2017 Wk 6 - a super squishy

Amo recently posted about using dog fabrics to make quilts to raise money for a dog charity, and I sent her some pics to see if what I had was any good.

Before I had a chance to post the fabrics to her she sent me a box of fabrics in exchange. I have to say she has sent me about 10 times what I sent her, but she says it was very liberating to destash . . . Well I was delighted to facilitate - and I have spent much of today planning what to do with them!

Thank you Amo - I did finally get the dog fabric in the post today!

I managed a little bit of sewing during the week, while I was embroidering sweatshirts for the preschool the last few evenings - one more heart for my calendar quilt. This is June

To go with February, March, April and May

 

Not sure of colours for July or August though

 

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The one where I planned May's block

Today's been a bit full on- Niki and I tried a yoga class this morning - I'm going to ache tomorrow!!! 

And there was Crafty Church this afternoon (where I forgot to take any pics) and we're out this evening, but I have managed to pull the squares for May's calendar block!

Anyone know why it's red white and blue?

Hope you're all having a good weekend xxxxx 

The one where I started a rainbow

You know if you have lots of UFOs you should really finish *something* before you start something new? Yeah, I laughed too, and then I pulled these rainbow fabrics

And then I cut the new greys into 2.5" strips

And then the guilt (and the mess) finally won and I finished the April calendar block

So you'll have to wait to see my rainbow plan!

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The one where I made an April block

With a bit of help from Jackie I decided that April was going to be yellow!

It's not finished yet, but when I've stitched the strips together it will look a bit like this:

And a daughter's boyfriend has his birthday tomorrow.  We got him a boring phone charger battery pack, and I made this for a bit of fun to store it in.  Thanks for the inspiration Kathy

The one where I made a March block

Having yesterday made a February block for my calendar quilt, today I made March: March felt like a yellow and green month!

Most of the hearts will be based on the Norwegian heats we make at Christmas: like this one

I also embroidered some PE kit for a customer,

And started on some uniforms for the girls at Chertsey Museum

Tomorrow will be more of the same!

The one where I wanted to make a Calendar Quilt

I have a vague vision of a Calendar Quilt, but the image keeps changing!

I was tidying the sewing room (to make room for all my new goodies) when I found 4 embroidery blocks that were the start of a calendar quilt a long time ago (January 2013!).  But I decided I didn't like them.

I also found a whole load of 2.5" squares in assorted colours, and in low volume shades, and I found a pretty but empty box

So I sorted the squares into the box

I made the first of the new Calendar blocks (this is for February)

I have decided to 'lose' the previous blocks (does anyone want them before they become filling for a dog bed for Battersea Dog's home?)

And I have a tidy shelf in the sewing room (sadly one tidy unit, 6 not-so-tidy units!

And my secret sewing last week has been delivered and is in use!!!!!

And Now April

I think this is becoming a bit addictive! 

I couldn't decide if I fancied bright colours, or pastels for April, so I stitched it twice

I still don't know which I like best

March Already?

And now I've done a block for March's entry for the calendar quilt.

I got married in March (nearly 25 years ago!!!)  and although I had silk flowers in my bouquet, we had fresh daffodils on the tables at the reception: I love daffodils, and am really pleased how these have turned out.

February Fun and a Flutterby

Carrying on with the calendar blocks, I have now done a February block - well actually I did two as I'm not sure which one I like best:

I also have been working in Janine's block for the Start of Africa Bee.  Janine wanted a butterfly, where the wings represent our home location, and the centre has some words, preferably foreign.

This has had me thinking since November, very unsure what to do.  There is enough OCD in my genetic makeup that if I make a butterfly, it has to be symmetrical and that didn't really lend itself to anything I could think of.  I did think of a map, but went off that idea.  Then I thought of a windmill - there is one within two miles of my house, we watched it being built, about 20 years ago.  It's not a working windmill, its a cross between a home and a folly - the owner wanted to build one, so he did!!

 

 
I tried a machine embroidered picture of the windmill, I could easily do another one as a mirror image to achieve the symmetrical wings, but I still didn't like the idea

This morning I was clicking around some blogs (anything other than get up and go to work) and saw a pinwheel block described as a windmill - and a light bulb went off.  I stitched two halves of a pinwheel block (but symmetrical) and used them for the wings. 

Then I had to consider the requirement for foreign text.   Well I AM Norwegian, and you would think that having lived there until I was three I would be able to speak some of the language, but sadly very little.

One of about three phrases I have left is "Jeg kan ikke snakke norsk", so I machine embroidered that (and it's mirror image) onto the centre strip.  I will save you having to go to translate.google.com - it means "I cannot speak Norwegian"!!!

I hope you like this Janine x x


(Why Flutterby?  That's what I used to call them when I was a kid, and the alliteration worked better!)

Changing a PHD

The PHD being referred to is not rocket science or micro bionics, rather it is a long neglected Project Half Done.  I had an idea to do a Calendar Quilt, with different images for each month.

Years and years ago I got this far:

January

 February

 

March

But I went off the blocks, so it never got any further.  I remembered it as I was doing the paper piecing yesterday as, as you can probably see, the January snowflake had been paper pieced.

Today I decided to look at doing the designs as machine embroidery instead

So here is the new January

I'm not sure what I'll do with these blocks, but I do think I'll keep going with the designing
.

Bits and Bobs

I have been doing some sewing - an I spy quilt for a customer, but I haven't yet taken a photo of it (and its downstairs waiting for the binding to be stitched on next time I watch TV and I'm upstairs!!!)

But I can show you the layout of Stained Down Under (which needs to be imagined with black sashing, not mother's cream carpet sashing)

And one of the Fun With Fabric ladies' finished floor cushion

And my very exciting new template ruler from Jill at TabSlot  that arrived this morning.  Jill sells acrylic templates and rulers from her ETSY shop, and will cut them to size.  I quite understand that this looks a strange template . . .

I wanted 73/4 inch sides, (13.5 inches side to side), but Jill's acrylic sheets are 12 x 24, so she couldn't cut the size I wanted.  If you look closely at the two right hand side corners (marked in white) she has cut the start of the final two sides, so I can use the template to cut 4 sides, then flip it around, swapping the two yellow angles with the two white angles, and cut the final two sides.

Less hassle than it sounds,and VERY exciting as not having had this template has resulted in my long planned hexagonal calender quilt being mothballed for several years, and now I can start working on it again - yippee!