering why experienced hand quilters make it look so peaceful.

Still, every new skill begins somewhere. The goal is not perfection. The goal is to begin and keep going until the stitches start looking intentional.

What Is Coming Next

My sewing list for the coming week includes:

• Blocks 2 and 3 of the Jolly Tree Farm Sew Along

• The next Designer Mystery block

• Month 7 of A Quilting Life’s Block of the Month

• Beginning the Haven Charity Quilt Along

• Continuing the quilt for my uncle

• Sandwiching a quilt and practicing hand quilting

That is either a solid plan or proof that I remain wildly optimistic about how many sewing hours exist in a week.

We will find out by next Saturday.

Around the Blog

This week on Chris Cross Quilts & More, I shared a closer look at Baltimore Album quilts, including their history, elaborate appliqué, and the stories stitched into these beautiful quilts.

I also introduced the first edition of Chris’s Quilting Notebook, a new series where I will share helpful quilting resources, trusted recommendations, books, tools, patterns, and tutorials that are genuinely worth a quilter’s time.

The goal is not to recreate every wonderful quilting lesson that already exists. It is to help you find the good ones without wandering through the entire internet first.

Thanks for stopping by the sewing room and catching up with me this week.

May your seams behave, your blocks finish somewhere near the intended size, and your project list remain at least loosely connected to the number of hours available.

Happy quilting!

—Chris

The Saturday stitch report #2

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Fabric deliveries, finished quilt tops, and batting-related moral convictions

Welcome back to the Saturday Stitch Report, where the fabric keeps arriving, the projects keep multiplying, and I keep pretending this was all part of a reasonable plan.

It was a good sewing week here, which means there was progress, new fabric, a little waiting, and at least one quilting decision based entirely on principle.

On the Sewing Table

Big news: I finished the top of the Starlight quilt.

Finished quilt tops always feel like a victory lap, even though every quilter knows this is the moment when the quilt quietly says, “That was cute. Now sandwich me, quilt me, bind me, and act like we’re almost done.”

So yes, the top is complete.

Is it sandwiched and quilted?

No.

Because this one is more of a twin size, and I had to order batting. Technically, I do have queen size batting here, but I cannot bring myself to cut into a queen size batting for a twin size quilt.

Could I?

Probably.

Will I?

Absolutely not.

There are rules in life, and apparently this is one of mine.

So Starlight is waiting patiently for batting, which is a very dignified stage of quilt-making and not at all the same thing as being stalled.

Mail Call

This week also brought some happy mail.

The Poinsettia & Pear collection arrived at my house, and it is every bit as lovely as expected. There is just something about a new fabric collection showing up that makes all previous plans feel negotiable.

I am trying to behave.

That sentence may not hold up in court.

The June Sew Sampler box also arrived, which means I now have fresh inspiration, new project temptation, and another reason to reorganize things instead of doing the responsible thing and finishing what I already started.

Sew Sampler boxes are dangerous that way. They arrive looking innocent, but inside the box is always the quiet suggestion that maybe I do have time for one more project.

Waiting on Haven

I am also waiting for the Haven Charity Quilt Along with Fat Quarter Shop.

The start date has been pushed back because the fabric has apparently gotten hung up somewhere in the process, so we are all waiting together.

Honestly, that is very on-brand for quilting.

Even the fabric has errands.

I am looking forward to this one, though. Charity quilts always feel a little different. There is something meaningful about stitching with a purpose beyond the sewing room, and I am excited to be part of it once everything is ready to go.

Until then, I’ll wait patiently.

Or at least quilter-patiently, which means checking updates while starting three unrelated things.

Sewing Room Reality Check

This week’s sewing room truth: finishing a quilt top does not reduce the number of projects in the room.

It should.

Emotionally, it feels like it should.

But somehow finishing one stage of one quilt only reveals twelve other things waiting their turn.

There is the top waiting for batting.

The fabric waiting to become something.

The quilt along waiting to start.

The Sew Sampler box quietly blinking at me from the corner.

And somewhere in there, I am still supposed to know where I put my scissors.

What’s Inspiring Me

I am still thinking a lot about slow stitching, handwork, and the way quilts move through stages.

Some weeks are cutting weeks.

Some weeks are piecing weeks.

Some weeks are waiting-for-batting weeks, which are obviously a legitimate category and should be respected.

The Starlight quilt top is a nice reminder that progress counts even when the whole quilt is not finished. A completed top is still a big step. It still took time, fabric, decisions, seam ripping, probably some muttering, and at least one moment of wondering whether the pattern or my brain was the problem.

That counts.

Coming Up

This next week, I’ll be watching for the batting delivery so Starlight can move into the sandwiching and quilting stage.

I’ll also be keeping an eye on updates for the Haven Charity Quilt Along, admiring the Poinsettia & Pear fabric, and pretending I am not already mentally assigning it to a project.

No promises.

Fabric this pretty does not like to sit quietly.

Until Next Saturday

That’s this week’s Stitch Report: one finished quilt top, one batting order, one beautiful fabric delivery, one Sew Sampler box, and one delayed quilt along waiting in the wings.

If you’re stitching this weekend, I hope your seams behave, your rotary blade is sharp, and your batting supply matches your quilt size better than mine did.

Happy stitching,

~Chris

The Saturday Stitch Report #1

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New Projects, New Fabric, and Two New Supervisors

Welcome to the very first Saturday Stitch Report!

I'm not entirely sure whether this is a newsletter, a sewing diary, a weekly status report, or simply proof that I spend far too much time thinking about fabric.

Perhaps it's all of the above.

What I'm Working On

This week I've been working on a project from my December Sew Sampler box from Fat Quarter Shop. It has been nice to pull out something that has been patiently waiting its turn and finally give it some attention.

Like many quilters, I occasionally suffer from what I call "project optimism." This is the belief that I can start new things at a rate significantly faster than I can finish old things.

The evidence suggests otherwise.

Still, progress is progress, and stitches were made this week.

What's Arriving in the Sewing Room

Fat Quarter shops Limited Edition Liberty box greeted me on my porch earlier this week, well worth it as always, and the monthly Sew Sampler subscription box will be arriving soon! If you’ve ever been curious about the program, or looking for an easy way to avoid choosing your next project, you can learn more about this subscription here.

I also have a few fabric collections on my wish list that I'm eagerly awaiting.

At the top of that list are:

• Poinsettia & Pear by Sherri & Chelsi for Moda

• Little Ladies by Tami Jones for Andover Fabrics

I'm especially excited about Little Ladies because it's Tami's very first fabric collection. There is something special about watching a designer's debut collection make its way into the quilting world.

What's Next

Over the next few weeks, I'm hoping to complete:

• The May and June blocks for the Missouri Star Spring Dreams block of the month.

• The first block for Fat Quarter Shop's 2026 Designer Mystery Block of the Month

I'm also looking forward to participating in Fat Quarter Shop's Jolly Tree Farm sew along when those weekly patterns are released at the end of June. This is a free seasonal quilt along done for various holidays and I LOVE them. 

There is absolutely no possibility that I have overcommitted myself.

Please do not check my project baskets for confirmation.

This Week's Lesson

This week's reminder is simple:

Progress counts.

Not every sewing session results in a finished quilt. Sometimes progress looks like organizing fabric, trimming blocks, pressing seams, or making a plan for what comes next.

A quilt is built one seam at a time, and sometimes one seam is enough.

Around the Blog

This week on Chris Cross Quilts:

• 10 Things I Wish Someone Had Told Me Before I Started Sewing

• Fabric Matters More Than You Think

• coming soon:

  • Why I Prefer 100% Cotton

  • Quilt Shop Fabric vs. Big Box Store Fabric

If you're new here, welcome! Grab a cup of coffee, look around, and stay awhile.

The Adjustment Period

The newest members of the household are still settling into their new surroundings. As expected, the first few days have included a little uncertainty, some growling, a few hisses, and extensive inspections of every available hiding place.

Both felines are gradually becoming more comfortable, though each is handling the move differently. One has decided that exploring is an acceptable pastime as long as nobody makes any sudden movements. The other is taking a more cautious approach and appears to be conducting a thorough risk assessment before fully committing to family life.

For now, they have not yet assumed their official roles as Sewing Room Supervisors. Their current duties seem to consist primarily of observing household activities, evaluating the dogs from a safe distance, claiming their territory and determining whether the humans are sufficiently trained.

The adjustment period is going about as expected. There have been encouraging moments, a few dramatic moments, and several reminders that cats rarely read the instruction manuals humans write for them. Each day brings a little more confidence, a little more curiosity, and a little less concern about the strange new place they've landed.

I suspect it won't be long before they discover the true purpose of a quilting studio: sitting directly on the project you're working on, stealing the warmest chair in the room, and contributing cat hair to every quilt as a signature design element, this may not go over well with me…. we shall see.

If all continues to go well, they may become regular contributors to future Stitch Reports. For now, they're still in orientation.

Until Next Saturday...

Thank you for spending a little time in my sewing room this week.

May your seams stay straight, your bobbin stay full, and your favorite rotary cutter be exactly where you left it.

(Unlike my scissors, which continue to disappear under mysterious circumstances.)

Until next Saturday,

~Chris