First sampler quilt with "border" added

I'm making decent progress with this project, propelled forward by the prospect of a weekend in the Black Forrest, where I will need diversion. And hand-stitching the binding will do just that: relax and divert me :-)

Before I get to that point though, I will have to quilt (perimeter stitching) and make the bias binding. Then I will have to closely follow Amanda Jean's continuous binding tutorial, pack and leave ...

What happened to my work area?

Looks like the New Year's cleaning bug has not been active in the basement yet ... I've been purging wardrobes and book shelves as well as selling off electronics. The New Year does that to me: I go on a cleaning craze.

My sewing table will look better in about 30 minutes and then I'll whip out the ironing board to make some progress on those doll quilts.

First project of the New Year: the sampler

Initially, I had planned to turn this into a double-sided quilt for my daughter to play with in her doll corner. My husband thought that'd be a waste ... why not make two, one per girl. So this is what I'm doing.

They will be bordered in yellow, about 1,5 cm wide, and then bound in that light blue gingham I used in the blocks. Quilting will be minimal and done by machine.

Anything to get the job done - after six years.

Disappearing Nine-Patch

I needed something to brighten up my day mainly spent on post-Christmas-clean-up ... despite my not wanting to start this right away, I just couldn't help myself.

There will be nine blocks of red and green, mainly purchased at my favourite local shop. I need to cut another 31 squares ...

End of Year wrap-up

I've been quite busy this year, what with

6 finished quilts

one finished crocheted blanket

two scarfs

8 coasters

These are the things I didn't get done:

potholders

place mats

both in Christmassy fabric. Maybe I should do these asap and store them for next Christmas while I' still in the mood?

Now I'm trying to decide what to do next ... a disappearing 9-Patch? Finish my night on the tiles? Work on Carola's sampler? Maybe I should work on the sampler, get it done and use the urge to start a new project to motivate me to finish? I think that's a good plan!

PIF: on its way to California

Yay, after much to-ing and fro-ing I managed to get one PIF on the road to California. For the other one, I'm still awaiting a postal address and then that shall be on its way too ...

Phew!

Since September, the list of upcoming projects has changed to:

Coasters - working on it

Potholders - on my mind

long-term project: my first and only sampler quilt

Night on the Tiles

Done:

PIF

Stashbuster Quilt for my God-Daughter, well, sort of: used the fabric and finished the quilt

2 quilts in a day for new babies

Edited to add: PIF No. 2 is also on its way, also to California.

12 Days of Christmas

There are people around me who use terms, of which they do not know the meaning. I find them incredibly annoying. Yet I had a hunch that I am one of them ... and alas, I was correct. I thought that the "Twelve Days of Christmas are twelve days leading up to Christmas Day (especially given that on Boxing Day, most of my Northern English neighbours packed up Christmas to be ready for the New Year). Boy, was I ever wrong.

Wiki says: "The twelve days of Christmas in the song are the twelve days from the birth of Christ (Christmas, December 25) to the coming of the Magi (Epiphany, January 6, or the Twelfth Day). Thus, the twelve days are December 25 through January 6. (...)

Twelfth Night is defined by the Oxford English Dictionary as "the evening of the fifth of January, preceding Twelfth Day, the eve of the Epiphany, formerly the last day of the Christmas festivities and observed as a time of merrymaking."