Working from The List

Well one item from the list has been achieved.

The October block for the Star Of Africa bee was a book, and Nicky plans to make a wall hanging based on a library shelf.  I guess I could have used a favourite book, but the background to the bee is that we come from lots of different countries (although Nicky isn't actually that far from me), so I decided to base it on Windsor, or more specifically the Thames.

So I would like to present Wind In the Willow - Mr Toad driving his motor vehicle

(sorry the photo has reduced the contrast, I think it looks better in real life!)
 
Now I just have November (sorry Janine) and December (sorry Sana) to do and I'll be up to date not be behind any more.

Not on the list was the Rainbow Swirl (Rainbow Vortex?), but that now does have another round of triangles (it now measures 36 inches acros at the widest).  It will go away again for a while but I wanted to make sure I had the method sorted before I did Janine's Africa block and then I can return the books she very kindly lent me.

I got distracted!

It was like this . . . I had black thread in the machine for the pastcards, so I might as well do some black mending . . .  and then I could add the diamonds top and bottom of Swirls . . .

then I could start on Heather's Black and White and Pink.  I put a book on the audible, and started listening to Steig Larsson's Girl With a Dragon Tattoo (much easier to follow all the characters when you hear their names rather than read them) while I cut and stitched and ironed and cut and stitched and . . .  ooops, i'm supposed to be working on the Texture quilt, and instead I've almost pieced  the B+W+P!

This is a rubbish pic as I dont have a design wall, just a design bed, and I cant get high enough to photograph the whole top.  It will be 12 squares x 16, and each block is 4 inches finished.  At the moment I have 12 assembled pieces: each one is 4 squares by 4, and apart from the ones that create an H they can be moved around to their best potential.

I'm not too sure about the H, should the horizontal bar be three squares wide (as it is now) or should it just be two squares wide?

It was inspired by this quilt, and I hope Heather loves it as much as I'm enjoying making it.  I'll put it to one side now (her 21st is in November) and get on with the texture quilt, but it was a lovely distraction!

Can't hang around for long

I'm on my way out for a day trip to Portsmouth (to see Mummy) and then to Chichester . . . via Eternal maker (yippee!!!)

I plan to be a good girl - there are two project on the to-do list which need need fabric purchases, so I am taking blocks with me so I can get what I need!

I did get some sewing done yesterday, so here is a quick, photo heavy run though . . .

I started hand quilting the Flying Geese as a sample for next month's museum class

It then occurred to me that if any one comes in September but hadn't come in August they wouldn't have a foundation pieced block to quilt, so I'd better make a few just in case.  So I made these

(I'm enjoying foundation piecing much more than I thought I would)  I then wondered what I would do with any left over pineapple blocks.  That's when I realised that the fabrics had all come from fabrics planned for the Citrus Hole in the Ground top.  I made the centre piece ages ago, but it was very big, and very square.  I'm not a great fan of square quilts, so I though I could add some strips to it.  I had added some pink and orange chequerboard blocks to one end, and need something yellow to finish that off, but still have loads at the other end . . .  the pineapple blocks will be ideal!

I am attaching the strips to the top and to a fleece as I go (see my lazy quilt as you go method here) and have done some echo quilting and free range line quilting.  Now I have to wait until mid September to see which pineapple blocks are left for me to use!

I have pinned one diamond strip to the Swirls, and love it.  I think this will become a rectangle too, with diamonds just top and bottom.  Where I want to hang it wont take a square.

I pinned and tacked and eventually stitched nephew's shirt.  I'm taking it to mum's for approval before I press and topstitch it.  Not perfect, and a bit messy on the inside, but I'm quite pleased with it, and he cant 

complain!!!

My replacement 1/4" foot arrived so I was able to finish the pinned section of the Texture quilt.  Now I need to cut and fix some 2" strips of wadding in the wide sashing, then I can start on the final strips for the top and the bottom as we look at the photo

Finally a photo of the most innocent cat in the world:

"What me, pull the washing off the line?  Nah, wasn't me.  I was just sitting here, minding my own business, when a gust of wind blew the quilt cover off the line and pushed it under me.  And even if it didn't happen that way, you wont mind washing it again as you love me"

Diamonds for Swirls

Last time I posted I mentioned an idea for the border for the Swirls wall hanging.  Linda explained how to do some lovely diamonds, but she did hers in one colour, while I wanted to use the same scraps as in the log cabin blocks.

So I cut 2inch squares, and attached them to a 3" wide piece of black fabric.

 

I then separated the two part units, pressed them, and then added black to the other end of the coloured squares.  then I separated and pressed each unit again, and trimmed each one to 2 inches wide

 

Then they got stitched together again, but slightly offset, so the squares have now become diamonds! 

 

Thanks for the instructions, Linda, I loved buzzing and bumbling my was through these!

Brief post

Gosh, today went quickly!  Along with church and various breaks for cups of coffee as assorted daughters and friends appeared and disappeared, I managed to add another owl to the Owl Wall hanging

For those who are concerned (you know who  you are), The pink owl (formally knows as Pink) is a Home counties Arial Diving Longwinged Eagle Yelloweyed owl, (now known as Hadley) These are born beakless.  You may have seen a documentary about them on Country File: there is a charity which helps these poor birds, and it only accepts fabric donations.  I am happy to accept contributions here!

Where was I?  All that creative writing has distracted me.  Ah yes, another Owl appeared in my in box today:  Jess attends the Windsor Library class, and by Saturday afternoon had finished her owl, and attached it to her jeans where it looks very much at home with her other owls:  Thanks to mum Kate for the fab photo :-)

 

In other news, Swirls has been basted and pretty much quilted:

 

You can't see much quilting details, so here it is from the back. 

I just want to do some quilting in the black sections, and then start the binding.  I am going to use this tutorial from the lovely Linda at Buzzing and Bumbling, and use the scraps with black around the edges.  A bit fiddly using scraps, but so worth it

However, for now, it's time for bed, night night