FNSI - August

 Being off work meant I was able to spend a little more time on my FNSI projects, and I worked on a few.

Firstly I cast off my Bubbles and Brioche shawl designed by Stephen West.

I knitted the coloured stripes of this using leftover sock yarn from other projects and some cheap balls of black and white sock yarn. I wanted to try out brioche knitting (the vertical black and white striped sections). I really enjoyed it and have already planned to knit another West Knits brioche project, once I've completed some gift knitting. I'm also toying with making a bubble cardigan, but that is still very much in the just thinking about it stage.

I moved on to piecing some QSTs into strips, these are slowly becoming a cushion cover. Unusually for me I didn't overthink the 'random' placement of the blocks and I'm pleased with the look and how quick it was to pretty much just lay them out.

The main aim of the evening was to get the quilting done on my current baby quilt. Underestimating the time required and my machine having a fall out with the thread I used meant that I didn't achieve as much as I hoped (I've done a little more today) but I think it's looking good. 

If you want to see what everyone else hot up to during FNSI pop over to Wendy's blog - Sugarlane Designs

Even more crafting

I've set myself the challenge of completing 12 crafty projects in 2019 and they are by no means all small projects, so that should be enough to keep me busy and focused. 

Of course not!

As well as the 12 Things here are some other bits I've been working on in the last few weeks...

A baby quilt that's taken way too long to finish!... 

Some insanely bright socks... 

Another CBTL for a Xmas present... 

The start of a small EPP project to use some long term stash. 

You could say I've got to many WIPs or you could say I like variety in my crafting options. I'm not saying anything! 

Busy Night

From about 9pm on Friday night I had some time free for crafting. Quite often when I have time free on a Friday evening I'm too tired to make the most of it but last night I was raring to go. 

I finally worked out what design to make with this jelly roll; it's been causing me difficulties as it doesn't divide evenly into lights and darks and there's not the same number of strips in each colour.

I then safety pin basted a baby quilt. It's the first time I've used safety pins to baste but it seems to have been successful. 

I then did a bit more than intended and got my big sewing machine out to have a go at FMQing the baby quilt.  After a couple of set up problems (should have read the manual) I was good to go. 

It was a little wobbly, but the stars went well. I also found out why you avoid sewing over the safety pins. 

All in all I'm pleased with the results and, even though the picture above looks otherwise, I didn't sew any pleats into the back. 

I achieved all this and was tucked up in bed before midnight! 

Got my sew-jo back!

I quite often have a Friday evening to myself for crafting but for the last few months I have only been knitting as I haven't been able to feel awake enough or raise much enthusiasm for my sewing even though I have a variety of projects to work on. This Friday I decided to start sewing earlier in the day to see if I could beat this and I'm pleased to say it worked.

I finished piecing the top of a baby quilt. I tried pressing the seams in alternating directions to butt the seams together rather than pin them and it worked, or at least well enough to satisfy me.

Then I worked on the Sparkle Punch quilt for a bit. And finally I got on with some knitting.

It was a very productive evening and I enjoyed sewing again.

Pride leads to an upside down block!

I've decided to make another quilt ( for my friend's new son not just because...I'm not a quick enough quilter for just because quilts) and after a long search for the right fabric (Stellar Baby by Moda) I remembered a nice simple layer cake pattern from Missouri Star Quilting Company. I've used the Double Slice Layer Cake blocks for a couple of other baby quilts and they give a pleasing random design while showing off the fabrics. I also remembered them as being quick and easy to put together.

So off I went...

...And then found out my phone has eaten my sewing in progress photo...

Nonetheless chain piecing went well. I knew the next steps so went ahead and sewed more pieces together. Thinking the only difficulty was maintaining randomness. I was wrong...

...Another eaten photo...

My favourite blocks were the wrong way round. Time for a bit of resewing and the slowly growing feeling this quilt is going to be a problem.

Hopefully all the snags have been worked out and I'll be able to complete this quilt smoothly from here.

Success

After some serious unpicking and careful basting I've managed to finish the baby quilt which caused me problems.

This time it's just expectedly crinkly.

I tend to quilt my quilts with the same thread on top and bottom. This time my friend kindly lent me some orange thread which coordinated perfectly with the backing fabric. I really like how it looks and will definitely use different threads on top and bottom in future.

All in all I really like how this quilt has worked out and now it's ready to go to it's new owner.

First finish of 2017

I have finally finished the baby quilt that I started at the end of last year. A bad run of colds and Christmas really slowed me down but at least the recipient isn't yet three months old so it's not that late.

The fabric is Vintage Circus by Lewis and Irene

and the pattern is the zig zag quilt from a quilt is nice blog. Found it a little tricky to get the seams to meet up but otherwise I'm really pleased with this quilt, especially the binding corners.

Sewing on a school night

Progress is actually happening on the baby quilt, I've managed to squeeze in some sewing time on a weeknight and, bar some pressing, have now got the component blocks completed.  This will eventually become a zig zag quilt from A Quilt is Nice. I've made two previously and forgot how quickly they come together.

Back in the groove

Nothing like the impending arrival of a friend's baby to persuade you into starting a quilt! Hopefully I'll actually manage to finish this one before his 18th birthday.

It's taken me quite a while to find some baby fabric suitable for a little boy, hopefully my friend agrees.

Once this one's done I must really look into finishing all my half done projects and then thinking about tackling some of the kits, patterns and, if I'm feeling really brave, books I've bought over the years.

FNSI results

A little late posting this but I did achieve something during yesterday's FNSI.

I finally got the binding onto my cousin's daughter's quilt.  Took longer than I'd expected, but pleased with it.

I followed a binding tutorial from the Missouri Star Quilt Co and it has definitely improved the look of my binding.

Another Start

I am putting together another (hopefully quick seeing as it's for a July baby) baby quilt.  The fabric is Moda's ABC Menagerie and the design is the Double Slice Quilt.  After the disappearing nine patch quilt I've decided to try another scrappy quilt.  I'm just a little concerned it'll be a little too lively for a newborn...but we'll see haven't made a quilt I don't like yet.

First Finish of 2014

And it's only taken until the end of April to achieve it!

A baby quilt made from a layer cake of "Mind Your Ps and Qs".  The front is the disappearing nine patch pattern, the back the remaining squares. Quilted in the ditch on the front, making a randomish grid on the back. Pleasingly my accuracy is improving and all but one of the quilting lines appear to run parallel to the seams on the back - a very happy accident. When I actually got around to working on it this quilt went together very quickly (barring significant indecision regarding the layout of the front), unfortunately not quick enough as the recipient is rapidly heading towards a year old!

Bits and Pieces for FNSI

As seems to be the case so often with my attempts at FNSI things didn't quite go to plan.  One of the joys of recently having moved house is that I often lose things, tonight that thing was my micro stitch tagged thingy which I use for basting quilts.  So the first hour of FNSI was spent rummaging through bags, boxes and drawers to find the missing item.  Now there are plenty of projects I could be getting on with but I really wanted to baste the quilt for my cousin's son as it'd be great if I could get it to hime while he is still a baby (as with most of my WIPs this has been in progress for ages...house moving etc stopped crafting!).

Once the offending gadget had been located progress was quite good.

Front and back of the disappearing nine patch quilt last heard of in October 13 and finally ready for quilting.

I also managed to finish hand sewing the binding on my first ever jelly roll race quilt.

How did everyone else do?

Reappearing Blogger...Disappearing Nine Patch

Wow! Work, house selling, studying and general life have really got in the way of my crafting.  I've done bits and pieces but nothing major (or finished) hopefully I can change that over the next few months.

And for a start let me present about 4 hours work on what is destined to be a Disappearing Nine Patch quilt for my cousin's newborn son:

The fabric is a Moda layer cake in Mind Your Ps and Qs by Keiki,  who is the designer of the fabric I used for his sister's quilt.  Its been really hard to find suitable quilt fabric for a baby boy (not helped by some that went missing in the post!).  If my maths is correct I should have enough of the layer cake left (bar a 5 inch square) to back the quilt as well.

Pinwheels Polished

Well the baby this quilt was created for is now four months old and I've eventually finished her quilt - which is lucky as I'm meeting her for the first time next weekend.

The pattern was from the free ones at fatquartershop.com and the fabric is mostly Makower Spectrum.  I've quilted diagonal, straight lines either side of the seams on the pinwheels and straight line between the pinwheels with white cotton. The stippled white border was done in a variegated primary colours type of thread.  I'm really pleased that this quilt has ended up looking just like I planned it would.

Stitch and Unstitch

Considering a lot of my weekend was (pleasureably) used up by a curry night with work colleagues and a shopping trip to Swindon (a suprisingly good place to shop) I have achieved a lot this weekend and I squeezed in a Saturday afternoon nap!

I finished off the quilting of the technicolour baby quilt with in the ditch quiting in the border.  I wasn't sure if this was entirely necessary, especially when unpicking at least half the quilting due loopy stitching on the reverse (must remember to actually delint my machine once in a while and replace the quilting needle more frequently!).  But, now I've seen this picture on the big screen it was definitely worth doing it and doing it properly. I really love this quilt.

I also (finally) finished the quilting on my log cabin quilt, which has been ongoing for over a year but got waylaid by baby quilts and gifts.

I'm now looking forward(!) to a week of handstitching binding and sewing in ends, as well as trying to do some significant progress on the lacy scarf.

To Squiggle or Not To Squiggle?

This post is purely to give a feel for how the free motion quiliting looks on the quilt. I would love any feedback on what you think (the pics may need clicking to make them more viewable). I think the free motion bit is breaking up the whiteness as I wanted,but I don't know if it's a bit too much for a baby's quilt or whether it's fair to use my somewhat wobbly quilting on a gift for a friend (who does appreciate bright colours). I'm taking break from the quilt now, maybe for the rest of the weekend, just to make sure it is definitely the right thing for the quilt - unpicking a whole quilt's worth of quilting is not worth thinking about.

Right where's my stash of UFOs?

FNSI Results

Posting this a little later than I intended to as I had to make a dash to the post office before it closed.

Had a very productive FNSI and completed the quilting on the centre of my baby quilt.

I'm fairly pleased with the back of the quilt - the pinwheel stripe looks good against the grey, unfortunately the number of pleats I've accidentally sewn into it don't look too good. Unfortuntely they don't seem to be just have been caused by only one or two lines of stitching but I'm not sure I can live with them. I will have a think whilst I get on quilting the borders - fingers crossed for my first serious attempt at free motion quilting!

On A Quilting Roll (Finally)

I finally seemed to have regained my quilting mojo (useful as another FNSI is approaching) and have made great progress with the third baby quilt in surprisingly little time.

I got all the borders sewn on, the back pieced, basted the layers after a major battle with the fabrics and commenced quilting.

I'd decided that quilting each side of the joins would be most forgiving to my wonky piecing and originally meant the stitching to be very close to the seams. But due to some sloppy stitching I've ended up quilting quite a distance from the seams. But I'm actually pretty pleased with the effect.

Well you can just about make out the white quilting, only in one direction so far.  The top looks good, unfortunately the back has kept up the fight it started during the basting and there are a few puckers I've managed to sew in.

 

I also intend to do some stitch in ditch and stippling on this quilt and I have the perfect excuse  - the Friday Night Sew In on 19th Aug.  Click the purple text to sign up too (I've bottled posting the button this month).  Looking forward to seeing everyone's achievments from the evening.

Ready for Posting

And the zig zag jungle quilt is complete (bar some last minute tidying)...

And the baby it's for is still less than a month old!

I think I've finally got the hang of the corners on the binding too.