Friday Finish and start

I have finished a little project for my Neighbour. Her husband passed away suddenly from a stroke two year ago. It has taken her a while to clear out his cupboard. She asked me if I could make cushion covers from his shirts. 

 She grouped together three set of colours that she wanted as cushions. We had a fun afternoon looking at different patchwork patterns and she chose the Crystal star, the hands of friendship and the Ohio Star.

 I tried really hard to make these as neat and straight as possible for her. I don't want her to regret asking me to do this.

 I hope she will like these.

Another little commission I am working on is a Christmas stocking.

The brief is Christmassy but not too much. These are the fabrics I chose. There are Christmas fabrics but also just normal dress fabrics and the lesser spotted Christmas Camper van.

Have a good weekend.

Scrap Fest 2014

 The quilt top for Scrap Fest 2014 has been declared large enough by my daughters. It covers a 9 year old child, just. If you look closely you can see her toes and the top of her head.

I am not sure if it needs a border. It's an all right size for a lap quilt (120 cm by 140 cm). I will need to think it through an see what I decide. I also need to raid the stash to see if I have anything for the back. I probably have some Ikea fabric I can use up.

Work in Progress

 Daughter 1 has finally finished her quilt top. It's not perfect. Some of the corners are cut off by the sashing but considering she is not 11 yet I think she did a great job.

 Also I think I deserve a pat on the back for not interfering with her colour choices or getting over protective of my fat quarter stash. I think she has chosen an Ikea print from the stash as back but I  want to be doubly sure before I baste this puppy.

Scrap fest 2014 has grown, maybe not as much I would have liked but the dangerous duo are back at school, so they don't have as much time to help. Also I have some work at the moment, so sewing time is limited. Great to have work but there is so much other stuff I would love to be doing instead. Mustn't grumble. I had better get on.

Scrap Fest 2014

 Rachel over on Stitched in Color is having a Fabric purge. I figured it would be a good plan to join in.

I have been trying hard this year not to buy new fabric and to only use up what I have. So far I haven't done too badly. I have made 4 tunics out of stash, a top for a friend's daughter, a skirt for myself and two dresses for daughters. On the positive lots of things no new fabric bought. On the downside though I have created more scraps.

I have emptied (some) of the scarp baskets and cut the fabrics into 2.5"scraps. The daughters sewed the squares into blocks for me. This was too random for me I have decided to add some cross or X type blocks to get over the random. I hope to get some more done but the weather has been too good to stay indoors and do much sewing.

Linking to the Stitched in Color "Purge".

Scraps

New set up with two machines

I have made painfully little progress this month. The Girls have been off school since 4/7 and I have managed to make a dress. I can't show you pictures because the daughter has worn it and it is in the laundry basket. 

I have however finally gotten round to getting my little Pfaff serviced. It was sewing forward fine but backwards no thank you. It needed a new step motor. Not a cheap repair I can tell you but cheaper than a new machine. I thought it would be worth it as in 2015 the eldest will go up to senior school and sewing is part of the curriculum. 

 The daughters needed to be kept occupied, so I set to cutting the odd shaped bits that are left over from dressmaking into 2.5inch squares. Brother there are a lot of odd shaped bits. There are the dresses I made, the dresses my mum has made and that means dresses for four granddaughters and one daughter and herself. There are some real vintage scraps.

There also leftovers from other quilts. Lets just say that there is a lot. Never ending as far as I can tell. 

Well better get back to being a peace keeper. The amount of squabbles pre teen girls can have is amazing. If the UN want to come and practice they are welcome. 

I am linking to Lily's Quilts small blog meet. Fingers crossed more will get done in August. 

Work in progress Wednesday - or why I would like a design wall.

 I think I need a design wall. That way I can keep track of my UFOs. I try to only have one quilt on the go at anyone time. This does not always work. For starters there are two quilts that need to be quilted.
After much uhming and ahing I have decided to make a log cabin quilt out of some lovely Rowan fabrics. Again if I had a design wall and not a floor the colours might have looked better on this photo.

 I got distracted by trying to sew curvy patchwork. This is mainly to prove to a friend that patchwork isn't just "cutting squares and sewing them back together".

 I am trying out a red white blue thing here. Might need an orange back for this one to make it really Dutch.

 I am helping my Eldest (10 years old) to sew her first quilt. It is very colourful. I am quite impressed with well she is doing.

Talking of the 10 year old. She has grown again and needs a new summer dress. Luckily I had this lovely Benatrx print stashed and will be cutting into that soon. I have traced the pattern and altered the back. She felt it was a bit bare for everyday but might like it with the heart shaped back for her leavers party next year.

So all in all I'll be quite busy. Fingers crossed there will be a Friday finish but I don't think there will be.

I am linking to WIP wednesday over at Freshly Pieced.

Sleeve board revamp.

 There has been lots going on here. The girls were in their school's version of Oliver. The performance was great. I have to hand it to the teachers they really got the best out of those children. I have done lists of little bits of sewing. I keep forgetting to take pictures.

 Anyway the sleeve board was in need of a revamp. You can see the old cover underneath.

Cute owls are a must I think. I wonder if I have enough to redo the ironing board?

Picnic Quilt

 Next week is sports day. This is as far as I am concerned my least favourite day of the school year. Carol concerts -  great, Easter service -  fab and of course the summer fete - a must (if only to see if Midsomer Murders is right and all fetes end in disaster). Sports day not so. You stand around and are not allowed to cheer on your child (well that was the case at the previous school - we don't want to encourage competitive behaviour).

 No standing for me this year. I am bringing a picnic quilt with water proof back. Lots of scraps were used (this makes the husband happy). The binding has insects on it. I thought this would be great for a picnic quilt. There are always insects (wasps) at a picnic.

The waterproof back is from Abakhan fabrics. This was bought for this quilt but here in the UK the ground is hardly ever dry enough to get a way without the waterproof-ness.

Now to make myself a dress. Have a good weekend.

Edit: Forgot say I am linking up to Crazy Mom Quilts Friday Finish.

Friday finish

 I actually have three finishes this week but I only took pictures of one. The Quilt top for Husband. It's finally done. Now comes the hard part though. I have to quilt it.

I have the back. Another grey batik print to go with the grey batik check between the blues and greens. The children are of school next week though, so chances of getting it basted etc. are slim.

The other finishes were a pleated skirt for me and quilting the nine year old's nine patch. She claims that as her finish though...

Some bits and pieces and a new WIP

 I have a few finishes. 

Daughter 1's drawstring bag. 

 Bunting for my birthday. 

 The fabrics a maybe a little Kidstonque for my liking but the daughters told me I had to make it like that. 

My new WIP. I think I need to change the layout. There maybe some seem ripping going on later.

Well what can I say?

I have no excuses really for not blogging other than I didn't feel I had a lot to share sewing wise. The other stuff in my life kind of got in the way of sewing. Hate it when that happens but sometimes sewing has to take a backseat.

I did finish my sew serendipity skirt and it's a great fit. No photos as yet.

Today I finished this little drawstring bag.

 It is very cute. My nine year old loves it.

Just as well because I made it for her. She can take her suntan lotion and sunhat to school in it and leave it on her peg. 

The 10 year old needs one too of course. Her will be more green/turquoise. Better get on with that and some real paid work as well. 

More pictures soon I hope. 

Finish seven of 2014

 Finish seven? Well I sort of forgot to blog about the other three finishes. I would but two are in the laundry basket.

 And well one still needs to have the lining slip stitched to the zip, so technically not finished.

This skirt however is finished. I love the birds. I bought the fabric on a whim at Lady sew and Sew and luckily daughter 1 loves it. I used Simplicity pattern 1723. I decided to line the skirt because white can be a bit see through. 

My daughters used to love to model new outfits but they seem to be going through a phase of not wanting to be in photos. 

I am also making something for myself. Actually it's almost finished but need help with the fitting. I am wondering if maybe I need a dummy for my birthday this year... Must discuss with husband.

Seeing as the weather is so lovely at the moment I hope to have finishes 4 and 5 washed and photographed by the end of the weekend.

Lots of love
Fx

Nine patch made by a nine year old.

 This morning my nine year old daughter finished her last nine patch block and decided on her final layout.

By lunch she had sewn the blocks into rows and then the rows into the quilt top. She was helped by me with pining but she did all the sewing herself. She did find it quite tricky to girl handle the quilt top through the sewing machine without impaling herself on the pins. However she persevered and managed.

It's 1.22m by 1.53m, so taller than her. She would like it a little larger, so we are going to add borders. A lovely polka dot has been chosen; not from the stash but dear husband said it was outside my self imposed fabric buying ban. Love that he was enabling my fabric habit.

I am not sure if Daughter will be cutting the border, she is fine with scissors not sure I trust with the rotary cutter yet. The aim is to get it finished before Monday and maybe show the needlecraft teacher. She hasn't decided on that yet. Maybe it needs to be quilted first.

Work in Progress Wednesday - Triangles

Hello from a very wet Oxfordshire. Thankfully we are not flooded but many are. I have however found out that the putty in the dining room window leaks. Not sure how I will fix that but I will worry about that when it doesn't pour with rain.

 Last week I could finally start on a new project. Husband chose these fabrics for himself at the fat quarter shop. They were in a fat quarter stack called Garden for Olivia. I can't that stack anymore online but they do still have the fabrics.

 The grey batik check was also chosen by the husband. The pictures aren't too clear.

 The colours do look better in real life. But I have to make do with torrential rain and the design floor, so this is the best it's going to get.

 In the mean time the youngest daughter (nine years old) has decided to make her own quilt.

 I let her have free reign of my fabrics. Well all right almost. Fabrics that were sorted into projects have been banned.

She did all the cutting herself and the sewing and pressing. Not so much the pinning. The pins keep going in wonky into the fabric. She forgets to take the pins out and then hits them with the needle. One sewing machine needle and several pins have been lost this way. I now pin for her. The machine doesn't mind when the pins are straight.

I am linking to Freshly pieced. Hope you all stay safe and dry.

Shirt of my back

 I have a Friday finish with photos. I can't find my camera. The eldest borrowed it to take pictures of some toys she wants me to sell on ebay (hurrah more cupboard space for fabric). These pictures are taken using my i-phone. I apologise for the poor quality.

I have finally finished the scrappy trip quilt top. All up cycled shirts from my dad. It's been christened "the shirt of my back" quilt.

 It's 60" by 90"  It had to be folded double because I didn't want to risk it hanging on the muddy grass.

I hope to find my camera again and to take some decent pictures when it's not

Finishes two and three

The constant battle to keep up with my daughters' growth spurts is not easy. Remember how I wasn't going to buy anymore fabric in 2014 well that plan went out the window. I had to buy fabric for these two tops because I had no fabric they liked. It was on sale at Lady Sew and Sew. 

 I used Simplicity pattern 1532. Now the picture looks a lot like PJ's. But that is a minor detail. I had to recreate a favourite top from H&M that really wasn't going to fit anymore. The daughter was optimistic, she thought at age ten she would still be able to fit in size 7year old. (It might be helpful at this point to show you a picture of the old top but I forgot to photograph it.)

The daughter that will be the recipient of the orange top insisted on pockets. EVERYTHING should have pockets. This is what she believes. Luckily her school agrees and the pinafores have pockets, the blouses have a breast pocket and the coat has no less than five, yes you heard that right FIVE, pockets. The pattern doesn't have pockets, so I fabricated a patch pocket. In my opinion it's too large. Daughter is over the moon with it though. The client is happy, so that is all that counts. 

Maybe if we are lucky and they are in a good mood they will model for me.