Chookshed Challenge #10 - Sashiko Table Runner

Another longish term finish.

I started the stitching on this in June 2020...originally purchased May 2018) and finished it in February 2021.
I found the fabric I wanted to use as a border to finish it off....but then it sat...I don't really use table runners, so that kind of explains why it didn't get finished....but it's time to wipe it off the list, so it was included as one of my Chookshed Challenge Projects.

Hearts for NICU babies

Recently the Mater Hospital in Brisbane put out a call for cotton hearts - they need sets of 3 - one for mum - one for bub in NICU and a spare.

This was mentioned by Helen in our Sunday Stitchers group.  I made 9 sets.  One of our members works at the Royal Brisbane Hospital which also uses these hearts, so we are gifting our hearts to them,

Floral Fun

Last year, when a number of the Sunday Stitchers groups were at retreat, we spied a small quilt in Quilters Companion.  One thing led to another and it became a group project for us in 2025.

In typical "Mdm Organiser" style I created a plan to spread the workload over a year...even though it is a simple & fairly quick project, a lot of us have other things on the go, so we took the "go slow" approach.

For February, we had to make 2 x Unit 1

  

RSC 2025 February - Blue

I completed 20 blocks for my Colorwash Quilt:

There is a lot more variety in the colours this month . . .amazing what you find when you raid the strip boxes.

Then I made 3 placemats...that got rid of most of the longer blue strips...still short lengths sitting around....

Sunday Stitchers - UFO Challenge 2025 - #8 - Stitch Happens

In the Chookshed Challenge for 2024 I made Stitch Happens.  I pinned it and started quilting it...but had neglected to engage the quilting foot correctly and it buckled on the back...poop...I thought.  So I put it in the naughty corner for that year.

I really wanted to get it done, so I added it to the Sunday Stitchers 2025 Challenge.

I had a few lines of quilting to remove, and I was concerned that quilting it with vertical lines would cause it to develop a wave, but it seems fine now.

I am so much happier with this than with the original "Sew Big or Go Home" that some friends and I thought we would do.

RSC 2025 (Pink) & Chookshed Challenge 2025

Rainbow Scrap Challenge

I deliberated about joining RSC again - I've done it a few years and it is great motivation to get some blocks made, . . but do I need yet another project???   NO

So, I decided to combine it with another project and the Colourwash blocks seemed ideal.

Maureen found this idea on You Tube and the plan was to motivate each other to make blocks from our stash....
The quilt on YouTube is finished with 3" squares, and there are probably 400 or so blocks. Ummm. I decided on a 4.5" cut and the total number of squares??? I have no idea yet. It depends on how it pans out, and it may end up as a colourful quilt.

I hadn't planned on any fixed number of blocks for RSC, so I just used what was easy to cut from bits I had "sitting around" ...I ended up with 16 for the first run, but decided to make 20 each month.
I will probably need a lot more for what I have in mind - and I may spread this over two years.

Obviously I tend to buy bright pinks in a similar tone.....but I am sure over time, my pinks will become more varied.

I also have quite a collection of cut strips . . . Previously, I've made string blocks for quilts for donation to DV...and I like to make placemats to donate to the local Meals on Wheels organisation...so I grabbed the pink strips that were long enough and made a simple placemat

Chookshed Challenge

For the Chookshed Challenge, #6 was the project for January, so I combined my RSC Commitment with the Challenge.  Off to a winning start

Sunday Stitchers - UFO Challenge 2025 - #6 - Hooley Dooley China Shop & Pearl's Tearooms

Many years ago - my Loose Threads group were all interested in some cushion patterns featuring Shops.  I have the full set of patterns and thought I would make them all....(in your dreams, Susan)

One of our group (Nolene) made one...and Inca had started one.   I found it when Maureen & I went through her stuff after she passed away.  It was about 3/4 done, so I decided to finish it off and give it to Helen in Sunday Stitchers who has asked each of us for any random blocks - with a plan that one day she will combine them all to make a quilt  (good luck with that I think...LOL)

The original has a lot of buttons which I don't have so I added some applique plates and cups to the China Shop, but left the tables in the tearoom bare.

Happy to pass it along to Helen now....

An Old Cross Stitch Project - Sampler Cross Stitch

A loooong time ago - I did a cross stitch of various patchwork blocks.
I am sure many of you will recognise it - it was the "flavor of the month" at the time and popular with bloggers.
Maria was one of those - and refers to it as Sampler Cross Stitch.

All the posts showing pictures are dated 2014 - with no picture of the finished work.  The link to the pattern is no longer valid - it looks like it came from "littlemissshabby" or Coriander Quilts.
Never mind now - it was all stitched.

I saw it while I was looking through a drawer (at other things) and there just happened to be some stripey fabric within eyeshot that looked a pretty good match.

So, I decided to finish it off.

Just for reference, I used DMCs in the following colours:
208    209    210    211    322    334    743    744    745    911    912    913    954    961    962   963    3716    3755    3841    3860    3861

A New Year . . .A New Project?????????????

If you read my previous post with 10 items for each of two separate challenges, you might think I had plenty to do....and if you looked at the list of "Planned Projects for 2025" you would be certain I have more than enough . . .but what happened today???
I spied a temperature cross-stitch - with a tree!!!

Now, I am a sucker for trees and houses and I have always wanted to do a temperature project - even though our temperatures don't vary widely .  . .so down the rabbit hole I went.

It just so happens I had some Aida in an oaty colour that seemed right...(trying to buy as little as possible) and I have the threads, so after a bit of sorting and cutting lengths of thread...off I went.

The pattern has one leaf per day and one color for each group of two degrees.  I'm pretty sure I will use the maximum temperature each day - that is generally between 16 and 33 - so I have allocated each day to one degree.

I started tonight and will work on the trunk downwards and the January branch before adding the leaves.

I plan to make this my FNWF and FNSI project.

Happy New Year

Happy New Year to everyone!

May 2025 be happy, healthy & peaceful.

In preparation for my quilty workload in 2025, I have planned my challenge projects for the year for two separate groups. 

The Sunday Stitchers Number was drawn at our Christmas Party and is 6 

Today (31st December) the Chookshed Stitchers gathered cyberally and we drew the number for January...LOL...it is also  6 

Looks like a busy month ahead, because other projects need some TLC.

And, in case you thought that was all that I have on my plate....have a look at the sidebar under "Planned Projects for 2025 - Not the Challenges"
And there are a few more left over from 2024...

It's all fun and not to be taken too seriously.