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.

Flower #2 – this one came out so much better

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:

June Banner (shown in a previous post last year)

July Banner (shown in a previous post last year)

So I’m almost done!

I still need to do

November

and then time to quilt!

Happy quilting

melanie

Posted by Melaniesquilting. Categories: Quilting. Leave a comment

Feb. ’26

Xstitch Update – Rebel Stitchers’ “Disagree”

New start post

Update #1

Details:

Fabric: Live & Dye LA “Dusk” Lugana 32 count

Floss: Live & Dye LA “Naughty”

2×2

Happy Stitching!

~Melanie

Posted by Melaniesquilting. Categories: Cross Stitch. Leave a comment

Feb. ’26

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

Posted by Melaniesquilting. Categories: Cross Stitch. Leave a comment

Feb. ’26

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.

Posted by Melaniesquilting. Categories: Quilting. Leave a comment

Feb. ’26

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

Posted by Melaniesquilting. Categories: Knitting. Leave a comment

Feb. ’26

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

Posted by Melaniesquilting. Categories: Knitting. Leave a comment

Feb. ’26

MFE SAL 2023, an update

My 2026 cross stitch rotation is to do 1/4th of a page and on this page that means 550 stitches whenever this WIP comes up…

Last post:

Now…

Happy Stitching!

~Melanie

—

For those who do not remember… this was the Modern Folk Embroidery (MFE) mystery Stitch a long (SAL) from 2023.

Posted by Melaniesquilting. Categories: Cross Stitch. Leave a comment

Feb. ’26

BOM 2025 – William Morris – Update #9

Important info: BOM with my fave LQS, Quilt Emporium, in Woodland Hills, CA. The shop owner, Lisa Hanson designed this mystery quilt with William Morris fabrics and I think it’s super inexpensive for a BOM at $15/month. Even though I decided no more BOMs, I couldn’t help but cave on this one.

Started: 02/2025

Previous posts here, here, here, here, update #4 , update #5, update #6, update #7 and the most recent #8.

After finishing the November block I got started on the December block. This one had a few errors in the instructions. Luckily I caught them before any ripping had to be done.

I still need to finish the handwork for the September block and get the hexis done for the October block. September is part of my homework and will get done when it comes up in my queue. I plan to start the October block at our next mini retreat.

Blocks Made

Keep on quilting!

Melanie

Posted by Melaniesquilting. Categories: Quilting. Leave a comment

Jan. ’26

2026 Quilt Queue

In 2025, I posted this queue at the end of every 1st month of the quarter. So, 1/31, 4/30, 7/31, and 10/31. It’s a little depressing because I haven’t had much desire to do any actual quilting for the last few years. Being president of the quilt guild took a lot of my time and then my dad passed, and I got divorced. And with all those changes, I decided to move rooms around. My craft room is still piled high with boxes as I’ve not been able to get myself together to organize everything. It’s partially due to the fact that my family room still has piles of things (mainly fabric from other quilters, needlepoint and cross stitch stuff). I’m having trouble going through them and removing those things that I won’t ever play with. Anyway, the only way I can start actually using my craft room is to start actually using it. Regardless of whether it’s ready or not. I have a little corner cleared out where I sew on my main domestic machine. And I recently unearthed my Q20 so I can start quilting again.

I still have the finished door banners to add to this list.

The quilt queue:

Jan Krentz – Broken Diamond Star – flimsy 4/2021

Scrappy Stars Around the Corner – finished top! 8/7/2021

Kimberly Einmo’s mystery quilt from Craftsy circa 2014-

I know it doesn’t look finished but I promise it is. I just haven’t taken a pic of the flimsy yet.

Wendy Mathson’s Storm at Sea / Snail’s Trail – flimsy 12/5/2022

Storm at Sea / Snail’s Trail Wendy Mathson December 2022

Edyta Sitar’s Laundry Basket “Alaska” – finished in 2024 but just added to this list in Q3 2025

Happy quilting my friends!

Melanie

Posted by Melaniesquilting. Categories: Quilting. 1 Comment

Jan. ’26

Quilt In Progress: 250 Years of Jane Austen – Chawton Block, another update

Here is where I’m at now… the block is still not entirely appliquéd down. all are done except the blue flowers.

I do enjoy working on this but my hands can only do so much handwork before I need to do something else. I try to spend about 15 minutes a day so it’s progressing nicely. Handwork just takes longer.

Keep on quilting!

Melanie

Started: October 2025

Kit purchased from Quilty Pleasures in Simi Valley, CA.

Posted by Melaniesquilting. Categories: Quilting. Leave a comment

Thousand Needles

Quilting, Scrapbooking, Gardening and whatever else catches my fancy

Monthly Door Banner – October

Like this:

Xstitch Update – Rebel Stitchers’ “Disagree”

Like this:

Gamer Nouveau, an update

Like this:

Quilt In Progress: 250 Years of Jane Austen – Chawton Block, Finished

Like this:

Knitting WIP #3: Mini Cozy Blanket

Like this:

Finished! Knitting WIP #1: Fingerless Mitts …

Like this:

MFE SAL 2023, an update

Like this:

BOM 2025 – William Morris – Update #9

Like this:

2026 Quilt Queue

Like this:

Quilt In Progress: 250 Years of Jane Austen – Chawton Block, another update

Like this:

Share this:

Like this:

Share this:

Like this:

Share this:

Like this:

Share this:

Like this:

Share this:

Like this:

Share this:

Like this:

Share this:

Like this:

Share this:

Like this:

Share this:

Like this:

Share this:

Like this: