Holiday to do list

With a few more days left these holidays, it seems I have accomplished all I wanted to do over this period, according to my to do list.

The last project to receive attention... the jelly roll sampler...

And total progress so far.  The quilt layout is 25 blocks laid out 5x5 so I'm roughly half way.  These blocks are so addictive...

Will you not get bored?

I spent the weekend away with 9 other members of my local quilt guild, sewing, eating and chatting.  I had no major goals for the weekend, and took along some basket pieces and modern cross blocks to keep my busy.  Lets just say I did plenty of eating and chatting!

This basket is called "Picnic Basket" and the colours seemed very appropriate to me - bright and sunny.  I also completed the Sewing and Cherry baskets while away.  Lots of little pieces to keep me entertained.

The modern crosses are growing... it's been a while since I committed to a quilt with more than 9 blocks... if I ever do get to 60 it will seem like a huge accomplishment.  I wonder whether I will have any followers by the time I finish it?  I love making each block and putting them up with their whanau (Maori for family), but even I can see how this could become a little boring.  Maybe I should do a monthly update on this to keep things moving along a little bit?

And the basket/sampler blocks so far... the setting triangles are just placed there for effect at present, I need to cut more to get a bit of variety - but I just wanted to see what it would look like!  I need to get instant gratification when I can :0)

Since the final layout will be 5 x 5, I have got more than one whole row completed!  Woohoo!  Don't you find it interesting how the setting triangles/sashing help to make the busy background pieces recede and the jelly roll/basket colours come forward?  I am really glad I didn't choose cream for the background!

Maybe it's time to do some more applique to keep things interesting... what would you like to see??

Lots of time - Little Progress

It's been a funny old time in the "All the Good Ones" household.  Firstly, we have had road works outside our house over the past week - much to the disgust of the dog (who has barked at each of those cars and trucks creeping along at 30km instead of whizzing past at 100km) and as we already live with quite loud road noise, the extra noise from the new layer of chip seal has made life rather unsettled.  On top of that, Dylan has once again been home sick (although he is now back to his normal self) - and our weather has turned into that headache inducing windy yet muggy that Northland seems so good at.  This month is crazy season at work... let's just say life has been rather busy.

Now enough whining, more sewing.  I have been doing some... although not as much as I would have liked :0)

I've started putting together a few more baskets... playing more with contrast and colour placement, until I hit upon the perfect combination.  I couldn't help myself, I just wanted to give all these ones a try.

And adding the setting strips and triangles for the background sections on the sampler blocks that have already been finished.  It will be a basic alternate block layout... every other block will be a basket set on point with the setting triangles.  The remaining blocks are set straight, and are either 8 or 12" - with the necessary sashing to fatten them up to the desired 14" finished size.  Happy so far!

This is the newest addition to the sampler series:

And I couldn't resist this fabric from Spotlight, even though it was $24.99/m

In other news, I have made another couple of modern cross blocks... still love this block and it's a nice leader and ender.  Not too complicated, although I do need to look at the placements and scratch my head before turning the pieces right the way around before sewing them together!  I was a bit disappointed that the instructions for this block avoided any mention of pressing instructions... it doesn't matter which way you press for most of the seams, as they don't match or intersect; but you really want to make sure that the third log is pressed in the opposite direction to the fourth log, as these ones will meet up when you add the four sections together.  It's really tempting to just press all the seams outwards, as this is the natural way they want to fall.

Just Swooning Along

You do know what these little orange tags on the floor mean, don't you?

Yip, I don't need them any more to identify which block goes where.

After pondering placements: do I like the green blocks in the corners with the two navy blocks in opposing corners?

Or do I like it better with the green blocks in a slightly more random placement?  Is it just me or does that big navy star just look huge?

  OK, I'll look at it from the other side... bugger, that way catches a beam of light right in the middle. But you know, the navy is not so imposing.  That's good!  There was no chance of sewing any more blocks!

And so we have, drum roll please, a finished quilt top!

And just because the white on white prints just showed up so well with the quilt hanging over the window like this, a photo to show just a few of these prints.  You know how hard it is to get these guys to show up in photos, don't you?

I've been pulling possible contenders for the backing... nothing doing yet. 

But in breaking news, I have just finished piecing together the inaugural basket block - following the tweaks mentioned last post... much better.

I bought some fancy triangle rulers, and just to prove that they seem to work really well, just look at the piecing!  No pinning or starching took place in the creation of this block.  Now, not every seam is absolutely perfect - but heck, it's pretty good!

Linking up with Lyn at What a Hoot.

Where did all that time go?

It seems like only yesterday that I did my last post... but according to the date on it, it was in fact AGES ago.  So what have I been up to?

Well, apart from the grumpy and then sick kids... I've been tired and rather unenthusiastic in the crafting department.  I know... it happens to the best of us.  Last weekend I finally sucked it up and finished putting together the backing for the Hometown Wagon Wheel quilt.  I very much likey likey:

I bought some bamboo batting for the first time, and decided that this would be the great hand quilting experiment...relatively simple large stitches outlining the shapes.

First block down... only eight more to go.  I ended up with some shifting, which is most probably due to my interesting and probably quite incorrect technique.  This shows up quite well on the back:

Also on the sewing radar is The Jelly Roll Sampler.  The plan includes some basket blocks which have a background fabric.  With the setting I have chosen, I needed to decide whether the block background was going to be the same as the setting background... yada yada, more decisions indecision.  I bought a really pretty duckegg solid, but it just wasn't quite doing it for me.  If in doubt, go and discuss it with your best friend - Monika saved the day and after lots of discussing all sorts of topics, suggested a scrappy low volume background.  Perfect, I had already started a bundle for February new project number two and three.

My low volume (which is just modern talk for scrappy) selection is eclectic and at times not all that low volume, but now that I've taken a photo and done the squinty eye test, I am quite happy with it.  Maybe not exactly what Monika would have chosen - but it is very much ME!  The duckegg solid has made it's way into the pile too...

While I've been cutting these bits, I've multitasked and cut out the starting stages of those abovementioned new projects.  I'm loving this new project thing... next year will probably be the year of the unfinished.  You will also have noticed by now that I tend to do several projects that use a similar theme, whether it be fabric or design.  I've put together a few quilts lately with a large nine patch layout, I'm concentrating on several sampler style quilts, I've used the black and white text fabric in several projects, as well as the light grey homespun.  Now is the time for the rest of the Denyse Schmidt fabric (left over from the dresden fan wedges) plus a few more which caught my eye, in combination with the rest of the low volume bundle.  OK, I've put multitasking onto a whole new level - also a whole new level of mess.

New February Project Number Two - Modern Crosses quilt from the Modern Log Cabin book.  Love this block, love this quilt, love this fabric...

New February Project Number Three - Plus and Cross quilt.  This will be a lot more chaotic scrappy as each corner is a different fabric.  Results in interesting secondary patterns in the final layout. 

Ran out of steam getting this block finished, but you get the idea...

I've also finished piecing my second Tokyo Subway block for February

And I've finished the LAST SWOON BLOCK!  I think this deserves it's own post... so I'll come back to it later in the week.

Well, I suppose I have had quite a busy couple of weeks haven't I?

And NO, I didn't make any further progress on the borders for Bluebirds and Berries BOM (although I did buy some more fusible web on Tuesday).  Remember for next month - chose a goal that is achievable!

Everything just ticking along

I've really been enjoying the new projects I started in January, and while I know I can't keep starting projects like that every month, I have been tempted already to start a new project for February.

It all started when I read about Elvy Crafts jelly roll sampler quilt blocks. Click here to see her progress so far.  After trawling through her delicious posts, I realised I had the book she was using for her patterns, in fact, I've had it for quite some time, and it hadn't inspired me at all.  That soon changed once I pulled out the jelly roll mum bought me from England, decided on which blocks I liked, had a play on EQ6 for some setting ideas... and I've now finished three whole blocks.

Random Tuesday

Tuesday is the day I work half a day... to fill in the rest of the day sometimes I do housework and catch up on the washing... other days I disappear into The Sewing Shed!

Today was a sewing shed day...

I auditioned some fabric... and did some layout figuring... would you believe it Leeanne, I managed to cut my first border 2" instead of 2 1/2"??  Time for Plan B:

I've also spent a bit of time putting together the first block in the first new project for February.

2013 must be the year of the sampler quilt.  More details to come.

And can anybody guess what this is?

Does this one help any?

For regular readers, you will recognise Janet... that would be Janet Frame my handy dandy Handi-quilter frame with some brand spanking new runners - aren't husbands wonderful :0)