HSTs and QSTs

Mostly what I did today was make this bag, which is the November bag for the BQL Challenge. Unlike most months, I didn't test this one in advance - way too busy in October - and although technically I didn't have to make the bag to get the December pattern (as it happens, I have already made the December bag, several weeks ago) I did want to do the full set of bags, just to say I did. I think this is the first one I've made in the month it was meant to be made in - and I almost didn't do that! Anyway, I did it in black-on-black and teal scraps from the scrap basket - Olivia loved it straight off and asked if she could have it, so I've passed it on. It's a messenger style bag with a big flap - I will take some better photos later, though this one is fairly cute...


I'm also showing the blocks I made yesterday for the December block lotto - technically it might still be November (though actually, I'm writing this after midnight, so it's not, really) but as the lotto has been posted already, it's ok to show the blocks now. Yes, if you spotted that the top right one is backwards, you have a sharp eye. I'm going to fix it. But not tonight!




So, a cross-stitch update - finished the NOEL piece - must have watched a lot of telly or something, as I seemed to get a lot done on this, this week. Of course, it's not hard to do - few colours and large expanses, so there's not so much counting involved. The same can not be said of the next piece I am tackling - I've shown my "progress update" on this one, though I only worked on it for about an hour this evening, so there's not much progress just yet. I did some outline stitching on the word "herald" which probably doesn't show, plus filled in the hair and outlined the face on the green angel, and have started working my way down the green skirt. I think I might skip over to the blue angel and do the face next, though, as it's slightly disconcerting that her face is so blank...