'Orange and Blue' flimsy, 15 minutes play fabric making

Finally, I got this put together. I laid out he pieces over a week ago and wasn't going to pick them up and 'file' them again. 

I love that 'orange', it's a great print and a really authentic colour.  This will finish at around 74 x 92". The 'made' fabric element will need some heavy quilting to stabilise it. Another one ready for layering. 

Linking up for WIP Wednesday at Freshly Pieced

So may bow ties!

Here is the first  batch of bow ties  waiting to have the seams spun, a TV job this weekend.

I like the odd mismatched ones the best, can't wait to see them in the quilt-there aren't many of them but they will add interest-here, orange bows, black knots. Sore fingers form all the smoothing!

I have kept the bow ties on the machine all week for spare moments-this is the second huge batch!  There are a lot left to do: I have had my fill of 'just sewing' this week, so the project will go back to the standard leaders and enders status for a bit when this batch is done.  Nice to have one of these projects ready to go when the 'just sew' bug catches you.

The next leaders and enders project will be Bonnie's Perkiomen Daydreams. This should keep me going for a bit. Years, in fact!

Later this weekend I'll be putting the sashings on 'orange and blue' which is still laid out in the spare room (link to previous post).  I'm going to set the blocks in the same way as the blue and red baby quilt, sashed with the orange highlight fabric.  I'll also be finishing the binding on the baby quilt-Baby Alexander has arrived!



 I don't know if I will get this done in time for a Christmas present, as there is so much else to take priority, but at least the top will be ready to go.

Linking up for the .maybushstudio brit-thursday-sewing-linky

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.

Morning Dreaming

Still sorting out the roomful of craftiness. 

Inspiration note: I was daydreaming in bed this morning about what to do with my green strips-this is the green/blue bin........ it's mostly greens now as the blues were used up for this project, 'Orange and Blue',still work in progress.  

Thistles. Like this.... courtesy of Bonnie Hunters 'TALKIN' TURKEY': green strips, purple spikes. 

What do you think?

                                                                                                              

Orange segments

I'm trying a different way: instead of cutting the block and sewing each strip separately, I've done it like this.....bad photos!

I just LOVE this orange fabric, I'm so pleased I found a use for it-it works really well as an accent.  It would be overwhelming as a main fabric, I think.

Seems to be easier, and quicker.  I'll press and trim the edges before the cross-members go in to get a flatter finish.

I need to plan the kind of sashings I want-at the moment I'm thinking at least three rows with cornerstones in orange. It may need five rows as the blocks are so strong. It seems to be moving fast-as I have almost run out of white, I need to stop for a few days until the next batch arrives in case it is slightly different, I want enough of the new 'white on white' distributed throughout the quilt so as not to make it look odd, and have it tie in with the sashings. With any luck it will be the same!

Starbucks update and 24/36, 25/36

They are in the news this evening, Starbucks has exploited a tax law that allows them to pay no UK tax for the last three years.  I sense a nationwide boycott! 

 This one is probably too wibbly to use, even though I was careful with the seams.  Using the made fabric on the edge of blocks causes problems!  Shame, as I like this one.

I have been browsing the patterns on quilters cache: they all have cutting instructions, which saves me brain ache.

Sewn Up: 19/36 to 23/36

These were deliberately simple blocks to show off hunks of the made blue fabric. I used wider orange segments for this batch, so I needed bigger blocks to stop everything looking too orange. I need to do some star designs and some pinwheels to balance out the look of the whole next.

Errr.  Spot the deliberate mistake? Not until I uploaded the photo!  Agh!  I'm going to leave it though. ~{;¬?

Kitting up

I have kitted up 5 more blocks for 'orange and blue'.

Now it's cooler in the evenings, I am pressing on with the hand quilted project I need to finish by Christmas as that's when the happy couple come back from traveling. I am not quilting this too heavily in the brown areas as I need to get it done. I am learning lessons already-the hearts mean lots of maneuvering of the quilt! And I didn't really need to quilt the blue squares as they are small, but now I have started.......!

I took it away last week to do in the evenings. 

I took 'pattern' photos, they are everywhere if you look.  Of course, quilters always provide the best inspiration.....

This was in a shop window. Mixed media by local children. 

 

Block pattern.....

 I liked the blocks above the windows....

Quilting pattern in the polished concrete floor at the Turner Contemporary (the exhibition was uninspiring!)

16/36 to 18/36

More orange and blue. I got the strip width right today!

Japanese inspired blocks.....

I am running out of white fabric, I have had to order some more from the 'buy a bolt' section at Lady Sew and Sew!

Off the rails and 11/36 to 15/36 of Orange and Blue

I went from a few evenings of crazy crumb piecing..............

 ................to  'orange and blue' It didn't go well!  This was OK, 11/36, simple shapes and measurements.  

 This was to use up the strips I cut the wrong size!!  But it came out all right, even though I still had to cut the centre twice.  Oh dear.  I should have left it there

This one was to use up those strips and showcase the 'made' fabric  It's a bit wibbly.

 I cut more strips, THEY WERE STILL THE WRONG SIZE!  Aghghgh!  I came up with this original design, which I'm calling OFF THE RAILS.  Its the theme of the day!

This one is another original, to show off the made fabric.  I quite like it: it needs developing as an idea, with yellow and dark blue. I'm going to call it 'Open the Door'.  It's using up triangles I cut the wrong size!

I didn't get to do the block I was aiming for with the strips!  Next time......

The best laid plans.....

... have morphed into mindless relaxation sewing, its working!

I started by inserting some strips into 'orange and blue' blocks.  I wasn't relaxing into it.



Next I picked up some strips from the crumb project, trimmed and sewed them up into 13" squares-better!

 I pieced the scraps from the crumb bin into strips for a couple of hours.

I have run out of separated chain pieced scraps, so now I'm stopping sewing, putting on a film and snipping for a while. After I have put the chicken soup on to simmer for tea. Numnum.

I had pieces left over from cutting 12-set hexies for 'project 29'-they have been sewn together to add movement to the strip piecing, with bigger pieces cut into spare hexagons and diamonds.  I just can't bear to throw it out!

I finished this one last night.  The bag is sorted out again after the dropping incident and stowed away for now.