July 2021 achievements

I am pleased that I have finished many of my quilts in progress but my cross stitch has taken a back seat. I will be taking cross stitch on our UK road trip.

Prairie schooler Santa 

Summer sampler turns 10 

Patchwork flying geese SAL

Fractured rainbow cushion from the leftovers of the previous finish

Month 10 of Christmas Wreath by The Frosted Pumpkin Stitchery. Just one more instalment to go. The next clue is released on 20 August.

Centenary block for Janome

May, June and July blocks for Around the World BOM

Kid Giddy Ugly Sweater pieced baby quilt

Kidd Giddy FPP Ugly Sweater mug rug

Linen dress by Cool crafting

Three face masks which have sat around since November.

Shorty pyjamas adapted from Tilly and the Buttons book "Stretch"

Home Stitch Home by Tiny Modernist for #CrossStitchCamp 

Friday finish - FPP ugly sweater

 

As part of the Retreat from Home Ugly Sweater Block Party last weekend, we also did some foundation piecing (FPP). Before the event, I stitched the purple test block and on Sunday I turned it into a mug rug with bosal inside and finished with a fancy bias binding from Bertie's Bows on Ebay.

I dug in my scrap bin and made two further 6" FPP blocks. I really need to clean the wadding on my design wall to get rid of the stray threads. I may turn these into storage boxes but that will have to wait until later in the year.

WIP Wednesday - Home Stitch Home

 

It's amazing what I can achieve when I am avoiding other tasks. I finished this piece by @tinymodernist (free via Instagram) on Tuesday morning and I should then have packed for my trip leaving today. No, instead I decided to fully finish the piece and mount it on a frame from Amazon.

I must now pack for my trip to Festival of Quilts today. I think that with all of the uncertainty in the world, I wasn't sure we would actually go, but I have booked my daughter's flight down to Birmingham and I have now booked my return leg. Once in England I will book us into an escape room on Saturday and contact friends who I am hoping to visit. We have volunteered to steward on Friday and the coordinator has confirmed that my entry has been unpacked. That's a relief.

Monday make - Ugly sweater block party

 

Yesterday I joined in with the Retreat from Home Ugly Sweater Block Party with Ebony Love and Kerry Goulder. The nutcracker insert for the sweater was a special for the event. I need to add some eyes. If it is to become a baby quilt, buttons and rhinestones are not suitable, so they need to be appliqued on.

I used a West Wind pantograph from Christy Dillon. I was pleased to find this Alison Glass Xmas fabric in my stash. It is from 2018 and I reckoned if I hadn't cut into yet, it was perfect to be used as backing and I still have scraps for other projects. The pink and red binding is by Urban Chicks for Moda and was also from stash. It was a good feeling to finish this project during the event, but as it was based in the US, the final event started at midnight which is too late for this early bird. Often when my son video calls on a Sunday evening, I'm already in my pyjamas. :)

Friday finish - fractured rainbow

 

This is my last ombre confetti project using the leftover fabric from my patchwork flying geese project. The pattern is by @quietplay from her website I used silver Essex dyed linen from Robert Kaufman as the background (from stash), I just need to purchase a cushion inner for this 20" large cushion.

I quilt it on my HQ Avante using a baptist fan pattern which to me looks like a rainbow. I used Kam snaps to close the cushion. I plan to stock up on a few more snaps at Pour l'Amour du Fil or Festival of Quilts.

WIP Wednesday - Christmas wreath

 

Clue 9 was released last Friday and is now complete. I can't quite believe we have just one clue left in August and then in September we will put our cushion together. My fabric is a blush pink which really doesn't show up true to colour. What might be in that last section, definitely a light and perhaps another gift and a peppermint sweet?

Monday make - ombre flying geese

 

I was planning to take the binding on this project to our group meeting on Saturday but I was so close to a finish that I just did it on Friday. 

I used a grey spotted wide backing from stash which wouldn't have been my first choice but I wanted to sue up my stash. I didn't quite have enough Essex dyed linen in gold for the binding so I bought 30cm to enable me to cut six strips of 2" binding.

I have some leftovers of the ombre confetti fabric by V &Co, so I have one more small project to make and then it's time to destash the remaining few fat quarters and large scraps. Smaller scraps are already bagged up for a friend who likes to make crumb blocks.

Friday finish - more Christmas Cheer blocks

 

I have made a few more block for Christmas Cheer by Corinne Sovey. I am managing to keep this project neat and tidy with my file with all of the instructions and templates and a mailer box of fabrics.

I made the two tree blocks yesterday and created my own foundation paper piecing pattern to make them easier. I also made Santa's hat earlier in the week an just need to blanket stitch around the bobble.

I must be of to the hospital for a blood test and some retail therapy but I hope to finish binding my flying geese quilt today.

WIP Wednesday - Ombre patchwork flying geese

 

I have been finishing one or two rows a day and all of the rows are now pieced. I am planning to finish this by Thursday so it can be quilted on Friday ready to sew on the binding at our guild sewing day on Saturday. Though the Covid rules have just changed so I'm not sure if we can still meet.

What binding do you suggest? I'm wondering if my local quilt shop has Essex linen in gold perhaps?

Pattern Ombre Patchwork Flying Geese by Quilty Love

Monday Make - summer sampler turns 10

 

This is the Summer Sampler turns 10 free sewalong which finished some weeks ago. You can get details of the sewalong here but I'm not sure if the patterns are still available. I stalled as the last lock turned out too big for me to use so it has been consigned to the "use one day" drawer and I made a simpler block.

All of the fabric was from stash and I used a mix of greys and reams for the backgrounds of the blocks. I decided to machine down the binding as this will probably be donated to Quilts  Careleavers but I just need to check the measurements. The machine finished binding will stand up to regular machine washing by teenagers better than a hand stitched binding. I cut the binding to 2" wide and it turned out very well.

A customer had requested the pattern "peacock" last week and it is quick to stitch out as there's no ovrstithing so I took my inspiration from the customer and used the same design with a grey thread.

I used mainly Elizabeth Hartman fabrics for the block paired with Kona solids. It was then an easy choice to use an Elizabeth Hartman 108" wide backing and some leftover from other quilts for the binding.

I think this will appeal to a teenager and hope to donate it at our next group meeting.

Friday finish - Hocus pocus

 

This quilt didn't feel like it was a WIP for very long. I was just making a block a week nd going to finish it at a retreat in the autumn and it's already finished. I have now started making one block a week of the Christmas Cheer pattern also by Corinne Sovey.

My favourite block has to be the witchy boots and tights. I hadn't allowed for how big the block is and ran out of the black Cotton and Steel print. Fortunately a local quilty friend was able to come to my rescue with a fat quarter of this fabric.

I used a digital pantograph for to quilt this project called Nightmare by Anne Bright an it was perfect. For the binding I used Basic Grey grunge in eggplant again from my stash. The backing is an Elizabeth Hartman print also from stash and I used it in the blocks too.

I am going to use the same backing fabric for my Summer Sampler turns 10 which is now ready to quilt over the weekend.

WIP Wednesday - Around the World Block of the Month

I am participating in the Whole Circle Studios BOM but have fallen behind. I downloaded this month's pattern on 1 July and now have the following to complete:

* Dubai - May

* Rome - June

* New York - July

* Plane - July bonus block

 

I decided to start on Saturday with Rome as that looked the simplest and was printed out. I received some more foundation paper yesterday from Pattern Trace so printed out the New York block last night.

I was wrong about the Rome block, it's not simple as each of those 18 arches are separate blocks. It took me all of Saturday to finish it but I am pleased with how it turned out.

We have been to Rome once and the Port of Rome - Civitavecchia three further times. We were under the impression that it was a long journey by coach and you at on the coach for most of the time. Not our idea of fun. However when we were cruising with NCL, we made friends with two American gents and they had found a good tour locally and it was mostly a guided walking tour and at a good price. So we got up early and met the tour on the quayside and they were able to accommodate us in the group. A brilliant day out and we saw all of the sights and went into the Colosseum and Vatican city.

I had said I wasn't going to do the block for Dubai however I realised that we had transited through the airport en route to Hong Kong for our honeymoon 30 years ago and to Beijing 2 years ago, so I decided to made the block.

The block looks complicated came together quickly however I didn't read all of the instructions in advance and I need a thin long strip for the left hand side of the block which I should have precut. I have ordered more Kona orange and it will be a quick finish. Next I'm going to ork on the bonus block.

Monday make - By Annie extras

 

By Annie (Annie Unrein)has some free patterns on her website which are great to try if you're new to her patterns. I had quilted up two metres of Tula Pink fabric for my Ultimate Travel bag as Annie suggests so I had plenty of fabric left for some more projects. I decided to try some of the free patterns.

I started with the Easy Does It boxy pouch which measures a useful 6"H x 9"W x 4¼"D. I used the same fabric (Basic Grey wide grunge in eggplant) for the binding and side straps and a random piece of pink zipper tape.

I think it will be very useful for travelling along with the Ultimate Travel Bag. Fingers crossed that we will be off to the UK at the end of the month and have booked the ferry and two hotels yesterday.

My second make was the Piecekeeper which is a generous 11"H x 16"W. I added a third Tula Pink fabric for the band at the bottom of the bag and the remainder of the zip tape from the Ultimate Travel Bag. The only thing I changed was that I machined down the binding to the back of the bag.

I still have a largish piece of quilted fabric left for another project and I think I'll store it with the grunge fabric to work on as a 2022 UFO challenge piece. Next I want to piece one more block for the Summer Sampler Turns 10 and load a customer quilt.

Friday finish - Ultimate Travel bag

I have wanted to make a travel bag for sometime and a $3 annual membership to Craftsy seemed like the perfect opportunity to make the Ultimate Travel Bag by Annie Unrein. The class comes with both the pattern and videos - a bargain. I started by quilting up 2 yards of fabric as Annie recommends. 

 

I used two Tula Pink fabrics and Bosal along with a pinwheel quilting design. I love the texture created. I also used Basic Grey wide grunge in Eggplant as a contrast fabric. I did mess up by only getting one long purple zipper instead of two, so went with the pink zipper that I had in stash. If I go to Festival of Quilts as planned, I may look for some Tula Pink Renaissance ribbon to make pulls for the zips.

The front of the bag has a useful zip pocket I'm not sure I'd use the slip pockets.

And the back has a strap with velcro to go over a rolling suitcase. Very useful. Fingers crossed I can use this when I go to Festival of Quilts at the end of August. I now have lots of quilted fabric to use for more coordinating bags.

July 2021 goals

I will share my Q3 goals next week but I need to break it down into smaller achievable goals for just this month as I am overwhelmed. I am my own worst enemy though as I keep starting new projects. Fortunately number 5 has been picked for our UFO challenge and that was the By Annie Ultimate Travel Bag that I completed last week. I think I need to start on my linen dress instead as it will be the end of summer before it's done.

1. Linen dress

2. Home Stitch Home by Tiny Modernist for #CrossStitchCamp 

3. A monthly cottage from a Country Cottage Needleworks. I didn't even start the May or June cottages so I am just going to move on to August.

4. May, June and July blocks for Around the World BOM. 

5. Month 9 of Christmas Wreath by The Frosted Pumpkin Stitchery. Including this month, there are just three more installments to go. The next clue is released on 16 July.

6. Patchwork flying geese SAL which I have already fallen behind with.

7. A Prairie schooler Santa 

8. Summer sampler turns 10. This just needs one more block and to be put together. Surely achievable if I focus on the project.