Stitching Wrap Up for October

For a month with rather low expectations, I am pleased with what I achieved.

The main aim was to get the three Rainbow Scrap Challenge quilts well on the way, with at least one over the the finish line.

I ended up with two finishes.

The third is ready to quilt.

Other than that, I finished my beanie.

I made a little needle book for travelling.

And, I traced the stitcheries for two projects.  I have had these two kits for well over ten years, waiting patiently for their time to shine.  This will be their time.

I also completed a further seven corner to corner crochet squares.  It really makes a difference when you get to attend your stitching days. There are only four more squares required to make a blanket for Wrap With Love.

I didn’t get around to completing the bowl cosies, but there is no rush for them and there wasn’t a block issued by Betty.

15 MINUTES A DAY

October = 26/31

YTD = 249/304. = 81.91%

All in all, a good month.

A Bonus Finish for the Month

My wish for the month was to have one of the Rainbow Scrap Challenge quilts completed.  However, I have ended up with two.  It would have been nice to have the three done, but that wasn’t to be.

Anyway, here is the second one.

You can see where  I started at earlier in the month here.

I thought that a simple Baptist Fan pantograph would suit it well.

This was a fun quilt to make and using solid fabrics was quite a change for me.

I didn’t end up using a solid for the backing, but this one had a nice clear colour.  It has been in my stash for about 20 years, when I bought a heap of end of bolts at Spotlight for next to nothing.  I think it works well for this.

It will be a donation quilt, but I don’t know where it will end up.

I will be linking up with So Scrappy.  It is nice to see the other projects coming together, now that we are heading towards the end of the year.

QUILT INFORMATION

Measurements - 64" high x 52" wide

Pattern - Inspiration from a photo seen on Pinterest.

Fabrics - Stash.  

Quilting Design - Baptist Fan by Karla Gerome for QCT6

Batting - Cotton/Poly

Backing and Binding - Fabric from stash

Thread - Glide - 10000 White

Rainbow Scrap Challenge Quilt Finished

My main wish for this month was to have one of the  Rainbow Scrap Challenge Quilts completed.  I’m happy to report that I have achieved my wish.

The quickest and easiest to work on was the Black and White Potato Chip Quilt.

This quilt was started back in January this year, so I am very happy that it won’t be carried over to next year.  I made five blocks each month.

I decided that a swirly pantograph would suit it well.

The sad thing to happen while quilting this quilt was that my super glide foot broke on Elly May.  They are renowned for doing this and I did take all the recommended precautions, but to no avail.  I don’t think I will purchase another, if it could break as well.

The big decision for the quilt was to choose a backing.  To my delight, on a recent trip up to Orange I came across something suitable.

Wait for it…..

Oh my!   Does’t it make an impact.  It is a doona cover from Ikea that I found in the Salvos op shop.  The best thing is that I still have the other side, which is the same, to use on a future quilt.  I think I will make the exact same pattern again next year.

This quilt will be donated.

QUILT INFORMATION

Measurements - 64" high x 47" wide

Pattern - Inspiration from a photo seen on Pinterest.

Fabrics - Stash.  

Quilting Design - Swirling Wide e2e by Leah Day for QCT6

Batting - Cotton/Poly

Backing and Binding - Ikea doona cover found at Salvos op shop in Orange.

Thread - Glide - Steel Blue

I’m linking up with So Scrappy.  Pop over and see what the others have created.

Aeroplane Quilt - In By the Skin of My Teeth

My Main Monthly Wish for September was to complete the little Aeroplane Quilt I pieced at Baradine.  I didn’t think that I would get it done, due to a very busy month, but we got there in the end.

This little quilt had its beginning when I purchased a cute pattern from the Sewing Basket stall for $1 at the Sydney Craft and Quilt Show at Darling Harbour in July.  

When it came to thinking about what to take to Baradine to work on in August this came to mind.  To actually make a pattern straight after buying it is quite a novel idea.  Anyway, I traced all the appliqué pieces onto Heat and Bond Lite at one of my patchwork days, cut them out at the next and then spend an entire day choosing fabrics, fusing and cutting out the appliqué shapes and cutting out the rest of the quilt.  It was all ready to go at Baradine.

Appliqué is a great mindless task to work on in a group and these shapes were generally nice and easy to stitch around, other than those small stars.  

The piecing of the top was completed while I was up there. 

I knew it would only take a day to get it quilted and bound, but yesterday was the first free day that I had.  

A simple loopy quilting design was all that was needed and suited the pattern.

It was lovely to be able to have the door open to the outside and see the crab apple in full bloom while working away.

Everything went nice and smoothly and we now have a very cute little quilt.

This quilt will be donated.  

QUILT INFORMATION

Measurements -55" high x 44" wide

Pattern - Sky Dreams by The Country Quilter.  This is a pattern from 2001.

Fabrics - Stash.  

Quilting Design - Loop Meander e2e by QCT6

Batting - Cotton/Poly

Backing and Binding - Left over wideback from Spotlight

Thread - Glide - Cool Mint

My Wishes For September

It seems a bit silly adding this post now, as we are already over half way through the month.

I will also clarify that to date I have done very little on the stitching front.  I think that last month being so productive has left me a little flat.

MY MAIN MONTHLY GOAL

I did have grand plans for this, but the month is getting on, and I won’t be in my sewing room for a little while yet, so I’m going to keep it to something that I think should be achievable. I want to complete the little Aeroplane Quilt.  It should only take a day or so.  There, it’s now out there, so it should get done……fingers crossed.

RAINBOW SCRAP CHALLENGE

The colour this month is purple.  I should be able to manage this.

BETTY’S BLOCK

I have the fabric and the pattern, so that will be done and sent off.

I’m not aiming to do any more patchwork this month.

USE ELLY MAY

See my Main Monthly Wish.

CROCHET

About the only thing I have been doing is crocheting my Corner to Corner Squares. They are mindless, and ideal to take along to my stitching days.  Mind you, I have only been home for one week to go along.

KNITTING

My jumper is not going all that well.  I think my tension may be a tad out and I will have to make some minor adjustments to make it work.  I can see what I need to do, but my brain has not been engaged sufficiently to sit down and write it all down.  It is on pause for the moment.

I do need to knit another oatmeal coloured beanie for me, as the last one was too large.  That will be my aim for this month.  Once I get going it won’t take too long.

15 MINUTES A DAY

I started off well, just doing a bit of crochet, but seem to have petered off.  I’ll try to lift my game.  Getting my blog up to date has been the priority over the last few days.  

OTHER GOALS

1.    Try a new recipe - I’ve already managed that.

2.    Read a book - probably won’t happen, but I may surprise myself.

3.    Have a fun day out - already achieved.

4.    Have a caravan trip - this was not to happen.  The van was washed and put to bed…….and then taken out again.  Details to follow.

5.    Keep my blog posts up to date.  Wish me luck.

We’ll see at the end of the month how I fared.

A Nice Weekend With Friends

We had a great weekend with our friends Jo and Tony visiting from Mildura.  The last time we saw them was at Scrub Stitchin’.

They arrived on Saturday and we took them for a bit of a tour of the local area.

On Sunday the boys went up to the shed to discuss the finer details of Rosie the Suzuki Sierra and the motorcycles.  They visited the National Motor Racing Museum and went for a run in Rosie.

Meanwhile, Jo and I headed to the sewing room, where we quilted one of Jo’s quilts that has been languishing in the “To Be Quilted” pile.

It turned out fairly well.

They headed off on their adventures on Monday, as did we.

Rainbow Strippy Group Quilt

As I have previously mentioned, I have joined in with Betty’s merry band making blocks for group donation quilts each month. 

For the first half of this year the brief was slightly different, in that each month we were to make a strip in a colour of the rainbow.  

Here are mine.

Once all the coloured strips were completed and returned to Betty, she mixed them up and sent strip sets out to each of us to make into a quilt top.  Some were very creative and clever.

I finally got around to joining the strips I received into this flimsy.  Not very creative, but I think it is rather striking.

Instead of returning the quilt top to Betty for the girls down there to finish off, I have quilted and bound it here.  

I just used a gold thread for the quilting and a bright blue wideback for the backing and binding.

With Betty’s blessing, it will be donated to a local charity in Bathurst.

QUILT INFORMATION

Measurements -62" high x 64" wide

Pattern - None.  Rainbow strips for group quilts.

Fabrics - All from stash.  

Quilting Design - QCT6 - Loopmeander

Batting - Cotton/Poly

Backing - Wideback from Spotlight

Thread - Glide - Cleopatra

My Wishes for August

​Here we are in the next month already.  The last month of winter.  I really don’t know where this year is going.  Anyway, time to think about what I would like to get up to this month.

Let’s start with the stitching wishes.

MY MAIN MONTHLY WISH

As usual, I would like to use this to push myself to get something out of the way.  This time it is the Batik Fish Quilt.  I started this back at the start of 2024, so it is well and truly due to be completed.  I put the blocks out on the design curtain at the end of last month, so there is no excuse.  I really want to take this for show and tell at the end of the month.

RAINBOW SCRAP CHALLENGE

The nominated colour this month is yellow.  Yay!  I have yellow blocks prepped. No colour substitution required this month.  Also, I only need to make one crumb block, as I already have two made.  

BETTY’S GROUP PROJECTS

I have the Rainbow Strip Quilt ready to quilt.  I hope to have that done soon.  I want to take this for show and tell as well.

There will also be a new block to make this month.

USING ELLY MAY

This will be the Rainbow Strip Quilt and hopefully the Batik Fish Quilt.  Any extras will be a bonus.

KNITTING AND CROCHET

I really need to get a wriggle on with my alpaca jumper.  This month I aim to have the front and back finished, including the neckline.  That will just leave the sleeves to finish.  It should be doable.

While I’m at my stitching days I will probably work on the C2C crochet squares.  They are a nice, no brain required project.  Ideal while chatting away.  I need 28 of these, so if I make four a month I’ll have them done in seven months.  I don’t really think it will take that long.

AN AUGUST ESCAPE RETREAT AT BARADINE

This smaller, shorter retreat is happening on the last weekend of the month, so I need to prep some projects to work on:

1. I have a jelly roll that is earmarked for a quilt, that requires no prepping beforehand.  

2. There is still some of the solid fat quarters that I used in a recent quilt, so I hope to prep a smaller donation quilt with those leftovers.

3. I have some novelty print that I want to use on a kid’s quilt, so need to find a pattern and get it cut out.

4. I will probably prep another kid’s quilt as well.  

I don’t expect to get them all done, but if they are prepped I have choices and they will be prepped to work on later at home.

15 MINUTES A DAY

This is also an aim.

NON STITCHING WISHES

1. Try a new recipe.  I have one earmarked and hope to try some others as well.  I seem to be on a roll.

2. Read or listen to a book.  We’ll see how I go with this wish.  I’m not doing so well.

3. Have a fun day out. I’m sure that will happen.

4. Use our caravan.  Yes, we are going to Baradine.

5. Catch up on my blog posts.  I still have to finish our Queensland trip from June and everything since.    However, now that I have discovered an app in which I can add my photos on my iPad it is much more likely to happen.

I look forward to checking back in at the end of the month.

My Friend’s Christmas Quilt

This was my final completed project for July.

On our recent trip to Queensland my friend produced a quilt top from a cupboard and asked if I could do anything with it for her.  Of course I could.  We didn’t unfold it at the time, but I could see that it was a Christmas themed quilt with appliqué.  

Last week I unpacked it to find a beautiful quilt top.  The appliqué was completed with satin stitch that she worked on her domestic machine.  It is so precise that I thought it must have been done using an embroidery machine.  There is foundation paper piecing and mitred corners.  When I asked if she had done it in a class her reply was that it was with “The Old Ducks” in a small town where they used to live.  That was about 30 years ago. I'm guessing that the "Old Ducks" probably weren't all that old, as she was a young mum at the time.  It was about time to get this quilt completed so that it could be displayed at Christmas.

I was given free rein to do what I thought best, as otherwise it would still be languishing in a cupboard.

The backing she had with it had a glitter type of effect added to it, so I didn’t really want to use that.  Instead, I used a fabric that Mick had bought at a garage sale while I was at Baradine two years ago.  There was plenty there.

The next thing to decide on was the pantograph.  None of the ones that came with the machine appealed, so I bought one that is an elegant swirl with some holly.  A Christmas vibe without being kitch.  The thread is a matt gold, which worked really well.

Elly May did a lovely job.

I could have left the binding for her to complete, but thought it would be nice to return a completed quilt when we see them next.  Mick took this very unflattering photo as I was hand stitching it down, while feeling under the weather with a head cold.

I’m pleased with how it turned out and hope my friend is happy with it.

QUILT INFORMATION

Measurements - 67” high x 51" wide

Pattern - Unknown - A Christmas Sampler 

Quilting Design - Rhapsody E2E - Holly by My Creative Stitches

Batting - Bamboo/Cotton

Backing - Christmas fabric from a garage sale

Thread - Glide - Cleopatra