WIP ... And a finish.

As usual I've been working on things that are NOT on my FAL list.

In fact, it's worse than that, I've been cutting fabric for a Plus quilt. I've cut enough for 45 crosses so far but I'm enjoying the process of cut, measure, cut, so much that I'm definitely going to cut more. I think I like the orderly process and the straight forward nature of this pattern ( I'm a lab technician). The creative part is the fabric selection and the layout but the underlying structure of the pattern is quite regimented, I'm enjoying that immensely. A contributing factor could also be that I'm using part of my lunchtime at work to cut out. So it feels slightly naughty and it like bonus time I'm getting back.

 

I've tried a quick layout but it's not working for me yet. I think it needs more blue, which I'll definitely add. There's no yellow in there either but I don't think I'm going to change that. Any suggestions ? Both colours are lacking in my stash, that won't change as I'm on a self-imposed fabric diet at the moment ( 3 months and counting).

I'm also pleased that I've managed to cut out the offending centre of this cushion (what was I thinking, how many seams!)?

 

It now lies flat and is waiting for a little bit of batting before it becomes a cushion.

 

I do have a single solitary finish to report. This little cutie is designed to be a car quilt for a friends baby due in May. It has two firsts for me, backing with Minky/fleece and round corners.

 

 

I was a a bit intimidated working with Minky for the first time but starting small made it much easier. I spray basted AND tacked, which worked fine. I love the drape it gives the quilt, it's so snuggly and soft.

 

 

I'm undecided wether to wash it or not. I like to wash before I give, as it takes me so long to make anything I'm sure the quilt could do with freshening up and I like to make sure nothing comes undone in the wash. I just don't know what it will do to the texture. I need to stop procrastinating and get it in the machine.

I'm looking forward to seeing what everyone else is working on, linking up with Lee at Freshly Pieced

Tracy x

 

I'm not afraid of Minky any more

 

I'm finally feeling the love again for this little baby quilt.

And tonight I had a little flurry of activity, in between cleaning the oven door and washing the filter from the oven hood (gross!), I spray basted and tacked the top to some Minky.

This is my first time using Minky, and after researching (researching = tea + google) what others have said about working with it I got a bit freaked and couldn't decide what I was going to do. Then for some reason today I decided a little spritz of spray baste and a few microtacks was the way to go.

I'm pleased to say it worked fine. I just used my walking foot and a long stitch length (2.6 on my Janome) and did some safe straight line stitching either side of the seams.

I'm quite pleased with the result, the quilt feels quite soft and snuggly with a nice drape. I'm going to give rounded corners a go when binding this, so I need to rifle through my stash to see what will work with a busy front and a plain back.

I'm also making progress on this mini....sorry, rubbish late night photo. Although I had to do some surgery on it as I ended up with sixteen points meeting in the middle. Or more accurately not meeting and most definitely not lying flat.

In the interests of full disclosure, I seemed to have purchased the 'suburbs' pattern by Cluck Cluck Sew. Somehow I've cut a couple of blocks and sewn one up, I'm loving it already.

I did manage a finish, my rainbow circle is now on the wall in our spare room, Yay me!

I'll be heading on over to Lee at Freshly Pieced to see everyone's WIP's.

Happy stitching

Tracy x

 

A hive of inactivity.

That seems to be me at the moment, busy doing not very much.

I've got too many things a need to do and too many things I want to do. The result seems to be that I feel guilty if I do any fun sewing, so I don't do much of that.

And I have no motivation to get on with the things I should be getting on with. (All those chores that you have to do before you put your house up for sale, the ones that I've not felt the need to do in the last ten years, so why would I want to do them now?) so I'm not doing those either.

Result - paralysis, inertia, ennui, procrastination, distraction, dissembling. I'm busy doing all of those!

I have moved forward at a snails pace on some things;

My Rainbow circle is now bound and has a hanging sleeve, I'm just stitching down the binding. It should be wall-worthy in a week or so at my current pace.

I've also finished the piecing on this little top.

I planned it to be used as a car seat quilt for a new baby, just big enough to tuck around the car seat without having too much overhang. Most baby blankets are cot sized and that seems just a bit too big for carrying around with little one in those first few weeks.

I want to try and back it with Minky/fleece but I stalled when I couldn't find my spray baste. It's somewhere in the room that needs to be decorated. So instead of cleaning up and finding it, I've been out and bought another one.

I'm also playing with half-square triangles

Instead of actually getting on with the decorating/tidying/plug fixing/endless cleaning that I should be doing, I've realised a much better use of my time would be to sort thru my scraps and either organise or use them.

It's obvious really, because then they will be something usefull and decorative, like a cushion, that will enhance our home AND they won't be in a cupboard any more, so that counts as tidying. Win/win right?

So that's what I'm busy not doing - what about you?

Linking up with Lee's WIP Wednesday at Freshly Pieced.

http://freshlypieced.blogspot.com/

 

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!