First finish - new pillow to the sisterhood

Writing a year-wrap helps to kick in the new year as well! 

I was pushing forward finishing the 3rd pillow, because when I did my list of nice things from 2021, I realised it is really a small thing to finish the 3rd pillow and move this project as far as I can. There is 2 more circles waiting to be finished, but one is not too nice neither the design nor the work how I put it together, and the other is waiting for a partner. I also out of blue background, so either I buy new (I have huge amount of fabric, so I would rather skip) or chose something from stash, but that blows up the symmetry. So I am at the moment happy with my 3 pillows and even more happy that I have something out of my sewing machine. The pattern of the pillows is from the quilt Round the Year by betukbandi.

 

 

 

2021 wrap up

So let's see what did I do in 2021. It was not a very productive year, but still I finished more than I thought. Instead stitching I read a lot (good!) and played a game called Planet Zoo (not that good). However, I was pushing to clean up the unfinished cross stitch basket, and I have managed to put the finishing touches to the Nativity Sampler, and gave away one with an acryl floss, what I will never finish.

So my list is the following:

Cross stitch:

Finishes & partings:

Heirloom Nativity Sampler by The Victoria Sampler  - finally finished the little hardanger missing, started in 2014 November. I did not managed to take it to the framer, but I will in 2022. The real colors are in between the 2 photos.

 

Heirloom Nativity Sampler - The Victoria Sampler

Anyag / Fabric : 32 ct Smokey Pearl Zweigart

Fonal / Floss : selyem, a mintaív szerint / silk as in the kit

Riolis 1079 Autumn forest - small part done, started in 2018 summer. 

I realised I will never finish it, so I gave it away

Around the World in Stitches by Papillon Creations- 

I did manage to mount it on a cardboard and finally bought a box to be mounted on, but did not finish it fully. I have started it in 2018 and finished in 2020.

 

 

Around the World in 80 Stitches - Papillon Creations

Anyag / Fabric : 32 ct white dmc

Fonal / Floss : Anchor

WIP

I worked on the following WIPs:

Pomarium by Chatelaine, fully done, only the beading is missing! I started in 2016 December

 

Chatelaine: Pomarium

Fonal/Floss: DMC + many silks as suggested in the kit

Anyag/Fabric: Zweigart antique white 32 ct Belfast

Kingfisher by Anchor - started in 2020 July as a holiday travelling piece

 

Anchor: Kingfisher

Fonal/Floss: Anchor from the kit

Anyag/Fabric: Zweigart white 16 ct Aida from the kit

Sans Soucis by Long Dog Samplers - started in 2020 September

 

Long Dog Samplers: Sans Soucis

Fonal / Floss: Caron (#63,#153) Gloriana (#67) Edmar Rayon (#206)

Anyag/Fabric: Tea dyed Zweigart white 32 ct line

Autumn Watergarden by Chatelaine, 1st quarter - started in 2019 August

 

Chatelaine: Autumn Watergarden

Fonal/Floss: DMC + many silks as suggested in the kit

Anyag/Fabric: Zweigart antique white 32 ct Belfast

QUILTING 

A finish: A polka dot quilt for my niece:

I was working on a WIP:

Round the Year by betukbandi- 8 out of  16 done

I also made pillows for the covers I made from them. It is a 2 sided pillow, 2 of them is already done.

 

I had 2 projects other from 2020, but I did not touched them at all.

Winter Maize by Ngaire Brooks: piecing done, applique in line

String - a few pieces done, I started it as a leader/ender project

SEWING & OTHER

I created a baby book

I finished 3 T shirts what I really like

I dibbled some in bag making:

A therapy-bed carrying bag for my sister-in-law bag (she is a physiotherapist who visits patients)

A sturdy bag I gave to my mother

and a some bags for my kitchen 

  

and some more masks since Covid is still on....

Dozens Squared

 

There is the next one from Roung the Year by  Betukbandi. It was one of the most difficult one so far, even more difficult than the Wedding Ring. I was lazy to read the instructions correctly, and sewed the central yellow triangles together, when I realised the others should be added around. So I learned to sew Y seams the hard way. I also made a mistake in the finger (leaves?) block what I saw only when it was finished -this is to show nobody is perfect, or just some rndom effect of the pandemia in 2020 :)

Block 12 - Dozens Squared

Round the Year by betukbandi

This is the 8th block out of 16, so I am halfway through. There is also a problem due to the virus - there is no darkblue fabric available in the local fabric shop for over 3 months. I suppose everyone is using darkblue for face masks, that is the reason for the shortage - but I have hardly any left.

Size is a circle in a 15"x15" square, so taking into consideration the extremely small pieces, the material usage is 20"x15", which is cc 20cm of a fabric. 4rd ring in 2020 goes up to 80cm.

Wedding ring

 I have finished another round, this is the Wedding Ring. The blue middle is a little too strong, tuerefore I think I will mount it on something blue, just like in this background. It was quite difficult to align the pieces, and I did not manage perfectly, but at least I finished my first one - and I know I will not make any bedsized version of this quilt for sure!

Block 9 - Wedding Ring

Round the Year by betukbandi

Size is a circle in a 15"x15" square, so taking into consideration the extremely small pieces, the material usage is 20"x15", which is cc 20cm of a fabric. 3rd ring in 2020 goes up to 60cm.

Lollipop

Another round for the Round the Year: Lollipop

Block 6 - Lollipop Candy

Round the Year by betukbandi

Size is a circle in a 15"x15" square, so taking into consideration the extremely small pieces, the material usage is 20"x15", which is cc 20cm of a fabric.

Sapphire

I restarted my paper piecing design published by BetukbandiThis one is called Sapphire. I used the advised coloring to get a gemlike piece. It was a long time ago that I did paperpiecing, and it can be seen by the matchings -I am not fully happy, but the next one will be better... 

I must remember not to tear the backing paper prior fully finishing (I did...), use 2 stitch length instead the general 2.5 (changed midtime) and use 80 sized needle (changed midtime). There was also a good lesson not to avoid fixing thread tension immediately, because it will backfire - a few parts were fixed manually because the upper thread was too loose and it came out.

Taking all this into consideration having a finished circle is not a bad achievement !

Block 4 - Sapphire Fire

Round the Year by betukbandi

Size is a circle in a 15"x15" square, so taking into consideration the small pieces, the material usage is 20"x15", which is cc 20cm of a fabric.

Venus is ready

I have finished another block from betukbandi Round the Year BOM. I really love how neat the paper pieced parts after trimming!

I was quick, I have finished in one afternoon. This is before sewing the block together:

This is the final piece after finishing all the seams, Part 5 Venus. I skipped part 4, Sapphire fire, because I have to find out what colours I want to use. I am really improving in paper-piecing, but maybe having straight lines instead wavy triangles also helps...

Block 5 - Venus

Round the Year by betukbandi

Card trick in the making

Card Trick - Part 3

Round the Year by betukbandi

Round the Year 2 - Evening at the Pond

I have put the taupe Yoko Saito top away and returned to the colorful Round the Year by betukbandi. I have already started the paper pieced flying geese a few weeks ago, only the middle was missing. It took only an evening to finish it -it was very easy and relaxing. Despite the name it was only straight stitches. The name is Evening at the Pond, reminds me the birds flying away to the setting sun.

Block 2 Evening at the Pond

Round the Year by betukbandi

Round the Year - Dahlia

A few years back I have found a beautiful quilt by betukbandi called Round the Year, and I was thinking to create one day such. The day had arrived, and I started my epic jpourney of paperpiecing round medallions. The first one is Dahlia, and despite some little puckers I am more than happy with my result. The paper piecing part was OK, but I was fighting with the curved piecing. And there was a huge amount of curves to be pieced! 

For the materials first I wanted to use batiks or some more shaded fabric, just like in the original, but when I realised I used all my blues for the Storm-At-Sea quilt in the summer I thought to use the overflowing solids. The colours are really nice, I like the contrast, and at least I do not buy even more fabric - I can hardly close the door of my cupboard where my materials are...

Block 1 - Dahlia

Round the Year by betukbandi