1st project for #AutumnJubilee2022

My friend, Carole Carter, runs Autumn Jubilee on her blog From My Carolina Home. I may have mentioned once or a hundred times. 🙂 HEY, it’s fun and I don’t want you to miss out! Anyway, the first project was posted on Monday and it was for a Wool Stitch Along. Kudo’s to Carole for rounding up sponsors for the posts. If you like wool…her sponsor,  One Of The Flock, has some beautiful things in their shop online.

I contemplated going out and making a purchase to participate in this first project, but as the day went along, I just could not justify in my mind making the trip and the buying wool for hand applique. I am just not loving hand work (note two hand surgeries in last 5 years and cortisone shot just a month ago); so I decided I would give the project a whirl with cotton, doing fusible applique (thank you Heat n’Bond light) and doing some machine stitching instead of hand stitching.

I got busy, printed out the pattern pieces and set to work with my reliable felt pen, tracing the pattern bits onto the Heat n’ Bond.

Tracing on the Heat n’ Bond

Next up, I dug into my scrap drawers for fabrics that might make a good Cornucopia and for the various vegetables and leaves. I found some excellent pieces to use for the leaves, and I added probably more than the pattern called for, but I just “wanted to”. Initially, I used the leaf pattern but then I picked out some leaves on a scrap I had and fussy cut them out.

#AutumnJubilee2022

My background fabric is 18″ wide. I made it fairly large so I can decide as this month progresses what I might want to do with the project. Pillow? Table Topper? Wall hanging? Too soon to tell. I did reserve the other half of the yard for a backing of some sort.

I figure some stitching will be in order in the next couple of days. I have another wall hanging, hanging around, that needs the stitching finished on it, and both projects call out for my “cashmere” thread from Superior Threads. (Fantastico #5035 Cashmere Cone). May be time to get another spool on order. Looking at Superior Threads website, I began to drool over all the new colors that might work. Oh…I need to get to a big quilt show and shop in person!!!! Maybe the Hampton Roads show in February. I keep a spreadsheet with all my Superior threads, by type, color and number. There are a couple that are on my list for replacement soon, but others that I picked up “just because” and they languish on the shelf. I wonder if anyone else does that?

I’ll update the progress when I make some! What are you working on this week? Are you “stitching along” with the #AutumnJubilee2022 this month? Lots of other fun things to do as well, so do check it out.

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2015 was a good year

Lots of discussion around the web about just fast forwarding to 2021 and totally skipping 2020. I decided to make my time spent in 2020 productive, so I am pulling out small (and large) UFO’s.

2015 was a good year for starting things, and not finishing them all. Do you remember https://stitchinggrandma.wordpress.com/2015/11/12/wild-and-free-and-bluebirds/ ? I had fun taking a 2 day class in person with Pat Sloan at the Quilters by the Sea Quilt Guild in Ocean Pines Maryland.

One of the projects was called “Wild & Free”. Really, go take a look back at that blog post I linked above. We had a great time getting wild with making a background for a small applique project. The second day of the class we did a different project, and believe it or not, I FINISHED that project in the SAME DECADE! https://stitchinggrandma.wordpress.com/2015/11/11/my-little-blue-bird/

My Little Blue Bird

Anyway, back to the “Wild & Free” – Pat Sloan was seen “HOLDING MY PROJECT” – https://stitchinggrandma.wordpress.com/2015/11/09/such-a-groupie-moment/ and needless to say, I was tickled. We all made our backgrounds to use for one of Pat Sloan’s patterns called Mama’s Garden. One student even started the applique the night of the class.

Marti started her applique

Pat Sloan holding ” my version” of the background during the Wild & Free class. The pattern is Mama’s Garden designed by Pat Sloan

Marguerite’s

Anna’s project

I got to sit next to Anna during this class and learned that she was a “machine embroidery wiz”. She invited me to come and play with her group and I am SO glad I met her and have.

You know me, you know that I put the project away after the class, sort of, and haven’t touched it since. Oh, I did all the tracing of the applique pieces on Heat & Bond Light, and saved them in a zip lock bag, with the background piece. I had the background ready to go, with a stack of fabric that I wanted to use for the applique, and there it sat on top of my cabinet for the last 5 years.

Since I am digging my way through UFO’s, I thought a “smaller” project was in order after I got the border on my Allietare. (Note, Allietare distracted me back in 2015-16). I pulled down the box this Wednesday and started the process of picking fabrics for each of the applique elements. By the end of the evening on Thursday, I have all of the elements fused to the background and it is ready to start stitching down those pieces.

The pattern calls for 2 borders, and I think I need to figure out which fabric I will use for them. I have to go back and “re-read” the pattern instructions. I can’t remember if I stitch the applique first, or add the border first. I think I will use some stabilizer “behind” the fabric to give a little “heft” to the project and allow for a better outcome with the machine applique stitching.

This is a raw edge, fusible applique project, and it will be fun selecting thread colors to stitch with. The majority of the background fabric is from Pat’s line called Bobbin’s and Bit’s by Moda (again – circa 2015 or earlier). The applique pieces are from yardage, fat quarters and scraps.

I don’t know if those in the class finished their projects right away or not, but I know that this was a LOT of fun to work on, and will be a lot of fun to do the stitching too.

Still no UFO list in my life, too many to count. Lots of projects I have in mind to make, but I am keeping my eyes focused on the old projects and feeling quite good about moving forward with things.

Not sure what I will do with this when it is finished….but I am enjoying the process.

So, I’m not skipping ahead to 2021, I will make 2020 the year I finish some of last decades projects! How are you spending your week??