February OMG

My OMG goal for February (One Monthly Goal) which I set back at the end of January (but which I think I forgot to link to the OMG linky) was to finish off Stringen Em Along.

This quilt is to be a gift for our dear little Japanese host grand daughter. In 2004 we had hosted her dad Sho for a year and became his Aussie parents. So she is our  little grand daughter. We have yet to meet her but will be seeing her in July when we visit her (and her parents of course) in Japan. I will take her this quilt when we go.

I had made the top last year whilst we were travelling in our caravan. It was one of my projects. Based on Bonnie Hunter's String X it was made entirely from my stash and the apart from the background fabric (a lavender homespun) came from my scrap drawers.

Oringinally I had intended that it would be a charity quilt but I loved it so much which I finished the top I knew I wanted it to be for someone special. I was trying to choose a pattern to make Sumi a quilt and then it came to me that I could give her this quilt. I hadn't made a backing for it at this stage and since it was to be a gift from her Aussie Grandparents I decided to make the backing from Australian fabrics. Being as how she was a child I decided that she would probably enjoy animal pictures so I fussy cut lots of pictures of Australian animals from me store of fabrics and then framed them in both bright and also Australian themed fabrics.

I quilted it on my domestic sewing machine and finally bound it in a strippy binding, that I had made originally to be another border on it but then changed my mind. It was VERY scrappy and I love the way it has turned out on the front of the quilt. It probably doesn't suit the back of the quilt quite so much but... you get that.

I have already blogged about this finish here but here are some of the photos for you to enjoy again

Linking up with the OMG February Linky party here

WIP Wednesday

Another busy week in which I got one of my WIPs finished off and made substantial progress on some others.

Stringen' Em Along. 
I got this quilt finished off in time to count it in my Stash report for the week Yay.

En Provence (Bonnie Hunter Mystery quilt)
I worked steadily on this for several days and finally got the top together last night. Now to make a back for it! I ended up with heaps of the white/neutral 4 patches left over. I must have seriously miscounted. I will probably work on incorporating them into the backing.

It was only after I was showing a friend this photo I realised that I had put the top border on upside down. Oops

Surrounded by Scraps 
This Charlotte Hawks latest mystery quilt. Clue 2 was released on Feb 8th (here) in the US which was Thursday in Australia. I worked on it straight away and was pleased to get it finished Friday. Now to wait till March for the next clue to come out :)

Hexagon Quilt
Today at Patchwork a couple of friends helped me load the Hexagon quilt onto the quilting frame at our Club rooms. The idea was that I would get it set up to quilt tomorrow but I got started on it and since the others didn't mind me doing it whilst they were there I kept right on and got it finished. We had a few issues with the quilt backing - getting it to load properly - I had appliqued a strip of hexagons to the back and it meant it didn't stretch as much as the rest of it. We managed to get it relatively straight and it just meant that I had to carefully monitor it as I fed it through to make sure it was all sitting straight. I still have to trim off the excess and get the quilt squared up. The binding is all ready made and ready to go. I plan to machine it on so it won't take too long to getting it finished (hopefully by this Sunday)


I've been working away on some messenger bags for the Comic Con stall. I got 4 made yesterday and now I am out of magnetic clips so can't make any more till the ones I order arrive.

Hope you all make good progress on your WIPs this week.

Linking up with 

Sunday Stash Report

I had a finish this week! Yay so excited. Not a little finish like I have had the other weeks of this year but a quilt measuring 60" square. Its great to get it done and I have 2 more pinned and ready to quilt and have arranged with Lyndi to put one on the quilting frame at Patchwork club after our sewing day on Wednesday. As a group we have decided that we don't want people using the machine whilst we are all there sewing. Its a bit noisy and irritating when there is a group of us up there. 

Hopefully I will get at least one big one done then and maybe 2. I have my hexagon quilt, and Handwork Heritage ready to go on the frame. Stand by for some BIG usage numbers soon.

Stringen' Em Along was made from Bonnie Hunter's String X quilt pattern. I made the blocks whilst we were on our holiday last year (late September to early November). I cut an old light sheet into the required sized rectangles to be the base of my string blocks. I was able to use lots of scraps in the blocks themselves - from my strings scraps (under 1.5") as well as lots of 1.5" and 2" strips (some of which I cut down to 1.75")

The backing for the quilt was also heavily pieced - Australian animal pictures that were framed first in 1" finished strips and then wider strips to make them up to 10" blocks. So - its more like 2 quilts. 

I did my go to all over meander when I quilted it and bound it with pieced binding. Originally I was going to use it as an outer border but when I decided to give it to my Japanese Grand daughter I decided to use it as the binding instead and I am really happy with how it turned out.

A pieced back along with a pieced front uses a lot of fabric so my wonderful Fixit Guy who is very computer literate worked out another option for me on the spread sheet which caters for pieced back and pieced front. Using this option I can now say that Stringen Em Along used 5.86m

I have done a lot of sewing this week but Stringen' 'Em Along is my only finish. I have been working away on my En Provence quilt. I have put all the blocks together and am working on the sashing. Its going to be a big quilt when done.... the blocks are 15" finished and its 4 blocks by 4 blocks plus 3" sashing between each row

And its been another week of NO fabric purchased! 

Week 6 
Fabric used        5.86
Fabric added      0.00
Net usage          5.86m

Year to Date     
Fabric used       13.34
Fabric Added       9.05
Net Usage           4.29 Whooo back in BLACK

Now that I  am back in the black I am going to go buy the fabric for the sashing and border of my A to Z quilt so next week there will be some purchases.

Linking up with Patchwork Times

WIP Wednesday... lots of progress

Despite still not being 100% energy wise (but maybe that's age and heat related too) I have accomplished "Great Things" this week! I am so pleased. I haven't finished any of the WIPs but have advanced a lot.

Hexagon Quilt.

I have had the backing made for this for ages and even the batting cut but when I went to load it onto the quilting frame at Patchwork I found I had cut it too small. I finally cut it again and HOPEFULLY its the right size this time. I also made the binding for it. I blogged here about how I didn't really like it any more. I am still a bit unsure of it but its such a massive undertaking I will certainly finish it. I've arranged with my friend Lyndi to quilt this next Thursday. Woot.

Handwork Heritage

I attached the piano key borders. The centre is made from doilies that I inherited from various family members. I only cut up the ones that were stained or had holes in them, or were shop bought. These were sashed in various 1" finished pink scraps. The borders were made from the scraps left over from the centre blocks and more pink scraps. I had kept on making the piano key borders till I ran out of doily scraps. When I went to put them on I had enough to go around 1.75 times almost. Oops. They went into the backing. The leftovers I put into the backing interspersing them between strips made from vintage sheets. Having finished the backing I also made the binding (pink checked) and cut the batting.

If I get time next Thursday after I have quilted the hexagon quilt I may try to get this one loaded and quilted too.

Sparkle Sparkle

My latest baby quilt finish! There are 2 babies due this half of the year to whom I will gift a quilt. This is another adapted from Jenny Doen's Sparkle quilt pattern. I am not sure which of the bub's it will go to. The top for this one has been finished for a while. This week I made the backing, a simple affair this time. I added 2 strips to a wildly colourful width of fabric animal print to make it wide enough. I made the binding too. Today at Patchwork I got it pinned ready for me to quilt it on my domestic machine. (One of the 3 I got pinned today)

Stringen' 'Em Along.

This quilt made to Bonnie Hunter's String X pattern is for our Japanese Granddaughter (daughter of our Japanese host son) She will be just over one when we get to see her in July this year. I finished the top last year and wasn't sure who was going to get it - I made the pattern cause I fell in love with it. I hadn't gotten around to making the backing. When I decided that I loved it so much it had to go to someone special, our grand daughter was the obvious choice. 

Because the front wasn't very baby orientated I wanted the backing to have more pictures and fun stuff, and also reflect the Australian side of things. I fussy cut out heaps of Australian Animals from various fabrics I had on hand, framed the pictures with various 1" finished strips and then made them up to 10" size with an assortment of fabric including plains and Australian fabrics. A couple I framed with some Japanese fabric I had used on the year quilt I had made the year Sho was with us.

I pinned it ready for quilting today at Patchwork. It was one of 3 I pinned up there today.

Club Mystery Quilt

Last year our club ran a mystery quilt. Each month we were given instructions for a particular unit for 6 months. It was fat quarter friendly - in fact we were told to choose 6 coordinating fat quarters for it. In the end we were given a design we could use but were also invited to make up our own design which is what I did. Mine had ended up being very dark so I added some extra orange to lift it a bit. 

I had put the centre together last year but was yet to finish it off. Looking at it this past week I decided it needed more orange so put in a final border. Monday I worked on the backing for it. I wanted to use up the left over scraps of fabric and left over blocks too so I made them into strips. Then I raided my scrap drawers and pulled out all the 5" strips that were in the colour scheme of the front.

The result isn't all that striking or wonderful but I am happy with it. It took the best part of the day to put together but you get that. Now the batting for it is cut too and the binding (more orange) made. And at Patchwork today I also got it pinned. 

That makes a total of 5 quilts ready to be quilted.

En Provence

I finally got around to assembling a couple of the blocks on the design wall. I have cut all the yellow squares needed to complete them. I have yet to sew any together but at least I know what I am aiming for now

I've also worked on a few things for the Comic Con stall I will be having in September. I've now made one zipper bag and 3 satchels/messenger bags featuring Star Trek, Star Wars and skeleton cat fabric. 

I started work on another project today. Its going to be a secret project so I won't be posting any photos - but I did start work on it today.

And finally I did a bit of a clean up of my sewing area on the weekend. I spent Saturday morning cleaning up the cutting table and sewing table and then sorting through all my notions and redistributing stuff to places where they will be most useful. Its been great to be able to put my hand on various things as I have needed them as soon as I have wanted them. 4 days later and I have managed to mislay my fabric marking pen and one of my quick unpicks (seam ripper)

How have you gone with your WIPs this week?

Linking up with 

WIP Wednesday

I have been plagued all week with a mystery fatigue producing "something" that has had me dragging myself about the place, doing a lot of sleeping, sitting and not a lot else. My usual eagerness to sew at every opportunity has diminished somewhat but I have achieved a good bit despite this. (I have done very little else though)

En Provence has languished. I promised myself I would have a bit of a look at it this week but nadah.

I did finish of the 9 Patches and 4 Patches which were the first clue in the Charlotte Hawks mystery. There were 80 of each... that's a lot of 1.5" squares. 

I have also made a little progress in the backing for "Stringen' 'Em Along". Its to be a gift for our Japanese Grand daughter (daughter of our host son from 2004) so I am making the backing from various Australian fabrics. I am piecing 10" blocks out of various picture fabrics sashed with 1.5" strips

 and then made up to 10.5" with Australian prints. 

Its rather time consuming and fiddley but I am enjoying it. 

I've also had 2 finishes today - my first 2 items for the Handmade With Love stall at Comic Con. I made a zipper purse (which I forgot to photograph) and a small satchel. I used the Kid-Sized Messenger Bag pattern by Merriment Design and to be found here. I hope to get lots more done this month. So long as I keep well I should be able to do it.

I have had to come back and update this blog post as I forgot to add the link to the pattern I used for the satchel AND I forgot the main sewing activity I had this week.

I have been working on my A to Z Blogging Challenge project. I had intended to just get 8 blocks done this month but I got on a roll and now all the blocks for the month are done and hopefully this month I will get the quilt together. Don't know how I forgot this since it is the only thing I got out of bed for for much of the week. Well not true but I could work on it and not fall asleep which I would do the rest of the time.

How are your WIPs going this week?

Linking up with 

WIP.....Thursday

Running a little late with my weekly WIP report. Not that I have a lot to report this week anyway.

In Australia it is the middle of summer and summer holidays. The schools are all having their big break... 6 weeks long. Many businesses shut down between Christmas and New Year as sole traders take a bit of a break. Many companies close for a bit longer (particularly manufacturing plants etc) and the work force has their annual leave. 

We had 2 of our children home with us for Christmas, which was lovely, but a little disruptive to the usual routine (delightfully so). As well as Christmas and New Year celebrations, we have had my brother call in overnight and also Boyo celebrated his birthday.  We have had a bit of extra entertaining, some board game playing, extra cooking and .... well not as much free sewing time as I usually get.

I have done a little bit of work on my En Provence quilt. Bonnie Hunter released the last 2 clues in pretty quick succession this week but a busy weekend and early part of the week meant I didn't get much sewing time. 

I also sabotaged myself somewhat. In my last WIP Wednesday report I somewhat gleefully reported I had an empty scrap basket. I had ironed and cut and sorted my way through all my scraps till I got to the bottom. 

WELLL then in the post Christmas euphoria I decided to tidy up my fabric storage cupboards and went through all my boxes of fabric (sorted by colour) refolding fabric and getting out the odd bits, and putting them into my scrap basket. I also did a major sort out of my picture fabrics, leftovers from when I used to do year quilts (see HERE for explanation of what they are). There were lots of little bits in there that went into my scrap basket and ... in just one day by scrap basket was back to its overflowing status.

I then was determined to get it back to its pristine state and spent ages each day it seems on my feet at my cutting table once more cutting and sorting the scraps. 

I didn't need to do my ironing as the fabric wasn't too badly scrunched. Despite my determined efforts in the time I had available I wasn't able to get the basket emptied. 

Another session and I think I would have gotten to the bottom but it will have to wait now.

Yesterday at Patchwork Group I was able to get a bit of preparation done on the next 2 units. They are 2 lots of quarter square triangles. I prefer to use the 4 at a time method rather than the ruler method Bonnie outlines in her clue. (I have some of the speciality rulers but ..... not the ones she demonstrates for making the units so I decided to stick with what I knew) I got the  squares all cut that I will need - lots of greens, some yellow, some neutrals and some light purples. I got all the lines drawn and the first lot of stitching done on the green and yellow ones. Still lots to do. Then I can start to put them together. I am NOT looking forward to that as I am not happy with some of my units. They ended up a bit small and I am not convinced my fudging skills will be enough. 

Now I am away from home for a week. Today we drove to Brisbane (a 10 hour trip) and we will be here for a week. I have bought my sewing machine with me and hope to get the next 2 units of En Provence done and hopefully some piecing of the blocks. 

As well as my En Provence project I have also bought some Australian prints with me to make a backing for a quilt for the daughter of our 2004 Japanese Host son. She is the nearest thing we have to a grand daughter so she deserves a special quilt. At first I thought I would make a quilt from scratch for her but I was working on  "Stingen Em Along", my String X quilt (another Bonnie Hunter pattern) shortly after we heard of her arrival. I really liked how the quilt turned out and want to give it to someone special. The backing will be a little bit of Australia for her.


How have you gone with your WIPs this week. Have you had time to work on them or has the holiday season proved as disruptive to your schedule as it has to mine.

Linking up with 

WIP Wednesday

I've had a busy few days sewing this week.

Last week Charlotte Hawkes released the cutting instructions for her mystery quilt that begins in January. I got it all cut over the weekend. Its called "Surrounded By Scraps" and you can find details here if you would like to join in.

The 4th clue in En Provence, the Bonnie Hunter mystery quilt for 2016 came out on Friday - very late in Australia so I didn't even look at it till Saturday but had no chance to work on it till Monday. I blogged about it here 

Today at Patchwork group, between having a super yummy morning tea and lunch to celebrate Christmas, I worked on the piano key border for Handwork Heritage. I got the borders done - there is oodles of it. I got a bit carried away.

I also worked on "Stringen Em Along", my Bonnie Hunter String X quilt. I got the borders on it - I went with the same fabric I'd used as my background. And then I made the binding. I decided on a scrappy border. I might have gone with a binding in the lavender background fabric if I'd had any of it left but I'd used it all up. Again I went a little crazy and I think I will have enough binding fabric for a couple of quilts!!

Just yesterday I heard that my niece is having another baby, due in May. This will be the 3rd grandbaby in just over a year for my sister and followed on 3 weddings in 6 months - they overlapped somewhat. Given that she only has 4 children that was good going. The single childless sibling is not feeling any pressure to join the club!!

Anyway - my baby quilt choice this year has been the sparkle quilt pattern from Missouri Star quilt company. I had some left over pieces and so this evening I have been working on making a quilt for the expected bub. I have the 9 star blocks made and working on the off setting borders now.

I also worked on the Craftsy BOM quilt that I have been working on - the Amy Gibson one (2012 I think) I didn't start it in 2012 but it has been a long slow cooker one. Anyway. I finished off the quilting on my domestic machine and got the binding on. Still have to do the label but since I haven't come up with a special name for it nor a place for it to go I am not in a hurry to do that. (No photos yet... perhaps for Stash report on Sunday)

Hope you have made some progress on your projects this week if that is what you have wanted to do. But maybe you have been prepping for Christmas not sewing. Whatever you have been doing I hope you have enjoyed it.

Linking up with 

WIP Wednesday - bits and pieces done

This week has been busy. I had hoped to get 2 quilts quilted this week on our Patchwork club's longarm but unfortunately 7/8ths on the way through the first quilt the machine stopped picking up the bobbin thread and so that was the end of my quilting. Discussions are ongoing with the supplier re getting it working again. It was ok for me as I didn't have any schedule for my two but there were others booked behind me who are wanting to get quilts finished for Christmas so it is really bad timing..

My Quilt on the long arm. You can see I was up to the last pass when it broke

Only 6" to go in most places. Grrrr

On Friday evening Handmade With Love, the sewing group I belong to, had a stall at the Uniting Church's "Walk Through Bethlehem". A lady bought our last 3 mini stockings and wanted another 10 so I got them made over the weekend. The pattern seemed to get a bit wonky and so they aren't quite as good as the originals but pretty good.

I managed to get "Stringen' 'em Along", my Strippy X quilt, one of Bonnie Hunter's free patterns on her blog, together. I am still deciding about a border. I think I will use the background fabric as another 2 inch border and then do a scrappy binding.

This is the top still to be sewn together. The photo of the quilt is on the ipad and I haven't gotten it off yet.

Speaking of Bonnie Hunter. Clue 3 was released on Friday - 9PM here so I didn't start it till Saturday. This week it was 168 purple 4 Patches. I finished them off by Monday although I have to "pinwheel" the centre seams. I miscounted and ended up making 183 of them some how. I detailed my progress in my blog post on Monday here.

My other activity for the week has been work on a couple of satchels that I am making as Christmas gifts. . I am not sure that they read my blog... but here they are anyway

With only a bit over a week till Christmas I hope that you have gotten your Christmas sewing done by now and aren't doing late, last minute mad sewing.

Linking up with 

WIP Wednesday

What a busy week it has been!

Up untill today all my sewing had revolved around the Christmas Craft Fair which is on this coming weekend. Handmade With Love has a stall there and I have been sewing things to sell there. I made up a bunch of tissue packet covers (25 in all) and hair scrunchies (27 I think) and a couple more pot holders. (Minecraft fabric this time but no photo. I forgot to take any before I handed them in to stall coordinator).

Today was our weekly Patchwork Group sewing days. We are very blessed to have our own room in the local council art's complex. I took up 4 of my project boxes and pleased to sew I worked on stuff from 3 of them.

Handmade Heritage Too
I assembled the strips together. 

I found one minor mistake that I decided to ignore 

and one more major one that I fixed up. 

I wanted all 4 corner pieces which I'd cut from the one doily to be going out, with the curved piece facing out of the corner... not like this.

I like how the centre is working out. HH2 will be made into a table cloth that I will use at church during Advent as it has lots of purple in it, the colour for Advent. That has put me on a bit of a time line to get it done - first Sunday of Advent is the 4th of December - just over 2 weeks away.

Stringen Em Along
This quilt, based on the pattern String X by Bonnie Hunter, had a little work done on it today, first time I've worked on it in over a month. I have chosen a lilac as the background for it. Today I cut out the squares that I will then cut in half to be the corners of the block. 

The instructions were to cut 4 and 7/8ths squares and slice them in half diagonally but I cut 5" instead... I'm NOT the most accurate cutter so always prefer to have a little wiggle and trim room.

Getting Along - the club mystery quilt.
Today I got the borders on. 

I am not entirely happy with it. Its too small to be much use I reckon so will add another border. I am looking at perhaps a wide orange border. I am not sure what I am going to do with this quilt. I'm thinking it may get tucked away for a birthday quilt for someone in a couple of years.

The project I had with me that I didn't touch was the bits and pieces for the border of Handmade Heritage. I was thinking I might start to trim them to a uniform size and start working on a border but I ran out of oomph before then. I hadn't taken my lunch with me, thinking I would leave at midday but then I was enjoying my work and wanted to get the last rows of HH2 on. I could have kept on working BUT I was getting hungry and I had a message to say that my new glasses were in at the optometrist so wanted to get them. 

I am really happy with how they look too. 

All in all its been a good week

PS I also made heaps of bottles of sugar coated peanuts, toffee coated peanuts and spicy sugar coated peanuts. And some jam drops too! No photos of the peanuts but here are the jam drops.

 Hope you have had fun this week too.