Needlework Tuesday . . . on Thursday

It's been ages since I posted a Needlework Tuesday post (sponsored by Heather at Books and Quilts) and, yes, I know it's Thursday but there was work and books and snow and that darn Ruzzle game my daughter got me hooked on . . . Time just got away from me.  However, just because I haven't been linking up doesn't mean I haven't been stitching.  As a matter of fact, I have too many projects going at once, which contributes to nothing getting done.  So the focus for awhile ("awhile" being defined as "until some new brainstorm distracts me") is to take care of UFO's (Heather's term for UnFinished Objects).

Carpal tunnel and aging eyes have kept me from cross-stitching for the last few years.  Now that the hand pain is gone and I have new bi-focals, I'm giving it another shot.  Just to be sure I was ready to return to a former addiction, I picked up this kit at Wal-Mart as a quick, easy test run.  Obviously didn't get finished by Christmas.  The problem wasn't hand pain or tired eyes - it was project overload.  But I'm still stitching - determined to be done before Spring thaw.

My Christmas quilt, a lap-sized quilt to use up all the large-scale Christmas prints I had left over from various projects, is finally assembled and ready for binding.  I'm still madly in love with that flannel print on the back.  Since this quilt is just intended for me to snuggle with on chilly evenings, I tied it rather than struggling to quilt on my small machine.  

One project did make it from start to finish in only two days.  My niece, Kristi, requested a table runner to match the kitchen in her first home.  I've made several of these before and they go together quickly. 

1.  Assemble the squares in strips:

2.  Sew strips together through batting and backing - creating a "quilt-as-you-go" panel.

3.  Trim edges.

4.  Add binding and you have a quilted, reversible table runner.  

Now that it's finished, I'm wishing I had swapped the fabrics in the two center rows to show less purple and more of the pretty paisley print she chose.  But too late now. :)

As happens so often, I have made several of these for gifts, but never one for myself, so I decided to rectify that.  Mine is still in the "strips" stage while I debate swapping the dark brown and tan rows.  Opinions?

Come back next Tuesday - or whatever day of the week I get around to posting Needlework Tuesday - and see if any or all of these projects are finished.

What projects are you working on?