That Wasn’t Expected

On Friday I realised that I had no hand stitching to work on at my stitching morning.  That’s not technically true, but there was none that I could work on for my projects that I am currently concentrating on.

Time to have a dig into the other projects and the one that surfaced was my Slow Stitching Pouch.  This was started back in June 2025.  You can read about it here.  I completed the slow stitching part in August, while up at Baradine.  You can read about that here.

I had left it at the stage of having to have a think about how to proceed.  That seems to be the theme of why things stall with me.  Anyway, I had stitched everything down onto a very light weight pellon and felt that the pouch would need more structure. 

This project was to be completely made by hand.  No sewing machine on this one.

Last month I had made a frankenbatting to use and I had previously selected a pretty fabric for the lining.  Time to lay it all out and work out how to join the layers together, as I felt they would be a bit loose otherwise.

I decided to use invisible stitching to attach the lining to the wadding and then flip it over and do the same from the front, as I didn’t want to detract from the stitching I had already done.  Looking at the above photo, the stitching really is invisible.  I fortunately had the perfect matching thread.

The pin is pointing to a stitch.  I just took a teensy weensy stitch and then threaded the needle through the middle of the layers as far as it would go, about two inches, before taking the next stitch. They were so hard to see that I actually sewed over them at a couple of spots.  

I had the lining and half the outer stitched down while at the stitching morning.  As I was enjoying myself so much, after lunch I set myself up on the back verandah and kept going.  The weather was perfect.  The sting has now gone out of the heat.

A lot of slow stitching projects have raw edges just whip stitched or blanket stitched, but I’m not really a fan of that style for me.

I had thought to bind the two short ends in different fabrics, but looking at the size of the lining, decided to just self bind by turning it under.  It worked well on the first end, with some additional running stitch for texture.

I then trimmed the sides of the piece and the other end………flush with the top.  Sometimes I really don’t know where my brain is.  Oh well, it looks like that end would be bound with a different fabric….back to Plan A.

I used the blue fabric I had originally thought of using.

Now to actually construct the pouch.  As this was to be completely constructed by hand, initially I just whip stitched the sides together.

Then I bound them.  Time to see what was lurking in the binding scraps tub.  There was one that would work quite well and there was enough for both sides……..except for 3 inches.  That would be right.  What else is there?  I found a scrap of a green fabric that I had used in the body of the pouch that would work OK, so I just added it onto the other binding. This was then added by hand and then slip stitched down.

Before long it was completed.

It is just the right size for an iPad, not that I need a pouch for my iPad.

Having said it is completed, I may add a little more to it at a later date.  I haven’t added any closure and the inside of the flap looks a little bare.  Maybe somewhere to put some needles if using as a project bag? 

 

I’ll mull over it for a while. It is  “slow” stitching after all.

Batik Fish For Scrub Stitchin’

It’s time to start getting serious about what projects I’m going to take to work on at Scrub Stitchin’, which is just on a month away.  

The first project is to finish the applique for the Batik Fish Quilt.  I last worked on this project back in 2024, so it’s time it progressed.

Before I did anything, I thought it prudent to actually see where I was up to and to make sure I wasn’t going to replicate anything too much.  They are looking good together.  23 blocks down, ten to go, by my calculations for the size I want to make.

The most time consuming part of this is to work out the colours for each fish.  Yesterday, I traced the patterns, selected the fabrics and fused the papers to the fabric.

This morning I fused the fish to the backgrounds.  This it the fun part where you see them start to take shape.

The one thing that unites all the different fish in this quilt is the consistent eye.  What a difference an eye makes. I was watching this as I pressed and thought I would show a couple.

Yes, a fish, but no personality.

Let’s add the first layer.  Creepy and looks way too big.

Now to add the pupil.  Suddenly, it all works and the fish comes to life.  You could have fun with the placement of the eye and the pupil within the eye to give different expressions, but I’m just keeping it simple and consistent.

Now, let’s look at the block that Mick has been badgering me to add to the quilt.  He was quite insistent that there be an angler fish.  Considering that he has claimed this quilt, I thought I’d better see what I could create.  They are an ugly jolly thing.  This is the best I could come up with, that would be easy enough to applique, without being too cutesy.

First, with no eye added.

And with the eye.  That’s much better.  I can’t say I’m looking forward to stitching down all those teeth.

Once they were all fused it was time to select the threads.  There you go, all ready to take away with me.

Of course, there was a big mess while getting organised.  You’d think with all those threads that I would have everything that I need, but no, I have to go shopping for a couple, as they were just about run out.  Are threads on special this week?  No, that was last week…..naturally.  I will pop out and get the ones I need for this quilt and have a list of the other ones that are about to run out, so I can replenish them when they are next on sale.

Anyway, I’m happy to have one project all ready to take away with me.  Now to get onto the next one.

A Quilt in a Day

Before I go ahead and quilt any more of my good quilts I needed to have a bit more of a play with Elly May.  The software has several levels and so far I’ve only used the basic one.  The design I want to use next is only available on the higher versions, so it was time to have a practise.    

I also wanted to try using the Super Glide foot.  It worked well.

To that end, I wanted to make a very simple donation baby quilt.  Surely, I could do that in a day. 

Saturday was the day.

I had pulled some fabrics ready for this, but on Wednesday, at our patchwork group, there was a big tub of fabric that had been given to us.  Quite a bit came home with me, not that I need any fabric, but there are quite a few scraps that will work for I Spy quilt.  I need to get cutting.  I digress.

Anyway, back to my quilt….. there was a cute fabric with just the right amount to make a version of the quilt I had in mind, and there was already one strip cut off the fabric.  I just cut another strip the same size and added some bits from stash in between.

It was pieced while chatting away on Zoom with Chooky and co.

After lunch, I loaded it on Elly May, using some flannelette from stash and an off cut of batting that was the perfect size. It was all falling into place nicely.

I used the quilting design I want to use on the next couple of quilts to check the scale and everything went really well.  A very happy result.

It wasn’t long before I had it trimmed down and the binding added by machine.

Yay!  A quilt in a day.  I really like it.  Sometimes simplest is the best. I can see me making more of these simple quilts for donation and a bit of fun.

I’ll be happy to take the finished quilt along for show and tell next Wednesday to show that I do use some of the fabrics that come to me.

QUILT INFORMATION

Measurements - 47" high x 34" wide

Pattern - Quicker Strippie - a free pattern from Mary Quilts  

Fabrics - Donated feature fabric and stash

Quilting Design - Water Flow by Leah Day

Batting - Cotton/Polyester

Backing - Flannelette from Spotlight in stash

Thread - Glide Steel Blue

Of course, there has to be a quilt holder upperer photo.

March RSC Blocks Completed

As I said in my earlier post, the best quick win with my busy agenda would be to complete the Rainbow Scrap Challenge blocks, as they were pretty much ready to go. 

 I was quite happy to see that I only needed to construct one crumb block, as I had made two previously.  That didn’t take too long.

Next, I decided to make the solid cross blocks.  I had only partially cut them out and had to think what to do.  Therefore, to make things easier going forward, each block is now completely cut and clipped together.  They look rather pretty all laid out, complete with colour coordinated clips.  (A girl has to play.)

Having previously commented that the block is a joy to piece, I don’t know where my head was. I made a couple of oopsies while putting the blocks together.  Jack had plenty of use.  Finally they were all done and ready to photograph.

Do you notice something in the above photo?  It was only when I was cropping the photo that I realised that I had done yet another boo boo! Where was my head?

That’s better.  I’m pleased that I noticed it now and fixed it up.

Finally, the potato chip blocks were put together with no issues. Phew!

I’m linking up with So Scrappy. 

Now to decide what to work on next.

A February Recap

I’m a bit late with this, but better late than never.

You can pop back here to see what my wishes for the month were.

I’ll start with my stitching achievements.  There weren’t too many.  Quite a contrast to January.

There were all my green blocks and strip.

The only quilt that was completed was “Swoon”.

I have been considering how to make a cover for Elly May, but her shape would make that extremely difficult, especially with the tablet holder, so I thought of alternatives.  I have a few fun retro tablecloths that would have worked really well, but they were all a tad too small.  In the end, she is going to bed under a vintage sheet.  Purple isn’t the ideal colour for my room, but the only other option I had was orange, which didn’t suit either.  I may come up with another colour at some stage, but this will have to do for now.

There was no knitting or crochet and the only other project I worked on can’t be shared just yet.

There was just one lonely thread spool emptied in February,

As for my 15 Minutes, not so good, but travel does that.

February =   21/28

Year to date =   51/59 = 86.44%

NON STITCHING HAPPENINGS

I tried no new recipes.

Having said that, our tomatoes finally started to produce.  Not a lot, but large.  This was a relief, as we thought we wouldn’t get enough to make any preserves this year.

Therefore, we were delighted to make a batch of Grandma Bird’s Tomato Sauce.

Then, a couple of weeks later enough to make a batch of Red Tomato Sauce.  We are so pleased to have replenished our stock, as we were down to the very last bottle.  These two batches will now last us a couple of years.

There are now enough tomatoes on the plants for us to make a batch of Tomato Relish as well.  

Some books were read and listened to.

On the home front, we purchased our new lounge.

On a fun note, after sharing that I am using a phone book for FPP papers, this year’s phone book was delivered.  How sad is that.  Remember when it was multiple fat volumes, now it is smaller than the free magazine the supermarkets put out each month.  It went straight in the recycle bin, as there is plenty of paper in the book I already have.

We had our fun day out to see the Sunflowers.

Other than that it was just our recent holiday.  

All in all, a good month.