Roundup without curves

I have been working on hexies for the last month. Piccies later. 

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I gave up on Perkiomen Daydreams as I wasn't happy with my accuracy on earlier blocks. I have pieced the finished  blocks into a cot sized flimsy, as cot sized people are no the quilt police! I will quilt this when I need a baby quilt in a hurry. 

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I have started another postage stamp quilt, from the 1 1/2"  bin. I am not using this size, so I sewed some strip sets together and will sub-cut a few at a time- blocks of colour when I need a quick fix. Teenny bits help me with my accuracy. 

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I have done a few of these flying geese strips, from 2" scraps in sets 1-8, again, to work on my accuracy. They will probably make a scrappy border for something. 

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These two charity quilts are pinned and ready for quilting, all orphan blocks. I have several filmsies of the moth blocks in this size, I am practicing with the fancy stitches on my Bernina before I quilt the king size version! 

This one is part quilted. 

Much more to do to shape the moths.

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A charity quilt finish today, about 1m square.

This one was frugal:

• Backing was a new gifted polycotton duvet cover
• Many shirts were harmed in the making of the blocks
• All the thread was gifted polyester from my dressmaker mum's stash
• The stripy border was a charity shop cotton duvet cover
• The white border is recycled cotton sheeting
• The scrappy binding is made from off-cuts from previous quilt backings 

=happy!

Decision made

OK, so, after yesterdays post...............

.............and the decision not to go down the multi-colour background/design wall route, I have decided on two variations of wonky crosses as leader-ender type projects.  

As I have been sewing up my strings into  10 1/2 " strips, I guess another 150 done..............

............I have sewn a few crosses with recycled cotton sheeting background and blue striped shirt background.  I have several of these shirts. The blue one is for me:  I have named them 'Spirit Level 1' and Spirit Level 2'.  

I am not religious, I liked the idea that they needed a spirit level to be straighter!  The seams are coming out at nearer 1/8" on these teeny strings, so the quilts will have to be finely quilted to keep them stable.

Muffins for muffin tops.

Sometimes a girl has to do it for herself.  

I am a well known baker for others in return for favors done.  Most of the cake I make I give away, like this 7000 calorie chocchocchoc orange yummyness.  (The last one I made was a leaving present for someone at work, she DID choose to share it out and not take it home.  There was a possibility she would have been lynched in the car park if she hadn't!)

.

I have had a hankering for a lemon and poppy seed muffin for a week, but as I'm gluten free, I can't just buy one!

So Sunday breakfast, I made a gluten free batch, just for me!  

Don't know what happened to those missing two, must have been the oven fairies.....

I need to freeze them as soon as they are cool to stop the cat eating the rest........

Back to a more destructive note, I bought three more shirts yesterday for the stash and de-seamed them at mums....

.........and a white cotton sheet for only £1, all soft from use, but not worn out: that will make a lovely back for a quilt for my son, who has sore skin and eczema-he loves soft sheets and well worn tee shirts for comfort.

I must be a 'real' quilter now

No shirt shopping today, my son came over with Archie and we went for a rainy, muddy walk in the woods.  Archie loved it and so did we.  This is him after he went out in the garden a few weeks ago and rolled in foxy mess, straight in the bath before he gets anywhere near anything.  Now he looks like a proper dog not a puppy, you can't tell what his ancestry is.  The ears and short legs are his daschound father, everything else is from his Labrador x Staffordshire terrier mum.  He has the Staffy madness and is happy with EVERYTHING and everybody. 

I cut up all the shirts this evening, saving every bit including the collars for the strip bins. All that's left are the seams and bits with iron on interfacing, but look at the waste.  I really can't use any of this, except maybe for a rag rug-agh!!-stop it!! It's going in the compost bin!  I'm going to iron before bed so it will be all tidy in the morning.

After around 15 hours of hand quilting in the last 10 days, not much really, I have developed my first quilters callus!  I am SO proud!

Two Towns Tuesday

 Horsham

Dorking

It's about 10 years since I charity shopped for shirts for quilting-the last time was for the blue borders on the recycled hexagon quilt.  They were about 50p each then. You can see them top left here.......

Even in a recession, some shops were offering 'designer' second hand shirts for fifteen pounds!   I set my limit at five pounds but that had to be for a pattern I really wanted and it had to be an extra large shirt!  I looked at dresses as well: many of them were gored, making the usable solid pieces rather narrow.

I'm not sure if this will be a sampler quilt with each block different, or something more regular. More collecting to do yet,  this is one of next years projects. A potter round some boot sales is in order, if it ever stops raining this summer long enough for one to go ahead!

I'm hoping to have a self styled 'retreat' at home on Friday to do some string piecing.  I have the urge.

I've been bad. Again. Project Number 30...........

It was only a bit of charity shop browsing in Tunbrige Wells. Honest. I got an idea from looking at the mens shirts. So, I guess this will be project number 30!  I will ask the guys at work to donate too, but they seemed reluctant last time.   Only one of them brings me the shirt off his back when they are worn out, but he doesn't tell his wife!

When I'm eyeing up a man, it's only because I want to cut up his shirt!

Joy of joys, I found a gluten free sandwich shop for lunch!  I had a smoked salmon sandwich and a berry/ice smoothie.  Unexpected bliss.  Even the double shot late I had  in the morning to keep me going was good, no bitterness and plenty of froth.

And some bargain books too. I am not a hoarder, I am a collector-when I have read a book it gets Bookcrossed (;~?