Six sided stock take

I have been assessing the three hexie projects on the go- Random Hexie, Darwin's Flower Garden (DFG), and Rainbow Hexie.

The tins are six-sets for 'flowers' to be made up, though I won't do these unless I need them to finish DFG, I only have to 'square' the edges on this now.

If I don't need these six-sets for DFG they can be broken down for the other projects.

There are fresh cuts of six-sets plus extras  for the random and rainbow hexies in the plastic bin.

These are all the flowers I have already sew up-many more than I need to complete the 'Darwin's Flower Garden". 

I have taken out the really ugly ones and duplicates to drop into the Random hexie. where their beauty will be enhanced!

I feel there is another project to add to the list to use these 'good' DFG flowers up.  

NUMBER 28!!

Here goes: a more traditional setting, each 'flower' with a 12 piece surround, but in leaf fabrics....the surrounds will be the same fabric for each centre, mock-up in random greens shown......

Note to self:  YOU WILL NOT START THIS in 2012! 

Inching along

Time to put the strips together to see how much more I need to do for the rainbow hexie.  The shapes are just under an inch per side- at a guess to make a 6ft  square double bed topper it needs to be just over twice as big as this across the widest part.  I have a few more strip sets to sew up, then it will go away for a while until I have stitched in more papers.

Darwin's Flower Garden

I realised I haven't posted a picture of this-I'm working on 'squaring the corners' at  the moment. red section. It is far bigger than I anticipated as I started cutting the hexies than came up with the design. Pond and decking in the middle, each set of paths is a different stone design

So many ideas, so little time

I had another idea for a quilt. The book man at work left this  with the stack.  As I am a closet Star Wars Geek, I very nearly bought it.  Now I wish I had, the blocky nature of the lego figures would have made a good 'people' quilt.  If any one makes a quilt after reading this, please send me a picture, as I doubt I will ever make it.  My boys are in their 30's!

Rainbows after dark

I have been working on the rainbow hexie in the evenings this week. I found it goes together quicker if I sew the colour strips then join the strips.  There are less ends with the potential to unravel, at least.  I'm going to try doing the Random Hexie this way too.

Last weekend was spent clearing away the mess: I have finished cutting-the strips, squares and triangles, all stashed away.  I had to rearrange the spare room to get to the various boxes I needed!

I got rid of some uglies-these are what I call ugly. Pinky girlie eeews.  I am generally happy when I buy a mystery bundle form one of my favourite Internet shops, Lady Sew and Sew. Not this time, so I chopped it up for strings and fillers. Still not small enough for me!

I  have space for the sewing machine projects now.  I will be layering a quilt this week (can't post about it yet, its a gift and they will see!)

London

I finally finished this book, it took around 2 months-1300 pages though!  The plot follows the lives of several families through time from pre-Roman London to the present, linking the families, politics and the geographical development of the city to real events.  It was fascinating finding out why areas of London were named and developed as they did.  The book is broken into manageable bites of around 70 pages and has a full list of characters in the front. If you like well written historical novels, give this a go.

Number 27.

I have come up with a project for my scrap strings that involves a little more planning than the usual random  'grab it and sew it design' like Spiders Web, so this has to go on the list too. With all I have to do already I will forget about it if I don't document the thoughts here!  I was looking through my books yesterday and found this gem that I sourced from a charity shop for £1.50 a while ago.  I  think it's out of print in the UK but is available in the US from the authors website, link below.

I did a quick pencil sketch to lay out a landscape design using one simple block that you can see the detail of here on Margaret J Miller's website.  When I have done some colour sketches  I will post them.   I can't photograph the six boxes of strings I have to use (plus another big bag yet to be colour sorted) as they're in the spare room under a lot of 'stored' items!

25 and 26?

Every time I cut, I add something extra to the stash.  There are lots of 1.5" strips for a lego quilt, as here over at Lazy Gal Quilting-I love her colours.

These size strips will also go to make a quilt from Judy Martins  Log Cabin quilt book.  I haven't decided which one yet-you can see images of quilters work on her viewer pages.

                                                       So, I suppose I need to include these in my 'to do' list as the strips are begin cut 'with intent'. Oh dear. In the effort to get organised I'm getting overwhelmed!

The smallest room, the smallest crumbs

I made this curtain from the teeniest crumbs in 2006. It's rather stiff as its pieced onto muslin and there are so many seams in each 4" square but that doesn't matter as its there to look at not be moved across the window!  This is my favourite kind of piecing, random and not accurate on purpose, totally relaxing to do.

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!

Todays Total: 23 UFOs

I remembered another one, a half completed door curtain for the front door I had forgotten!

picture to follow!

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..........



OK, I'm getting on with it!

The two huge piles ready for cutting: 2" squares in cream, 3 7/8" triangles, blue and green squares and some cut blocks for the bins 

Some progress..................but......oh no!

More strings and crumbs!

Small and not so perfectly formed-they will be when cut down to 1\2" diamonds!

It's Sunday,a ridiculous (for me) 6am. A new day, a new blade. 







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!

Pottering........

The sewing machine has barely been out since Christmas. My zone out time has been taken up with reading, I'm into a 1300 page novel , London by Edward Rutherfurd. I have developed an unexpected liking for well researched historical novels based on fact, triggered by Hilary Mantel's Wolf Hall.  Can't wait for the sequel to be out in paperback for that.

Sewing has been limited to around three thousand hexies in papers-this box is for the Rainbow Hexie, with another for the Random Hexie.  Its surprising how many get done if I leave it next to my chair and pick it up whenever the TV is on. Luckily for project development, I can't just 'sit' and watch TV, I have to be doing something! 

I had a few days off work last week and took a box out with me on a couple of trips to the seaside.  Sea air, sound of the waves, picnic, lovely!

The camera came to Newhaven, I got texture and pattern ideas for quilting. Promising ones to be filed for future reference-nice plaits here; ropey texture there, for borders.

And one for quilt inspiration, love the shape distortion!