2014 FAL - Q1 Starting out again!

It is the start of a new FAL so time for optimism and wishful thinking :)



This year's FAL is being hosted by the multi-talented Katy otherwise known as The Littlest Thistle. Check out her post if you want to join in the fun.

Having only managed to finish 2 out of the 6 finishes I was hoping for in the last quarter of 2013, there are plenty of UFO's hanging around my sewing room patiently waiting for their turn on the sewing table. One of the 2 finishes I did achieve was a long-standing BOM so in an effort to continue that momentum I am putting the remaining 2 outstanding BOM's in my cupboard top of my list for finishing this quarter.

First up,the wallhanging I have been paper-piecing monthly with Quiet Play's BOM



I had the last block of 9 left to paper piece (the photo below only shows 7 blocks as I haven't taken any photos of them altogether since I made the 8th block), but have decided that an 8 block wallhanging will fit better in the space available. So instead of paper-piecing the last block all that I need to do is add the sashing, baste and quilt it. Doesn't sound too difficult does it?

Second, another carry forward from last years FAL, the Craftsy BOM quilt top.

All the blocks are made (and have been made for months), the sashing fabric is purchased and waiting to be cut up so I just need to knuckle down and do it! It would be great to have this finished in time for my son and daughter-in-laws house move in the Spring, especially as it was also meant to be a Christmas present!

The third project I would like to finish this quarter is the cushion I planned from the New Zealand Falcon pattern by the very talented Tartankiwi.  Our local rugby team are known as the Falcons, and the males in this family are mad-keen rugby fans so it would be a fitting addition to our current collection of cushions.Would be nice to have it finished before the end of the rugby season too :)

The fourth project I really would like to finish this quarter is the Bargello quilt that I started in a class last August.

Again, all this needs is borders, basting and binding! Can you tell these are my least favourite parts of making a quilt??

The next set of projects have all been in my head for ages but I have never actually written them down anywhere, so I am hoping that by blogging about them I might actually get around to making them. So my fifth project for this quarter is another cushion, this time with some Celtic Knotwork applique. I know exactly what I want to do with this so I just need to knuckle down, draft up a pattern and sew it!

I am going for broke here with a sixth, seventh and eighth project :)

The sixth is another cushion, this time with Linen that I brought back from Latvia and some lovely Liberty fabric that I have been too nervous to cut into!

Again I know exactly what I want to do with this, I just need to sit down and do it!


More Liberty fabric and some vintage linen in the seventh project for a secret project that I am really excited about, that will, hopefully, be revealed later in the year.

And finally (thank goodness I hear you cry!) a Christmas project (!!!) using these cute fabrics. The reason for this project will be revealed rather sooner than the one above in the next couple of days, but let's just say now that I am planning to be the most organised I have ever been for Christmas this year :)

I think that is more than enough to be going on with, don't you?

One of my resolutions for 2014 is to use up my stash, and completing all of these projects will certainly help me to do that.

Well, that's the plan wish me luck :)

New to Me in September

September is always a month for new beginnings in this part of the world and although I no longer have boys to get ready for new school terms, there is still a new school feel around with the prospectus for the Local Authority evening classes landing on the mat tempting me to learn a new language or even take up dancing!

It's the perfect time then for this month's

The big New to Me for this month doesn't actually start until tomorrow, September 26th, when submissions open for my first ever hosted competition!

I will be waiting nervously for the first submissions to link up I can tell you.

As well as hosting the competition this month I have also created my first carved eraser stamp

and had a go at a Bargello quilt for the first time too.

So that is what I have been up to, now it is your turn to link up and share your New to You activities in September.

Link them up below and share your triumphs and/or disasters.

As ever please help to spread the word by linking back to this post in your post and/or adding the blog button to your sidebar.


Check out the other links and leave a comment along the way. The emphasis of this link party is to celebrate the trying of something new, whether it works out exactly as planned or not, so a little encouragement here and there would not go amiss! 

The link will remain open until September 30th so if you haven't already tried something new you still have time :)

More details of the Holiday Memories Mini Quilt Competition can be found by clicking the link at the top of this post too.

An InLinkz Link-up

A day out with Bargello

A couple of weeks ago I treated myself to a class at my LQS, it was an early birthday present from me to me!

The class on offer was for a Bargello quilt top, which is something I have long wanted to try. A whole day cutting, sewing and chatting with quilters wasn't to be sneezed at either :)

So armed with my fabric, 7FQ's of Madrona Road, my sewing machine (its first ever day out!) and enough food to keep me going for hours I set off.

I was very relieved to find that I wasn't the only one there who was a bit nervous about things like accurate seams and matching points!

We cut six 2" strips from each fat quarter, then joined them together to make 6 identical strip sets. These were then sewn together in two sets of three and the seams were pressed in opposite directions for each.

Then we really had to start concentrating, so the chatter stopped and peace descended!

Cutting the strips into various widths ranging from 0.75" to 2.5" really kept us on our toes. There was no let up after that though as we had to really concentrate again when stitching the strips together lengthways to make sure that we kept the pattern shift correct.

This must be the quietest stitching class I have ever attended!

All that concentration was worth it though as I have now managed to complete all of the Bargello strips ( we ran out of time in class) and now have to decide what to do about borders.

I am thrilled to bits with my first ever attempt at Bargello, even although not all my seams are perfect or my points matching, it is recognisably Bargello and that will do for me :)


Linking up to