The Final One and a Revised Goal

Hooray!  On Thursday night I appliquéd the last block for my hexy quilt.

This pile consists of one hundred and eleven one inch hexy flowers and eight two inch hexy flowers.  I started this journey back in May last year.  At that stage I had no plan in mind for them.  It was just some hand stitching to take to my stitching mornings and may tick the Rainbow Scrap Challenge box.  I thought it would a very long term project.  I kind of had in the back of my head that I would appliqué them onto a background before joining them……somehow.

Then, in about August, the quilt “Bigs and Smalls” by Anorina Morris, was published in Homespun Magazine.  The few larger hexy flowers appealed to me. Having seen this quilt, I now had a plan to follow.  I took my blocks to Baradine in September, only to discover that Brenda, one of the other participants, was also making the quilt, but much faster than me.   Now I had the goal to have at least the top made to take for show and tell in April for Scrub Stitchin’.

It has been such a good project to take to my stitching days, take away when we travel, and to meet my 15 minutes goal each day, but to the detriment of other projects.  I now have to think about what hand work to take to my stitching days.  

Having met my self imposed goal to have all the blocks completed in January, I have revised my goal.  Now I want to have the blocks pieced into a quilt top by the end of the month.  I’m itching to get started, but as it is rather large and I don’t have a design wall,  I will leave it until when I can play with them on the “Design Floor” and not annoy anyone (Mick) too much.  

Wish me luck.

My Plans for January

As mentioned in my last post, I intend to wind back my goals this year, but still hope to achieve quite a bit.

Deana has announce the Chookshed Challenge number for January.

But first, I’ve been having a little play.  I now have ten little tubs with their numbered project, ready to pick up and go.  Aren’t I organised!!!

I even pulled out my baggies of blue and green crumbs in readiness for the Sea Glass Mini Quilt.

OK, well one isn’t exactly ready to go.  Hopefully, it will turn up before its number is picked. 

Also, I'm definitely not organised.  As usual, my sewing room is out of control. It doesn’t really look that bad in the photos, but believe me, I can’t find anything, there is no room to put some of those things and I find it somewhat paralysing.  

Back to the challenge.......

The number selected is NUMBER 6.

For me, this is to make some crumb blocks. “No goal as to how many to make.  Just have fun.”  That is perfect for this month, as I have to get a wriggle on with some planning for the church Bicentennial.

This is how many I have already made last year.  Just as well I’m not joining in with Rainbow Scrap Challenge, as the colour is pink and I have sufficient of those for now.

Let’s see if I can fill my pretty little tin.  It’s a good thing I added all those extra scraps to their tubs recently.

I do have one other little project to complete very soon.  Our patchwork group is making a raffle quilt and I need to make one more square.  It will be a two inch hexy flower, similar to what I have been making for my quilt.  These are the colours I will use.  There will be a cream low volume background and the quilt sashing are going to be navy. 

My hand stitching for the month will be continuing with appliquéing my hexies.  All the two inch ones are now completed.  

That was done while I was on Zoom with the girls on New Years Eve.

I have 40 one inch hexies to appliqué.  I am setting myself the goal to have them all done by the end of the month.  That should be doable, as I can get quite a few stitched at my patchwork days.

And here is my way to light for photos, as the ceiling lights create a huge shadow. A bit how’s your uncle, but it works.

Of course, there are other things that I wish to happen, but they will be bonuses.

While I was getting out my hexy papers for the block I need to make I noticed my full cotton reel jar.  I have two of these lolly jars and always add my empty reels.  I’ve no idea why, I just do.

Well, on the spur of the moment I decided that I will see how many reels I can empty this year.  The empty jar is now in position, ready to go.  I’ll try to check in every now and then.  Do you like my cute little silver fish eaten picture?  This was a craft project we made at school when I was in 4th class.  The picture was the cover of a writing pad.  I found it when Mum moved out of her house and couldn’t throw it away.  It suits my sewing room so well, despite showing its age.

Anyway, enough waffle, time to get stitching.

Stitching in December

I just had a look at my goals for this month and think I did rather well.

I’ve already posted about the Three Yard Dog quilt that was my goal for the Chookshed Stitchers and One Monthly Goal, and the Christmas decorations.  

In addition, I completed a long term UFO, being a little quilt to donate to the neo natal unit at the hospital.  I made its matching one a couple of years ago.  Can you spot the boo boo?  I couldn’t until I was in the process of quilting the cross hatch.  I had cut the second row from the right half an inch too wide.  Oh well, it will stay as it is.

I also added the final two borders to the Dr Seuss Quilt.  It is now waiting in the wings to be quilted.

Remember how I sorted out my sewing threads.

Well, at the same time I actually got my overflowing little scrap tub that lives on my cutting table and took it out into the kitchen and sorted the scraps by colour.

The scraps were then put in their designated coloured box.  That looks better.

While on a roll, I went through Mum’s embroidery threads that now live here and pulled out all her DMC threads.  Any that were on cards are now in the containers with mine and any duplicate skeins are put aside, so that, like my sewing threads, when I run out of a colour I can shop the duplicates first.  Add to this, all the odds and sods that Mum has and I think I have a lifetime’s supply.

My final project start for the year is a kit that I purchased at Baradine at Spring in the Scrub.  I made a promise to myself that I would make it between Christmas and New Year.  I’m pleased to report that I succeeded.

My one comment on this make is “What a Cow”.

I had my first go a spray basting.  It went well, but made the machine needle sticky, so had to keep wiping it down.

The bag stiffening is really stiff, like a hard felt.  It was incredibly difficult to manoeuvre under my machine.   Even to quilt it was rather difficult. Maybe, foam such as Soft and Stable would be easier.

Also, when stitching the sides to the base, there were three layers of batting and eight layers of fabric.  My machine really struggled with it.  However, we got there in the end.  It is definitely not my finest work, but finished is better than perfect.  

After all the trials and tribulations of this project, I like it very much.  It is really pretty and will be good for taking my projects to my stitching days.

Lastly, my hexies.  Yes, I did manage to get all the remaining hexy flowers stitched.  A long session on Zoom one day certainly helped.  I then proceeded to get them all glue basted and have already appliquéd lots of the one inch hexies onto their background.  Tomorrow will be a Zoom day for the Chookshed Stitchers, and I plan to have a very long sewing session, so should get quite a few more done.  Getting the quilt top made before Scrub Stitchin’ is looking very promising.

October Stitching Wrap Up

When I set my goals at the start of the month I took into consideration the fact that we had quite a bit planned for October.  As a result, my goals were rather simple and should have been quite achievable.  Well, maybe, my enthusiasm wasn’t what it usually is and not a real lot was achieved.  Here is what did happen.

ONE MONTHLY GOAL and CHOOKSHED STITCHERS’S CHALLENGE

I made a concerted effort at the start of the month and had these completed fairly quickly.  I blogged about them here.

FISHY BUSINESS

The only other real goal that I set was to catch up my Rainbow Scrap Challenge Fish and my Batik Fish blocks. Nope, nothing was achieved other than printing out October’s pattern.  My head wasn’t in the right space to work on it, as my cutting table seemed to be buried for most of the month.  I’ll explain in a minute.  Needless to say, I now have an even bigger task ahead of me to catch up.  It will happen.

MY WISH LIST

USE MONIQUE

The first item on my wish list was to use Monique to get a few quilts over the finish line, or at least quite a bit closer.  

I posted at the end of September that there was an issue with the thread that was tension related.  

After discussions with the technician, a new improved tension assembly was sent to us.  The result wasn’t any different, so we tried various other things.  I thought it was a bit better, but after doing a bit of quilting on a scrap piece it became evident that it is still not right.  I have not looked at it for a couple of weeks, but went back to it on Wednesday.  I give up!  We will now be travelling to the Southern Highlands for it to get a spa treatment on Monday.  Our plan is to leave on Sunday afternoon and stay overnight in a country pub on the way down, so that we don’t have to leave at sparrow fart and drive through lots of scrub in that roo time.  The technician will do the service on that day, so we can drive home on Monday afternoon/evening.  Fingers crossed that I will finally be able to make some progress on some quilts.

That is why my cutting table has been buried.  I usually have some “stuff” sitting on the long arm table.

DR SEUSS QUILT

I had wished to get the top completed with a couple of borders.  All that I have done is select the fabric for the two borders.  

HEXY FLOWER QUILT

I have made quite a bit of progress on this one.  Realistically, other than the first two goals, this is all I have worked on.  Who’d have thought my go to project would be hand stitching.

I have the first 57 blocks appliquéd.  

I have two of the large 2” hexy flowers appliquéd and one more pieced.  Just five more large flowers to piece and then appliqué. A few more flowers are stitched and, in addition to this photo, I have quite a lot more prepped, ready to just pick up and stitch into flowers.  

I have all the grey background fabrics cut.  I have to piece some of the large grey squares into four patches for the 2” flowers and to use up off cuts, created quite a few small four patches for backgrounds.  That will add a bit more interest to the quilt.  No, this isn’t a a black and white photo.  It just looks very monochromatic on my new cutting mat.

I’m really enjoying the process of this one and was so happy to be able to add some random scrap fabrics into the mix.  The fact that each hexy is appliquéd  onto a separate block means it continues to be a very portable project - perfect for taking to stitching mornings.

15 MINUTES A DAY 

I’m happy to report that I have worked on something every day, despite the Monique issue and consequent  lack of inspiration to work on anything sewing machine or sewing room related.

October = 31/31

Year to date = 281/305

Success rate = 92.13%

So, that is what I achieved this month.  Not as much as I had hoped, but it is what it is.  Now to start thinking about November.

First Week of October

There has been a little bit of stitching and associated tasks each day so far this week.

Firstly, I have made a little start on the Christmas stitchery, mostly done this morning while sitting outside in the warm sunshine.  That is by far the best light for stitchery.

On Wednesday I took my hexy squares along to our patchwork group and got quite a few appliquéd down, with a few more on Friday at my other stitching group.

At the Wednesday group, one of our members brought along a garbage bag full of scraps.  Another lady sorted and trimmed, creating a few piles of usable pieces.  I selected a few that I thought would work well for more hexies, as my obvious scraps have been used up.  At the end of the day, she announced that she was over it and the rest were going in the garbage…..Nooooo!…There may be more that I can use for hexies, as I only need small pieces.  Therefore, on Wednesday afternoon I spend a couple of hours sorting and trimming.  Quite a bit still went in the garbage as they were too small for anything and I ended up with this nice pile that will be very useful.  I have already cut a few of the smaller pieces into hexies.  The pieces that weren’t suitable, either being too small on not colours that will work have been kept as well.  If I don’t use them I know a certain lady that likes to piece with teeny tiny scraps and I will be able to pass them on to her later.

As a result, I now have a new pile of hexies, prepped ready to stitch.  I am now over half way with these, but once they are all stitched into flowers, they will still have to be appliquéd onto their squares.  A long way to go yet.

I have recently come up with a better way to take photos on my cutting mat.  You see, the ceiling lights are behind me and the little light under the shelf is in front of everything, creating shadows.  My solution is to use one of my little portable work lamps.  Too simple.  It should never work, but it does.

Did you happen to notice that I have a new cutting mat.  My old one would be nearly 20 years old and is getting a bit grooved.  The large Fiskars ones were on special at Spotlight, so I treated myself.  I have often looked for them but they never seemed to have them in stock.  This time I looked on line, where it said that yes, they were in stock.  Once I asked the sales assistant, she got one from behind the counter where they are keeping them lying flat.  No wonder I could never find them.  I have still kept my old one for those times I cut backing and batting on the dining table, which has much more room to move around.

A bonus project progression happened on Friday.  One of my lovely stitching friends has been reading my blog and read that I was feeling rather overwhelmed.   Well, she very kindly took pity on me and offered to deconstruct my little crochet rug at our Friday group.  She made a start……but let’s say…..this rug was not going to fall apart.  The joins were crochet, so would easily undo, but I had done a very good job of weaving in my ends.  In the end we both worked on it and got most of it done that morning.  In the afternoon I continued working on it and now I again have a nice pile of blocks ready to join once more, this time by sewing them rather than by crochet, so hopefully they will sit nice and flat.  They are now packed away, to be a job for another day.  I must say, it does feel rather good to have that job behind me and I can’t thank my friend enough.  It was so kind.

In the garden, our potatoes in the tyre have been growing, so today a second tyre was added and some extra soil to build up to nearly the top of the leaves.  They are growing so fast.

We got brave on Thursday and went and bought our vegetable seedlings - tomatoes, zucchini and eggplants, as well as some flower seedlings - dianthus and portulaca.  Of course, now that they are in the ground we are expecting morning temperatures of about 3 or 4 C, so each night they will all be covered, along with the potatoes.  Some look quite ghostly, with frames shrouded in white sheets, while others are just draped with old towels.

Speaking of ghostly apparitions…… it’s a bit freaky walking into our bedroom at the moment, as this is in the corner.  It kind of takes you aback at first, especially at night.  What? Why?  This is my wedding dress.  I have it out, hoping some of the creases in the dress and petticoat will drop over the next couple of weeks.  You see, next year, as part of the bicentenary events for our church, there will be a display of wedding dresses, photos of weddings at the church and christening robes.  I’m going to have mine on display at the church fete in a couple of weeks to promote it and request contributions for the display.

When I look at it, I realise how very tiny I was back then.  “Victoria” our antique dress form has a tiny waste and my dress only just goes around it.  My waste was 23 inches back then and I weighed 52kg.  The back zip is not done up at this stage, as Victoria’s bust is too large.  Fortunately, she is adjustable, so we have to have a play and see if we can get her to fit my dress. When I look at it I marvel at what a beautiful job my Mum did on making this dress, with fine pin tucks and lace.  It was designed to enable me to wear my Grandmother’s cameo brooch.  No, it will not be added for the display.  It has too much sentimental value.  

Now I just have to hunt out my christening dress.  It is packed away somewhere in Mum’s things in our garage.  Wish me luck.

Finally, as today was such a nice day, we decided to go for an outing and have lunch in a country village.  Firstly, to find somewhere that was open for lunch.  We were surprised how many country pubs were closed on the long weekend Monday.  Thank goodness we did a little ring around before heading off.  Plan A was to take “Olga the old girl” sidecar for a run.  Well, that didn’t happen, as she didn’t want to start, and once started, didn’t want to run.  Mick thinks she needs a new battery as well as a little TLC.  We still went for our drive, just in the car.  Lunch was at a nice little cafe at Tarana.  We then took a wobble tour on the way home via some minor gravel roads.  We even found a sweet old timber bridge, which is becoming hard and harder to find.

And that about wraps up the week.