Second Quarter Hopes

It was with high hopes that I listed the first quarter "finishes"!    I did sew a little, on a handful of the En Provence blocks and the Red Centre, but nothing was finished!  Work and Life got really busy, but on Thursday evenings at the weekly quilt group I continue to trim up and cut out in preparation for when I can sneak in some sewing time.  Next month we have a weekend retreat, that should be productive.

So, perhaps I should not be so ambitious this quarter.... oh, really?   These are some of my projects that I would like to get done, and sent on to good homes.  I am linking up with the 2017 Q2 FinishALong with Mrs Sew and Sow.

First one up:  Baby quilt for my grand nephew!  I have bought some, and have found some, suitable fabrics but need a few more, and to do some planning, before cutting and sewing:

No 2:  The Red Centre - add a small border, quilt and finish;

No 3:  Colourwash - still needs to be quilted and finished:

 No 4:  The Birds -- find a backing, quilt, finish: 

 No 5:   Split Triangles:   Play and sew blocks together, quilt,etc

No 6:  Lovely, Lonely Blocks:   add border, quilt etc  This is not one of my tops, but some of my fabrics were used to put the blocks together at a quilt group meeting - destined to be donated in June:

No 7:  Curvy Squares - from a class taken, needs quilting and finishing:

No 8: One-patch Hexis:  I had a stack of these larger-circles-folded-into-hexagons from a demo I did at a Guild meeting.  They are stitched together - needs quilting and finishing! 

I think that is enough, and if even half get done I will be happy!

Saturday Night Sewing

After spending the afternoon with my mother working working on adding fabric to square up some of her beautiful scrap blocks I came home keen to sew something.

Looked on my really untidy sewing desk, and picked on the pieces cut out for the asterisk blocks that

I didn't make for the July Lotto.  Stitched the first one but forgot I had cut the strips wider with the intention to trim, oh well, looks sort of ok.  Decided to just make the others with only half the strips, and I like them.  Six in-between Split-9-Patch blocks were completed, now have 56 done.

These are the before and after washing pictures of the Inktense scribblings. Yes there was some fading in the wash (60 deg C in a laundry bag in with the towels). And some shrinking of the fabric - it is from a pile of +10" squarish off-cuts from a local factory shop - given to me years ago by my sister - never washed them as I use them only for testing and cleaning my sewing machine.

The Block Lotto for September is a paper-based block.  And I remember reading somewhere long ago that to make copies of your foundation, layer up paper, staple the pattern and with an old unthreaded needle stitch along the lines.   Then you have accurate copies and are apparently easier to remove.  I have a box of wide fan-fold paper that came from the defunct clothing factory my husband had about 15 years ago.  I still have to sew the blocks!!!

Son Off and Weekend Away

Late Thursday afternoon P and I took M to the airport for his unlimited sojourn in London with serious mixed feelings, glad for him that he is spreading his wings, envious that he is doing so.   Have spoken to him on Skype since so not feeling so sad now.

 

On Friday went on the quilting retreat at Goedgedacht, this is the Barn in which the 24 of us, each with our own trestle table, sewed up a storm!  I know my phone camera doesn't take great photos, so only took a couple of photos over the weekend.

I took a few projects that needed next steps, the first was easy, a border on this one, and it's ready to be quilted.  These scrappy trip blocks were made last Goedgedacht (not by me):

 

 Next was to add sashing to one more of these blocks and put them together (now to find a border):

The third project was to put the neon green borders on these 12 blocks.  I thought I would join them with some black-on-white prints, but that didn't pan out, so will wait to discuss what next with Mum.

This is block number one of about 100 4.5" scrappy-pieced beautiful made-by-Mum blocks.  Actually, ALL the scrappy blocks in this post were made-by-Mum!  My intention was to cut 4.5" strips of tone-on-tone fabrics to border each one, but forgot and cut 3.5"!  But actually think it is better.  Have about 50-60 strips cut and sub-cut, ready to sew.

 

And because there were lengths left over, I used them to add to one side of these Flying Geese Blocks I won last year from Block Lotto.  The blocks are sewn in columns, so not quite complete yet.

I did some sewing on Celtic Solstice, and a number of the Split 9-Patch in-between blocks, but not enough to warrant a photo!  But you do need to see my sleepy photographic assistant:

Star chains and Chevrons

My blocks for March's Block Lotto.  They each measure 14.5" square.  The fabric rules were to use any green for the background, a light for the chain squares and a contrast for the Ohio star in the centre.

This is a quilt top made up from the 12 blocks I won from the January lotto, added to the six blocks I had made.  (To be added to the pile of tops for quilting!)

A 3.5" high pile of 4.5" squares, mostly novelty prints - I dug the out of the box on Thursday at our group meeting, it was fun to see how old some of these are!  I counted them (260) and weighed them (456 g) - to be mailed this week to Wales.  I didn't realise I had so many of these ready cut!

And an update on the growing spread of 6.5" Split 9-patch blocks (29 done).   I have another 31 sets ready to sew, as stops and starters between other piecing. 

A little sewing...

(Yes, there were some other pictures here sent straight from my phone, but removed them as the orientation was off!  I had been struggling to get the photos from phone to laptop, but suddenly it worked!)

Four blocks for November Block Lotto:

Leader and ender blocks, 12 completed so far, and I  really like how they look together.  It took more time to select the pieces from the jumbled up 2.5" squares collection than to sew the block - but it was something to do on a couple of Thursday evenings at the quilt group!  Trying to use dark and mediums, have about another 50 sets ready to sew.

This is the centre of the baby quilt.  Have cut the borders and selected a backing.

I saw an advert for this treadle Singer, was told by the antique dealer that it was about 80 years old, but on looking up the serial number is was, like me, born in the 1950's, and I know I'm a long way from 80!  He said it belonged to his +90-year-old mother's cousin who had it from new, and was sewing on it until very recently.  It turned beautifully smoothly.  Maybe I'll go back and see if it is still there!

Overdue photos

My goodness, according to the dates on the folders, it's over a month since I last transferred any photos from my phone to the laptop!  Not that I've taken many pictures as the phone is my disliked technology at the moment - it was mixing up the senders of SMS/texts that I was receiving, so was disinclined to use it.  Think I've finally sorted it out.

First, an update on the Split 9 Patch challenge - have made all of 5 blocks so far, but have quite a few sets ready for when I the crazy sewing urge kicks in again (sooooon).  I am really pleased how these are turning out! And this should make a good reduction to the full boxes of 2.5" squares and strips.

Next, an update on one of the scrap quilts that are being made jointly by my Mum and me.  This is a possible layout, with a close-up of a couple of blocks. Also very pleasing.

And on the way to the monthly quilt group meeting last Saturday I saw this beautiful vibrant verge of spring flowers, so had to stop the car and take a photo, and as usual no time to spare, so just snapped a photo through the windscreen!  But I've now found out how to touch up photos in Picasa as there was litter in front of it that I hadn't noticed!  Yeah! technology!

Last Sunday went through my box of 4.5" squares and pulled out any novelty and close to novelty prints to make an I-Spy type quilt for a surprise baby quilt (don't think recipient reads this blog, but one never knows!). There were only a handful of squares left after this- yay!  I have a couple on months in hand to finish it!  Yesterday I laid* them out on some batting draped over the frame, and started sewing the blocks into 4-patches.  

*as have been doing some physical exercise lately to aid the recently started better eating plan, and was a bit too sore to bend over and use my design floor.

And lastly, I saw a link to a charity that makes up knitted blankets, and decided that would be a good use some of the wool collection I seem to have amassed, knitting during TV-watching time.  They ask for 20 cm (8 inch) squares with long ends left on.  These are few from 100% wool I bought in Australia and although supposed to be double-knit (Aussies call it 8-ply) it is a little thick for baby jerseys.  These are the first four blocks, three knitted diagonally (the purply one with stocking stitch and reversed stocking stitch worked in a square design). the orangy centre one was the leftovers, and finished with crochet to make the size right.  The fun is changing the design often, so not to get too bored.