Tuesday, June 30, 2020

June Goals... part 2

Continuing on from the last post it has been a cracker of a second half of the month.  Slipping through on the last day of the month... I got all my June Goals ticked off!!  Big woohoo indeed.


The combination of ticks and stickers seems to be a psychological winner and very satisfying.


I got all my rows of The Proverbial Quilt sewn together... just need to assess on the bed and decide whether it needs a floral strip on the top, and contemplate side borders to make it more useable.  It really has been a ray of sunshine and fun during our dreary winter days.


In Line Dried news section 4B was attached to 4A all ready for next months section 5.



My goal to sew the stems on the second to last section of Timeless Traditions was achieved!


And squeezing in just under the wire was Sweet Escape... sewing together the blocks for the second quadrant.




My One Monthly Goal for July is to quilt and bind the Double Nine Patch scrap baby quilt (already basted as part of my June goals).



Check out the other participants HERE

I'll fill you in on the rest of my July goals next time!

Saturday, June 20, 2020

All the things... little by little

Sometimes just choosing the easy block makes for some quick and simple sewing.  The next 12" block in the Summer Sampler 2017 series... Plaid Star.



Joining the sew-along for Sugar Bowl Crafts scrap blocks during lockdown... I may be the slowest participant ever... finally my two blue blocks have been joined by a purple one and you can kind of start to see the finished effect of those lovely variations of depth of colour.


This purple block has a few fabrics from the second ever quilt I started (and did eventually finish)... so many memories!


My goal for this month was to get a few more rows sewn together on The Proverbial Quilt.  I managed to get all but the last row of text attached!  It is such a cherry project... especially on gnarly rainy days like today.  AND I managed to cut out the rest of the strips!  So close!


I made some progress on my Starburst Cross Quilt.  I had always intended to attach plain borders.  I was so glad that my organisation skills from all those years ago meant I had the rest of the fabrics, leftover backing and the half completed final block all in the same box!  After finishing that last block and sewing together the top, it reinforced the fact that a 5 x 5 layout of 12" blocks makes a pretty petite 60" quilt!  Adding 4" borders still wouldn't add enough area, so 8" borders were on the agenda.  I realised that this matched the size of the centre star... and new star cornerstones were created... allowing me to showcase that troublesome red print in a third location.


Finally balance... and while I had initially thought those large plain borders might need a bit of applique to busy them up... the plainness has grown on me.


YAY... a finished top!


The sixth block for the Happy Cloud Sampler was another simple sew...

And I've slowly been adding a variety of black and white prints to the design wall for the background sashing.


I've still got plenty to keep me busy for the last part of the month... fingers crossed that as many goals as possible can get ticked off.

Saturday, June 6, 2020

Wild and wet start to June... Starburst Cross Quilt

June has started with a wet and wintery beginning... a change from the drought conditions during summer and the still hot and somewhat humid autumn.

Wet does not entice me to enter my sewing shed, which is in a separate building to my house.  But today I disappeared into my ME space (which is long overdue a clean and sortout), pulling out an old project and making some final decisions regarding it.

My Starburst Cross Quilt has sat in a pile of blocks for years... and years.  It is made from fat quarters... each pair of FQ makes two blocks with opposite colour placements.  I started with a bundle of 18 FQ, part of a range plus some coordinates which I added to allowing the creation of 25 blocks to make a 5x5 layout.

Upon laying the blocks out I discovered the three different yellows I'd used clashed... and the two blocks of each fabric meant there were only two red blocks... where 3 blocks would create a more pleasing balance.

This one?  Hmmm, no... too many heavy looking fabrics in the top right.


Hmmm... still not happy.


Finally I came up with this layout.  Bonus was it used all the blocks I'd made, even though I thought they didn't all go together (particularly the yellows).  The florals are spread out evenly... as are the soft greeny/blues.  Although I realised after there is a strong dark stripe down the right hand side... I am determined it shall be sewn together.


On the one hand I am quite cross with myself... these fabrics are so delicious, I feel like I haven't showcased them due to the pattern choice... and/or using too many similar fabrics and clashing yellows.




On the other hand I am just glad to finally be sewing this one together.  I think I have missed the One Monthly Goal link up, but this is my chosen goal for this month.