More pictures

My plan is to do at least one Just Takes 2 block each day!  I'm past half-way now, have selected all the fabrics for the last 7 blocks - all cutting gets done during my Thursday evening group, should get the last ones cut this week.  I will be able to hand sew some of the applique ones once all cutting done.  I have to admit, I'm starting to enjoy the hand applique, but still don't think I'll do it voluntarily again!   I try to take a photo each block as I finish it, but then have to remember which ones I've posted here!

Inspired by the blogs I read to finally have a "structured" Leader and Ender project, instead of just grabbing odd scraps.   Like Tazzie's they will finish at 4" square.  It's time to start using Bonnie's scrap user system!!

My JT2 now have star ratings!  ie, how many stars get pieced as L&E!   Not formally keeping track, but these two were 3 star blocks:

 More  blocks:

And these are the star blocks so far.  The fabrics span decades, I see some from the 70's when I started my hexagon opus (still in progress)!  The one with the tiny hats on was bought in 1994 - for a dyeing workshop, we had to have a print with a white background, there weren't a lot around at that time!  I think I have some scraps of the dyed ones too.  The brown/blue floral centre (3 down, 3 across) is from the very first quilt that I made together with my mother (1976-ish).

Some pictures and a few words

I use my phone to take photos, editing them in Picasa before uploading them.  I now have a new phone, and struggling to sync to PC with it, here are some new photos of blocks done.  T - do you see all your discarded threads stitched onto a square...

Three for Just Takes 2

Made this block yesterday, it's 6 inches square:

 

  Finished this block started yesterday, it's 15 inches almost square: (T - all the diamond seams are pressed open!)

 And did this 12 inch square one tonight:

Autumn starting

The last few days here have been thankfully cooler and almost windless, perfect for sewing.  From late March to end May is my favourite time for weather, no wind, not hot, not cold, some welcome rain.  As we purportedly live in a warm climate our houses (and especially mine built over 80 years ago) generally have no central heating/cooling.  The rooms in my house have high ceilings (10' / 3m), under a high pitched roof, coolish in summer but unpleasantly cold in winter.   Sometimes in winter it's warmer outside in the sun than inside!  I have a mobile aircon unit in my sewing room, and hoping to have a split unit installed sometime this year (that depends on when the old garage abutting the room is demolished, and that depends on when the stored contents in said garage get dealt with in some way!)

For ages I have thought about teaching quilt-making and serendipitously had recently met a friend from school who was looking for a teacher because she wanted to make a wall-hanging with flying geese.  After a number of emails between us we spent a wonderful afternoon yesterday pulling fabrics, cutting and teaching her how to paper-base flying geese blocks. 

I made nine blocks for this month's Block Lotto, but only two are the right size, the other seven are a bit short, so will keep them, and if I have a chance/feel like it, will make some more.  They were fun to do and, as as one of the other lotto participants said, takes more time choosing the fabrics than to sew!  They are 6" x 9" finished ( +15 x 23 cm).  I also forgot when sewing them up that I had cut the backgrounds from three difference blues, and so mixed them up, and don't have enough of blues to change, and not unsewing!!

Part B done...

Yay!  Part B of Just Takes 2 is together (instructions were published July 2012!!).  Thought I still had another applique block to go!   Have stitched some blocks for the next part, and have cut some more ready to sew..

This one is a cute 6" block, it was the last applique in this part:

Taken on my design floor, see the little block at the bottom:

And some gratuitous pictures of the eclectic range of tiles my sister has ready to go up on her new kitchen walls (laid out on her "design stoep" in the rain on Easter Monday).  Think they might stir some quilt inspiration:

 

 

 

More cheerful...

Have had such a busy week!  Decided it was time to move on from that last depressing post!  T went back to the UK on Easter Friday, she looked really happy to go!  It was great to have her here for so long.  We celebrated both her and my birthday with a family lunch (12 of us) at home as her flight was late at night.  Had the gammon that we'd frozen at Christmas (because we forgot to start cooking it!).  Yummy!  C helped cook, whilst I helped T pack and put away what she couldn't take.

Have since  rearranged my sewing space and moved the quilt frame against a wall - it had been standing in the middle of the room since it arrived in October.  Couldn't move it sooner, as I had a bed in the room as well.  It's so nice to be able to move around the middle of the room again rather than shuffling sideways between desk, frame, table, cupboards!

I'm on a roll to "not tidy up", but to declutter!  That means giving away useful but unwanted things and throwing anything not useful.  eg  had a pile of jigsaws and children's board games (that were in drawers under beds) - some had bits broken (remember Mousetrap!) so got binned, others in good condition will be offered to my sister for her school, or taken to the local charity store.   Actually getting rid of the beds as well!!  (No T, we still have your jigsaws unopened waiting to be done!)
   .... looooong way to go.


Pictures of quilty things next time!