Crap! What happened to February?

The beginning of March means that February has somehow slipped by with hardly any blogging... but lots of sewing progress has been achieved!  Just need to get more organised taking photos with the right devices to support the right social media, and taking the time to create a new post.  I have been having the odd sneaky shot posted on Instagram... which sort of misleads me into thinking I have already shared!  Which I kind of have... but not here.

February was purple month in the RSC, so all my little purple scraps came out to play.  One Double Ninepatch block desperately needing a press... but it's sewn!

Using the colour inspiration, I thought I would carry it through to my Backyard Birds blocks, and either make the birds... or the flowers the colour of the month.  This gives me one less thing to stress over... and I turned out a pretty cute block.

The Cross Tiles quilt has taken a little bit of a back seat... but it definitely making slow progress as a leader ender project.  This is the first quilt I have ever cut directional fabric directionally!

I have a few more blocks sewn together than what I've got here... but you can see how it is starting to come together.  I'm thinking of calling this my D/S quilt (dominant/submissive) as the blocks either are very strong and bold... or a bit more pretty and delicate... then there are some blocks that are switches... and could go either way depending on who they're mixing with.  Needless to say, I read a wide range of romantic fiction :o)

I have really knuckled down and made terrific strides with my Whanau and Friends quilt.  All the blocks are made!  Woohoo!

I had a few problems sorting out this top section, as there were some very odd sized blocks and I just couldn't work out how they were all going to squish together.

But I finally found a solution, and this was the last little section that needed to be pieced together.

 And all laid out together.  I have just got 3 more seams and it will be done.

 Over Xmas I decided to sew together a Fen Dress, using some batik fabric I have had in the stash forever, with a nice mix of blues, browns and rusts.
 

The Fen dress is a pull over dress, with no zip or buttons, that I figured would be cool for those sticky hot days, and also layer well as things started to cool down.

The pattern is quite versatile with options for a top and dress... v neck or round neck, with or without sleeves, and a straight, high/low or shirt style hemline.

And check out the pockets (sorry it is upside down)... I used a darker fabric to try and create the illusion of shape... it does somewhat work. 

I was really interested in the neckband which is a woven bias strip and an easy way of forming the vee, this is a technique I definitely will use in other items.

Worn as is... it is a bit shapeless... this was not unexpected as this is what it looks like on the pattern linedrawing as well as the samples on the models.  I do find the v neck sits a bit odd as it is quite wide (will expose bra straps if you are not careful) although it is not very deep.

Adding a belt to the dress instantly adds a nice bit of shape.  Of course, it also adds a bit of weight... so no longer the perfect "heatwave" dress... and it brings the length up a bit too much for my legs, especially to wear to work!

So we have the addition of pants!  And this was the outfit of the day.  I do find the cotton tends to cling to the pants, so I have bought some lining fabric and am hoping to add this to the skirt section - with a straight hemline so that it brings the front hem down to a socially acceptable level.  WE will see!

As the weather continues to cool, I think it will work well with long sleeved tees underneath, and fitted cardy's on top, even a scarf... can't wait.

After making this dress, I had every intention of making it again, with a few adjustments... mostly the neckline, and making some modifications to the hem... but I think I might have found a couple of other patterns I might prefer more...

I had a sneaky order from Fabricworm turn up... with some organic cottons... some of which might just be enough for some colour block versions of those patterns.  We will have to see what happens.   And what doesn't turn into clothing is going to be just fine turning into stash.  Win/Win.

I love goals.

Having my little list of mini-tasks from the last post really helped me focus on what I was "supposed" to be doing... and I have achieved all my little goals!  Of course, it helped that I wrote down some things that I had already done... like make the Backyard Birds block for January... but you know... it's good to have positive reinforcement and nothing like a big tick!

I've really been putting off making the backing for my 2017 RSC quilt... because pieced backing... scrappy... it was all too hard.  Laying out a few different options I pondered and added and changed fabrics until I was almost ready to proceed.

As you can see I'm laying the backing fabrics right on top of the quilt front, to see if it fits... so that explains the little checkerboards you can see peeking through.  But hello... progress!!

Each of these strips are 25" wide... it is only the photo perspective that makes it look like the orange/yellow section is so wide

Only three more seams and I will have this backing finished!  A bit of a close up of the fabrics I finally settled on... plenty of spots.

Not forgetting my other long term commitments... I made another Whanau and Friends block.  This one was called Swamp Angel.

In Stack Shuffle Slide news I settled on a fabric choice, got the binding cut out and holy smoke... sewn on!

From the back...

I added one tiny section of yellow to the binding just because I could... this was a strip cut from a leftover piece.  I also used the magic flange machine binding method again.  This was the best application so far and I am very happy with how it turned out.

Three little blocks hang off the end of the bed... and it creates a cute detail that I love.

Could not be happier with this fun binding choice.

Starting the month off strong, I pieced up another section of low volume scraps to make the February Backyard Birds block.  Then I added the bias stem... only half sewn on here, but now fully attached.  All ready to choose the applique elements.

And if that is not awesome enough... I made a pair of undies!  This was a free pattern by Megan Nielsen and although I have never been interested in sewing lingerie before... I might have been bitten by the bug!  Not even knowing there was such a thing as fold-over elastic a couple of weeks ago - I was most impressed to find our local sewing centre stocks a few colours - including this awesome green!  Perfect to go with the scraps from my tunic sewing experience last year.

The undies gusset is sewn burrito style which encloses all the raw edges... so undies are neat and tidy inside and out.  As this fabric is very low stretch - I upped the size to allow ease.  They fit perfectly and look very cool on.  Now on the lookout for more elastic options - I really want grey - and some new knit fabrics, so my butt can look awesome every day.

My goal for the next couple of days is to get those seams sewn on the backing, and start the basting process.

Whoops, so I might have started two new things...

January is probably my worst culprit for new projects.  Having such a long holiday period... it is just so easy to start lots of things.  But I promise they are all good :o)

I decided to keep with the Rainbow Scrap Challenge this year, and have been identifying all sorts of patterns that I like that would be great for this purpose.  I finally decided to work with the Double Nine Patch block.  This month is Light Blue month... and I finally got around to starting this project... yesterday.

I am cutting 2" little squares, using scraps for the coloured places, and the same white on white for the plain blocks, with black squares in the centres.  So far so good... just need to get this block sewn together before the end of the month.

The second project I have started is a fun applique also using scraps and a pattern booklet by Piece o Cake Designs that I have had for ever.  The pattern gives two variations of the quilt - one with a cute pieced background (which gave me the inspiration to push the concept just a little bit further)...

 and one with a regular boring old background.

Working with the funky pieced background idea, I decided to try piecing together some of my low volume scraps and make irregularly pieced block sized chunks.  These blocks finish at 12" square.

So the background and the foreground are all completed from scraps...

And I decided to use a free motion black outline to attach the shapes.  Never tried this before and I am pleasantly surprised at how it turned out.  It really suits this kind of scrappy/funky project.  I did ponder whether to add several rounds of stitching in a sketchy kind of way, but chickened out and decided to just stick with one - which gives quite a clean finish.

As is my usual routine, I hand stitched the bias stems for the branches... but for a change tried this Wonderfil Invisafil thread... in a really unattractive apricot kind of flesh colour... and was amazed how well the thread disappeared into the fabrics!  Although I have used this thread for FMQ (and also been surprised at how it absorbs the colour), I hadn't tried needleturn applique with it.  I will definitely be using this kind of thread again.

In getting other things done news... I am still adding to the Whanau and Friends quilt blocks.  I really like this 18" block and how it includes the stitchery... but in a very understated way.  Although working with some of these wide stripes cut into jelly roll strips is a bit awkward.

The lower half of the quilt is slowly filling up.

And in other even better getting things finished news... I finished and gifted this lovely baby quilt.

Love how the stipple ties together the striped rows, and the edge stitching around the grey stripes and boxes gives it structure.

I played with a simple unembellished feather for the navy borders...

And repeated a similar sort of design in the blue accent blocks.

The magic flange binding is the only way for me to get binding sew on within a week, and although I had some wonky moments, I'm feeling like I can maybe conquer this technique.

From the back...

As the end of the month and returning to work draws closer, I have been thinking about my goals for this month and year.  I read somewhere that the new year started on 1 February... January is just a trial free period... and I seriously agree with that sentiment. 

Working on the Whanau and Friends quilt as a major focus means that an old WIP could actually get finished!  This has been very satisfying, as has getting my RSC project underway... as I really enjoyed this process last year.

I realise that I have a huge amount of quilt tops requiring quilting... and I need to decide what else to focus on this year.  I would like to make progress on the following to start off with:
*get last years RSC quilt quilted, finished and donated.  First step is to construct a pieced backing.
*get the binding sewn on the Stack, Shuffle Slide quilt from last year and get this finished and on the bed.  First step is to choose a binding fabric and start cutting.
*work out where the Bernina Zen Chic triangle quiltalong is up to and try to get back on track with this one.  First step is to print out the missing instructions.
* continue with the Whanau and Friends and Cross Tile blocks as an ongoing process.
*complete blocks for the 2018 RSC and Backyard Birds blocks monthly.

Spelt out like that it doesn't look so bad?  Maybe?