Retreat projects.

Were does the time go.  I had planned on posting the items I worked at retreat later in the week, and before I know it a couple of weeks have past.

Anyway here is what I worked on that weekend.  I started a new project.  there nothing more fun than staring something new. I know some people would say finishing, but if you look around my sewing room I defiantly like starting better. 

 This one will be a wedding gift, but I have lots of time the wedding not until 2014.  I knew that the bride loves green and white so decided to make a modern square in a square quilt using 4 greens, 1 blue and 1 white.  I completed the blocks but think I will put this away for a bit.

I also took a few Farmer wife blocks, I had per cut but this didn't work the best for me as I had made a couple of cutting errors so only finished 2 blocks at retreat.  Once I was home I able quickly finish the cutting I needed and finish 2 more.

I had a mental block on my flower quilt, I think it had sat in the same state for over a year.  I got a block on the applique border. So I was able to add the plain border that goes before the applique one, and then with a little help for one of the ladies get past my metal block and start adding the steams.  Not sure why this was such a block but am happy to be past in now.

I have not done much sewing since I have been back, the last couple of weeks the weather turned nice and I have been busy outside.

Sewing and resewing

I finally got some time in the sewing room. I decided to make a quick Famer’s wife block. First I made all the HST the wrong size, too small so had to remake them all. I had them all made, ready to put the block together – Oh! Some of them should have been QST. So I remade those. This is taking longer than it should. I push on. I put the block together, somewhere in the making and remaking my fabric location got move around. I'm not very keen on this block, but I am not remaking it, it will look fine mixed in with the other Famer’s wife blocks.

Next time I'm going to work on some simple straight sewing. I need to ease myself back into this.

Here are a couple of pin cushion I made before Christmas. I couldn't share then as one was for the 12 days of Christmas.

WIP and Shopping

I realized today that I finished 4 quilts in June and with a week left in July I have finished nothing, and it doesn't look like I have anything that is close to getting done. I may have to look around the sewing room and see if there is something I can finish off in the next week.

I didn't get much sewing done this last week but I did manage to do some shopping, LOL. It's my friend fault.  We decided to get together last Friday and normally when we get together we do a little sewing, but she suggested lunch at a place next to one of the LQS.  I though she may need to pick something up, so I agreed. Well she didn't get anything, but the same cannot be be said for me. I picked up this grey fabric (back of photo) for the background for a little quilt using Salt Air charm pack. Which I'm being good and not starting until something else is finished. I also picked up this button of the month and finishing kit. To be true I picked up the first 5 months as there nothing like joining a monthly club half way throw.  I said I had been looking for a hand project, now I just need to find the safe place where I put all my floss.

On the sewing front, here is one more block for Farmers Wife.

Stats this Week

New Project - 0 (doesn't count until I start it)

Project in progress - 7

Finished - 0

Linking up with WIP at Freshly Pieced

Canada Day and new project.

 Last Sunday was Canada Day and we spend the day with friends at a Down-town park. As we all have little one most of the day was spent near play areas. Met for a picnic lunch next to the playground before we had a look around at the festival and heading to the water - splash park.  Here is a photo of LM and a couple of her friends looking at the very high river. They were good and stayed on the path.  The original plan was to go out for supper, but we decided that with 6 adult and 8 tired children this may not be the best plan, so instead we went back to friend's house and order in. A very nice, but long day. LM was still tired on Monday, she asked to leave the table at dinner so she could go to bed.

Wishing my neighbours to the south a Happy 4th of July.

As I had finished a few project these last couple of weeks I decided it was a good time to reward myself and start a new one.  This is a kit that I purchased about a year ago. It was only lap size. I have added more fabric and am going to make a twin size quilt for LM bed.  I think I still need more fabric for the boarder and binding. I not sure if I have enough white and I need some rick-rack, but I decided the best way to work out what I needed was just to start. Once I get all the small pink square done, I will start on the large black & white ones.

I also made a couple of Farmer's Wife block. This is not the best photo, it's a bit bright with the flash, but without they looked very dark.

Stats for the week.

Completed projects - 0

New projects - 1

In progress - 7 (I think, I have lost track and I need to have a good look and work out whats in progress and whats an UFO)

To see what other are working on check out WIP Wednesday at Freshly Pieced

Fairmont Sewing

I have unpacked and remember to take photos. While in Fairmont I worked mostly on my Farmer's Wife blocks. I even did a couple of the harder ones. This was good as I knew I needed to get away from just doing the simple ones. I got 9 blocks completed and am super happy with how these are turning out.

I even reworked the block I wasn't happy with from last week.  I didn't want to redo the whole thing but needed to remove some of the blue.

I took a couple of smaller items for when I needed a change.  I added the boarder to my tall stitchery and made the little bag I shared in the last post.

 Of course I had to make a stop at Suger Pine on the way home.  I wanted to get a few more teals and a cream with brown.  Since I picked up most of my fabrics a few years back the teals have moved from blue teal to green teal so it may be harder to get extra fabric than I thought.  I did pick up a couple, most of these are quite small. I think they will add some variety to the blocks. Not sure if all of these will work but will find a use for all of them.

 

I am really enjoying the famer's wife quite and it was a great project to take with me.

Loosing focus

Hello May, boy did you come fast this year. Time just seems to be flying, does that meant I getting old? No, don't answer that. LOL

This last weeks I just couldn't seem to focus on one thing.   the most I got done on any item was Friday night I visited a friend for a sewing evening and made two Farmers wife blocks. I think I will be reworking this first one, there's not enough contrast and it just reads like a bit block of blue when I mix it with the other blocks, I am thinking of just changing out the half square triangles.

I am much happier with this block, I really like the brown fabric, this is one of the ones that I only have a 10inch square off so want to make the most of it.

I did a bit of work on my snowman ornaments.  It took me more time to unpick the snow-angle halo than anything else.

I did start working on adding the binding on my red and white quite. This won't take long now its just the handwork.

After seeing all the kids cloths last week I decided that I wanted to make LM a dress. Now I normally don't sew clothes, I made myself PJ pants a few years back and decided that was the end of me making clothes. But like I said seeing all the cute outfits got me inspired.  I have drafted the pattern and made the lining which I want to check for size before cutting into the main fabric.

Hopefully I will be able to focus a bit better next week and may even get a finish.

Stats

Completed projects - 0

New projects - 1

In progress - 10 (oops, one more than I'm trying to have)

To see what other are working on check out WIP Wednesday at Freshly Pieced

WIP Wednesday

Hoping everyone had an enjoyable Easter. Last week I mention that LM was going for surgery so I wanted to let you know that it when well and she is recovering quickly and is back at daycare this week.  The first couple of day she was very moody but that is to be expected.

Nothing like a deadline to get one moving, Easter Monday was the last day to enter quilt into the Heritage Park quilt show (non judged, fun show). After filling out the form to enter my red and white quilt, I started quilting it. Just doing some simple stitch in the ditch and it's going very quickly.

Before I set up my sewing machine for quilting I finished another 2 Farmers Wife blocks so still make steady progress on this. The first one not as dark as it looks in the photo.

Monday night was a work on your own thing night for guild so I was looking for a simple hand project I could take when I came across these Xmas ornaments that I had stitched the first one (red hat) some time ago and traced out the second one, so this was the perfect quick project to take.  I was planning on doing back stitch so they would be the same but found myself doing steam stitch. I think I prefer it as I find it so much faster.

Here is last week progress

1. Red and While - started quilting

2. Jungle - no progress

3. Floral quilt- no progress

4. Farmer's Wife - 2 blocks

5. Xmas ornaments - stitched most of one

6. Tall stitchery - no progress

7. Guild BOM - no progress

8. Growth chart - no progress

9. Jar table runner - no progress

Stats

Completed projects - 0

New projects - 1
In progress - 9

To see what other are working on check out WIP Wednesday at Freshly Pieced

WIP Wednesday -Question on FWS

Its been two weeks since I did a WIP Wednesday, Last week I just missed it and WIP Thursday just didn't have the same ring to it.

I finished the stitchery part of my tall stitchery. This was the first one I've done in stem stich and using variegated thread.  I'm quite happy with it. As this was a kit I already have the fabric for the boarders.

Like I said in an earlier post I picked up zinger fabric for my red and white quilt and hopefully it will make its way to the laundry room to be pre-washed soon. I typically don't pre-washed my fabrics but have for all the fabrics in this quilt so am going to for this one too. As this quilt has a deadline I should be working on it, but its not working out that way.

I have made a couple more Farmers Wife blocks, and have a question for you on them.  For the first couple I have used a crisp cream (which reads white against the blue and drown) and I'm liking the modern feel it gives these blocks.  For the last couple of blocks I did not.

For this one I used a lighter shade of the blue

and for this one I used polka dots.

I like these blocks but to me they don't seem to have the same feel as the others.  Here are the blocks together.

Is it just because I only have a couple of these blocks and it read better once I have more?

Or should I redo them with the "white" fabric.  I brought the end of a blot when a store was closing so have lots of this fabric.  I am planning on doing the shashing in brown with blue cornerstones.

Please let me know what you think.

Last 2  week progress

1. Red and While - blocks sew together

2. Jungle - no progress

3. Floral quilt- no progress

4. Farmer's Wife  - started

5. Mouse stitchery-added binding, just need to stick it down

6. Tall stitchery - finished the stitchery part

7. Guild BOM - no progress

8. Growth chart - no progress

9. Jar table runner - no progress

Stats

Completed projects - 0

New projects - 1

In progress - 9

To see what other are working on check out WIP Wednesday

Zoo and FW blocks

Last Saturday we went to a Birthday party for one of LM friend at the zoo.  It was a lot colder than when we normally go to the zoo and I'm sure we would have stayed home if it wasn't a party.  The kids had a great time as most of the time we were inside, and I think they had more layers on than the parents. 

I did see a couple of animals that I normally done see that much.  The  snow leopards were loving the cold temp.

 The penguins are new at the zoo, it was so nice to be able to get so close with out glass between us and them.

I  did do some quilting stuff too. I have sew the red and white blocks together and on Sunday I made it to the LQS to pick up a red for a zinger.  I had fabric that I want to use for the boarder, but it need the correct red zinger to make it work..

Here are a couple more of the Farmer's Wife blocks.  I'm really enjoying making these.

Now if I can get some of the other projects finished and keep up on these.

Floss

Famer's Wife

Last night I was feeling nostalgic and started looking though all my blog post, well there were two things that struck me. Firstly how I complained about not having time to quilt before I was a mother, what was I thinking! The second thing was how long some of my current projects / fabrics have been hanging around. Some had been in their current state for a couple of years.

This post may look like I'm starting a new project, I am in fact moving stuff out as I've had this fabric in a baggie for over three years. I first brought this cream, blue and brown fabric with the intention of making Nearly Insane. I even started my first block while I was pregnant. Lets just say it didn't go well (I nearly chopped my pinkie off) so it was put aside.  Then last year I took the project to retreat where I looked at the fabric and the Nearly Insane book and realized that I wasn't going to even attempt to make that quilt in the next few years.

Then I started to notice a few Farmer's wife blocks being made and even one of the girls from guide started to make one.  Over Christmas I picked up the book. Now these block look doable. I think I could make this. DH even likes it and thinks it go nice on our bed. So now that I have an opening in my focus projects I decided this was the perfect old / new project.

Here are my first two blocks: 

 # 4 Basket Weave

# 2 Autumn tint

I think I'm going to have to come up with a way to pick the block order, otherwise I can see myself doing all the easy blocks first.

Floss