OK, first a UFO finish. I did complete the Left-over Stars quilt. I think the finished size turned out to be something like 48" x 75". It's just big enough to cover the top of my double bed with a few inches of overhang. I like it, but I'm not in love with it. Mostly I'm glad to have it done.
My next finish are these two adorable cats. These patterns came courtesy of Val Spiers of Australia. She published the patterns on her blog quite a few years ago and I used 2 of the 4 as decoration for an applique portfolio I made. (Val is currently selling very nice American Girl clothing patterns on Etsy, by the way.) I've always liked the cat patterns and decided to make these as entries to my guild's silent auction in May. They're about 15" square each. I hope they bring in good bids.
The next finish is this little purse. I don't often carry a full-sized purse and my cell phone and my wallet don't always fit into the tiny pockets that are put into women's jeans these days. I had been carrying another bag about this same size, but it's really not very attractive. I bought this fabric to make a full sized purse and had plenty to make this smaller piece for every day. This will do just fine.
And there's this little zipper bag that I completed. This was part of an estate that was donated to the guild. It was mostly assembled. I just finished it and am using it to hold a small knitting project.
That's all for the finishes. And, there was only one official UFO finish. But, progress none-the-less.
In addition to sewing, I started a pair of socks in January. I've sort of lost interest in these once I got used to the stitch and got the leg on the first sock done. I've been much more interested in hand quilting. But, I've picked them back up this week and will try to plod along.
The biggest project is this baby. I finally got Ladies of the Sea all together, completed hand basting and have started quilting. As of today, I've completed outlining the applique and blocks on 6 of the 16 blocks. I'm very much enjoying getting back to hand quilting. I'm still thinking about what design I would like to use for the quilting. There have been some gorgeous machine quilted versions of this that I've seen on the web. I'm not sure how dense machine quilting would translate to hand quilting. Sue Garman's original is quilted with a cross-hatch design and is stunning. I've got quite a bit of outlining to do before I make this decision.
That's what's been keeping me busy lately. I am still entertaining thought of knitting two cardigans. I have the pattern and yarn chosen for each. I just don't know when I will squeeze these into my evening hand stitching time.
I'm drooling over that little purse you made! And, of course, your Ladies of the Sea is to die for. Great job on all your projects, lovely lady :)
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