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At Art Quilt Group this week we started a new challenge.  Everyone brought a small unfinished item in a paper bag, which we traded.  We have two months to turn the contents into a finished project.

This is what I put in my bag for someone else to finish.  I made it in a class many years ago with no real plans for it. The fabric is painted with leaves stamped on it. The circles are Shiva paintstik over rubbing plates.

This is what I received.

There are three blocks, some random fabric pieces, and 2/3 of a gift ...

No fabric in this week.

I finished Winter Tree, my art quilt group’s January challenge.

I talked about the idea and the construction in the last two posts.  From there, I added beads to suggest snowflakes and used a dark binding as a frame.  I also added a fence made from railroad yarn that I painted white and then gray.  The original yarn was too bright and didn’t fit the color scheme.  The yarn is so delicate I hand stitched it down.  The quilt is about 11″ x 13”.

This quilt was my January OMG and the first ...

In my last post, I shared the AI generated Art Prompt that was the basis for my challenge quilt.  I used some suggestions and ignored others, and put my own spin on what I used.

I kept the suggested color palette, but didn’t use solid fabric.  No surprise there- I never use solids.  Instead of a pine tree, I took a picture of a tree in the backyard and used the photo as a reference.

The suggestion of texture surprised me.  I wouldn’t have thought to go there.  I limited the texture to the ground.  I tried using ...

Happy New Year!  Wishing you health and happiness in the new year.

I’m not one to recap the prior year, but I did finish more projects than I expected.  Now I’m ready to look forward. 

For my own benefit, I’m taking stock of what is in process and what has been neglected.  If you don’t know where you’ve been, how do you know where you’re going?  That, and a year from now I won’t remember where I started.

In have two stitch pieces in progress, Fairy Tales Live on Roofs (RTO kit)

and ...

We’re fast approaching the end of 2025, and it’s time to think about 2026.

The past two years I’ve focused on completing a few projects in several categories.  This worked well for me, but the one category that hasn’t seen any finishes is UFOs.  No way am I making that my focus for 2026.  That, for me, would be an inspiration killer.

Instead, I decided to focus on kits, and I use that term loosely.  A pattern with all or some of the supplies fits my definition of a kit.

These are your standard kits.

This ...

No change in the numbers.

At my Art Quilt Group this week, one of the members showed us how to do boro stitching. She was lucky enough to take a class in Japan when she was visting family there several years ago. Here is the beginning of my seven inch square.

I really enjoyed this! The combo of stitching and scraps greatly appeals to me. I’m not sure what I’ll do with this piece, but I plan to finish it sooner rather than later.

Fabric In: 0

Fabric Out: 16.75 yards

Net Fabric Out: 16.75 yards ...

No fabric in or out this week.

Only two more borders to sew on Traffic Jam. I hope to sew those today and be done with it. I need to make a back, and then I move on to an unidentified project. So many choices……

We traded ATCs at Art Quilt Group this week. Here are the ones I brought home.

The group decided to continue trading, but I’m sitting out the next round.

A member’s husband did a demo on using AI as a tool to create original quilt designs. It was quite fascinating. I don’t ...

No fabric in or out this week.

I finished the two ATCs for trading at the next Art Quilt Group meeting. It wasn’t enough usage to count.

I started with hand painted fabric, stamping some dots and other shapes on it. I quilted them and cut them apart. I added the beads and findings after stitching the edges. There’s definitely some tricks and a learning curve to working so small.

Work on the Traffic Jam top continues. I’ll be glad to get that one done.

Fabric In: 0

Fabric Out: 0

How did you do this week ...

Welcome to 2025! I wish you a year full of creative fun and joy.

In spite of a busy December, the list moved forward. I also started and finished a small crocheted throw. I find I’m going back to hobbies from decades ago and enjoying them in new ways. Good chance you’ll see more variety on the Short List in 2025.

I began the Short List many years ago to create short-term goals and a way to focus. I change things up as my interests change.

Project 1 (Original): Study in Stitches. Something about this project doesn’t ...

Another month snuck up on me. It just doesn’t feel like the holidays. It’s been cold the past few days, but unseasonably warm before that. It hasn’t been cold long enough to be thinking about Christmas.

No change in the numbers. The recent projects are too small to count.

I finished the postcard for the woman who gifted the group a bunch of art quilt supplies.

I didn’t use her supplies in the piece, couldn’t make them work. The background is leftover from a prior project. I stamped the stems/leaves and added twisted cord ...

No change in the numbers.

For the Art Quilt Group meeting this week, everyone is making an artist’s trading card (ATC) to try the technique. ATCs/fabric books was the program last month. I finished that task Saturday.

I used the inchie and dyed cheese cloth I picked from the member’s destash. It was fun and fast, but not really my thing.

We have another assignment for the meeting, which I will start but may not finish for the Tuesday meeting. I don’t have a clear idea for that one – yet.

Fabric In: 16.5 yards

Fabric ...

A lot of life happened here in July, but I managed to finish two projects. One wasn’t on the list and I forgot to post it. The other was Wallflower (the challenge quilt).

The list isn’t changing much for August.

I started The Short List many years ago to create goals to work toward and a way to focus. I change things up as my goals and interests change.

Project 1 (stitching): Words of Joy Tree, pattern by Ursula Michael. I’m stitching this on red 14 count aida with DMC white, all from stash.

Project 2 (UFO ...

I finished the challenge quilt this week, which I have now named Wallflower. For all the time I spent on it, it didn’t use much fabric. Every little bit out helps though.

I will post more info on Wallflower after the reveal at Tuesday’s meeting. For now I have a sneak peak.

The painted lace motif is 2.5 inches across.

I did not add any fabric this week.

Fabric In: 28.625 yards

Fabric out: 5.75 yards

Net Fabric In: 22.875 yards

How did you do this week?

No change in the numbers.

I finished quilting Shikishi, cut the facing and sleeve, and trimmed it.

The stems are stitched, but I won’t add the leaves until the facing and sleeve are attached. The leaves are dimensional, which would make everything harder than it needs to be once they are added.

I expect to count the fabric for this quilt out next report.

Fabric In: 19.375 yards

Fabric out: 4.25 yards

Net Fabric In: 15.125 yards

How did you do this week?

My goal for May was to finish the “pass one” challenge quilt.

Another member of the group (Art 2 Quilt) made a quilt (of a peacock), and I had to make a quilt inspired by her quilt. This fabric was the peacock’s body (my inspiration).

And this is my quilt.

I bought some darning net at the thrift and wove fabric strips and yarn through it. I cut it into piece to make the diamond shapes. The woven cloth is sewn onto the background fabric along the edge of the weaving.

I learned a lot making this quilt. I ...

My art quilt group, Art2Quilt, started a new challenge. Everyone made a quilt to pass to another member. We will each create our own quilt using some aspect of the quilt received as inspiration.

I didn’t finish my quilt to pass and had to use something previously made. There was a mix of new quilts and previously completed quilts. Even though the quilts are smallish, we decided one month felt rushed and two months to complete our quilts would work better.

I forgot to ask the maker if I could post her quilt, so I will only show the ...

My OMG for November was to finish a challenge piece that included a piece of fused fabric made at an art quilt group (Art 2 Quilt) meeting.

Here is my section of the fused fabric.

And here is my finished quilt.

I talked about the process here.

I chose the solid black border so the fused fabric could be the star. It needed a little something more, which is why I chose a multi-color binding and variegated quilting thread. The quilt measures 22 x 11.

To see all the other November OMG finishes, head over to Elm Street Quilts.

I have no idea what I did in the sewing room last month, but I don’t think it amounted to much. Maybe my goal for November should be to show up. Sometimes back to basics is best.

The project list repeats last month’s.

Project One: The Tiny Modernist Holiday 2022 SAL. All parts have been released now. There is so much stitching on this piece! My goal is Christmas 2023. I am pleased that it’s starting to look like something.

Project Two: The pinwheel charity quilt. I’m sewing setting squares to pinwheel blocks. A design opportunity ...

The days are shorter, the air is cooler and Fall is here. That means more time for sewing and stitching, right?

I finished two projects last month, My Sewing Treasures and a project bag. Only one new project made the October list.

Project One: The Tiny Modernist Holiday 2022 SAL. I had a slow start and am way behind. The pattern has more stitching than I anticipated. I’m about 1/3 through the first month but have the patterns for the first two.

Project Two: The pinwheel charity quilt. I’m framing the pinwheel blocks to get them all ...

Nothing to report this week.

At Art Quilt Group, we all brought in pre-fused geometric shapes in bright colors to fuse onto solid black fabric. We had enough shapes to cover two cuts of black.

Aren’t they fun?

Then we cut the black fabric into enough pieces that we could each take one.

Here is my piece.

I haven’t figured out what to do with it yet. The challenge is to use it in a finished piece, due at the November meeting.

The black measures 22” x 6.5” (smaller than I count).

Fabric In: 13 3/8 ...