While 18 (soon 19) posts for the year so far really aren't bad for me, it's been a month (!) since I last posted! As expected, work has been just go-go-go, and the weekends are filled with utter exhaustion - and housework :(
[I had just written my goals at the bottom of the post, but that's where they get lost so I cut & paste them right here at the top, so there's no excuse lol]
Plans for the next six weeks or so:
- Finish #zenstudioqal in time for baby shower (date tbc)
- Continue piecing #patchworkcity2018 when blocks are posted
- Continue piecing Rainbow at Sea
- Finish #scrappyappliquequiltalong
- try to not fall into too many other rabbit holes!
This is what I've been working on lately:
Firstly, Mstr 14 had requested a new cushion cover as the old 'Very Hungry Caterpillar' ones had disintegrated. He requested 'a sunset with elephant silhouette'. After some online research I drew up this:
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| Seams just suck up material - I had to add a row and then some to make it fit across |
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| 4th finish for 2019 |
He says he likes it - the highest praise a mother can get from a 14y old 😏
IG is for me like the rabbit hole for Alice, and I fell into yet another QAL:
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| Shannon Brinkley runs the #ScrappyAppliqueQuiltAlong; I liked the idea of using my scraps for this... |
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I bought her Globe pattern, but I didn't like the idea of NZ at the bottom right end of Globe 4 😮.
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I toyed with the idea of my own world map but decided to go a bit smaller for now:
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| Aotearoa New Zealand, right here on my design wall :) |
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| Mistyfuse-backed green shapes cover the outline; not sure I would go for the same fluffy pellon again? |
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| Excuse the odd colours; Te Wai Pounamu (South Island) and Rakiura (Stewart Island) are fused to the background. |
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| Aotearoa all fused down |
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| Zigzag in variegated green to stitch the edges down; next time I might either try invisible thread or a full satin stitch. |
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| FMQ stipple for the land... |
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| A first, unsuccessful attempt at quilting the background - everything was wrong, colour, scale, shape... |
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| Feeling much better about this one - |
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| - so I'm now fmquing the background all over, using a invisible (white) thread in the top with a grey 50wt Aurifil in the bobbin. |
My other IG QALs are also progressing:
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| We have a completed flimsy for the #zenstudioqal! |
It's not that easy to match the vibrant colours with a different line of fabric, I bought a bubble minky in red for the back but it looks too pink with the way the light reflects off it, thankfully the lovely Suz parted with a warm red flannel so one of these days I will sandwich and quilt it. My go-to for baby quilts is an all-over pattern, after talking with Suz I am toying with the idea of treating different areas of the top differently but we will see how much time I get before that baby is due ;)
The #patchworkcity2018 QAL is also still going, I have now completed 16 blocks plus 3 bonus blocks.
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| The moment when you realise a minion is watching you from your design wall... |
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| Week 16 |
The blocks for Week 17 have already been posted, I better get onto those soon :)
I'm rather excited for a parcel I'm expecting, I ordered one of Judi Madsen's 'Celebrate' panels from Honest Fabrics when there was a sale recently, after watching it being moved between various Los Angeles shipping facilities for a fortnight it has finally arrived in and departed from Auckland, so with a bit of luck it should be in my hot little hands this week. While I'm still a bit ho-hum about the 'polyester blend', I want to use it to give my quilting rulers a work out.
I have just updated my Quilt Planner:
- and now I have moved my goals for the next six weeks to the top of the post where I simply CANNOT overlook them 😇
Happy Sewing!
