WIP Wednesday

I've been working on several projects this week.

I've put the first border on Vanishing Hours. It didn't go on so well... two sides were ok but two sides didn't fit properly and initially I added an extra bit to make them fit because I didn't want to unpick them but today I knew that I had to take them off and go again so I did and after a good bit of easing and squeezing and carrying on I managed to get them on. Then I started on the hourglass border. That has also taken a good bit of "managing" to get that organised. By the end of my day at Patchwork I had the 4 sides stitched together but not attached to the quilt. Next week for that I hope. Then there will only be the piano key border to attach.

I've also worked on Tardis Tree. I've put the border on it. I need to get some batting before I can finish it up. I would like to buy a roll of batting but trying to get prices on them is proving difficult. I will go into our local shops and price it there this week and try again online and see how we go.

I've completed several small projects as well.  I have a sister named Joy and I had this country coloured square featuring the word Joy. I made it into a little banner which I'll send off to her. I used the method described by Katie from Katie's quilting corner to make it into a simple hanging picture.

I also worked on 2 blocks for our Patchwork clubs block of the month. When I went away on holidays the idea had been that all the blocks would be in blue and white I thought but whilst I was away the idea was revised and they changed the colours for each month. So the blue and white one here I knew was definitely wrong. However I had already prepped the fabric for it so I made it anyway.

I had previously made the block below in blue and white but I knew that one of the blocks had to be red white and black so I made this one again accordingly.

I took them up to Patchwork today and ... yeah... they were both wrong. I should have made the above one in white and pink and the blue and white one was supposed to be the red, black and white. Oops. Never mind. They will all get used in the quilts we will make for charity at some stage, even if they go into the backs.

So at some stage I have to make these two blocks again in the correct colours. Then I might volunteer to put some of the blocks that have come in into a quilt top.

I've started to make a zipper pouch as well using this YouTube video put up by Missouri Quilt Company. 

I haven't got far with mine... but I have started

Its been a productive week.

  

Thursday Thoughts of Friday

I love Christmas. I used to go all out with the decorations. I think it was when the children were younger and we weren't going to be going to join up with either sets of family, decorating the house was my way of covering up a hole in my heart due to our not being part of the bigger family celebrations going on in either Sydney with my family or in North Queensland with Fixit Guy's family.

I used to have the aim to have something Christmassy in every room of the house. This was before I quilted. I had festive toilet roll covers - a snowman and a Christmas girl for the toilets, Christmas hand towels for the bathroom itself. I had special Christmas crockery, plates, coffee mugs, glasses as well as  hand towels, tea towels, oven mitts, placemats and table runners. There were Christmas candles, wall decorations, ornaments, a nativity scene or two. When the kids were little I had Christmas toys that they could play with - soft toys and plastic nativity set. Then there are the trees. I used to have two trees, one down near the front door which I decorated with hand mad ornaments and the things the kids made at school, sunday school, guides etc. And the big one in the loungeroom laden down with the decorations collected over the years. Oh and the lights as well.

I still like to decorate and cook but not as much as I used to. Then my children told me that to them Christmas was our family in our home and that when we were at either sets of grandparents it wasn't quite the same. That made me relax a bit and enjoy us in our home. I was also over having to pack it all up again.

One of the first things to go was tinsel. Its hot at Christmas time in Australia. When we are decorating it always seems to be hot and sweaty... or maybe this is especially when we are taking things down. Tinsel would stick and shred and it is incredibly itchy stuff. I hate it. It looks good but I am not dealing with it anymore. So we are almost a totally tinsel free house.

I rationalised lots of decorations over the last few years getting rid of things I don't really like, things which had seen better days. The softies all got the toss a few years ago when it was only the cat interested in them anymore. I weeded out lots of the handmade stuff that had seen much better days. I got rid of one of the trees. I still seem to have a heap of stuff. 

This year I have gone through the linen. Lots of the hand towels are so thin... one wipe of the hands and they were wringing wet. They had also got very discoloured (why are so many tea towels white or cream back ground) Some of the pot mitts were greasy and discoloured too. So they have gone out. Time for some new stuff. Caught the post Christmas sale - got 2 thick towelling tea towels ( full price $6.50 each) and 2 embroidered waffle towels (full price $5) for $4.50!!! I was stunned.

Came home and looked up some Youtube videos and found this one put up by the Fat Quarter Shop

I made two this afternoon from the towelling tea towels. I didn't cut them in half as the bigger one will be more absorbent. I also used velcro instead of a button. Yes I was avoiding doing a button hole. I have done very few in  my life and none at all on my new machine... not sure if it does them. Probably but yes I am a chicken. The velcro works well.


   

I put the picture on Facebook when I finished and immediately had a few friends say I should make them to sell and they would buy them. So that was flattering (but I'm not going into making towels as a sideline) I did go back to the shop where I'd got my towels and bought some more and have made them up as gifts. Again I left the toweling ones long but the ones made from cotton I doubled over and pleated them along the fold and sewed them like that. I also stuck to just one fabric for the front and back of the top piece rather than having 2 different fabrics. I liked the uniform look better.