Good Riddance Day

I noticed a "tweet" this morning that today is "Good Riddance Day", which apparently means that you should write down any bad memories that you have been holding onto from 2011 and then tear, shred, burn or otherwise destroy the paper with that memory.

Start the New Year Fresh and give up on those little incidents, slights, wrongs, mistakes and other foolish events that take up your thoughts that could be used for creative things instead.

Okay?  Now thats done!

By now you know my Christmas Day and the days surrounding are very quiet, but I do find ways to keep well occupied and my family too enjoy this week without stress and obligation.

Anyway.

I made a little wall hanging for my kitchen.  A bit of embroidery, a bit of big stitch quilting and a bit of quilting; along with a bit of fauxing...

Pretty teacups simply surrounded by sasning and a blue binding to reflect the blue embroidery stitches.

Destined for a bit of wall between the window and the fridge in my kitchen.

Now, I must admit I did not actually embroider the teacups.  They look and even feel like actual stitches on the white cotton fabric.   The Tea Cups tho are IRON-ON!  This is a product by DRITZ and I really cannot tell you much about it because I found 9 blocks and the instruction sheet in a 'packet' on the back wall at Value Village -- .99 cents I think.  It has a soft fuzzy texture once you iron on the pattern piece.  Do you remember what the used to call flocking?  That is very much like what this product is.   I LOVE it and now that I have seen it once I will be on the lookout for more!

And in these lazy days at home I have been working on a quilt project.   I spent a few hours a couple of years ago, figuring out the math for these blocks so that I can make two blocks out of two width of fabric strips that are 2 1/2 inches wide.  Each block is 8 1/2 inches square.   After cutting strips in every red, most browns, and all my yellows and golds, I have spent the last few days -- a few hours each day making up these blocks.  I have now, done 64 blocks -- I am trying to decide if I want to do a few more.

Here are 36 of the blocks made. My 'design wall' is not large enough to show them all.

I am thinking of hand quilting these blocks and plan to use the "Quilt as You Go Method" which you can find written instructions for here or check out the Original Lap Quilter here to learn more about this particular technique.

Every morning I go through and look at the updates of other blogs and came across this quilt block being done by Grey Cat Quilts, so take a look at her treatment of this same design!  Go to http://greycatquilts.blogspot.com/2011/12/this-christmas-eve.html

Well, now, back to the sewing room....