Top Tip Tuesday

Here’s another tip from me for Top Tip Tuesday ....

Clean up your blocks and quilts as you go. Nobody wants to spend ages trimming threads from a whole quilt and so sometimes they don’t!! 

If you check each block as you make it and then each seam as you piece the top together, it really doesn’t take very long and it really does make a difference to the finished quilt 😊😊 

This is a longstanding WIP which I am now making progress on - which makes me very happy!

WIP Wednesday :: So many projects so little time!

I am happy to say that I have actually been sewing since the weekend.  I think unearthing some old projects gave me the motivation to get out of my sewing slump and achieve something.  I worked on two of the projects from my Projects to Finish list, but also added a few to the list too!!

The first one I worked on was the Baby Quilt from Samples.  Looking at the fabric that was left, I made another with leftover units from the sample and then decided to make 5 quick and easy bordered 9 patches.  Once I had decided that it really didn't take that long to piece them and then the quilt top.  Why did I leave it lingering for sooo long?  I think because the fabric isn't really me I wasn't grabbed by it.  But now that it is finished I see lots of possibilities for quilting.  I have no photos of this yet because it was a dark wet day when I finished it so rubbish for taking photos.

I think I am going to custom quilt this one using Pro-Stitcher.  It will be my first proper quilt to custom quilt and so will be a learning curve if nothing else.  I have wadding in my studio and I am sure I have backing I can piece for this, annoyingly it is 45" so normal width fabric is just too small, so it really shouldn't even go back on the shelf ...... watch this space!

The second quilt I worked on was my Black and Silver Jelly Roll quilt.  I pulled some black and silver fabric and thought I would add some 2" strips in the opposite direction on both ends of the quilt so that the thin red sashing wasn't on the edge of the quilt.  When I looked at it again I realised that I could use what I already had.

I unpicked 4 rows into the jelly roll portion and then simply turned it around so that the thin red strip was in the body of the quilt.  I have to say I hate redoing things - don't ask me why I would have preferred to have made piano key borders but it was actually so much quicker doing what I did and it really isn't that bad unpicking a little bit.  This is a head shift I need to make.

This quilt is going to have an E2E design quilted over it and I already know the one I am going to use.  The Pro-Stitcher library comes with loads of designs in it both designed by Handi Quilter and other designers aswell.  Saying that there are 1000s of designs out there that you can buy although I did say I wouldn't initially.  But you know how that goes right?  I saw this design being quilted out by a fellow longarmer and just loved it so I gave in!  I haven't quilted this yet and I am looking forward to it.  It is called More Square Drama from Wasatch Quilting.

So I am really happy to have two quilt tops ready to quilt .... and I am determined that they will not sit on the To Quilt Pile that I have.  A finish for Friday?  Probably not, but wouldn't it be great if they were both quilted to show you next Wednesday?!

Project to Finish :: Baby Quit from Samples

In 2018 I did a Christmas QAL over on UKQU and before the block patterns were ready to go out I had to ensure they were right.  That involved a lovely group of pattern testers who were invaluable but before the patterns even got to them I had to make samples to see which blocks I liked the most in real life.

I found three of these sample blocks last week in a bag with the accompanying fabric pieces.  I have no idea where this fabric came from but I had teamed it with Kona White and obviously had plans for a baby or child quilt.  Hmmm 3 blocks doesn't really make a quilt now does it?

I have an idea for how to finish this and actually started cutting right away!  And you see those strips at the front?  They are for the binding.  I am so proud of myself because that is usually the hurdle I fall at and so have decided to get the binding made before I have even finished the quilt in the hope that then I will attach it straight away!

Hopefully there will be good progress on this in the upcoming days ....

For the full list of Projects to Finish head on over here!

2020 - the year to get things finished!

I have a lot of projects on the go - are they still WIPs (works in progress) or are they UFOs (unfinished objects) and when does one become the other?!!  In recent years I have taken part in the Finish-Along but this year I think I am going to be accountable to myself (also I missed the deadline for Q1!).  As I go through my studio and find started projects I am going to list them to a page so at least they are documented and then I AM going make progress on them!!

The first one I found the other day was this jelly roll race quilt.  Several years ago my daughter asked for a black and white quilts with cats on.  I had never owned a jelly roll and when I saw one of blacks and silver I thought I would be able to quickly make up a quilt for her.  However, before the cats were appliqued on she had changed her mind!!

What to do with the resulting quilt?  I would not have used this fabric in this way if it hadn't been a quick quilt but I can't face unpicking it so I have decided to add a little more to the length and then get it quilted.  That can't take too long right?!

2019FAL - Quarter 1 :: My List

Finishing things seemed to go by the wayside last year so I have decided to get some motivation back by joining in with the Finish Along again.  Just looking at my photo files, I see that I first joined this community back in 2016 and it really did get me finishing things - fingers crossed it will work again this time.

The link up closed last Friday and I very quickly photographed projects to hand and linked up via Instagram,but I thought it would be good to have  record here swell ..... for accountability!  Now this certainly doesn't represent all my WIPs and UFOs but as some are now in storage since our move I can conveniently forget them.  I was still able to find a dozen projects without looking to hard so that's what I have listed!

1.  EDITED 27/01/19 - this is now complete, to read more head over here!
A quilt for Project Linus - this is my first quilt that I have pieced on my longarm and I am using a new pantograph to quilt it

Action required: quilt and trim

2. Farm Girl Vintage - this was started way back when and still only totals 6 blocks!  This isn't a realistic finish but if I could just make some progress on this I will be happy ....

Action required:  makes LOTS of blocks, piece, quilt, bind!!

3. Tumbling Spools with white background - I couldn't decide which background to use so have started two Tumbling Spools quilts as part of a the #tumblingspoolsqal with The Crafty Nomad

Action required:  make blocks, piece, quilt, bind

4. Tumbling Spools with coal background - as above

Action required:  piece, quilt, bind

5.  Teeny tiny piecing project - this is going to be yet another rainbow project!  It was inspired by making my first block as part of the #scrapbustingsewalong with Sugar Bowl Crafts ....

Action required:  make 6 more blocks, piece, quilt and bind

6.  Teeny tiny piecing #1 - this was the first time I had sewn so small and I loved it - mini quilt or cushion cover?

Action required:  finish piecing, quilt and make into something!

 7.  My Stash Bee '16 and '17 still waiting for the binding .....

Action required:  bind and use!

8. Thistle blocks from the Fancy Forest QAL18 - which I totally fell out of love with and decided to use the blocks I had made in stand alone projects - I think this will become a table runner ....

Action: piece, quilt and bind

9.  UKTQB - I have made some inroads on getting this top pieced but then the move put paid to any more work on it - I would LOVE to get this finished this quarter!

Action required: filler blocks to be made, piece, quilt and bind

10.  Puffins wall hanging - this was started in May 18 in a workshop with Catherine Nicholls and has not been touched since ....

Action required: apply pointilism, quilt and bind

11.  Improv Quilt - this was pieced last year and has been waiting for its time to come to be quilted - I have quilting ideas in my head and it's just a case of working its way up the queue!

Action required: quilt and bind

12.  Black & White Sampler Quilt - these were test blocks from my Christmas 18 QAL last year - not sure whether to sash or not ....

Action required:  piece, quilt and bind

There you have it.  It all sounds so simple when it's typed up in black and white but that thing called life does have this way of sneaking up on you and derailing best laid plans!

Are you taking part in the Finsh Along?  What motivates you to get older projects finished or is the lure of a sparkly new project just too much?!! x

2019 - Here's to a Great Year!

Wow that went quick - one minute it was 27 September and the next it's January 2019!!  Happy New Year to you all and I hope that the Christmas and New Year period was a good one.

Oh how I miss my lovely spacious studio ....

Since I last posted here we have been rather busy.  The house move finally happened - in the end we had one week from exchange to completion so that was one week to pack up my studio, pack up our family home, keep 2 children and a cat settled and not go crazy in the process!

It was wonderful to see the shelves emptying and lots of bags went to a lady who makes charity quilts - there was no way it could all come with us!

It didn't seem quite so big when it was all boxed up!

Followed by work commitments, illness and Christmas it's no wonder that my blog has been somewhat neglected.  I aim to remedy that this year.  Whilst Instagram is quick and portable I miss writing here and I especially miss having a fuller record of my creative life.

The girls only went back to school this week so I have been somewhat late entering the New Year and making plans and goals.  There is going to be lots going on this year and some stuff I am SOOOO excited about.  There will be sewing and quilting as usual but also house renovations, a studio conversion, teaching and talking - more on all of that soon.  I have temporarily housed my longarm machine at my Mum's and it felt great to finally get the frame back up and be able to quilt.

I had a play with some of Jane's rulers and some FMQ inspired by this video by Sherilyn Mortensen.

Up until last Monday I hadn't sewn a stitch for almost 3 months.  It was not good.  I had itchy fingers.  My mind was making in my head which didn't leave much room for much else.  I have finally got a sewing space set up in the house, my family are very obliging when it comes to giving up rooms (not!), and today I made a start on a lovely QAL that I have signed up for.  It is the Tumbling Spools QAL hosted by Jo over at The Crafty Nomad and is a lovely leisurely way to start the year and end up with a gorgeous wall hanging.

There's still plenty of time to take part if you want to.

Here's hoping I will be back here again ...... very soon! x

FALQ2 :: My list ....

Well I am just sneaking in under the deadline for my Quarter 2 Finish-A-Long list and I hate to say that I only finished two items on it before the end of March (and forgot to link these up) and so I have literally just rolled over the whole list!!!  Is that even allowed??!!

1.  This was secret sewing at the start of the year but it not secret any more - in fact you can see the almost finished item here.  This remains on the list because it needs rebinding ...... I am going to take of the binding I put on and finish it with facing - and hopefully I will be much happier with that edge treatment!

2.  UK Travelling Quilt Bee - I want to make some more blocks for this before piecing the top and finishing - progress has been made on this but some blocks still need to be made before the top can be fully pieced.

3.  Christmas Quilt - only needs the binding done

4.  Charley Harper Hummingbird Quilt - to be bound.  I did bind this last quarter but my machine and me were not working very well that day so I unpicked it that night and it still remains in the to finish pile!

5.  Villa Quilt from Gloria Loughman class - to finish facing

6.  Hexagon rosette - to become a cushion

7.  Stash Bee '16 and '17 quilt - this is now quilted but still waiting for the binding

8.  Low Volume Scrappy Quilt - this has been started but has taken a very different turn - photos and story soon

9.  Union Jack Flag - to finish assembly and decide what it will become

10.  Summer Sampler '16 - to decide whether to make more blocks and layout then finish

11. Christmas Tree Wallhanging - to fuse in place, quilt and bind

12.  Quiet Play Sewing Machine - to finish paper piecing and decide what to use it for

13. Polaroid Blocks - extra blocks to be made into a quilt for charity

14.  Back to Front - to finish front, quilt and bind

15.  Crocheted Heaxgons - what am I going to do with these?

16.  Black and grey quilt - started for daughter who changed her mind - need to decide what to do with it

17.  Birthday Bunting

18.  Project Linus Quilt - to be quilted

19.  Italian House - sample from Gillian Travis class in 2016!

20.  Illuminated Houses - from a class with Anne Moore - first one was gifted so I want one for myself!

21.  Caravan Tote by noodlehead

Phew!  There are a group of international hosts for this event and you can link up with any of them to join in the fun.