More Christmas

Yesterday I finished up the star blocks for this quilt -

Dorry asked about my fabric usage - there is no system.  As I often do, I cut numbers of pieces from a given fabric randomly depending on the length of the strip I cut.  Some fabrics are used in one block, some are used in three or four.  No two stars are identical, but some have three fabrics in common. 

Now I have to try stitching one of my alternate blocks together, and figure out fabric for the borders.  I may not have what I want on hand and this was supposed to be a way to use up fabrics, not an excuse to buy more.  But when I buy I don't usually buy enough for borders and backs and do wind up spending new money.  This won't be a huge quilt - maybe 50x50 inches, so it won't be too much fabric.

Christmas in July

I started a new quilt a couple of days ago.  Norris saw the block on the right and immediately recognized this was a Christmas quilt.  It will be a medium sized wall quilt for our dining room.

The block is one from the Civil War block of the Week series, Right Hand of Friendship, which was week 43, late October last year.  When I made the block for Roger and Laurie's quilt, I commented it would make a great scrappy quilt.  So I'm making a scrappy quilt with it now, though I'm going to use the same background swirly green and white print for all 9 star blocks to unify them. And I'm making it at 9 inches so the cutting math is far more standard than when we made all the blocks at 8 inches for that series.

I have a plan to use a block I've never made before for the alternates in my on-point setting.     Accidentally and on purpose, I managed to collect a lot of these themed prints over the years I've been quilting.  I made one quilt probably 10 years ago that is too simple a design for my current taste and abilities. And then, while working on these stars, I chose several prints from my collection that are not "Christmas" prints - so it's not going to make much room in the fabric drawer for anything new. I'll still have enough Christmas prints when I'm done to make a king sized quilt I think.

The Christmas fabrics obviously have some aging on them.  The current Christmas prints all seem to use a yellow green that I'm not crazy about.  I prefer my muted blue-greens and sage greens so it's just as well I bought them when I did.

Update? maybe this is a downdate....

I haven't posted in a while - I got a new computer and spent an entire week learning my way around the new operating system. loading up all my software running, and getting frustrated trying to get things working the way I wanted them to.

I did not turn on any of my sewing machines.  But I have been working on my Tapestry sweater which now looks like this -  approaching the point where it would split under the arms, it's probably one third complete:

 

A few rows back I had an error and had to rip out several rows.  While I had it off the needles, I could spread it out and realized it's just not big enough for me. While I reknit the rows I removed, I  contemplated whether I could block it larger or should plan to give it away.  I have decided there's too much work in this to give away and besides, I wanted to wear it!  I could take it apart and try knitting on larger needles to get my size, but I like the density of the fabric I'm getting so, this morning, I ordered more of the yarn and when it arrives, I'll rip all of this out and start over.  This would make some knitters cry, but I know it will be worth it.