Fabriholics Anonymous Linky Party: WIP List

After recent threats of interventions and storming the stash, I'll admit to having a problem.  I just love to sew.  This year I started with a New Years resolution of using what I have - whether it be patterns, books, fabric or magazines.  And I've done a pretty good job of using just about everything... just not really finishing much.  I haven't considered finishing things a priority - it's been a relatively stressful year, with plenty of ups and downs - and I've found the brr of the sewing machine and the thrill of a new cutting blade have been great stress relievers.  I have loved the freedom of this past year, however all good things must come to an end!

I  need to get some things finished.  And I probably don't really need to add all that much to my stash... so maybe time for a stash diet.  Sounds like I need to join Jess from The Elven Garden along with Rebecca from Making in their 2014 Stash Diet and WIP Windup.  The theory is that if we spend a little bit less time buying new and exciting fabric**, we might be more tempted to finish up those projects we have already started or bought fabric for.  You all know there are always plenty of those aye?

As a first step, we need to identify exactly what is on the WIP pile.  Gulp.  Are we ready for this?  Loosely grouped into categories but in no particular order... a bit of a walk down memory lane...

Piecing:
The circles

Jelly roll Basket/Sampler

Two WIP's Turns into One Quilt

The Japanese ladies (fundraising project)

The Robots and Rockets (fundraising project)

Avalon

Tokyo Subway

Modern Sampler

Tillies Lane *

Seeing Squares *

Applique:
Bluebirds and Berries... or is it Birds and Blueberries????

Taupo Tiles

My Tweets

Flower Pots - Kim Mclean

Layer Cake Vase Quilt

The Piglet Quilt

The extraordinarily large hand blanket stitch applique quilt that I can't find a photo of :0) so I'll put a picture of my kids - Xmas 2011

Stitcheries:
Friends Mystery Quilt

Noel kit (not even opened yet!)

Can't even remember the name of this one, but I think there is just one block left to stitch

Binding:
Giant Chevron

Reunion Playground

Modern BOM

Quilting:
Giant Star

Constellations

Swoon

Modern Applique - hand quilting

Fabric Piles (desperately) waiting to be started:
Koi bundle from Fabricworm - There's a Square In There pattern

Double trouble Adornit FQ bundle from Fabricworm - star pattern from Elizabeth Hartmans book

Wrenly fabric bundle from The Country Yard - project undecided

Bird/floral/solid bundle - project undecided

Disclaimer:  there is no guarantee that this is all the projects that exist in my sewing room and surrounding area.  

* I admit to a few other projects that were started as plodders... and I plan to continue plodding as time and circumstances allow (such as the Single Girl and Flowering Vine quilts) although I have listed Tillies Lane and Seeing Squares... which are also plodders.

** While I do promise not to buy new and exciting fabrics - I am not promising to buy new and non-exciting fabrics.  Solids or background fabrics essential to the construction of said projects may be purchased, without failing the fabric diet.

Do you have a problem??

Me... start a new project... no... you must be mistaken...

Monday the 16th. 

The first real week of the school holidays. 

It has been 10 days since my last confession post.

I may or may not have started a few new projects.

I HAVE been busy quilting the Giant Chevron.  It may even have been finished by now if I hadn't of run out of thread this morning.

We have paisley's in the blue section

Interlocking boxes in the grey...

and the navy...

swirls in the green...

and pebbles in the orange.

Walking foot straight lines through the black.

I also realised on Saturday that I hadn't even looked at the Modern Sampler blocks for the week.

So blocks 85, 86 & 87 rolled off the production line pretty quick.

I may have mentioned some new projects.  Well, this one doesn't really count because I am only cutting out applique templates as I find fabrics that I think will suit...

And this one probably does count, but is what I'm calling a slow sewing project as it involves funny template cut shapes, again cut from scraps as I find the colours that suit.  One shape/ring/quarter at a time.  I'm obviously going through an orange and/or rainbow phase.  The newspaper print may well become a solid as I reconsider the original pattern.

And for a bit of fun... a pieced robot...

To join the stars and rockets...

for a little boy quilt that will be just the ticket for school fundraising plans for next year.  This pattern was a free download from blendfabrics.com.

No, I haven't done any Tokyo Subway blocks.

No, I haven't done any more on the Japanese lady quilt.

No, I'm not going to let the men in white coats in... no matter how loud they knock.

So how old is your oldest WIP?

After at least 9 years of hovering in the "technically a WIP" pile - my half log cabin quilt is finally finished.  Fully BOUND and the last block QUILTED.  I say it was technically a WIP as it has been on and off the bed a lot over the last 8 or so years, even though it was never technically finished.

This was the second quilt I ever started, and the quilt where I discovered that I loved fabric... all fabric... and I was determined to include it all into my quilt.  I also learned some life lessons along the way - like if you have a lot of medium fabrics and use them in both the dark and light sides of a high contrast quilt... well, lets just say it limits your layout options - this was originally going to be a radiating star layout :0).  I also learned that vacuuming a quilt with wool batting is just crazy (no matter how many cat hairs you have on it) and quilt as you go is a technique to avoid.  Having said that, it is still a quilt that I love, and still find interesting to look at, even after all those years of being unfinished.

I've also finished Block 84 of the Modern Sampler.  That means only 16 more blocks to go!

My block has one ugly set of fabrics in it...

But I liked the fact that they combined the pink, orange, tan and green of the surrounding blocks.  Not the easiest thing to do with just two fabrics.

One of the organisers of the sew along commented that some of the blocks would make good designs for pieced backings... I believe she may be correct... the start of a back for the Giant Chevron quilt... it does solve the question of what to do with a 1/2m of bug fabric :0)

 

That's about it for this week... enjoy your weekend.

And so it continues...

... as promised, I did get some sewing done too.

The Modern Sampler blocks were not ignored:

And this one belongs to this current weeks lineup.   Not so modern... a good old nine patch!

The little ladies are all lined up in a row several rows... and completely sewn together.

I've cut the sashing for the outer perimeter... and sewn the short ends together.  Just need to cut the correct lengths, add a final border and get this one done and dusted.

Just exactly how many quilts can you overlap on your design wall?

Looks like four!

And photo bombing this one are some new little Tillies Lane units.  Currently sitting at 3.5" (it doesn't really count as a new project when it's a leader/ender project does it?) it just takes a smidgen of scrap fabric to cut the pieces.  They are so cute.

AND the Giant Chevron is all one piece and ready for backing and quilting decisions.  I cannot recommend this pattern enough... simply terrific.  Jess is onto a winner with this one, it can be purchased on  Craftsy or Etsy

I had quite a bit of fun with the fabric selections...

Choosing one black for the bottom section... tiny flowers

And another for the top section...

 And no I haven't forgotten that I was discussing possible options for the binding on the Reunion Playground quilt.  This red is pretty close.  And probably the only thing in my stash that looks even half way decent.  Of course, it is a moot point, as I only have 13" when I really need 18.  The hunt continues...

Just teasing...

What I got up to this weekend.

I emptied this 2L ice cream container last weekend... it's almost full again of scraps small enough to be counted as rubbish.

Tokyo Subway progress... December is dark green month.  Blocks 3 and 8 are the target blocks this month.

I also spent some time putting things away... the stash cupboard is back to being in some sort of colour order (although it doesn't look half as exciting as what it looks in real life).

And I made the final few decisions about how the Giant Chevron baby quilt was going to look... orange, grey, turquoise, dark blue and green.  Perfect for a little BOY quilt... bubs had it's photo snapped last week, luckily I played it safe and kept away from that pink stripe.

The ironing station also had a makeover... the annoying legs were removed and the top attached to a shelving unit... Perfect!

I did get some sewing done too...

To Be Continued...