November 26, 2020

Sneak Peeks

Being a quilt blogger is hard when you've signed up for a bunch of fun things that mean you're sewing, but you can't share it yet! I have three projects coming up the first week of December, so I thought I'd share some sneak peeks today.

Quilt Block Mania is coming next Tuesday and I have a fabulous scrappy block to share. I love it so much I made four blocks instead of the one that is required. I'm not sure if I'll have time to get it quilted before Tuesday, but I'd really like to.
Scrappy star project to come | DevotedQuilter.com
I've started working on the annual cross stitch ornaments for my boys. I'm only making two this year, since it was always my plan to only go until they finished high school. I'm trying only stitching from the front, like this, and it seems like it's a bit faster, especially where there are blocks of the same colour. 
cross stitch | DevotedQuilter.com
The Love and Kisses blog hop starts soon and my day to share is on the 6th. I'll be sharing a new version of my Bloom block and it looks so completely different in the colours of the Love and Kisses fabric line! The background is solid this time, which means the swirl hook quilting shows up soooo well 😍
swirl hook fmq | DevotedQuilter.com
Are you wanting to learn free motion quilting? I just learned about the Intro to FMQ mini course, which would be a great way to get started. Full disclosure, I'm an affiliate for HollyAnne's courses, which means I earn a commission if you purchase the course after clicking my link. I haven't taken Intro to FMQ, but I'm all about enabling you to learn fmq because it's so much fun 😊

Another blog tour I'm working on is the Designer Knits tour for Riley Blake. I'll be sharing three new garment makes, one from a Love Notions pattern and the others from Sinclair Patterns, from these fabrics, plus a solid grey that is already stitched up.
knit fabric | DevotedQuilter.com
I can share this Harper cardigan I made as a test, before making the version for the blog hop. I bought this sweater knit last year to make a different cardigan, but when it arrived I discovered it wasn't as wide as most garment fabric, so there wasn't enough. Lesson learned - check the fabric width before ordering! The Harper (a free pattern from Sinclair) has different length options, though, so I could just barely squeak out a cropped version.
Cropped Harper cardigan | DevotedQuilter.com
Because I was so focused on fitting all the pieces on the fabric I had, I wasn't paying attention when I cut the sleeves and I forgot to flip the pattern piece over for the second one. That meant I had two right sleeves (or two left, I'm not sure)...whomp, whomp...and no extra fabric to cut a replacement. After staring at it for a while, I figured I might as well keep going so I'd at least be able to tell how well the cardigan fit, even if one of the sleeves was weird. Luckily for me, the shape of the sleeves isn't all that different from the front to the back, so it isn't weird at all! I love wearing it and I'm so glad I didn't just give up when I realized my mistake.

Aside from all the sewing I've been doing, I'm also thinking a lot about next year and what goals I want to set. I've been designing more quilts, too. I've added at least two to my to-make list the past week or so, which explains why that list never gets any shorter 😊

How many things are you working on right now? And how many are you dreaming about??

3 comments:

  1. I cannot see the difference in the sleeves. I used to make all my own clothes and lots for my kids when they were little. Often using the left overs from mine for theirs or for dolls. Crimplene was the thing in those days. A dollar a yard at Woolco. Easiest thing ever to make pull up pants/slacks/trousers with an elastic. Those were the days when I actually finished things. The sweater looks quite fashionable.

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  2. I have to laugh about the sleeves. I have done similar things with various sewing projects. If I have enough fabric, I will cut a second one - but if not I always try to make it work.
    The sweater looks great on you. I love that color.

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  3. Oh the mistakes we manage to make when we're sewists! You are definitely not alone in realizing fabric isn't wide enough, or sleeves haven't been reversed. That's when we're forced to become creative, and the project nearly always turns out even better. You came through well with your Harper. (applause) I love swirl hook quilting, which I first saw in Angela Walters' book. I wonder how all these virtual quilting workshops are going because I can imagine it's difficult for students to receive instructor feedback. I was invited to teach FMQ virtually and declined because I wouldn't be able to see students' tension issues, stitch length problems, and other perceived needs for close-up views. For quilting I believe in-person is better for students. Though teaching virtually is a dream for instructors! I have now taken five virtual workshops during this pandemic, and doubt I will register for in-person ever again. The ease of attending and having one's own tools and supplies at hand is simply wonderful. Have fun planning for 2021. I don't usually go that route, with a list. To me it's confining. I'd rather work on what I want, when I want. But then, I have more free time to do that because I'm retired. In any case, I hope all our 2021 plans, whatever they are, go better than they did in 2020!

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