UFO for March

I finished the binding on this quilt a while ago but forgot to blog about it...

Googy Girl co-ordinated a 9 patch swap a few years ago and I was lucky enough to be part  of it... We all made a number of the same 9 patches in our choice of reproduction prints.  Then these were all sent to Googy Girl who split them up and sent them back all packaged up so nicely

 This meant we all ended up with a lovely wide range of 9 patches... such fun and made it easy to do.  Making a bunch in the same colour way can be done in strips as opposed to little 2 1/2" squares..

This is the quilt I made with my blocks - I took out the pinky ones as I specifically wanted this to be for my almost teenager eldest grandson....  

I custom quilted the blocks, with these twisted orange peels in the darker blocks

... and a curved ribbon in the lighter blocks

(hard to see but this second picture is a little better)

.. an a twisted ribbon look in the sashing - miles of sashing!!

the binding was made and I finally sewed it all on earlier this month ...

It's a lovely warm masculine quilt ....

Susan made her quilt up some time ago and had some spare blocks which she sent to me and I have made up a second quilt using them.... the same but different!!

The squares have all been sashed and then recut on a very slight angle to give it a bit of a wonky look...

.. so here is the flimsy top of my second 9 patch... it's going to have to wait a while to be finished off 

A lovely swap idea Googy Girl, thanks to all the ladies who contributed and to Susan for the extra blocks.

I'm pleased to say I have one of my UFO's finished this month - but I also managed to make another one too!! 

Righto, Gotto Go.... I'm going to have a dig in my drawer to find a SMALLER UFO to finish....

UFO finish for February ....

Wendy and Dawn have revived the Sew It's Finished blog with an aim to motivate us to finish off our UFO's.... I am trying to at least do one per month....

This Christmas Bag has remained unfinished for a few years now.  I had completed the stitchery and even put the front together so there wasn't a huge lot left to do.

This is one of Michelle Ridgway's tote bag designs called "Amongst the Holly"

.. there is a sweet Robin and holly detail on the ric-rac.

... I quilted the back in a wiggly cross hatch... not too noticeable but it will hold it together.  The pattern called for iron on wadding which I didn't have so I sewed it on!

I did a 9 patch earlier which I showed HERE (I still haven't sewn down the binding but that's my plan in March UFO)

There were still some blocks left after that quilt and Susan kindly passed on to me some of hers she had spare.  AlsoI  had some fabric cut into strips from when we did the swap so I made them up too - as a result there are a few duplicates in this quilt but it has ended up a nice size with 63 blocks.

I chose to sash them in soft background fabrics and I raided my scraps'nstash for this - cut 2" strips and sashed all round.. then trimmed them all back to 9" squares on a slight tilt

... I love using my door peeper to see if I like the way the colours are laid out

(makes a pretty fun picture too!!)

..the blocks are all laid out now - I have sewn the top row together so it looks shorter than the rest here.....

So this is what is on my Design Board this week - I'm linking up with Cath at Bits 'n Bobs

Righto, Gotto Go... those seams aren't going to sew themselves!

A UFO finish..... woohooo

I love to go through my UFO's at the beginning of each year and I always have a strong urge to work on them.

Sew It's Finished is a blog cared for by Wendy and Dawn and it's for encouraging us to work on our projects and try and get one finished each month.  I joined in a couple of years ago with great success  (even though I ended up starting just as many so at the end of the year I still had just as many UFO's - just different ones!)

I'm going through my boxes and things, taking pictures and setting up a page to list them... this is what motivates me as I like ticking off things and out of sight is out of mind in my case so if I can see them I remember....

So here is my list page  and I haven't bothered to count them.... there are also a bunch of stitcheries that are sewn and not made up... I will go through them in time so I can remember what I sewed!

I am delighted that I have just finished one of them!!! and its the HUGEST one too

I have been diligently hand stitching the binding down in the evenings this week... all  432" or 10.8metres!

It covers our Queen Size bed very well....

the top is made completely from scraps 

I struggled to find a backing I liked so I bought a doona cover from Ikea ($20 special)  and cut it and joined again to make it the right size.... I love the backing too so it makes a great alternative if I want a change! 

I showed the quilting I did for the blocks HERE.... it took a while!!

this quilt was made in stages over the last few years.... I'm thrilled with having a good size quilt for my bed - though at the moment it is too hot for it so it will just be a day time cover.

Righto, Gotto Go... there's more UFO's lurking.....

FNWF

Our first FNWF of the year... thanks Dory for having us over!

I have revived a UFO from 2013 ..... I did a lovely set of teacup stitcheries but wanted to add some teapots before I put it all together....

It was also the first of our fortnightly sewing with the girls at The Quilters Angel so I went along and worked on the roses teapot..... just the handle to go now...

I must try and pop over HERE and see what everyone else got up to....  everyone is welcome.... see you next time??

There was a nice surprise dropped off by Mr Postie this week from Susan - two design boards (different sizes)

they are made with quilt wadding and binding around the edge and fabric sticks beautifully on them....

... and they fit perfectly inside my new sewing folder I got from Lyn at Christmas which I am using for my Sampler Blocks at the moment....

Thanks Susan, they are just perfect and such a lovely surprise!!

I have started trying to go through UFO's to list what there is.... thus the revisiting of the teacups/pots above....  Wendy and Dawn are getting Sew It's Finished up and running again this year and so I hope this will keep me motivated to finish some of them....  

... wanna come join us and work on those projects hanging around????? ....

I'm also joining up with Narelle's 'One Christmas Item a Month' ....

 I'll be working on a big project so want to get a block done each month at least ... I have the fabric

Righto, Gotto Go... did you notice these fabrics on the board above?  I'm playing with them today and I'm determined they are not going to be a UFO.....

there will be a prize if you can guess what I'm making?

Oh and by the way.... my car is considered a right off!

It doesn't look so bad but the wheel is squashed in and between the panel beating and the wheel shaft it is cheaper to right it off!!!

... so we spent yesterday hunting and test driving..... I fancy this one.... but Hubz is not so keen...

Have a Happy Day whatever you are doing....xx

Cleaning up space....

Melody has been making lots of goodies with felt.... (she also finds lots of tutorials and ideas from the www ... so keep an eye on her blog for ideas).  I am sending her some pieces from my 'stash'....

Some time ago I got extremely enthusiastic and bought up the op shops of lots of wool blankets.... now I still love working with my recycled wool felt but a blanket does make an awful lot.... and I need to clear up a bit of space ....

so I am offerring a trade (I have done this before) and will send off a 500g bag of wool felt in exchange for a fat quarter or similar size of a nice neutral... something good for background applique or stitchery....

Sorry... Australia only.... external post is just too high..... I cannot guarantee colours - there will be a mixture... some are quite thick from blanket, others are dressmaking wool, plains and plaids  No pretty packaging... I will just stuff the bag as full as I can.....

Let me know if you would like some....

In my finding space frenzy I picked up this UFO .... I did some stitch in the ditch quilting....

... and now the binding is on....

I had a fat quarter of that lovely vintage style pictoral fabric so I fussy cut the centres... then used the Sawtooth 12" block and bordered it...

Righto, Gotto Go.... I still seem to have a whole lot of half done things.... perhaps I should start something new....  well... I did get a finish....... 

Some trivia for you....

Friday 13th and a full moon coincide this month .... last one was in 2000 and next one will be 2049.  

Wallhanging...........

Some time ago a friend gave me a flimsy that she had made and, for some strange reason, didn't want anymore....

I added the blue border and then used it to practice some quilting... tighter than I usually do so the wallhanging is quite firm

It's one of the UFO's that has been lingering in the cupboard... 

I quilted a few different shapes.... little orange peel type on the vase...

... and swirls in the background....

... and kind of paisley shape in the flowers ....

This week at Quilt group I put the final stitches on the binding.....

... for my hand sewing I have done another of Rosalie Quinlans Scandanavian Rose blocks.... as you can see all in backstitch and this one is using a Cottage Garden thread Canna.... 

Righto, Gotto Go..... this is a little fish I saw when in Tasmania..... he makes me laugh ....