2012 UFO challenge update

In January I posted a list of twelve projects to be finished in 2012 for the UFO challenge hosted by Judy at Patchwork Times The list was:

1. Jan Krentz difficult quilt - Summer salsa lone star. This was chosen for February but with all the Eisteddfod pieces to be finished I'll swap number 1 for something else.
2. blue and cream stars - finished
3. rainbow squares
4. 2 from 1 - finished
5. Disappearing nine patch - finished for January
6. TB BOM - finished
7. Modern V meets Thimbleberries scraps
8. Christmas table runner
9. Love laugh live stitchery
10. accuquilt feathered applique
11. Disappearing nine patch runner - finished
12. TQS BOM

So I need to swap some projects and add others, so my new list is:

1. blue and cream stars - finished for February
2. Jan Krentz difficult quilt - Summer salsa lone star
3. rainbow squares
4. Heart stitchery - not even started but I'm going on a few trips over the next few months so this will be my take along project
5. Disappearing nine patch - finished for January
6. Swoon - three more blocks to make
7. Modern V meets Thimbleberries scraps
8. Christmas table runner
9. Love laugh live stitchery
10. accuquilt feathered applique
11. Fat Quarter stars - just one more block to make which is released on Thursday, I think
12. TQS BOM

I think that leaves not on the list :
TQS 2012 BOM
Hugs cushion
Dreamcatcher cross stitch
Cowl which must be finished today
Vignette
Elephantz
Tree skirt

I've also bought fabric and a pattern from Thimbleblossoms for Hopscotch which is the next quilt along organised by I'm a ginger monkey I guess I'm my own worst enemy and it's no wonder my daughter gets exasperated with me. I may have finished six projects already this year, but I've also started three more and another is kitted up and ready to go.

2012 Eisteddfod project 5

Five down one to go and in theory number six is easy - sewing in the ends on a knitted cowl. However I'm not a knitter so will have to do some serious googling and Youtubing for some help.

This was fiddly to put the bits together but at last I've finished Tilda the Garden Angel.

Successful UFO day

Eleven of us at Caesarea Quilters UFO day. I'm glad I arrived early as I had loads of random questions thrown at me and plenty of miscellaneous quilting stuff to get out of the car, so it was ten before I was ready to start. I also picked up two quilts to long arm, probably after Wednesday, the deadline for getting my Eisteddfod entries to Astra. My Thimbleberries block of the month is now at the laundrette, so just my Tilda doll and sewing in the ends on my knitted cowl to complete. Very doable.

I achieved quite a lot during the six hours as well as quite a bit of morbid chatter. I completed three Farmer's Wife blocks from scratch and finished another swoon block making six so far.

85 square dance



42 fruit basket



40 friendship block




I've just updated my Farmer's Wife progress spreadsheet which tells me I have just 22 blocks to sew. I recently doubled checked my list and put all the blcoks in numerical order as some seemed very familiar and I thought I'd already done them. however there are several blocks which are almost identical to other blocks in the book. Of course most of the remaining blocks have 50 pieces in a 6" block, but there are a couple of simpler blocks which should be a quickish finish. I also have just three swoon blocks left to make which I will probably take to Chez Soi's all day session on Wednesday.

Fractured star

I'm loving this block. Another quilter on the Fat Quarter stars Flickr group replaced the inner background pieces with an extra fabric. I loved her subtle change and changed the background white for the icy blue. Whilst there is none of the icy blue in the other fabrics of this block, it is from the same range (Flurry by Kate Sain) and it will tie in with the other blocks.

Swoon 5

Progress will start to slow now as I concentrate on my Eisteddfod pieces. I also cut a few too many half square triangles and not enough squares for the remaining blocks so I need to work out a fix. I hope to get back to these blocks at Sunday's CQ UFO day along with some Farmer's Wife blocks



I think this is my favourite block so far. Lizzie pointed out it was like the fabric in Lorraine's green quilt. She's right, the quilt I made for Lorraine also uses a Sweetwater range.

FNSI results

Since planning what I wanted to do last night, I had a minor accident at the beach and slipped coming down some rocks and over extended my little finger on my left hand. Hooray I'm right handed. However my left hand has been very uncomfortable and then I went and had a wart frozen on the right hand. You get the picture. Not condusive to getting as much done as I wanted, but I still managed to:

Finish final of five Solstice star blocks. I changed the cutting instructions to eliminate the half square triangles as follows:

Fabric 1 four 2.5" by 4.5" rectangles
Fabric 2 four 2.5" by 6.5" rectangles
Background four 4.5" squares and twelve 2.5" squares
I then used the 2.5" squares and the double half square triangle method on each rectangle and then pieced the fabric 1 rectangle and background square. Then after pressing added the fabric 2 rectangle.



Finish the binding on my building blocks quilt, ready for our guild meeting on Monday where I hope to get two more ladies to sign up for our WI workshop.




Finish one more swoon block. I was concerned there might not be enough contrast between the pale blue and the grey background but now it's together it looks great.




I have block 11 of the 12 fat quarter stars cut and ready to sew with some more swoon blocks for tomorrow. Then I do need to finish my four Eisteddfod pieces as the replacement table for my Bernina has arrived. I will work on the table runner first as I can sew the binding on this piece at quilting on Monday night and Wednesday morning.

Friday Night Sew in for March

I am very ready for this month's FNSI. Valentine's Day yesterday brought six 13 / 14 year old girls for a games afternoon and sleepover. Nick was wondering how healthy it is to have so many bodies in a small space? It's half term here so it's nice for them to get together for a decent amount if time without Mum's having to run them around more than oce in the day.

Plans for Friday Night Sew In depending on what I achieve today and tomorrow:
* Sew the remaining 18 inches of binding on my 2 from 1 quilt
* Solstice star series block 4 is released today
* Fat Quarter stars - block 11 of 12 released yesterday
* If there's time I'll do a little swooning

It's now 8.45 am, when do I let some light into the sleepover room as I think parents are collecting at 11. Is it too early still? LOL

Productive Thursday

I just finished clearing up after our Thursday sewing session, in time for the arrival of Matthew's maths tutor.

Two blocks finished today:
My second Swoon block
Solstice star series - star of mystery

The Swoon block is using two contrasting fabrics from Home Town by Sweetwater and the background is from the Ruby collection by Bonnie & Camille. The FQs I bought are marginally smaller than usual and the cutting of the fabric is tight at best. I made a mistake on one of the red rectangles so had to piece together two pieces to make the replacement rectangle, but fortunately the join isn't too noticeable.



Continuing the star blocks using Flurry by Kate Spain is the fourth star from the Solstice Star Series called star of mystery. Only one more star in the series but they will be added to some other stars to make a quilt.

Up to date with my stars

I am particpating in two star based quilt alongs, Solstice Star and Fat Quarter star along. I have combined the two and am making the stars from the same fabric. Thirteen made to date and both sets are now up to date. Hooray.

From the Solstice Stars we have:

Star 2 - Whirling star



Star 3 - the aptly named Another star




And the tenth star from Moose on the porch is Milo's Star.



Next on the list? Alice's quilt which is ready on my long arm machine, at least one Famer's Wife Sampler block and I guess I should break out my #1 UFO.

January finish

At the beginning of 2012 I decided to participate in the 2012 UFO Challenge over on the Patchwork Times blog, and I made my list of 12 unfinished projects that I'd like to bring to completion this year. Judy chooses a number each month, and that is the project that we work on.

January was project #5 which for me was my disappearing nine patch, a simple small quilt which I just had to sew the blocks together, quilt and bind. I used the baptist fan pantograph to quilt it and hand stitched the binding whilst waiting for Lizzie at her swimming club session on a Tuesday night. Over the weekend I found some extra blocks in my sewing machine case so I think they will have to be donated for charity quilts to Astra.

The UFO to work on for February was released today. Fingers crossed again for it not to be the Jan Krentz star quilt!! Oh heck, my luck's run out already. Project #1 has been chosen. Okay this will be a challenge as I can't remember all the tips we were given and I have this horrible feeling that I may have used some of the fabrics for other projects.