The last one

Yesterday was a day of interruptions.  There were people in and out all day, unloading boxes, taking off garage roofs, leaving new materials for garage roof etc.  I knew some of it was happening before the day started, but not all of it.

Before the major disruption started, I finished the last of the fabric baskets I had prepared.

 I couldn't start any of the other fabric projects I had prepared, they all need zips.  I found the one I put aways safe, but it was the wrong colour.  I feel sure, deep down, I had another navy one somewhere.  If I have, I am sure it will turn up one day when I least expect it.

By this time, I was expecting the rest of the disruption, so I just spent the last few minutes I had, sewing in the ends on the bits I had knitted and crocheted the night before.

 One crocheted face cloth.

 As I wasn't sure how much yarn was left,  I crocheted some more coasters until there was only a tiny bit of yarn left.

Next came the pink ball of cotton, and a knitted face cloth. 

I seem to have caught the bug for these.  In the evenings, mindless knitting and crochet is so relaxing, and as I bought a job lot of cotton, I am going to see how many of these I can get.

This morning saw the end of British Summer Time, so the clocks went back.  Apparently this  gives us an extra hours sleep.  However, no one ever tells my body, so I'm up bright and early.  Actually, it's not very bright, and a little earlier than normal.  I have a quiet day until the boys come home this afternoon, so there is a lot of time to fill.  I think I had better get all the chores done out of the way so the fun can begin.

Mindless Knitting

After having a bad night's sleep, the sewing machine didn't seem a good idea, so some mindless knitting was the order of the day.

 I've made some more dishcloths using natural cotton,

And then with the leftovers, I crocheted a coaster.

There are a few more, but it was getting too dark to get any pictures.  Hopefully today, I shall get time with the sewing machine again.  There is also a small matter of finding the zip I bought, I put it away safely to stop the kittens pinching it, and now can't remember where it is, and now, I need it.

More Fabric Baskets

After having a clear out of the fabric scraps the other week, and having all the 21/2" squares in one place, I thought I'd better put them to good use.  I decided to make some more fabric baskets, but I didn't follow the tutorial this time.  I've developed my own way of doing them that is simpler and easier for me.

These are slightly larger than the ones I've done before, as the others were made using 2" squares.  Once I sorted the squares, I went through my stash of fabrics to find co-ordinating fabrics for the handles and linings.  I haven't had to buy anything new to make these, and I have one more to finish.  After doing this many, they have got a lot quicker to put together.  The longest time was rearranging the squares after the kittens had decided to help!

Now to decide what to put in the baskets...

Key Rings

I spent a couple of days practising my crochet skills, and made some key rings.

 It seemed to be taking forever,but there are ten of them!

The quickest things to do were the pom poms.

 I bought a new toy and love it.   I used to enjoy making pom pom the old fashioned way, but with a Clover Pom Pom Maker it is so much quicker.  I used the extra small one for these, but I may have to find something to use the bigger one, it was so much fun.

Raggedy & Friends QAL-Block Four

The next Raggedy block has been pieced and stitched.  I am happy to say it came together pretty quickly, with no snags.

These are the best pinwheel blocks I've made to date.  Lovely to see signs of improvement, I won't be so worried about making them in future.

That's me up to date for another month.  Now to see if I can get some other things finished.

A day for Pincushions

I was using up the last of the jelly roll.  This piece I will border with the same fabric as the quilt and make into a cushion.

 Then I made two pincushions with some 21/2" squares.

 That left 3 squares remaining from the whole jelly roll.  These have gone into my 21/2" squares tub to be used another day.

 With some of the other scraps I sorted the other day, I made a couple more pincushions.

I made a couple of pinwheel blocks.  These were made up from half square triangles left over from doing Amy's BOM.  The one on the left was made from a 51/2" square,  I folded all the corners into the middle to form the pincushion.

I don't think I've finished with pincushions yet.  I saw some lovely ones whilst browsing the other day, so may try a couple more designs.

Today, the sewing machine will be getting a rest, I have to take the boys swimming!

Jelly Roll Scraps

After the clear out of fabric the other day, I thought I'd better work out a way of using all the fabric scraps. The scraps from the Jelly Roll QAL had gone into a little tub.  These consisted mainly of  3" strips I hadn't used in the binding of the Jelly Roll Quilt.

I spent yesterday making them into blocks and had just enough to get 12.  Now I need to get some sashing and backing to make into another quilt.  It should be lap quilt size, so not bad for scraps.

One thing about photos, you get to see how things look, and I will be rearranging the blocks before the final joining together.  Even though they had all changed positions about three times, I've just seen a better layout. 

There are still a few bits left from the Jelly Roll, but I think I have an idea for using them up. More on that another day.

The Simple Things

After putting together the postage stamp quilt top, I was at a loss what to do next.  I ended up sorting through my fabric scraps and cutting them up into squares and strips.  There are even  a few triangles, so I will be thinking of ways to use them up.

I then came across a ball of dishcloth cotton I bought some time ago, and as I have a craft fair coming up, I thought I'd make some dishcloths.

I got three knitted up, all with different patterns. I really like hand made dishcloth, so I may get another ball and do some more.

Saturday's progress

 These were the final two blocks put together on Friday.

 Saturday was the challenge of putting all the blocks together, and despite the help of my furry friends, just after lunch I had one big block.

 I need to do some shopping to finish this one, I need the backing and border fabric.

 I've even got enough to do a couple of pillowcases.  Once these are quilted, I'll cut them to size and I'll have a complete bed set.

This is by no means perfect, I have come a long way from when I first started this quilt.  I am sure the next one, if there ever is a next one, will be so much better, but I have enjoyed the journey.  I can't wait to see these completed and in use.

Friday Night Sew In....

Friday Night Sew In started early for me, and became a Friday Sew In.  I was making up for lost time, and while, I was enjoying myself, I thought I may as well carry on.

 These are the two blocks I completed while it was still daylight.

I then did another two before going to bed, but it's still too dark to get a picture.  With these four blocks done, it means I have enough for the top of my bed, and for two pillowcases.  Now all I need to do, is join all the blocks together.  All being well, I can do that today.

Two more postage stamp blocks

After the hectic rushing around at the beginning of the week, it was really enjoyable to just potter around and get some time at the sewing machine,

 I managed to get two more postage stamp blocks made before lunch.  As it was already a late one, and the boys were beginning to protest, I had to stop and feed everyone.

As I had been enjoying myself so much, I thought I would continue after lunch, so back to the sewing machine I went. I was quite happily sewing away, when suddenly everything went dead.  The power had gone off.  After checking the fuse box, and finding it wasn't us, I just had to put everything away for another day.  The power came on over an hour and a half later.  What a good thing it is, that I have plenty of other things to keep me occupied.

The last couple of weeks have been rather busy, so it was a good thing someone had reminded me that tomorrow is Friday Night Sew In.  Not only has it reminded me what day of the week it is, I need to decide which project I'll be working on.

Crocheted Squares-October

I managed to get all the blocks for this month done in one session. There were some new stitches this month which was enjoyable.

The top right is a mock cable, but the bottom two were my favorites to do.  The pink is a v stitch, and the bottom right is a wave stitch.

I have a day at home today, so I'm hoping that I will get some time to play with the sewing machine.  It seems such a long time since I last had the opportunity.

Bamboo Cardigan

With three quarter sleeves, this was fairly quick to knit.  It took longer to get the buttons to finish it this weekend.

The button loops on this one was a first for me.  They were made by stitching a couple of loops of yarn and then using a buttonhole stitch along the length to form sturdy loops.  Definitely makes a change from buttonholes.

Baroque Heart

It's been a busy week with the boys, and we have had to go out most days.  As you can imagine, this seriously limits the amount of time for stitching.  However, I have eventually got another heart completed.

This should have been quick and easy to do.  There are only three colours used, and the pattern wasn't difficult, but for some reason, I spent almost as much time undoing, as I did stitching!  I'm putting it down to be tired and under the weather.  Let's hope the next one won't be such a challenge

September Quilt Kit

Here are all the blocks together to make the quilt top.  It went together easier than I imagined and what was even more surprising, it's going to be the same size as it said on the pattern!

I have the backing fabric on order and it should be with me in the week.  I need to get some more batting then the fun will begin.  I've picked out a quilting motif and shall have a go at hand quilting it.  I don't think my machine can handle anything other than straight lines.

It may take a while, but let's hope it will be fun

Block B

Not much to see, but all the B Blocks of the quilt kit have been put together.  I tried the layout of the completed blocks and hope to get that done later today.