Chookshed Stitchers 2024 Challenge - #8 - A Christmas Stitchery

When the group first discussed this Challenge... a few numbers were assigned to specific things - totally optional of course - but #8 was to be a Christmas stitchery and many of us decided to use a design from Anni Downs - the one she released for Christmas 2023. 

I had originally thought to enlarge it a bit and make it into a mini quilt to hang on a little wooden hanger I have - so it would need to be 12 x 14"....BUT I only have one hanger and several minis that fit, so I pondered . . Then Janice had another bright idea - to do this one and a few of the previous ones and make a larger, though still small, quilt.
At the moment - that is my plan...

Here is the 2023 Anni Downs Christmas Stitchery, using Anchor Variegated red (#1206)

I haven't trimmed it yet, pending a final decision on how I will use it.

And the 2024 Challenge is over.  Deana wisely restricted it to 10 projects - figuring that by November we were likely busy with Christmas projects.

So, How did I do?

I am happy to say that I completed 8 projects and for those that I didn't finish - I do have a finished top.  Finishing off will probably go on the 2025 list.

Huge thanks Deana for suggesting this and keeping us on our toes by posting the Linky Party each month.

FNWF - October

The year is flying past....but some regular catch-ups are good.

Friday Night saw me sewing the binding onto a quilt...This is my Sunday Stitchers Challenge for October... it's a very old UFO - originally started around 2011...but will be finished this month.  There are numerous 'doo dads" (embellishments)....to add.

Come back after October 20th to see the front!

Thanks Cheryll & fellow FNWFers!

RSC - August & September

My RSC blocks took a back seat for August.  August colour was Orange - but as Janice pointed out - the September Fishy Business block was to be a little school of goldfish - so it seemed appropriate to use orange for that - that meant I had to wait to hear the September colour before I could do the August blocks.  September RSC challenge colour is "Darks - black & brown".

Confused??

So here is August

And September

I thought it was time to see how they all look together - although there are still 3 more Fishy Business blocks (2 each month) to go.  There are additional squares to be added too.

Just random order. . . no plan yet.

Chookshed Stitchers 2024 Challenge - #7 - Placemats for Meals on Wheels

This was a pretty open-ended project...Placemats...I didn't specify how many....so it was easy to reach my goal...LOL

I did need to finish off these 4 that were started in a LQS workshop - giving us 4 ways to add binding.  I picked up a few tips - shared a tip with the instructor (LOL) and finally finished them.
I had done the poped/flanged binding before...but I make the contrast narrower. (Kits were provided with strip cut etc).  The one I had not tried before was the blue one - where you bring the backing over to the front to form a frame.  Good for placemats and wall hangings.  Not sure I would do it for a quilt...but at least I have the technique now.

Then I raided the bag where I had pieces cut, partly made placemats etc.  I dedicated about 2 days to the task and got 10 of the yellow/florally ones done - I still have more of that fabric..cut to size ready to go - but I want to get some backing fabric for those.

In the "Placemats' box, I also found some blocks that came from a lady who had passed away. There was no pattern or additional fabric with these blocks, so I put them aside for placemats.  I lost some of the points, but the colours are good - especially for men.

So Project #7 can be ticked as "DONE".
If we do the Challenge again in 2025, I will make "Placemats for Meals on Wheels" one of my items.  I still have a bit in that box!

Thanks Deana for suggesting this challenge - it has really helped move some things along the line....one project to go...guess we don't need to "wonder" what that will be . . . .LOL😁

FNSI - September

Time for another cyber meeting hosted by Wendy.

I settled down on the lounge, watching Better Homes & Gardens and started a cross stitch.  I was expecting to vacate my chair so the other half could watch the AFL game.  But he was happy to watch on the other TV, so I stayed put and watched some "Escape to the Country".

This is Shop #3 from Little Winter Shops by Spruce Craft Co (based in Melbourne).  I stitched the Little Summer Shops previously.
It's an easy stitch....not too much counting and one shop a month - so it can easily be slotted in between all the other projects.
Hope all the FNSI'ers had a good night and got some / a lot of crafting done.

SS Mini Quilts - Winter and Spring

My Sunday Stitchers Group decided we would make Seasonal things (mini quilts etc.) in 2024.

I posted my Autumn one in March.

And I finished my Winter one by the Due Date, but neglected to post about it

So, here is Winter.

Now its Spring (though we had a short burst of summer at the end of Autumn).

My plan at the beginning of the year was to do my house in the different seasons . . .but ...(1) I am a bit bored by the idea now and (2) I seem to be short of time!!!

So, I opted for a machine embroidery design called "Signs of Spring Tree" by Urban Threads.
I found a Quiet Play fabric in white with clouds and raindrops, dyed it with some blue paint and food colouring and added some green for the grass.

I was finished enough...but I did run out of time....I plan to add a sun and some more bits to it.

At least I have a good plan in mind for my Summer one.

Salt Dyeing

Firstly, the Disclaimer!
I am no expert on this....just listened to a lady explaining & demo-ing it and had a play at home.  This is really about the use of salt - not to explain anything about dyeing fabric.

I grabbed a bit of white fabric and washed/rinsed it in dishwashing liquid....because it was handy...use normal laundry liquid if you prefer - it's just to remove whatever is on the fabric.  Leave it wet.

Make up some coloured solution - Use dye if you have it - I used acrylic paint and added a drop of blue food colouring.  If you use acrylic paint - you may need to stir it very thoroughly or - as suggested by the lady demo-ing it - strain it - to remove any blobs of paint.

Soak the fabric in the solution.  Leave for as long as you need to to get the colour you want.  Remove - squeeze out the excess liquid and lay out - I put mine on baking (parchment) paper.

Now the fun part.
Sprinkle salt over the fabric....
I used Rock salt on the bottom area - ground rock salt on the top area
You can also use cooking salt, or Epsom salts.  I am sure salt flakes would be interesting too - I was just using what I had in my pantry for my test piece...but might buy some salt flakes for another time.  I also added Bicarb of Soda on the top...I wonder if it made a difference?

Because the salt draws in the colour - you get bigger "bubbles" from the rock salt than from table or cooking salt.  (Hence thinking that flakes would be good.)

Here is the side I put the salt on

Here is the "back".

I mean to turn this into an underwater scene....one day...

Chookshed Stitchers 2024 Challenge - #1 - July - Finished

Back here - I posted my almost-finished Block Holder.

I have now added the corflute boards and felt pages.  I made this big enough to be able to transport my 20.5" ruler.  Ideally a pocket for the ruler would have been good....but I decided that I could just tie it in for its rare trips out of the sewing room!

Milo's Quilt - RSC 2023

My grandchildren get an I Spy quilt when they turn 2.
Luka's is here and Peyton's is here

Now it's Milo's turn.

in 2023 - for the Rainbow Scrap Challenge, I made two blocks of novelty fabrics in each colour with a plan to make these into quilts for Milo and Montana.

Making the blocks was relatively easy - though I had to 'beg" a few fabrics in some colours.  Then I had to add 144 3.5" squares!!!   I have a fairly large collection of novelty fabrics, a friend gave me all of her collection....but I was still struggling to get enough...(remember I was making 2 quilts....)...and I found a lady on Facebook who was selling pre-cut squares, so I purchased a bunch from her.  As I was finishing the quilt, I found a few repeats, so swapped them out....but I stopped looking closely in case I found more!

Although Milo turned 2 in August - he lives in Townsville and I wasn't keen on trusting the quilt to the postal service if I could avoid it.  We are off to Townsville on Tuesday for some Nana & Pa cuddles, so the deadline was set! 

For the backing, I chose an alphabet panel showing various fish and sea creatures (Milo's dad is a keen fisherman) and an indigenous-inspired pattern that looks a bit like waves...(well, in my mind)

The fish panel is "Deep Blue Sea by Stephanie Peterson Jones" 

and includes some questionably named fish....

Cowfish, Lumpfish, IcebBlue Zebra fish, Unicornfish, Rabbitfish,
Quillback rockfish.  I googled them and they really do exist!
(Fortunately)

The backing:

I have less than 12 months to make the second one like this for Montana.  Wonder what I will find for backing for her...her dad is also a keen fisherman.

Chookshed Stitchers 2024 Challenge - #3 - an EPP project

When the idea of the Chookshed Challenge was first discussed, a few numbers were assigned to specific things....that was optional of course...but #3 was an EPP project....and I like to toe the line...sometimes!

i am not a big EPP person - I will do it as part of a project - but not normally as a wholeproject.  So, initially, I decided that my EPP could be parts of My Small World . . .but the cyber random number generator gods did not align and I had to complete those parts before #3 was selected.

So I made a small pincushion.

This matches all the matchy-matchy stuff I made for one of the groups I belong to.  

I posted about them here.