CCC Eena bag

As is often the case for me, pride came before a fall. I am behind on the CCC sewalong and I thought to myself, a bag, I'll do that next to start to catch up. No, this bag, for no specific reason, kicked my butt.

My big mistake was basting the lining to the outside back upside down. I was celebrating almost being finished and turning the bag inside out before starting the binding. Oh oh, not good. It went downhill from there. I pinned the pieces together with multiple pins and stabbed myself multiple times so the bag lining contains my DNA (and a cute label).

Having applied one side of the binding moderately successfully, I decided to be cautious, and hand sewed the other side of the binding by hand. I am relieved to have the project finished and may make the Blair shirt next.

 

Chairman’s challenge 2

It’s amazing what you find when you start tidying up. I was delighted last weekend to find my Alison Glass turquoise scraps but I also found an almost finished make and take from Pour l’Amour du Fil. It very nearly went into the bag for a local school and then I thought, a few borders and it could be another mini quilt for the Special Care Baby Unit.

The make and take elements are the pinwheel centre and the four pink on white corners. I think they are all Art Gallery fabrics. I found a toning burgundy speckle and the Libs Elliott pink which has been reduced to a few scraps. Simple quilting and a machine binding and it was finished before the Great British Sewing Bee 2023 final started. I even remembered at the very last minute to add a label.

I also cut up my scraps of wadding into 20" squares to give to others in our group making the mini quilts. My bag of wadding has reduced by half which is great progress.

Maple & Eucalyptus 1 to 20

I am now feeling much happier about this #100blocks100days project by Gnome Angel as I have sorted out the colour order of my blocks. I have also labelled the top block of each diagonal with the colour combination of that section to keep me on track.

Critical to moving on was the yellow diagonal from top right to bottom left. I pieced this out of only yellow fabrics which then enabled me to work out what fabrics to use either side of the yellow blocks.

I am just keeping up with the blocks at the moment but need to get ahead for the six days I'm away at the beginning of August. I do appreciate the simple blocks for a quick win. I am hoping for some simple blocks again soon so I can cut and stitch two blocks in a day.

Rows 1 and 2 of ten are now stitched together. I think I may continue sewing together pairs of rows so that there are fewer long rows to stitch together at the end. My design wall isn't quite big enough to accommodate the 80" wide quilt top, but I can do it with just a bit of overhang at both ends ad some judiciously placed pins. 

Monday make - scrappy baskets

 

The obvious thing to do when you're overwhelmed is to start another project (s). I spotted that The Crafty Nomad was running a mini quiltalong to make scrappy baskets. This was to introduce The Quilt Hive to a wider audience. I liked the website, and the bite size pieces that the classes are broken into. In the Quilt Hive, there were extra sizes for the basket. Challenge accepted.

I might have mentioned, just once or twice, that my daughter and I are going to the Festival of Quilts in ten days' time, so I thought I'd make one of each size for Lizzie. Not that I don't have other gifts for her already.

The smallest basket included a piece of fabric from her going to university quilt. It was like a memory basket as there are favourite scraps from Tula Pink, Sweetwater, Lou Summers and Carolyn Friedlander. when I went to get some striped fabric from my dedicated binding box, I found a black and white scrappy binding that Lizzie had pieced together for her lockdown quilt which was displayed at the 2021 Festival of Quilts. Perfect.

The second basket also included fabrics from Aneela Hoey, Ruby Star Society and Karen Lewis. Some of the fabrics, I have no idea where they came from.

I came across the Measure Twice, Cut Once selvedge in my Ruby Star Society scrap bag and I had to use it in the largest basket.  In this basket there's also some V&Co and Lori Holt fabrics.

I think it's a lovely set which nests very nicely, and I hope Lizzie will like them. whether she has room in her suitcase for her purchases and gifts is debatable, but stuff can always be left with her brother who lives in Warwick.

Chairman’s challenge

This project started as a result of a mistake. I made one block for my Maple and Eucalyptus quilt but it was one that I had already done, so a duplicate. It was annoying me sat on my table. On Monday, my Monday night guild had a demo of a star block to be made into an 18" mini quilt for donation to our local Special Care Baby Unit.

Our chairman has challenged us all to make at least one mini quilt by our September meeting so we can make a good sized donation. Hopefully we can get some good publicity in our local newspaper and gain some new members.

I took the 8" block and added a 2" border and then a four inch border, all from stash and scraps. I even remembered to add one of my quilt labels.

WIP Wednesday overwhelm

There is plenty of sewing going on here, but it feels like I’m not making any progress. It’s starting to overwhelm me.

I am keeping up with the weekly blocks for the mini block sampler but that crab was a challenge due to my mistakes. I sewed it yesterday after it was released on Monday which disappointed me as I couldn’t tick it off my Monday to do list. Sad but true.

I am also keeping up with the 100days100blocks challenge with Gnome Angel. I have stitched about 40 blocks already and we are on day 19.

One of my sources of overwhelm is that I haven’t got the colour graduation of the blocks made to date quite right. This is especially true of the pink and purple blocks in the top right. I have countered that by making all of the yellow blocks that make the diagonal from top right to bottom left and I’m working my way from there.

I need to sort the top left corner so I can sew the top two rows together and take it from there.

I have also started cutting and stitching together a secret project but I am only stitching ten units together each day and making good steady progress. The other project causing me self inflicted stress is a simple bag pattern. I thought it was complete apart from the internal binding when I realised the back panel was upside down. Seam ripper to the rescue.

The plan? 

1. Sort out the colour progression of blocks 

2. Stitch the first two rows together

3. Continue stitching one block a day until I reach block 45 (due on 14 August) That takes me until after Festival of Quilts and a London trip. Then I can concentrate on finishing other projects

4. Finish the Eena bag

Monday make - strawberry summer

I think I may be slightly obsessed with strawberries. This design is by Barbara Ana and has a mirror frame which makes it almost impossible to photograph. My mum used to have a big vegetable and fruit patch next to our family home and we had the freshest fruit all summer - strawberries, raspberries, loganberries and tayberries. Good times. I find that shop bought strawberries go off before I eat them so this summer, I'm enjoying nectarines.

This morning I've finished my July cross stitch camp piece which is Summer Plant by Barbara Ana again from the Summer 2023 issue of pnps magazine. I get the digital version and print off the charts as required. They can also be viewed on my iPad.

I ordered the called for Belfast dirty linen in 32 count but it was a bit too ginger for this chart for me. I substituted Fiber on a whim 32 count cream and sugar from Peakside Needleworks. It could have been a fraction darker to offset the white and pale yellow, but once mounted and backed, it may have more contrast. I also used the recommended DMC cotton threads.

This is my strawberry cross body bag - pattern by Zeriano. I am now going to work on some small blocks and plan to work on whale Hello There at my Wednesday group.

 

Friday finish - polar plunge

 

Penguin Pair from the Polar Plunge set by Hands on Design was my choice of chart for the June cross stitch camp. I finished it just in time. I stitched it on 28 count fabric when the called for is 32 count. I will have to increase the size of the template but I think it will still fit on the Chantelles 141 display piece. I bought the display piece from Fat Quarter Shop as it's not available in the UK.

WIP Wednesday - mini block sampler June 2023

The blocks for the mini block sampler with Art East Quilting continue to be released every Monday. we have now passed the halfway stage and I thought it was about time to start getting organised or more organised!

Earlier in June, I thought it was time to work out how many blocks of each colour I had to stitch and whether I have enough fabrics for all of the blocks. I am pretty sure that I won't have enough of colour three, but I will worry about that nearer the time. I also realised that I needed a colour four. I found an Alison Glass fabric of which I had yardage but most of the other background fabrics are tone on tone so instead I opted for a Carolyn Friedlander fabric, but the drawback is that it's directional which you can see in this bee block.

Block 26 was entitled "life saver" but we would call it a life buoy. I enjoyed the block and sewed two of the maple and eucalyptus blocks at the same time. I think this background fabric was bought locally so perhaps I should buy some more now.

All of the blocks have been taken off my design wall and put into an A3 zipper wallet with my clip board and background fabrics. All of the blocks in colours 1, 2 and 7 are complete and I have plenty of the Basic Grey colour 5, so just need to consider colour 3 first.

Maple and Eucalyptus 1 to 10

The #100days100blocks2023 sewalong started on 1 July with Gnome Angel and Just Get it Done Quilts. You can purchase the PDF patterns here. I have participated twice in earlier versions of this sewalong.  I've chosen to do a variation of the Alison Glass layout from my stash. It's only once you start sewing that you realise that perhaps your stash isn't as varied as you may have thought. I knew reds would be tricky as there are fewer true reds in Alison's collections that other colours.

If you're participating, do join the Circle community for the sewalong as there have been errata on two blocks published and I spotted a mistake on block 9 last weekend.

My plan was to sew the rows together as I went along but I made a mistake on one of my colour choices so will need to move a few blocks around. I am now working on the yellow blocks and working above and below that diagonal line to correct my mistake. Here are my first ten blocks.

 

July 2023 plans

For cross stitch camp in July the prompt is a pattern with something that grows. This UFO hasn't been started and has strawberries so that is perfect for this challenge.

 

Whale Hello There by Hands on Design from the Polar Plunge series. I started this one in April but was sidetracked by another project. I also have the finishing pieces from Fat Quarter Shop so there are no excuses.

All of the blocks for this sewalong with Alison Glass are complete so I need to come up with a plan to put the blocks together. Once I've made a decision it should be fairly quick to finish.

 

We are scheduled to work on the following for the CCC sewalong with Sew Confident:

6 July Blaire Shirt

13 July Eena bag

20 July Ariana dress - catch up week for me as I'm not making this dress but I could make a Stevie dress instead

27 July    Stevie Jacket

As well as these plans I will start work on the Maple and Eucalyptus #100blocks100days sewalong and make four blocks for the 2023 mini block sampler with Art East Quilting. Fortunately I have no travel plans for July and not even a scheduled London hospital visit but my hubby retries on 31 July, so August will be busier.

June 2023 achievements

Although I have a few finishes for June, there are no quilts, just cross stitch, bags and clothes. My easiest finish should have been Sew Happy by Lori Holt as I just needed to press it and add the buttons and take it to the framer to have it finished. I'm pleased to have it finished and the pattern has been passed to a friend. This was also my June 2023 UFO.

 

Ruby the Raccoon by The Frosted Pumpkin Stitchery.

The Rhea Jumper by Style Arc was the second pattern for the Sew Confident Spring Summer 2023 Confident Capsule Collection.

Alpen Bag using Tula Pink fabrics and strapping from Zipper Valley. Pattern by Center Street Quilts.

The first of three Zip Divide it basket from a kit by Olive & Flo Handcraft. Pattern by Lou Orth.

Harmony blouse from Style Arc.

My penultimate Prairie Schooler Santa from 2010 is complete.

A simple Coco dress by Tilly and the Buttons.

 

Penguin Pair by Hands on Design from her polar plunge collection.

Coco dress 4 by Tilly and the Buttons

Monday make - Coco 4

 

The #sewfruity23 challenge hosted by @blossomsandwich was just the push I needed to stitch up this fabric which I purchased from @guthrieandghani last August. We are planning a return visit to the shop when we visit Festival of Quilts again in five weeks time. 

Pattern : coco dress by @tillyandthe buttons

Thread @Aurifil in my overlocker and gutterman maraflex in my sewing machine 

Label @kylieandthemachine 

I am loving my labels and have to make myself remember to use them. My current system is to choose a label at the planning stage. Many people add the label to the inside neck of the garment which I find irritates my neck and I want people to see the labels!!

I have two Stevie dresses and two Cielo dresses to make with fabric from last year's trip, but I doubt they'll get made before August. I haven't made those patterns before so need to do a toile to check the fit.

Sunday stash

A few purchases this week. On Thursday this lovely package arrived quickly from Peakside Needleworks. The DMC flosses and linen are for a new pattern by Barbara Ana which was in the newly released Punch Needle and Primitive Stitchery magazine. The Belfast dirty linen is the called for colour but is much darker than in the magazine picture so I also order the Fiber on a whim cream and Sugar.

I am feeling like stitching something summery so I think Day at the Beach and Summer Plant by Barbara Ana might end up being July starts.

Then a few purchases from my local store for thread mainly to finish some garments. The stitching guide was recommended on the Sewconfident Capsule Collection. I have used it a lot this week to turn up hems and it is so cheap - £1.50. So I bought one for my daughter too. The Gutterman Maraflex thread is also genius for sewing stretch fabrics.

I have started my shopping list for Festival of Quilts and we also have a side trip planned to Guthrie Ghani. I am very lucky that my son who lives in Leamington Spa is so amenable to taking us on a road trip and even came into the shop (we were there an hour) and showed interest in our purchases. 

My list so far comprises:

A clapper - I think I have persuaded a friend to stock them on her stand.

By Annie messenger bag pattern - my daughter has chosen the bag as one of our Christmas projects

Labels - I need to add to my assortment.

Fiskars ruler joiner - heavily influenced by Instagram.

Olfa magenta rotary cutter - just because I love pink.

We may also need some Bosal for our Christmas projects.