Wednesday WIP

So the Scrappy Sampler Quilt is still a work in progress.   I am still working on piecing together all the random  sized blocks with mainly low volume fabrics thus making larger blocks, which means they are easier to piece together.  No Y seams this way. I think that makes sense.   I am still not sure that I  like what I am creating here.  I think I am so used to sewing to a pattern, where I may add a border, or use different colours, to make it mine.  Improv sewing  is really a lot harder than I realised. A couple of blog friends, suggested adding some solids,to break up the busyness of all the different fabrics and patterns,  so I used some ash coloured shot cotton strips, randomly in some blocks, they seem to add a bit of  cohesion to this mess.

I am still aiming to get the top finished by the end of January, or else I think it will end up in the too hard box and never get done.

Linking up to WIP Wednesday at Freshly Pieced.

Wednesday WIP

A Christmas ornament for my sister,  from"The Twelve Days of Christmas" collection from mmmcrafts. I have the odd days, she has the even days.  This will be a French Hen!!  The embroidery is done, now I just need to wash away the stabiliser and sew it  all together.

Linking up with WIP Wednesday at Freshly Pieced.

Wednesday WIP

There is nothing subtle and ladylike about this Liberty Quilt.    I think I like it - definitely not what I originally had in mind when I started working on  this quilt. Perhaps it is leaning towards the more Bohemian artists and style associated with the Bloomsbury group.

The other day while wandering  in Spotlight, I fell in love with a beautiful shot cotton.  I decided it would work perfectly for the corners on my Bloomsbury Quilt.  After a lot of playing with contrasting and co-ordinating solids, I have been very brave and gone for a grape colour which picks out the purple/grape in the shot cotton.

So far only the centre panels have been sewn together, I am now trying to decide whether to hand or machine sew the Dresdens on and what colour centres - patterned or plain to give them.  Also debating whether to keep it at the original size which is about 60" square or add some borders so it makes a really big quilt for my bed.  That would mean I may have to buy some more Liberty.  Damn!

Linking up to WIP Wednesday at Freshly Pieced.

Wednesday WIP

Resistance was futile, I gave in and had to make a Dresden Circle for my Bloomsbury Quilt to see what they would look like. I love it and am wanting to make the rest up straight away. However all the other pieces have been stitched and are packed away ready for turning into blades on my  sewing day in Matangi on Sunday. This is the smaller one for the centre of the quilt.

Linking up to WIP Wednesday at Freshly Pieced

Wednesday WIP

Now that all the outstanding WIPs have been finished or nearly finished, (only two Christmas placemats left to finish hand sewing the binding down), I can start working on my Mum's birthday present.  Last time Mum visited I showed her the Rainbow Clutch from the book Handmade Style, and offered to make one for her birthday.  Mum wanted it a little more neutral than rainbow however, so from my stash, she picked this Ann Kelle X fabric. and some co-ordinating black Essex linen and a light and dark grey shot cotton.  For the lining, I decided to use this pretty floral to give it a more whimsical feminine touch.  (This is the last time you will see it now until your birthday Mum.)

The patterns have been traced, now I just need to work out what fabric will go where, cut out the pieces and start sewing.

Linking up to WIP Wednesday at Freshly Pieced.

Wednesday WIP

After much dithering over how to quilt this, I had a brainwave and used the template which I used to fussy cut  fabric for the envelope flaps  as the pattern for my quilting.  I never pick an easy option though, so there is much wrestling and stuffing of fabric through the small throat space on my machine, to make this design.  (It always starts rolled up for manoeuvrability - but never stays that way).  

I had plans to get the quilting finished today, but was called into work instead, so I am working on completing a few sections each night, with the aim of having the binding attached ready to sew down by hand at my next sewing day.

Linking up with WIP Wednesday at Freshly Pieced.

Wednesday WIP

Finally I have found the backing fabric for my SWAK envelope quilt, thanks to a good special at Spotlight.  It is a linen weight cotton, from the upholstery section of all places, printed with french text and postmarks, reminiscent of vintage postcards - just perfect for an envelope themed quilt. I went with the natural colour way.

The backing has been made, and includes  a row of envelopes that weren't used in the quilt top, and has been spray basted  to the batting (then I ran out of spray glue) so the top is pin basted. I am itching to start quilting it,  but am just waiting for inspiration to strike as to how.   I am wondering about hand quilting it -  I was thinking of perhaps stitching circles in the areas where four corners meet, echoing the postmarks from the backing. If it gets machine quilted it will probably be my favourite method of late - cross hatch. Of course once the decision has been made as to how it will be quilted, the indecision starts as to what colour thread to use. Other ideas are most welcome, just remember I can only do straight stitch quilting with my machine.

Linking up to at WIP Wednesday at Freshly Pieced.

Wednesday WIP

I have to admit there hasn't been a lot of sewing coming out of my sewing room lately.  However I have had a couple of days where I have not been rostered to work, and because it is wet and windy outside, today seemed like the perfect time to clean up my sewing room and use up a few scraps from my never decreasing scrap baskets. The result - some more blocks for my scrappy sampler quilt, and a sewing room that looks just as messy as when I started. The little triangle sugar loaf blocks are probably my favourite from today's effort. and the pattern is available here.  Now I am wondering just how many blocks I need, how big I want this quilt to end up and whether I start making lots of low volume filler blocks and strips  and start trying to piece it altogether.

Linking up to WIP Wednesday at Freshly Pieced.

Wednesday WIP

In a couple of weeks time, I have another sewing day with my friends, and also a few days away during the school  holidays.  I have decided I need a hand sewing project to work on while I am away.  So after spending a fair bit of time googling different EPP projects, I decided to make this pillow, using these free templates.

I selected my fabrics ( I have since added another couple to this original pull) and started preparing the templates, and then came to  to a halt.  I couldn't work out what colour the diamonds and the  half octagons block edging should be.

After playing round with some different backgrounds, I have pretty much decided that the diamonds will be grey, which picks up on the grey in the centre octagon, and also makes the colours pop a little more. (Then I start second guessing myself and wondering if I should use a combination of all three ....) I am thinking the edging pieces will be the shot berry fabric in the middle of the fabric pull photo.

So now there is just lots of template cutting, and basting to be done, ready to have an away from home sewing project.

A question about needles -  I like to hand stitch with quite a fine needle, however they all seem to have very small eyes and I struggle trying to thread them, especially at night.  Can anyone recommend to me a brand of fine needles, that aren't too short with a large eye, so that I may see more easily what I am trying to thread.

Linking up to WIP Wednesday at Freshly Pieced.

Wednesday WIP

Way back in February,  I made three paper pieced arrows for the sake of sewing something. I had know idea what I was going to use them in.  The other day when I was cleaning up my sewing room, I came across them again, and put them to one side.

Last night, when I should have been asleep, but the brain was too active, I had a brainwave.  I am going to attempt to make a scrappy sampler, or very ambitiously maybe a medallion type quilt. Those days when I feel the need to sew something, I can sit down at my machine and make one or two little blocks, or a simple row of flying geese or simple squares to add to the collection.  Today I made this star using the July Star Block tutorial from Cluck Cluck Sew.

This will be a slow long term project, but will give me the chance to try new blocks and techniques without committing to a full sized quilt.  So now I am busy perusing my quilting books, and bookmarking blocks that I have wanted to try, so when I have my next 'gotta sew something' moment, I have some projects lined up.

Linking up to WIP Wednesday at Freshly Pieced.

Wednesday WIP

With the cold wintery wet weather we have been having over the past couple of days, I could think of nothing better to do than tuck myself away from children watching movies inside, and head out to my sewing room.

I contemplated starting a new project, but truth be told I couldn't think of anything I really wanted to make, so I pulled out those SWAK swap envelopes that are on my finish-along list and started piecing them together.

It is quite amazing how each block differs, considering we were all using the same pattern,  All should be 7 " square blocks, some are marginally smaller,  Some are sewn together with tiny stitches (recommended for paper pieced objects) which makes ripping the paper off so easy, others are normal stitch length.  I do apologise to any of my fellow  SWAK block recipients, whose blocks I forgot to decrease the stitch size on.  Different types of paper have been used  as the foundation piece too, and this sometimes seems to effect how the block sits - firmer or with a wee bit of stretch, and some seem to have the fussy cut flap glued down before sewing.

Anyway, after a lot of deliberating about colour  and block placement, all 36 blocks have been sewn together, the foundation papers are slowly being ripped off, and I am well on my way to completing my first Q2 finish-along goal.

Linking up with WIP Wednesday at Freshly Pieced.

Wednesday WIP

After making the flower block over the weekend,I seem to have a developed a liking for making EPP hexies.  On Monday evening I pulled out some of my Anna Maria Horner 2.5" squares and started basting hexies.  Last night I managed to get three rows stitched together.  I am not sure what I will end up making with them, I do have a couple of ideas in mind, that may end up being gifts, so the finished objects may not be revealed for a little while. But in the meantime I am enjoying a little mindless handsewing and having a portable project.

Linking up to WIP Wednesday at Freshly Pieced.

Wednesday WIP

So I signed up for my first  Flickr swap of 2015 - The Great Pillow Fight.  Where as the name suggests we make pillows/cushions - whatever you like to call them.

Anyhoo my partner has a liking for colour - lots of it in rainbow or jewel tones, nothing pastel or insipid here.  I pulled out a few fabrics (lots actually and spread them all over my cutting table until I was happy with my choices) and arranged them into a colour wheel, wondering what I would make her.  Inspiration struck in the form of the Fractal Quilt Block by Patty Sloniger.  I have been wanting to make this for a while and now have the perfect excuse.  I also remembered seeing the perfect fabric for the backing in Spotlight, so that came home with me too.

So far I have completed five wedges and am liking how this is coming together. Fingers crossed my partner will too.

Linking up to WIP Wednesday at Freshly Pieced.

Wednesday WIP

Early last year inspired by this beautiful quilt, I started piecing blocks for my Jacob's Ladder Quilt. After completing the 16 x 12" blocks, I  put it away,  Why, I don't know.  I think perhaps I was to scared to assemble them properly, in case none of my seams or points met properly.  Last week I pulled this project out again,  I want to start some new projects, but have decided I need to finish some WIPs first.

This weekend just gone, after hours spent kneeling on the floor (I really need as design wall), I finally settled on a layout that both The Scout and I liked.  A couple of hours pinning, sewing and pressing over the last couple of days and voila, we have the beginnings of a quilt top.

I have added the first part of the border with the charcoal strip.  Now I  just have to decide whether to do a scrappy border ( which means cutting another 100 or so 2.5" squares) like the quilt that inspired me, or do I cheat and take the lazy option using the pale foggy grey and a partial scrappy border, pictured above, before adding the last charcoal strip.  Then maybe a scrappy binding using the Denyse Schmidt fabrics from her Florence range,  Decisions, decisions decisions.

Linking up to WIP Wednesday at Freshly Pieced.

Wednesday WIP

There has been a little sewing done in the past few days.

• the backing and quilting have finally been done on Mr J's shirt quilt, (I have only had the top completed and waiting since August 2014) the binding has been attached and just needs to be hand stitched down now. Normally, I don't mind hand stitching, only the quilt is quite heavy and it so hot here, that is it not a pleasant experience.  With a completion date required by the end January, I must get it done  (This is my main  2015 Finish-a-long - Q1 project)
• prepping a hand sewing project to take away - my first time doing English paper piecing, Apparently you can glue instead of basting the fabric to the templates - has anyone tried this, and would you recommend it?
• another paper piecing project - so much for a break from it - these ballet slippers will be turned into a pillow. Pattern from Tartankiwi. Working towards making handmade gifts for my nieces, this is also a Q1 finish-a-long project

Linking up to WIP Wednesday at Freshly Pieced and 2015 Finish Along - Q1 at On the Windy Side.