Fright Nite Bright!

It's raining today!  I know we need water in the reservoirs in the South of England but I was wanting to take a photo or two because The Fright Nite top is finished!




I went with option two as I liked it and thought there would be no need to match seams that way!  


The downside was it meant I had to make 20 teeth sections !  Yes 20!  Still not loving PP but don't dislike it so much and am getting used to getting that unpicker out to eradicate my (many) mistakes!  But they are getting fewer as I sometimes think before I sew.  


I have worked out that late night sewing is not particularly intelligent sewing as my brain does seem to disengage after about 9pm ....  Anyway I thought it looked very samey so introduced a bit more colour to the mix - a bit of pink, purple and green to go with the black, red, orange and beige - does that sound horrendous?  I think it does and it looks it too - but hopefully in a nice way....and you'd better get your shades if you are the sensitive sort!


Even my husband said "That's bright!"   That's all he said so I am not really sure what he thinks but my first efforts in quilting he thought were a bit dull..




So are you ready?

Told you it was bright!

Not tasteful is it?

Here is a close up of the Hallowe'en fabrics and those teeth...

What do you think?  Is it scary enough?


Just now I am plotting what will appear on the other side...


[Linking up with Rhonda!]






But before I can get started on that I have to finish this quilt...

Got a bit of hand quilting to do traditional style!  This is my last FAL (Finish-along) project for this quarter and I have until the end of March to finish it...Eek! 


I am already thinking of what should appear on my next FAL list....


It could include this one....

Two borders to applique till the top is finished

Perhaps this one...

Centres to handstitch on every hexagon but some already done 

And maybe I should make a few more of these!  My own Kona solids card.   My plan was to make one for every Kona solid I buy - have to say I am seriously behind in that project. 




I think three projects may be enough this time around as I plan to start a few new projects....well I keep seeing such lovely things how can I resist?

Should I be brushing my teeth?

They do look a bit orange - do you think I need to brush them?

I am working to finish one of my Finish-along list....lots of you are getting quickly through your lists (Erin - for example!) and I still have two to do!


I started this lapquilt last year as part of my first ever Quilt-a-long - The Across the Sea one run by Jennifer and Sarah.  I loved the pattern so much I actually was making two - a baby quilt which I did finish....sort of! 

And this one  - a lapsize quilt called the Fright Nite Quilt for Hallowe'en and watching Doctor Who!  These are all my blocks...

I did think about making the border the same as the original and but an image of teeth or rather fangs came into my head!  Much more Hallowe'eny!   

Then when I realised my best option was to paper/foundation piece them I became a bit less keen ....so after this one section it got shelved!


Now having survived wonky houses which were mainly paper pieced I thought I had better return to the ugly teeth!  So here I am six sections down and more to go but how many...?


Originally I was thinking of them being the border...

Now I am thinking of sashing.... but like this

Which layout to go for?   I am leaning towards option 2, more scary I thought.....what do you think?






Now we all like a smile and a happy face don't we?


Well I was helping out at toddler group this morning and taking my camera caught a few pics of the Twinkle quilt baby!


Here she is making a lunge for my camera hence the blurry image...

She was smiling shortly before I took this picture....and in fact shortly after..

Obviously being a supermodel is exhausting work but she did wake up in time for singing!

And here is her Twinkle quilt!

Don't forget to help me out on the toothy dilemma....

Finish-A-Long!

I have a long list of UFOs - it's actually longer than I thought it was...thanks Helen for making me count them all!


I need help to finish it up!  The situation is desperate!


So I am linking up with Rhonda at Quilter in the Gap who is all out to motivate us to get those projects finished!  She has started a Finish-A-Long!


We make a list each quarter of all the projects we are going to finish.  We finish them and show them all off.  Then we get the chance to win prizes - and even if we don't get a prize, we win anyway because we will have finished something we once loved and hopefully will again!


Here is the list of things I am aiming to complete this quarter:




1  Kaleidoscope Hexagon quilt - started in June 20

A little bit of hand quilting and binding to finish this one!


2  Utility Stitching Quilt - started October 2010

A little more hand stitching to go here....




3  Fright Nite Quilt top (an Across the Sea QAL lap quilt that didn't quite get finished ) - started August 2011

Some paper pieced toothy border pieces to finish the top!


4  Wonky Stars baby quilt called Twinkle - started September 2011

 Just basting, machine quilting and binding on this one!  Even have a baby in mind to gift it to but do need to buy some backing fabric!








Am I listing too many?  Probably, but then you get the chance to see me crash and burn!  At least Rhonda doesn't deduct points for not finishing, embarrassing as that would be!


And if I do finish well I get the chance to win some fab prizes as well as finishing my quilts!   I have no problem with that!




Thanks Rhonda!

ATS QAL or Across the Sea Quilt Along!

Jargon who likes it when we cannot understand what is going on but we quilters are very good at creating it!  Remind me every time I lapse into it without giving you a key to what it means!


Anyway if you read my post yesterday you will have seen this quilt in my mosaic of things acccomplished in September.


Thought you might like a closer look...

I made a scrappy binding and I like it !  I machine quilted this baby quilt - first time I've done that - and it is not as good as I would like.  






I only have one bit like this - which I will attempt to do better....

But quite a few bits like this...

Wasn't the look I was going for exactly - more of a drunken sailor, than the smooth curves I was aiming for. 


So I think that means I need to practice a bit more.  I see lots of placemats and mugrugs and such in my immediate future so I can improve this skill.  I only attempted wavy lines across the quilt but even that was a struggle - oh for a machine built into my table with a bigger throat!


I did manage a bit of better quilting round the whales in the bottom border - didn't have that rolled up quilt to contend with which seemed to have a mind of it's own!

Ah well - need to start somewhere and for me this is a work in progress skill - I will get better! 

The Backside of Across the Sea !

Well I had hoped on Wednesday evening to have caught up with the Across the Sea QAL but I made a mistake in putting my blocks together late at night.

Yesterday I thought about what I should do as it just wasn't working for me.

So instead of swapping my second and fourth block I changed up the frame around the fourth block from white to the Caribbean blue from the front.  I like it better now and that's all I'm doing as to keep up I need to get basting!

Here is a closeup of my newly framed block above and below is the teeny block which came out blurred on my photo the other day - I think this wee bird is so cute - just the right size!

This QAL is like a boulder rolling downhill - it started at a gentle pace but it seems like the pace is picking up faster and faster and soon I guess it will be over!

I will be sad about that as I have enjoyed it but I hope to have my quilt finished...

I do have my another quilt in this pattern to finish - my Fright Nite lap quilt!  I have a toothy border to go on it and am planning something different with the back....so I guess I needn't be that sad after all....

In A Handbag!

Quoted in a loud aristocratic English outraged accent!  Denouement scene from The Importance of Being Earnest by the outrageous Oscar Wilde!  Always loved that bit !

Nothing much to do with the rest of the post but hey why not??

These little purchases wheedled their way into my basket while visiting Lisa
Lam's website U-handbag.com.  She wrote the book I recently showed you which I am going to use to make a bag with the lovely fabric Lynne kindly gifted my way!

What on earth are these things?

I have here a purse frame - I have to admit I thought English purse as in coin purse when I put it in the basket but no this would be a coin purse suitable for a giant!  It's a purse as in US style ie a handbag!  


A tube of glue that Lisa recommends for using with the purse frame!


A metal strip flex frame - more suited as a coin purse 


And a That Purple Thang! good for pushing, poking, pulling and generally turning things inside out or threading ribbon and elastic through a small space!  Emminently useful I would say and less dangerous than my usual assortment of tools....knitting needles, scissors, pencils etc


So I hope to be making more goodie type things in the near future...


In the meantime I have caught up with the Across the Sea QAL as you can see here...

Here is the quilt back in it's vast whiteness....and below are close ups of my blocks which I think have turned out well but I just feel the whole thing above isn't quite doing it for me!

The weeny one came out blurred in the photo so I will try to get a better shot later if the sun ever gets here....

Here are the two tops side by side and I know which one I prefer.....Maybe a scrappy border will lift the back .....it needs a little something!

I hung them back to back to check out the dimensions and although I didn't put the second border on the front as I ran out of Caribbean I am surprised at how much spare fabric I will need to cut off after quilting these two together...or did I get it wrong?

[Just noticed one thing I got wrong - switched up block 2 and 4 there!  That's the problem with late night piecing!  Looks like I'm taking it apart again anyway!]


A few more things to sort out and catch up with and I will be back on track...until the next swap starts.


Talking of swaps have you seen the Modern Christmas Runner Swap that Susan from Canadian Abroad is running.  Signing up deadline is 2nd October!  Go and have a look ....and join in the fun!  You never know I might be making something for you - though I hope that doesn't put you of!

Bordering on ....across the sea!

After quickly stitching up the rows of the Across the Sea QAL quilt - bit of a mouthful I know - I thought I may as well stich up the borders.

The pieced borders were easy to do as I had cut out most of the pieces already!  But then I thought how nice to take advantage of the Dan Stiles fabric design I am using as the main focus of my quilt.  The design pattern seems to go in horizontal lines - what better for my top and bottom border. I chose one design  which I had had to chop up short in my blocks and features kissing whales!  Awwww!

So here it is quilt top done

Still a bit windy today!  But I do like quilts blowing about in my photos....

I am not adding the second border as I haven't got the fabric and I don't think it needs it - kissing whales are surely enough!  But I will need a cool binding so I will need to think about that.

And as it was sunny at lunchtime I got two baby quilt tops dancing on the line - pity I don't have a baby myself!

I love them both and do not know how I am going to give them up - even for a cute baby...?  Sorry no I don't get the baby in exchange - didn't mean to suggest that!  Tempting though....!  Heehee!