2014 First Quarter wish list.

Ok, here they are, a few of my WIPs that have risen to the top of the pile..
1. Rachel's scrappy stars.
This is the biggie.
I started making this quilt at least two years ago and I'm pretty sure it's been basted for about a year. Need. To. Quilt.

2. Rainbow circle.
Again, it's a lack of confidence with my quilting that's been holding me up. Coupled with my schoolgirl error of quilting the outside before the centre..duh! This led to major puckerage (a town somewhere in Alaska?).


At this point I panicked and tried to strong arm some concentric circles, this was the result...

After unpicking and spraying with water and then a light steaming from the iron, I think I've managed to minimise the excess puffiness and have used my basting gun to hold it in place.


I still can't decide how to quilt the centre though,...concentric circles again, wavy lines? I'd like to do a spiral but I'm not sure how to confidently mark one on the fabric. Cue music ... 'There may be trouble ahead'..

3. Economy block baby quilt.
There have been so many lovely blocks popping up all over blogland and IG recently, that I really wanted to join in. A colleague is expecting, so a baby quilt should scratch this particular quilty itch.
So far this is just a fabric pull, which I'm basing around the twelve motifs I can pick out of the central fabric.

I'm not loving it though, I think I need to choose brighter fabrics. The ones I've pulled so far were to match the colours in the print. A bolder choice of colours and contrasts is required I'm thinking. I'm hoping as this is a straightforward project it should proceed fairly quickly (really, did I say that!).




4. Orange peel applique cushion or mini.

This is a recent start. My previous handwork project was the embroidery on a xchristmasquilt quilt that is now put away again (third year in a row and a non-finish from the fourth quarter FAL). I needed something to work on and this is the result. No rhyme or reason, I just needed a project.


That's it, my list. There are other projects on my WIP pile but I need to stop thinking about the list and sew instead.


I hope everyone has there list knocked into shape and are looking forward to another year of finishes.


Linking up with The Littlest Thistle, our host for this years Finish-Along



And WIP Wednesday with Lee, at Freshly Pieced.

Xmas herringbone topper- QAL finish 3

I'm really pleased with the way this project turned out, it was almost exactly as I'd planned it.

It wasn't without the occasional mistake but nothing too teeth-grindingly annoying. And with my recent progress with FMQ I was a bit more confident when I started to FM this top. So much so that I did two, count them, one, two, different patterns on this top.

In the borders I did a rounded teardrop shape that I echoed.

Whilst in the herringbone blocks I did some Xmas trees, which you can see better from the back. I know they're not really visible on the front but I know they're there.

And it looked really nice on my sideboard over the festive season.

All these finishes would probably not have happened without the Finish-Along.

So many thanks to Leanne for hosting this year and good luck to Katy At The Littlest Thistle who will be motivating me this year.

And good luck to all stitchers with a WIP pile, we need all the help we can get :-)

Here's to a few more finishes in 2014.

Tracy

 

Rupert's star quilt - QAL finish 2

This little quilt has had a chequered history. I originally started it five years ago for another baby boy. Just as I'd finished piecing the top I was told that the Mum really wouldn't like the colours I'd used. Oh dear. I was really disappointed as I really like this top.

So, roll on half a decade and a new colleague has a lovely little boy at the same time as I rediscover the forgotten patchwork. I don't know the mum particularly well but I didn't think she would mind a baby quilt.

I wanted to do some more ambitious free-motion quilting than I had tried before, which resulted in quite a few hours of unpicking (and swearing).

I also wanted to personalise it a bit more, so I embroidered baby's birth information quite discretely on the back, and Tah Dah!

I feel like I learned quite a lot with this particular project, which is a nice feeling. I hope it gets a lot of use and love.

Linking up with Leanne at She Can Quilt.

 

Scrappy stars - Q4 finish 1

Scrappy stars cushion.... One finish of three.

This was quite fun to make, the points of the stars have been made as and when I felt like it with random colour scraps and whatever white fabric I've been using. I think the majority of the white has been Kona Snow.

I haven't taken a daylight pic of the back but you can see from this progress pic that I used an Amy Butler 'Love' print.

I'm pleased that I've got this first finish to add to the fourth quarter finish-along.

I had five items on my list and I've managed three finishes, so I'm quite pleased with that.

Now to write up the other two and link up before the deadline, nothing like leaving it to the last minute to focus the mind!