December NewFO, the last one of 2012

I love starting new projects they are always so exciting, the choice of the pattern and the fabrics even deciding on the size. Starting a new project also makes me work a little faster or longer on  a work in progress so that it doesn't fall too far behind. So all in all NewFO at Cat Patches gives me a win win situation.

So what have I started in December. I've managed to convince myself that I haven't done very much sewing but starting to write this post has made me realise this isn't entirely true.  To start with I finished off my 6 mini tote bags and used them as gift bags.

They were such a success that I might have to make more next year. 

I started a Christmas table runner. I didn't want the runner for use this Christmas which is a good job as it isn't finished yet. I decided to make a pinwheel design. By the time I had cut this out the only Christmas fabric I had was my Cherry Christmas jelly roll I had won earlier in the year.

There are 7 pinwheels in the piece as I wanted a long runner. It has now had the borders added and is ready for the quilting. I plan on finishing it by the end of this week so it can go in the Christmas box to be stored in the loft until next year.

At the end of November NewFO post I said I had started cutting the fabric for a Christmas quilt. I had in fact cut one strip of my jelly roll and that was on the 1st December so it is a December start. I had seen several granny square blocks and rather liked them so I decided this was what I would make my quilt with. I had also seen great granny squares - there is an extra row round the block - and I quite liked this as an idea. However as I started to play with the fabric I decided to stick at granny squares as it give greater flexibility with the use of the fabric.

I have sewn 14 blocks so far but as I want a large quilt I have a long way to go. I decided I would square the blocks up once I had sewn them all. I'm sorry the photos are so poor but the light here today is awful as yet again it's raining. I think I'm developing webbed feet and quack quack quack ......

I also managed to fit in sewing a tea cosy for each of my daughters. They'd both been complaining their tea gets cold very quickly.

Barbara asked us to share any finishes from the 2012 NewFO if we wanted to. I started linking in August and since then I have finished up all the projects I have shared except the table runner and quilt shown this month and the grandmother's choice Votes for women BOW quilt which doesn't finish until August 2013. That's because all the projects I've started since August have been small ones and therefore easy to complete in a short time. Next year I have some big projects planned so I probably wont be able to say that next December 31st. 

My favourite projects I have posted about as a NewFO were the two mini quilt swaps I took part in. 

I plan to take part in a couple of mini quilt swaps in 2013.

I've taken part in a couple of blog hops - the wicked hop and Holiday Lane. I have already signed up for a blog hop in 2013 as I found them such fun to take part in and I've made some good friends in blogland as a result.

I still have 4 work in progress pieces to finis. 3 of them I started about May and my millennium cross stitch sampler was started Christmas 1999 and is still not quite finished. The cross stitch should be finished by February. The grandmother's garden English patchwork quilt is completely sewn by hand and I plan to finish it by the end of the year excluding the quilting. The dresden plate wall hanging needs the final border sewing on and then is ready to be quilted which I'm going to do by hand. The other quilt I should have finished by now but I've been having too much fun doing other things.

So that is me about done for 2012. I'm excited about what I will be making in 2013 and need to be very careful not to waste time if I'm to finish the bigger projects. So it's goodbye to the 2012 NewFO button at the top of the page and welcome to the new 2013 button. Go and visit Cat Patches to see what everyone else has been up to in December.

All that remains is for me to wish all of you and your families a very happy New Year.