29 December 2014

Public WIP declaration, warning this is a long post!

I would genuinely like to finish more projects in 2015 than I start! I am not sure if I can mange it, but I have decided to join in with the Finish-Along hosted by Adrianne from 'On the Windy Side' You can find all the details HERE

I think the best place for me to start is to publicly declare all my WIPs (gulp) I am not saying I will finish all of these (I am a realist!) but I will chose one or two each quarter to focus on, I will decide what to do with each of these, the choices are really very simple:

A. Turn the part project into something smaller and finish it!
B. Abandon it altogether and return the materials to stash
C. Make it a focus project until it is complete!

Ok, Here is the list, I think that is everything but you never know what else I may find lurking as the year progresses!

1. The 'Welsh Quilt', my current hand quilting project really deserves to be finished in 2015, I love this quilt, I love hand quilting, why is this hibernating?!


2. Russian Sunflower Blocks, I love these fabrics and this pattern...

3. 'Remember When' I started making this quilt with a dear friend while living in Holland, it really deserves to be finished


4. Block one from Sue Garman's Friends of Baltimore, I really like this block, I might finish it as a cushion for my son, I don't really want to make the full quilt right now.

5. Block one from 'Butterfly Garden' not sure about this one either, I am thinking this would also make a nice pillow for the spare bed.

6. I will turn this cross stitch Angel in to a Needlepoint/Canvaswork piece, I just need to wait until I can face another large embroidery project!
 

 7. TATW hosted by Brigitte Gilpin, I think I will turn this into a summer picnic cloth


8. I would like to make a Christmas quilt with these red/green appliqué blocks, I have more but I need to find them!


9.Turn these Grandmothers Choice BOM blocks into a lap quilt top?



10. Decide the future of these Morrell Quilt Blocks, I really like this quilt, it was started as a BOM when I lived in Holland, I was keeping up until we moved...
 

11. Life is Beautiful blocks, I like the sayings and the pattern, I don't really like my choice of fabrics, maybe I can save this by choosing a different setting fabric?

12. I need to decide what I will do with Phebe, I back basted this part to learn the technique, I really don't like this method! I think I will continue with the centre but use needle turn instead, again I am not sure if I want the whole quilt.

13. Will I work on my DJ quilt? I am tempted as Jane was 46 when she made hers and I turned 46 in November :)

14. I would like to finally finish SDW, I may stop here and frame this part only, still undecided...

15. Continue to work on the crewelwork firescreen, I had to pack this away when we had some visitors and I still haven't gotten it back out again

16. I need to rethink my colours for Love Entwined, I love the centre compass, but have no idea what to do for the rest of the quilt! I don't like the pale fabrics I have chosen around the centre either.

17. I will keep working on Green Tea and Sweet Beans, I love this quilt don't know why I stopped working on it!

18. I would like to find some emerald green silk and finish this Goldwork piece, I think only red and gold is a little too boring, but looking at it again I am not sure :)


19. I am not sure if I will work on the 1718 Mosaic quilt or not at the moment, the oakshott fabric is lovely but very thin, hibernating for now...
 

20. I am really looking forward to starting Mary Hurst on 1st January, it would be good to finish in 2015 too!


21. I would like to continue with the Civil War Bride Quilt, I have an idea to turn it into a celebration quilt for our 25th Wedding Anniversary

22. I need to finish Libby's Grand Illusion Quilt by her birthday in October

23. I am also looking forward to starting Embroidery class again at the end of this month

24. I will try to keep up with the Stonefields BOM (so far so good...)













25. I want to finish knitting this scarf in this luscious pashmina yarn, especially as it has now turned cold!


In my defence (!) a few of these were started when we lived in The Netherlands, they had to be packed up for the move and then I never got back to them! We have been back in the UK for 4 years now, it is time I sorted them out!

Part of my problem is that I am so easily distracted by the latest patterns and fabrics I see on blogland, I need to cut down my computer time and sew instead! I also want to try and only use fabric and threads from stash next year as much as possible.

I hope this post makes you feel better about your WIP's, I also reserve the right to start new projects and buy fabric if I feel the urge!

HAPPY NEW YEAR EVERYONE!

28 December 2014

2014 Finishes

Looking back through my blog posts for this year, I am once again surprised and a little disappointed that I don't have any quilting finishes to share. I have started a couple of projects but not actually finished any of them! I do however have a couple of pieces of completed embroidery, I think it is because having the discipline of class each week during term time, really forces me to concentrate on a project and see it completed. I am still really enjoying learning all the different techniques.

I embellished this lovely fabric and made a lid for this box...
 I stitched this wonderful Crewelwork Robin kit by Nicola Jarvis and made a cushion...
 I finished my Tipsy Thistle crewelwork panel and made a bag...
 I knitted this cowl...
 and embroidered this picture of our cottage...
 I tried Goldwork and stitched a lid for this pretty trinket box...
 and finally I made a bag to hold all my embroidery tools.

I am not going to set rigid targets for 2015 as I will only fall off the wagon by February or sooner if a new design comes along!

However I do want to have some focus for the first few weeks of the New Year:

1. Start stitching the Mary Hurst Sampler with 57 (and counting!) other stitchers from Our Scarlett Letter Years Blog on 1st January
2. Start my Goldwork Sampler when class resumes in a couple of weeks
3. Continue to keep up with the Stonefields BOM and hopefully have a top by the end of 2015
4. Continue to work on Libby's Grand Illusion, I would like to have a completed quilt by her birthday in October.
5. Finish my pashmina scarf knitting project.

I also plan on doing a separate post publicly declaring all my WIPs! It would be wonderful if 2015 could be the year of the finish!

All that remains is to wish you all a very Happy and Healthy New Year, and thank you for reading my ramblings this past year!

23 December 2014

Stonefields Month 3 Part 1

I have all of the blocks prepared for Month 3 and sitting in my handwork basket ready to pick up if I get any spare time this week.

I have stitched the first few...
I used quite a few of the BOM fabrics this month, they were all lovely but as usual I swapped a few out for favourites from my stash.
I also simplified the star blocks so that I could fussy cut the centres

17 December 2014

Finally a Sew Together Bag!

I have to admit I had lots of problems with my first attempt at making the Sew Together Bag; the instructions were not very clear and I managed to pull the zipper pull off the end when I was trimming the zip to the correct size! It was impossible to get it to go back on again! I had to wait until I could go back into town to buy a new zip. The design is by Sew Demented and is very clever, you can find the pattern HERE. I really wanted to make one so I persevered.
The step by step photo instructions posted for a SAL on the Quilt Barn blog are brilliant! Thanks to everyone who pointed me in their direction.  You can find them HERE if you want to make a bag too. I decided that the original quilted piece I had would be too bulky, so I will save it for another project.
I decided instead to make mine from these two sale fabrics that I picked up last week.

I am happy with my finished bag, but it did take me all afternoon to make it!
I especially like the three individual zipped sections inside
I plan to use mine to carry all my embroidery tools etc to class. I am not sure if I will ever make another, but apparently the second one goes together much faster, so who knows!