Circa 2016 is no longer in pieces

Circa 2016 was a series of free quilt blocks to make a entire quilt from Temecula Quilt Co in 2016.  When I go back and look through my blog I did manage to stay fairly on track and was just trying to put it all together in late January 2017.  And from there it stagnated.

I do vaguely remember having a try to put it together once before.  The main issue was that the centre medallion was not the measurement in the pattern. And the side panels were different lengths.  Yep nothing was perfect.  But I pinned the heck out of it over the weekend and when my maths failed, I just kept pinning and sewing.  Its all together now, a nice lap size, but too big for a wall hanging.  

Its rippled and a bit stretched.  I dont even want to check how many points I may have lost. Lots of lessons have been learned since then about getting accuracy in small blocks.  Eventually it will get pinned and quilted.  But more importantly I have overcome the tricky bit and as a result I have another empty project box and one less old UFO.  

And that means I can justify starting a new quilt...doesn't it?!

Happy quilting Sue.

Falling charms finished in red and Spider-man!

Another one of my kids charity kit quilts that someone else sewed up.  There is a small mistake in the pattern in one corner, but its such a lovely quilt that I am sure nobody will mind.  

 

I had no hand in making this fabulous Spider man quilt, but wanted to show you how easy and fun kids quilts can be with a bit of homespun and a panel.  I have no idea why I need to convince you, because its me with the panel collection!! LOL I will get around to them one day!

This was a kit from my stash (still regretting the dark purple strip) using a pastel pink background and backing donated from my mothers stash, sewn by a member of our quilting group Pam, then quilted and bound by another member Denise.  I am very pleased by the result, but not this photo - it was a very dark cold winters day and the colours are not this dark.
Quilt photos are very rare at my place now as the pile of charity quilts to finish dwindles and my own sewing output is nearly zero.  I am enjoying my new job, but just not enough hours in the day to do any sewing as well.  Weekends yields a little free time that I have ended to spend in the garden when the weather was nice - I am blaming being cooped up inside non stop!
Happy quilting Sue

Two bags, two bears paws and some retail therapy

I made this bag twice.  I cut it out, sewed most of it together and it would not work.  Much swearing and despair later I gave up.  A friends advise was to make the small version first, so I did and it worked.  Much sewing of incorrectly cut pieces later I got the large version finished.  Its shallow but wide, so great for carrying fabric bundles or even a large quilt.  Disappointingly I have used a lot of very expensive fabric to make this bag, so learned my lesson, always make the smallest version in scrap first!

Small bag was gifted to a nephew who is one and just at that age that carrying things around, hiding things etc are fun.

On the making front I also completed two blocks for donating to a lady who was making teenage boy quilts.  I used some striped fabric I had picked up from a online destash.

I brought a large collection of reproduction fabrics online from a destash also, but dont have a picture. Hubby didnt say a word, but he must have wondered because the bag was super heavy, as I got meters and meters, mainly $10 p/m, so bargain prices!  Most of them were either backgrounds or backings.

This collection I purchased from Periwinkle Patchwork, over the phone with some help of a few photos emailed.  I want to make another chevron quilt, after the easy success of the tennis quilt, but this time a smaller HST, because it is a cot quilt. I am not sure if rabbits go with sea creatures, but its all cute, so that is good enough for me!

Happy quilting Sue

Some super cute kids quilts I didnt make

I had scheduled two workshops to make kids charity quilts earlier in the year and they both had to be cancelled because of COVID19.  I had worked hard cutting up my scraps and making kits so people just had to turn up ready to sew.  This made it easy to distribute some kits to people who were looking for projects during the COVID19 Stay at Home" weeks.  Jan Hopper made this kit which is a scaled down version of the pattern Meet me in the Middle.  I had purchased the light blue as a background especially as I am sick of white or tan!  The pattern just uses 2.5" strips and some yardage for background, so a great scrap buster and perfect kids quilt in my opinion.

These novelty fabrics are definitely left overs squares from my stash, but I only included the multi coloured star border print not the yellow sashing or binding in the kit. So pleased Jan Hopper added the yellow sashing, it just makes this quilt sing!  

I have found it really exciting to get these quilts back and see the finished product.  I have also been getting tops back from various people and I have one friend Denise that is  happy to quilt them which is a big relief.  I have started a six month work contract, so full time work and a two hour daily commute does not allow much time to do my household chores let alone quilt.  I am more than happy to bind after Denise quilts, so we are both happy!

I am not keeping up with blog reading,  but with other peoples sewing to show off, hopefully I can keep up posting on my blog for a bit longer.  

Happy quilting Sue.

Pumpkin and black mini in progress

After months of making charity quilts I recently made a mini quilt from the Quilts and More magazine, which then inspired me to make another.  This pattern is called Nine Patch Checkerboard (22'x22") from the Jo Morton book Little Favourites.  The pattern in mini quilt books are not always true scaled down miniatures, but this one uses 1.5" squares, and that was sufficient challenge for me at the time!

I figured it would be "easy" because there were mainly squares v triangles...however trying to square up the block was a bit dicey.  I definitely need a new small ruler with more 1/8" lines marked all along the ruler.

I also struggled to find much variety in my black fabric.  In the end the final block uses two different scraps of black fabric, in order to get enough to make a block!  As some of the fabrics are quite colourful and busy I ended up ordering a larger piece of black from Elm Grove Patchwork for the borders.  I found that I have a substantial collection of pumpkin and cheddar fabrics, so really had fun auditioning the different prints for the tiny border.  

 

My birthday plant from last year has a new flower and a second one down closer to the base about to come out.  I think this is a peace lily, but no matter what it is, I just adore the colour of that flower!

 

Happy quilting Sue.