Finish-a-long 2019 – Q4, finish 2

This is my final finish from my FAL Q4 list and has only taken me a year and two days to finish!
I've had this quilt top on my list since Q1 and finally it is a completed quilt.
 

The blocks were from a block of the month club and I think they were designed more to learn new techniques than to be used together for a quilt. I framed each block in dark grey and added sashing to make a decent sized quilt. Quilting was simple straight lines in the sashing and either echo or stitch in the ditch for each block as most appropriate.
 

The backing is fleece (which meant the quilting could be light) and the binding is the same dark grey as the block frames.
 

Hopefully Project Linus can now find a suitable home for this quilt.


(For 2019, I am trialling a version of this website on WordPress to see if it is more mobile-friendly  for commenting and posting. The WordPress version of this post is available here.)

Finish-a-long 2019 – Q4, finish 1

My first (and hopefully not last) finish from my FAL Q4 list is the shaker style box I got at last year’s Knitting and Stitching show in Harrogate and which first appeared in my Q2 list.  It had an insert to go in the lid and I needed something to decorate it.
 

 
I had bought a needlepoint kit at Festival of Quilts in the summer with the view to adapting the square pattern to fit the oval shape of the lid. However, while I was still thinking about this, I received a lovely hand embroidered card from a very talented friend and I realisaed that this was a much better starting shape.

(This was taken after I had poked around the edges to see if it would come apart)

By adding a bow and making the stems a little bit longer, the embroidery was just the right shape and size for the lid. I add a couple of layers of quilt wadding to pad the lid and laced the fabric across the back to secure it to the insert. The insert was then fixed to the lid with some double sided sticky tape
.

Even though my stitchy contribution to this project was very small, I’m so pleased to have repurposed this embroidery in to something that I will used. I’m planning on keeping sewing essentials (a pair of scissors, a few needles, some pins, and bobbins of threads in useful colours) in it so they are at hand for mending jobs etc so I don’t have to root around in my main sewing box.

(For 2019, I am trialling a version of this website on WordPress to see if it is more mobile-friendly  for commenting and posting. The WordPress version of this post is available here.)

Finish-a-long 2019 - a nice surprise

Back in the summer, I had a surprise email from the organisers of the 2019 Finish-A-Long to say that I won one of the prizes for Q2. Being in the UK, there is always the possibility that with vouchers for American suppliers, you might end up spending more in shipping and custom charges than the voucher itself. Luckily this was a very generous prize and so right from the start I factored in the likely custom charge when deciding what to get.

My voucher was from Sew Sweetness and I spent a while looking at the website to see what I needed and what would be the best value items taking into consideration shipping/customs. Sara from Sew Sweetness was very helpful with questions I had about the different shipping options and once I had finally decided what to get and placed my order, the items arrived in the UK very quickly.

I chose a mix of items that I needed (a hot ruler for pressing hems etc which will be an improvement on the cardboard templates I usually use), items that were better value than in the UK (long double-headed zips for bag making), and some items that I wanted to try and where ideally priced to use the full value of the voucher (Tulip applique needles, a magnetic needle/pin/scissor keepers, and some Clover wonder clips). With some careful planning, less than a fifth of the voucher value went on shipping and the cost of all these items to me was a customs charge of ~£18.

I’d like to thank the sponsors and organisers of the 2019 Finish-A-Long and I better get sewing to have some finishes to show for Q4.

(For 2019, I am trialling a version of this website on WordPress to see if it is more mobile-friendly  for commenting and posting. The WordPress version of this post is available here.)

Finish-a-long 2019 - the list for Q4

I completed just two of the six items on my list for for Q3, so for my list for this last quarter I am going with the four uncompleted items and not adding anything new:
 

1. BOM quilt No progress at all during Q1, Q2 and Q3 on this quilt - perhaps its time will come in Q4. My target for this year remains the same - to have it as a completed quilt and donated to Project Linus.
2. Upcycled bag This pure wool jacket from the charity shop remains deconstructed waiting for me to make it to make into a Carter bag.
3. Shaker box I've still no idea as to what I would like to put on it, but I'm still thinking it will probably be something EPP.  Perhaps Q3 will be when the ideal pattern for it appears.
4. Liberty pinwheel quilt I made this quilt top several years ago with a view to turning it into a picnic blanket, but something more suitable came along. I'd quite like to get this finished as a quilt now, maybe using it to practice FMQ as it has large "empty" areas.

Let's see if I can make the effort and get all these finished by the end of the year.

Linking up with 2019 Q4 Finish-A-Long


(For 2019, I am trialling a version of this website on WordPress to see if it is more mobile-friendly  for commenting and posting. The WordPress version of this post is available here.)

Finish-a-long 2019 – Q3, finish 2

I think this will be my last finish from my Finish-a-Long list for this quarter. The two tops that have been hanging on the back of a door for about a year are now hemmed and finished.

Unfortunately, I think the short sleeved top will get packed away ready for next summer, but the long sleeved top will get worn this winter.

(For 2019, I am trialling a version of this website on WordPress to see if it is more mobile-friendly  for commenting and posting. The WordPress version of this post is available here.)

Finish-a-long 2019 – Q3, finish 1

For the first finish from my Finish a Long list for Q3, I dusted off the overlocker and made the Style Arc Fay skirt in the geometric print.

Using the overlocker to attach the elastic resulted in a much neater finish than I had managed to obtain with the sewing machine.

This was so quick and easy that I made a second skirt the same day.

(I have also bought fabric for another one, but that has yet to be cut out.)




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Finish-a-long 2019 - the list for Q3

I only had a 50% success rate with my list for for Q2, so there are some familar looking projects on the list for Q3:
 

1. BOM quilt No progress at all during Q1 and now Q2 on this quilt, so it reappears for Q3. My target for this year remains the same - to have it as a completed quilt and donated to Project Linus.
2. Upcycled bag This pure wool jacket from the charity shop remains deconstructed waiting for me to make it to make into a Carter bag.
3. Shaker box I've still no idea as to what I would like to put on it, but I'm still thinking it will probably be something EPP.  Perhaps Q3 will be when the ideal pattern for it appears.
4. Style Arc skirt This is a very quick pattern to make  - it takes nearly as long to clear enough space to cut out the very large single pattern piece than it does to sew. After making a successful wearable toile, I hope to make many more, the first of which will be in this cream and black geometric print.
5. Liberty pinwheel quilt I made this quilt top several years ago with a view to turning it into a picnic blanket, but something more suitable came along. I'd quite like to get this finished as a quilt now, maybe using it to practice FMQ as it has large "empty" areas.
6. Summer tops These two tops have been hanging on the back of a door since last summer waiting for me to get out the coverstitch machine and finish the hems. Perhaps I'll get them finished in time for the rest of this summer.

That's three old projects and three new projects for Q3 - I wonder which ones will reappear in Q4 :-)

Linking up with 2019 Q3 Finish-A-Long


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Finish-a-long 2019 – Q2, finish 3

This bag was finished just in time for this round of the Finish a-long. I'd initially called the project a "building bag", but I'm now thinking of it as the "Tudor Tote".

The inspiration for this bag was a woven striped bag produced for a London department store. I used a supermarket tote bag to give me an idea what size to make and took the opportunity to shorten the handles as most shop bought bags seem designed for someone several inches taller than me. This was going to be a simple bag, but I ended up including three pockets and making padded, corded handles.

I bought several fat quarters with stripes of different widths to use for the main body of the bag. Most were black and white, but one was black and cream, so I tea-dyed all the fabrics to get a uniform colour.

I used patchwork to get the different widths and different directions of stripes and then lightly quilted the main pieces using off-cuts of wadding fused on to a backing of woven interfacing. The handles were also pieced and then reinforced with a woven fusible interfacing before being wrapped around a soft handle cording.

I added three pockets to the bag - a “hidden” zip pocket on the outside, a zip pocket on the inside with striped piping, and a slip pocket on the inside using remnants from making the handles.

The main problem I had making this bag (and why it took longer than it should) was my sewing was significantly impeded by the determination of Not-Our-Cat to sit on the fabric at any opportunity.

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Finish-a-long 2019 – Q2, finish 2

Here’s a nice bright finish for this round of the Finish a-long. Project Linus have requested quilts in bright (red, yellow and blue) colours to be donated at this year’s Festival of Quilts and this is my take on those colours.

The centre squares feature pirates, treasure islands and sea monsters and have a narrow red border (which is also used for the binding) and a wider yellow or blue border.
  

The backing fabric continues the nautical theme and quilting was a simple diamond in each feature square and curved quilting in the borders.

Hopefully this fun and colourful quilt will brighten someone’s stay in hospital.

(For 2019, I am trialling a version of this website on WordPress to see if it is more mobile-friendly for commenting and posting. The WordPress version of this post is available here.)

Finish-a-long 2019 – Q2, finish 1

My first finish for this round of the Finish a-long is a quilt for Siblings Together. This appeared in my Q1 list as a quilt top but was upgraded to a complete quilt for Q2.

 

I finished hand stitching the binding at Leeds MQG meeting on Saturday and handed over the quilt. This meant that my usual washing line photo is with the unfinished binding.

I included sections of the pink in the binding, but didn’t bother with working out where they would land. I was lucky and there was only one piece that needed restitching so it didn’t run round a corner.

The quilting is all straight line quilting using a walking foot. The stitching on the white sections was using a pale grey Aurifil 40wt and the teal and pink areas were quilted using Aurifil 50wt as the colours were a better match from my stash of threads.

(I thought you might also like to see what happens when you're in the middle of quilting and leave a neatly folded quilt on the table and the visiting cat decides to call in.)

 

(For 2019, I am trialling a version of this website on WordPress to see if it is more mobile-friendly for commenting and posting. The WordPress version of this post is available here.)

Finish-a-long 2019 - the list for Q2

I wasn’t too unsuccessful with my Q1 Finish-a-Along list, with just one and half items from my list of six not getting finished (see below for the half!). For Q2, I’m carrying on the theme of allowing WIPs to include those projects for which I have bought fabric and/or a pattern specifically for the project as I’m sure shopping should be included in the creative process. (I’m rather good at this part, it is the next stages of cutting and sewing that I struggle with.)
 
Here’s the list for quarter 2:
 

1. BOM quilt No progress at all during Q1 on this quilt, so it reappears for Q2. My target for this year remains the same - to have it as a completed quilt and donated to Project Linus.
2. Siblings Together quilt This is the half project that I am carrying forward to Q2. I pieced the left overs from the Leeds MQG Siblings Together block drive into a quilt top but have now expanded this project to be a finished quilt rather than a quilt top.
3. Project Linus quilt Project Linus have requested quilts in bright (red, yellow and blue) colours to be donated at this year’s Festival of Quilts. I got some fabrics at QuiltFest back in February and started cutting at March’s quilt group meeting. I’ve got one block made, but I need another 15.
4. Upcycled bag I spotted a pure wool jacket on half price sale in a charity shop and have deconstructed it to make into a bag. After seeing PennyDog Patchwork’s Q1 finish of the Carter bags, I decided I’d match that pattern to this fabric.
5. Building bag A well known London department store has brought out a tote bag based on their building’s mock Tudor design. Their bag has the stripes woven into the fabric, but I’m hoping to make mine using a quilt as you go technique. I could only find black and white fabric, so I am planning on dyeing these with tea to get a more toned down effect.
6. Shaker box This might be stretching the rules a bit, but I would love to get this done so I can start using the box. I bought it at last year’s Knitting and Stitching show in Harrogate and it has an insert on the lid so you can personalise it. I have no idea as yet as to what I would like to put on it, but I would quite like it to be padded so I can used it as a pin cushion. It will probably be something EPP, but I need to find an oval pattern.

Well, that's another half dozen projects for Q2 - let’s see if I can improve on last quarter’s completion rate.

Linking up with 2019 Q2 Finish-A-Long


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Finish-a-long 2019 – Q1, finish 4

The fourth and final finish from my from my Finish-a-long list are some reusable “plastic” bags. I decided to make these as similar to plastic bags as possible so they won’t attract too much attention at the checkout. Looking at the various types of bags in the kitchen drawer, I went for a tie handle design as this will make it easier to keep items in the bag.
 

I used an existing bag as a starting point but adapted the size slightly to fit the fabric. French seams were used so that raw edges were enclosed and pleats/folds added as on the original plastic bag.

 
I hope to make a few more of these and will try to take photos of each stage so I can share it as tutorial.


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Finish-a-long 2019 – Q1, finish 3

In a change from quilts, the third finish from my Finish-a-long list is something for me to wear. I got a remnant of jersey houndstooth fabric in a destash at the Leeds MQG meeting and wanted to make a simple skirt with it.

 
I could try to sound impressive and call it a self-drafted pattern, but really it was just a matter of making tube of fabric to my hip measurement, adding darts at the front and back to give some shaping at the waist and using elastic to hold it in place. The trickiest part was trying to determine how to pattern match on the back seam and keep the hip measurement vaguely correct.

Skirt Back

Spot the seam!

I kept putting off this project as it would involve getting out the overlocker but once I had it set up alongside my sewing machine, it didn’t take long to stitch the seam and darts on the machine and then use the overlocker to neaten the seam allowances, the hem edge and to attach the elastic. I stitched the hem by hand as the stitches could be hidden amongst the overlocking.

The skirt was made on Sunday afternoon and worn into work on Monday morning.

(For 2019, I am trialling a version of this website on WordPress to see if it is more mobile-friendly for commenting and posting. The WordPress version of this post is available here.)