Last week I didn’t get a lot of sewing done. I had my tax appointment on Thursday so evenings up to that appointment were spent putting the final touches on them.
Thursday afternoon I came down with a cold and Saturday I have nothing planned but sticking around the house and being miserable. I was tempted to lay on the couch but that doesn’t happen so instead I decided that even though I have lots of quilts that need to get put on the quilting frame I would instead just sit at the machine and piece. I was in no hurry…I would just piece. I didn’t care what I worked on. I would just do whatever I could so I didn’t end up on the couch. I just hate laying on the couch….
So I ended up grabbing my Jingle Bell Square quilt pieces. You might remember that this was featured in Quiltmaker at Christmas time. If you missed the pattern, you can find it here as a digital pattern for purchase.
About Christmas time I had started gathering fabrics for it and have slowly started piecing it. Little by little the project has grown and grown. At the time I started working on it Saturday morning I had all the units sewn to make the blocks. So I decided to start in….
Before long I had this…
All of the blocks with the green centers were finished. Whoot-whoot!! I am making mine bigger that the original pattern-one row and and one column larger so for me, that’s more blocks.
Now that I have that done, I’m was the mood to keep going with this so I sewed on….Before long I had this….
All of the red blocks were finished too.
For thinking I wouldn’t accomplish much, I ended up doing pretty good. Now I’m in the mood to keep going on this….I don’t know that I’ll finish-finish it but having the top together might be a good idea..then I can start another quilt right?? Any time I complete a quilt I feel like that gives me permission to start something new…oh heck, who am I kidding?? I start new things on a whim all the time whether I finish something or not!! It really would be nice to get this one further along though.
At least it’s getting closer to striking distance so maybe-just maybe-I’ll be sleeping under this next year at Christmas.
Today I am hooking up with Patchwork Times.
I LOVE your blocks! I have TONS of Christmas fabrics and I sure love the looks of the reds and greens….I will be thinking about this today at work…….Hope that you are feeling better.
That sounds like a plan!
Your Christmas blocks are fabulous! I love mixing up all of the different holiday print fabrics. It reminds me of those craft ornaments my grandmother taught us to make. She’d save up all the Christmas cards she’d received in the mail and then the next year we’d trace circles to cut out of the pictures and combine several together for tree ornaments. No one sends old fashioned Christmas cards anymore, though, except the bank and the homeowner’s association!
Love your blocks. You did well for not feeling very good. Sewing is a good cure all.
Jo, as a new quilter I struggle on which quilting pattern to use (I send them out to be quilted) Can you offer any suggestions on how you pick the pattern once it is ready for the machine. You and Kellie are so awe inspiring and make me want to be brave and tackle projects that I know I am not ready for. Thanks much!
Wow, I love your blocks. Now I want to make this quilt. Thanks for the inspiration.
Loving those Christmas blocks, they’re coming together really nicely!
What pretty, pretty blocks! I loved the pattern when I saw it in Qultmaker and seeing them made up with such vibrant and varied reds and greens really gives me inspiration! You really accomplished a lot!
Feel better, Jo! Your blocks look great! It is so much fun to work on something new — and when we are under the weather it can really lift one’s spirits! You will suddenly have a burst of activity and get those other quilts done, I am sure. As long as you do not have deadlines looming, it makes such sense to follow your energy and enthusiasm wherever they lead you!