Jacob ladder and a new Leaders and Enders

So I caved and started something new!  Its a golden rule, if I have the urge to sew, I go with it!

Honestly I have no idea where this is going!  This is a Jacobs Ladder block.  I am using three different fabrics, two for the HST and one for the four patches.  All these fabrics were part of a story pack I got as a prize.  The pretty and floral prints are not my thing, but I have had a fair crack at using them in another project, so just trying to coordinator what I have left.  

These are all the blocks together, not in the best light, but it was the end of a long day!  I am hoping that that I might get a small lap quilt out of this, but we will see....planning is not my strength!

While I was about starting new projects (LOL) I started the Bonnie Hunter new leaders and enders block.  This is the perfect L&E block in my opinion, just rectangles and squares, with minimal neutral.  Having said that trying to find four squares that are the same fabric in my my depleted scrap collection is hard.  So I have had to go back to the scrap bucket and cut more scraps in this sizq.  No drama, just need to seriously consider a scrap 16 patch or similar to use all those singular scrap squares.  Happy quilting Sue.

Dresden applique WIP, a Shoo Fly flimsy and a quilted finish!

I have slowed down in the hand stitching department, but this is the progress I made early on in our Covid19 lockdown.  I tend to sit and watch too much  news when something "big" is happening, but after awhile I get overloaded and stop.  

Still it was a good opportunity to get those tiny circles appliqued on.  I have two left to do, but the prep takes awhile and I need to motivate myself again. The weather is cooling off more and more, so tends to lead me to undertake hand stitching at night - no idea why!

I finally pieced all the Shoo Fly blocks together and added a border to make it the prefered size of the charity.  I have used lots of a Jodie Carlton sea gull print in these blocks and the colours are nice and bright so I hope it appeals to a child.  I will make more of these blocks but pay better attention to the ironing of seam allowance as these were all mashed together and make for lumpy intersections.  So not looking forward to quilting it! I was thinking that it could look quite nice with sashing, but again, will need to plan it so I can use a coloured sashing I think - too much white on a child's quilt is never a good thing!

I have finished hand stitching the binding down on the first of three four patch leader and enders quilts I have made.  This one used up all the pink and purple blocks and some of the light blue.  I decided using white with red print sashing would work well on this top and get it out of my stash!  There is quite a lot of it, as its left over backing.  I was going to make a scrappy pink binding, but accidently used the 2" die on my Go cutter instead of the 2.5".  In hindsight I could have tried the smaller size, apparently Lisa Bongean prefers this size for binding, but I was so cross with myself that I threw it in the 2" scrap bin and found something else. 

I have been very glad of my mothers stash during this lockdown as she has a good collection of fabrics big enough for backings and is happy to share!   I am in love with this fun backing and managed to make it stretch to one more quilt and it will feature in a few more tops to come as borders.   I did run out of wadding though and had to piece large left over pieces for this quilt.  Honestly the term "frankenbatting" was very appropriate in this case, it was very wavy!  Being mindful this is a child's charity quilt that would get lots of washing I choose to heavily quilt it, using a 2" grid.  Luckily the design made this very easy and I have a very large spool of white thread.

Happy quilting Sue.

Carolina chain blocks and kangaroos

 I found these leaders and enders blocks (Carolina Chain by Bonnie Hunter from her book Addicted to Scraps) in a box while I was looking for more fabric.  I really need to do a big tidy up (and label) of my project boxes !  The blocks use 2" stripes and sensibly it seems I had stored all my 2" strips in this box, including pre cut pieces of the blocks...except no backgrounds!  I have been using a large piece of white homespun for Unity quilt along, so cut up some stripes and off I went. 

I seperated all the coffee and tan coloured background blocks from the white to cream coloured background blocks.  There was a good amount of bright blocks so I lay them out on my design floor and set about making more.  Bonnies patterns are always for a very large quilt but I was aiming for a child sized charity quilt instead which is more realistic as these blocks finish at 4.5" so you need lots and lots of blocks!

During the making of this top I managed to make this big thread mess when winding a bobbin and break a needle.  OMG I bent the needle (hit a pin) so bad my heart was in my mouth trying to get it out...I had to resort to using pliers....thankfully I had not done any damage to my machine!  I gave it a good oil and clean afterwards, I was so grateful!

Tada, another flimsy finish! These are fun blocks to make and I have kitted up more  so I can continue leading and ending while I am making my next project...which should be Bonnie Hunters Unity.

Early one morning on my walk I came across a mob of kangaroos that had been feeding in the paddock.  One snuck across behind me and the others waited in the paddock for me to go past before they headed back to the safety of the bush. 

Happy quilting Sue.

Scrappy Sprout and Rainbow Scrap challenge finish

Ta da!  Finally a finish to celebrate!

I started Scrappy Sprouts in  August 2014 when Lisa and I were looking to replicate our leaders and enders project/challenge. Lisa found this pattern for the spouts (leaves) online HERE at Traceyjay quilts blog.    I love leaf prints, using scraps and rainbow colours - which is how I ended up with this pattern.

I started making leaves, slowly but the output doubled when I started following the Rainbow Scrap Challenge at So Scrappy blog online HERE .

The original pattern for the leaf, was just that.  But Canadian designer Krista Hennebury published a pattern in the June 2015 issue of Homespun magazine.  And that helped me enormously.  Because I had a great stack of leaves and no idea how to get them to look good together.  I followed the colour graduation in the Homespun pattern and added the flowers. 

 I deviated from the pattern by adding an extra row on the end - to get the width for it to hang a good distance over the side of my bed.  

My friend Elaine Kennedy from Pine Grove Quilting (Adelaide) quilted the top in vertical sections, so the pattern over the sprouts is different to the pattern in the sashing between the sprouts.  

I love this bright, fun nature of this quilt.  It is out of the box for me in terms of colour - but I enjoyed every minute!  I made a lot of the leaves as leaders and enders and got to use up a big stash of 2.5" squares.  I used loads of left over binding scraps.  But do admit to having to beg lovely scraps of orange from my good friend Lisa - who gave me a generous collection of beautiful fussy cut prints, thank you Lisa!

Perhaps my most favourite bit, is the genetically modified leaves, where I unpicked blocks and added in fabric squares with bug prints on them...no garden blooms without them ;)

Happy quilting Sue. 

Bright stars

Stitching is a rare event at present, as I cope with a shoulder that gives me pain all the way down my arm.  However another trip to the physio and a better desk (current one is too high, which is what upsets my shoulder) will soon fix this problem, hopefully for good.

However I wanted to sew despite the discomfort.  The enormity of the acts of terrorism in Paris on television kept me updated, but required me to see solace in easy, chain piecing using up left over half square triangles from my rainbow scrappy challenge projects.  I made some brighter blocks - to cheer myself up and pray for a time when individuals seek comfort and happiness in peaceful activities instead of seeking power and destruction.

I honestly believe if everyone had a creative hobby like sewing or gardening, the world would be a better place!
Happy quilting Sue
PS My computer has some issues that I cannot resolve (eg the thingy isn't reading the whatchamacallit) and so I am forced to use the computer at the library.  Hence you are getting a old post which was luckily in draft format awaiting me to approve it.  Hang in there I will be back, hopefully with some up to date photos made since my shoulder has improved sufficiently for some sewing :)
 

Pink scraps

The Rainbow Scrappy Challenge colour for February was PINK!  

I had sufficient pre cut scraps to make 2 scrappy nine patch blocks and 11 leaf blocks.  Unfortunately all my leaf blocks face the same way....in March I will have to make sure I make more right facing leaf blocks...ugh this thinking when sewing does my head in!

I was definitely not in the mood for thinking when sewing yesterday, so I made four bodies (they need two sides) for my scrap chook pot holders.  This is the best pattern I have for using crumbs.  I love string blocks but don't like crumb blocks for some reason.  However I love these pot holders, they make great practical gifts.  I used a combination of pink and purple, as my pink palette is lacking.  However I did remedy that by buying some pink (with a thin stripe) yardage on sale....which is intended for a "girly" eye spy quilt.  I always end up making boy eye spy quilts...just want to even up the numbers!

Happy quilting Sue 

Loving log cabin quilts

These are my log cabin blocks measuring 5.5' before I sized them up...well about 83 blocks,  I ended up with 126.

So I like the barn raising set out but with more blocks, bigger blocks I was keen to explore options.

 I think this is called furrows??  That fits with the whole living in the woods and farming theme I guess.  Its nice, but think that it doesn't float my boat enough to commit to.

I have no idea what this setting is called, excuse the boo boo on the bottom row.  Again its nice, but I think it looks way nicer when you have skinny logs on side and fatter the other = a round effect.

 So Barn Raising it is = this is 120 blocks, six spare, hopefully I remember to go on the backing.  Faced with stitching all the blocks into rows I decided I had better get the leader & ender system working.  It was a good idea as I got all the rows stitched and ten new blue leaves.  I have decided to follow along with the Rainbow scrappy challenge and January's colour is blue.  As you can see, the sum total of last years leaders and enders is on the left...this is what the finished product needs to look like.  I will sew them together when I have a bunch more colours.

Of course I have way more half square triangles then I need for leaves.

So just deciding what to do with the rest.  Something to think anyway.

Last but not least these are some of my presents from Lisa - we swap pressies at Christmas time.  She made me a lovely pencil case, a card wallet and a apple oven mitt.  There was also a great bobbin holder, that is in use and didn't make it into the photo.  I have a collection of fruit themed oven mitts, table mats and pin cushions on my Pinterest page - so I especially love this apple ; )

Happy quilting, Sue.

Farewell 2014!

I love lists, but they do hold you accountable!  My finished project tally for 2014 was;

 4 mini quilts, 2 wall hangings, 12 cot quilts, 2 lap quilts, 3 single bed quilts and 2 double bed quilts!  

Not too bad if I don't say so myself!

There was lots of dreaming about I would make in 2014 and this wall hanging was top of my wish list.

Bittersweet briar -  was on the wish list = completed!

On my wish list I managed to make 4 out of the 8 desired projects...so while that isn't great, I take comfort in the fact that one "wish" was to make a charity quilt and I ended up making 3!

 

Leaders and enders from wish list = I managed to make four blocks!

On the UFO list....well not so good there, there are currently 9 items unfinished, four of which I started in 2014!  

...but I did finish this ancient UFO, finally in December!

All Aussie creatures great and small, a pattern by Millamac.  

This is a sneaky finish as my friend and long arm quilter Elaine Kennedy custom quilted it and returned it to me weeks ago and all I had to do was sew the binding, label and hanging sleeve on it.  I ended up going back to her house to use her domestic machine to sewing the binding on before we moved house, but to date it is still without a label or hanging sleeve.

I was going to gift it to my boys for Christmas.  I found them snuggled up under it watching TV, post Christmas.  I had completely forgotten to wrap and present it, but they found it anyway!  Elaine had lots of fun with the quilting, adding extra animals and insects, plus loads of details to the existing animals.  I love it and very happy it is done...one hanging sleeve coming up so it can go on the wall pronto!

Happy quilting Sue.