New York Beauty Quilt is Finished!

When the weather calls for 'no venture out', what do you do?!

SEW! EAT! Drink COFFEE! SLEEP! REPEAT! 

Well, this apply to all rainy days, not only last week when 'Garance' passed close by. 

My February goal was to finish the NYB quilt, and I did! 

It has 48 blocks + 4 corner blocks.

It measures 74 x 58 inches / 188 x 147 cm

All batik from my stash, except the backing (batik too) I had to purchase. 

Once again thank you to those of you who suggested thread color and design!  (here). Much appreciated!

You may remember I'm on SSD (Strict Stash Diet) this year. I didn't want to purchase thread and pay a fortune in shipping! I went through my Aurifil, King Tut and MasterPiece. I kept in mind some of the suggestions were 'light lime green'. 

The only suitable thread I had, and enough for the quilt (except grey), were two light green Aurifil. I used Aurifil 2902 Light Laurel Green for the top and Aurifil 2912 Platinum for the back. It blends in perfectly. I forgot to take photo of the back, but you can see it here. I'm not a big fan of pastels, but I think this one suits the quilt.  

Closeup of the quilting. Click on the photos to enlarge.

It took me 'forever', but I'm so glad I decided to custom quilt each block. It took me about 60-65 hours to quilt the blocks only. 

This is the corner block. Isn't it cute?! 

It measures 4.25" / 10.5 cm

It was a cloudy day, not the best light for photos. 

First block made 2020 (no records, maybe during Covid lockdown and no I-net connection) 

All blocks done March 2021

Thread basted January 2023

Finished February 18, 2025

********************

Next up to quilt: 

'Keep the Home Fires Burning'

It's a big quilt, but should be relatively easy to quilt, depending how I decide to do it. 

This is my goal for March. 

Updates to follow. 

How to Quilt and Thread Color, Suggestions Please

 This New York Beauty was done and thread basted January 2023.

The blocks were finished March 2021, when did I start it? Let me dig some more...

Can't find anything.... most probably end 2020 or beginning 2021.

UFO #1 - UFO list 2025

Why did I put it aside, you may wonder? Because; 

1) How to quilt it?

2) What tread color to use? 

As you can see, it has a variety of colors; pink, yellow, teal, turquoise, grey and more. 

(The photos don't do justice to the colors. It's cloudy and raining cats and dogs here right now. Photos are taken inside in not so good light). 

For the thread color, I'm thinking grey since grey seems to blend easily with other colors? 

It will be quilted on my domestic sewing machine (no longarm or hand quilting for me). 

Any suggestions? Please let me know. 

HAPPY QUILTING! 

Weekend Sewing and Updated UFO / WIP Lists

Happy Wednesday!

(I started writing this post Monday, some paragraphs are updated)

After working hard on WIP's and actually finish some of them  (previous post), it took me a day or so to decide what's next. 

I decided to work on the tea cozies. They are quilted and ready for binding.

Update: 2 tea cozies are done, just have to fix the loop on each. 

I've this one left to do. Insulated tea cozies are a bit tedious to make, especially to machine sew the binding through four layers cotton batting, 2 layers insul bright + the front and lining. For this, I use needle #18/110, slow, and lots of P-A-T-I-E-N-C-E, and COFFEE!!! lol

While hunting for the binding fabric, I pulled out a small piece of poinsettia fabric, just enough to make a tea cozy in a different design. This one is done, I have to bias cut binding for the small teapot mat. I think this tea cozy turned out really cute. 

Well, my to-do list consists of WIP's already on the table and chair. What I didn't count, are the WIP's on the bench next to the table! HA! Guess what I found there?!

40 arcs for a Double Wedding Ring quilt

I'm a member of the Quiltsy Team on Etsy and one of the challenges this year is to make something we've always wanted to do but never made before. For me, that's a DWR quilt! I'm making it in scrappy batik.

 

48 New York Beauty blocks

These were put aside when I decided to work on UFO's. 

Christmas Stocking Kit

I never buy kits. This kit is a gift from a quilter in the US.

Update: Working on these. Stockings, batting and the back are cut. Have to go hunting in my Christmas stash for lining fabric. 

During lockdown (beginning March 10, 2021) as well as recovering from a surgery, I couldn't move much around. To stay sane, I did counted cross stitching. I used to do it some years ago and really enjoyed it. I made these ornaments more than 10 years ago. For the 'Coffee Menu', I had one color missing and due to the lockdown I couldn't go into the city getting it. Eventually the lockdown was lifted, I got the floss, and no more progress.

 Seriously, I should work on this one too, because I love it! 

The 'What's-on-the-Table' list has shrunk considerably, from this, to this:

- 3 Tea Cozies - quilted

- PSQ blocks 36 patches - ongoing project - no new blocks

- Pineapple Quilt (UFO) - make a pieced backing - not done

NEW to the list:

- Double Wedding Ring quilt (2021) - arcs done 

- NYB - 48 blocks done (2021) - layout

- 2 Christmas Stockings (kit / UFO)

- 'Coffee Menu' Cross Stitching  

Updated APQ UFO list: 

#1 - Blue & White Irish Chain

#2 - Black/White Poppies Wall Haning - FEBRUARY

- #3 - Got the Blues

 #4 Christmas Lap Quilt - APRIL - DONE!

#5 - Pineapple Quilt - JUNE

#6 - Christmas Stockings Kit

#7 - Log Cabin Blocks (Nancy Halvorsen) - JANUARY - DONE! 

#8 - Scrappy Quilt / Migration to Africa - DONE!

#9 - PS Quilt - MAY - DONE!

#10 - Basket Quilt

#11 - Kitchen WH / Vegetables - MARCH

#12 - PSQ Blocks -JULY - DONE! 

#13 - Crumb Quilt

#14 - Scrappy Flannel Quilt

#15 - Scrappy 4' Squares

5 big quilts finished in 6 months. Not that bad, eh?! 

HAPPY QUILTING!

 

Very Little Progress on UFO's, Cross-Stitching and Second LOCKDOWN

Today the calendar shows March 23! More than two months since my previous post! How did that happen?? 

So, we are on the second C-19 wave, which resulted in lockdown from March 10 until March 25. UGH! With increasing numbers (202 per this morning), I'm quite sure the lockdown will be extended another 1-2 weeks, at least! 

My previous post shows accumulated UFO's from 2020 and older. I'm quite sure they multiply overnight! As part of APQ's  and Quiltsy Team's UFO Challenge 2021, I did finish #7 (January Challenge). 

These blocks were leftovers from a quilt I made for my DF's Mom in 2010!  The blocks have been in and out of the shelf several times and this time I didn't want putting them away again! 

Table Topper

https://www.etsy.com/listing/953525305/quilted-log-cabin-table-topper-red-teal

...and a bed runner or large / long table runner

My goal is to use fabric from my stash and found this beauty, just enough for backing on both items! The binding is Moda Marbles 'Cocoa'......... eh......... or is it 'Coffee'?? I can't remember! LOL 

Except from these two, I've not finished anything. The challenges for February and March are both 'trouble-items' and need some deep thinking. 

Sewing is a bit slow these days, but I have finished the last 3-4 (out of 48) New York Beauty blocks for a scrappy batik lap quilt 

...and I'm also working on a Double Wedding Ring quilt, my first one ever! Picture shows a test.

It has been year's since I did counted cross-stitching! To see the last ones I did, click here. It used to be my first love, then I was hit by the quilting bug and cross-stitching put aside. Some weeks ago I was looking for DMC black embroidery floss and there I rediscovered all the embroidery patterns I bought some years ago; mostly 'Little House Needleworks' and 'Blackbird Designs', all so darling! 

With the lockdown and just taking it easy, I have enjoyed cross-stitching Kit & Bixby's 'Merry Wool'! Stitched on White 14 Count Aida, not too bad for the eyes!

I'm sooo in love with this one! What else could it be than a 'Coffee Menu'?! LOL It is stitched on Zweigart 28 Count Cashel Linen - Vintage. Gorgeous linen. A bit strenuous on the eyes, but with good daylight it works fine. I'm using DMC embroidery floss as well as hand dyed cotton floss from Classic Colorworks (former Crescent Colours) and The Gentle Art (former Sampler Threads). They are just so yummy!