A Little Bit More...

And so the ticking and sticking continues...

Line Dried section 5 complete...

While this quilt looks huge in the photo it really isn't... I think it's about 60" wide... and there is another row of sections to come along the bottom.

Not on the list but I've been adding to the Giant Granny Squares...

And inbetween it all adding a few more little nine patch plus blocks to the collection.

Just as a reference to the scale... 19" blocks compared to 4.5" blocks :o)

My friend Monika and I went on a shopping road trip and I added some new low volume fat quarters...

Some homespun solids that just grabbed my attention (note neither of these photos actually represents the colours... probably somewhere in between).

I got a large section of fabric to start the pieced back for the Homespun magazine BOM top I completed using Tilda fabrics.

Some other random fat quarters...

A few more low volumes...

And this lovely mustardy coloured FQ.

While this week has been very low key... back to work after the school holidays and battling a mild cold which I've found draining... I have managed today to print off the instructions and pattern for a new skirt!!  It's the Love Notions Allegro, short skirt version (elastic waist and pockets - it's talking my language)... and I'm going to use the fine cord fabric I bought in June.

Ideally I'd like to get this finished before Winter ends as I think it would be great with tights and boots.  But we shall see what happens... no pressure!!

The Never Ending Puzzle

Making blocks for the Friends and Whanau quilt is a bit like working on a puzzle that you don't know what it looks like or what size it is!  It is a real time waster because I spend ages stressing about whether to do this block, or that... or whether to use this fabric or that... and whether the finished block should go here... or there...  I finally figured out I just needed to sew some blocks and see what started to happen, and not get so caught up in what was "the absolute best possibility".  The worst that could happen is that the odd block might not get used... I can live with that!

I really liked how this grouping of blocks looked with the filler strips.  It includes two 12" blocks, a 10" and an 8".

I quite like this section too... with an 18" block taking up some serious space.

And slowly it starts to grow...

I decided to frame some of the blocks too... just for a different way of putting sections together.

Although it doesn't really have a place yet.

Definitely a slow but very interesting process.  I am loving having full access to my lovely design wall!

I have also been making progress on the baby quilt.  I have always struggled with straight line quilting, but decided to edge stitch along the grey sections following the edge of the walking foot... while I don't have any puckers, it is still not one of my strengths.

I decided to use this greeny/gold Invisifil thread to FMQ the striped sections.  It blends into all of the patterned fabrics, especially those with gold overlay!

Just a simple stipple but it works well for this situation.

From the back.

And my new FMQ station in use.  We bought a new blind so that this area is a bit more streamlined.

A mammoth road trip with Monika to The Apple Basket patchwork shop resulted in some new fabric purchases.  Mammoth because it is a 2hr plus drive one way!  With two kids!  Who were well behaved but I was completely knackered by the time we got home.

I am pretty sure this is Grunge Dots... I have a cunning plan for a finished quilt that I want to refinish and add some new borders.

A couple of Sweetwater Authentic FQ pieces, plus a cute cat/dog? print that just absolutely had to come home with me.

These were in the specials bin.

And I just loved these pieces together.

No idea what to do with it but I must cut it up pronto.

And these slightly larger bits were also on special.  These ones are just itching to be added to my stash.

My little Authentic collection is growing.  I need to start looking at some patterns that use charm packs.

I bought a couple of shot cotton FQ's from Spotlight...

And some of the necessary evils...

With work starting back again, I am finding my sewing time is a prized commodity.  Even though I am mostly just working mornings... the afternoons turn incredibly hot so not so conducive to sewing in a tin shed.  Oh well... summer will be over before we know it and then I'll be complaining about it being too cold.

In which nothing was really achieved at all

This has been a somewhat crappy week.  Just feeling a little under the weather - nothing serious, a bit of a cold, and a general sense of exhaustion and lackluster-ness (totally a word) combined with an end of week deadline at work that drove up stress levels.

We have been (attempting to be) in full on Spring Cleaning mode as the weekend rapidly approaches when we have visitors arriving.  Of course, it has been quite a while since the last spring clean, if there has even ever been one.  We have a small house and masses of accumulated junk.  I have got sick and tired of saying "you need to clean your bedrooms" to the kids... but we are all slowly getting there.  I have a list and it is getting down to the last minute items now, so definitely progress and the end is in sight.

Our sleep-out which is normally set up to utilize the floor-space for quilt layouts and basting has a sofa-bed in the corner in the least obnoxious place.  With visitors staying for more than a couple of days, I have reorganized the space to make it somewhat appealing, and even pulled the curtains and blinds... and cleaned the windows!

This was after the major furniture had been moved around... view from the bathroom end... this is actually a decent sized room.

And looking in from my sewing shed side...

And all set up with the bed made and with a quilt (the sofa-bed is a pain in the neck to make up).  We just need a portable cot now and this will be all ready for the weekend.

In other news, I printed off the second foundation page for the Viper Quilt (Zen Chic's Bernina Triangle Sewalong) month 4 and sewed up the blocks during my unenthusiastic week.  Sorry, the pen is there to hold down a corner that wanted to curl. Aren't they perfect?

But, when I laid them next to the other blocks, they were a bit small - hmm, not so perfect.  Somehow I managed to print the foundations a different size to the first lot.

Super unimpressed with my sewing achievement, I ended up printing more foundation pages the right size, and have achieved nothing else.

In some happy news, I have had a few packages arrive in the mail. 

Well, thanks to IG I somehow mysteriously found and started following Mathew from Mr Domestic.  Mysteriously because he does both EPP and Fussy Cutting - both are techniques that I will never ever do, but he is so funny and crazy and I love him nonetheless... anyway, he was promoting some bundles he'd curated from Stash Fabrics and the rest is history.  I have learnt not to order fabric at 6am... also to not comment at 6am because what little filter I have disappears at that time of the morning.  I apologize in advance :o)

So several weeks later I had the following arrive...

Hmm, need to work on my fat quarter circle making skills...

A bit better. This bundle really includes some out there fabrics that I would never in a million years choose - but somehow I like it all together.  While I have absolutely no idea what I'm going to do with it, I am enjoying the challenge of it all.

And the second bundle... this is a little bit more me.

One of my favourite prints.

With a few of the other dreamy blues that came in the bundle.

And then I ordered another lot of sale fabric, which arrived yesterday.  Some classic Denyse Schmidt, orange Metro Rings, a great owl print, and some black RK Essex yarn dyed linen for possible clothing sewing related activities.

The owls... too cute.

And talking about possible sewing related purchases, I also ordered this fabric from Pink Castle Fabrics - Soulful Floral Universe in Plum - 3yards...

and 4yds of RK Essex yarn dyed linen in Indigo.

I have ideas about these... but all will have to wait until that sewing space it back to normal.

Perhaps linking up with Molli Sparkles.