2014 New FO Challenge

I have just come across http://catpatches.blogspot.co.uk/2013/12/kicking-off-2014-newfo-challenge-linky.html I would love to join this.
In January I will start the Craftsy block of the month from 2012.
In February I will start the Craftsy block of the month from 2013.
I had better stop there for now as there are a couple of other things I need to make but I'm not sure of their names.
If I can add the link I will.
Here is a picture of my treadle which I hope to use for some of my projects.

Christmas QAL

Well, abject failure to finish the challenge, I have a long way to go.  Next time machine sewing, not hand sewing.

Oops, sorry.

That should have been the photo I rotated.

I did manage to get the binding sewn onto the boys quilts, now to hand sew it to the back.

I hope to sit and hand sew in the evenings, I have to admit the corners leave a lot to be desired.

My distraction this weekend has been two ladies, who have come to live at my house.

This is Alice, a 1951 221K centennial girl, she has some wear and tear but she is in better shape than me for her age. It did not take long to clean out the thread caught underneath.

This is Ivy a 1957, 221k  lady, she is in much better condition but oh the mess of threads underneath. 

They are both sewing beautifully now.

Hopefully after tea I can check out the other Christmas QAL blogs.

Happy sewing

Christmas QAL 2

Not a lot to show, a cleaner bathroom, washing done.  I keep chickening out of quilting the first quilt. I did do a practice piece, which confirmed, I need more practice.
Anyway, hopefully, here are some outdoor shots of the quilts.

Still blurry, never mind, they can only get better!!

happy sewing

Josie

Christmas QAL 1

I now have a lovely camera but no easy way to get the photos to my laptop, it doesn't have a card reader!
It has taken a couple of tortuous hours to get this far. I have no idea how big these photos will be, mega or minuscule.

These two I Spy quilts are for my grandsons for Christmas. One is basted and the other a flimsy.

Now back to some Quilting practice before I treat myself to a well earned glass of wine.

Happy sewing

Christmas QAL 1

I did manage some sewing yesterday, just two and a half stars. I have changed my mind again about the layout (thanks to another sleepless night), I would never have finished it. Here is the link to our fearless leader this month.
http://needlethreadhappiness.blogspot.com/

I am hoping to get more sewing done today, the weather is awful. But I have Paul and Steve Temple keeping me company with the Margo Mystery.

I have to wash the kitchen floor before I can pin baste my Christmas Quilt, the cat keeps coming in with wet leaves and general detritus from under the hedges on his long hair and kindly dropping it all over the place.
happy sewing

November Get Your Hex On Example

Hi everyone, especially any of the Get Your Hex On ladies.  Here are a couple of photos of the way I constructed my simple November block. Nothing fancy, just joining hexies. I did find it easy to join them in rows first. Any questions? I'm here to answer them. I have finished the block but not borrowed a camera to take photos, yet.

  Erin has also added a photo to the Flickr group photos.

Happy sewing, I'm off to prep some diamonds for the Christmas QAL.

No camera + unhappy computer

I have been busy sewing but unable to share. I am sharing my dh's camera, just to add a little something to this post.
This is the September Get Your Hex On block.  I had so many problems doing the applique.

  Guess what we have for October, more applique.
Well, I was lucky, my lovely computer man has fixed my computer in record time. I think my dh told him I was repeatedly trying to move the television control like a mouse.
Happy sewing.

Christmas QAL

Time flies, as they say. I have found the binding for my Christmas quilt, it matches the jelly roll beautifully. Now to cut the binding, once the fabric is ironed.

I have also been basting and stitching my stars for the challenge, the final design is still unknown, especially by me.

Sorry about the photos, my camera doesn't want to co-operate. So I'm looking for a new one.

Happy sewing. 

Christmas QAL follow up.

At last a chance to show the progress I made on the jelly roll race quilt. My husband loves it but it does not look right on the sofa, where I had imagined it living at Christmas.  He thinks it should be on our bed in the winter, now to find a border to bring it to the correct size.

I will enjoy a trip to the fabric shop to find the right border, I think this may be finished before Christmas.

I have also started couple of eye spy quilts for my grandsons, as leaders and enders. They are coming along very quickly.

Thread catcher

Whilst blog hopping I came upon this useful thread catcher by http://www.psiquilt.com/2013/08/thread-catcher-bag.html I hope that works. I really enjoyed making this.
The lovely iris fabric I won in a give away from Helen (Archie the Wonder Dog).  It is so pretty, irises are one of my favourite flowers.
Now to make some matching sewing accessories.

Christmas QAL 3

After digging at the allotment for three hours this morning it was lovely to sit and sew. Of course having cleaned the machine I had to fill bobbins and get set up for a mega sewing session.

I don't know how people can make a quilt so quickly.  I watched a bit more of  Twin Peaks whilst I fed all those meters through. I won't get a chance to sew now until tomorrow evening, after the grand boys have gone home.

happy sewing

Josie

Christmas QAL 2

Time does fly when your having fun. I have nearly finished joining my jelly roll lengths together, further than this photo shows but I need a break to make a cup of tea and check on some more blogs.

This is Kate Spain's 12 Days of Christmas.  I have not used pinked edged fabric before and the tiny bits are everywhere. I sorted the strips on our bed, big mistake. I now need to vacuum :-)

Happy sewing

Josie

Christmas Quilt Along

Hi, I'm back from shopping and just heading to the sewing room with a cup of coffee. I'm still working on the challenge, photos when the rain stops.
I have also started a Christmas jelly roll quilt.
 http://needlethreadhappiness.blogspot.com/

August Get Your Hex On

I love this months block that Margaret has chosen, I don't know how to link but there is a tutorial on The Sewing Chick's blog for the block.http://www.thesewingchick.blogspot.com/2012/09/a-tutorial-log-cabin-hexagon-block.html

I have wanted to try this block since I first saw it but thought it was trickier than it turned out to be. It has proved harder to turn the hexagon to the right angle.
I do hope Margaret likes it.
I listened to the cricket from Old Trafford whilst sewing but I think there will be limited play or none at all tomorrow.
My dear husband has just said he will show me tomorrow how to rotate the image to the correct angle.

Work in Progress Wednesday

Unfortunately I have not been able to sew since the 13th July but I did manage to start cutting the fabric and counting hexy papers for my month, November, Get Your Hex On. I know it's early but I do have a habit of leaving things to the last minute.

Just three more to pack up.

I've had a lovely day playing with my youngest grandchild, then to the allotment for watering the green house and weeding.

I am now going to a get a little machine sewing done, I spent yesterday tidying my sewing room, I couldn't find anything. before.

Christmas QAL

I have only managed some basting of diamonds, so far today.  I am melting with the heat and now a thumping headache, I have just got back from watering the greenhouse and courgettes at the allotment. Plus a quick shop as it's going to be hot again tomorrow. My photos are not good enough to post, so I'll re do them in the morning.

Get Your Hex On July

I enjoyed making this months block for Get Your Hex On, pretty shades of blue. I think Erin's finished quilt will be stunning.

Halfway through the projects and looking forward to the next six. I still keep changing my mind when I see new fabrics.
I was very tempted by a sewing machine in a local shop, Seamstress is the only name I can see on it.
I'm not sure of it's age ( possibly 50's or 60's ), it does zig zag and you can drop the feed dogs. There is an instruction book but not many feet or tools, the electrics look good.
Perhaps if it is still there tomorrow I'll bring it home.

Quilting On The Go

I had a lovely time making my first project from Quilting on the Go.

The photo doesn't do the colours justice, I'm not sure what to make next, probably the Small Pouch. 

I will start, after I've done a little necessary shopping for food, this evening. 

The weather has been good enough for me to be busy at the allotment and in the garden. The pretty aquilegias are almost over but the foxgloves are beginning to look amazing. I will try and get some decent photos tomorrow.

June Get Your Hex On

I posted off Chelsie's June block this lunch time, on the way to my allotment.  The weather was hot, so the digging was hard going. At least I remembered to take a cold drink with me. My tomatoes and peppers are doing really well, I must try and get a photo tomorrow.
Back to the June block, Chelsie wanted low volume octagons with white squares.  I discovered I don't have much in low volume, perhaps I need to stock up!!!

These were interesting to join and I'm looking forward to seeing the finished quilt.  

Now it's posted I can read my new book,  Quilting On the Go, by Jessica Alexandrakis.

I think I might start with the pretty little pincushion.

.

Christmas QAL

Oh for a few more hours in a day.  I have been to the allotment and dug, taken a load of rubbish to the tip, manned the allotment stall at the local fete, collected washing from my son and family ( they were ill before starting their holiday) come home cooked tea, watered the tubs and green house and now hopefully a little sewing, whilst watching Mr Suchet as Poirot.

Where did May go?

I must try and post on my blog each week.  I had such good intentions. I have been busy at my allotment and in the garden, after the grotty spring. I still have a lot of digging to do.
I haven't done any machining and no paper piecing in May.
I did get my butterfly for the Get your Hex finished and posted off.

I also managed a little hexy making whilst on holiday in Northumberland.  The colours are not true in this photo. 

We had a wonderful time as usual, lovely days out in Alnwick gardens and Howick Arboretum.

Plus lots of bird watching on the coast .  We also spent time just watching the waves and the tide rising and falling.

We were lucky this time and saw 5 herons at Howick, they were fishing and nest building. There was also  a seal in the coquet estuary.

Scissors and Thread April Paper Piecing

With less than two and a half hours to go, I have finished April's paper piecing. I only started it this morning, I must start May's block much earlier.

This is a truly dreadful photo, taken in the evening with poor light. The backing colour is pale blue, I promise.

I hope to get a better photo tomorrow, when we should have sunshine.

April get your hex on

As the weather starts to improve, my time for sewing is limited by my need to dig and weed my allotment.  It has been neglected over the winter and I have a lot to catch up. Yesterdays fun job was digging and removing large dandelions with all their roots, there are not nearly as many as last year which is encouraging.
Anyway back to sewing, I have posted the April get your hex on block to Ann in Texas.

I think this will be a lovely quilt when it is assembled.  I am now waiting for May's fabric to arrive. 

I have been practicing, using the walking foot, my quilting. there is so much to learn!!! But it nice to see small improvements.  The new belt on my new treadle machine means I have been able to use it for the first time. It loosened up very quickly and I soon found the fun I had 25 years ago, when I last had treadle sewing machines.

I hope to go to Uttoxeter on Saturday to the Quilt and Stitch show.  My trip to the NEC didn't happen, due to snow. Fingers crossed I make it this time, I have quite a shopping list.

Here is my work in progress, I'm not sure if my idea will work.

April Garden Beauty

The weather is still so cold, I am unable to garden, so I did some sewing. This is the latest from the Quilt Pattern Magazine for April, it looked a lot easier than my Quiet Play BOM for April!

I also ironed the hexagon fabric for April's Get Your Hex On Bee that arrived this morning. They are beautiful shades of blue and I would like to add some different fabrics for Ann's hexagons.  So a trip to a fabric shop is called for.
I need to check back on what I hoped to achieve this year, I find my ability to concentrate is sporadic
and small targets easier to achieve.

March Paper Piecing

Here is my attempt at this months block, I found this extremely tricky.  I am enjoying  the challenge and hope my skills will improve as the months go by.
It would have been better to use similar fabric this time but I didn't think the reels would show against a dark background.
I am linking up to Works in Progress.

Works in progress

I did mean to blog before but life got in the way.  Mara's block has been posted off and I am waiting for April's hexy project to arrive. The theme is blue.
I have finally pieced the 12 days of temecula, I started this over a year ago, there are so many beginners mistakes, (just as well I'm a beginner at machine piecing).
I still love it and will hang it proudly in my sewing room, when it's finished.
I am looking forward to the NEC this weekend. I might fondle or even buy some fabric for my November hexy partners, I still haven't decided on a theme or even colours.

Mara's March Block

Temecula's Twelve Days of Christmas. 2011

Small Blog Meet

1st March Small Blog Meet, I finished this mugrug for me last week.

February Seam Ripper from Quiet Play

Here is my February paper pieced block. A lot trickier, with tiny pieces, including metallic fabric for the shiny  bits. I've cropped the photo, as the paper backing stops the block from lying flat.
I need to start these earlier in the month, they are more time consuming than I thought but also more enjoyable.

Garden Beauties Jan/Feb

Here are the first two blocks of Garden Beauties from The Quilt Pattern Magazine. I was able to make these thanks to Archie the Wonder Dog,  I won some pretty fabric and this is just a little piece of it.
I did manage to trim the leaves and stalk block too small and had to make another.
My next block for Get your hex on has arrived, I'm not sure yet what I'm planning.
I haven't started Feb's, And Sew On's, paper pieced block, it looks more challenging than Jan's block.

Get your hex on

Here is my heart for Stacey, I just need to attach it to the block, can I find my white cotton thread? No!

The best laid schemes o' mice and men......
I'm off to hunt thread, not so exciting as a snark!

A couple of finishes

The hexagon mug rug is for a swap, I hope my partner likes my first finished mug rug. There is another, that I thought wasn't good enough to send, that I will finish for me.

The hexagon is my last until I cut a new batch. The colours are not true, it is much brighter.

Jan Paper Piecing

Here is my first attempt at paper piecing. I found this on the Craftsy site. I had hoped to link up but that won't happen until tomorrow when I have time to play.

Lucky me

I have received the loveliest of goodies from Daisies and New Beginnings.
The material is so pretty, pink flowered Laura Ashley, dark pink with orange spots and Cheeky Checks by by Jane Sassaman.
An adorable needle case to make.  I've earmarked that to take to Northumberland to sew whilst looking at the sea.
A gorgeous pink Caroline Jacques purse/clutch.
I hope to take a photo tomorrow, it was too overcast, snowing, this afternoon.
I'll try and remember to take a photo of my latest hexy as well.

Saturday Afternoon

Having succumbed to a nasty throat infection on Wednesday, I am now suffering, but not quietly, with blocked sinuses and earache.
I hope to do a little sewing later, yet another hexagon.  Pink- purple this time.
Here hopefully are two more hexagons and Ella's new tote.