May 2021 progress

 Was I able to reward myself with a new start - Hay Babe by Sew Quirky ?

1. My UFO for our group challenge was number 11, Spring Garden by Durene Jones which I finished mid month and then framed myself.

2. By Annie ultimate travel bag  - no progress in May. I'd be happy for this to be chosen for our June UFO challenge.

 3. My economy block quilt is finished.

6. Month 7 of Christmas Wreath by The Frosted Pumpkin Stitchery complete

7. #Summersamplerturns10 sewalong I finished all 12 blocks but one is too large by 1/2" so it's sitting in time out.

8. Sew in ends on the dishcloths I knit earlier in the year. Complete and ready to gift.

9. 1990 Prairie schooler Santa. Done

I didn't make the May block for Around the World BOM as I haven't visited Dubai and it's not on my bucket list. I did start two new projects this month which I hope to also finish in June.

I rewarded myself with the Hay Babe pattern and I even finished it.

I didn't finish the May mini for A Year of Celebrations and I didn't even start the  May monthly cottage from a Country Cottage Needleworks. Both of these projects are going to be set aside until all of the other months are complete towards the end of the year.

Friday Finish - Hay Babe

 

This project felt out of my comfort zone at the start but now it's finished, I love it. We went for a walk in our area this afternoon to try and get some photos with a Jersey cow or two but it was too warm and they were all sunbathing.

The details:

Thread - aurifil in colours 2235 5005 2140 2745 4020 1104

Pattern - Hay Babe by Sew Quirky

Felt - bought at Pour l'amour du Fils show in Nantes from several vendors

Fabric includes Phosphor by Libs Elliot and Love Lily by Aprl Rosenthal

Flowers cut using a Sizzix die

Jacket £5 from Jersey Hospice Care charity shop £5

The jacket is actually black and will be well used as it's a fun jacket to put over a dress. I'd like to find a fun patch to sew over where I removed the label from the back of the jacket as it's a men's jacket and the patch gave away my secret!!

Work in Progress Wednesday - Mystery Quilt 2021

 

It has been fun sewing along for twelve days with Laundry Basket Quilts. Visit Edyta's blog here to access the instructions and videos. If you scroll down each post there is a printable pdf of the instructions.

The blocks have been straight forward starting with four patches and big half square triangles and moving on to more complicated blocks. 

My Accuquilt 8" mix and match set has been invaluable in cutting the blocks quickly and accurately. I was pleased to incorporate some of the fabrics from the Love Lily collection by April Rosenthal for Moda Fabrics which is released this autumn. I have also made a start on Hay Babe by Sew Quirky and used them in that project too.

I did a little unpicking on these pinwheel blocks as I wanted the stripes all going in one direction and it took a little more time and concentration but it was worthwhile.

I will admit I don't now have much low volume dotty / sprinkle fabrics left so I now need to order some fabric to fill in the background squares left now that the piecing of the blocks has been finished. I have pieced together some of the blocks into sections of rows as I went and I love how the middle of the quilt is looking so far. I really need to focus on my entry for the Festival of Quilts so this is going to remain on my design wall for the next two weeks and then I'll order the fabric to complete it.

Monday make - Spring Garden framed

I framed this piece called Spring Garden by Durene Jones myself. It's a free chart from Durene's Facebook group. Framing the piece was on my to do list for Saturday and was my May UFO challenge. I thought I had some mount board but I must have used it up, so nipped out on Saturday morning to buy some from an out of town store. I glued a square of wadding onto the mountboard which I ha trimmed to size and then spent ages getting the borders on all four sides the same width. Just as you think they're right, you remeasure and it's moved on a different side. 

I am please with how this piece now looks and it is a bit green for my taste so am going to wrap it ready for a friend's birthday.

 

Later on Saturday, a local quilt group, Caesarea Quilters invited half of the members to afternoon tea, with the other half having done the same thing the previous weekend. It was lovely to enjoy everyone's company, delicious cones and fresh sandwiches along with some show & tell. The group celebrates it's 23 birthday this year. It's easy for me to remember as I had just come out of maternity with Lizzie and she accompanied me to the inaugural meeting at just a week old.

Friday finish- Economy block

 

I am thrilled to have finished this project and even more so as I am donating it to After Breast Caner for a fundraiser in the autumn. I used the red hearts from Love Lily by April Rosenthal as the binding.

I enjoyed using the Accuquilt Mix and Match set for this project as it makes quick work of cutting the fabric. I have used lots of fabric scraps and fat quarters and only bought three pink fat quarters to to up my stash to add some variety.

The backing is Kona white overdyed with Procion dyes and the leftovers from this have been used by my daughter to back her superheroes face masks.

A successful project which used up my stash of scraps, fat quarters and wide backing. What to tackle next?

WIP Wednesday - Christmas wreath month 7

 

Month 7 of the Christmas wreath by The Frosted Pumpkin Stitchery arrived in my in box on Friday evening. I printed it out ready to stitch on Saturday and Sunday. I stitched solidly on Saturday apart from a small quilt group meeting on Saturday afternoon. On Sunday I finished all but about 30 stitches before we needed to go and meet friends for a walk.

This month we added Mrs Claus which was a nice block of cream and white to stitch, three Christmas lights and another candy cane. The project has now been put away until month 8 is released on 18 June. I have a lot of other projects to work on before then. What might we get next month? Another present, a vintage ornament and some lights perhaps? I'll just have to wait.

Monday make - Mystery sewalong

 

I participated in Edyta Sitar's sewalong for the Alaskan rainbow quilt which I love. Edyta is currently running a 12 day FREE sewalong for the 2021 mystery quilt on her Laundry Basket Quilts blog  I know it was silly to join the sewalong given that I'm feeling overwhelmed this month, but I jumped in with both feet. 

I have gone for the scrappy rainbow option with no planning at all. Some of the fabrics I've chosen happen to be on my work table already such as the half square triangles (day 4) from Love Lily by April Rosenthal. I'm also using up my stash of low volume fabrics which have a hole basket to themselves.

Friday finish - Spring Garden

 My group UFO challenge for May was number 11 - Spring Garden by Durene Jones. It is a free pattern on Durene's Facebook group from 2020. As I was feeling overwhelmed by everything I wanted to accomplish in May, I changed my plan of attack and laid out in my paper diary which projects I was going to concentrate on for any given day. I am so pleased to have finished this project so I am ready for the next section of the Christmas wreath by The Frosted Pumpkin Stitchery to be released tonight.

I have ordered a square white frame from Amazon and plan to get it fully finished this month too. 

WIP Wednesday - economy blocks

 

I will start by saying that I love my design wall and it is perfect for laying out project like this an then pinning one row at a time. Last week I finished stitching the quilt top together and then I asked my daughter to dye me a quilt back. I have a bolt of Moda white and in the spirit of using up my stash, I didn't have to buy a backing.

Lizzie made a lovely job of dyeing the backing and I rinsed it twice in our washing machine and hun it out to dry. It's amazing how long it took to dry on a breezy cold day. This is destined for After Breast Cancer as a fundraiser so I went with an all over heart design using a pink and brown variegated thread from Superior Thread.

What to choose for binding? Red hearts from Love Lily by April Rosenthal or the leftover backing? Instagram friends agreed with the red hearts which I cut, joined and pressed yesterday. I am pleased that I have made good progress but yesterday went a little pear shaped with a 5am call from my aunt to say she'd called an ambulance. I was allowed in to see her briefly and then had to go home and wait. She had an X-ray an has cracked a bone in her elbow in her dominant arm. The hospital were excellent and we returned at 1pm to collect her still in her pyjamas and we were allowed to use the ambulance entrance and she is now in respite care until she can care for herself. She is 91and copes with most things by herself.

So my plan today is to get this bound and finished. Then this afternoon we have to go for Covid PCR tests so we can visit K in the home.

Monday Make Modern

 

Two weeks ago I received these lovely fabrics from Moda Fabrics and the range is Love Lily by April Rosenthal. I finished my project a week ago, but I'm going to have to wait until later on in the year to show you my project as it's a submission to Make Modern. Aren't the fabrics gorgeous.

However issue 40 is out this week and here is a preview of what's in store for you. If you're not yet a subscriber you can use my affiliate link to subscribe. Purchase Make Modern.

Encouragement and acceptance are the most important things we can give other quilters – helping a newbie solve a problem, coaxing a friend who isn’t confident in their abilities, or being your friend’s biggest cheerleader when they launch a quilty business. It doesn’t mean criticising someone if they don’t know all the rules yet (no Quilt Police!) or making them feel like they’re asking stupid questions. It means accepting that some of us have less time or money to dedicate to quilting. If you’re an experienced quilter, be a great encourager. In this issue we meet Emily Watts on who tells us how her neighbour Judith was instrumental in starting her off with quilting. If you can, be a Judith! The more we encourage and lift each other up, the more our craft will continue to prosper.

In this issue, we also MEET Nic Vaughan and Monika Henry. We MAKE star quilts, triangle quilts and a choose your own adventure quilt!, find a use for those coveted selvedges and make the sweetest embroidered needlebook. We MOTIVATE you to streamline your piecing with our guide to shortcutting your patchwork!

Included Patterns:

• Fire Quilt by Jen Shaffer (@patternsbyjen)
• Stand Out Starburst Quilt by Leanne Parsons (@devotedquilter)
• Needlebook by Amanda Conger (@mrsdragon)
• Selvedge Pincushions by Kristy Lea (@quietplay)
• Midsummer Night Quilt by Ruth Fortune (@lafortunadesigns)
• Audley Quilt by Wendy Wild (@thenextstitch)
• Zella Quilt by Sarah Campbell (@stitchmodequilts)
• Modern Railfence Quilt by Sonalee Suchismita (@sonaleeleena)
• Block Adventures Quilt & Cushion by Monika Henry (@pennyspoolquilts) & Katy Devlin (@lethargiclass)
• Selfie Quilt by Tacy Gray (@tacygray)     

Featured Articles:

• Smash That Stash: Orphan Blocks by Jane Kelly (@janekellyquilts)
• Precise Piecing: Shortcut Your Patchwork by Jane Kelly (@janekellyquilts)
• Meet the Maker: Emily Watts (@emilywattsquilts)
• Meet the Maker: Nic Vaughan (@craftapalooza)
• Meet the Maker: Monika Henry (@pennyspoolquilts)
• Gallery: Modern Colourwash Quilts by Jane Kelly (@janekellyquilts)
• DIY Design by Tara Glastonbury (@stitchandyarn): Finding Inspiration
• Cloth Confidential by Wendy Wild (@thenextstitch): Ready. Cut. Sew.
• Tips + Techniques by Alyce Blyth (@blossomheartquilts): Fussy Cutting Fancy
• Quilt Like a Rock Star by HollyAnne Knight (@stringandstory): FMQ Tips from the Quilting Rock Stars

If you're not yet a subscriber you can use my affiliate link to subscribe or purchase a single issue. Purchase Make Modern.

Friday finish - April cottage

 

The April Cottage by Country Cottage Needleworks was my last finish for April. I need to think now about how I'm going to frame them. I have a frame from a charity shop but having tried to paint it, it looks worse than ever. A new plan is needed. 

I have been feeling a bit overwhelmed by the UFOs that I want to work on this month as my progress on my May JMQG UFO Challenge piece is slow. I have decided to be more focused on individual projects rather than doing an hour a day on multiple projects. The first project to focus on is my challenge piece. I now have the structure of the border stitched on three side and I will work on joining the borders today. On Monday I will start on block 6 and Tuesday, I should be able to finish the whole piece and fill in the flowers in the border.

At the weekend I'm going to work on my economy blocks and Summer sampler turns 10 to get them ready to quilt. Fingers crossed.

May plans

 Whilst I made good progress on a number of projects in April, I need to finish some this month to free up my design wall and my mind. If I finish a couple of big projects, I'm going to reward myself with a new start - Hay Babe by Sew Quirky. I'm going to finish kitting it up this week as I need fringing and black felt.

1. My UFO for our group challenge is number 11, Spring Garden by Durene Jones. I am so pleased I made so much progress on it in April. There's still a lot to do as I'm not a quick stitcher but it's achievable.

2. By Annie ultimate travel bag has been started and should be finished in May.

 3. I have all of the economy blocks made and need to get them on my design wall and ready to sew together. I have had a recount and need one more block. Sigh.

4. May mini for A Year of Celebrations

5. May monthly cottage from a Country Cottage Needleworks. 

6. May block for Around the World BOM. I have decided not to stitch all of the blocks as some of the destinations I haven't visited and are not on my bucket list.

7. Month 7 of Christmas Wreath by The Frosted Pumpkin Stitchery

8. #Summersamplerturns10 sewalong as the twelfth block is released in May so I should be able to finish the quilt this month.

9. Sew in ends on the dishcloths I knit earlier in the year.

10. 1990 Prairie schooler Santa 

I have also started on the Corinne Sovey Hocus Pocus pattern but I am only making a couple of blocks a month so it definitely won't be finished in May. I also have one of her Christmas patterns kitted up ready for a retreat later in the year, I hope.

April progress

Whilst I have made good progress on a number of projects in April, most will be carried forward to May to be finished

1. I focused on finishing the economy blocks in pinks and reds. I now have a total of 100 for a 60" square quilt.

2. April mini for A Year of Celebrations was finished and I made a small start on May.

3. April monthly cottage from a Country Cottage Needleworks. Started but not finished last month.

4. April block for Around the World BOM

5. Month 6 of Christmas Wreath by The Frosted Pumpkin Stitchery - exciting as we got to the top of the wreath and are more than half completed. And it lines up!!

6. #Summersamplerturns10 sewalong blocks to make. Eleven  have been released and made, so one more block to go and I can piece it into a quilt top.

7. By Annie ultimate travel bag has been started and should be finished in May.

9. 2007 Prairie schooler Santa 

10. I have made good progress on the Spring Sampler cross stitch as I started the month with one block half done and finished the month with four blocks finished and one in progress.