Monday, November 12, 2018

Dispensing with Christmas Squirrels

I’ve continued sewing on my unplanned Squirrel Christmas projects. You know, like when you have ADHD and anything shiny and new catches your attention. And I’m knocking those squirrels out one by one, so I can continue with my planned sewing goals for Christmas and the remainder of the year.

First, I finally finished Let it Snow. All I had left to do was the binding and hanging sleeve. I’m glad it’s done, but I’m not overly thrilled or proud of it. But it is already hanging in the living room.  It finished at 37.5” wide (the max I could hang on that quilt hanger) by 48” long.


But the left side is all wavy. I measured it, and it is straight (although it doesn’t look like it). I tried pressing it. Maybe I should wash then press it?? I’m rather embarrassed about it. How does one correct this - is it a result of the dense quilting?


Other than that, it looks pretty nice up there. It’s a bit big for the space, but oh well. It will be changed out for other planned (and probably smaller) wall hangings as seasons change. I do love the relative simplicity of the wrought iron hanger and how well it blends in with the living room decor. The red pillow is an IKEA find.


This is goal #4 on my Finish-Along list for the 4th quarter of 2018, which you can see HERE.  It’s also the fifth finish of my ten goals. Yay! I don’t think I’ll get them all done, but it still feels good to knock ‘em out! Here’s the quarter-end linky party.

I also finished out this tree-themed table runner.  Hmm.... this feels like the Year of the Tree for me.


The tree blocks finish at 6” each, so this table runner measures 36x18”, It hasn’t been laundered yet. It will be put into use after Christmas.

I also finally finished the binding on this runner from last year. It measures 14”x25.5” after laundering.


So all I have left to do is layer, quilt and bind the round tree skirt I showed in my last post. It's on my to-do list for this week. Oh, and so is this quick project. Just a peek of some blocks for now, because it’s a gift for someone special.


Oh, I’m loving those colors!!! This project will conclude my Christmas sewing for this year, but I have at least one wall hanging and one quilt (that I will start in summer or fall) and some quilted Christmas stockings planned for next year.

And now, I’m off to answer the Call of the Wild (the buzzer on the clothes dryer) and then start prepping some cornbread to go with tonight’s chili dinner.....

7 comments:

  1. "The year of the tree" - I love it! Perhaps those squirrels inspired your trees, since that is where the real ones make their homes? As for the wavy side, a friend suggested to me that a quilt that was previously flat could be warped when sewing on binding. I never thought of that, but it does make sense when I consider how difficult it can sometimes be to wrestle quilts through the machine portion of that process...even the small ones? I'm not sure if laundering or even removing and reattaching the binding would fix it, but, well, something to consider for future projects. Regardless, I still love the quilt!

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  2. I love that holly runner. I may try that for placemats. Love the relatively low volume background! Just enough color for interest, but it doesn't detract from the focus of the holly. Here's a suggestion for the wavy quilt: try sewing a hanging sleeve on the bottom and insert a dowel or, better yet a flat piece of wood. The extra weight might be enough for it to hang flat.

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  3. So many cute holiday projects! I can just picture all the squirrels wearing little Santa hats as they scampered around your studio. I suspect if you washed your trees and then blocked them flat you could reduce the wave, if it still bothers you after a while. I find that after a week or so, I don't notice those sorts of little things anymore ;)

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  4. I am loving these trees and a lovely house in the woods creates a perfect picture of serenity. If I were you, I'd take a picture of the quilt and turn it into Christmas/New Year cards. Yes, it is totally picture-worthy. Thank goodness for squirrels. They keep us from falling into a rut. Big hugs to you.

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  5. It is fascinating to watch the English language evolve where the term "Squirrel" originally represented easily distracted dogs and now represents industrious quilters who finish their quilts well in advance of the holidays and "bury" some to feed the community.

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  6. I rather like your year of the tree projects, especially the wall hanging. So colorful and reminds me of my absolute favourite Christmas show (The Grinch - the old cartoon version).

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  7. Your hanging is sweet! I have a tip for wavy binding and it works. Go here:
    http://appliqueandpatches.blogspot.com/2007/08/binding-fix.html. I demonstrated this tip at guild and quilts hanging in our quilt show were nice and straight.

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