July goals

I can't quite believe I wrote July in the title of this post, I can't quite believe we are half way through 2020. What a year it has turned out to be, such unexpected path for everyone. Let's hope the second half is somehow more "normal" and positive than the first. It will soon be summer holidays and I should be rushing to make teacher's presents, apart that the kids are not at school and won't be until September. We are hoping that we will finally be able to cross the Channel soon but there is no certainty at the moment... Anyway, let's plan some sewing in the midst of this crazyness.

Quilting:
1. Dear Jane - finish row E

2. HST modern sampler quilt - make the last block and finish the top 

3. Farmer's Wife 1920 - make some blocks

4. Farmer's Wife 1930 - make some blocks
5. Threadology quilt along - needs binding

6. Scientific Adventure Quilt - not started
7. Purple and blue quilt
8. Scrappy Stripes quilt - needs binding - This will be my One monthly goal

9. Vintage Kitchen Quilt - needs binding

10. Super Mario quit 

11. Baby Quilt

12. Halo quilt sew along

13. Project 48 quilt
14. Sewing Banner

15. Impromptu Quilt

Dressmaking

1. Knickers

2. Sirroco Jumpsuit, cut and ready to be sewn
3. Jeans for myself
4. Calvin dress - cut
5. PJ for M

6. PJ or night dress for C
7. PJ for A

8. Night dress for me
9. Moneta dress

10. Belladone dress - wearable toile and real dress

11. Remy top

12. Black Beauty Bra
13. Jasika jacket

14. Agate dress
15. Pilatus swimsuit
16. Cottesloe swimsuit
17. Voltaire top 
18. Puff blouse

Accessories

1. Passport holder

2. Rucksack

3. Handkerchiefs
4. Headbands
5. Face masks
6. Zip around pouch

Cross-stitch
1. Grimm's Tales stitch along

Celine

June furtle

June is over... it has been a busy month, at least in my head and it has taken a turn for the unexpected... On 4th, I was told my job will be gone by end of August (nothing to do with COVID-19) and I must admit it came as a shock as I wasn't expected it or at least not that quickly... So after the shock, fear, mourning of loss etc, I threw myself into looking for a new job, spending most of my evenings browsing dedicated websites, updating my CV, applying for positions. Of course, with all that, my sewing/free time has been seriously reduced and my energy has not been very high either. Never mind, there will be better days, once the dust has settled and I have clearer directions for the future, hopefully I'll sew up a storm!

In the meantime, I have managed to finish binding my rainbow quilt, a UFO from a long time ago.

I also completed 2 garments this month, my Free Range Slacks and my Calvin Dress (which was a sewing UFO from last September)

And as a reward for completing some UFOs, I started a new project by cutting some pieces for my Halo Liberty quilt.

Linking to June Furtle.

Celine

Joining a new quilt-along.... very late

When the Halo Quilt Along was announced back in March, I had all intentions to join in with the fun. I ordered the book, printed the template and set on using my stash of Liberty fabrics. But I worked on other projects and never got started... 

Finally earlier this month, I got my box of Liberty out and went through those packs of scraps I had bought over the years to start cutting the pieces. 

Cutting always take forever but in a way sometimes it is quite therapeutic when tired/fed up/exhausted etc... So I have quietly and slowly been doing some cutting on the evenings when there was so time left before bed time. I haven't got all the pieces I need yet and crucially I haven't decided on the arcs fabric yet but I will hopefully soon be ready to start piecing. I guess the sew-along is nearly over now but never mind, I'll go at my own pace.... it is not a race after all....

Linking to Monday Design Wall, Monday Making, Wednesday Wait Loss, Midweek Makers, Needle and Thread Thursday, Peacock Party

Celine

Free range slack

The Free Range Slack pattern was released last year by Sew House 7 and of course I bought it then! But I also even made it at that time! It was one of the 2 patterns for June for SewMyStyle so I thought it would be good to make another pair.

I found this linen mix in my stash that I bought from Les Coupons Saint Pierre a while ago which I thought would be perfect for it so I cut it out about 2 weeks ago. 

I wanted to use the lovely selvage of the fabric somehow, so I used it as a feature on the top of the back pockets.

The construction of the pants is rather straightforward and I had more or less finished it last week-end but for the elastic in the waistband.

My local haberdashery shop reopened this week, I went on their first day back to get the elastic I needed and finished the pants.

Today was the day for the photoshoot, my son even asked if I had an interview as I looked smart he said! Not sure if it was the clothes or the lipstick actually...

The pants are about 1.5' shorter that they should be as I made a mistake when I cut the side panels, but never mind, they are still wearable and comfy.

One more OPAM for June and one piece of fabric from my stash partially used. And my second piece from Sew My Style this year.
Linking to Whoop Whoop Friday.

Celine

Another sewing UFO

After the success of the Sew Together for Summer and discovering that actually I like wearing jumpsuits, I ordered this fabulous Italian jersey from Fabworks Millshop to make a second Sirocco jumpsuit. 

I cut it last year during the summer and just started working on the top and it was parked until now. I can't remember why but I am guessing it might have been because I had sewn on of the shoulder seam on the wrong side of the fabric so it needed unpicking. This is always the risk with fabric that look the same on the right and wrong side.... Well I unpicked that should seam last Sunday night whilst watching TV and now I am ready to go again... if only I had any energy.

Hoping to transform this UFO into a lovely finished Sirocco in the not so distant future.

Celine

Rainbow quilt

During my quilting marathon last month, I quilted this "lockdown rainbow" quilt made up from a stash of blocks that had resurfaced after over 10 or 15 years at the bottom of a draw...

I quilted clouds on the blue squares and various rainbows or other designs on the coloured squares.

For the binding, I used left over strips that I found in my scrap baskets.Finally this month I finished sewing the binding by hand at the back. 

All that was left to do, was my least favorite job, to bury the thread ends. But I am happy that is all done now.

A true UFO and also a stash buster since I have used left over fabric for the backing and binding as well as very old blocks lying around. 

Rainbow was my One monthly goal for June.

Quilt stats:
blocks from pre-2010 and left-over from Scrappy trip quilt made in 2019
assembled 7x7 in April 2020
backing and binding from my stash
quilted in May 2020 (during lockdown) with King Tut #
Size: 56' square

One very old UFO no more, one quilty OPAM for June and one of my Q2 FAL list.

Linking to Monday Design Wall,  Wednesday Wait Loss, Midweek Makers, Needle and Thread Thursday, Whoop Whoop Friday and to One monthly goal

Celine

Calvin dress

When Kelly from True Bias released the Calvin Dress pattern at the end of the summer last year, I bought it straight away. It looked like the perfect sundress I was missing in my wardrobe. The sew-along started even before we were home from our holidays but I joined in as soon as we got back. I had this lovely lightweight floral fabric in my stash that was great for a summer dress.

I managed to cut the dress, to make the miles of binding (!) and to get started on the dress. And then, summer went away and I moved on to other projects... I finally retrieved all the pieces earlier this month and tried to make sense to where I have left it!

I wasn't so far off from finishing really and I finally did about 10 days ago. It is probably a blessing that I didn't rush to finish it last September, the pattern doesn't have pockets so I added one. Always useful to have a pocket in a summer dress I think. I used the 23+ pockets patterns and instruction by Waffle Patterns and it worked perfectly well.

To sew all the binding on the dress and for the tie, I moved my needle to the left so that the whole piece of binding could fit under the foot of my machine. That worked very well and helped to keep it all straight.

As soon as the dress was done, the weather turned to cold, windy and rainy.... But finally last week-end summer returned so I have been able to enjoy wearing this beautiful and comfy new summery dress. 

I love the details of the lingerie findings on the straps, it is such a beautiful touch. 

And of course, I used a lovely KATM label.

I am thinking of another one now, maybe a little shorter? Who knows, watch this space.

One OPAM for this month and one of my Q2 FAL list too.

Celine

Mini quilt

The deadline to finish our Mini Series Sew Along blocks was 31st May. There was no script was to make all 8 blocks from the sew-along and finish them in a project by the deadline. specific guidance or projects shared by Alison Glass or Giucy Giuce but just general ideas. The After debating whether to make a cushion cover or a mini quilt, I decided on a mini with the blocks set on point. With the bonus block, I had 9 blocks to be squared to 4.5'. I used a 3/4' turquoise stripe to set the blocks from the background and made the top last week.

I then framed the blocks with another 3/4' stripe, not the easiest with such narrow pieces. I now wonder if I should I cut the stripe larger and trim it after sewing. And finally with a 1' background stripe. There was a scrap of wadding and a scrap of spotty fabric in my stash in the right size to finish this mini so that was easy

I have been wanting to try matchstick quilting for a while. A small project is a good one to try it as it takes forever and uses lots of thread! I used a alternate of horizontals and verticals lines in the background squares and triangles as well as the border. 

Finally I used a 2 1/4' stripe of background fabric for the binding. The mini top was finished sitting in the sun on Sunday afternoon, just in time for the end of the sew-along. 

It only needs to find a space on a wall now!

Quilt stats:
Fabric: all from my stash - Kona cotton solids and Timeless Treasure sketch for the top and binding. Spotty fabric for the backing
Quilted with King Tut 971
Block size: 4' finished
Pattern: Mini Series by Alison Glass and Giucy Giuce
Started March 2020, Finished 31 May 2020
Size: 19.5' square

This was my last OPAM for May and one of my Q2 FAL list too. 

Linking to Monday Design Wall,  Wednesday Wait Loss, Midweek Makers,  Needle and Thread Thursday.

Celine

June goals

Time seems to be going equally slow and fast at the moment. It is over 10 weeks since our life has moved into a new rhythm with the lockdown and it seems it was years ago. But at the same time, it feels that days flew by... Today is supposed to be the first day of the last term for the kids but so far, they are all still home schooled until we hear more, and most likely until the summer holidays. Of course, with all this time at home and all of us here all the time, I spend a very large amount of my time cooking. But I also try to spend some time sewing, as often as possible, to avoid going mad;-) My list for June is long but maybe I can cross a few off!

Quilting:
1. Dear Jane - finish row E

2. HST modern sampler quilt - make the last block and finish the top 

3. Farmer's Wife 1920 - make some blocks

4. Farmer's Wife 1930 - make some blocks
5. Threadology quilt along - needs binding

6. Scientific Adventure Quilt - not started
7. Purple and blue quilt
8. Scrappy Stripes quilt - needs binding

9. Vintage Kitchen Quilt - needs binding

10. Super Mario quit 

11. Baby Quilt

12. Halo quilt sew along

13. Project 48 quilt
14. Sewing Banner

15. Impromptu Quilt

16. Rainbow top - needs binding - This will be my One monthly goal

17. Halo quilt

Dressmaking

1. Knickers

2. Sirroco Jumpsuit, cut and ready to be sewn
3. Jeans for myself
4. Calvin dress - cut
5. PJ for M

6. PJ or night dress for C
7. PJ for A

8. Night dress for me
9. Moneta dress

10. Belladone dress - wearable toile and real dress

11. Remy top

12. Black Beauty Bra
13. Jasika jacket

14. Agate dress
15. Free range slack
16. Pilatus swimsuit
17. Cottesloe swimsuit
18. Voltaire top 
19. Puff blouse
20. Suki kimono
21. Rio Ringer T

Accessories

1. Passport holder

2. Rucksack

3. Handkerchiefs
4. Headbands
5. Face masks
6. Zip around pouch

Cross-stitch
1. Grimm's Tales stitch along

Celine