Hand Sewing Update Week 3

Did a better job of it this week. But the days that I am working (outside the home) are too often days that I get no sewing done at all.

 

Not the best picture but I think you can see the fans in the pink hexie. I am about four hexies up from the end now and it is turning out to be as enjoyable as it is easy to do especially when I am sewing along with everyone across the globe like we did Sunday.

Dilemma resolved

Thanks to Claire at http://cspoonquilt.blogspot.com/ I have the solution to my fabric problem. She posted on Wednesday about the places she buys fabric online and I realized that I hadn't done a thorough search for more fairy fabric. Keepsake Quilters was first on her list and they had one yard left!!! While I wait for it to arrive I'm working on the borders for Floribunda.

While pondering.

While thinking through the fairy fabric issue, I went back to working on Floribunda. This is one UFQ that has a deadline. I decided this would be a grad present for DD1 & she graduates Oct 27.


Darn, I must have flipped a row while assembling it and have two blocks with the same yellow abutting.  Just going to go with it now, not feeling the need to take it out and redo it.

Dilemma

This is what I get for jumping in without thinking it through. The pattern by Barbara called for 16 blocks, there are 26 letters in alphabet. Bit of a shortfall. Maybe add more blocks, some are doubled up anyway. No that won't work, because I wasn't careful with the fussy cutting, I don't have a whole "F" fairy.

I have the 16 blocks, should I just finish with what letters are there?  I think I will let it sit for a while and mull things over. It is not as if I can go out and get more fabric. This is a 2009 print and not likely to be in any stores now. Has been sitting in my stash for a few years quietly going out of print while I pondered what to do with it.

Hand Sewing Update

Not too consistent. I think I had a few report cards that said that. The sewing is going great, when I take the time to sit down and do it. Liking the Baptist Fans as a quilting design, easy to mark and very forgiving to quilt. But we have spent more time in the evening runing around, visiting, etc and it is easy to put off sitting down to sew. So in full colour here is the dismal record:

 

The hoop has been moved once and the fans have reached all across the width of the quilt.

In stead of working on hand sewing, I have been distracted by a block I saw on Barbara Brackman's Material Culture. http://barbarabrackman.blogspot.ca/2012/09/moda-candy-in-knickerbocker-kitchen.html. It is called Knickerbocker Kitchen and uses 2 1/2 inch blocks to promote Moda's new precut. Well, since following Bonnie's scrapusers system, that is a size of block I always have around. And I have a lot of juvenile fabric suitable for the large 6 1/2" center block. Including this fairy alphabet I couldn't resist buying but haven't found a way to use.

I divided the block into lights and darks and used the salad containers to try and make my selection random. Still found myself being a little matchy. The primary colours don't seem to work well with the fairys so I'm setting them aside to use with a Dick & Jane print. Other than some issues with my quarter inch presser foot (alway check the measurement) it is going together quickly.

Hand Sewing UPdate

Well today is the update on the hand sewing and thankfully I have made progress. Haven't been sewing everyday but on the days I have it has been for almost 2 hrs. Decided to use this opportunity to try and learn Free Hand Baptist Fan quilting. The front of the quilt is so busy it is hard to see the fan's but I have a pic of the back that shows them.

Here is the link to Bonnie's page where everyone is posting their progress:http://quiltville.blogspot.ca/2012/09/one-hour-of-needle-thread-week-1.htmlHappy sewing month!

Traditons in the Family

Before I went on vacation this summer, my sister asked for one of my quilts for an exhibit that was coming up at the Art Gallery of Nova Scotia. It was to be on generations of womens handcrafts ( or something like that). I wasn't quite clear on the content except that she wanted a quilt I had done. Since most of what I do, I give away as gifts there wasn't much choice in what to lend her. Back in the 90's I had made a quilt and "given" it to my husband. It has hung on the wall ever since. So I took it down and delivered it to my sister while we were in Nova Scotia. The exhibit opened yesterday and here is a picture she sent me of our contribution. She says we were the only ones to have three generations of quilters , other exhibitors had three generations but had done other handcrafts.

 

oops, I tried to put labels on with pixlr and didn't go exactly where I wanted. The middle quilt was pieced by my mother and my older sister helped quilt it. The shawl draped over it was knitted by my youngest sister who is a knitting phenom and has even spun the wool for some of her projects.

And we're off and sewing..

Hand sewing that is.
A bit of a delay getting started as the basting in the I spy quilt was not up to snuff. Being rolled for 2+ years made it lumpy. Then as I tried to re-basted and remove lumps, I realized the backing wasn't doing it for me anymore. I had used a plain white muslin. Now that I have been hanging out in Quiltville and doing more vibrant backs I couldn't leave it. So the hunt was on for yardage to make a back. Since all my fabric has been boxed up for shifting rooms around it was a hunt. But found something acceptable to my new standards, re-basted (with a little help from a friend) and even got a few rows of quilting done before calling it a night.

Back to Sewing

I am chagrined to see how long it has been since last posted. Have been busy but not sewing. The last quilt I made went out on Aug 11 and I forgot to get a picture before I gifted it. All has been in turmoil  as my DD2 moved out. Boxes everywhere and almost everyroom disturbed.
But Bonnie has issued a hand sewing challenge. At first I thought I didn't have anything ready then, I remembered this one

This is the first I Spy that I made several years ago. I had it in my quilt frame to hand quilt and needed to pack it up out of the way for some family function. So it has been sitting rolled up for over two years I think. This is going to be my project this month.