WIP - Dresden plate wallhanging.

I say I have had very little time for sewing but I seem to have got quite a lot of bits and pieces done. Maybe when you are busy you just make better use of your time. Or is it possible that my husband is right and I've ignored the housework in favour of sewing? No the answer is simply that I need to sew. It is perfect for unwinding and calming frayed nerves after a busy few days at work. That's why I like a variety of different projects on the go at the same time. I pick the one that will help me chill out the most on that day.

This week as well as making Picasso's quilt I have also been working on my Dresden plate quilt. This has been a year in the making so far but because of all the small pieces and lots of seams it isn't as relaxing as other projects. I have now finished the main area of the top and all I have left for the top is to add the two borders.

There is still a way to go because the borders are made like the sashing. I also need to trim the backing fabric from behind the plates so they will 'puff' better when it is quilted. I am thinking about hand quilting it. I know this will take a long time but I will be able to do it while I watch TV. Hopefully there will be some good programmes on over Christmas.

I've also been working on my millennium cross stitch. My husband bought me this for Christmas 1999 and I still haven't finished it. It's one of those projects you pick up for a while and then put down for months. 

I've now finished all the cross stitch on the scrolls. For some reason this was the bit of stitching that I found the most difficult to keep working at. 

As you can see I've only done a small amount of the back stitching on the scrolls but that's quite straight forward with a good light. The individual areas take me about a week to complete so this project will definitely be rolling over to 2013. That's fine as I only work on this in the evening and there are quite a lot of long evenings snuggled indoors to come in January and February.

I thought you might like to see how this has progressed this year. This photo was taken back in May.

I'm linking this post  with Connie at Freemotion by the River for her Tuesday link party and with Sharon at Pintangle and Lee at Freshly pieced for their work in progress Wednesday. Why not visit and see what everyone has been up to.