Finished mug rug

Not the biggest project ever!

I gave this to a friend for a birthday present last weekend, together with two mugs. There's no photo of the second mug; I'd already wrapped it! It's similar but with a different painting, and with an orange rim.

I followed this pattern from Julie Cefalu, "The Crafty Quilter". I was attracted to the unusual shape, and cutting and assembly turned out to be really straightforward. I quilted in the ditch around and through the star, and did an extra row of stitching round the edge. The fabrics all came from my scrap box, and, although it's nearly Christmas, the choice of fabric was governed by the colour of the mugs. Anyway it was a birthday present.

Linking to:

Happy sewing

Marly.

RSC 14: Week 46 Beginning to come together

Each week for the last eleven and a half months Angela at Soscrappy has posted instructions for making quilt blocks and each month the focus has been on another colour. This month's colour is pale blue, and we have been given four blocks.

For my layout I chose to move diagonally through the rainbow from pink through violet to red, and then repeat the sequence, and have tried, with limited success, to have the lighter blocks at the top.

Wednesday's provisional layout: before sorting on colour value

When I laid my blocks out  I decided I didn't need more than four pale blue blocks, so this week I have concentrated on filling the gaps in the pattern. With just three more blocks to make I've started adding I½" sashing strips to the right hand side of the blocks; I need to get them off the floor!

First the remaining two pale blue blocks, made last weekend

Zig-zag &  Road to Oklahoma (with sashing on the right)
Both in photo above.

then two more purple

Antique tile & Ceiling fan
Both in photo above

two black

Churn Dash & Contrary Wife
Now added bottom right

Detail from Churn Dash.
Don't you love the King of the Rosehips?

and one orange

Small bow ties;
already made in green but with a different layout

with just one more orange and two pink blocks to make.


I have cheated a bit because I included the tan/whisky coloured browns with the orange, as they can indeed be construed as being dark orange. At least, that's my story and I'm sticking to it!

The layout is an unusual one I think: ten blocks wide by nine blocks long with 1" sashing. But that feels right to me for a lap quilt/ throw. I think I will make a single fairly narrow border.

Linking up to 

so head over there to see more rainbow blocks.

Happy sewing

Marly.

Four more Little Letters

Instructions for two patchwork letters are being posted each week (one on Sunday and one on Wednesday) on the blog of the Temecula Quilt Company. They finish at 4" square, are really easy to make, and come together quickly. The project incorporates them in a quilt, but I see a potential for using them to personalise gifts.

On Sunday morning I made four more letters:

which brought me up to date. However, seeing as the tutorials are posted on Sunday and Wednesday, I'm already behind again!

On Thursday I started quilting my Christmas table runner.

I thought I would do a FMQ all over ramble with variegated thread.

Quilting? Now you see it; now you don't!

What a mistake! Variegated thread  doesn't suit me:

• firstly: all the mistakes show up (and I am no expert)
• secondly: it gives too fragmented an effect on already fragmented patchwork. 

Logical really,  but I had to experience it.

Just look at all those horrible wobbly lines, and
what is being achieved by using variegated thread?

After 20 minutes quilting this was clearly a mess so I broke my rule, (never unpick quilting!)

this was the only thing for it - for the next FIVE HOURS!

I haven't looked at it since, but this afternoon plan to choose one uni-coloured thread and start again. Which colour would you use?

I'm linking up to:

 

so pop over there and see what else is going on this week.

Happy Sewing

Marly.

RSC 14; Week 45 Blue stars

Each week Angela at Soscrappy posts instructions for 6" square blocks (6½" unfinished). Today I managed to make two of the four she has posted this month.

Double X and Twinkle Star

I should take another photo because the colours are really all pale blue, with the exception of the small star points which are yellow ochre. I think the colour of the table is interfering with the other colours.

The smaller cross in the double X block I had to make twice. The original measurements were not correct, so just in case there's anyone out there who hasn't made it yet, here are the corrected cutting instructions:

Blue #1, cut 4 - 3 inch squares
Blue #2, cut 1 rectangle -1.5 by 3.5  4 inches
Blue #2, cut 2 squares  rectangles -1.5 inches by 1.75 inches each
Background, cut 4 rectangles 1.5 by 1.75 inches
Background, cut 8 squares -1.75 inches each

It was just a question of seam allowances, which are easily overlooked., especially when trying to get a five by five grid into a six inch square! 

I'm linking to

So pop over there and see the other pale blue starry skies.

Happy Sewing

Marly.

Finished: Tulpen op Tafel - Tulips on the table

This is my second finish for the 2014 Q4 Finish Along. My projected finishes are listed here.

Pattern: Merel van Looi, Birdblocks, Amsterdam.
size: 16" x 17¼"

The background is stack and slash using 4 different prints, the tulips and leaves are appliqué and are set off  by a single row of hand quilting around the pieces. The background is machine quilted in straight lines using the walking foot.

detail
(Sorry about the strange colour; this was this evening in artificial light;
the other photo is more the true colour)

Randomly cutting the pile of fabric and then mixing the pieces was a new technique for me, at least one I'd only read about. I also used "Wash-Away Appliqué Sheets" for the first time. I dislike cutting the fabric to remove freezer paper, so this was the lazy girl's handy solution. Moreover, the tulip stems are so thin that there's more fabric turned under than there is on top so this was definitely the best medium for strengthening the appliqué fabric. I can see myself using this more often! (Especially as I still have 24½ sheets of the stuff!)

I'm linking up to 

so nip over there to see what else has been finished this week.

Happy sewing

Marly.

Fresh Sewing Day and Small Blog Meet

Two weeks ago I had the wild idea that I should make something for Christmas and that I only had two months to get it done. When I saw Any Smart's hourglass block tutorial I had an idea for a Christmas decoration that would be quick (from a charm pack) and simple (one block repeated forty times)!
Here is the top which I did indeed have put together in two days, two weeks ago:

Fabric: "Solstice" by Kate Spain for Moda
Pattern: Amy Smart (minimally adapted.)

"Why is it still only a top?",  you might be asking. Because there was an event in Houston which was so compelling for the ladies who own my LQS that they shut up shop for two weeks to attend; no-one in their right mind crosses the Atlantic for just a couple of days! While I have enough wadding I don't have enough backing fabric, so have been waiting until they open up again next Tuesday morning. I hope to have this finished by next weekend.

While waiting for the shop to reopen I have gone further with my hexagons,

Hexagons

done some catching up on the Rainbow Scrap Challenge,

Rainbow Scrap Challenge 14: October

and made some more letters in the Little Letters Quilt Along at The Temecula Quilt Company,

Little letters

Also in October I made two small table mats for our bedside cabinets from a Martingale freebie pattern:

table mats

Click on the photos to read more about each of these projects.

I'm linking up to Lily's Quilts for both

and

               

so head over there to see what else has been happening in October.


Happy Sewing

Marly.

RSC 14: week 44: October roundup

At the Rainbow Scrap Challenge, hosted by Angela at Soscrappy, October's colours were brown, black and grey. I have a few browns, but very little black and next to no grey! Hence a very brown palette for October.

Here all my brown/black blocks:

October browns, and one black:
top: Sarah's Choice, Cat

middle:Sickle, Maple leaf, Clay's Choice

bottom: Road to Tennessee, Prairie Queen

I still have a couple to make, but my stash didn't have enough contrast to go any further, and I've just seen that November's colour is pale blue, and some eager beaver's have already made pale blue blocks.

I'm linking up to

so hop over there to see what other brown delights have been made last month.


Happy sewing

Marly