One Monthly Goal for December

My goal for December is to layer (and maybe also quilt) my shoo fly quilt. This was also on my list a few months ago. Since then I've straightened the edges and added a border (but not taken a new photo!).

I bought the backing fabric and replenished my supply of wadding at the end of September, when we were out of lockdown for a few weeks. In the meantime I have finished one QAL top, and am nearing the finish of three more. For them I'm going to have to buy backing fabric online; not my most successful method of buying, as the colours inevitably fall short of my expectations.

I'm linking to:

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I wish everyone a good December. For most of us it will be quiet, with the number of guests restricted by Covid regulations. The upside is that we will have more time to contemplate the meaning of Christmas or of Hanukkah, and to enter into their spirit, without the hassle of entertaining on a grand scale.

Keep safe and healthy

 

Happy sewing

 

Marly.

Christmas table runner

 

 Finishing this has been my One Monthly Goal for November.

I managed it!

Here it is: quilted, labelled and bound.

detail of embroidery and quilting

with a pretty Danish fabric for the backing.

The pattern, including the embroidery motifs, was from a QAL by Jacquelynne Steves. I thought about the quilting for a long time, and then, as time was running out, I went for a meander. I used off-white 50 wt thread (Aurifil 2309) on the off-white triangles, and very dark green (5012) on the rest. I used off-white quilting thread in the squares with embroidery. The embroidery was done with 3 strands of  DMC stranded cotton.

By the way, that's not black fabric there, but very, very dark green. It's darker than I expected when I ordered it online!

I'm linking this post to:

 

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 Keep Safe and healthy

Happy sewing

Marly.

Rainbow rows - finished top

For the past year I've been participating in the quilt along organised by Irene of Sugaridoo, and Bernina Sewing Machines.

This month's assignment was to sew the top together, either completely, or in three sections of four rows each, to make quilting easier. Here are my three sections, laid out as they will finally be joined after quilting.

This quilt is enormous! Too big for my camera lens!

Irene gave the instructions for a new row every four weeks, and included reverse appliqué and foundation piecing as well as "ordinary" piecing. As well as the written instructions on the Bernina blog, she also published a YouTube video to reinforce the instructions. I learnt a lot from doing this and my phobia over foundation (paper) piecing is largely dispelled. 

Speaking of rainbows: how about this one:

I don't think I've ever seen so complete a rainbow. It continued round to the tree tops off to the left, although it was less well defined on the left hand side. There was also a reversed "shadow" rainbow above; something I had never seen before! Unfortunately it had faded before I could take a photo.

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Stay safe and healthy

Happy sewing

Marly.

 

               

OMG November

 My goal for November is to finish my Christmas table runner which still needs quilting and binding.

Fa La La Table runner, pattern by Jacquelynne Steves

My goal for October was to quilt my Shoo Fly top, but progress was nil! It will reappear in the New Year, when I hope to have a little more time, and more inclination to quilt. Now I just have to concentrate on working out a quilting plan for the table runner.

I'm linking this to:

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Stay safe and healthy

Happy sewing

Marly.

Goodbye Yellow!

 Angela gave us yellow as October's colour of the month.

 Ten 6" Scrap Snap blocks made this month:

All but the last two seams were leaders and enders while I was sewing a Christmas table runner. Both blocks and table runner top were finished yesterday.

This pattern was presented as the "FaLaLa" SAL by Jacquelynne Steves, and is available on her website until the end of this month (or so). Or at least not for much longer, as the QAL has finished and the pattern will only be available from her shop in future.  

I am not adding more borders as suggested in the pattern; that would be too much for my table. The blocks came together really quickly once I'd finished the embroidery. I haven't embroidered much over the last forty years !! so progress was slow. The satin stitch holly berries gave me the most distress, but these are the best ever - by me - though they wouldn't win any prizes! In the pattern some of the centre pieces had text in them, but as not everyone here reads English I only embroidered pictures.

My goal for October, to quilt my shoo fly quilt, didn't happen. I'm toying with the idea of having a UFO-only year next year; I wonder if I'll be able to resist the temptation of starting something new.

I'm linking this post to:

  

 

 

 

 

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Keep safe and healthy

Happy sewing

Marly.

Some progress on several projects

For the last six or seven years (I haven't counted!) I've taken part in the Rainbow Scrap Challenge, organised by Angela at SoScrappy. Speaking of rainbows, heading for my "Rainbow" box on Sunday I saw this:

 It was brighter when I saw it first, but I needed to grab my I-Pad.

The reason I was going for my rainbow box was to make an overview of my bead blocks:

  

I wanted to see how many more I need to make into a lap quilt.  I'm almost there! I have three red, two pink, two purple, one yellow and one orange that didn't fit on the wall, but I still need more for an on point layout with an odd number of blocks in each direction. Three more of both light and dark blue will make two blue columns, and one turquoise, and one green block will make the number of rows right too. I won't be making brown or black beads - this is dark enough as it is!

My other RSC project still doesn't look like much.

 

Clockwise from top right: AA units, B units, AAB units waiting, AB units ready to sew.

 

but the Scrap snap blocks have been serving as leaders and enders this week too.

I finally made a start yesterday on row 11 of the Sugaridoo Bernina QAL:

A year ago I avoided foundation paper piecing like the plague! Even though I had had a personal demonstration from Irene (Sugaridoo), herself! In this quilt along she has included several foundation piecing rows, and demonstrated two methods which don't involve tearing out the paper at the end. That's one headache less, but the process still makes me nervous.

 

Neither EPP nor FPP in the Hemisphere QAL organised by Sheila Christensen, but straightforward machine piecing. This is my block 13:

 

And these are all my blocks so far:

This is definitely not the final layout! The blocks are all too pretty to be stealing one another's thunder.

  

I completed three of the four embroidered panels for the FaLaLa QAL organised by Jaquelynne Steves.

 I don't like the fourth panel, so I will probably make a second star.

Finally this week, a trip yesterday to Aphen aan den Rijn (about 80 km round trip) to buy yarn for a shawl I intend making from the pattern of the Queen CAL by Tinna Thorudottir Designs on Ravelry (#tinnahekl).

The pattern uses seven colours in a small blanket, but I'm just using these two. I want it to be finished this winter, and it will be approximately one third of the size of the original blanket which would keep me hooking for years. Anyway with so many quilts, who needs a crochet blanket? Not me, at the moment anyway.

starting chain is a start!

Until I came to write them down I had no idea I had so many projects actively on the go. I'm not sure it's such a good idea to have so much on the go, and also know there are more waiting for attention.

I'm linking to: 

Click on the buttons to see what others are making.

Keep safe and healthy

Happy sewing

Marly.

Yellow's the colour!

Yes this gloomy month is brighter in the sewing room because of Angela's decision to make this the yellow month in the Rainbow Scrap Challenge. Here are my bead blocks:

 

 

My Scrap Snap blocks as yet look like this: 

 

There are 3 joined pairs of squares on the right; they are the only leaders and enders I've made this week because I've been doing reverse appliqué in row 10 of the Sugaridoo Bernina QAL (the link is to row 12, but there are links there to all the rows):

No yellow!

The blocks are all finished, but still have to be trimmed before joining in the row.

 

I made block 12 of the Hemisphere QAL at Quilting with Sheila

 

Not much yellow here I'm afraid!

 

I also spent some evenings embroidering motifs for the Christmas table runner SAL, run by Jacquelynne Steves.

Ah, more yellow!

The motifs all measure 4x4", too small for my embroidery ring, but the star puckered. I scoured the Internet for a 10cm (4") ring, and "scoured" is the word as most handwork suppliers had nothing smaller than 15cm (6"). I'm pleased the chosen supplier could deliver only 48 hours later. The wreath isn't puckered, just creased from the ring. I shan't be making any of the blocks until I've finished the 4 embroidered panels.

I shall link this round-up of this week's sewing to:

Wendysquiltsandmore

RSC 20

Oh scrap!

Keep safe and healthy 

Happy sewing

Marly.

One Monthly Goal in October

My goal is to layer and start quilting my shoo fly quilt. 

I made these blocks as leaders and enders between July 2019 and May 2020, in response to Bonnie Hunter's L & E challenge. I assembled the top in July, when I chose this as my goal of the month and posted the process here. For the last two months it's been hanging in my studio. Now it's time it was quilted. 

Last week I managed to buy some double width fabric for the backing so I'm all set to go. I think I will use an all-over swirls pattern to quilt the centre, with maybe a different design on the setting triangles, but that's a decision I'll be making later.

I'm linking this post to:

Click on the buttons above to see more handwork aspirations in October.

Keep safe; keep healthy

Happy sewing

Marly.

Closing Red for the RSC

Each month Angela gives a different colour for the Rainbow Scrap Challenge. This year September has been red.

I posted my red Scrap Snap blocks a few weeks ago, and here are my Bead blocks:

I'm not sure how many blocks I made in previous months, I think six, but this month I have made 7. I don't think they will be enough so I shall be making more of all the colours next year too.

This week I also made two red blocks for another project, the Hemisphere Quiltalong designed and hosted by Sheila Christensen, the Mystery Quilter: 

These blocks are regularly pieced; they're neither English paper pieced nor foundation pieced. All pieces are cut using a 60° ruler.They are still half hexagons here as they will only be joined when the quilt is assembled row by row. The quiltalong continues into December, so, if you're interested, there's plenty of time to join in.

I'm linking to:

Click on the button above to see 

more scrappy rainbow progress.

Keep safe and healthy

Happy sewing

Marly

 

September's goal achieved!

 

 

 My one monthly goal for September was to make blocks 1 - 8 of  the Hemisphere Quiltalong designed and hosted by Sheila Christensen. At that stage I had only made 1 and 2. 

All the pieces are cut using a 60 degree ruler and pieced regularly: no English Paper Piecing, no Foundation Piecing, simply sewing one piece to another with a ¼" seam. Cutting is important, but the sewing is straightforward enough!

Here are the first seven blocks:

and number 8

Therefore: mission accomplished! Yet there are more:

number 9:

And number 10:

Number 11 was published yesterday so I shall be making it today.

This is the first time in ages that I've achieved the goal I set myself at the beginning of the month. It feels good!

I'm linking this post to:

Click on the button above to see more goals achieved this month.

Stay safe and healthy.

Happy sewing

Marly.