Vintage Dresden Plate

I stitched a little bit over the weekend, and threw this little top together.  I probably showed you this at the time that I cut it out – I cut out all the wedges for this dresden plate in about ten minutes flat with that wonderful invention, the Accuquilt.  The cutting out took no time, the sewing – well, that took a little bit more time.

I’m ridiculously thrilled with the look of this quilt.  I can see now I have a few of the same fabrics too close together – funny how we look and look and we’re certain that it’s definitely right, and yet after you sew it together the errors (or misplacements) pop up still.

My only problem with this is that I used a background fabric I no longer have access to, and I’ve not got any left.  So this is only 39” square, and it’s kinda too small for any of my spaces.  Ideally I’d do another round of dresden plates, but I can’t.  So I’m thinking of putting a different fabric around the border and maybe doing some smaller half dresdens on it…but I don’t have any fabric just yet that will do as the background.  So it has to wait for now.

But for now, it’s awfully pretty, don’t you think?  Those reproduction fabrics – oh be still my beating heart.

I’ve got a houseful of girls this week due to the school holidays (six today, only two of them mine).  I’ll do my best to upload the next Bountiful Bouquet (the LAST Bountiful Bouquet!!) but I know you’ll forgive me if I’m a little late.  I tend to make computer errors when I’m under pressure, and I’d rather do it properly the first time.  Who said girls are quieter than boys?

Till tomorrow,

Suzie

Accuquilt blocks

Firstly, thanks so much for all the lovely comments I received about my freebie.  I’m so glad you like it. 

I’m still learning the computer, and I haven’t worked out how to load all the images into one PDF file that will have it print out the right size.  So until I do that, I hope you’ll bear with me and just print out individual sheets.  Unless someone out there knows how I can do it?  Would be very grateful if I could get help in that regard.

Our quilting group meets twice a month, and I was asked if I could show my Go Cutter for a demonstration.   I had nothing to show apart from my apple core quilt, so I figured I’d spend an afternoon cutting a few blocks out and stitch them together as samples.  And it really was just an afternoon.  The Go cutter is a very useful tool for doing stuff quickly, I have to tell you.

So this is what I came up with:

 

Totally LOVING the bottom one, but of course I only have enough fabric to make four blocks.  So it’ll be a slightly small wall hanging (of course the best blocks are always the ones that you don’t have enough fabric to make bigger – it’s Murphy’s Law).  But because it was so super easy, I think I’ll get some more background fabric and do another one in a bigger size.

Did you know, by the way, that it’s the middle of February and I haven’t brought ANY fabric this year?  Yay me!

So that’s how I spent my week last week, apart from spending HOURS on the computer stuff, trying to upload the freebie.  It’s not the actual freebie that takes the time, it’s the computer mucking about stuff that takes forever.  But I’m learning, so that’s a positive.  Got to keep the little grey cells going, don’t we?

Not totally in love with the flower block but I’ll do something pretty with it, I guess.  I wanted to show how you could cut out with vliesofix already ironed onto the back. 

The ladies in my quilt group seemed suitably impressed (or at least they were polite enough to appear so) and the night wasn’t worth all the angst I’d associated with it (I hate speaking in public and felt a bit ill before I got there!).

Must away now.  Church tomorrow, then hubby has promised some child free time for me – I can’t wait!

Suzie

Trying to keep up

I lead a busy life, and I overly complicate it by starting too many things, buying too much stuff, saying yes too often instead of no sometimes, not finishing what I start.  I don't think I'm alone in that.  I'm one step away from being shown on Hoarders.

We've had a few medical upheavals of late and it always reminds me that we leave behind all our stuff if we disappear for others to deal with.  If I were to suddenly not be here, I'd leave such a mess for my family to deal with.  It's something that really does trouble me and I'm trying to take baby steps to rectify the situation.

I've surfed a lot lately about being organised and I really think that my year for that will be 2012.  It sure has heck hasn't been 2011!  One of my organising ideas is to make a plan for this blog and stick to it.  We'll see how that goes.

I've been blessed with visitors this week that entertained the little people a lot, and so I spent a bit more time in the sewing room than I usually do.  

Part of my problem is that I see a technique, I decide I absolutely must do it, and then when I get a little into it, it bores me rigid and I don't want to finish.  Or it's too hard or it's not working or a million other reasons.  This box of hexagons is one of those techniques.

They do look quite nice put together, but not one single one turned out the same size and the whole thing was a lot harder than I thought it would be.  I guess I could unpick them and start over, but doing that would require more work than just finishing the jolly things, so that is what I will do.  Finish it and see how it looks then.

I've also added a couple of rows to my apple core quilt.  Needs a good press, it does.  I've got about four rows to go.

And my lovely Joseph's Coat will look a lot like this when finished.  I think I have my head around how it's done, the finishing I mean.  

I'm finding making my points difficult.  Some I ace:

Some, I don't. 

But whilst I'm trying my very best to do it beautifully, I'm also remembering the mantra 'Finished is better than perfect!'.

So that's what I've been up to the last couple of days.  Hope you've had a productive time of it.

All the best, 

Suzie

I'm back!

I seem to say that quite a bit.  I do try to blog daily, really I do but sometimes I do feel like the most boring woman on the face of the planet with absolutely nothing noteworthy to say.

But this week I have a good excuse - it's school holidays.  Fresh off the beach break, family visited for three days and I've barely had the computer on. 

So busy family time means no busy sewing time, much to my dismay.  I feel disconnected if I don't get to do some sewing at least every day.  And when I say sewing, I mean the whole spectrum of craft, plonked under the umbrella of 'sewing'.  Even if it's crochet.  Or knitting.  Or something.

(on an aside, at the local spotlight store I very nearly brought a 'do your own candle' kit.  Then I smacked myself around the head and got the hell out of there, because really - do I need to invest myself emotionally in another flipping craft?  I don't even like candles.)

I got a shipment from Judy Rothermal of www.schoolhousequilts.com (I'm sure I've mentioned my love of her stuff before) of her latest collection.  I've been wanting to use my Apple Core dye on the Go Cutter for ages now, so rather than put the fabric away for 'special', I thought Nope, bugger it.  I'll cut it up.  And this is what happened:

It's going together so well, the Go cutter works really well for this curved sort of project.

I do love this range.  I do love her fabrics, as much as I love Jo Morton.  As much as I love Nancy Halvorsen.  I'm an addict.  This is filled with lots of lovely bubblegum pinks and rich browns and it's yummy.

Also on my design wall is this:

The picture is a bit blurry.

 

I have wanted to do a pineapple quilt since I saw Bonnie over at www.Quiltville.com doing one.  I printed a few pages from my EQ programme and whilst the little people were playing so beautifully, came up with two blocks.  I think I can manage one a day in the 'downtime' we get but it's a pretty messy sort of job - I have strips of fabric EVERYWHERE!

 

And because I do actually like to talk to my husband for at least five minutes a day, I don't lock myself in my sewing room after he get home (which is always pretty late, he works long hours).  I prefer to do hand work in the television room with him.  This is the result:

 

 

How cute are they?  These are left over blocks from another quilt I made (it's always never ending) that didn't quite fit so I added a couple more and this is the start.  I've got about five more to applique so I'll stick them up on the wall when they are done.

So that's all I have to show you today.  I'm off to a flower show and market stall this morning with the little people so I may have some lovely photos to show you tomorrow, if I remember to bring the camera.

Have a good one!

Suzie