One Monthly Goal March: organising my studio

I've been busy in February, but not working on the quilting project I had anticipated. I failed to reach my goal last month.

I was to have followed a long-arm workshop at my LQS at their new location, but that didn't happen. Once the ladies had installed themselves and their now online shop, they found they didn't have room for their small long-arm machine. In the middle of February I heard the bad news! Too late to do much, so this is all I've done.

Squared Away: the 2019 Rainbow Scrap Challenge lap quilt

Pinned ready to quilt on my domestic machine, which is was to be my goal for this month. I'm not planning on hand quilting it, but I use the frame for layering; it's easier on the back!

Unfortunately my sewing space looks like this:

because we are changing the rooms of our flat around, and my sewing room is changing places with the study (which is also a mess!). You can hardly see my sewing machine which has just a very small working space around it. Not enough for a quilt! While I've thrown out books and papers that were the remains of my teaching career, and so made space for my stash, the last few miscellaneous handwork items are stacked on the cabinet ready for the big change round. The cabinet has to change places with my husband's desk and all his computer paraphernalia.

I would like to make quilting my RSC 2018 quilt, Squared Away, my goal for March, but I think my goal will have to be organising my sewing room, as one is dependant on the other being finished. With a bit of luck both will be finished, but I'm not banking on it!

I'm linking to 

Click on the button to see other people's goals for this month.

Happy sewing

Marly.

Beekeeper cardigan finished

 

This is my second finish in the first quarter FAL of 2019.

Beekeeper cardigan: pattern by Marie Green of Olive Knits on Ravelry

This pattern was presented in the summer of 2018 as a Knit Along. I didn't see it until the first finishes appeared on Instagram. After I bought some Double Knitting wool in the sale at Ribbles in Leiden I decided to buy the pattern. By then the KAL was long finished.

It looks like a complicated pattern but once I'd knitted the swatch I had the pattern in my fingers and it was plain sailing. The wonderful thing about knitting top down is that once you've finished knitting all that's left to do is block it and wear it! No sewing parts together, which, although not difficult, is a bit of a let down after the euphoria of finally casting off!

I actually finished about ten days ago, but forgot to post! (again!)

I'm linking up to Wendy's Quilts and more for the Peacock party

and shall link up to 

at the beginning of April

Happy sewing

Marly.

Mòr braw bag is finished

             

 This is my first finish for the 2019 Q1 FAL (click for my list)
 and my January goal for OMG

Mòr braw bag

The pattern I have used is Laura Cunningham's (IG @laurazuckerkuss ) "Wee braw bag", but I made it bigger this time. That is, large enough to hold a sweater or cardigan in progress.

Here are my mòr and my wee bags together:

The larger one measures 16" x 10" x 6" (w h d)  and is made from IKEA furnishing fabric. While the pattern calls for Pellon interfacing I quilted it instead. I expect that Pellon is stiffer than my quilting and that the bag would stand up better. Unfortunately I couldn't find any fusible interfacing material sturdy enough locally, and my own supply is light-weight for stabilising my quilt labels while I embroider them by machine. As I didn't have time to go to the city to try there I thought quilting would be a good alternative and I'm satisfied with the result.

I'm linking to 

as making this was my goal for January.

Click on the button to see more progress on January goals.

Happy sewing

Marly.

QAL: The Unconventional and the Unexpected

My Overlapping Octagons, inspired by a quilt in "The Unconventional and Unexpected ..." and part of the Quilt along hosted by Sujata Shah, is progressing, but nowhere near completion. Here are the units I've made so far, randomly placed on the design wall.

Overlapping Octagons: Try-out on the design wall with 4.5" red (the new neutral) centres.

I thought I would use as many of my 19th century reproduction fabrics as possible to make space in my sewing room. Unfortunately most of the "reds" look more like brown, so I shall be adding brighter reds to the mix.There was not much blue, and that has nearly all been used now.

I'm enoying using my scraps in this way; really satisfying!

For more information go to Basket full of Scraps where there are more posts relating to this QAL.

I'm linking to

Click on the button above to see more works in progress.

I'm linking this post to 

Happy Sewing

Marly.

QAL: The Unconventional and Unexpected: Overlapping Octagons

I've decided to join in The Unconventional and Unexpected Quilt A-Long . The QAL is being hosted by Sujata Shah, whose work I have admired since I bought her book,  "Cultural Fusion Quilts". The inspiration for this QAL comes from the book "The Unconventional and Unexpected", by Roderrick Kiracofe. For more information check Sujata's posts on The Root Connection. I have chosen to start with the quilt "Overlapping Octagons".

I decided to join in after much deliberation. After all, "Do I really need another project?" "Yes", I answered myself, "You have to move on and this will be a new challenge."

My fabric choice is this:
 

blue and neutrals: a bulging bucket of blues and the right hand pile in the box. My supply of neutrals is very low, and in need of urgent replenishment.

with a few splashes of:

orange: starting with the scraps on the left.

Yesterday I started sewing blue strip scraps together along the short ends as leaders and enders in another project. These will be chopped and sewn together with others to make the string rectangles in the Overlapping Octagons. I shall be ordering more neutrals/ low volume during next week.

My plan is to cut the fabric freehand with the rotary cutter, although I shall be piecing the strips on phone book pages to keep them stable, as I can't manage to cut on the grain freehand, and would like to avoid wobbles and bubbles!

I'm already enjoying this project and look forward to sharing information and progress with others at Basket full of Scraps.

I'm linking to

Click on the button above to see more works in progress.

Happy sewing

Marly.

Good Fortune: the last stage

 Last Friday Bonnie Hunter revealed the final layout for "Good Fortune", this winter's mystery quilt. I only made a few units each week, and have just joined a few of them into blocks this week.

I still have some green and blue units, but don't have enough units at the moment to make another red/orange block.

I like how the little red squares in the four-patches make a pyramid shape with the orange strings. A pyramid? Well it could even be a pagoda, with a stretch of the imagination. Or perhaps they are all steps on the Great Wall!

In the coming week I shall try to find the time to make a couple more blocks, and turn this into a table runner, or a sewing machine cover.

I enjoyed making this and seeing so many lovely colour schemes in the link-up each week.

I'm linking to:

 

 

Click on the button to see more Good Fortune progress. 

Happy sewing

Marly.

One Monthly Goal: January

My goal this month is to make a larger version of the "Wee Braw Bag" (muckle braw bag?) pattern by Laura Cunningham (IG @laura_zuckerkuss).

Laura's pattern is in two sizes of which this is the larger, but I need something larger than this one I made in December, to hold my knitting. This is all right for socks and beanies, but cardigans and sweaters? No!!! For the moment this can house the pattern and the tools, but not the knitting itself.

I'm linking to:

Click on the button to see other people's goals for this month. 

I wish you all the best in 2019 with lots of  happy sewing!

Marly.