WIP Wednesday

Busy week with several finishes as reported yesterday and in my Sunday Stash Report. I did enjoy making those little Minion wall hangings.

 

Today at Patchwork I was able to get 2 quilts pinned. Annie's Quilt is pinned and ready to go. I forgot to take a photo of it laid out and pinned. It looks the same as it did before hand just with lots of pins in it!! Thinking about how I am going to quilt it. Its going to be a combination of stitch in the ditch, echo quilting and stippling. Its such a busy quilt with so many different blocks in it.....

I also got Tardis Tree pinned. I think that I am going to echo quilt around the shape of the tree and then do a little stippling in the rest of it. Its made up of so many little squares I don't want to compete with them too much. I am just not too sure what I am going to do. Might have to wait and see what happens when I start.. that is what I usually do. I will use the variegated white.cream thread I have on the white and a darker blue or grey on the blue parts. Watch this space. I would love to think that I am going to get at least one of them finished to report on in Sunday Stash report but that might be being a little optimistic given I haven't started quilting and I have commitments most of Saturday and Sunday morning.

Here they are, piled up near my machine ready to go. Ready set... oh look squirrel

I started a new project at Patchwork today. We are making Quilts of Love for our local hospital to be used for babies born too early. They only need to be between 20-24" square and don't have batting in them. I am making a log cabin using 1.5" strips. Something has gone a bit skewiff with them and they are a bit out of whack but hoping some judicious trimming at the end will put it to rights. Not sure if I cut the strips a bit wrong or if the 1/4" foot on my machine is a bit out. I am also not that thrilled with the colours but hoping that it will be ok. I am making 9 of the log cabins so it isn't going to take me very long. Hopefully it will work out okay in the end.

This isn't finished - the 2nd bright green fabric and outer blue still to be stitched down. This is just to get an idea of the colours.

I have managed a little hand stitching during the week on my Christmas Delights project... but only a few stitches. I am hoping to get a lot more done at the meetings that I will be attending on Saturday... unless I have the quilting done on one of my projects and am up to stitching down the binding.

Fangirl bought me back a lovely little stack of embroidered blocks that my sister Joy had done using the BOM designed by my sister in law Christine (of Bluebirds and Bumblebees) Joy had made them 7 years ago when the patterns were first released but hadn't gotten around to making them into a quilt and she offered them to me. Of course I said yes and she sent them to me via Fangirl. Now I am contemplating what pattern to use with them and who it will be for. (A reminder that Christine has listed her patterns on Etsy. The January block is free... for this month at least. Go check it out here

Now I am anxiously awaiting the release of the next pattern in the POD on Fandom In Stitches. I am getting rather hooked on paper piecing it seems.

I have joined a new challenge group. Its called One Project A Month - OPAM.

You commit to trying to complete one project each month (of any of the fibre arts) It can be a new project that month or it can be a UFO or a slow project. Each month you report in what you have completed. And they encourage you to have a side bar with your completed projects for that month.  I have added the list of my completed projects for this month to my side bar. I don't think it actually starts till February but I thought I'd add my projects already. It looks rather impressive cause I have made so many little projects this month. If you are interested in joining in you have to sign up by February 1st so hurry!

  

WIP Wednesday

This week I worked on paper piecing and completed the first 2 blocks in Fandom Stitches POD 30 week challenge. I also completed a paper pieced TARDIS from a pattern on their website. I have downloaded a heap of others which I may or may not get around to doing sometime soon.

I completed the 3 little zipper pouches using the MSQ tutorial and really enjoyed making them... so much so that I have ordered 20 pretty zips from eBay and keenly waiting their arrival in a couple of weeks. (ordered from Hong Kong so have to wait for them to be shipped here) After I had posted on this blog about running out of zippers a local friend, Lindy,  told me that she had a box of zips that she had been carrying around for 20 years or so and she was happy for me to help myself to a few. She bought them to Patchwork today and I gladly took 6. 1 which I used straight away and 5 to make into pouches.

Fangirl (my daughter) asked me to make a cushion out of a cross stitch that she made in 2005. I sashed it in 3 borders and then made the back and (get this) inserted a zip. I made it today at Patchwork using one of the zips Lindy gave me. I don't have a photo of the finished cushion. I wish I had fussy cut the 3rd border but by the time realised I should have done that the top was already together and I wasn't remaking it.

I am waiting on a bolt of batting to arrive in order to be able to complete some more projects. Ive made the backing for the Tardis Tree and also for the Orphan Block Quilt. I thought I would piece a backing for it but in the end I had a piece big enough and so used it. I have decided to call it Annie's Quilt... you know Little Orphan Annie.... also our dog who died early last year was called Annie so I like the name.

       

I have been working on Vanishing Hours. I got all the borders on and so now the top is finished. YAY

I've started on the backing, using up extra blocks that didn't make it onto the front - including one vanishing pinwheel that I made by mistake instead of the vanishing hourglass. Also some extra hourglass blocks and some left over piano key border. Its got a way to go but hopefully I will get it done by the end of the week so I can post it off to my friend Kym to get quilted.

 So its been a very busy and successful week. How have you gone this week.

   

Wrapping up my September Monthly Goals

Only one more day of September to go so time to review how I went with my September Goals

1) Jeans quilt. The circles are all cut and 190 of them have the 5" square traced onto them. I want to get the other 65 circles marked and the 255 5" squares selected. Completed

 


2) Finish tracing off the applique pieces for the tea shop quilt. Select fabric and get the applique ironed onto background fabric ready for our trip. Sort out embroidery threads to take with us. Completed apart from sorting out the threads. I have worked out a design for the quilt and will be able to work out what extra blocks I need to make, hopefully tomorrow and get them packed for our trip

3) continue working on Disappearing Hourglass Vanishing Hours quilt. I completed 30 blocks which I thought would be enough with sashing but have since decided to do a different arrangement without sashing so needed to make another 10 blocks. I have completed two and have the other hour glass blocks made. Still have to cut them up and remake them into the disappearing aspect

4) put together the quilt that is currently on my design wall. The Orphan Block Quilt - Orphan Annie is completed

5) Do that Photography class on Craftsy. I have rewatched parts of this class. I have found my disk for my camera and starting to make work of understanding it. Not got far but have started.

6)  So Make curtains as required for Fangirl's townhouse. Completed! She moved in Friday (well that was the first night she slept there. She had the keys from Wednesday) The curtains were all hanging by then although she then decided she needed another sheer curtain for a window that she had previously thought that she would just have a block out curtain on so we got that done Saturday. They really are very basic curtains but she is happy with them.

So with just one day left in the month I can say I have covered all my goals for September. Well the Craftsy class isn't complete but have worked on it a bit

Now to work out what I want to accomplish for October. How are your goals for the year coming along?

Updating September Quilty Goals

Since we are over half way through the month I thought that it would be good to check in on my goals for September

1) Jeans quilt. The circles are all cut and 190 of them have the 5" square traced onto them. I want to get the other 65 circles marked and the 255 5" squares selected. The circles are all cut and marked. the 5" squares selected. Now call this quilt Jean's Jeans Quilt.

 


2) Finish tracing off the applique pieces for the tea shop quilt. Select fabric and get the applique ironed onto background fabric ready for our trip. Sort out embroidery threads to take with us. All the applique squares are prepped. I am still hoping to get more of the backing fabric cut up for the finished quilt so I can make more blocks if I finish off what I have already made. I will take patterns, backing fabric and fabric with me.

3) continue working on Disappearing Hourglass Vanishing Hours quilt. All the blocks for the quilt are made (unless I decide to make another 10) I have only 2 more quilting days left before we leave and not sure I will get to spend much time there on these days. Working out if I am going to sash the blocks or not

4) put together the quilt that is currently on my design wall. This was my orphan block quilt. The top is finished. I am not going to give it away as a donation quilt as making it made it rather special and so want to give it to someone special. Would have loved to have gotten it quilted before I go on holidays but that is not to be. (this is photo of it unfinished)

5) Do that Photography class on Craftsy. No progress made on this. Sigh

6)  So Make curtains as required for Fangirl's townhouse. Have started to make these. Fortunately she has chosen blinds for several windows so it is only two sets of window that need curtains. I have one set made apart from the hems which I won't do till I can check them off on the actual windows. The other set are started. I have the gathering tape pinned along the tops of the curtains but have to sew them on.

So two thirds of the way through the month I have made good progress. I have completed 4 of the 6 goals - ie 1,2,3 and 4. One has been started - 6. Only one not done at all. I am wondering if I should just give up on that Craftsy class and move on.

What progress have you made this month?

Sunday Stash Report - Zippo

Its been another nil all draw here this week. Nothing in nothing out. I think this is going to be the case for the next 3 months as we will be travelling for 10 weeks and whilst I will keep busy (my sewing machine is coming with us) I doubt I will get anything finished. But since I might visit a few quilt shops whilst travelling I guess I could get a few purchases. I am going to have to make sure purchases stay well below 30m so I end the year in positive territory!

Used this week:                                0m

Added this week                               0m

Year to Date Used                      122.28m
Year to Date added                      90.82m
Net Used                                          31.46m

Linking up with Sunday Stash Report @Patchwork Times

I have been working on a couple of projects but none are completed. 

Vanishing Hours had all the blocks that I was planning on making done but now I am contemplating whether or not to add sashing between the blocks, which was my original plan in order to make the top big enough (it will have a series of borders as well) however now I am wondering if I should just make more blocks to extend it by a row in each direction (would need to make 10 blocks as currently have 32 blocks - its 5x6 blocks  plus two extras. 6x7 rows would need 42 blocks) I just can't decide. Currently its on my display board without borders and I do like to little hour glasses that have formed in each corner where the blocks meet.

Then I spread them out a bit and see what it would look like if it had sashing. Can't get the full affect cause my design board is not big enough but I could get an idea. Still not sure which I prefer though

Orphan Annie (my default name for my orphan block quilt) is at a standstill. The top is done. Now I have to make a backing. But am undecided there. Was thinking about giving it to a dear friend in which case I would use minky as she loves the feel of that but really think there is another quilt I have in mind for her so this is as yet unclaimed. So it can have a non minky backing. Just have to organise it

I have at last started working on the applique quilt that will feature all things tea shop, using the applique patterns I ordered from the UK. I got three separate patterns and they are designed to be miniature quilts and a tea cosy but I am making them up as a quilt. Not sure what I am going to do with it in the end but it is fun making it meanwhile. At the moment what I have been doing is the preparation for stitching ie tracking the patterns out on fusible webbing, choosing my fabric and fusing the shapes to the background. This is my hand project for whilst we are travelling. I am going to take the patterns with me and some scraps of fabric plus cut up pieces of the background so I can make myself more as we go along. I am not sure how many more I can get done before I leave and I don't want to run out of hand sewing whilst I am away.

I do need to get one finish before I leave. I have to make my postcard for the postcard swap that Sandi @ quiltcabanapatterns is running. I haven't started it yet. Its a bit tricky for me cause part of me wants to do something uniquely Australian but where I live in Australia we don't really get much difference in our seasons. And we are now in Spring anyway but I will think of something soon.

I will also get another big finish shortly before I leave. Curtains for Fangirl's new home. However since I didn't count the fabric in I can't really count the fabric out now can I. Can't get them finished though until I actually get them started so better get off the computer and get sewing!

Hope you have managed to get some sewing done this week and even a finish or two!

WIP Wednesday

 Applique Project
Its  just over 2 weeks now till we go away and I finally got started on prepping my applique project which is going to be my hand project for our 10 week trip. This is the first block started. Need to get the others done as well.

Vanishing Hours
At Patchwork today I got stuck into this project and got all the blocks completed apart from one which I had mislaid the part of one block. I thought I must have left it at home but eventually found it in my box of fabric for this project. I also found that I had made a mistake on 3 blocks so have some unpicking to do but hope to get them made tonight. I have 32 blocks which is 2 more than I need but thought I would put them on the back. Now though I am wondering if instead of doing sashing between the blocks if I will make another row each way. Still thinking about it. 

Orphan Block Quilt

I got this finished during the week. I had some troubles with the borders but eventually got them on okay. 

Its sideways but you get the idea!

Now I have to make a backing for it. I had hoped to get this finished before we went away but have run out of time now. My daughter, Fangirl has bought her own townhouse and will be moving in a week before we leave and I have agreed to make her some curtains. We are heading off to look at furniture and curtain fabric on Friday so I will be busy with that for a while as well as 

So its been quite a busy week for me, especially given I was away from my machine for a few days and had a very busy time. How has your week been?

Linking up with 

 and 

WIP Wednesday on Thursday

I can tell you now that at the moment there is no working going on. Fixit Guy and I are camping at a place where we have to rely on solar power so not enough power to run my sewing machine so I didn't bring it. For some reason he thinks that the fridge and the lights are a priority for the power we generate! The hide of the man! There is also no mobile phone (cell phone) reception so I can’t connect to the net out here either. A time for hand sewing – yeah only I didn't leave myself enough time to prepare any to bring with me. Arghh. We shall see how stir crazy I go over the next few days. (so far so good)

My current WIPs are

Vanishing Hours (Disappearing Hour Glass)

No progress from last week. All the blocks have been cut up and 8 have been put back together. I am loving the way the pattern is working out. My blocks aren’t all uniform but I will be able to fudge them and make them work I hope. Have been wondering about whether I will sash the blocks or not. Will get them put together and then put them up on my design wall and think about it some more. Because I am camping I won’t get to sew them this week at patchwork but I might break my self imposed rule and work on them  a bit at home.

Jean’s Jeans. (Denim jeans quilt)

No more progress from last week. All the circles are made and marked, the 5” squares are selected. All ready to sew. I will make sure I pack a denim needle to help my little machine cope with the fabric. I still have more jeans I could cut up. I nearly put them in to bring with me as my hand project. I could have drawn the circles cut and marked them but since I am not convinced I want to make a second one thought that I would leave it till I was sure. This is the method I am using. Its the Blue Jean Quilt by Penny Halgren 

Orphan Block Quilt (need to come up with a proper name for this one)

I have really enjoyed playing about with this quilt. The centre is together and I have been working on the borders. I made one that is checker board pattern from 4 patches. I haven’t attached it because I have decided that I will make a second border from flying geese units and sew the two borders together first. Then I will make one corner stone block for both quilts together. I am thinking of doing a pinwheel or a square in a square. Will see when I get there. I am still making the flying geese units.  Some of them I am making in pairs so that I will be able to put them together to make square in a square units. I am thinking of having 5 of these per side so have made 20 sets of pairs. Still need to make the other 64 flying geese for the single units that will go in as flying geese. 

The 5 designs. Favouring the far right one or 2nd left one. Not keen on the 2nd right one

Sorry no photos yet of fling geese border cause its not made. LOL.

I was doodling border designs in church and have come up with 5 different ones and will choose the one that I want to use when I go to put them together. I have ruled out one but like the other 4… maybe I will do a different one on each side. That would work.

Spring Organising Challenge.

Yeah – this hasn't really happened although I did clean out the freezer and the cupboard in the laundry on Saturday. It was good to get them both done. As a result of having every thing out of the freezer I decided to cook up a few of the things that had been there a while. I made Spinach and Feta rolls to use up some filo pastry and frozen spinach. They worked out quite well even though the feta cheese was just ordinary grated cheese. I also made up a quiche to use up more of the pastry and some ham. That worked well too. We had a lunch at church on Sunday and I took both with me as our contribution (spread the love and the danger… no one got sick so they were all okay obviously) It was good I had done the cheese substitution as one of the women who stayed for lunch can’t eat feta but can eat ordinary cheese.

Linking up with 

  

Sunday Stash Report - Zippo

Another week with no finishes and no purchases so its all things staying the same.

Used this week:                                0m

Added this week                               0m

Year to Date Used                      122.28m
Year to Date added                      76.39m
Net Used                                        45.89m

I have been working on 3 projects this week. The denim jeans quilt which I have almost definitely decided to call Jean's Jeans Quilt is ready to take away with me. All the circles are cut out with the square drawn in them. The 5" squares to go in them are selected and sitting with the circles. I need to buy thread and machine needles to take with me to work on them. I think I will buy a slightly larger box to carry them with me as they don't fit in the one work box. Or I can put them in two boxes I guess.

Vanishing Hours - Disappearing Hour Glass Quilt. 8 blocks made. 22 cut up and ready to sew together.

Orphan Block Quilt. This is the one with the most progress made since my WIP Wednesday report. I am working away on the border for this. I have made one border from 4 patches - a checker board border I call it. All 1.5" finished squares. I am now working on a flying geese border which is 2"x4" finished. Some of the units I will leave as flying geese and others I will pair up to make squares on point. The border will have 26 units per side and I am putting 5 of the square units on each side. At the moment though I am still making flying geese. I've made about 40 of the 108 I need to make. I would love to sit up late tonight and sew a heap more but need to get a few more jobs done before I go to bed. Have a walking appointment at 6AM tomorrow.

Tomorrow Fixit Guy and I are going camping for a few days. That is the plan. Its started raining today although really its just a bit of drizzle. We will see how the weather looks tomorrow. No great rush to get away and we can play it by ear. The place we are going doesn't have powered sites so there will be no machine sewing. I haven't got my applique project set up so can't start on it which is frustrating. I will have to hunt about and see if I can find some hand stitching to take with me or I just might go stir crazy

Today was Fathers' Day here in Australia. As it turned out none of our kids were home. The 3 boys all live away from home in Melbourne and Brisbane. And Fangirl was in Brisbane for a Comi Con Convention getting her geek on. She took Boyo with her as his birthday present and by the photos and FB status up dates they had a ball together. She flew in this afternoon and so we spent some time this evening together. We had a church meeting on at 5 and it was followed by soup to share. She came home afterwards and we watched Dr Who together on her iPad since we were too late to watch it on tv and the website was playing up and we couldn't watch it via the website but could watch it on the Ap. 3 of us watching it on her iPad. It was cosy!!

I changed my profile picture on Facebook to one of my dad with my daughter. Over the course of the day Fangirl, Massage Man, and Boyo all changed their profile pictures to one of them with their dad. 

Fangirl with her Grandpa

Fixit Guy with his 3 sons 2012

Fangirl with her biggest fan 2012

Boyo and Fixit Guy ready for his school formal

I gave Fixit Guy a fitbit for father's day. So now we both have one. Mine is playing up though... I've lost the step counter off my iphone. I have re synced it. I have uninstalled it and then reinstalled it but the steps still aren't coming up. Not sure what the problem is. I have gone to the edit function on the ap and tried to do it there but the step counter is not showing up at all. Tonight... technology is not my friend.

Linking up with Stash Report@ Patchwork Times

WIP Wednesday - progress on many fronts

I have been working on a few projects this week.

Vanishing Hours - Disappearing Hourglass quilt
Worked on this today at Patchwork. I got all the hour glass blocks sliced up and have 8 sewn together. It excited quite a bit of interest as I was working on it today and now the group are thinking of doing it as one of the blocks for our block of the month (If Lindy can work out how she wants it)

Blocks cut up and stacked carefully ready to be sewn

The pile of 8 finished blocks

For some reason this has come out upside down but it shows the 8 finished blocks laid out. I am thinking I will sash between them but still working on that idea

Jeans Quilt. (Thinking of calling this one Jean's Jeans cause Jean from patchwork gave me a bag of jeans that went into it)
All 255 circles are cut out and have the 5" square drawn inside them. I have selected 255 5" squares to go into the centre of the circles. I have another pile of jeans that are cut up ready for me to do another quilt with but haven't drawn the circles on them yet. Have a pile of pockets from the jeans. Deciding what I will do with them as well.

A box of circles!

255 plus 5" squares all taken from my stash of cut up scraps. It was so easy to go to this draw and sort out the squares I wanted. And yes... there are still heaps left. 

Orphan Blocks Quilt
I got all the orphan blocks I own out. Put them up on the design wall and have been working on a design. 

 Because they were different sizes I have been working on making the smaller blocks up to a uniform size. I have been working with some left over half square triangle units to make pinwheels, flying geese etc as fillers for the blocks. Also some checker board units, 4 patches etc. These have all been with quite small pieces so its been rather fiddly for me.

I already had the scrapy strip block and the square in a square block and one of the flying geese. I made the pin wheel and one of the flying geese a from some hst I made the 

Despite working all day yesterday I didn't get the 4 non uniform blocks up to size. It was fun but I have been falling in love with the blocks that I have made and not sure any more that this quilt will be a charity quilt. I might have to keep it to give to someone special.



I had so much fun making the multicoloured little pinwheels. Going to add some plain colours between them to they stand out more. Still working on the overall design for the quilt. The blocks are 12"



Decluttering Challenge


This is now over. It was an August challenge. I still have quite a few to go back and do but on the whole it worked to get me thinking about getting rid of stuff and reducing the clutter in my home. Now we are up to the Spring Organising Challenge which is 10 weeks of challenges for various rooms in the house. There are 3 weeks of getting organised and then the 10 areas.


 I haven't committed to this as we will be away from the beginning of October but I am thinking of printing out her lists and seeing what I can get done before we go.If you are interested in the challenge look here  on Jess's blog for more information and links to her other lists.

How are your WIPs going this week? Making progress?

Linking up with