Pushing the boat out for Christmas

New Rotary Cutter Blade

I am actually doing some sewing today, it seems like ages since I have had the chance to sit at the machine and make quilt blocks. To celebrate I have put a new sharp blade into my rotary cutter, after all - it is Christmas!

Dear Jane Count

The Dear Jane Quilt  - counting the pieces

I have taken some time today to count my Dear Jane pieces.  As you may know, the original has her name and a count of all the pieces in the original Dear Jane quilt.  It is a job I have been putting off, thinking it would be long a tedious, but no so.  I also managed to find some rogue paper pieces along the way.  In total I have 5163 pieces in my Dear Jane quilt.  Jane Stickle had 5602.  I have clearly introduced modern day efficiencies into mine.  All I need to do now is to embroider the details onto the quilt.  Can you think of any other cryptic messages I should include?

On Ringo Lake - Bonnie Hunter Mystery Quilt 2017

'On Ringo Lake' Bonnie Hunter 2017 Mystery Quilt

You may have noticed that this week Bonnie Hunter has launched her 2017 Mystery Quilt - On Ringo Lake.  Will you be taking up the challenge this year?  I have done several of her quilts in the past and it has been thoroughly good fun and I have some beautiful quilts as a result. 
However, don't get too excited as I have already decided that I don't really have time to do it this year - I was just curious to see the colour scheme.  What do you think?  As usual I think I would change it around a bit as with just the four colours you could probably come up with something quite delicious.

'On Ringo Lake' Bonnie Hunter 2017 Mystery Quilt

If you are looking for a project to fill in that slow time between Christmas and New Year, I can recommend heading over to her blog to see what is in store.  I expect I will be an onlooker, but will be checking out the progress over the next few months. 

La Passacaglia - October 2017 update

La Passacaglia - October 2017 update

It has been a while since I have had my La Passacaglia out, but a few days away allowed me to resurrect my interest in it.  It doesn't look like there has been much change since you last saw it in July, but  I can assure you that there has.  The colour scheme - well there isn't an overall one, but within each rosette I am enjoying playing with colours.
I could do with a La Passacaglia day, just to sort out how many of the rosettes I intend to do and to bring on each of the circles to the next stage, but I don't see that coming until the Christmas break. 

Wooly Sheep Wall Quilt

'Woolly Sheep' Wall Quilt Kit

I am usually quite good at sticking with projects, but once in a while I want a quick project to stop the monotony.  I have been eyeing up this felt wool project kit for a while and at the last show I went to I picked it from Pelenna Patchwork. The kit is 'Woolly Sheep' wall quilt by Rachel's of Greenfield.  The main reason I bought the kit was because everything I needed was with it ready to go.  No time wasted trying to find all the bits and pieces and preventing me from actually making something.

'Woolly Sheep' Wall Quilt Kit

It has been my go to project for the last two weeks and being only 13" x 15" it came together quite quickly.  I finished off the binding today and it is now ready to hang on my wall.

Dear Jane Progress and Rainbow Scrappy Challenge catch up

Dear Jane quilt - English Paper Piecing, removing the papers.

I have had a few days where I have spent time moving a few projects forward.  Firstly, the Dear Jane quilt has been pulled out and I have made a big effort to remove all the papers. This is slow.  Very slow.  I have done over half, but I have now left it out so that I can go and pick at it in odd moments.  Once this is done I need to count all the pieces so that I can embroider the total on the corner block.

Rainbow Scrappy Challenge - cutting May, June, July, August, September

Then I saw that the September colour for the Rainbow Scrappy Challenge had been released.  I know that my progress on this had lapsed, but when I looked back I realised I was 5 months behind.  Again, I pulled out my remaining Kim Diehl fabrics and cut enough to keep me quiet for a while.  I sewed a few, but some serious machine stitching time is required on this one.

Finally, for a second time, I forgot to enter Suzi into the 2017 Pets on Quilts competition.  So please enjoy this photo of her.

Foundation Star and Round Robin

Carol Doak Foundation Pieced Star

It's amazing how this snazzy foundation pieced star has got me into trouble.  It is part of the reason that the blog is SO quiet.  It is a Carol Doak foundation pieced star which I entered into my local quilting groups annual challenge - I won.  The prize is to choose the challenge for the following year and in my wisdom I decided we should to a Round Robin for 2017.  It is a blind Round Robin, so everything is in secret, so hence no sharing on the internet.  It is a medallion quilt, so each round gets bigger and takes longer to do and that is what I have been doing instead of any other sewing.  I also have the important role of making up the rules as I go along. 

The big reveal is in January 2018, so maybe a few shares then. Have you ever taken part in a Round Robin quilt challenge?

Festival of Quilts 2017, UK - Pies and Tarts Quilt

'Pies and Tarts' Quilt by Frances Meredith, designed by Sue Daley

Here is my entry for the NEC Festival of Quilts show 2017.  You will find it amongst the Traditional Quilts, No 538. It is a Sue Daley pattern called Pies and Tarts.  My early Followers may remember it. I have just browsed through my blog to see when I actually finished piecing this quilt - it was 5 years ago in December 2012.  Well since then I basted it, left it a while, made a pathetic attempt to hand quilt it, left it a while, bought a long arm quilting machine, still thought I would hand quilt it, and left it a little bit longer.

Unpicking basting and quilting stitches before longarming

Then one day earlier this year I decided that I would unpick the basting and hand quilting I had done (it wasn't very much) and I would quilt it on my long arm machine.  I can remember the time and pain it took to baste the quilt, but the stitching came out in no time at all ....

Long Arm Quilting

So in one day the quilt was quilted.  The binding had been waiting patiently for 5 years in a bag with the quilt.  In the evenings I have quietly attached it, added a hanging sleeve and even stitched out a label for it. It has been delivered to the organisers There is a moral in there somewhere.

Do go and see it at the Festival of Quilts this year, however, you probably won't see its fabulous Kaffe Fassett Millifiore fabric on the back - so here is a picture for you to enjoy.

July 2017 Update - La Passacaglia

La Passacaglia - June 2017

I thought I had better put up a post as my dedicated followers (Jocelyn / Mollie) have been wondering what I have been up to.  Last time I posted I had just started the La Passacaglia quilt and in the picture you can see the progress.  This one is much harder than the previous projects as there are a lot of design decisions along the way.  Life was so simple when it was just a little Dear Jane block to do. Naturally I want to put my own twist on it and finding the time to do that has been the obstacle.  It demands a lot of different fabrics and as a result my workroom has imploded with fabric and there is currently restricted access.  I haven't had time for the Scrappy Challenge and Dear Jane is still waiting for her papers to be taken out.
I have also been creatively sidetracked with other creative stuff.  I bought a Gelli plate and it has re-ignited my interest in mixed media.  Then I bought a Brother Scan N Cut once I realised I could cut all my English paper pieces from it - yes it really can.
If you are wondering what sewing I am really up to, you had better head over to my other blog.  There is no shortage of sewing going on there and it probably the best place to find me  / Follow me if you want to check I am still alive.

Rainbow Scrappy Challenge - April 2017

SoScrappy 2017 Challenge

Four months in and I am managing to keep up with the Rainbow Scrappy Challenge 2017.  The April colour was 'multi- coloured' and I have interpreted it in my own way by using fabrics which don't seem to fit into any category.

Kim Diehl Farmhouse Fabric

I have used this 'neutral' from one of Kim Diehl's fabric collections.  I love it, but it isn't quite neutral enough for most projects, but seemed to be an excellent candidate for this month.

Joining up with SoScrappy!