3rd Quarter Finish-Along - ta-da/to-do

Hello if you’re playing along over at Rhonda’s for the 3rd Quarter Finish-Along.  Hello if you’re not.  That’s everyone covered. 

July?  Really?  Summer? Really? 

Due to circs beyond, I missed the deadline for what I managed to finish last quarter, but aside from my Quilt of Good Intentions for Siblings Together, which has been finished and sent off to its new home, there was zilcho action, so this is a ta-da/to-do post …

Frankly, we could save us a heap of time if we just went to my 2nd quarter post - you’ll see the same guiltily unfinished projects.  Sometimes I feel like my Finish-Along journey is akin to visiting a home for unwanted abandoned pets - you love them all but can’t commit to only one so end up leaving empty handed.

Obese Swoon is far too big for my pathetically weedy machine and my sanity, so I’m going to wait until (a) I get a new machine OR b) I have saved enough to have it long-arm quilted.


 So, she has a bye until next quarter.


1.  This one, however is still shivering like a whippet in the cage of shame and is my first entry into the next quarter:



The Not The Wedding Quilt was finally deconstructed back to triangles about half way through last quarter.  It has remained thus for the remaining half of the quarter, so it’s a must do for the summer.


Unfortunately, I am still not even started on piecing the Wedding Quilt Mark II that this is supposed to be replaced by – Hey, Rhonda? Wanna rename this the Start-Along? …



2.  Next up is my FQ Winterkist Designer Challenge, which I need to finish by the end of August.

I’m going to rag quilt a Crimbo Bath Mat …

These are the fabrics Lynne@LilysQuilts sent me … Squeee! I love Monica@HappyZombie’s eye for detail in her prints.  The colours are lovely – not too highly saturated - the red is a lovely Heinz Tomato Soup red …

Hols are beckoning (from next Monday YAY!)  and I’m hoping that a ridiculous amount of time will be filled with lovely languid EPP-ing –

I’m doing a scrappy gingham-centric version of Katy@ ImAGingerMonkey’s Spring Carnival and not putting myself under any finishing pressure for that  …

Peace out.

2nd Quarter Finish-Along – the list

So, I’m just sneaking in under the tape here to play along over at Rhonda’s for the Finish-Along – but work is just full on - I’ve been invigilating this weekend – first practical ICT paper – it was ok and my students didn’t look too stressed, so I feel a lot less nauseous than I did this morning!

Anyway, back to the sewing - Last quarter I didn’t do too badly – but I think one of my ‘finishes’ didn’t count because it’s not quilted or bound – just a flimsy – so I’m dragging it back into detention for this quarter!

The guilty party? 


My ginormous Swoon-Along quilt – I only have a border to go and then it’s ready to baste.  I’m waiting on pay day for the quilt backing though … it’s been so wet this month that Linen Man hasn’t been out at the market … come on April, get the showers out of your system!


Next up is a quilt top that is so nearly ready it’s pathetic! Having cut into my beloved Echino stash and sewn the blocks for Jeni@InColorOrder’s giant vintage star quilt I just lost interest. It was supposed to be a wedding present, but I just didn’t think it suited the couple at all, so I shelved it … I have another idea for them now, which will have to wait until I have some real time in the summer. It’s going to be difficult! natch.



Anyway, I’m sure I can make this one look lovely, somehow … I may have to chop it up a lot … or not … gah!  It’s the appalling waste of my fave fabric that makes me want to weep! This is my first real big time FAIL in terms of matching fabric to a quilt pattern! What was I thinking?  Don’t get me wrong, I think the pattern is wonderful.  I just think I chose the wrong fabrics!



My final choice for the hall of WIP shame is my Quilt of Good Intentions, which I started on New Year’s Eve 2010. I know.  I’d entirely forgotten about it, and only found the blocks when I was clearing and spring cleaning in the Easter hols -  So much for good intentions LOL!

It’s been through many many hours of slicing and stitching and seam ripping and so on … but now I have some good blocks to set forth from …

Long story short the dark grey strips you can see now, were originally a really slippery polycotton that I thought I’d be able to get away with, but really really couldn’t – so I’ve spent some time this week repairing it with Kona Coal.  Much better.  But a right royal bloody pain!




I think it will look great and that really matters, because I’m going to make this one up for Lynne’s Siblings Together quilt drive.  It seems entirely fitting that what started out as a Good Intention two years ago should actually provide some pleasure for someone else, dontcha think? 

So, better go get sewing!  And, if you have any suggestions about what to do with the Echino mess, I’d be most grateful … Hadley, I know there’s pale poo brown linen in it, but it is really yummy in real life … promise!

Finish-Along - First Quarter

Have you been to Rhonda's space over at Quilter in the Gap to check on people's progress in The Finish-A-Long?

So … my (admittedly sparse) list of WIPs to finish (and in the final case even start!) was spot on!  whodathunkit!?

First off was my 'Through a Glass Darkly' Bletchley Quilt … process documented here and here and finally displayed here!







Next was my twister mat tutorial - done, but you'll have to wait and see







Finally was this wondrous stack ...






... which I had no idea what to do with … it mutated into my giant Swoon block and thus far to a near-finished quilt top:





So, amazingly as I've had bugger all sewing time this quarter, I managed three finishes - I count the Swoon top as a finish because I hadn't even planned to do it when I wrote my post!


Huzzah!  See how everyone else has done here … and thank you Rhonda for inspiring me to get off my puter and onto the machine! 

How did you fare, if you were playing along too?

Filling in the Gaps - 2012 Finish-A-Long

Have you been to Rhonda's space over at Quilter in the Gap?  She's started a great,
year-long-yet-manageable-in-quarterly-sized-chunks, initiative … The Finish-A-Long.

Yes ladies (and gents) it's a great idea to motivate us to finish all those WIPs and WIPs-to-be … there'll be …  p r i z e s … *squeeeee … All you have to do is write a pre- and post-quarter post with your WIPs and progress that quarter and ching ching … in you go to the draw for some amazing stuff!

So, without further ado … These are my top finish/start items for this quarter …

1. Bletchley Park Quilt …
eek … I've got less than a month to complete this and this is as far as I've got …


I've cut, but not stitched, the applique pieces for the central window pane … I've practised, but not continued to actually make, prairie points for the flying geese border … I've agonised and faffed about and now this has got to STOP and some in the zone time has got to START!

If you haven't got a clue what all this is for, pop over here and you'll be all the wiser.

2. My second WIP is a tutorial for my twister mat cat bed … nearly there …



3.  My next WIP is not even IP yet.  Let's just call it a W.  It was inspired by my choices for the Fat Quarter Shop Blogger's choice challenge over at Quokka's Quilts.  I realised that I already had a variation of what I'd picked!  Well, the Timeless Treasures Sketch fabrics and a handful of Kate Spain Terrain.  I'm going to go back and delete my original choice and replace it if I get the time!!

It's going to involve the little stack you can see in the back of the last pic … that's all I can say … Not because it's for any secret squirrel project, just because I'm still deciding…



I'll be adding to this modest list of WIPs, no doubt!

Is anyone else playing along with Rhonda? What do you think I should do with that yummy stack?  The base fabric is a wonderful pale turquoise linen ...