Lone Star - first finish of 2019

In January 2018, I challenged the members of Jersey Modern Quilt Guild to finish their oldest WIP and bring it along to the January 2019 meeting last weekend. It is a stunning design that needed to be finished. So I worked on it last week and it was ready for the meeting with two other UFOs. Many members had got out their oldest UFO, reevaluated it and put it back in the cupboard.

Most of the quilt was done when I pulled it out of the bag. It had faltered as I didn't like the foundation piecing technique demonstrated in the class which used freezer paper. Luckily I had all of the fabric still in the bag including sufficient of the navy fossil fern for the binding nd a small border. There was just one fabric that I ran out of in the corner foundation pieced blocks which I just substituted and moved on.

The quilt was then loaded on my machine before I broke my ankle in October and has remained thee untouched until January. following an operation, I didn't sleep for a week, so I needed to reestablish my sleep pattern, so that my brain was sufficiently clear to do justice to the quilt. I usually use computerised designs, but this is mostly free motion and ruler work.

There's nothing like jumping in at the deep end.

It is now finished and ready to enter into our local Eisteddfod in March. Though I still have a few other projects to finish for the show. The backing is an Elizabeth Hartman fabric for Robert Kaufmann in 108" wide for backings. 

I am now catching up on customer quilts so that I can quilt either my Christmas Trees quilt or my Violet Craft lion next. The Christmas Tree quilt needs a few more blocks sewn but would be a digital pantograph but the lion is free motion again. decisions, decisions.

Q1 2019 finish along

There are some new entries for me in the finish along and some that have been hanging around for almost a decide. This year I  plan to finish everything that was started before 2018.

1. Jan Krentz star from 2010. This is now on my long arm and should be finished this month so that I can quilt some customer quilts as well as the fabric for item 11

2. TQS BOM Sedona Star from Jan 2012. Not yet pieced together but progress was made in 2018.

3. Lion from 2017

4. Tula Pink butterfly from October 2017. I need to move a few blocks and then quilt it.



5. My small world from 2016 which is pieced and partly quilted.

6. Five impossible things

7. La Fin du Monde which I started as a quiltalong late 2018, but the background fabric got lost in the post, so progress stopped.

8. Jo Avery Dresden plate - a Festival of quilts class in 2017

9. Tate modern quilt - this is my own design from a painting at the Tate Modern that I need to start again from scratch and cut templates.

10. Christmas tree quilt using a tutorial by Amy Smart

11. Catch all caddy- I have the Tula Pink fabrics but need to quilt them on my long arm. Possibly a project for JMQG rainbow retreat 2019 in March.

12. Miscellaneous Elizabeth Hartman blocks

13 Geeta Gamma globe

14. HST BOM  - I want to keep up with the blocks each month and finish it in December

15. Quilter's Planner BOM - I have made a start and may try and finish this one this quarter 

16. Tula Pink Hex on the beach

17. Oops I forgot the improv quilt from Poppyprint's class for London MQG.

I have more projects planned or on the go than I thought. however I now have no unfinished cross stitch projects, but I seem to have replaced them with knitting WIPs.

Cushion finished

I wanted to make at least one project from the book, Fussy Cutters Club, tat I purchased by Gnome Angel (Angie Wilson). I made my own templates to cut the pieces for this cushion as I reduced the size from the example in the book. Getting a quarter of an inch seam allowance around all three sides of the templates was more challenging than I realised. we are very lucky to have access for a small fee, to 3D lase cutting equipment at our local library.

 I tried out the Aurifil 80 on this project as well as the flat back stitch. I have the Tula Pink - hex o the beach project in progress so may try this technique again as I don't like seeing stitches come through to the front. we will see. Here is a tutorial for this technique - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZfC9gOdiinU

I then quilted it in three directions on my Bernina and turned it into a cushion. I think I may try out the big tote pattern from the book next but I need to finish some other projects first. More on my Q1 2019 finish along list another day.

A finish too

I also finished a garment in Q4, however it is too long and too wide, even for me. So a finish for now but will need attention in the future.

I love the Tula Pink skulls so will have to fix this make to be able to wear it this autumn so time is on my side.

Where have I been

My last post was the items that I wanted to finish for Q4 of the finish long and then I disappeared.

At the beginning of October I fell and whilst it was initially diagnosed as a sprain, turned out to be a broken ankle so I was a good girl and rested up my foot in the orthopaedic boot that I was given. This meant no standing at my long arm and using the sewing machine was out too, but I did do some cross stitching which I will show you next week. one of the items I am particularly proud of.

I did finish this quilt - the pattern was by Abigail Sheridan de Graff which I tested for Abigail. My broken ankle didn't stop me from sewing on the binding.

I quilted this  on my long arm using an edge to edge pattern. It has since been gifted to my hairdresser as she loves Christmas and I hadn't given her a wedding present when she got married earlier last year.

 One of the reasons I was good an rested up was we were headed to the Caribbean on a two week cruise at the beginning of November. I can't fault the special assistance at Gatwick airport. I only took knitting with me on our holiday as I finished the cross stitch whilst resting my foot.

We were on P&O Azura and paid to use the retreat for the two weeks. well worth the investment as I could rest in the shade and my hubby could et full sun. they also served light lunches too, so no battling with the queues at the buffet, which  managed to avoid for the whole two weeks.