Promises (and Wishes) To Keep

Last May I was working on this project.

It is for a promised guest blog tutorial 

@

Bear Creek Quilting Company

It is not done.

It is (mostly) done.

I have only the outer border to sew onto the top,

the backing to make,

the sandwiching and quilting,

the binding,

and (maybe) some embellishments ,

and the tutorial to write.

Hmmmmm ...

Considering that the design process is the biggest part of the work,

I shall call this mostly done,

although the quilting on my home machine is always the most labor intensive part for me.

The center of the top actually sat on my design wall, 

sometimes rolled up out of view,

 but never out of mind

for many months,

until I took it down a few days ago to press it and give it a little loving.

I was sew excited about this beautiful fabric and project last spring.

The beauty of these fabrics are speaking to me again.

In truth, they have been speaking all along

but I was not listening.

A lot happened and I did not sew a stitch for months 

but I am not going into all of that.

Some of it is private and depressing stuff

and I let myself get bogged down in it.

Shari @ BCQC has got to be one of the most patient, understanding people on the planet.

Consider shopping at Bear Creek Quilting Company

They have beautiful fabric, wonderful patterns,  great sales and are really good people.

Shari would like me to finish this tutorial.

I would like to finish this tutorial.

I  really *WISH* to keep this promise.

Wish me luck ... ;)

Under The Quilting Needle

Based on my last post this is not what you would have expected to see under my quilting needle.  The Urban Table Runner is still in the quilting queue.  I put it away so my son would not see it while he was here for our Thanksgiving feast.  In between cooking and preparations, I spent some time organizing my quilty stuff in my new sewing room.

I came across this UFO.  

This tablerunner was started in the winter of 2010 according to this  February 2010 blog post and it was left sandwiched and ready to quilt. Apparently I must have been distracted by other projects, including a challenge and some Round Robin borders, and then I must  have caught spring fever and put the winter stuff away.  The fabrics came from a ...

"Snowpeople Layer Cake Swap"

... that I ran on Block Central the previous year. I had a difficult time even remembering where I found this block pattern.  Then I did some quilty sleuthing and came up with this great little book from Atkinson Designs called Confetti in the Corner.  It has many projects all based on three block units.  I found the book with another UFO, a sampler quilt from a local quilt shop BOM.

I am using a metallic silver thread for the quilting.  To figure the tension and needle settings for this unfamiliar thread I made a quick
 little mug rug ...

Snowman Mug Rug

 

To quilt this I did straight line quilting and outlined the square and then did some free hand five pointed stars and six pointed snowflakes. I am doing the same quilting on the ...

 "Snowpeople Table Runner"  

I will need to get back to the other table runner soon, as it is intended as a Christmas gift for my son.

I did also take down my fall quilts yesterday and take out my holiday quilts.    One of the other quilty goodies I found is this ...

Advent Calendar Wall Hanging 

... that just needed a little work to get it hung. It is made from an "I Believe in Santa" panel from Nancy Halvorsen  This one is hanging on my front door waiting for December 1st.  It is beginning to look a lot like Christmas around here.

I did not go Black Friday Shopping. I may do a little local Small Business Saturday Quilt Shop venturing today, but is is mostly to just go fondle the fabric.   I have enough stash and projects to last a very, very long time.

Have a happy quilty ... and shopping ... day!

 

:-)