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.

Doodling with Gingham and EPP *sigh

Hello chaps … it’s been a month since I pretty much did anything other than go to work or go up to hospital to have unspeakable things done …





… things that kinky peeps would pay good money for. Upshot is I’ve been doing a lot of sleeping or reading or twigging around on the internet with my phone, but I haven’t felt much like blogging or taking photos, or sewing. 





I have quite a lot more of the kinky stuff planned throughout the summer, so I prepared some EPP in advance for waiting room/lounging malarkey, using ImAGingerMonkey’s fab paper template files for Spring Carnival. I used scissors for everything, no rotary cutting just long bladed scissors from the pound shop for fabric and paper. They’re my special EPP scissors.  I don’t cut other fabric or paper with them, and they’re easy enough to sharpen.  I like when all stages of the process are pretty much portable.


I’ve had a stash of gingham for about 10 years that I just couldn’t bring myself to cut into, but I was really inspired by all the Gingham Love going on over at Project Gingham hosted by Krista @KristaStitched Elizabeth @OccasionalPiece and Cindy@LiveAColorfulLife and I just dived in …



Some of these ginghams are polycotton and some are cotton but they sew together perfectly and I love the lightness in weight compared to the weightier solids and timeless treasure sketch crosshatches somewhere in the middle. I want my EPP to have a lot of texture, so I’m going to embroider some of the gingham hexies too.   Pezzy Print may or may not make an appearance …

I found a sewing glue stick in the back of a drawer on my travels, so I’ve glue basted most of the triangles and squares – I’m a convert, especially for those pesky triangles, you can get really stable pointy points when you glue baste.  Strangely I still love to hand baste hexagons, they are so calming …

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Oooh, and here’s a sneak peek at what arrived today from Lynne@LilysQuilts for the @FatQuarterly Winterkist Challenge!  WooHoo! True colours are warmer and softer – it really is gorgeous in the hand.  Another hit from Monica@HappyZombie …

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These are instagram pics. I’m dipping a toe into microblogging over there for a while (I’m @pingsandneedles, same as on twitter.)

It makes sense while I’m not spending so much time on the computer. I can use my fabandroidphone to do the whole kaboodle - but it can be a bit temperamental, introducing all these bloomin social networks to each other!

So, if it’s quiet over here, chances are I may be sharing something over there. Or trying to. It took about 20 mins to upload a snap today, negating the insta part of the equation somewhat!

 
I’m not taking a break from the blog as much as having a bit of a disco nap … summer hols are coming and that will mean time and energy for sewing!

In the meantime, some things like this post, evidently, can’t be micro-anythinged - They will be rambled on about here as per uje.

Finishalong 2nd quarter is coming up … eek! (might be a short post, that one). 

The one where I go all squeaky about being in Issue 8 of Fat Quarterly …

So yes … I have a tutorial

for a lipsmackineasypeasyrawedgeappliquespoolblock sewing machine cover 

in the latest issue of Fat Quarterly … <-- it's out on Tuesday 31st if you're not already a subscriber.
 



I have to say, Issue 8 is truly fabtastic - the theme for the rest of the issue is foundation paper piecing. 

I mean.  Could I ask for more?  It's the one thing I really want to master or at least give a good try this year.  So many great ideas …This is a totally indispensable reference of foundation paper piecing inspiration; demystified just enough to make me feel I could attempt any of the projects.

WooHoo!

Honestly, if you don't subscribe, do yourself a favour and just go for it!   I have made projects from every single issue I've had so far ..

... And if you do subscribe and you've already licked the screen several times since downloading, what do you think about foundation paper piecing now?  Inspired?

It's beginning to feel a lot like …

Hell on earth Christmas.

No, really it is …

A group of  us teachers sang Christmas carols at lunchtime round an enormously good tree in our atrium.
I like a bit of joy in my carols, but it was all a tad dirge like… tried to up the tempo, but fell on deaf eyes/ears.  Anyway.  It was jolly good to sing. Singing is good.




<--- I can hardly believe that this time last year it was all snowy and cold and slippery.  Today it was just gusty and a bit nippy, although we did have an almighty storm last night.


 In a clumsy segue, also in the news today ...



Kirsty kicks off day one of the 12 Days of Ruby Star Challenge over at Fat Quarterly … with a fab bucky ball pincushion.


You may or may not be able to see something there from me tomorrow … just sayin …

Here might be a sneaky peek:

Don't forget … it's also Sew Mama Sew's Giveaway Day until the 16th … so you still have time to enter for a chance to win my mince pie pincushion here … Can't tell you how much I'm loving all the totally bonkers breakfasts! …

or you can find a gazillion other things …. all organised neatly here …


.. now … where was I?  oh yes … 3 projects down, 11 to go … eek!  How are you doing?  Are you smug with completedprojectititis … or are you flapping? do tell …

The Gentleman's Relish Quilt

At last … some sewing ... I'm really taking advantage of my days off, I can tell you!

I'm calling this the Gentleman's Relish Quilt because it's for a Gentleman and because the monochrome and the scratchy Heath fabric reminds me of the packaging for Patum Peperium (anchovy relish) yum ... my absolute fave thing ever ...

... just typing that makes me want to go and make toast ...

The pattern is Briana's Modern Houndstooth Quilt - from Issue 4 of Fat Quarterly, but I'm going to sash it differently I think ...

 It's really easy to piece and the blocks should come together quite quickly ... you can see more of the process in my flickr set here
 


Here’s a mock up of what it would look like if I did a gazillion blocks …
 


Fabric: Grey medium weight Irish Linen, Alexander Henry Heath in Black & White .... Now, off to make some more blocks .... woohoo!


!! Don't forget to vote for your favourite Scrap Baggers here !!

Ooh! I won!! – and - Ooooh! One of You Won Too!

How great is this?? – I won a fat quarter bundle of Erin McMorris’ new line ‘Summersault’ from Fat Quarterly.  They ran a fab interview with her here …


I really like some of the prints in this line … I’m planning a little something for my god-daughter, so this could be perfect …

But you don’t wanna know about that …



You want to know which one of you is a winner.  And of What …

Well, here’s the story - the wonderful Wandafish, (aka Angela) who won my little ruby star rising giveaway from The Eternal Maker – emailed me immediately to say

"In the spirit of pay it forward (I remember you giving away RSR precious scraps before it was released) and as I don't have a blog myself, I wondered about offering half of my prize for a giveaway?"

Click on this fabtastic hexagon block to go see more at her flickr photostream







Thank you so much for being so generous … Angela ... we love Paying it Forward :)

So, out comes the old random number generator again … and the surprise winner of 2 FQs or 4 Fat Eighths or whatever you like, of Ruby Star Rising

is ….

 

Yay! Congratulations to …….

Vicky @ Patchwork Palace
 

Such a great comment too! …

Vicky’s just made this stunner for the BritQuiltSwap on flickr …




I’ve flickr mailed you Vicky … Congratulations !!