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