And Again!

Yup!  Still more on my sampler quilt!

These are paper pieced.  I'm not a fan of having to trace all the papers, it turns out, as I never think that they are particularly accurate.  However, there isn't an option not to if I want to make the blocks, so I've made them, then ironed them as flat as I can get them!

Then I was on to a batch of raw edge applique ones.  I have to confess that these only got finished after the first one (the tulips, top left here) got cut when the pile got caught under something else.  

Oops!

I wondered about re-making it, but decided that it told more of a story of this being made between other projects if I owned the error - so it now has a chunk of iron on interfacing supporting it from behind, and a tiny satin stitch over the cut lines on the front.

I managed to keep the rest of the blocks whole!

And these conclude all the raw edge applique blocks in the book, so I've finished the set with another paper pieced one.

I've made a total of 51 blocks now, out of a planned 100.

I just hope that my blue fabrics scraps hold out - they are looking much more meagre than when I started, I have to say.
 

Still Sampling!

Yup!  Still working on these sampler blocks!

Still enjoying the blue and white!

Lots using half square triangles in this batch.

See what I mean?

And by way of a change, a raw edge applique block and an EPP block!
 

Back to my sampler blocks

More sampler blocks!

These are the first four that look at using paper piecing.  

Then I moved on to raw edge applique, with machine stitching on the edges.

There are some pretty blocks there, aren't there?

And I'm really enjoying all the blues together!

Still having lots of fun with these!
 

A Quilt Finish

Hurrah!  At last, a 'proper' quilt finish!

Approximately 63" square, from a free pattern called Layer Cake Custard Quilt Pattern - available here from FatQuarterShop.

I adjusted the pattern slightly - their version is 63" x 88" - but it was a very straightforward pattern to make, and has made me take a long hard look at my (now depleted!) stash of blues!

 It's fun, isn't it?

I enjoyed the quilting too - adding different flowers and some hearts to the quilting.

Here's one of them.

And another.

And another really simple one.

And a heart (on this fun cat print!)

Backed with a floral print, with a green inset strip.

And bound in a dark blue batik.  I'm due to give it to the intended recipient on Friday - fingers crossed that she likes it!

 

More Sampler Blocks

I have to say that it is very relaxing to just putter along, making single blocks for a sampler quilt from someone else's patterns and measurements!

These were the next three blocks that I made.

And the next four - but can you spot the mistake?  I forgot to note that I'd made the first block of this set, so, as sometimes happens with 'pick up and put down' projects (for me at least) was that I didn't remember, and cut the same block out again!

Now I've got a spare block, but also, from photographing them like this, an idea of how a full quilt of these blocks would look, which might well be something that I come back to!

The final set that I worked on, starting to incorporate half square triangles as the next learning point.

As I said, very relaxing!
 

So, I started a thing.

A couple of weeks ago I showed you the cover of a book - Alice's Wonderland Sampler Quilt.

When I'd been working through my stash of blue fabrics, finding which one's I could cut out a 10" square from, I ended up with this (rather untidy) pile of fabrics.  Almost all had started life as Fat Quarters, most had parts missing already.

Rather than put them back into the FQ stack, I decided that it was time to cut them into my 'scrap storage' sizes, ready to use.

Then I saw the book, and had an idea.  Instead of cutting them down into my standard sizes, perhaps it would be more fun to make a blue and white (ish) sampler quilt, using my new book.

So, that's what I'm planning to do!

I still have the quilt to make that I was originally cutting 10" squares for, of course, but also I run this project alongside it, and later decide whether it remains an 'as and when' project that's easy to pick up and put down, or whether it gets some dedicated time.

I'm so pleased that I thought of doing this before either putting the fabrics away or cutting them up any further!

Here are the first three blocks - they start simple, and I'm expecting them to get slightly more complex.
 

Technically.....

 

......I haven't yet reached the end of 'the100dayproject', however, I was enjoying it so much that I got a bit ahead of myself, so, a week earlier than it should be completed, here is my 100 mini blocks of plant life all put together.

It makes a wall hanging 25" square, backed with an 'on theme' floral fabric, and is now hanging at the back of a wardrobe ( I want it to stay flat and dust free until April next year when I plan to give it away!).

Project complete!

Books!

I have been sewing - just not very much!  Some weeks are like that, with other tasks (or rest!) taking priority.

I have, however, been spending my pocket money on a couple of books that I thought I'd share.

They only arrived yesterday, so no reviews on them from me yet....

This first one is one that I'm going to use as a regular 'palette cleanser' - where I will use some of my scraps, a coherent background, and time between projects to make a block or two until I've worked through the book.  Or at least, that's what I'm thinking I'll do.

This one is to give inspiration for small projects - it might not have much that is completely new to me, but sometimes it's nice just to pick up someone else's pattern to (again!) use up a few of my accumulated scraps!
 

Even more plant life!

The next ten blocks - 61 to 70!

Some of them are fast to do - the freehand machine one are very fast once you have the idea - but sometimes the paper pieced ones seem to take a while, but perhaps that's because my brain is on a bit of a go slow when I'm doing things in reverse!

Let's see what I come up with for the final 30 blocks!

Back to More Plant Life!

My next ten mini blocks for my 100 day challenge!

These are blocks 51 to 60.  Over half way!

I'm still enjoying these!  It's nice having a good stack of these 3" blocks!
 

For a change....Animal Life!

This is a mini quilt (12" square) for a quilters guild challenge, which had an animal theme.

As you can see, I chose my favourite African animals.

I started with the centre roundel, but decided that it needed a vulture, and then added a tortoise to balance the bottom binding.

It's been a fun make!

I'm not much of a hand quilter, but for this quilt, where I'd carefully appliqued the sihouettes, I thought that it deserved the texture (and also, at 12" square, it wasn't too large to handle easily!).

I went for randomly placed circles (the giraffe head was the first one, which was a deliberate placement), in a thread colour slightly darker than the fabric..

The colours are more true in the photo above than in this detail photo.
 

Even more little Plant Life

 Yes, I'm up to half way through the 100 day challenge (in fact, in real life, a little further on - my blog will catch up soon!).

Still having fun choosing from my fabric scraps and embroidery flosses!

Still more little Plant Life

 The next ten - 31 to 40.

The first eight show case plant life as shown on different fabrics in my stash.  I'm not sure about including all of these.  Time will tell!

More Little Plant Life

The next ten blocks - 21 to 30.  I'm having fun experimenting with different designs!

But stay tuned, as there are more of these 3" blocks coming down the road!

 

Is it finished.....

 

....... if it hasn't got a label yet?  It's been put to one side whilst we debate the name and the wording for the label, but essentially it's finished!

It's 60" square - lovely for wrapping up in, not quite the right shape for a bed - which is a nice size for me to quilt.

I did a meandering quilting line, and included hearts...

....and flowers.  Some like this, some a bit simpler.

The backing wasn't quite wide enough, so I inserted a strip of the main fabric from the front, and used the same for the binding too.

It all ties together quite well, I think, with a mostly floral theme, but using different colours and different scales throughout.

More small things....

Trundling along in the background is my #the100dayproject project.

Here are blocks 11 - 20.

The cross stitch ones will be mounted on to fabric squares - but I haven't done that yet! Too busy creating them!
 

Making houses

Fun Zoom sew-along on Saturday with the Miniature Quilt Group - making a house for Sapphire Street - a project across the whole of the UK Quilters Guild.

Did you notice that one of the patches of grass is round the wrong way?  I did, but not until after I'd trimmed the block to size, so I decided to leave it (after all, who has a lawn that is the same colour all the way across it?).

After that I thought that I should make something that was closer in feel to my own (Victorian terraced house) home, so I made this block.  Again, it is 6" square, so you can tell that there were lots of really quite small pieces in this!

Fun sewing at the weekend!
 

Some weeks.....

 

.....you seem to run just to stand still!

However, after a week where I lost more time to tooth ache than I thought would be possible (even after my lovely dentist had fixed the cracked filling!), I finally got this quilt top basted.

At 60" square, as you can see, it's the largest size that I can baste without having to move a sofa as well as the table and chairs!

Hoping to find time (and energy!) to quilt it later this week.

It's that time again.....

 .....it's the time for the #the100dayproject !  I'm ten days in, and once again exploring a topic with small sewn replicas.

This time I've chosen 'plantlife' for my subject.  Leaves, trees and a few flowers is what I have in mind.

It's fun to have a daily practice, whatever form it takes.  Hope that you can find something that you'd enjoy everyday too!

Tiny Teether Project

Just as I'm about to meet my great nephew for the first time, Love Patchwork and Quilting published a 'whale' set - including this whale tale teether pattern.

Isn't it cute?

I think that it will be lovely for little hands to grip, and for mum and dad to be able to easily wash it when it gets grubby.

I used the same sort of colours that I used on his quilt, so that they will match.

A very fast project, but still fun and satisfying!
 

Another Quilt Made

The internet is a great source of patterns and inspiration - and this is a quilt that is one of the results of browsing one day.  I'm sorry, but I can't find the original source for this pattern - if you want to claim it, let me know!

It's an easy make - just two types of blocks - but I love how it looks!

One of those 'made from stash' quilts that can be so satisfying.

This was how it looked when it was just a pile of 2 x 10 blocks.

Put together, backed from stash as well.

You can see on this shot that I went for a loose all over meander quilting pattern.

Finally, this is the pattern that I had created on EQ8, so that I could check what size to cut my fabrics to.

I added this so you can see how different it looks in a different colour way!  I think that I might make another one with different colours!

My final quilt was 54" x 42".  A fun lap quilt size.