WIP Wednesday

I have had a really busy day and have moved all of my current projects forward.

Disappearing into the Blue
Today I got the backing for this quilt pieced. Finally. Usually I only work on this project at my Patchwork Group's weekly get together however I broke that rule this week. I worked on the backing a little bit last night and then again this afternoon after I got home from Patchwork. I was so close to finishing I just wanted to get it done. Tonight I even cut the fabric I am going to use for the binding.

working at home is not without its added complications. Patrick is a visiting cat whom we are minding for a few days but he has the "Quilting Helper Cat" routine down pat

Patrick the cat assisting with making the backing

Disappearing into the Blue top and backing ready to be packaged up and sent for quilting

Teddies and Pinwheels.
I took this to Patchwork to pin it (baste it) We have great tables there for pinning on. However when I went to do it I found that my cat had piddled on the backing fabric! Great. I bought it home, washed and dried it, ironed it and tonight I got it pinned. I had some hand dyes in the backing which ran a bit to my dismay. Most of the fabric that it leached into will actually be cut off so I have left it. Hope I don't regret this move

pinning this at home. Had to clear off my cutting table to do it but easy enough to do. 

Twist and Disappear
I got it pinned today at patchwork. I found that one of the pinwheels in it is coming adrift a little bit... seam has come undone so I am going to have to do some hand stitching before I start to quilt it.

Riverwalk.
I got it pinned. Yay. Originally I had planned to use 2 old flannelette sheets as the wadding and to have a backing as well. I forgot to take the backing with me but decided to just go with the 2 sheets. I just wanted to get it pinned. I hope I don't regret it.

my pinned pile. Now to get the quilted. Hoping to have at least one finish by Sunday!

Bathroom renovations
These are progressing. The builders finished up on Friday and all that is left to do is the painting which Fixit Guy is doing. He has also started doing some other plastering jobs that need doing about the house. He is doing a few touch up paint jobs whilst he has his overalls out. The en suite is almost done. He has to remove the painters tape and finish off a little bit of trim.

 

Linking up with Wip Wednesday at Freshly Pieced

Sunday Stash report zero in zero out

Its been a nil nil week for me (sounds like a score from World Cup Football) No finishes and no purchases. Well not NO finishes. I did finish an apron but since it was bought already made and then adapted not sure I could really count it. I did add a bit of extra fabric in an applique decoration but the grand total of that might (MIGHT) add up to 1/16^th metre!!

The apron was a $2 cheap one from a dollar shop. I unpicked the pocket,

 added an applique and then reattached it higher up.

I cut 8” off the bottom of the apron,

added applique to that and then reattached it so as to make a pocket along the bottom of the apron.

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 It’s a workshop apron, one to carry the bits and pieces you need when sewing and moving between spaces – scissors, cutters, pencil, small rulers etc. So I added some wadding behind the pocket to give it some body.  I am sure it is going to be very useful. I made a few mistakes along the way but I won't detail them here. IF I ever make a better one I might do a better tutorial. The tutor at a recent workshop I attended had one and explained to us how to make it very simply. Hers was a good deal more fancy than mine.

I had hoped to have a couple of finishes this week but Teddies and Pinwheels and Twist and Disappear are both still waiting pinning and quilting.  I made some progress on Disappearing into the Blue. Currently putting the backing together for it.

I have been working on a banner for church. That has been absorbing my interest and time. There are a few blog posts about it. I am currently working out an issue I have with the dark green along the bottom but think I have a solution now. Its going to include unpicking and resewing but should mean a result I am happier with. I think that the dark green is too straight and hard. I want to integrate it a little more into the rest of the quilt and think I can do this by adding some medium and lights to the rows of dark green

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Non quilting finishes

Have had an almost finish. The family bathroom was finished off on Friday - the builders had to do a bit of work with the tiles and shower screen. 

They also finished their part of our en suite. Just waiting for Fixit Guy to paint it. He started taping it so will be able to start when we get home from our weekend away.

The big finish we had in our family was... Fixit Guy finished work. Retired Friday (see more here) Have had lots of negative comments re how that is going to cramp my style and he will always be under my feet etc. Lots of lovely positive ones as well. We know it is going to be an adjustment but looking forward to it. He has lots of projects lined up and we have plans to travel as well.

so Summary for the week and year

Used this week:                        0m
Added this week                        0m

Year to Date Used                     89.32
Year to Date added                   72.27
Net Used                                  17.05

linking up with Stash report on Patchwork Times

WIP Wednesday... on Thursday

Running a day late again. Had planned to write it last night but after a lovely long soak in my new bath I went straight to be. Never mind

Getting ready for my first bath in our new bath. Complete with Lush bathbomb

What have I been working on this week?

Made great progress on Disappearing into the Blue. The top is finished. Yay. Whoot. Having thought it was finished last week I then decided it needed another border... a white one so that the lovely binding fabric I bought would stand out. I worked out how much I would need of the tone on tone white for a narrow border (1" finished) and went to buy it... found some great stuff in backing width and the shop's minimum cut was .5m. I only needed about 50cm of the ordinary width stuff so had double and more! So thought... might as well use it up and instead made the border 4" (and still had leftovers) The quilt has ended up 93" x 103" (or something like that) I didn't get a photo of it when it was laid out at patchwork yesterday. No room to do it here so... you'll have to imagine it

I am now in the process of making a pieced backing from the leftover blue fabric from the top. With the smaller pieces thus far I have a piece 43"x83". I will put the bigger left over pieces around the edges so they will get trimmed back not the pieced littler bits. I have two strips of left over piano key border. I'd accidentally trimmed one stip to 4" when I made it instead of 4.5" so that went into the back along with the leftover bits and all the too small tag ends. I also made up a bit more in order to get the 2nd strip long enough. I think it looks really cool. There is the strip of white tone on tone not needed for the borders in there as well.

New Project. Riverwalk
I have been working on a green banner to use in church too. I started a blog post just about it on Tuesday but didn't get it finished. I might complete that blog post to fully explain it. Meanwhile I'll just say I am using heaps of different green scrap fabrics. I am using my 2.5" strips, bricks and squares plus 4.5" squares and strips. Its coming on. I have it about 2/3s pieced. I don't think Fixit Guy was overly impressed by it. He tried hard not to sound too negative but today I showed our minister Suzy and she was delighted by it. FG is much more of a literal guy... doesn't do the figurative too well!! I think I will call it River Walk cause it was inspired by my walks by the river. Or then again I might find a biblical reference to trees and rivers and call it that. If you have a suggestion then please let me know

  

I received the ruler I ordered to trim up my half square triangle blocks. Its a Quilt in a Day ruler. That means that I'll be able to start work again on my black and white with a touch of red trip around the world quilt. Need to come up with a name for this quilt as what I refer to it as currently is way too long.

No further progress made on Teddies and Pinwheels or Twist and Disappear (Disappearing Nine patch with a twist) They both have tops and backs done. Just need to get the batting cut (or do a bit of Frankenbatting) and pinned. Should surge ahead and do them so I have a finish for Sunday but it isn't going to happen. Tomorrow is all booked out and we go away on Saturday for the weekend.

Other non quilting works in progress.

The Bathrooms.
Both are almost done. The family bathroom should have been all finished BUT there was a problem with the shower leaking under the door and the water not running to the drain in the floor. They pulled up a couple of tiles and relaid them to fix the drain problem but having hassles with the seal under the door. Sigh. It looks beautiful though and I had my first bath in the glorious tub last night. It is deeper, wider and longer than our old one so it actually fits me (short and slim I am not)

Since this photo was taken the painting of the trim has been completed and the ugly blue tape has come down

En suite is coming along. Fixit Guy has to paint it and the builder is waiting on the shower screens. We are going to move back into our bedroom today which will be nice. The weather has been chilly this last week and I miss my electric blanket. We didn't move it onto the spare bed. Probably should have just gone out and bought myself a second one!

Almost there! So close I could just about squeal. 

Fixit Guy's retirement.

Tomorrow is his last day. Yay. Today he is at meetings at another mine in another town. He took his replacement to show him the ropes. Tomorrow he has to hand over his laptop and his mobile (cell) phone and will drive his car home for the last time. Someone will pick it up from here over the weekend we presume. (unless someone drives him home and drops him off!) He has emptied his car of all his own stuff and has bought home a box or two of stuff from his office. He has taken his personal stuff off the computer and the phone. He has a new phone - bought last week with help from Fangirl. Also a new computer (with same assistant). His new car is on order and should be here at the end of the month. We have to wait for his redundancy payout to come through before we can pay for it. So... transition to retirement is progressing well.

Last week they had a farewell morning tea for him at work (early cause his boss was going away) and they are having another night time farewell for him next week (after his boss gets back). That works out well for us as this Friday Fangirl is in Brisbane. She will be back by next Friday and Massage Man (26 year old son) will also be in town. He lives in Melbourne. Kombi Boy (21 year old son), his partner Gamer Girl and our youngest son (19 year old whose blog name I forget atm) are both in town because they are university students and its currently holidays. We are going out for dinner to celebrate anyway.

Fixit Guy has a list of projects he wants to work on and has a large number of options to look at as far as volunteering about the place. There are all manner of people with a definite gleam in their eye when they hear a) he is retiring and b) we aren't planning on leaving town.

I celebrated the other day when I checked his wardrobe and realised he had enough shirts to see him through to the end of the week and that meant I didn't have to iron the work shirts that were in the basket

On Monday afternoon there were 4 shirts hanging up, and 4 work days to go!

so these two puppies got to go into a drawer. And I retired from work shirt ironing. Yeah

linking up with WIP Wednesday at Freshly Pieced

WIP Wednesday

I started working on a new quilt, playing with my design board last Wednesday night. I forgot to take any progress photos... ooops my bad. In 2008 when my Dad died the women who attend Patch n Peace made healing heart blocks... blocks featuring a heart on 6.5" squares of white or cream. Some blocks were crotched, appliqued, some made from lace... all sorts of blocks from a group of women who cared for me in my sad time. I had put the hearts away and not done anything with them, had actually forgotten about them till I sorted through my sewing room a few weeks ago. 

At Patch n Peace this year I saw a quilt made by another retreat member that had a pattern I thought would work with the hearts. It featured 3 different sized blocks - 12, 8 and 6 ". They all basically 9 patches with 8 patches one colour and the centre block a different colour. Last Wednesday I started to play with it the blocks. Because I wanted the centre of each block to be the heart which was 6" finished but I wanted different sized blocks I changed from the 9 patch pattern idea. I went with 18" 12" and 6" blocks instead. The 18" blocks were basically 9 patches. The 12" blocks had the 6" heart in the centre and 3" strips around.The 6" blocks were just the hearts. I made 4 x18" blocks, 7x12" blocks and 17 single hearts. 

For the border I made 5" blocks. Half had 3" square centres and the other half had 2" centres. 

Yesterday I worked on the backing. This quilt is my lap quilt and I love minky. I had some brown minky dot fabric but not enough so I patched together all the rest of the minky dot I had... some blue scraps and some lilac. I was really pleased with the final look. 

Today at Patchwork I got it Pin basted. Now to quilt it I think I will do an all over meander with echo quilting around the hearts. In the borders I might do something more geometric... unless I do something more geometric over the centre and put a chain of hearts into the border... hmmm still thinking. What do you reckon?

I used another UFO up in the backing for my Teddies and Pinwheel quilt. Many years ago I had put together small quilt using a variety of pink and blue nine patches. Many of the fabrics were my hand dyes and it was just a bit small to be the back of the Teddies and Pinwheels quilt which also features a good few of my hand dyed fabrics. I put some white borders on it and now it will be a great backing for the quilt. Now I have to get it basted and quilted. 

The Disappearing 9 Patch with a Twist also needed a backing. I had a piece of polar fleece which is just big enough. I will have to be careful when I baste it to make sure it doesn't shift.

My other big WIP has been the bathroom renovations which are on going. Last Wednesday the builder started work on our ensuite bathroom, ripping out the vanity and pedestal. Thursday the asbestos removalists came in and removed all the walls and the ceiling. Friday the builder started to put in the new wall panels. Over the weekend Fixit Guy started painting the family bathroom. He still has to do the trim but he will probably be able to get to it this weekend. Today they finally fitted the shower screen. Still have to put up the towel rails. 

In the en suite they have done the plumbing and electrical work, have water proofed it and laid the bed for the tiles to go on. They will put the tiles down this coming week. 

Linking up with WIP Wednesday on Freshly Pieced

Friday Fitness A day late

Have been going great guns with my fitbit steps. I have remained at the top of my friends list all week. I have made my 10 000 steps each day. I only ran on Tuesday... ran week 2 day 2 of C210K. Yesterday I was still trying to decide if I was going to walk or run and when (lying in bed on a cool morning procrastinating about getting up) when I heard a vehicle pull up out the front. We are having our bathrooms renovated and so have the builder and other tradies in and out of the house fairly frequently. The builder often starts just after 7. It was 6.55 but it didn't sound like his vehicle... and it was out the front not in the drive. So I peaked... no it wasn't him. I had this sinking feeling. I wondered if it was the asbestos removal guys. They were supposed to be coming Friday (today) but last time they came, to gut the family bathroom, they turned up a day early and Fixit Guy had half an hour's notice to evacuate the house (I was away). He had to pack up the bathroom first. At least we were already out of the bathroom this time... they had taken the pedestal and the vanity out the previous day. But FG was at least out of bed... they came at 9.30 last time. I was right... the builder pulled up by the time I was dressed and at the front door. Asbestos guys it seems are a law unto themselves. They turn up when they want, and too bad that you have to scramble madly to accommodate their changes of plan. I had pulled on my walking gear. I grabbed my day clothes, lap top, hand bag, phone and charges and took them downstairs. I made some breakfast and took the electric jug and coffee making necessities downstairs with me too. Since I ate breakfast first I decided not to run. I don't like running on a full tummy. That is my excuse as to why I didn't run anyway. Its a pretty good one.

Weight wise... sad story. I have been eating too much this week. Its only that I am keeping up as much excersise as I have been that I haven't blown out more. I was 87.8 this morning. My main downfall has been a yummy pumpkin cake recipe I found at the end of last week and which I have made twice already. I try to give slices away but end up scoffing the leftovers. Its soooo good. You'll find the recipe here I found it in the free Taste magazine available from Coles Supermarket. I adapted the recipe slightly. I toasted my pecans. You could use other nuts if you want (but I LOVE pecans) I also used some sour milk I had on hand rather than buttermilk. If any of my American readers don't understand any of the ingredients just ask. I think you call icing sugar powdered sugar. Its the product you make cake icing out of.

 It so happened I had a huge butternut pumpkin that I won at the silent auction at the quilting retreat the weekend before. When there is only 2 of us at home to eat it and Fixit Guy doesn't eat much of it due to his sensitivities I needed something to help use it up. Going to look for a good recipe for zucchini as well. He was given a massive one of those the same weekend and it will take some getting through. Fangirl took a photo of me holding both... must ask her for it

Pippin Cat seems to be more interested in the recipe for Risotto than pumpkin cake

I had light sour cream in the icing and it didn't thicken... it was yummy and less calories but not really elegant on the cake. Pippin thinks their is a good recipe on the next page obviously

WIP Wednesday

Not a lot new to report from yesterday in Tuesday Museday - Patch'Peace retreat Report  but for the benefit of all the blog hoppers that are going to flock to my blog today.....

Disappearing into the Blue
Haven't touched it for 2 weeks now with the workshop last week and I didn't sew at all today at Patchwork.

Teddies and Pinwheels
Needs borders. Will have to audition some stuff from my stash. I think I will just do some plain borders although maybe will do a pinwheel in each corner as corner stones. That will be pretty.

Twisting About (New name for my Disappearing 9 Patch with a Twist)

Needs borders. Probably just do a dark blue border same as is featured in the quilt and then a multicoloured binding.

Not So Sombre Blues for Derek
Today at patchwork I used our big tables and got the quilt pinned. Didn't check it properly though and I'm a bit short with the backing on one side. I can either unpin and repin (which is truly what I should do, I know) or patch in a bit of the back fabric, or cut down the front of the quilt a bit. It has a wide border so could do that. Stay tuned.

Things are in a bit of uproar at my place now and will continue to be for the next few weeks because we are having some renovations done to the family bathroom and our en suite (bathroom off our bedroom for those not used to that terminology) Its going to be great when they are done but in the meantime... uproar.

On Monday the asbestos removal guys were here and basically gutted the family bathroom. pulling off all the walls and the ceiling panels. They didn't do the floor but apparently it could be asbestos product too and our builder has been advised not to drill into it (a pain cause now he might not be able to move the floor drain like he wanted to)

Tuesday the builder (a nice guy named Darrin) was here with his apprentice and they removed the floor tiles, the bath and the shower wall frame. Then he fitted the new bath (carried it upstairs on his own cause his apprentice went home sick) and made the frame for it... well he put it in place but its been moved for the plumbing work and the walling stuff to go in. Actually it is now sitting in the middle of my bedroom. And he fitted the new heat/light/exhaust fan unit ready for the electrician to wire in. and the ceiling.

Wednesday - today as I type this I have the plumber, the builder and the electrician all competing for space in the not very big bathroom. That is why the bath and some of the tools are now in my bedroom. I can't shut my bedroom door so I hope they aren't too messy today or I will have dust and crud through my bedroom.

I was going to tidy my bedroom yesterday in preparation for when they start on the ensuite but got busy with other things (buying the exhaust fan thingy for one and coffee out with friends for another and updating my blog....) and so its still needing to be done and of course I can't move around in there very easily today.

This is the old bathroom. The tub is next to the vanity running from the wall to the shower.

Monday asbestos removed

Tuesday tiles, old bath and shower removed

new tub positioned