Memories

It's all coming back to me... the border options... should I do this?

Polka dots - the original plan

 Or this?

A dark brown tone on tone

 Or this?

The brown as a frame, with a black/white crosshatch

Hmmm, does it look better from a distance?  I started to feel that every border was being contained by a "solid" frame... and that I needed a bit more space.

OK, what about with just the black/white crosshatch?  Not too dark, not too light - a nice bit of space... hmm??

Yip - Thunder Birds A Go!

Love me a bit of sketch

One border on... just three more to go... but what shall I do for the cornerstones?  Oh, dear, more decisions.  I'm starting to remember why this project went onto the back burner all those months ago.  But I'm really happy with how it's looking, and now that I've committed to a direction - it should progress quite quickly.  I'm only planning a feature fabric border around this one, so it is possible this could actually get finished.  Wouldn't that be exciting - after all, it's only been a couple of years or so in the making :0)

I even tidied my fabric cupboard in an effort to put off making decisions.  It didn't help, but at least I can see inside the cupboard again :0)

Having a wander around the wilderness that is our garden, it seems spring is here!  Bulbs and blossoms...

Last year this tree had one lonely fruit on it - I'm not even really sure what it was, perhaps a nectarine.  This year it is absolutely covered in flowers.

This wee peach tree is just over a metre tall...

And it's covered in these beautiful flowers - summer in the orchard might just be tasty this year!

And the livestock girls...

Progress and Plans

3 Kapa Haka costumes completed and handed in.  YES!

This put a bit of a damper on my planned activities for the week.  Most notably, the blanket stitch focus was a no go area.

On the positive, the quilting on Janet was finished today.  Woot!  Quilting on a frame is a new line on the learning curve - this time experimenting with straight line quilting.  Of course, getting the lines straight across the width of the quilt is another matter.  And I never did figure out the temperamental nature of the tension.

Playground blocks - I have 11 completed all together, a handful of which I pieced this past week.  These are blocks that I just really enjoy - simple to put together, but interesting enough to hold your attention.  And have I said that I just love the Reunion line of fabric.  LoVe!

Flower Pots is progressing nicely - about 3/4 of the stem is applied.

So that's the progress, now for the plans:

Hand work: I really want to continue with the Flower Pots - I think getting that stem out of the way is a priority.  So I'll keep this one going for another week.

Piecing: Marcelle Medallion Lola's Medallion - I'm going to pull this one out and sort out my next border.  It's been a while...

Blanket Stitch: Taupo Tiles had a rough deal last week, so the least I can do is carry on.

Have you noticed that I've updated my profile photo?  I've changed to the new google profile thingee... don't really know what that means, but I suppose I'll find out.  Any body else making these changes?

More than I thought

I checked out Sew Sweetness to see if there were any suggestions/problems with the Modern Sampler blocks I was sewing this week... only to find out that I was sewing last weeks blocks.  Whoops.  So that meant, two weeks of blocks to catch up again.

I wasn't really worried about it, after all, I can do a few next week (nobody will tell the quilt police will they?), but once I put my sewing pants on... I got more done than I thought - block 45 is now done and dusted.  Only five more to go to be half way finished!

I really quite like this one

This one has an extra seam after accidentally adding an extra 1/2" to the largest pieces... I also accidentally switched fabric placement somewhere along the line, but I really couldn't be bothered to recut all the pieces.

Thanks to cropping this block looks nice and square - let's just say it has lumps and bumps all around the edges

The gaps are slowly filling up

I also tracked down another wall hanging to add to my collection - this one is a loose representation of Matauri Bay...

Plus why not add the cot quilt finished a bit earlier in the year - it's starting to look quite colourful!

Janet has had a quiet week - with all her tension issues she was driving me crazy.  Today, with a new bobbin and thread she liked she behaved quite well, allowing almost another two block rows to get quilted.  Then she spat the dummy, broke a needle, actually cut a hole in the quilt top, and then started shredding thread again.  Time to evacuate the building.

Hope you have been having a productive weekend?

Best Laid Plans

This week has not gone entirely as planned.

You know when people know you quilt... and assume that means you also sew other stuff?  And not only assume that you sew other stuff... but that you like to do it, and are in fact good at it?

Back up a couple of weeks and the school asked for volunteers to sew Kapa Haka outfits for the school's cultural group.  I wisely chose not to volunteer.

But, faced with a teacher at the gate saying "you can make a few outfits for us can't you?" I found myself unable to say no.  Because, yes, I do have the equipment and skills required, I just lacked the desire and patience.

Feeling somewhat defeated, on Monday I picked up my new project - and each day since, I've sewn a little bit. Today I finished off most of the construction of the first one, it just needs the hem done (just couldn't face it today), and a bit of hand finishing work on the facing.  This "simple sun dress" has darts front and back plus a back zipper and a facing.  Trust me, there were a few brain cells straining to remember how to do some of these things :0)

A size 7 is obviously a bit too wide for my willing assistant (who is shortly going to turn 8) - but perhaps a bit short in the length department.

Only two more to go...  wish me luck!

Normal programming will hopefully resume shortly!  I have focus projects... that haven't had anyone focusing on them.

Sunday afternoon... the first day of spring

The week has been one of those parenting nightmares from hell.  Kids... can't kill them... certainly can't live with them!  However, we have survived - the dangling carrot of a trip to The Country Yard on Saturday (kidless) for a Stitch and Chat day helped combat the extra grey hairs and frown lines.

I did indeed finish the blanket stitch on this little Tweet:

And Block 39 of the modern sampler is a little odd... but perfectly formed! That makes me caught up for the week.

Tokyo Subway blocks 21 & 22 did finally get finished, just in time for the end of the month.  September is PINK month... and Blocks 13 & 14 are under the microscope.

I also plugged away at the binding on Hometown Wagon Wheels quilt and made some good progress.
So my goals for the week were met - hooray.

What's up for this coming week?

Hand Work: time for a new project.  Well, technically not new - one of the projects from Taupo Symposium, that I've just tucked away in the too hard basket, because it needed some serious preparation.

OK, in retrospect - it wasn't that bad and I don't know why I've put it off for the last month...

We have Panel One from Flower Pots by Kim Mclean.

Not the most inspiring or interesting photo - but it does prove it is real!  I've used the bias tape maker for the stem - which needs to be hand stitched down.  I've also basted on the first two sections of the pot.  I decided to prep just enough to keep me going for the week.  This is going to be a long term project - I'm either going to get real good at hand basting and hand applique... or this thing just won't get done.

Machine Applique: I think Taupo Tiles needs another airing... do we all remember what it looks like?

Piecing: and in the piecing department... hmmm, maybe some more of Camille Roskelley's Playground Blocks using Sweetwater's Reunion line.

Janet has been a bit naughty and has been giving me tension problems.  Not all the time - sometimes she's really good - but other times, she grabs hold of the thread and just doesn't let go.  Does anyone else have problems with free motion quilting tension that is intermittent? 

Happy Hump Day!

Oh Wednesday... the weekend is so close and yet so far...

Just to prove that I do things other than sew (sometimes), on my radar this week:

Baking for the kids cross country at school.  An opportunity to fundraise from someone elses pocket other than mine.

We have White Chocolate Crackles with apricot and chocolate bits

Are chocolate crackles a world wide phenenom?  Made with popped rice cereal (commonly known as ricies in NZ) and usually brown chocolate - these were a party must have as a child.

We really had to taste test these before they got packaged up... just in case they tasted terrible or something :0)

and Giant Chocolate Cookies with mint icing and coconut sprinkles

I also made some Lemonade cordial but this was for our own consumption!

I'm really enjoying the projects in the shed this week.

We have block 36 - this is in the darkest corner, but it's cool that it's still got some other colours in it too...

and Block 37 - my floral scrap was slightly too narrow, so I just added a fraction to my frame to upsize it...

I got from here to here in the blanket stitch...

And I'm already onto the second row of blocks on the straight stitching on Janet!

Hope your week is going well... I might just link up with Lee at Freshly Pieced.

Plans for this week

No new photos today... so if you only read for the eye candy... skip this post.

Focus projects for this week:

This has progressed to being in 6 pieces

Piecing:  as this is the last week of August (are you reading this Monika??) that means that this months Tokyo Subway blocks need to be finished.  Last week it was a leader ender project, this week it is the main attraction.  I seem to have gotten behind with the 100 Modern Block sampler - that's what happens when you get a couple of blocks ahead, and let your big head get in the way.  So I should also be focusing on Blocks 36, 37, 38 & 39.  I've also stopped linking with the quilt along as it got so complicated... different blocks on different posts... then I'd forget what I'd done (that happens once you've turned 41 you know)... so I'm just going to use the group as a reminder of what I'm supposed to be doing.

Loving the rainbow effect

 Machine Applique: while I'm on a roll, I would like to get the second half of the My Tweets block that I started last week, done.  I have another block waiting as well, just in case I run out of things to do (snicker snicker)

This quilt really is going to be stunning if I ever get it finished

Janet: gosh, a new section.  I solemnly swear to complete a few lines of quilting on Janet before I start any of the other activities in the shed.  Machine quilting is relatively boring and tedious - I just need to keep plugging away at it.

Check out the freaky "cup of tea" fingers

Hand work: don't let the photo of the quilt on the bed fool you.  Eagle eyes will have noticed a slight problem with the binding... about 3/4 unfinished!  So the focus for this week is to get a little bit more of this done.

So far so good with the new bedroom layout - no one has tried walking into the wall yet.

Right - that's this week set.  What are your goals for the week?

Looks like it's time to get organised for tea... have a great week everyone!