YD has a finish!

Celebrate!! YD has finished her first quilt!

Before Christmas last year, our Youngest Daughter decided she really needed an advent calendar for HER house... she's a chocolate fan, my girl, and she knew an advent calendar would be a perfect excuse to have a little more sweet stuff in the house!
She raided my Christmas stash and came up with this design. YD hasn't done a lot of sewing - a bit of dressmaking at school and the odd outfit for her pets but that's about it, so I was as proud as punch of her efforts here. (Although she has hand sewn at least 6 teddy bears).

Cross hatched the 3 layers together, and added the pockets afterwards.

She got it to a usable stage by Christmas (ie it could be hung and filled with chocolate Santas) and it has sat until now waiting for finishing...yes, it became her first UFO - or was it just a wip?

Love what how she did the borders and corner stones. Plus the binding fabric
is perfect. See, she even fussy cut that cream border so the writing was the correct way!

We finally tracked down some numbered buttons for it (Nikki Tervo Designs) and she spent this weekend tidying it up and sewing them on. Her mum (yes muggins here) then unpicked the tacked on binding and sewed it down properly for her. All finished!

Isn't it lovely? Well done Laura!!

The reason she was at our place visiting was to be nursemaid for her little dog ... he had to have back surgery last week for a prolapsed disc. Very ouch-y and if we hadn't operated when we did he would have ended up paralysed. SO it was a worrying time.

Oscar-riley on bed rest.

Now the worry is to keep him calm, not jumping around and keeping him off the stairs.... he is feeling so good about himself again he wants to do everything he used to do, but hasn't healed enough yet.

I got some stitching done while sitting with him too  - it was actually nice to have an excuse to sit and stitch during the day - usually I only do it at night. This is what I've been working on lately - I don't think I have shown it before. Each year my local and favourite Quilt Shop (and home away from home!) runs a mystery stitchery BOM programme. This year's one was very popular and all the places sold out so I have to do my own version in my own fabrics.

These are narrow strips, I kept them in one piece to make stitching easier.

As you can see it is a seasonal theme - only a few more months to go.

I haven't yet decided what other fabrics I will put with it, probably some reds (me being me) and I will pick out more colours from that gorgeous Cottage Gardens variegated thread I am using.

SO I've managed to fit some creative time in lately :-), hope you can all too,
Have a lovely day,