A finish at the last minute: Hexagonal Hemispheres

 Just in time to link up with One Monthly Goal:

Hexagonal Hemispheres: pattern by Sheila Christensen, quilted by Elly Prins

 

Sweet batik backing

After all it's a throw!

This was made during a QAL designed and hosted by Sheila Christensen a few years ago. I don't know why it took me so long to finish, because I kept up with the piecing during the QAL, just afterwards I hit a phenomenal dip. Finally, I took it to Elly Prins who quilted it for me.

The fabric in the hexagons, which are all traditionally pieced (no foundation piecing or EPP), came from my stash; the sashing, setting triangles and border fabric is basic fabric from Stof fabric, a Danish company.

I'm linking this post to

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Sew happily

Marly.

 

 

The hexagons are a finished top!

It's not only a top; I've already taken it to the long-armer, Elly Prins. This is the first time I've asked someone else to do the quilting for me. Unfortunately it won't be back until in the New Year.

I made this quilt during the online QAL with Sheila Christensen from July 2020. All the hexagons are traditionally pieced; no FPP or EPP in sight! The fabrics in the hexagons all came from my stash, and the background fabric is a basic from Stof of Denmark in yellow/gold on cream. 

I needed a push to get the rows sewn together, and the borders on, but within a week it was a top. The push came from the end of year "finishfeestje" (finish party) hosted by Deveney. 

 

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.

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.

Hemisphere progress

In the middle of August I noticed that Sheila Christensen was running a mystery triangle quiltalong. The fun had started at the beginning of July, so I was well behind the schedule, and hadn't looked out any fabrics yet. I registered immediately, and I'm so glad I did. Sheila broadcasts live on her video channel weekly at 10:00h on Thursdays - that's 10 a.m. in New Zealand, and about 02:00h here! Fortunately for me the broadcasts are recorded and posted on her video channel. The block patterns are being published once a week for 26 weeks and during the broadcast Sheila shows how to make the latest pieced unit.

I posted the photo of my first block on 31 August and now I have seven blocks:

random layout; they are really half hexagons and will be completed in the final step.

This may look like EPP but, no way! I would never attempt such a complicated EPP design; for me that is for "patchwork on the move"! Apart from cutting strips of fabric - everything here has been cut from 1.5", 2.5" or 4.5" strips - all the pieces have been cut using a 60 degree ruler. The blocks look complicated, but really they come together easily, and the cutting is not hard once you've watched the video!

Last year I made the Mini Wonders table runner from a pattern Sheila had published in instalments in Make Modern Magazine, so I was already used to her method, but now I am learning the finer points and have more insight into the calculations. These blocks have so far been easier than the hexagons in the Mini Wonders table runner.

I'm linking up to

so click on the button to see what more people are working on.

Have a good weekend, and keep safe and healthy

Happy sewing

Marly.

One Monthly Goal for September

 

 ... has several parts: to make parts 1 to 8 of Sheila Christensen's "Hemisphere" Quilt Along.

 

 

I joined the QAL a couple of weeks ago, more than a month after the start, and so far have made just two blocks.

 

Block 1; that's navy, not black

 

 

Block 2; it's still navy

 

Block 8 was released last Thursday; if I make two a week I'll reach my goal! Three a week !! and I'll have caught up altogether!

 

This isn't the only thing on my to-do list this month, so - fingers crossed!

I'm linking to: 

Click on the button to see more September goals.

Happy sewing

Marly