Plus Quilt - Finish Along Finish number 1

I actually finished 2 of the projects on my quarter 4 finish along list pretty soon after I wrote the list, but never blogged about them.

The first is this plus quilt, I started cutting the squares in September 2013, playing about with my then still pretty new Sizzix machine. I cut the rest at the April 2014 Leeds MQG meeting and the following day started playing with layout. Thanks to friends on Instagram I decided on this layout and sewed it together.

In July when I was putting together my Finish a long quarter 3 list I pulled the quilt top out, photographed it and added it to the list, and did the same with my quarter 4 list...

It then went on holiday to Southwold with me where the lovely big floor spaced enabled easy basting to happen (with help from my lovely husband).

A quilting station was set up on the dining table and I just quilted a simple 1/4 inch away from all the seam lines 36 39inch long lines of quilting. Watching Kinky Boots at this point.

More quilting - only took 2 hours to do it all.

All quilted and trimmed, again instagram helped with binding decisions.

After a couple of failed attempts with machine binding (I didn't have any suitable thread, and then had no needles so had to buy some) I hand finished the binding.

Then it came home, with the other one I finished on holiday, and sat in my living room for a couple of months.

But here it is, 39 inches square, kiss dots from a bundle I got from Pink Castle Fabrics the backing also came from their in a sale. The binding is Rain from Simply Solids.

So this quilt, and my other finished rainbow ones need washing, labelling and posting out to the babies of University friends I planned to send them to before the girls are far too old for them. Less procrastinating in 2015 please Helen.

Linking up with Katy @TheLittlestThistle and Finish a long 2014 quarter 4:

My list is here: http://changingthisstory.blogspot.co.uk/2014/10/finish-along-quarter-4.html

Goodbye 2014 - Belated Fresh Sewing Day

My in-laws came to stay over New Year so Christmas was rather extended this year and opportunities to blog limited. 

I did manage to make a few mosaics though. 

These are my December finishes. 

Firstly my Sparkle Punch quilt which I mentioned in my last blog post, amazingly finished and received my by mum on her 60th birthday, 2 1/2 weeks after I started it. She bought it back over Christmas so I could take some better photos (well my husband could) which I will share in a blog post too. 

I also tested Erin @dogundermydesk new pattern Take Off Tote in between making the quilt. It's a brilliant bag, this is going to be a gift and I'm going to make another one in colours that are more me for taking to work.

I also finished a couple of Michelle's Patterns dumplings for gifts for our secret santa at work and another work colleague who I wanted to thank. and worked more on my my current epp project while we had guests, it's bigger than this now! 

Finally I actually finished something on my finish along list in between sets of relatives - it's a quilt made from blocks from Katy Jones @I'magingermonkey book and needs it's own post now for the finish a long.

So I'm pretty pleased with my December efforts considering Christmas, work, volunteering and all the other things going on. January is going to be all about busting the rest of my finish a long list that I'm carrying over and a few other half finished things too and enjoying playing on my new sewing machine... 

I'm linking up with Lynne, both for fresh sewing day and small blog link up as my fledgling blog is tiny at the moment. Have a great January everyone. 

                          

Fresh Sewing Day - November gone in the blink of an eye

It's 7 weeks since I blogged, on holiday, about my aims for the last quarter of the year, which we're now about 2/3 through. I missed November's fresh sewing day completely.

I had a wonderful holiday and then suddenly everything went a bit all over the place, new bathroom took 3 weeks, we've both been doing a lot of volunteering, not home very often, tired, house is a mess etc etc.

Looking back through my phone I have done some sewing and crochet over the last two months. On holiday I fixed my hexagon blanket (I'd missed round 4 out on about 15 hexies so they no longer looked right) and quilted and bound two of my WIP quilts, must do reveals for these.

Since being home I've dabbled in a bit more crochet, a couple of epp projects and started an Aragon bag. Got frustrated with it, pieces now all over living and dining room.

Yesterday I started cutting and piecing a new quilt, obviously with so many WIPs I needed to start another but it's for a special birthday present for later this month. Over 75 fabrics, 360 3 1/2 in ch squares in many different colours and 288 in Sketch mist later I was ready to start piecing. It's the Sparkle Punch Quilt by Elizabeth Hartman. Planning on doing a few rows a night this week  - lets see if I can have a finished top by Saturday.

Not got any Christmas gift sewing planned this year, need to be realistic, my Sparkle Punch quilt and then WIPs are my priorities. 

I'm linking up with Lynne, both for fresh sewing day and small blog link up as my fledgeling blog is tiny at the moment. Have a great December everyone. 

                          

Finish Along 2014 quarter 4

After my less than successful quarter 3 I'm back with a new optimism for quarter 4. Unsurprisingly 8 projects are carry forwards, the 3 I made progress on in quarter 3 and the 5 I didn't touch.

Then there's a quilt top that I started last quarter but didn't finish and also a Noodlehead divided baskets that I cut out in May, put to one side then rediscovered last week to take the total to 10.

5 quilt tops to baste, quilt and bind:

3 sets of blocks to make into tops, then baste, quilt and bind:

A cushion to quilt, make up and bind:

And finally the new addition of a divided basket:

I'm linking up with Katy for 

I'm currently trying to do this on a nexus 7 with slightly dodgy internet so the formatting isn't great for now - I'm going to sort it out when I can but that'll be after deadline which I don't want to miss.

Finish Along Quarter 3 Round Up

OK so it turns out I was a bit ambitious last time with my finish along aims for my first attempt - quarter 3.

I had so much hope but the extra time over the summer didn't happen and I only have 2 finishes from the 10.

I did make progress with three others though too:

Finished the rest of these blocks

Made a pile of strips into this quilt top

And added the border to this.

I also started and finished this quilt top:

And pattern tested this bag:

I've done a lot of crochet too which I didn't do last summer - I think a fair amount of travelling combined with a busy time work has meant crochet has been easier than machine sewing this summer.

I'm currently writing this on my Nexus 7 with a slightly dodgy internet connection so I'll leave this like this now and format better when I'm on a proper computer.

Needed to post this before I do my finish along aims for quarter 4 tomorrow.

Finish along finish Number 2 - Date Night Purse

Just in the nick of time - I finished a second item on my Finishalong list my date night purse by Dog Under my Desk.

I'll blog in more detail about it and other bags I've made in the future. 

This was project number 10 on my Finish along list: http://changingthisstory.blogspot.co.uk/2014/07/finish-along-quarter-3.html

Linking up with Katie for

Fresh Sewing Day - that was September or third time lucky

Don't have a lot to show for September looking back through my photos which is sad. 

Sewing wise things started well, I had a great day at Leeds Modern Quilt Guild and got something on my finish along list finished, albeit the easiest one. Then my in laws came to stay, for a total of 26 hours, but it meant all my sewing bits that were in the dining room were shoved unceremoniously into my sewing room and the door shut (just about) and 3 and 1/2 weeks later I've not touched my machine since. 

It's been another hard month at work and I haven't found Guiding easy to get back into after the summer break either. On the positive side I've done a fair bit of gardening during the daylight hours I have been home so that's been nice and productive even if not in the sewing sense. We also have our shed at last (funded by my fabric destash at the start of the year) so we have filled that with gardening things from the garage which in turn should allow some things currently in the house to go into the garage and make some more space inside too. 

I've found myself crocheting a lot this month. I finished my vstitch blanket and also made a whole little one for my friend's impending arrival. I also made my very first baby hat for him/her too and finally a random crochet block too from a crochet a long (which I intend to add to in time, I'm hoping it'll improve my skills). 

So this is the sum total of my makes for September:

But I'm going to get some of the ironing mountain finished tonight and then I intend to get my machine out and sew something, anything, just sew! 

Hope you all had more fruitful Septembers sewing wise than I did and that you have brilliant Octobers. I have another holiday to look forward to and after my productivity whilst away in June the sewing machine is definitely being packed this time too. 

I'm linking up with Lynne, both for fresh sewing day and small blog link up as my fledgeling blog is tiny at the moment. Have a great October everyone.