Q2 Finishes - A Summary

I've been having a great few months being a crafty soul - but that has meant I've got very slack at documenting what I do, especially blogging.  So I'm going to take a little short cut and summarise my Q2 Finish Along and link up with Adrianne at 'On the Windy Side'.  I know doing it this way will mean I'm not eligible for the prizes (that's fine by me) but it does mean I know unto myself that I have completed some goals.

So here goes my summary...
1.  My Double Wedding Ring Quilt in blues for our master bed - not finished, but I have the quilt top in one piece (yay!) and have all the necessary pieces procurred to continue and finish in the next quarter!

2.  Flats' Pluses - not touched!

3.  Hoo's in the Forest - also not touched!

4.  A jersey for myself - Yay!  Finished and has been enjoyed!
I used 8ply Skeinz Vintage in 'Carmine' and knitted a Customfit 'Ayana' by Amy Herzog.  I'm really pleased to have  jersey that fits me well.  The fit is not perfect (nor is the body under it) but I've learnt heaps and already have another one over half-way done.  I loved knitting with this wool and the colour is great, but it's been pilling like mad, so I can't help but be disappointed.

I tried to take a picture of myself in the jersey, but I'm struggling with the 'selfie' pic still, and having a blemish free mirror!  And it's mid-winter here so a jersey has to be warm rather than photogenic.


5. Curtains for our Entry Way - yay!  Finished these today and they look great!
I had been given a bag of brown curtain trimmings from a friend of my sister's and then mixed it with some matching red, and added a thermal lining, I've made them into warm, stylish curtains. 

I started making them before we had our entry way re-wallpapered, and sort of forgot about both having stripes!!  Oops!  As the room isn't big and the curtains are quite thick I'll probably taken them down between seasons too.

6.  Curtains for my Sewing Room - not done yet

7.  Ironing Caddy - Finished -yippee!
I used this pattern to make myself a caddy to carry my iron to patchwork group.

The fabric is from 'Button Tree Lane' by Anni Downs (Hatched and Patched).  I used proper thermaflec heat resistant fabric which I got through fishpond.co.nz, as well as insul-brite and two layers of cotton batting.  I quilted through all layers (except the therma-flec) using a stipple and then quilted all layers on the folding lines with my walking foot.

8. Ballet bags - done!
We have a young ballerina in our house and she needed a bag for her costume and another bag for her hair 'bits'. 

I used a fat quarter of this Kokka ballerina print and matched some yellow dottie with it for her costume bag.  This was easy!

But making a hair 'bits' bag was trickier.  I used a basic - open wide pouch  design - and mixed in some other bag techniques I had learnt to make the side pockets.  This linen-mix print for this is also from Kokka.

From the initial photo (below) I used both the left and centre fabrics.

9.  Applique Dove - done!!!  Yippee!!
Earlier in the year I went to my high school reunion and it has inspired me to have a go making a mini applique using the technique and base pattern from Sarah Fielke's 'Quilting From Little Things' book.

The finished result... except I used steam-a-seam and raw-edge applique.

(Excuse the poor Instagram photo!)

10.  Quilty Mugs - Also completed!!!
I made Lori Holt's cocoa cups from 'Quilty Fun' in assorted Pam Kitty Morning fabrics.  Love the finished effect!

11. Flowering Snowball - not even started....

So I completed six out of eleven.  Not too bad, but it will certainly give me plenty more to do over the next few months!  I'll be off now to link up to the Q2 Finish Along!

Must finish something...

I've been busy with my WIPs.

Firstly some progress has been made with my 'Honeysweet Swirls'.  It took two weeks of waiting for the contrast brown, Kona 'Cappucino', to arrive, but the wait was worth it!

I still have to play with the layout - then it is sew together time.  My 'Jaybird Quilts' rulers have been great for this project, having used both the Hex'n'more and the Sidekick.  I plan to put a border of the brown around, followed by a binding of either red or using the scrappy pieces I have left over.

I have also worked on the crosses quilt I started a year ago and and now just need to add the borders.  The fabric is 'Flats' by Angela Yosten. and the pattern is from Camille Roskelley's first book 'Simplify'.  Love the colour mix!!


I think I'll quilt this in straight lines, to keep it simple.  What do you think?

I'm also making 'All in the Family' from the same book.  The fabric is 'Florence' by Denise Schmidt and although the individual fabrics don't 'wow' me, I LOVE how they work together, especially with the white.

This is quite a small quilt - and because of the way the colours work as they are - I'm not going to put a border on it.  I will bind it with a red, but I'm still deciding what to do with the blue and orange circles that touch in the middle... would you unpick and move one??  An overall quilting design has still not been decided upon either - maybe swirls??

Lots achieved... but lots more to do. I'm loving how I have a 'Patchwork Plus' group to meet up with on Mondays.  It's so motivating!

I am linking up with Lee/Lindsey at 'Freshly Pieced' for 'WIP Wednesday'.  Then I'm off to see what others have been working on!

Another WIP

I have plenty of other things to do, but there are also many ideas brewing and all those lovely fabrics calling!

Here is my latest start, a jelly roll quilt using 'Honeysweet' by Fig Tree and Co.  I've adapted a variety of patterns to get this layout and it's looking great!

I have made most of the half hexies and just waiting to get some Kona Cappuccino for the contrast triangles before I start sewing it all into a quilt top.  It's going together very quickly.

I used my Jaybird Quilts' 'Hex N More' to cut out the triangles.

Linking up with 'WIP Wednesday' at 'Freshly Pieced'.  Thanks Lee!!

A Little Square Granny

My H had a meeting last night and K was in bed.  What does one do when they've got some quiet time,  but try a new patchwork design?  Yes - I have many, many other half finished projects to complete but I did feel like something different and new.  :-)

I had seen a number of these blocks on various sites, and found this awesome tutorial by 'Blue Elephant Stitches' on 'Moda Bake Shop' that uses a jelly roll. 

I wanted an extra colour on my granny square so needed to do the maths.  This block is the result of me checking that I'd done the calculations right.  The only thing I need to change is to make the top right and bottom left squares slightly longer - instead of 3" I'll go for 3.5".  This will enable me to cut a block to be 12" square - or more if I used a scant 1/4" seam rather than the slightly over 1/4" seam I was using.

The fabric is this block is 'Bake Sale' by Lori Holt, with Kona snow.  I have a jelly roll of 1930's reproduction fabric that would look lovely made up in this block - and if my maths is still correct I could cut out 24 blocks from it.

I think this block will turn into a mini wall hanging but may have a short-term role as a dolly quilt for my daughter K.

I'm linking up to 'WIP Wednesday' at 'Freshly Pieced' and then I'll do some browsing of other blogs!  :-)

A Work in Progress: Lots of Crosses

I should be doing dozens of other things but last weekend I started a new quilt - I felt like piecing and I had just finished three other quilts!

I'm using the pattern 'Dream Big' by Camille Roskelley from her book 'Simplify with Camille Roskelley'.  It is a quilt with crosses as I have noticed that they are particularly popular at the moment.

The fabric is 'Flats' by Angela Yosten and I have used a jelly roll.  I've got some of the reds for the border... but still need to do some thinking first.

It is going together really well.  I cut it all out and planned then sewed all the single rows in just over a day (less helping on the farm), with K helping me place out the pieces.  But my quarter inch seam allowance must be a fraction out as now that I am on to sewing the rows together the crosses were not lining up quite perfectly.

I have fixed that as I have gone to pinning from the left.  This enables me to leave the removal of pins to the very last moment - my quarter inch foot has a guide on the right side so the pins need to be out of the way by then.  I think I'll have to re-do the first few rows as I plan to quilt it with simple lines later.

My magnetic pin holder is twenty years old but fantastic.  I got it from Bernina when I purchased an overlocker.

I've pinned all the rows on to a piece of flannel and can therefore sneak a few rows in my schedule without worrying about them getting out of order.

Now trying to link up with 'WIP Wednesday' at 'Freshly Pieced'.