A Mill Hill Finish

As I said a couple of posts ago, I'm going to try and finish one Christmas ornament a month in 2022. I'm joining Carol from Stitching Dreams on her #12in22ornamentstitchalong

So, I've started by looking at my WIPs.  I found this cute Mill Hill Button and Bead kit in a box while I was looking for something else.  I think someone gave it to me because they didn't enjoy stitching on the perforated paper. 

I love these little kits, and don't mind the perforated paper at all.  If you haven't tried it before, just be very careful with unpicking, because the paper can rip if you pull too hard.

I've ordered a dark green frame for this one, and once it arrives it will be ready to join the others on the shelf at Christmas.

I feel quite pleased with myself that I've finished the first ornament for my #12in22ornamentstitchalong

Now it's time for the Peacock Party.  Feel free to link up a recent blog post below. 

You are invited to the Inlinkz link party!

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Mid-Summer Quilts in Motueka/Tasman

I'm finally home from my holiday in beautiful Northland, but now I'm wishing I was in Nelson at the top of the South Island. Then I could go and see the quilt show in Upper Moutere. There's only tomorrow left o catch the exhibition now, so if you're in the area, make plans to go to the Tasman Bible Church in Upper Moutere tomorrow - Saturday.  It's open from 10am til 4pm and only costs $4.

I was invited to be a guest exhibitor, so you'll see some of my quilts there too.  Here are some of the ones that I sent over, plus links to my blog posts about each of them:

Tongariro Crossing

We Built This City

You Spin Me Round

I was looking forward to attending the Auckland Quilt Guild's Festival of Quilts in February 2022, but they've had to defer it again to November 2022 now.  My mum has entered two quilts and they are ready to go, but the inevitable arrival of Omicron in NZ has event organisers hesitant to plan too much at this stage.  

I do have the Taupo Quiltmakers Exhibition in my diary, and I'm planning to be there between 24-26 June 2022.  

Now it's time for the Peacock Party. Feel free to link up a recent blog post below.

You are invited to the Inlinkz link party!

Click here to enter

My Embroidery priorities for 2022

My love of cross stitch was rekindled in 2021, so I thought I should write a list of my embroidery priorities for 2022.  

My mum's Holiday Wreath

My first goal is a big one - #12in22ornamentstitchalong

Carol from Stitching Dreams blog and @caroling55 on Instagram, has put out a challenge to stitch 12 ornaments in 2022 - She's using the hashtag #12in22ornamentstitchalong

I think I might just join in and then I'll have a lovely little basket of ornaments in time for Christmas 2022.  I checked my linen stash and I've got tonnes of linen in all sorts of colours. I've also got a wide range of DMC threads, so I just need a few patterns and I'll be off.  

Some of my current WIPs could count for the 12 in 22 challenge because they are Christmas themed. 

Here's what I already have in progress:

1. Twelve days of Christmas by Liz Mathews

I received the first three of these patterns for Christmas and I'm going to make some of the little trees - not all twelve, just some. The finished stitching is about 10" high on 28 count linen. I bought my patterns from Stitch Witches in NZ - just message them on Facebook if you're interested. 

2. Christmas Village by Victoria Sampler

This one is quite close to finished now, and should easily be finished in 2022. 

3. Holiday Wreath by Laura J Perin

Each year when I see my mum's Holiday Wreath, I come home determined to finish mine.  I think 2022 is the year that I should finally make it happen.  I know what my problem is - the defining feature of this piece is the velvet bow at the top, but I have to finish all the more boring stuff before I get to stitch the bow.  

4. Gingerbread Flower Shop

2022 will be the year I finish this one too. 

5. Pandemic by Long Dog Sampler

I should be able to finish this one by Easter I think.  But I have left the back stitching until the end, so that could take another week or two.  

6. Shades of Indigo by Northern Expressions Needlework

This was my new start on 1 Jan 2021, but I wasn't happy with one of the colours I'd chosen, so I set it aside.  On 1 Jan 2022 I pulled out the stitching I didn't like, and re-did it in a new colour. I love the new colour so I'm up and running again. 

So that's six WIPS before I even start looking around for new things to stitch for the #12in22ornamentstitchalong

Thank goodness I asked my mum to finish knitting my cardigan for me! I don't have time for quilting, embroidery and knitting.  

Now it's time for the Peacock Party.  Feel free to link up a recent blog post below. 

You are invited to the Inlinkz link party!

Click here to enter

2022 - My quilting priorities

It's a new year, and that means a load of new possibilities.  Of course I still have some of last year's quilts to finish, but I love dreaming about new possibilities.  Here's some of the things I'd like to work on in 2022.

1. Licorice Allsorts Block of the Month from Wendy Williams

I enrolled myself and my mum in this Block of the Month back in July 2021.  We're meant to be making it together, but I haven't even started mine yet.  I've been trying to get a few other things finished first. The block of the month is sold out, but Material Obsession may offer it as a kit or a pattern later in the year when the block of the month is finished. 

Photo from Material Obsession website

  

2. Ruby Star

This is another version of the Raindrops Keep Falling on my Head pattern by Willyne Hammerstein from Millefiori Quilts 4.  I've finished my first version of this quilt which I've called Bollywood, and I'll post about it soon.  But I wanted to try the pattern again with quite different fabrics.  These fabrics are all from the Ruby Star company, so I'm calling this quilt Ruby Star. It's all hand pieced, and there's lots of fussy cutting. 

3. Starry Night

I like to make a Kaffe Fassett quilt each year, and this year it's going to be Starry Night from Quilts in an English Village.  It's a great pattern to showcase some of the larger prints in my Kaffe stash.  I'll do mine in a different colour way from the book.  In fact I made a sneaky start on it this week while we've all been at home on holiday. 

Of course there are still some quilts from 2021 to finish up, so I'll add them to my list now:

4. Tea Party BOM by Wendy Williams

I need to do the wool felt applique on 8 big blocks and then sew it all together. 

5. Neptune and the Mermaid

This one is so close to finished.  I might just finish the hand quilting while I watch the Australian Open on TV in the last two weeks of January.  

So, my list is quite short this year, but next week I'll be posting my embroidery priorities for 2022.  I wish I had two sets of hands so I could everything on my wish lists. 

Now it's time for the Peacock Party. Have you made a list for 2022? Feel free to link up a recent blog post below. 

You are invited to the Inlinkz link party!

Click here to enter