A mini Irish Chain Quilt

Here is my latest finish. This is a baby quilt made from the leftover blocks of my current work in progress quilt. The pattern is Irish Chain, a very simple Irish Chain! I used a Paula Barnes Companions jelly roll and my "solid" is Miniature Gatherings Flower Vines Pie Crust Raisin. My backing fabric is a Windham Fabrics 108' Mini Leaf pattern in tan. I used leftover pieces of the jelly roll to make a nice scrappy binding.

I totally forgot to measure it before or after washing but it is around 50 by 65 inches. I quilted it in straight lines diagonally through the centers of the colored squares. Easily done on my little Juki, Fern.

The big one will look just like this, only twice as big. That one I am keeping for myself. This miniature version was given to a dear friend and his wife, who are foster-parenting an infant girl. Everything is ready to be quilted on the big one, I just need to get it going...very little free time and too many aches and pains have slowed my progress!

Thank you for visiting my blog today!

xox

Happy First Totally Useless New Year!

Today is our first Totally Useless Stitch A Long update of 2016! If you haven't "signed up" for this year you can click the link below.

I've been Totally Uselessly cleaning up my sewing room. Everything is sorted out and put away. I even have a cleared-off desk to update my blog on. My ORTs from last month's update are dumped and I started anew:

Inside my wooden leaf bowl are bits from piecing together the binding on my latest quilt, bits from cutting 2 inch squares from scraps to use as leaders and enders and quite a few long jiggly threads from unsewing some unused blocks. I've been straighten up, I said! It doesn't always look this neat! Do you see my flower frog tool holder? I found it when cleaning and when I saw it had a solid base I decided it would be perfect to hold my sewing tools. Handy!

=^..^=

Now it is YOUR turn...we want to see your ORTs! Leave a comment on this post with a link to your January TUSAL post so we can come visit! If I hold a Totally Useless giveaway your comment will earn you an extra entry.

Wondering what a TUSAL is and why all these people are posting pictures of rubbish? Click here to learn more and join the fun!

Thank you for visiting my blog today!

xox 

The Totally Useless Stitch A Long 2016

The 2016 TUSAL is launched! 

Get to stitching and save those ORTs!

What is an ORT? ORT or ort ~ Capitalized, it stands for Old Ratty Threads. These are the cast-off thread ends a needleworker cuts away. These ends are often saved in clear jars as a decorative object. The word, "ort" does appear in the dictionary, meaning: a bit of something left over; usually concerning food. 

Why would you save ORTs and why on earth post a picture on your blog? Not everyone saves them. Some stitchers just toss them in the trash or let them decorate the sofa and floor. Sometimes this inadvertent decorating draws ire from those living with us. Saving these clippings in one place creates a random tangle of lovely colored thread. Posting a photo of this pile is "progress" of a sort and thus, the Totally Useless Stitch A Long was born. 

If you would like to join the Stitch-A-Long:

1. Comment on this post.

2. Get a glass jar or other container and save your thread clippings. Some stitchers include fabric trimmings, thread bands, empty spools or any other stitching cast-offs they gather. You may continue filling this jar throughout the year OR you may empty the jar and start over each month ~ no firm rules here!

3. On (or about) each New Moon take a picture of the ORTs in your jar and post it to your blog. This is a blog game so YES, you MUST have a blog to be included.

4. Yes, you can use your current ORT jar or jars. This is no contest...the stitcher with the most ORTs doesn't win!

5. You should post a picture each New Moon, even if there has been no "progress" to show. We are aiming for "once a month" here...no whippings for being late, early or absent!

6. When you have posted the picture of your ORTs visit my blog and comment on my ORT report for that month's TUSAL. If I have a Totally Useless Giveaway these comments give you an extra entry. Make sure you comment on the right post, a few comments seem to sneak onto other posts!

We follow the Lunar Cycle so every year these dates change! Some years they are very evenly spaced, one New Moon each month and some years have 2 New Moons one month and skip a calender month altogether!

The New Moon dates for 2016 are:

January 10
February 8
March 9
April 7
May 6
June 5
July 4
August 2
September 1
October 1
October 30November 29
December 29

In years past, I have made up a "guest list" by adding a blog link list for everyone that joined ~however~ this year I probably will not do that. It takes hours and hours and hours of visiting blogs, editing the post, checking links, editing the post, correcting mistakes, editing the post. I'd much rather be stitching or visiting your blog on a recreational basis. Therefore, consider your comment to be your entry. Make sure either your profile is set to "open" so people can visit your blog or leave a link to your blog in your comment.

A request: I notice there are a lot of bloggers completely in the dark about your Totally Useless posts. They see lots of people posting pictures of ORT jars but they have NO IDEA why. They might want to join in the fun too! Please put a LINK to THIS sign-up page when you make your TUSAL posts. A link in your sidebar is great but ONLY if your readers SEE it and realize what it is.  

If you want to add the TUSAL link gadget to your sidebar (in Blogger): right click on it and save the photo to your computer, go to your blog's layout and choose "add a photo" and put the address to this 2015 TUSAL post in the link option. Upload the photo and save.

A shout-out on your blog to let other stitchers know about the Totally Useless Stitch-A-Long would be greatly appreciated! Plus, please change the links in your sidebar to this new post!

*****

Thank you for visiting my blog today!

xox