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
