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 

Dedicated space.

Yipppppeeee!  I now have a dedicated sewing room, though in true quilter fashion, its too small, even though it's the biggest bedroom in the house!  In the reorganisation, I found lots of orphan blocks that I have sewn up for Linus, just to get them out of the way.   Now I'm webbing a double, that was ready to go, Dancing Sisters Choice. 

Sisters Choice blocks, this will be a gift.

 

Orphan red moth in a window blocks, with orphan four patch centre strip-all of this was either assembled or pre-cut. Easy!  I just had to cut an outer border.

 

 

Mauve moth blocks, with pre-sewn mini moth centre, border was all that needed cutting.

 There are another three moth Linus quilt tops assembled, in various colours.

Four orphan spiderweb blocks: I tried out the seagull background fabric and it didn't pop enough. I like the juxtaposition of the seagulls with their distant dinosaur relatives on the inner border. Outer blue border was leftover from another project.

Orphan twisted nine patch blocks, Linus size!

I now have seven tops ready to be quilted for Linus. 

I have a few of these done, about 40 of 400 or so, for Perkiomen daydreams. I am really trying to do this as a Leader-Ender project.

So far, so good...

A few quick pics, I want to keep up the momentum!

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!

I feel another WIP coming on.......

This is Bonnie's current quiltcam project, a baby quilt.

Whilst I was tidying up I found this old leaders and enders project that took over as 'a not too much concentration' sewing afternoon about a year ago and hasn't seen the light of day since as I had no object in mind.

You know where this is going don't you!

I have two baby quilts to make..........I don't know the sex of the babies yet, but by sashing the blue blocks with a bright pink I think they will do for either.

I'm going to sew up the blocks this weekend and wait for a coupe of weeks to find out about the babies and then choose the sashing.

I have hundreds more 2" blocks cut, so I can make a pink one if I find the parents would prefer that without too much trouble. 

A little wobble, I wouldn't say I fell off the wagon!

I went for a constitutional stroll to my local shops: there is a wool/sewing shop there run by a lady well over retirement age.  They have just started running patchwork classes and there were a few bolts of cloth, so I bought a metre of pink and half a metre of yellow very cheaply with the cottons I had gone for.

That means so far this year my total fabric purchases are 2 1/2 metres. I am VERY proud of myself!  I still look in the online stores at sale times , put things in baskets, then don't buy.  I think I may be cured!

I need to buy quite a lot of machine quilting thread for the Threadplay ribbon design I have decided to do on this quilt, as yet un-named.  You can see from the blocks picture how busy it is: I think  strong ribbons of colour will be the only thing that will tie it all together.   I will buy the polycore thread from Empress Mills-I have used their pure cotton machine thread for a while.  The polycore is £12.50 for 7500m!

Acquisitions

A new charity shop has opened with an 'antique' theme.  Some lovely dresses from the 70s, wish they fitted me!  

They had a 50p rummage bin in an old suitcase-even the display items are themed-and I found this to cut shiny red centres for my Isle of Man log cabin, which is mixed fabrics and ugly greens.

This will be perfect.

A couple of weeks ago I went into another new charity shop and found neutral cotton curtains and bedding, I bought the equivalent of 20 metres of fabric for only £15.  Some for log cabin strips and lots for good quality backing.

Love a bargain! 

 All washed and ready to go.

As of today, I have still only bought 1 metre of 'new' fabric this year.  I am doing very well, considering the enormity of my habit!

Sewing this week has been hand quilting 'kiss in the corner', I have actually reached an edge of this double now.  Probably have the same amount still to quilt as I have already done but that psychological barrier had been crossed! Yay!  I really bit off more than I could comfortably chew for a first hand quilting attempt, a double with lots of different shapes means a lot of hoop wrestling on my lap.  Now I know why so much of the traditional hand quilting was simple lines and patterns.

The next one I will do is a hand pieced hexie top in baptist fan pattern, to stabilise the hand sewn hexie joins.  Only one sewing direction too and wool wadding, so it should be easier. It will be done on the quilting frame a friend made me for Christmas.

This weeks Kindle read is

Really enjoying this.

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!

A little exercise to clear the cobwebs....

...in two respects!


I have been feeling distinctly under the weather for the last couple of days, haven't been to work.  Yesterday I slept ALL day. And I slept late this morning until 10am.  Not like me at all.  I could have stayed there longer but my back was aching from all the laying around!  I had the fidgets this evening, no doubt from feeling thoroughly rested so I started moving a few things into my sons room while he is away to decorate....I'm going to email him this picture!  The double bed is buried, all the floor space is taken up with fabric in storage, wool in storage, UFOs, two huge rolls of wadding, FOUR giant bags of polystyrene beads to make bean bags (I've had those over 5 years), boxes of strings and more. I'm not sure this will fit in the little bedroom!  Good job I got my son to put his fishing gear in the loft before he went.

I will be taking up the old carpet and maybe prepping the paintwork this weekend.  I have hoovered away the cobwebs already.

I will have to work round this unit, there is nowhere to move it to..............

..........it has my browns and larger pieces/backing in.  I can never resist good quality fabric at silly prices for backing!   I almost weakened today and bought 8 metres of Makower strawberry fabric for backing, but I stopped myself!  Whew!

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!