Thursday, October 15, 2026

Slow Stitching Projects and I Quilted This!

Hi and welcome 😎. I hope that you're all well as the weather turns to fall. The local birds and squirrels are sure busy getting ready for winter. If the rain stops, I'll be outside again, at least to have my morning coffee. So here's what's going on.

Mindful Slow Stitching

A couple of weeks ago it was the fall Making Zen event. There's always at least one project that I gravitate to. This time is was making a smallish pouch. The class was offered by Kate Ward, the host of the event. Here's my jean pouch.

Jean pouch created based on a Making Zen class

Everything is stitched on with raw edges showing (the jean fabric and the strips), I used perle cotton for most of the stitching.

Pouch full and ready to take with me

The back of the pouch, closed with two coiled pieces of fabric

I added a scrappy binding at both ends so that it's a little tidier. The only raw edges that show on the pouch are the side edges of the top closure.

The pouch holds my magnifying glasses and my scrappy needle case.

I created the needle case in last year's Making Zen event. The link is in Related links below.

Not-so-Daily Stitching project

When I was reading Diann of Little Penguin Quilts' post on her daily stitching, I had written a comment and Diann replied that she now had time for daily stitching... which made me stop and think that I do have time, if I make it a priority! Well, it hasn't been daily but I have been having fun resuming my stitching of these little squares. I will often do a few at a time. Here is my latest as a nod to fall.

Fall tree - I like using my fancy silk and linen thread!

I used this stitching time to try out some new thread. I went to a yarn store and bought two balls of Lana Gatto, linen yarn from Italy. It's a beautiful linen that is made like embroidery floss, in that it can be separated in strands. I stitched a couple of squares to try it out.

Trying out two blue Italian linen thread

My problem with not-so-daily stitching is that I often am not inspired to stitch something interesting. So I did make an effort for these blocks.

Playing with linen and silk thread

Trying out different stitches

I have found inspiration from other stitchers who do daily stitching, like Diann and Karen Tucker (see links below). Diann's pretty tree was my inspiration for my fall tree above.

Tonight, before finishing this post, I stitched a new block, playing with two colours, making wonky lines and then threading both the running stitch and the chain stitch. The final row is whipped chain stitch.

Playing with threading and whipping stitches in two colours

What I learned

I discovered that I could stitch my pouch when travelling and visiting. That made the visit so much better.
I've started another project with a larger piece of denim (from a shirt). I kept the larger piece together because I'm not sure that I want to do yet. I've stitched fabric strips on the wrong side at one end. Since JJ and I have been watching the Great British Sewing Bee, I added some ruching as well as pleats. It's cool to add other types of texture on the piece.
At the other end of the jean fabric, on the correct side, I'm stitching up some great dressmaking fabric scraps that my sister-in-law gave me. I just love stitching things up 😍
As I mentioned, I often have no idea what to stitch for my not-so-daily stitching project, so I'll be visiting other daily stitchers for inspiration when it's not coming to me! Thanks Diann and Karen 😊
If you're wondering about Square Dance baby quilt, it's almost done! All of the coloured blocks have been FMQ. Now to add a little something to the centre squares and then the quilt square up and bind. I should have it for you next week. Yay!

I Quilted This!

Welcome to the I Quilted This! linking party that celebrates quilting on a domestic machine or custom quilting on a long-arm. Feel free to link up and share any recent project, even if you're not quilting it!

Here are the posts that included FMQ, ruler work and walking foot quilting last week. Thanks for linking up 😊 and consider grabbing the button.

Preeti from Sew Preeti Quilts finished an improv quilt to help her de-stress. It worked and she got a lovely quilt too! It's called Monsoon. You'll want to check out her post for details and more pictures.

Preeti's Monsoon quilt

Gwyned Trefethen finished FMQ and embroidering her Rainbow Scraps Challenge quilt, Cats in the Attic.

Gwyned's green Cat in the Attic

An almost finished quilt - Cats in the Attic

Vicki from Vicki's Crafts and Quilting has been very busy. You'll want to check out her post to see it all, but here's a wall hanging and runner that she's made.