...WiP Wednesday

This Week
This week the Christmas gift list sewing started in ernest. I am hoping to keep the new tradition of bags for wrapping going and at least one handmade item (even if small) for all recipients. I aim big, no doubt about it. 

Curclicue Crush Quilt
More pinning on this one this week but no sewing. I am thinking that I may have to revise my December 1st finish date and aim for a before Christmas top finish!


BSPDU Quilt
I also finally finished the embroidery on the signature labels for this bee quilt. I have pieced the back, prepared the batting and I am just waiting for the motivation/inspiration to get this basted.dfe

A laptop sleeve
using this tutorial 

I made a change or two so that all the seams were enclosed but altogether if was a reasonable quick and well designed project that yielded a great finished product.

November blocks for do good stitches
blogged previously here

Some Christmas Gifts and stocking stuffers
Tea holder - tutorial

I have also made the bulk of an art folio from Growing Up Sew Liberated. I am really happy with how it has turned out and with how the fabric work. There was only one part where I found the instructions confusing and I am not sure I did it the way it was written but all in all I'm pleased.

In the tubs 
Whimsy Hexie Quilt
Curclicue Crush Quilt - All cut out and ready to sew
Blue and White Quilt
Grey Tone Kaleidoscope 
Postage Stamp QA Quilt
X Marks the Pirate Quilt
Farmers Wife QA
BSPDU Quilt - Just waiting on a backing!

New projects (started anything new?)
Christmas gifts!
Finished this week
Tea pocket

Laptop Sleeve

...WiP Wednesday

This Week
Not a lot of different projects on the go this week, work has been really busy and in my sewing time I have really focussed on the Curclicue Crush Christmas Quilt

Curclicue Crush Quilt
I started piecing this with gusto at the MMQG Sit and Sew day on Saturday. The pinning is a killer and takes ages but the time is really worth it. I am loving the way it is turning out but I'm not sure it will be all done by my 1st of December self-imposed deadline. 

In the tubs 
Whimsy Hexie Quilt
Curclicue Crush Quilt - All cut out and ready to sew
Blue and White Quilt
Grey Tone Kaleidoscope 
Postage Stamp QA Quilt
X Marks the Pirate Quilt
Farmers Wife QA
BSPDU Quilt - Just waiting on a backing!

New projects (started anything new?)
Nope, none. 

Finished this week
A Mini Kaleidoscope I started ages ago. 

From Scraps and Linen, the blocks finish at 3" for a square quilt of 15"

...WiP Wednesday

This Week
Curclicue Crush Quilt
After the marathon cutting last week I needed to sit on this one a little bit. I have worked a little on the layout to try to get a good but not too regular distribution of colour. I have ended up with two options. 

I'm still deciding but I have started piecing. I can see already that I am going to really really  wish for a design wall soon. I was dreaming of a roller blind style one to hand above the cupboard doors in the shower this morning. 

do. Good Stitches Animal Quilt

DELIVERED! It is kind of cheating having this on here again I think but I photographed and packaged it the other day and that took a little while. I have a post scheduled for the next few days that details all the wonderful and generous work that went into this quilt in the next few days. 

The Circle Game

Block 1 - Done!

The third method was the charm. I traced around the template (that doesn't include seam allowance), used the template with method 1 (that had the seam allowance on it) then pinned carefully and sewed on the line).  I am machine piecing this quilt and I can see I'm going to have each block slow and steady but I am really enjoying the challenge so far!

November Blocks for Sew Australia

Alissa asked for Kaleidoscope blocks made using this and this tutorial from Don't Call me Betsy. 

X & + blocks for a Special Project

This one has to have a little secrecy attached at the moment but they have made it where they need to go. 

handprinted: fabric

I joined a swap recently - printing a fat quarter of fabric for four others so on Sunday I got printing. There will be more on this later in the week too, as soon as I get them all fixed, packaged and in the mail. 


In the tubs 
Whimsy Hexie Quilt
Curclicue Crush Quilt - All cut out and ready to sew
Blue and White Quilt
Grey Tone Kaleidoscope 
Postage Stamp QA Quilt
X Marks the Pirate Quilt
Farmers Wife QA
BSPDU Quilt - Just waiting on a backing!

New projects (started anything new?)
Nope, none that I can think of just now. Well nothing that isn't already finished!

Finished this week
Quilted Snap Pouch - Started at the craft show. 
I quite literally had to press and sew two seams and then insert the snap closure to finish this one. Done now!

...WiP Wednesday

This Week
Curclicue Crush Quilt
All cut! This was no mean feat...I'm not sure at this point how many pieces there are in this quilt but rest assured by the time it is done they will be counted and I will tell you....likely many times. The next step for this one is to finalise the colour and pront placement before I start pinning ans sewing the curved units. This is one of those times I wish I  had a huge design wall but pencil and paper will have to do!

do. Good Stitches Animal Quilt
Quilting and binding completed this week. A post on this quilt will follow. For now I am arranging delivery to Needy Stitches.

Pinning
I also spent a huge amont of time adding a lot of my items starred in Google Reader to my Pinterest boards. I am already finding a lot of things I had forgotten about and finidng the remembered ones so much easier!

Classes at the Craft and Sewing Show
On Saturday I went to the Craft and Sewing Show at the Caulfied Racecoursee in Melbourne. I didn't find as much there to interst me as I thought but I had already predermined that there were three classes I wanted to take.

The first I attended was to make this little pouch with a snap closure with Patchwork Mariko Japan. Because It was only and hour long class and all the seams were hand sewn at the venue I didn't get a change to sew the last two seams and insert the closure. I am intending to finish it soon and make a couple more, one from their pattern and one using this tutorial from Ayumi.

I also went to a class held by Bernina using their overlockers - I have one and was hoping to learn a little more about the features so I can do more on it than just sew up garment seams. That was limited but I made this little quilted placemat roll. There were a lot of exposed seams and quick finishing that I don't love but i have already adapted the design a little and made one for N. I have a tutorial hald written up so that should be coming your way soon hopefully!

My last class of the day was one on EPP with Blue Willow Cottage, since I have started a couple of quilts recently using this technique I thought a lesson wouldn't go astray. But I have to say I didn't enjoy this one for a number of different reasons and I don't really feel like I came away with any new skills or techniques. It was a pretty disappointing end to the day but that is sometimes the way life goes!

Amitie - The Circle Game BOM
I have four packages (with directions and fabric for 6/16 blocks) so I thought I had better make a start. I'm not scared of curves so I just traced the template, added the seam allowance and cut. You can see from the completed circle this did not result in a perfect block. For attempt 2 I ironed on some freezer and then pinned and sewed where the paper finished but the stiffness meant a lot of movement and that didn't work well either. In the end I traced the seing line, pinned and sewed slowly. That seems to have worked. I need to finish the other units and that will be the final test.


In the tubs Whimsy Hexie Quilt
Curclicue Crush Quilt - All cut out and ready to sew
Blue and White Quilt
Grey Tone Kaleidoscope
Postage Stamp QA Quilt
X Marks the Pirate Quilt
Farmers Wife QA
BSPDU Quilt - Just waiting on a backing!

New projects (started anything new?)
12 Days of Christmas Sampler
The Circle Game - Amite BOM quilt
Finished this week
PJ pants for N

...WiP Wednesday



This post has no pictures...yet. They are on my camera, but my cord to connect it to the computer is not with me here, as my camera is. It is still Wednesday somewhere so I want to link this up an I'll add the pitures (and probably some more items) later!

So on my sidebar I have these massively long lists of things I am working on, in various stages, want to do and have the fabric or various other materials for (this is the In the Planning list) and things that I want to do but have so far resisted the urge to migrate to the In the Planning list by buying something for it. Some of the things I am working on I am attending to regularly, some I haven't touch for over a year. I don't consider them UFO's because I still plan to finish them. I am just more excited about some of the others at the moment.

But in reality this is not very up-to-date and things tend to jump straight from the 'One Day' list right to the 'In Progress' list or I start and finish things without them ever making it to any list. 

Perhaps a post like this will keep things more up to date for me. Maybe I'll keep the lists on the side and update them as I do these posts, maybe not. I'll see how things progress over time.

This Week (or what I have actively worked on this week)
I've cut out the centres and borders for a Single Girl Quilt - for a little boy. I have read that some people don't like the large enxpanse of solid in this quilt and wondered what it would look like switched. The rings will be solids in the colours taken from the print - though much fewer than 31/36 fabrics in the pattern. That is on the shopping list for tonight.

I've also been cutting Flurry for a 'Curlicue Crush' Christmas Quilt for our bed. It has meant upsizing the pattern so I am adding the outer shapes in Flurry Blue and have used a FQ bundle as well as layer cak sheets, the ones that were duplicate in the pack. Still cutting but I hope to have this on the bed at the beginning of December so I had better keep my nose to the cutting mat.

Quilting is almost there in the Cherish Quilt for do. Good Stitches. The Blocks are outstanding to I have been quiliting in the coloured borders to each of the blocks in complimentary colours. I don't have three I need (who would have thought) so they are on tonights lists as well.

Some more of the solid or unpieced Octagons for the long-term Munki Munki quilt.

I found this container that fits them exactly so that is wonderful - I love a storage solution!

I've also started quilting the Sample Quilt

In the tubs (the 8 projects in my WiP tubs. The WiP's were never supposed to number more than 8 but that didn't work)
Whimsy Hexie Quilt
Curclicue Crush Quilt
Blue and White Quilt
Grey Tone Kaleidoscope
Postage Stamp QA Quilt
X Marks the Pirate Quilt
Farmers Wife QA
BSPDU Quilt - Just waiting on a backing!

New projects (started anything new?)
The Single Girl and Curclicue Crush is new this week.

Finished this week
PJ pants for N