2017 - Q3 Finish Along

Another quarter has gone by and I have still not completed anything on the list! I have made progress on most of it though! I really should just work on one thing at a time, but where is the fun in that!

1. Tula Pink City Sampler -- I am still piecing the backing using left over fabrics and it is nearly complete. I ran out of the Kona bone so stopped to order more. Although, that said, I have had it rather a long time now, so I just need to actually sew it to the rest of the backing and it's done. 

 

2. Rainbow 9-patch -- the front is now complete and the backing is part way there. Ran out of butterflies, so I need to make a few more of them before I can continue.

3. Doctor Who -- I finally completed the top! Yay! Now, the backing! 

4. Harry Potter -- All the blocks have been posted now, just waiting to see what Whims and Fancies has in mind for the layout! But for now I continue to, gradually, duplicate some of the blocks. 

So that's it. My main focus is to complete the rainbow 9-patch quilt this quarter! Although progress on the others would be good too! I really want to complete something!

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2017 - Q2 Finish Along

I really don't know how we are into April already. I completed nothing on my list for last quarter, but did make some progress on some. I am going to shorten my list for this quarter and see if that helps the focus.

1. Tula Pink City Sampler - the top is complete. I am in need of a little more fabric to complete the back and then I can get this one basted together. Maybe this quarter I can get it done.

2. Rainbow 9-patch - I corrected the two blocks that were in the wrong place, and I have made a few extra blocks to add to the top and bottom. I have started to create the back. I sometimes wish I could just bring myself to buy enough fabric to have a plain back, as I'm sure I'd finish more quilts that way! 

3. Dr Who! Still no progress - but I am hoping this week I might be able to lay it out and see how the plan is coming along.

4. Harry Potter - I have been quilting along with Whims and Fancies (here) when she started her quilt along back in July last year. She is publishing a couple of blocks monthly but there have been several breaks too which is great for playing catch up. When the kids saw my blocks, there was a small dispute over who this quilt would actually be for especially as all 3 kids are Harry Potter fans. So I am now making 3 quilts! I am gradually duplicating some of the blocks and adding a few extras that I have found else where on the internet. This is the collection so far.

That is all I am going to list for now as I really do want to make some major progress on all these quilts this quarter! My plan is to gift all but the Tula Pink Sampler by the end of the year! I have set myself quite the challenge there, but should be achievable (I hope!).


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Knitting needle cases

I have been knitting quite a bit this last month or so and it made me realize how much of a mess my needles were in. On the whole they live in a box or original packaging. So I decided to rectify this issue and put them all together into a more appropriate holder.

After searching google, I found a tutorial here by Crafty Avocado for a double pointed needle case. I am a big fan of Zen Chic fabrics and surprisingly I still have some Juggling Summer fabrics left. So I made a dpn case to hold them all.

I like that it has a flap to prevent the needles from falling out! 

So having sorted out one set of needles, I had to make another for the circular needles as these get into even more of a state than the others. This time I found some long lost linen fabrics in my stash with sheep on - how appropriate! I made sure I fussy cut so make the most of these adorable sheep.

I pretty much used the same pattern as before, but made some adjustments to fit the needles in. And here's a picture of the inside:

I then decided that this would make a great gift for my mum (who has the same needle storing issue!) as a Mother's Day gift. She is also a big Zen Chic fan so I mixed the sheep linen with some of my most coveted comma fabrics.

This time I added some clear vinyl to allow some labels to be added. Wish I'd done this to mine. I'm hoping she'll send me a picture of her case loaded up with her needles. I suspect she's got way more than will fit in this single case but it's a start.

I also finished a couple of knitting projects lately. Firstly, a pair of mittens. The Myra pattern is by Knox Mountain Co. (here on Ravelry) and I test knit it for them. It's a lovely pattern and knits up easily, when concentrating! My only real problem is knitting two of the same thing, so when my mitts didn't match in size I was not too surprised. I took the second one apart and redid it. So now they match! For this project I used a Rowan Worsted Washable Wool.

Myra Mitts

Over the last couple of weeks I test knit a second of their patterns, the Trader's Cove Hat. It's not quite published yet, but I believe next week sometime (April 2017). This was really fun. The pattern is easily remembered after the first round. I used a Madelinetosh merino DK in Fog for this knit and it's so soft and squidgy, I love it. I knit the slouchy hat so it's a bit bigger and you have to be careful not to look like a gnome with it standing up straight!

Trader's Cove Hat

I'm thinking it needs a pompom. Not sure I have enough of the wool left though and I haven't found anywhere to find one of those fluffy ones I have seen other people using. So for now it's pompom less.

It's kind of a shame that our winter looks to be finally coming to an end as I am not going to get to wear this much now. But so ready for next winter!

Now that I have finished these quick projects I really must focus more on finishing some of the quilts I have on the go! 

2017 - Q1 Finish Along

A new year! A new list with some of the old WIPs still on it, and some new projects too. My list never seems to get any shorter, but I'm ok with that (for now!). I found a couple of quilt alongs that started this month and I just couldn't resist joining in, but that's another story! 

Again, I'm going to list everything here to keep track and hope that some get some attention and not completely forgotten.

1. Tula Pink City Sampler - I have made some progress on my 100days100blocks quilt in the last few days. I have now sashed all 100 blocks and decided on the layout (that took quite some time!). Now to sewing it all together into a quilt top.

(this is going to be one huge quilt!)

2. Rainbow 9-patch - I started this one in November hoping to have it done for my daughter's birthday! Ha, well that was far too ambitious. I have many more 2.5" squares ready for sewing around as a border, I want it a bit bigger than it is at the moment. This one definitely has a deadline this year.

(oh, I just noticed that two of my blocks are in the wrong places! Always good to check these things! ha!)

3. Dr Who - still no progress. I really must finish this one this year though! 

4. Crochet blanket - this is the first proper piece of crochet I have ever achieved! It was a crochet along with Fiber Flux before Christmas. I love that it uses chunky yarn as the hexagons come together very quickly and as it it constructed using the crochet as you go method it already looks like a blanket! Success :)

5. Ombre log cabin - no progress and no deadline

6. Simply colourful - no progress and no deadline

7. Orange and yellow 9-patch - hand quilting is not something I do very often, but I will get there, eventually.

8. Beeutiful quilt - I still only have 6 blocks finished. I feel this might be more of a summer project that I can sit and do outdoors.

My primary goal for the month (or maybe quarter!) is to finish the city sampler 100 blocks quilt, or to at least get it to the point of quilting.


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