Another UFO

In Flicker's days, I used to be a hopeless joiner, signing up for all the bees and swaps I could find. I have stopped doing so a few years back when I realised that almost all the sewing I was doing was "for others". Although it was great and much fun to swap, exchange, get to know people, I needed to do something a little different. Also I soon realised that in most bees, you end up with 12 blocks (if you are lucky and everyone plays nicely along - almost never) or less... And those blocks are invariably not made to the same standard/size. 

Most of the time, I joined bees without a real plan for my blocks either so invariably, they got stashed away...for another time. With quite a few BIG birthdays in the family at the moment, I decided it was time to start getting some of the blocks out and make something out of them, if possible. I have digged deep into the pile this time... retrieving some bee blocks from 2 different bees.
The Bee Weave It or Not made in 2012

and the Bee White Black made in 2013.

I had X blocks of the B&W and Y of the plaited stars to play with. After trying out a couple of layouts, I settled on this one. 

I had to unpick and resew one of the B&W block but overall, it went quite smoothly and I now have a quilt top ready to be quilted (hopefully this week-end)!

Linking to Monday Making, Monday Design Wall, Wednesday Wait Loss, Midweek Makers, Let's Bee Social, Needle and Thread Thursday

Celine

Scrappy trip around the world

Finally a finished quilt! I started this quilt during the quilt-along on IG last year, with the aim to make it for my brother's 40th birthday, thinking that, for once I had plenty of time! It sounded like a perfect stash busting project too. I picked a rainbow layout and started making blocks during the quilt-along. I managed about half of the blocks last year in July, not even in time for the quilt-along, but didn't make any since. I didn't even cut any of the missing 84 strips I needed to make the missing red and green blocks....

With my brother's birthday looming and knowing I would see at the end of May, I set to finish the quilt before his visit. Cutting strips took a bit of time of course as well as some stash digging! But of course, once the strips were all available, it was a lot faster to make the blocks.

With all the blocks ready, I could finally build my rainbow :-)

I love the stained glass effect of a picture against the sun!

And finally it was time for quilting. I kept it very simple with a meander throughout and of course a few personnal messages too :-) I love to add some surprises for the recipient in the quilting

The quilt turned out quite big with 35 blocks

The backing fabric was the only one I bought, everything else came from my stash

The quilt was promptly square off so I could add the binding

and of course, the finishing stretch of sewing the binding by hand. A task that always takes longer than expected... let's say that the present wasn't ready when we had the cake on Friday night last week

but I managed to finish it by Sunday morning and to gift it to him just before he hit the road back to France

And I think he was pleased with it :-)

Quilt stat:
1260 squares (2.5') all from my stash
Finish at 60 x 84' 
Started June 2018 - Finished June 2019
Free motion quilted with King Tut 917

One first OPAM for June, one of my Q2 FAL list and one less UFO!

Linking to Wednesday Wait Loss, Midweek Makers, Let's Bee Social, Needle and Thread Thursday, Whoop Whoop Friday. 

Celine

Austin tee - pattern testing

This one wasn't on any list.... but for whatever reasons, even though I knew sewing time would be VERY limited, I volunteered to test the latest pattern by New Horizons Designs: the Austin Tee. Why? I don't know really but never mind, I liked the picture on the call for testers, surely that's enough :-)

The Austin Tee is a lovely tee for boys (or girls really) from 3 months until 16 years, so a large size range really! It had lovely details that makes it more than a simple T and a very flattering fit.

There were 2 iterations for the T as the facing was revised during the testing. I made the long-sleeved version but you can make it with short sleeves too.

The pattern is easy to make and features a lovely V-neck (Ok mine is a lttle rounded!)

as well as a side slit

The fit is quite snug,  not boxy at all ( my son is not really big). It gives a lovely figure I think :-)

I had meters of that lovely graffiti fabric that I bought from Fabworks last year so I made both versions with the same fabric (and I cut the sleeves of the first one later to have a short sleeve T as well). If you look closely on the website, you'll find a few pictures of my boy!

These were 2 finish for May but I didn't manage to blog about it before now!

Celine

Panda PJ again

Sometimes, when things don't work, they really don't work..... An easy pair of pyjama from a pattern I have now used over 10 times just turned out to be like that.... and as a result, it took about 3 months to finish it...

I had planned 2 pairs of panda PJ, when I cut the fabric a few months ago and made both tops quite quickly. I also started the both pants then and finished the whole PJ for my youngest daughter very quickly.

It was a different story for the second one... Because my black jersey doesn't have a right side/wrong side, I ended up with 2 left legs. I hate unpicking so I parked it for another time. The time finally came in May, when I got so sick of having it hanging around in my sewing room. Of course, after all the unpicking I was extra careful when I sew the legs pieces togethger (made even harder by the fabric that kept rolling on the edge). It didn't take long to have the pants finally sewn, ready for the cuffs and waistband. And this where I went wrong again, sewing the waistband on the right side of the fabric....

My daughter liked it and wanted me to keep the mistake but, despite the prospect of more unpicking, I decided against it and sew it back to wrong side.

Finally a finished pair of PJ until I noticed that the seams on the ribbing for the waistband were matching the centre front and the centre back, not the side seams. This is the point where I gave up and decided to keep it as it was. My daughter has been wearing and enjoying it already and no, I won't unpick again.

One of my Q2 FAL finally crossed off!

Celine

May furtle

May has come and gone so fast that I even missed the end of month recap! I had a few things to blog about that I never got to post but overall sewing time has been rather limited! I started the month making some blocks for UFO and with a lovely workshop but that got shelved rather quickly...

Let's just look at May furtle with blocks
After a lovely workshop where I started my Enchanted Stars quilt

I finally fixed Luna

 and made (only) 5 more blocks for the 365 challenge

but I finish all the blocks for my Scrappy Trip Along, all 14 of them

A grand total of 20 blocks!

And with all these blocks, I managed to make a quilt of it.

I also made 2 Tees as a pattern tester, and my son was the winner! and also finally finished my daughter's pyjama (everything that could go wrong went wrong...)

And finally I made myself a little card holder out of some gorgeous cork fabric.

Linking to May Furtle

Celine

June goals

I really can't believe June has arrived already. May has been so busy and I doubt June will be much quieter but never mind, let's dream I can do loads and fill the list again...


Quilting:
1. Continue to work on the Harry Potter sew-along . I am really behind now

2. Scrappy Trip Along - only the binding to finish now....

3. 365 challenge, so many more blocks are needed, let's see if I can make a few . This is where I left off 3 years ago...

4. Dear Jane -  Row D needs to be completed this month (I need 2 more blocks) for the quilt-along  and since I didn't finish Row C in May, I need 7 blocks to catch up.

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

6. Kingfisher Sew Along - prepare more blocks for sew on the go

7. Threadology quilt-along - make March and April and May blocks - 25 to do to catch up

8. Vintage Kitchen - May and June blocks needed

9. Gipsy Wife - make more blocks 
10. FW 1920 - make more blocks 
11. FW 1930 - make more blocks 
12. Granny Blocks -  this was my APQS challenge for March - This will be my One monthly goal

13. String blocks - top to be quilted

14. Project 48 quilts - blocks to be made in a top and quilted - this was my APQS challenge for April
15. Paper pieced horse from Tartan Kiwi book for my middle daughter  

16. Sewing room sign (paper pieced)
17. Braided star blocks into a quilt
18. Purple and blue quilt for my auntie

Dressmaking

1. Tea dress 

2. Summit peak top, cut and ready to be sewn 

3. Puff Shirt or another office top

4. Linden or Toaster sweater in navy  

5. Salida skirt  

6. Jasika Blazer

7. Zadie jumpsuit  

8. Full PJ top for hubby  

9. Lingerie  
10. Seed combi short for the girls
11. Sirroco Jumpsuit
12. Summer dress

Accessories

1. Carrier Conquest Handbag 
2. Card wallet for teacher's presents

Celine

UFO revival

Over the 2 years I made blocks for the 365 challenge, I completed January to April but started to have (big) gaps from May so I thought it would be time to try an fill some gaps (I am not holding my breath to be honest!)

And with that I managed to make 4 blocks in the last week or so, which means that I am now caught up until 8th May, 2 more to catch up until I am behind again. It was worth than a see-saw really! 

Linking to Monday Making, Monday Design Wall, Wednesday Wait Loss, Midweek Makers, Let's Bee Social, Needle and Thread Thursday

Celine 

Rainbow

A long while ago, I signed up for a workshop with Jacqueline de Jonge to make one of her fabulous pattern. I picked the Enchanted Stars pattern. Next step was to assemble a beautiful rainbow of fabric for this massive project!

Before the class we were advised to cut all the pieces (and there are loads!) to save time. I dutifully did and ended up with lots of pretty colourful trimmings

The workshop was on Friday and Saturday. The quilt is labour intensive and requires a lot of precision with so many points and spikes. All the peaks and flying geese are foundation pieced.

We stared off with some lovely rainbow spikes before moving on to the star. By lunch time, I had all the pieces below

and finished the first star by the end of the day. I know it doesn't look like much but it did take the day! The curved piecing was much more challenging than the paper piecing and Jacqueline gave us some very good pointers of what to pay attention too.

On the second day, we worked on the very long flying geese which I had managed to start a little the day before.

After that, we cut the black background fabric and assembled all the pieces for more curved piecing as well the border. This time it was a little easier because the curves were larger. And after making the second flying geese and attaching it to the top, I finished part A of the quilt and I must say I am in love 

Of course, there is a LOT more work left until I get a quilt top. I know it will take a WHILE until I get there but I have loved the workshop with Jacqueline. She gave us lots of tips and techniques to make her wonderful patterns, so my advice is "Catch her if you can" if you want to try one of her quilt.

Linking to Monday Making, Monday Design Wall, Wednesday Wait Loss, Midweek Makers, Let's Bee Social, Needle and Thread Thursday

Celine