Postage Stamps

A while ago I decided that my original piecing for Perkiomen Daydreams was not good enough to continue with for a large quilt: I sewed up completed blocks into a cot size.

I may try one of these in a different colour set in the future.

So, I needed work on my piecing accuracy. It's not bad generally, but with 1" finished pieces the 1/16" and 1/23" errors quickly add up.  I had cut lots of 1 1/2" strips from all the ugly fabric I came across, but was not using it. I spent several hours running strip sets through the machine this week and have cut and stitched the strip sets in batches.

The pieced strips are 105" long.  I have played with the assembly, four, eight, six and random patches so it doesn't look too uniform. 

I am keeping back two of each symmetrical four patch I make for future projects, as I would never cut this much variety for one or two quilts.

I am working on 25 patches now to use up part Perkiomen rejects.  

All of the uglies have gone in here! 

Just about had enough of this fix now, it will go away for a bit as I have two large tops to quilt. My accuracy has definitely improved in the last week working on this. 

3,465 of  11,025 1" finished squares in the completed strips so far, with partials done as well. Almost 1/3 done!

Linking for Move it forward Monday
and Oh Scrap!

Orphans, thimbles and uglies

This solid silver thimble is unblemished. It came into my possession from a house clearance. I was told it was worth £25 so paid it on the spot as it is a perfect fit.

The modern S, M, L, sizes don't fit me properly.  

As  a girl needs more than one thimble, I started looking on Ebay for antique thimbles in a 16 or 17 size. 

I bought two plain thimbles in sterling silver very cheaply. 

If I had cash to spare I could really get into collecting these, but of course only in the sizes that actually fitted!

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This small quilt is now finished for Linus, about 45" square

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I finished this flimsy that will go to a small local charity

 whilst watching Bonnie on archived Quiltcam

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I cut borders and binding for the next big quilt I will be working on

 I also chopped this UGLY (what was I thinking!) for binding and some mini broken dishes blocks (cut it small says Bonnie).

 This ugly will be used as a border on a charity quilt at some point.

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The trimmings from the binding were made into mini broken dishes blocks immediately in an effort to control the crumbs.

 I trimmed them to size guided by the neutrals cut with the easy angle. Looks like you can't cut that reindeer fabric small enough!

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I found two old spiderweb trials-I tried sewing to old sheeting but the result was too thick for a quilt, even if the look was good.

 I put a border on one, cut some heavy duty fabric for a back, and turned it into a cushion cover.

 Antique buttons on the back, and the raw edge of the fabric turned out for interest on the button flap.

 In this trial I didn't like the blocks completely random, The flimsy I made has sections in colour family, this has been a UFO for about 4 years!

I have been working on the rainbow hexie in the evenings. 

Linking for Scraptatsic Tuesday

Crumbs, no strings!

 All the crumbs are sewn, every last one.  I have a whole pile of two tone hexies to be trimmed, go into the Random Hexie quilt box- so glad I didn't throw out these half hexies from ends of rows when cutting.

All the part crumb/string strips have been sewn onto 

1 1/2" strips I pulled from the bin, to keep them tidy for the next round of using up scraps.

Whilst stock taking I found all these, many more than I thought I had-blue, random and black and white nine patches, and ugly green 16 patches!  

The black ones are for Morphine quilt. One set will be a churn dash.

I also found lots of 10 1/2" squares from my last attempt to use up the crumbs, when I gave up!

I am going to have a lot of crumb quilts.

Play date with VE1

I have been thinking about this photo of a vitreous enamel sample plate for a month, so today I played.

No planning, I dragged out a few blues and I was off, making it up as I went along.

All the yellows were pre-cut so I went with the sizes I had for the yellow blocks.


I'm not really a wall hanging kind of girl. I do need to experiment more and there is no point in leaving things in a plastic bin, so this will be my first wall hanging.  There are plenty of plain walls to hang it on as I don't have pictures up either!

#1  Log cabin construction

The colours are a bit bleached in this photo.  Simple log cabin construction to be enhanced with machine quilting after I have sketched from this book.....

#2  Strings

The blue string bin was out,  so that one was next.  I have to force myself to deviate from the original brief and get creative, it's not a easy process for ma at all. I'll just have to practice (;@]


I needed to use up some old blue curtaining........

#3  Curtains and rectangles

#4  Big squares

 Next........................

#5  Reflection

And finally.......the light blue centre picks up the reflected skylight in the original photo.  I'm not sure about the borders, they were just what I had leftover.

I could go on for a week on this theme, planning and sewing more samplers!  I'm happy I have had a creative splurge and now I can get on with unfinished projects, having started yet another one!

Blue footed booby

Regular readers may have noticed I'm a committed sewer/crafter  with an interest in everything.  

This causes difficulties  when you are also blessed with an enquiring mind and the practical attention span of a blue footed booby. 

 

 Earlier on the year I listed over 30 ideas and WIPs and UFOs (yes, I am making a distinction there it makes the whole mountain of things easier to comprehend!!)  The total is now at 'around' 35, with not one item finished this year.

I have used 'development as a quilter' as an excuse to 'just try this'' most of the year. I have done that twice in the space of 10 days!!!   

I started a little bit of crochet  for the tactile quilts and 'tried' out the tile  log cabin technique this week. 

I have seriously defaulted on my commitment to finish the had quilted wedding quilt.  That's really bad news.

So. Deep breath.  I will not begin another project this year.  

No wait.  That's not enough.  

With so many begun, I can faff about for the next three years and not finish anything.  'Completion' has always been an issue for me and I can never work out whats at the root of that.  

Regardless, I need to master it!

NEW YEARS RESOLUTIONS

1. I will buy no quilting fabric for one calendar year.  IGNORE THE SALES!!!  THERE WILL ALWAYS BE BARGAINS!!  (Notice I have left an opt-out here, with regard to charity shops!)
2. I will work on on one machine project, one leaders and enders project (bow ties) and one hand pieced project at a time unit they are finished and gifted or in use. 
3. The first hand sewn project will be the wedding quilt.
4. The machine project is moth in the window.

5. I will complete a tactile quilt by February 13th as I have bagged a Linus fund raising day at work for 14th (UK Valentines day).
6. A colleague at work encouraged me to commit to three finishes by the end of March.  That's my first target. On my birthday I will re-asses.
7. I'm going to add to the list: I will not buy any books for one year, charity shops or otherwise!

Just has a skype call with my son in the far east and I told him if he catches me buying fabric this year I'll give him £50  .His response?  I'm quids in then!  I thought you were supposed to support addicts, not tell them they will fail!

Assembly lines

This weeks sewing: stitching the rainbow hexie strips together.  I have enough yellow cut for two more strips......

..........more cut and ready to sew up.

.There are also some new purchases to cut hexies and diamonds from before they go in the cupboard.  I always do this. 

I haven't touched the diamonds for a while, probably over 500 already sewn up...........

.

with hundreds more to do!

This is a TV job-scraps to trim for 1/2" finished diamonds: I do this pile before it gets too big as it's not my favorite job.  These are the scraps from the 'orange and blue' project.

 I will be using this little book to source sampler blocks for 'orange and blue' this weekend. 

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!

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..........



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!