It's Already November Where Did The Time Go!

Once again another year is coming to an end here it is already November 24th and sometimes when I think back across the year I think I haven't done anything. And yet I can see that I have been extremely busy and this year has been a year of starts and finishes. All to often in the past I have had ideas for projects and gotten all the materials needed but one thing or another got in the way and many of those projects never got finished. Well this year has been very different for me, I have started many projects and have actually finished a majority of them. I decided this year that I wanted to get organized and that I wanted to pursue my dreams and I have been working on both of these things.

I started by getting all of my sewing and craft items gathered together and when sewing I have attempted to not only use the fabric on hand but I have also attempted to clean up my scraps. When I started classes again this all got kind of side tracked but I have been slowly pulling projects out and finishing them up. There are many projects that I thought I would never really do and yet I find I am not only doing them but I am completing them and they are turning out much better than I thought they ever would.

Here are a few of the clean up projects that I have been working on:

These are potholders I have been making that have all been from fabric that I have had on hand for awhile.

These are tablerunners made from blocks that I have made throughout the year. The red and white and blue one is quilted and binding placed on it. The black and white one I still need to quilt and bind it that is the project for today.

The following pictures are some experiments on some coasters that I embroidered over two years ago. At the time I wasn't sure how I was going to finish them. So this past weekend I tried three different methods. The round circle I at first attempted to use cork and then I used felt. Both ways left the coaster wonky. Then I attempted two squares both turned out much better the biggest problem I found was that the bigger square seems to big to me. However, I like the way it lays much flatter and after a good pressing I think they will lay really well. So I have decided to go with the smaller square and do that with the rest of the coasters I made. these were mostly just test ones.

And then the project that I never really felt I had the ability to do is my kitchen window valance. This is crocheted with size 10 thread and a size 7 crochet hook. The pattern began from a found pattern and yet I eventually turned it into my own pattern. I am very close to being finished with these as well.

I also thanks to my very best friend and partner my kitchen island is very close to being finished. We finished laying the tile in the kitchen this year as well and it is slowly but most definitely surely coming together. I do truly love it the color and the space I will have when it is completed is truly a very cool thing.

Now for the final update it is on pursuing my dream. I finally started Smaug like I posted the last time. And I have almost completed the outline of him the outline will be finished either today or tomorrow depends on the progress I make on sewing today lol. However, I thought I should post a picture of Smaug as well, The area in the hoop is the last of my outline and from there it is on to another new technique of course if the technique doesn't work I will have to start over so we shall see how it all goes.