K3 Seven Sisters
K13 Brandon’s Star
I’m exceptionally pleased with myself over the last few days. These two blocks were so far the most complicated I’d attempted. I think it definitely pays to do some easy ones first, rather than starting at the first block in the book. You do grow in confidence the more you do.
I’m off to do some housework now. It’s never ending. Maybe I’ll get some time to sew a little later in the day.
Till tomorrow,
Suzie
As of 1st June, I have made *nine* whole blocks. Far cry from a month ago when I had only made one.
Here they are as follows (in order as I made them)
A1 Pinwheels Gone Awry
A6 Uncle Homer
D13 Field of Dreams
M10 Simple Simon
B13 Four Corner Press
B1 Batchelor’s Buttons
I1 Ralph and Nelda’s Wedding
M5 Mother’s Point
I2 Kaye’s Courtyard
So all in all, slowly but surely, I’m getting there! This is the quilt without the blocks I’ve done. Long way from half way but certainly getting there!.
Till tomorrow,
Suzie
Print Friendly PDF HERE – diagrams are more specific on PDF
This time, we get to sew something a little different. We’re going to make those old favourites, the half square triangles.
From background fabrics, cut 64 four inch squares.
From coloured fabrics, cut 64 four inch squares.
As always, remember scrappy is best! Use lots of different fabric choices when cutting.
Using method listed below, make 128 half square triangle units.
1. Draw a light pencil line across the diagonal of one of your squares. Draw this line on the wrong side of your fabric.
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2. Lay this square over a background square right sides together and stitch a scant ¼” from either side of the pencil line.
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3. Cut the blocks apart on the pencil line and press open.
Trim them back to measure 3 ½” and then put into a ziplock bag, marked Unit Three. You should have 128 units.
Unit Three – Make 128
Print Friendly PDF HERE – diagrams are more specific on PDF
How’d everyone go with the four patches? Sick of them yet? I hope not, as we have some more!
This time we need to piece some more 3 ½” four patches, but instead of making them all blue, we need to throw in some background.
As always, remember scrappy is best! Use lots of different fabric choices when cutting. If you stick to two colour choices (e.g. blue and cream) like me, you should love your finished result.
From cream, cut 256 two inch squares. From coloured fabrics, cut 256 two inch squares.
Piece together a four patch as shown below.
Unit Two – Make 128
I don’t know why they spelt Bachelor’s wrong in the book. Is there a reason?
Another block done. I’m sort of pleased with this one, it looks fine from here, but up close my stitching looks like – well, I need to work on it.
Still, I guess that’s what this whole quilt is about. Improving your skills as you go along.
Freezing day today. The sun is shining but it’s cold cold. It’s trickery.
Till tomorrow,
Suzie
Part of my trying to get in order around the house/craft room is my weekly checklist.
I have a number of things that I must do daily, or else they will get away from me. There are a number of other projects that I try to work on weekly.
I know myself well enough by now to know that I can’t give myself too many daily jobs – they just don’t get done and I end up being deflated. I’ve listed them into weekly jobs, that seems to be more successful for me.
It doesn’t matter what day I do them on, but hopefully by the end of the week, all of my jobs will have a big fat red line through them. I’m trying to make myself accountable.
The current weekly checklist is:
I’ve printed them up onto a checklist that hangs square in the middle of my work wall. I see it every time I go into my room. So far, so good.
So far, so good! I know it seems like a big list, but these are all UFO’s to be done. I find if I work on one, I tend to work on it till I finish it anyway, despite all the work I make myself do on the rest of the checklist. It’s a fluid thing, I change it all the time and take things off, add things on.
None of it is set in stone, except the personal diary entry a day. Been doing that for years now, and I find if I don’t write every day, whole weeks or months go past.
I’m also trying to get into the daily exercise thing which is so far not going so well. But if I add that to my check list, maybe it will. Habit forming, and all that.
Till tomorrow,
Suzie
Back to some resemblence of routine today – school, work, shopping. I’m trying very hard to be ordered. They say it takes a month to learn a habit – I’m trying very hard to train myself into order.
If I actually come clean about the number of UFO’s I have, you’d die. Just So Many. But I’m systematically working them down, and today I spent some time doing these little 25” patches. They measure 8” square, and I’m trying really hard to do them all the right size. I started them as an exercise to get my 1/4” seam working properly, and I’m still not happy with it. If I move my needle 4 clicks to the left, they are too small. If I move the needle 5 clicks to the left, they are too big. I’m not sure just how much more I can do to get that perfect 1/4” seam.
But, I’ve made 20 blocks and I’ve tallied up that I need 61 to make a quilt of a decent size, so I’ll be working on that seam allowance.
I WILL get there.
You can just see the tops of the Joseph’s Coat block peeking out there. That’s a post for another day, but I’ve been working on that one too.
Till tomorrow,
Suzie
Just dropped in to show you a quick couple of things I managed to cross off my To Do list over the weekend.
Struggling to get a conversation line in between those two little photos – some days computers are just not my friend.
The first one is (obviously) a Dear Jane block, the number of which escapes me, but it’s one of The Easy Ones. I’m going to have to start on The Hard Ones soon. Wish me luck.
The second little photo is a library bag I made for my youngest daughter who started kindy a few weeks ago. It’s not smudged on the white, it had her name on it and I smudged it out with my photo software to keep her name a little private. It’s something I grapple with, how much of my children’s lives I should put online. Remembering of course, that online is forever. Said daughter is outside bawling her head off, life is not going her way today.
It’s very difficult, being four years old.
Better go be a good mummy.
Till tomorrow,
Suzie
Print Friendly PDF HERE – diagrams are more specific on the PDF
Are you ready to begin? I hope you have a blast!
In this step, we will be making four patches that will measure 3 ½” unfinished.
From your bag of coloured scraps, you need to cut 356 two inch squares.
Chain piece your two inch squares to make a four patch unit.
This should measure 3 ½” square. Trim if necessary. You will need 89 of these units. Put aside in a ziplock bag marked Unit One.
Unit One – Make 89
Printer Friendly PDF found HERE – diagrams are more specific on the PDF
Hello and welcome to my first ever mystery quilt! I’ve had a blast developing this design, and learnt so much about my computer and EQ6 while I’ve been doing it! I am really excited to share this with you.
This will work wonderfully as a scrappy quilt. I’ve made it in a simple two colour toning (creams and blues). I’ve used the same cream throughout but feel free to mix and match.
See my photo for a guide as to what I used:
There will be lots of piecing in this quilt. There will be lots of four patches, so if you’re a ‘leader and ender’ kind of quilter, you’ll love this design.
It’s easy peasy, and as long as you can cut straight and sew straight, you’ll do really well. I’m not the most accurate of sewers some days, and I find it’s always a good idea to use a scant ¼” seam, and then trimming down if need be.
My finished quilt will measure 75” square, so it’s average in size. You can make it bigger if you like, that will be easy enough. But there are lots of piecing sections to do, so I suggest you start with my sizing first of all.
Each step is easy, and with instructions being released every two weeks (approximately, as time permits), I hope you’ll be able to keep up.
Feel free to take a little break from time to time if you want to, but remember that others may be discussing their quilt around the traps and the design may be revealed if you’re not careful.
That’s all from me. I hope that you love this quilt as much as I loved doing it for you. I know you understand that I am a beginner at publishing this sort of thing, so please email me at sillygoosequilts@hotmail.com with any questions or queries.
Requirements List
· Light fabric for background - approximately 5 yards (I have used cream)
· Coloured fabric for blocks - approximately 6 yards*
*as we are using scrappy fabrics, it’s really hard to estimate. My advice is to just keep cutting from your scrap basket till you have enough, adding as you need it. 6 yards is the figure EQ6 gave me.
· Ziplock Bags.
· All the usual requirements for quilting (rotary cutter, mat, board, iron etc)
That’s it really! Next week we’ll start the cutting and stitching. Let’s have fun!
