To-Do Tuesday - A Finish!

Today I'm updating my To-Do list from last week and making plans for this week. This weekly event is hosted by Home Sewn by Us, and you can find their linky party right here.

Here is the list from last week:

✓1. Work on granddaughter's project bag - DONE - details below!
2. If fabric arrives, cut more pieces for Exploding Heart QAL - no progress: fabric arrived but have not cut the additional pieces yet
3. Sandwich Meadowland quilt for APQ UFO Challenge - progress: I made the backing, and it is on the design wall
4. RSC blocks - progress: finished a few, still a few more to do
✓5. Round Robin border - DONE and blogged about here
6. Village in the Snowfall embroidery - progress: still slowly stitching

I did some simple quilting to let this fun fabric shine

Here are the plans for this week:

1. Cut additional pieces for Exploding Heart QAL and finish blocks B through F

2. RSC blocks - finish and post by end of month

3. SAHRR - the prompt for this week is to add plus block border

4. Post about and link up my "eggplant" block for 2021 Color Challenge

5. Sandwich, quilt, and bind Meadowland quilt (I'm supposed to be finished by Jan 31!)

It was good to finish the project bag for my granddaughter's Christmas gift. The family is scheduled to come the weekend of February 12 for our belated Christmas celebration. Now all I need to do is plan my "embroidery class" for her! I put a pair of embroidery scissors, seam ripper, hoop, some floss, a Hobby Lobby gift card, and a handy basic stitches guide inside the bag. I will add a couple of good needles also, and I purchased J. Marsha Michler's The Magic of Crazy Quilting for her. It shows many ideas for the clothing embellishment she is interested in learning. It is an older book, but there are good instructions for embroidery stitches and other techniques. I ordered one for myself too!

I love this pull, which I ordered online (where did that cat hair come from?)

This bag is like the one I made for myself  back in 2018. As with that one, I used my regular stitch attachment to sew in the zipper, and I handstitched the binding to the back. The pattern is a free one from Moda Bakeshop by Kristina Brinkerhoff and is pretty simple to follow. 

Although the pattern calls for mini charms on the back, I used the same fabric as the front. 

Here are the details:

Pattern:
Free pattern rom Moda Bakeshop

Fabrics:
Grunge Seeing Stars in Sunflower by Basic Grey for Moda
No Place Like Om Goals by Dear Stella

Binding:
Uncorked in Black by Windham Fabrics

Superior Threads So Fine #50:
#503 Genoa Gray and #411 Black

Zipper Pull:
By Emmaline Bags in Antique Brass

The events I am participating in this year all have buttons in my sidebar. Be sure to check out other busy bloggers and their projects at the linky party at Home Sewn by Us!

Vintage Christmas Pillow and Peppermint Twist Blocks

This Christmas pillow features Lori Holt's Vintage Christmas cross stitch. I believe I started this after Christmas last year and finished during the summer. This morning I put a backing of plaid Christmas flannel to make it cozy.

In my last post I mentioned the Peppermint Twist pattern by Margot Languedoc and how I wanted to use the blocks to surround the Lynx Star block that I had just finished. I started the blocks, and I really like them! Margot has a clever way of making the smaller twists as cornerstones with the sashing, and I love the effect. Instead of incorporating these blocks with the Lynx Star block, I may put Lynx Star on the back of this quilt so that each side can be a "star"!

There are a LOT of HSTs to square up (one of my least favorite tasks!), but when the block goes together it is worth the tedium.

I'm using mainly Aurora fabric from Moda, the same as I used for Lynx Star, as well as some gingham from my stash.

At night I'm working on a stamped cross stitch table topper called "Village in the Snowfall" that I purchased from Herrschners. The kit came with plenty of white floss, but I decided to try one of DMC's twinkly threads - Mouline Etoile in Blanc - and I like the hint of sparkle (hard to see in the photo!)