I can’t believe it is the end of September already. Time to share what I have been up to on the stitching front.
Where I left off at the start of the month, I had started another knitted lacy coat hanger. It was finished in no time. They are both now in use in my wardrobe.
So, what else did I get done?
ONE MONTHLY GOAL
My goal was to appliqué the EPP sections onto Border 4 of my Blue Quilt. I took it to my stitching mornings and also did some in the sunshine in the back yard, as we had some gorgeous spring weather.
Happily, I can report that the border has been added, along with Border 5. It’s really starting to take shape now. Just another three borders to go.
Patty from Elm Street Quilts has hosted OMG for the last seven years and this is the final month that she will be hosting it. I have been participating for the last six years. For the last year she has been sharing the role with Anne-Marie from Stories From the Sewing Room and from next month Anne-Marie with be the sole host. I’ll be linking up with them. Thanks Patty for all the work you have done to keep this little challenge going. I know the accountability works really well to make me progress projects rather than putting them off until another day.
RAINBOW SCRAP CHALLENGE
Aqua was the colour for the month, so they came together quickly, once I got around to them. I’ll be linking up over at So Scrappy.
KNITTING
After knitting the rust coloured beanie for Mick while away, I was keen to start another version of the pattern, with the cabled turn back. I bought some wool on our travels and once we returned home made a start. It has been a good project to pick up and do a few rows when I don’t feel like doing anything else. It isn’t finished yet, but won’t take too long. I’m really liking the tweedy texture of the yarn. I think it suits the cables.
MY SEWING ROOM
My sewing room was big hot mess when we returned home! So, I decided that I needed to do a little reorganising to make things more efficient, sort out some fabric and have a general tidy up. Well, I started…..and then my back gave me some grief, which slowed me down. (My back is better now.)
It is still a big hot mess…..even messier that at the start of the month. I’m at that stage where I don’t know where to start, so I don’t. I do need to get it sorted, as it is rather overwhelming at the moment. I will feel so much better when it is under control.
DIVERSIONARY TACTICS
With my sewing room looking like a bomb hit it and having a sore back, I decided that the best course of action was denial and started a new project using this fabric. It deserves its own post, so that will be up shortly. I couldn’t even cut it out in my sewing room, as the cutting table was buried in STUFF! Not good.
MY SCREEN DOOR
On a more positive note, I now have a screen door in my sewing room.
You see, there is a door from my sewing room to a little side verandah. However, as there has never been a screen door installed, I couldn’t have it open, as one little feline “Joey” would get out. (He is a full time indoor cat.). It would be so nice to have the door open on warm days to get some fresh air and more light. We chatted about it last summer but didn’t do anything further.
We chatted about it again at breakfast one day during this week and it was bought and Mick had it installed by lunchtime. How good was that. We’ve only been in this house for seven and a half years. You can’t rush things.
The funniest thing was that while I was taking a photo of the door open I didn’t hear Joey come into the room. The first thing I knew was him running full pelt into the screen! Oops! Just as well the screen was there or he would be out on the street. Naughty boy. I think he is aware of it now.
It was nice warm weather today and will be for the next few days (before another cold snap), so I opened the door, and set Joey’s sewing room bed in front of it. He didn’t run into the door, and before long, was settled in his bed, sleeping there most of the afternoon. I think he will spend quite a bit of time in this spot.
DONATION PROJECT
I didn’t expect to get anything done during September, but as a lot of the fabric I was trying to sort out were ones suitable for kids’ quilts I did end up making one simple little quilt top. I started this yesterday afternoon and added the borders today. I had half a metre of the Cars fabric and it was just enough for this quilt with a three inch strip left over. Rather happy with that. I think it turned out rather well.
Before I added the borders Mick told me it needed checkered flag fabric for the border. I don’t have any. He suggested I go to Spotlight, which I didn’t want to do, so I added the striped border. After thinking some more, I pieced the checked cornerstones on the border. Mick was happy with that. Just as well, as it was fiddly piecing checks that finish at just three quarters of an inch. Now I will put it aside to quilt when Monique has been excavated.
As there was a mix of fabrics, I decided that it would be a good opportunity to use up some tiddly bits of thread on spools and bobbins.
I ended up using all the ones in the first photo, other than the lime green, and several more as well. In total, 10 bobbins and 8 spools are finished. I consider that to be a bit win. I will try to use more random threads in colourful quilts going forward.
I have planned another couple of quilts when playing with my fabrics, so that was also some progress.
I have quite a few panels to use and a few are a size that really just need to be quilted as is, not requiring any borders, so with this little top added to that pile it will be a good incentive to excavate Monique and get them quilted. A few finishes will make me feel better about things.
15 MINUTES A DAY
Despite my mess and procrastination, I managed to do something on all except one day this month. To clarify, I have included sorting fabric and planning quilts in those figures, as it is all part of the process.
15 Minutes day/week = 7/7
15 Minutes day/September = 29/30
15 Minutes day/2023 = 258/272
Success rate = 94.85%
I’ll be linking up with Life in Pieces.
So even though my progress has slowed down since we came home I still have a bit to share. Now to look forward to a fun October on the stitching front.
10 comments:
I know how you feel about cleaning the sewing room. It’s great to use up all those threads and not put them to waste. I use mine on all the scrap quilts I make.
A very productive month - both meeting goals and then some. It always seems a good idea to have a tidy up and clean out but we forget about the mess created between beginning and finish. Hope that you can get the room back together to your liking soon. Nice addition of the screen door.
Great progress on your Blue quilt and beanie.
RSC blocks look good.
Hmmm! My sewing room also looks like yours as I’ve still not cleared since our quilt hanging.
Be interesting to see what you make with the fabric?
The boys donation quilt is perfect with the strippy border and checked corners..
You’ve done really well keeping up with your 15mins a day challenge.
That will be a cosy beanie once it's done. No rush with summer just around the corner.
I had a good tidy up in my room last week, Tony claimed he couldn't see the difference. Cheeky Beggar!!
Cute cars quilt top, go you on the checkered corners.
I hope your back is ok.
What a lovely post about your month of stitching. The blue quilt is looking good & you've packed a lot of handwork into the month just gone. Your sewing room isn't messy, just very well used & your poor puss,running into the door, though as we've had cats over the years, we know they can do some silly things at times. Hope you are having a lovely long weekend. Take care & hugs.
That screen door will make your sewing room so much cooler in the hot weather, I have one in my room and Gemma likes to sit there and watch any birds who come calling. Poir Joey thought he was escaping go freedom, hopefully he will be fine now and not scratch at the mesh, trying to get out. I love the little boys quilt, using four patches instead of plain alternate blocks is a good idea.
You have got heaps done considering there has been a fair bit of travelling happening too.... HOpe is looking fantastic. We had a giggle about the cat and the screen door! Starting a new project is a lot more fun that excavating!
Hugz
This is just so impressive all the way around. There's so much good here. I think my favorites are using up all the little bits of thread and also the speed with which the door got installed. Our home projects move at glacial speed.
you used your time well and i love those checkerboard corners....just perfect! i pull out those thread bits every so often and wipe out some spools and bobbins too...a great feeling!
I just clicked that the Hope in the blue quilt is very apt!! The child's donation quilt is gorgeous - the stripey border is perfect too. A very productive month - I hope you get your sewing room under control - without any more back problems.
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