Greetings! I hope everyone had a great holiday and managed to sneak in some time to sew! I had lots of stuff going on but had fun all the way through.

By now you know I love making cards. Christmas, general winter, and even some spring/summer cards are in the mix. Have a look!

I really had fun with the cover stitch; I didn’t know if it would work but couldn’t resist trying it. It looks like a fancy ribbon but it’s stitched on!

I also completed the prep for The Matriarch. Starching and drip drying 31 fabrics while keeping the color name and number labels straight was the part I was dreading. I was able to complete it in three batches due to limited clothesline space in my teeny laundry room which is also a pantry and home to a column freezer and a second dishwasher.

I did take a bit of a detour. I don’t know about you, but decorative stitching is very zen for me and I can think about other projects while doing them. I decided to try Suoerior Threads Halo in my Crescendo with a 16 needle and fiddled with the upper tension until settling on 1.8. Yikes! That sounds crazy low but the thread is more like a fine yarn than thread and it is cantankerous unless you’re going at a very low speed. This was actually in my favor as I mulled The Matriarch. I have a lot of Halo in my collection so it was good to figure out how to use it beyond serger and cover stitch loopers. Every machine is different so your settings may vary.

Some thread painting, hand cut applique, deco stitching on the petals and binding with various threads, I wish I had bought several yards of this fabric but I always say that!

Does anyone else have an “in home gallery” of their art quilts? Here is a partial photo of mine. Welcome to Climbing the Walls 😜.

I have cleaned up my sewing room and am mentally ready to start The Matriarch. More to come. Dana