Green from spinning

MORE pinwheels

See this 80 litre bin? About 5 years ago I had a cutting frenzy and ended up with thousands of hst's finishing at 3" that I have barely used.

There seemed to be more green  than anything else, hence the green/brown pinwheels.

I am zoning out on green, I needed a change of colour for a bit. 

I kitted up hundreds of box kite sets whilst watching TV and barely made an impact on the bin!

These make up fast, finishing at 9" I haven't  made  a block this big for ages, seems enormous!  I tried two to see which way the light/dark triangles should go. Sixteen  triangles used in one block, ideal. I have tried to pick out a lot of the uglies, so this will be a darker, more masculine looking project, definitely NO acid brights.

Blocks look better with light on the outside. The centres probably won't be and exact match with the outside triangles as the scrap bin contains cuts of 3 1/2" squares cut at least 2 years later (I didn't start the scrap users system at the same time as I cut the triangles). 

The danger is I will spent too long finding the 'perfect' centre square match for each block!

I have also kitted up for the 1 1/2" finished  goose components  to go with the green pinwheels. 

There will be a  flying goose border too- the quilt will be about 100" square, thats a lot of geese. They will probably end up being a leader-ender project when it comes to the border. A serendipitous find last week on line in  the sale: there really will be geese in the crops!

I  found these scrappy strips sets left over from 'Dancing Sisters'- no point in leaving them languishing, I cut them down to goose components, 2" X 3 1/2". Sorting them into identical sets of four was a pain, but at leas the fabric is being used up now. The  crumb bin is refilling!

Sorting through the stash, I need to cut more green/brown goose components, I have mostly pulled fabric with a directional element in for these.

Time for bed I think

~(;@?

Linking for Building Blocks Tuesday
and
WIP WEDNESDAY 

Discoveries and Excess

A couple of months ago I finished the top (no borders yet!) for 'The Big Green One'. It took ages as I was never in love with the colours and kept putting it aside.  It will look OK with a red border, I have decided. 

 Leftovers: lots of triangles.  Lots. So I am making up some pinwheels and for x four patches, using my seam guide on this machine for the first time. Accuracy much better!

. I still need to mindlessly sew to de-stress, so this fits the bill for now. Pinwheels will finish at 6". 

I have a design in my head-for this I need geese. I have to work on the accuracy, this practice strip with randoms from the stash bin is 1/4" plus longer on one side, so it must be about my piecing.   I will try some more today to get it right.

Liking these colours. 

I have done a few Perkiomen Daydreams leader-ender blocks-hoping the seam guide improves my accuracy here to. 

I found a random bin that I had stuffed things into-these were another attempt to use up all my strings-scrappy meandering braids.

 Yards and yards!

I found a pattern on pinterest that I can use them for

Genius!

 

 

But- no!  I found some more strings too, just when I thought I had cracked it and used every last one up!!

I also rediscovered these blocks- they only need laying out and putting together-a job for the next wet weekend.

One of Bonnie's patterns-she had been keeping me company on Quiltcam archive.

Could I possibly.....

.........get a quilt done as a Christmas present, with all the other sewing commitments that I have promised?   I have been tidying up.  I found these blocks, that I was going to add to to make a bigger quilt.  The project had been temporarily shelved as non-urgent.   There are enough here for a double bed topper once the sashings are on.   This is the trial layout.  I can already see things I'm going to move! I have four favourite blocks, all of which I would like to use in a quilt on their own. The blocks will finish at 12 inches.

If I didn't use 'made' fabric in these just strips from the bins, they would  be quite quick to do.

Another four projects. Agh!

Last night I had a bit of a practice  for the baby quilt, then got frustrated and actually started it.  In the end I came up with a design I've called Lollipop trees.  I am not at all happy with my quilting, but this is my first complete quilt that I will have free motioned all over, so I mustn't expect too much of myself.  The first few were not good, I wanted to unpick them but didn't! I will finish these this evening. 

The border will be the adapted Wormholes pattern I used on the pink charity quilt border.

Then I have four things to sew sashings on!

I have one orphan block, and lots of the 'made' blue fabric left, enough to make another 'orange and blue', I think.

Oh! Shedloads of ideas for free motion quilting

Have a look at Flicr (or the net) for Zentangle.    If you search 'groups' there are some that have step by step instructions for building your patterns.

I have tried this myself but lack the imagination and the will to practice with a pen, stitching interests me more!

And of course, there is Leah Day, the queen of invention!

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!

Booksnobbery

This weeks read was the Sugar Camp Quilt, which I read via Bookcrossing.   I have realised I'm rather snobbish about my reading having studied it at university level~these books are well enough written, sometimes a girl needs a gentle easy read with a bit of history, quilting and romance for good measure!  It did me the world of good in a very stressful week.  



On to this, that I was sent by the author in a RABCK (random act of Bookcrossing kindness).  I will be sending it to the International Sweepstake winner in Canada when I'm done, so its back home to Continental America for this book.

Next,  The true history of the Kelly Gang, for a swap with another Bookcrosser.

Sewing is still Kiss in the Corner, I am approaching the second corner!!  One long side, one short side done by the weekend!  I think my technique is improving slightly, though its a good job there is a 'busy' backing.  Moo!


I have been watching shows from thequiltshow.com whilst I sew.




A few brown hexies over the last week or so at lunchtimes and at a picnic.......

Remember these from past posts?

Vitreous enamel sample plates from work as design inspiration.  I asked if we had a manual of defects (not that we EVER make aything like that!) and we did.........

Dry old reading for most people, I know, but it's an atlas of quilting inspiration for me!

I'll be doing some design work on this at the weekend.