Not Quite a Plan
Having cut strips for my STAW (Scrappy Trip Around the World) I was up enthusiastically this morning - sewing, pressing, cutting, and ...
Well, the idea of the STAW is that you can see the stripes, Bonnie Hunter explains it really well here, and this is why it uses six different fabrics per block, and is a good general stash buster.
*HOWEVER* my plan was to use Christmassy fabrics - they are (in my stash at least) generally red or white/cream, so I had the really good idea (?) of alternating them
Yes, if you look hard, you can see the stripes, but what you actually see first is the red / white checker board effect
So I'm adapting the plan, and making my blocks slightly smaller (5x5 instead of 6x6) and adding sashing
Four down, 16 to go!
Slightly higher in the counting stakes is the yellow hexi top: about 650 down, and who knows how many to go!
Still it has grown over the holidays :-)
Well, the idea of the STAW is that you can see the stripes, Bonnie Hunter explains it really well here, and this is why it uses six different fabrics per block, and is a good general stash buster.
*HOWEVER* my plan was to use Christmassy fabrics - they are (in my stash at least) generally red or white/cream, so I had the really good idea (?) of alternating them
Yes, if you look hard, you can see the stripes, but what you actually see first is the red / white checker board effect
So I'm adapting the plan, and making my blocks slightly smaller (5x5 instead of 6x6) and adding sashing
Slightly higher in the counting stakes is the yellow hexi top: about 650 down, and who knows how many to go!
Still it has grown over the holidays :-)
Farewell to Festivities
The Christmas tree and decorations have been put away, the last of the loose chocolates have been eaten, the last of the wrapped chocolates have been put away to go to the homeless: sadly Christmas is over and in a few days I'm back at work, (and back to the gym!!!)
The Christmassy crafts have been put way for the next 11 months but I thought I'd show you my advances:
The 3D Christmas tree has snowflakes added
And the front door has been completed on the crossstitch - It *might* even get finished next year or the year after!
I found anther Christmassy project though - one which has been ignored in the sewing room for the last few years. Back in 2010 I wanted to make a scrappy Christmas tree, and I envisaged something with far more shades of green than I had. The lovely ladies from BQL (British Quilt List Yahoo group) kindly sent me loads and loads of scraps of greens, and I made this tree with them (currently plonked on the starry background, but will be appliqued on, eventually). The blocks are scrappy log cabin blocks, and the candles were based on my granddad's tree when I was a child - he actually clipped white candles onto the tree and lit them
It sat on a shelf for the following three Christmases with no work being done on it, so I've now put it away with the decorations so next year I will be reminded at the beginning of December
The Christmassy crafts have been put way for the next 11 months but I thought I'd show you my advances:
The 3D Christmas tree has snowflakes added
And the front door has been completed on the crossstitch - It *might* even get finished next year or the year after!
I found anther Christmassy project though - one which has been ignored in the sewing room for the last few years. Back in 2010 I wanted to make a scrappy Christmas tree, and I envisaged something with far more shades of green than I had. The lovely ladies from BQL (British Quilt List Yahoo group) kindly sent me loads and loads of scraps of greens, and I made this tree with them (currently plonked on the starry background, but will be appliqued on, eventually). The blocks are scrappy log cabin blocks, and the candles were based on my granddad's tree when I was a child - he actually clipped white candles onto the tree and lit them
It sat on a shelf for the following three Christmases with no work being done on it, so I've now put it away with the decorations so next year I will be reminded at the beginning of December
Long Long List
So I decided to update my UFO / PHD / FIT list, and it is embarrassingly long - and there are also a few bags and scarves on my to-do list too!
So, 25 quilty things started to some degree or other . . .
UFO List
Selvedge Edge
Irish Chains
Lone Star
Christmas STAW
Jen's Strings
Boy Racers
Rainbow Hexi
Rainbow Hexies
Yellow Hexies
Rainbow Stars
Christmas Tree by Candle light
Green Summer Tunic Top
Turquoise Patchwork Trousers
Australian Blue and Cream, see Nicky's Fractured Quilt
French Linen (need more fabric)
Sorbet Squares
Japanese Swapped Charms
Woven Five-A-Day
Australian Charms - Hexies Stars. (Need more fabric)
Woven Denim (pieced, needs quilting)
Postage stamp Snowballs
Strings and Triangles
Strings and Triangles
Calendar Quilt
Lisa's Curtains
Hexi I-Spy stars
Itching to Start
Tea Towel Table Cloth
Summer olives
10" Strings
Tesssellated Sizzix Stars
What should I do first?
(I have a confession to make: Tessellated Sizzix Stars wasn't on the UFO list, but once I started cutting it was SO easy I just had to carry on!)
Sizzix Excitement
I may have mentioned I received a reasonable grant from the Bishop to run Crafty Church, and really it doesn't cost anything to run, so I introduced Kids Crafty Church - and if you've ever done crafts with kids you'll know they can get through resources at quite a rate.
So I've decided to invest in some Sizzix dies as these will go on long after the money has run out, and paper and card I can get hold of cheaply.
Well look what arrived in the post . . .assorted goodies
including snowflakes
3D trees
Build a flower dies
and make a gift bag die (this is tiny, but I think the kids will enjoy making them)
Here is a bag with my ring inside to give you an idea of the scale
And out of the kindness of my heart I will look ater these dies :-) After all, they will need my die cutter to be able to use them!
So I've decided to invest in some Sizzix dies as these will go on long after the money has run out, and paper and card I can get hold of cheaply.
Well look what arrived in the post . . .assorted goodies
including snowflakes
3D trees
Build a flower dies
and make a gift bag die (this is tiny, but I think the kids will enjoy making them)
And out of the kindness of my heart I will look ater these dies :-) After all, they will need my die cutter to be able to use them!
Decisions Decisions
Decisions Decisions - and what I learnt
So having cut my tessellating star blocks, I convinced myself I kind of had to stitch them together, and I pretty soon learnt something that hadn't been obvious from the other sizzix dies I have. With this die, fabric cut face down is not the same shape as fabric cut face up:
The two different types of stars won't actually tessellate!
So: from the fabric I have I can make two smallish tessellated quilts like this: they would each be about 32"x48", but I could pad them out with some cream border
Or I can make a bigger top using all the blocks (it will come up about 48"x64" - an Ikea fleece is 51x67 so a good fit) but it cant be a full tessellating design
I could use this arrangement (lampshades)
Or this one (cream lava lamp with red zigzag)
Or it's twin, red lava lamp with white zigzag
Or double zigzag
Or double lava lamp
Or, the last one I can think of, alternating:
Not that I have any problems with decision making since I hit menopause, but please tell me which one you prefer!
The Christmas holidays are now over, and I'm back to school tomorrow, so my sewing time will be cut and I'll be back to blogging every few days or when I've had a chance to sew
So having cut my tessellating star blocks, I convinced myself I kind of had to stitch them together, and I pretty soon learnt something that hadn't been obvious from the other sizzix dies I have. With this die, fabric cut face down is not the same shape as fabric cut face up:
So: from the fabric I have I can make two smallish tessellated quilts like this: they would each be about 32"x48", but I could pad them out with some cream border
Or I can make a bigger top using all the blocks (it will come up about 48"x64" - an Ikea fleece is 51x67 so a good fit) but it cant be a full tessellating design
I could use this arrangement (lampshades)
Or this one (cream lava lamp with red zigzag)
Or it's twin, red lava lamp with white zigzag
Or double zigzag
Or double lava lamp
Or, the last one I can think of, alternating:
Not that I have any problems with decision making since I hit menopause, but please tell me which one you prefer!
The Christmas holidays are now over, and I'm back to school tomorrow, so my sewing time will be cut and I'll be back to blogging every few days or when I've had a chance to sew
Selvedge Surprise
I hadn't expected to post anything on my blog today, but that was before the post arrived!
My order from Thread-Bear arrived - lots and lots of yummy Eternal Dots so I can carry on with my Irish Chain
And far more exciting . . .
Back in September, fellow blogger, and all round lovely lady, Fiona was making a quilt that needed scrappy triangles, and I just happened to have loads so I packaged them up (I did send them to you, didn't I Fiona?) and felt good that I'd got rid of some stuff I would never use
Well Fiona saw my Selvedge Edge post and offered my some scraps that she didn't have a need for. And look what else my postie brought me today
A big 'baggie' full of selvedge strips, and a doubly useful calendar diary too, thank you, thank you, THANK YOU Fiona, this is great xxx
My order from Thread-Bear arrived - lots and lots of yummy Eternal Dots so I can carry on with my Irish Chain
And far more exciting . . .
Back in September, fellow blogger, and all round lovely lady, Fiona was making a quilt that needed scrappy triangles, and I just happened to have loads so I packaged them up (I did send them to you, didn't I Fiona?) and felt good that I'd got rid of some stuff I would never use
Well Fiona saw my Selvedge Edge post and offered my some scraps that she didn't have a need for. And look what else my postie brought me today
A big 'baggie' full of selvedge strips, and a doubly useful calendar diary too, thank you, thank you, THANK YOU Fiona, this is great xxx
Bucket Blogging
Husband brought me home a present: I had explained what I was after and he'd listened (!) and come up trumps
I can hear you asking whether a bucket really has a place on a patchwork blog - and that is a reasonable question, but I can assure you the answer is yes (well I think it is anyway) but you'll have to wait until I've finished to see why
I can hear you asking whether a bucket really has a place on a patchwork blog - and that is a reasonable question, but I can assure you the answer is yes (well I think it is anyway) but you'll have to wait until I've finished to see why
Essentially Irish
Now that I have my delivery of essential dots I have done some more work on the Irish Chain top.
I have changed the design slightly as I felt that this looked too much like a nine patch alternating with an X block
So instead I have reduced the number of X blocks and added some / blocks (there are probably technical names, but I don't know them)
Anyway the design is now like this
and here are the first 59 blocks - exactly half way on making blocks
I have changed the design slightly as I felt that this looked too much like a nine patch alternating with an X block
So instead I have reduced the number of X blocks and added some / blocks (there are probably technical names, but I don't know them)
Anyway the design is now like this
and here are the first 59 blocks - exactly half way on making blocks
Bucket Blog
The reason for the bucket was not anything to do with the local flooding
But was to do with the assorted parts of this hexi top I'm sewing downstairs in front of the TV
There is the top itself, the spare flowers for the bottom row, the papers, the tacked hexies, the tacking thread, the stitching thread, the thimble, my glasses, the scissors, the fabric ready to be tacked ...
You get the picture - loads of stuff, which lived in lots of bags.
Well now it all lives in a bucket!
A covered bucket, with pockets inside
and out
It works really well ...
Except when the cat tried to make friends with the bucket (hopefully this video will work)
(Yes Avril, maybe I should have a lid!)
But was to do with the assorted parts of this hexi top I'm sewing downstairs in front of the TV
There is the top itself, the spare flowers for the bottom row, the papers, the tacked hexies, the tacking thread, the stitching thread, the thimble, my glasses, the scissors, the fabric ready to be tacked ...
You get the picture - loads of stuff, which lived in lots of bags.
Well now it all lives in a bucket!
A covered bucket, with pockets inside
and out
It works really well ...
Except when the cat tried to make friends with the bucket (hopefully this video will work)
(Yes Avril, maybe I should have a lid!)
Essential Irish Extras
I decided to work on some more Essential Irish blocks!
Now I've done 71 out of 108, and I'm off to join the Richmond & Kew Quilters for our monthly meeting
Dear Jane - Done
No, the Dear Jane isn't mine, not in a million years!!!
A member of Richmond and Kew Quilters started a Dear Jane, making a lot of blocks and preparing a lot more, but sadly died before she finished it. The whole lot was donated to R&KQ and people have worked hard on the blocks and the assembly - making a raffle quilt
Doesn't it look amazing!
Ash Wednesday
The Church's Ash Wednesday isn't until 5th March, but today was mine.
Niki and her boyfriend Harry are going to a fancy dress party on Friday, and are going as Ash and Misty from the Pokemon cartoons.
Misty is quite easy: Niki already has denim shorts and yellow tshirt, and bought red converse and red braces - sorted
Ash is a bit harder,
So they bought a blue shirt, and I set to it with scissors, sewing machine and white and yellow fabrics - hopeHarry Ash likes it!
Now I'm off to school - I've got a new sewing 'club' starting there one evening a week - it's been advertised through a number of schools - I hope some others turn up and I'm not the only one there!!!!
Niki and her boyfriend Harry are going to a fancy dress party on Friday, and are going as Ash and Misty from the Pokemon cartoons.
Misty is quite easy: Niki already has denim shorts and yellow tshirt, and bought red converse and red braces - sorted
Ash is a bit harder,
So they bought a blue shirt, and I set to it with scissors, sewing machine and white and yellow fabrics - hope
Now I'm off to school - I've got a new sewing 'club' starting there one evening a week - it's been advertised through a number of schools - I hope some others turn up and I'm not the only one there!!!!
