Number 27.

I have come up with a project for my scrap strings that involves a little more planning than the usual random  'grab it and sew it design' like Spiders Web, so this has to go on the list too. With all I have to do already I will forget about it if I don't document the thoughts here!  I was looking through my books yesterday and found this gem that I sourced from a charity shop for £1.50 a while ago.  I  think it's out of print in the UK but is available in the US from the authors website, link below.

I did a quick pencil sketch to lay out a landscape design using one simple block that you can see the detail of here on Margaret J Miller's website.  When I have done some colour sketches  I will post them.   I can't photograph the six boxes of strings I have to use (plus another big bag yet to be colour sorted) as they're in the spare room under a lot of 'stored' items!

25 and 26?

Every time I cut, I add something extra to the stash.  There are lots of 1.5" strips for a lego quilt, as here over at Lazy Gal Quilting-I love her colours.

These size strips will also go to make a quilt from Judy Martins  Log Cabin quilt book.  I haven't decided which one yet-you can see images of quilters work on her viewer pages.

                                                       So, I suppose I need to include these in my 'to do' list as the strips are begin cut 'with intent'. Oh dear. In the effort to get organised I'm getting overwhelmed!

The smallest room, the smallest crumbs

I made this curtain from the teeniest crumbs in 2006. It's rather stiff as its pieced onto muslin and there are so many seams in each 4" square but that doesn't matter as its there to look at not be moved across the window!  This is my favourite kind of piecing, random and not accurate on purpose, totally relaxing to do.

Twenty four!

This one was tucked away so far I had forgotten it completely. I still haven't found it, only the picture!   It was made from pre-cut squares that weren't accurate, about 7 years ago-lesson learnt, don't trust anyone elses cutting!  It will probably be a quilt back for one of my own machine stitched quilts as the piecing isn't something I'd inflict on anyone else and there is a lot of bulk at the seams.  I do like the way the colours move, so I will use it soon. Ish!

Todays Total: 23 UFOs

I remembered another one, a half completed door curtain for the front door I had forgotten!

picture to follow!

Sunday blues

See, I'm motivated!!  I'd like to stay at home and do this until its  finished tomorrow, but I'd better get to work, quilting is an expensive hobby!

oh, and I forgot

• my 'trilobite evolution' idea for a quilt-ideas from earlier here....

• MY OWN quilt thats going to be called Event Horizon

Thats 22 now..........



OK, I'm getting on with it!

The two huge piles ready for cutting: 2" squares in cream, 3 7/8" triangles, blue and green squares and some cut blocks for the bins 

Some progress..................but......oh no!

More strings and crumbs!

Small and not so perfectly formed-they will be when cut down to 1\2" diamonds!

It's Sunday,a ridiculous (for me) 6am. A new day, a new blade. 







UFOs-so what am I doing WRITING about them!!! (I make it 20)

My "TO DO" list with a dictionary for the uninitiated

Flimsy~pieced quit top ready for layering
UFO~un-finished object
orphan block-leftovers from other projects

• two double English paper pieced hexie flimsies, made from recycled scraps: waiting for layering and quilting for 10 years!

• random hexie

• rainbow hexie

• Darwin's flower garden hexie for son and daughter in law

• two Judy Martin patterns that are cut and part pieced-this one I will leave till last as its frustrating me!

• two quilts to be layered and machine quilted for gifts I should have done weeks ago! This has to be high on the list! Sneak preview only ...

• a spiderweb curtain flimsy that needs borders and  lining for my work area

• a spider web quilt flimsy that needs borders and quilting to go with the curtain
• a set of Bonnie Hunter blocks that need to be assembled for quilting 

• the hand sewing project that I can probably make three quilts from the cut blocks with, as I got carried away with cutting the uglies up

• the half finished cutting session I started as I needed more variety of creams for the above!  First on the list I think, then I can clear away
• the 9 patch blue leaders and enders project that I'm cutting extra 2" squares for with the creams above

• a pile of mending!
• 1/2"diamond English paper piecing-this is LAST on the list!

• baby's block paper piecing

• and looking through the blog pictures to re-post, I realised there are two more-first, a set of pieced crumb blocks that will be a very heavy quilt or a curtain as they have been pieced on to muslin
• and these

Oh good grief.  It's worse than I thought, but not worse than some, I know from reading other blogs!

OK, cutting today, then clear away.   I can not possibly justify the hour or so it would take me to find the things I don't have pictures of and upload them, but I will do it as time allows and I come across the bags!

Then of course there's:

• all the cut strips and blocks to use up

• all the strings to use up

• all the crumbs to use

• the cathedral window quilt to plan and cut

• the orphan blocks to find a home for

ok, bye!

Oh, and another thing.  Someone said yesterday they never knew where they were with me.   Very perceptive, as I clearly don't know where I'm at myself!

Pottering........

The sewing machine has barely been out since Christmas. My zone out time has been taken up with reading, I'm into a 1300 page novel , London by Edward Rutherfurd. I have developed an unexpected liking for well researched historical novels based on fact, triggered by Hilary Mantel's Wolf Hall.  Can't wait for the sequel to be out in paperback for that.

Sewing has been limited to around three thousand hexies in papers-this box is for the Rainbow Hexie, with another for the Random Hexie.  Its surprising how many get done if I leave it next to my chair and pick it up whenever the TV is on. Luckily for project development, I can't just 'sit' and watch TV, I have to be doing something! 

I had a few days off work last week and took a box out with me on a couple of trips to the seaside.  Sea air, sound of the waves, picnic, lovely!

The camera came to Newhaven, I got texture and pattern ideas for quilting. Promising ones to be filed for future reference-nice plaits here; ropey texture there, for borders.

And one for quilt inspiration, love the shape distortion!