Quilting, Scrapbooking, Gardening and whatever else catches my fancy
2026 Quilt Retreat #1 – First Local Mini of the year, an update
The first local mini is now in the books and here’s my post on what I’ve got done and any homework that came up.
#1 – Jane Austen’s quilt – prep Hampshire Blocks
Next: Hampshire Blocks – There are 4 blocks for this set. Same block different fabric. I prepared the template paper and pulled the called for fabric. I cut the background fabric. I wanted to move on but I didn’t bring all my retreat projects with me so ended up cutting all the interface and fabric. It’s ready to sew. I added this to my ‘Homework’.
#2 – Monthly Door banner from 2024 – cut the final door banner kit – November.
—- done! I finished cutting the last door banner from 2024! Woohoo!!!!
#3 – 2023 Saturday Sampler from QP.
I’m at the “putting-the-inner-top-together” stage and next is step 3.
Here is step 3-
#4 – William Morris BOM – The next blocks to make are October, and January. Since my last post, I added the hand stitching around the August block and now that’s complete. I’ve also been working on the September hand applique as part of my homework since the last mini retreat. And I finished it at this mini retreat.
I cut the January block and it’s ready to be sewn.
#5 – Tula Pink Butterfly 2.0 – Find out where I am next
#6 – Spooky Halloween – Row 2, block 3 – take a picture
I’ve started it and I’m needle turning the traditional method. I want to prep the next block as I work some in Block 3.
#7 – Tuella and Friends.
#8 – “Allietare” Bonnie Hunter’s mystery quilt from 2015 – My goal with putting this here is to start getting it into my queue. I don’t have time for it now but it’s on this list to start making its way from my head, to actually working on it.
quilt on my friends
Melanie
Cross stitch: 2025 Nutcracker – an update
I almost finished 3 rows. I finished the stitching but I need to add the beads in. There is beads in the last row of the 3rd row and I don’t plan to do those. I like how it looks when I do all the stitching and then finish it off with the beading. I feel like the beads then sit on top of the stitching rather than getting mixed in.
I am still enjoying the row by row at a time stitching on this project and I love how much I’m progressing on it.
Here’s where I was the last time I reported on this.
What it will be when it grows up…
Important info:
Fabric: 28 count Lugana “Whisper”
Floss: Called for DMC
2×2
Previous posts:
Update – 2nd row
Keep on stitching,
Melanie
A garden update – Pakistani Mulberry cuttings
Monthly Door Banner – October
I started putting together the October Banner during my evening sewing sessions. I don’t generally have a lot of time but I enjoy getting one or two or 5 steps done on this homework item. This was a very interesting set of instructions and not something I remember ever doing in the past.
I usually would do the flowers at the same time but I didn’t this time because I wasn’t sure about the instructions. You have to partially sew one of the sides together and then after the rest of the sides are together then you finish sewing the unfinished side from the first step. It broke my mind. The second time around, I made sure to pin and line each piece up at every step and it came out so much better than the first one.
After the flowers were done, the next several steps were to put the pumpkin together.
And one weekend I was able to finish the rest of the banner.
November – still needs to be cut
Here are the ones that I’ve finished and posted about before:
So I’m almost done!
I still need to do
November
and then time to quilt!
Happy quilting
melanie
Xstitch Update – Rebel Stitchers’ “Disagree”
Update #1
Details:
Fabric: Live & Dye LA “Dusk” Lugana 32 count
Floss: Live & Dye LA “Naughty”
2×2
Happy Stitching!
~Melanie
Gamer Nouveau, an update
Gamer, my main squeeze
I’ve reached the top right corner and that’s the end of the page. The next 3 diagonals are the longest diagonals and then it’s all downhill from there. at least on this page. But now I get to play with the next project on my queue.
Happy Stitching!
~Melanie
Quilt In Progress: 250 Years of Jane Austen – Chawton Block, Finished
I finished all the appliqué on the center block. I am enjoying working on this piece. I won’t be able to start the next block until the next mini retreat so the project will be tucked away. Until then I’ll work on my next homework task.
Keep on quilting!
Melanie
Started: October 2025
Kit purchased from Quilty Pleasures in Simi Valley, CA.
Previous posts:
Knitting WIP #3: Mini Cozy Blanket
Okay so now that the Fingerless mitts (WIP #1) is done, I picked up the mini cozy. I’ve been doing a little bit here and there since I went through my knitting project stash and created my 2026 WIP list. But after finishing the one square that I was working on, I realized I didn’t have any more yarn to put into the project. The picture above is where it is at the moment and I stashed it back in my knitting project bin. It took a while for me to locate the bin so when I did, I put a label on it. I pulled my regular cozy blanket to possibly take its place. I can’t make a commitment now but I want to do a square a week and at some point I’ll probably run out of yarn again. Then I can use whatever comes out of that project and use it for the cozy mini. Here’s hoping. But I’m thrilled that even though this WIP is not a finish, I can’t do more with it until I use more of my stash!
One of my things to do when I pull this project back from the bin is to figure out how many grams of yarn does it take to finish a mini square.
Yarn: from stash.
Cheers! Knit on my friends.
Melanie
Finished! Knitting WIP #1: Fingerless Mitts …
- yarn: Voolenvine Yarns (my fave!) Wolke
- colorway – Feyre
80-10-10 MCN
Free Pattern from stashlounge.com “fantastic fingerless mitts”
started 11/11/2025
Finished! 2/6/2026
I’m thrilled to get this off my list. And while getting my project bag cleaned up and things put away, my soldotna up and ready for my next knitting session, I ran across my knitting WIP #4 – a pom pom hat kit I got from Jimmy Beans in Reno many years ago. I think I got it when I visited on a family trip in 2015??? I pulled it out when I went through my bins of projects and documented everything on my knitting WIP list and this became the next project on my needles after Soldotna. I just finished my post where I said 3 knitting projects was too much for my small brain and here I am looking longingly at casting on this project. I persevered. I’ll be working on Soldotna and my cozy mini …
Melanie