Week One, Day Two. Day one was spent eating... a mammoth trip to our local Cafe with the kids having the freedom to order anything they wanted. Sometimes kids can be ridiculously easy to please. I was intending to retreat into my sewing cave today, but first a power cut, and now the fact that I have the fire roaring in the family room - well, the sewing cave is called "cave" for a reason!
I have been persevering with my tasks, and have finished off the last of the Tokyo Subway binding. Woohoo people! We have a July finish finish!
You can just see the texture... and this is before a wash... it can only get better!
I've also been plodding away with Block Nine of my Friends mystery stitchery. This block was supposed to be Shopping - spelled out in the bunting, with a few shopping packages illustrated. Shopping is actually one of my skills (I should list it on my CV)... but I decided to take this block in a different direction, and spelled out "Whanau" (far-no) in the bunting (Maori for family) - and what I consider to be our family at it's most simplest - our gumboots lined up. Two pairs of gumboots left to stitch.
I never did managed to install EQ7 on my laptop... eventually buying a small netbook so that I could use the programme. Crazy I know... but after a computer technician shrugged his shoulders and looked bewildered, I wasn't really sure what other options were available. Happily, the programme loaded on the new netbook without any problems, and I have been busy designing away already.
First up is a quilt that I first saw in the March/April 2014 Love of Quilting magazine (last school holidays) - Star Flowers by Dianne Tomlinson.
This would be so great in scraps... but close investigation of the blocks revealed set in seams... everywhere. This was so not going to happen in my lifetime. It would actually be an ideal pattern for someone who loved English Paper Piecing... although I figured with a few more seams I could eliminate those pesky set in ones... but I really needed to draft it properly. Hence the desperate need to get the EQ7 in the first place - and the fact that I've waited 10 weeks to do anything about this pattern. I just want to see how hard it will be. That's as good a reason as any to start a new quilt, isn't it?
Yay, I have some templates... all ready to have a bit of a play with. The new pieces are a diamond and two equilateral triangles (small and large).
Also some templates for the Flowering Snowball block which Mary from Mollies Makerie is running as a sew along. I haven't officially decided to join in - but it is tempting to at least make one block.
What's the weather like in your neck of the woods? Hopefully conducive to getting a bit of sewing done!
5 comments:
Over in my neck of the woods, we still have power, my cave has a log fire in it, so there is no excuse not to quilt for me!
You must be happy as a duck floating/bobbing on a pond at having your big big quilt finished, it looks good!
Shame your kids are past the 'play-with-playdough-all day' age, like my granddaughters! It's cheaper than going to a Cafe for the day.
hey, I like your version of The Country Yard's friendship mystery stitchery. You could call it 'Whanauship'.
Enjoy the holidays!
The weather is fine- pity I don't have any sewing with me at all! Long afternoons in France while my husband watches the Tour de France would have made for perfect stitching time! I love the look of the Star Flowers! And how clever of you to work out a way of not doing it with set-in seams!!
SO....I had no idea what a netbook was until you mentioned it...had to google that! Very glad you got EQ working. I practice leaning to use EQ by reworking patterns...saves trying to be creative while trying to learn! Your embroidery block is adorable!
Well done on the finish!! Your whanau block is so cool - love those gumboots!! I'm pleased you've managed to get eq7 going - the only way to learn is to play. Isn't it great what you can do with it? So are you paper piecing the stars? - that's a stunning pattern.
Glad you got EQ7 going. I've been thinking about getting the mac version. Because I make so many traditional quilts......
And looks like you have a future as a stitchery designer.
Lets not talk about the weather shall we? I'm thinking of venturing out today. Will we make it to your place tomorrow?
Post a Comment