Wednesday Workings, April 15, 2026

I cut most of the reds that will be the main part of the Santa hat.  The pattern has both standard and foundation instructions.  I am following the foundation instructions.

I have already copied the templates six times and I will need 28 sets.  Each Santa hat takes two sheets of my favorite Carol Doak's Foundation Paper.  Both the red and the background scraps will have a home in a Bonnie Hunter project that's in my queue.

I am matching the red to the background in this step.  You can see the matches below that are lined up to sew.

After sewing the first six comes the trimming.  It is helpful when the instructions have the size you need to cut to fit in each of the foundation's positions.  These small slivers aren't worth holding on to.

Here's the three sections of the hat.  Next up is to sew them together.  I prefer to pull the papers off before sewing the sections together.

Here's what I have so far.  I just might have this one ready for Christmas!

Design Wall Monday, April 13, 2026

 

The Post Office is crazy in my location on Mondays.  I did use the kiosk today so it turned out not too bad for me.  I have stayed in line before and it can take upwards of 30 minutes until it's your turn with the clerk.  Okay...I'm done ranting =^.^=  This cute charity quilt is in the mail to mom.  I love the combination of fabrics, very much the rainbow.  I'm visualizing pink thread with fish as the quilting design.  I'll  be back later this year to do the binding unless mom's quilting fairy is well enough to take on the job.

This is the pattern I will be using for a commission project.  A family friend has asked me to use her late husband's ties.  It will be a fun and memorable gift to unwrap at Christmas.  There are 14 ties and the plan is to use 13 of them.  One is a bow tie that I'll use in the first border.  First I'll have to get rid of the bow tie's hardware...  A sampling of what's to come.

Another commission in the making is a baby quilt for the friend's niece.  The niece wants something girly in pastels with flowers and butterflies.  I found the Flutter pattern online and got the okay to proceed.  The butterflies will be in a flower print.  I am planning a neutral background.

These two projects are waiting a turn under the needle, but first I have been continuing to cut out Santa's Hat Shop.  There is much cutting.  28 blocks will have Santa's hats, five are plain blocks, and three are the letters of "JOY".  Right now I have 22 background blocks cut for Santa's hats along with the five plain blocks.  I still have a couple of fabrics coming from ETSY suppliers.  I will double up on some of hte backgrounds, but not many.

Still playing around with the wool project, Love Is All You Need.  It is also a UFO from earlier years.  I will be sharing this one with you later when I get further along.

We are having a drizzling day today.  The air smells awesome.  Enjoy your day.

Sunday Stash Report, April 12, 2026

Excited to share a 2022 UFO with you today, Krokus.  I found a nice frame to mount it on; pretty pleased with the entire project.  It came as a kit that was purchased during a fabric shop while at Sunshine Quilters annual retreat way back then.  To Plant A Flower ... Blue Posey by Lisa Bongean of Primitive Gatherings.  The store was since turned over and now called Sew Treasured.  (Sew Treasured is temporarily closed; the quilting community sure hope this isn't a permanent closure.) Overall the finished project is 4" x 4".  I'll be trying to master the blanket stitch...

Kan of Korn a 2026 UFO finished earlier this week.  Just love finishing UFOs don't you?  I have now asked a few folks if they'd ever heard of the baseball term and to my surprise two have.  Did you know?

Looking Glass design is finished also.  I started this project not too long ago during a sew day at Rosie's Calico Cupboard.  I found a back in my stash and sent it off to Kerry for quilting.  During the process of selecting a name I learned that Looking Glass was a band in the 70s so I thought to learn songs that might work for a "K" name.  Do you remember the band?  Their big hit was Brandy "Looking Glass "Brandy (You're A Fine Girl)": (Dooda-dit-dooda), (dit-dooda-dit-dooda) There's a port on a western bay And it serves a hundred sh..."  That song was one of my favorites and frankly still is up there on my list of favorites.  Well anyway, there wasn't a song that would work so I went to telescopes.  Found a NASA space telescope called Kepler.  So this project is called Kepler =^.^=

Kan of Korn cornerstone fabric

Santa's Hat Shop background fabric

Kitten binding fabric

As for fabric usage this week in the usage category is Kepler and Kan of Korn.  I won't be counting Krokus except as a finished UFO!  Purchases this week were three a total of 1 3/4 yards.  All of these are ETSY purchases from different suppliers.  Each of these purchases are for different projects.

This week I'm giving a Trunk Show at Sunshine Quilters monthly meeting.  I have the quilts set aside and ready to go.  I also have my own UFOs that are part of the Sunshine Quilters Challenge to share...there is a contest going on =^.^=  Life is good.

Used this week: 8.75 yards
Used YTD: 106 yards 
Purchased this week: 1.75 yards
Purchased YTD: 23.25 yards
Net used in 2026: 82.75 yards

Wednesday Workings, April 8, 2026

I was able to finish the top of Kan of Korn.  You will have to ask your baseball expert why this project has been called Kan of Korn.  Tossed Nine-Patch started the opening week of MLB.  I had been waiting on the ric rac and the corner stone fabric.  All other fabric comes from stash.  It is small finishing just 17" x 24".  It is another UFO from the 2026 list done!

This is the 1/4 yard of fabric that came in from ETSY supplier purplepapermountain that allowed me to finish Kan of Korn as I had hoped for.  Wait until you see the perfect stripe fabric I found for the binding.

I am off to finishing Looking Glass.  Happy Wednesday my friends =^.^=

Design Wall Monday, April 6, 2026

Krokus is a 2022 UFO that came out of storage last week.  It isn't very large; finishes at 4" square.  I am struggling to pull away from Kittens.  The cross stitch is so easy and relaxing to work on.  I will do it though and it might just be tonight.

Love Is All You Need a 2023 UFO was tucked away right next to Krokus so it came out of storage too.  Both Krokus and Love Is All You Need are Primitive Gatherings designs in wool.  Love Is All You Need is small too; finishing at 8" x 10".

Moonflower cutting has commenced!  I am happy with the charcoal variety that is available for the project.  Moonflower is a 2026 UFO.  There are 216 HSTs using light gray and charcoal.  I only need 20 more HST units to cut at this point.

Two other projects have kept me busy.  First up is from mom's stash mostly.  I added in the sashing and cornerstone fabrics.  As hard as I tried a back for this charity quilt is not among my stash.  I will wait for a Hobby Lobby sale week and pick something up.  A sewing day on Friday at Rosie's gave me enough time to put 30 blocks together for Looking Glass.  There is background sashing to add between the five rows along with a coordinating fabric for the binding.  I hope to find something in my stash for a back.

The start of another week =^.^=

Sunday Stash Report, April 5, 2026

Happy Easter!  I wanted to start off with finishes on this beautiful day.  Krested (aka Fancy Feathers Bird Topper by Karen Brow of Java House Quilts) is ready for our table.  This is a UFO from a class with Karen arranged by Sunshine Quilt Guild in October.  It wasn't a UFO for too long.  Most of the reason for not finishing right away was the way the pattern finished just too narrow for my liking.  I added the top and the bottom beyond the birds finally making it just right for us.

Karpenter (Honey Bee's In Lavender Table Runner by Debbie Beaves) is another table runner finished for our table.  By the way Carpenter is a type of bee if you didn't know.  This project came to me as a kit.  It is rather small, but it's darn cute for the summer.  I had to really search hard for a lavender thread for the binding.  It seems I am not a big lavender quilter LOL.  This project was started in February.  It isn't a UFO; one of the few being stitched right now.

Kristmas Karoling (Mistletoe Moments 2025 Jolly Box by Fat Quarter Shop) is the last finish of the three that came back from Kerry this past week.  It was started in August last year and is ready for the holidays this year.  I am hoping the scraps of red fabric in the large gift box is enough for another project in my queue.  This is the last project of the mystery boxes I have been getting from Fat Quarter Shop to finish.  This is a UFO with a surprise fabric used for the back...

I did bring home several pieces of fabric for various projects that are being stitched right now.  Learn about all of these in tomorrow's Design Wall Monday post.

Used this week: 0 yards
Used YTD: 97.25 yards 
Purchased this week: 6.75 yards
Purchased YTD: 21.5 yards
Net used in 2026: 75.75 yards

Wednesday Workings, April 1, 2026

Kitten 11 is complete.  I am working on the second to the last block now (Kitten 6).  I started this project stitching in the evenings and while traveling about this time last year.  I am looking forward to seeing these 12 kittens into a quilt.

I did go out of order, but also finished is Kitten 5.

I am at a pause waiting on ETSY shipments for this Tossed Nine-Patch project, but there is plenty to do binding and labeling and a few buttons sewn to projects just received from Kerry.  I'll be sharing the three projects with you on Sunday Stash Report.  Come back and visit then.  

Until next time take care and enjoy your surroundings.  Don't let anyone catch you being a fool today...Happy Fool's Day =^.^=

Design Wall Monday, March 30, 2026

Soon this project will be on my Design Wall.  As the name implies it starts with a nine-patch tossed around; cutting through the centers and rearranging.  The smaller design was introduced to me at Quilt in a Day at the first Accuquilt meeting that I attended last year.  I have fabrics and ric rac ordered through ETSY supliers to compliment my stash.  

I can get the blocks ready for the sashing, but will need to wait on the corner stone fabric and ric rac before moving any further.  These items should arrive as early as next week.

In the meantime I am readying the binding for three projects arriving tomorrow from Kerry.  I am also printing labels because the sweet four labels per sheet is met!

There is going to be progress on several UFO projects in the next few days.  Come Working Wednesday post you should be WOWED.  Check back and see what's going on.

Sunday Stash Report, March 29, 2026

 

I am so very thrilled to have Kottages completed through the top.  This UFO project from 2022 had me involved in many aspects.  It was easy pulling fabrics from my stash together for the houses.  The building of the 100 2 1/2" unfinished houses took lots of time.  These tiny paper pieced houses each have 14 pieces; yes just to build one!  All have a blue sky, yellow windows, and a black door.  

Next was making the picket fence.  I used an ivory grunge fabric to make it look a bit weathered.  Each picket/rail is 1/4" wide with the pickets 1 3/4" long and pointed at the top.  There are 172 pickets OMG!  The making of the fence was a new technique for me as well.  I started to drag my heels in moving forward on this portion of the project.  

It wasn't nearly as bad as I thought it might be, but certainly if I were to do it again there would be a different process invoked rather than this one.  The new technique involved the use of a Teflon applique sheet to sandwich fence fabric, double-sided fusible web, and bleached muslin.  This step allowed for easier handling of the pieces along with providing a fusible web to apply to the blue border.  Even invisible/clear thread was part of the recipe.  The designer, Tina Curran, also had the maker use partial seaming to add the borders.  This project certainly stretched the maker's (and their sewing machine's) abilities.  Thank you Tina for designing 100 Houses a pattern from 2014 that I started ten years later in 2024.  A 12 year project finally done.  It will be on its way to Kerry in the coming week =^.^=  Kottages finishes at 24" x 24".

Now onto another UFO.  This one from the 2026 UFO list that is Tossed Nine-Patch by Quilt in a Day.  More on this project on my Design Wall Monday post tomorrow.

My stash count changes a bit with the finish of Kottages, along with a purchase for the cross stitch pattern, Kittens, that isn't too far away from a finish.  Also a purchase for Moonflower by Bonnie Hunter that is nearing a start.

Used this week: 3.25 yards
Used YTD: 97.25 yards 
Purchased this week: 2 yards
Purchased YTD: 14.75 yards
Net used in 2026: 82.25 yards