It's A Cross Tile Finish

Woohoo!  The Cross Tile quilt is all finished and the last thing to do is add a blog post before it can be forever ticked off my list.

Having a terribly lit, as well as small bedroom means you just can't get far enough away from the subject to fit it all into frame, but you'll get the idea.

These fabrics started life as a Designer Bundle of fat quarters from Stash Fabrics, curated by @misterdomestic.  There were a lot of prints that I never would have chosen (those deer heads!), but obviously the bundle intrigued me enough to buy it!  I love the challenge of finding a pattern to suit an eclectic mix of fabrics.  Adding new fabrics from my LQS The Country Yard and some from stash, I made a between size quilt with a 5x5 setting from 25 fat quarters.

The Cross Tile pattern is by Emily Dennis from Quilty Love.  I did a mix of walking foot, free motion with rulers, freehand free motion and big stitch hand quilting.

This is also the first quilt that I have hand stitched around the circumference to echo the binding.  I really like it!

I love the somewhat retro vibe of this quilt and the way the pattern encourages each different fabric to shine.

Almost mid month update

Progress has been cracking along in the All The Good Ones shed.

On my diary/calendar I have ticked off all of my monthly goals apart from one... and there's still some days left.

After listing out my goals for the month, I wrote in the calendar space some key tasks that needed to be done to achieve my monthly goal.  BUT, I haven't micromanaged every single activity, just those things that have been holding up the works.

After I finished the first grouping of mini tasks... I added in some more BUT those 8 odd tasks took a good two weeks to complete.  On the positive side... some of those goals have kept growing and I have achieved much more than I expected.

For example the Cross Tile quilt my monthly goal was to finish the machine quilting, which I did AND  I managed to get binding sewn on and three quarters hand stitched down! 

My goal for Timeless Traditions was to get the second corner section sewn together (which I had been majorly putting off) AND I managed to get this sewn as well as hand stitching a section of bias stem.  I have added a mini task to trace out the applied shapes, which is a nice job to do while suffering from the summer heat.  It has also been transferred to the design wall!

My super duper goal for January was to get the Loosely Woven quilt top fully pieced... and this got completed on Monday.  I added my own borders for this one, using off cuts from the strip piecing and it worked out perfectly for the king size required.

And the North Star borders that were giving me conniptions has also been finished!  Adding the pieced sections to extend the outer squares was not what I really wanted to spend my time doing... but I also knew it would be so worth it.

Progress and progress and progress...

Sometimes it's about jumping in and holding on until the end!  Whether it is technically on your list or not!

Finishing the ruler work FMQ on the Cross Tile quilt, I had a quick audition of a couple of free hand designs using some lightweight clear plastic to try out some fillers emphasising the Ohio star outlines.

Which morphed into a wishbone sort of pattern in the points and stipple in the centre square.

Similarly to the straight lines quilted, this could be achieved with just the one start and stop.

This one shows the mix of quilting techniques used!

It was also relatively quick so I was keen to keep the momentum flowing and chose this uneven organic stripe for binding out of my stash.

Although the colours are not exact... they are close enough considering there is a plain border between the outer blocks and the binding.

Before I could change my mind... I got the 9 strips cut, sewn and pressed ready to machine stitch.  Ideally I would have done the whole pieced binding/flange/machine applied binding... but there were too many other roadblocks.  I would have needed to clear my floor of the other two quilts already laying on it to trim the quilt edges so the binding could get sewn onto the back.  Not happening!   (Regular binding I attach to an untrimmed quilt).  And, I would have needed to find two fabrics suitable for each component of the binding... and that didn't seem to be happening either!  So a regular binding it was going to be.

And, I've started hand stitching the binding to the back and adding a touch of big stitch quilting roughly 1/4" from the binding.

Really happy with how this is turning out.

Cross Tile Quilt... Progress Is Happening!

Sometimes it is the weirdest things that create creative roadblocks... preventing you from making progress.

With the Cross Tile quilt, I had made a good start with the quilting - edge stitching in the background around the tile shapes with my walking foot, and had started hand quilting around the crosses in the sashing.  BUT because I didn't know what I was going to do next, I just stopped working on it.  Weird!  So it has just sat there for literally months as a constant reminder.

Part of my planning process for this year is to push myself past these roadblocks and just get things moving again.  After borrowing the Westalee quilting foot and ruler from a friend, I spent a bit of time familiarizing myself with the feel of the product, trialled a couple of ideas... and away I went.

My design is neither amazing or perfectly executed, but I can complete each tile in one run... with only one starting and stopping point and as a learning experience it is good because there is movement in every direction.

Working my way around the quilt in columns, I quilted the first two columns  (starting from the far right hand side) of this 5x5 grid as my first target.  Then after rotating the quilt a quarter turn, my second target was 6 blocks in the new far right two columns... and now I'm working on the next quarter turn 6 blocks.  Just quietly... this means its not that far from being finished!  Roadblocks are NOT my friend!

I'm not sure whether I will add more quilting to these designs, I quite like the idea of pebbles or small spirals highlighting the small star in the centre... but that's thinking for another day... and that's OK!

Kenny Rogers knew his stuff

I've been working on three different projects over the last week or so, where I have had to make the decision about whether to carry on as per the pattern/previous layout... or make the decision to change things up to suit what I like.  So where does Kenny Rogers come in?  Well, in the immortal words of The Gambler... you've got to know when to hold em, know when to fold em... know when to walk away... know when to run... and I am now super embarrassed to admit that I know almost all the words to that song and I blame my mother :0)

First project - the Bernina Zen Chic Triangle quiltalong.  I managed to get most of the blocks constructed, and started laying it out per the suggested pattern layout.  The instructions from the beginning have encouraged variety and spontaneity, and working with what you have - so I knew there was a good chance that I would be making alterations to the layout.  However, laying it out per the instructions seemed a good start.  It wasn't long before I was tweaking blocks - moving some of the more complicated or busy blocks away and replacing them with the simpler blocks.

I realised that for me it was about the subtle differences in tone, depth and texture, with a few key contrast areas... and that I wanted to emphasize this, not create disharmony.

Still a work in progress

There are some areas in the layout that has quite a lot of pieced blocks in little groups - sometimes the colours I had used worked out OK... like this little grouping...

Other areas I have removed the pieced blocks completely.  I also decided that this printed triangle fabric just creates too much action... There is also some fabrics with light purple tones that create too much contrast, so figured that this was the time to pull these fabrics out of the mix.

I chose a Robert Kaufman Essex yarn dyed linen in Indigo as my background which has a nice textural element.  The design keeps evolving, and I have added some dark navy triangles which I really like.  It will be interesting to see how this finally ends up looking.

The decision whether to replace the stripey block in the Cross Tile quilt finally came to a head.  Yes or No?  Nope... it had to go.

Once again... just too busy when I look at it at this stage.  I have chosen a more subtle stone coloured print and just need to finish that block up, before I am ready to join all these rows.  Exciting to get this project almost completed!

I finally started my Homespun Magazine 2018 BOM!  This uses a wide variety of Tilda fabrics... very floral.  I started laying out some of the elements, liking how it was looking.

However as it built, I felt that it was becoming just a little bit too floral for my liking.  Is it possible that there can be too much floral?

I wanted to add just a little bit of contemporary text... and this is my favourite print for projects that are neither white nor cream... subtle but definitely adds a bit of my own flavour.

The pattern has quite a bit of embroidery added.  I knew that this wasn't going to be happening... so I added some orange centres to the flowers in lieu of the embroidered centre feature. I also changed the tips of the butterfly to a plain pink.

Playing around with some of the leaf placements - I chose some in this lovely grey/blue linen... which I absolutely adore and hopefully will be able to add a little of this fabric to every block.

I'm happy that this block has turned out with a good mix of the original design, plus a healthy dose of me.

After all the fusing was completed, I started the blanket stitch.

While it looked perfect on the top... there were issues on the bottom!

After rechanging the needle, oiling, rethreading and finally changing the bobbin thread completely, I have got a better stitch... although it is still not right.  Any ideas?

Whoops, missed the end of March

April has somehow snuck in before I was quite ready to give March up.  Happy Easter everyone!  While on the one hand I feel like I have been quite busy... on the other hand I don't feel like I have achieved much.  The end of March is a particularly stressful time at work, and to be honest, I have found I have been incredibly tired by the end of the day... and not found the energy to spend much time sewing.  Blogging also falls somewhere into the background.  However, quilting on the 2017 RSC is still progressing at a snails pace.

You can see the places still with pins left to quilt.  Also the stripes and border sections need attention.

And I finally today finished the Green March block for the 2018 RSC which I am completing scrappy Double Nine Patch blocks... I like how the black centres create a really strong design feature that helps to hold the scrappyness together.

Don't they look pretty all lined up?  I have already decided this will be sashed with cornerstones... no way am I going to line up all those internal seams!

Backyard birds is also progressing slowly... first the background was pieced together from scraps, then the stems were hand appliqued on.  Just the leaves and birds to figure out now.  As March was green month I chose a block that was heavy on leaves... OK, we are at 99% imagination at this stage :o)

Although the quilt along for Emily Denis's City Tiles/Cross Tiles quilt has long finished, I am still plodding away.  Finished up block 23

And block 24 is well underway.  Just one more block to complete then I can start piecing this one together.

Going off the beaten path a bit, I decided to sew a long sleeved t-shirt pattern, and after constructing the PDF pattern pieces, laid out the sleeve and neck band pieces on my contrast fabric and cut them out.  THEN, I used the leftovers to cut and put together this Barrett Bralette.

It actually looks really good at first sight.  In the grand scheme of things, it was an epic fail because the lining fabric I chose didn't have enough stretch in it... so the bralette was a bit on the small side (I have read the term "negative ease" which seams appropriate), and almost impossible to remove (I did think I would need to resort to scissors at one stage).  I also used fold over elastic, when I should have used lingerie elastic, and a wide elastic band for the bottom... so needed to adjust the construction methods a little bit.  BUT it was a great learning curve and not totally exasperated. I used the last of my leftovers to trial a different free undie pattern - a boyleg brief style this time, and since it was all a trial I used the lingerie elastic I had been a bit scared of trying for the bralette.  Also a learning curve.  The undies turned out just fine... not perfect... and I am keen to try the bralette from a stretchier fabric with the correct supplies.  And I'm actually keen to try a mix of the two undie patterns I have tried to sew the Megan Nielsen undies with a higher waistband.  So there you go.  Returning to the start of the story... I still need to cut out the rest of the pieces for the long sleeved t-shirt but after my twisting and turning adventures I was a bit over clothes sewing!  Patchwork is so much more straightforward!  NEED to disappear into my shed and play with fabric!  I have a completely new project yet to be taken from its packaging... watch this space!

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.