UFO on the go!

Ok you know what is on my list of UnFinished Objects or UFOs!  If not please look on my updated UFO page!


You may know that I am very tempted to start all sorts of new projects before I have even finished those UFOs - I am weak willed and quite frankly that's how I got into this pickle in the first place!


You may even know that I am trying to resist it!  Swoon for instance has been calling to me for ages....


Well I have started a Sibling Together quilt - that was new!  


How could I resist Lynne's call to arms and Katy's offer of that Riley Blake Jelly Roll - by the way I have just bought some white Makower fabric at £6.99 per m to piece a back for that one along with a meagre sprinkling of the left over Riley Blake!   That is for a good cause so that does not count - in my opinion!








Now what I have been sewing could be called new...I guess if you were very strict and harsh.....  but on the other hand it could be called old - it could be called helping to finish of a UFO


This one...

It is on my list ....I just didn't think I was going to get around to it this quarter.  You see the poor thing is backless and I rarely just put a bit of yardage on the back so....




I had some left over thirties repro fabric and some Kona Snow crying out to be cut into these

Sewn into these

And cut again into these

So you see this cannot count as a new project can it!  Can it??  Oh dear  I may need professional help....quiltmaker's addiction - my name is Nicky I cannot stop making quilts!

PS If you like this pattern and want to make your own quilt then Jolene's great tutorial is here!  And if you are making some blocks why not make a few extra for Trudi who is collecting them to make a quilt ....or two? ....for Quilts for Siblings Together - her flickr thread is here!

Not heard about Quilts for Siblings Together?  Then please do help, join in and read about it here chez Lynne at Lily's Quilts!

Siblings Together!

I hope you have come across the story of Lynne talking to someone about a charity called Siblings Together which gives children in the care system in the UK time to be with their siblings - as they can be separated from their brothers and sisters !   


The charity runs holiday camps where the focus is on enjoying positive time with your siblings and they were looking for something they could give the children at the end of their stay to remind them of the good times and help them through the tough ones!

Lynne thought 'quilts' and is now on a mission to gather 50 quilts from the quilting community for the next camp!  And she asked if she could have some help!  I am glad to say she is getting it  - from people donating quilts, fabric, time, skills and I felt I could not sit on the side line just watching but wanted to get involved too! 

When I saw Katy had some fabric up for grabs for this project I put up my hand and received this yummy Riley Blake jelly roll to play with - it arrived yesterday!  

So I looked up this book of Jelly Roll quilts and took advise from my daughter as to what I should make....

With her guidance I went for the simple but effective Pandora's Box pattern - with a few adjustments - as I was running out of fabric!   


Here it is so far...

Like children this little quilt just needs to grow a bit but I have put an order in for some more Kona Jade Green for a final outer border.  Today I hope to piece a back as I have no suitable yardage and then only the wadding will be wanting but soon I hope it will all come together and be good to go!


I think it wants to be on it's way already...

I look at my own three children and wonder what would happen to them if we were not around - I hope someone would be kind enough to make them a quilt and show them a bit of love - it is not enough but it is a start!


Are you joining in?

How do you know when you are in love?

Does your heart beat increase?


Do your pupils dilate?  


Do you daydream and find it hard to concentrate ?  

Then the quilt police sent their representative.....

I have been sent to investigate - feels all right!

Wish she would leave me to carry out my work in peace...

Don't know what all her fuss is about - can't see it myself!

Is that approval?  Not sure...but I like love it!   


Was going to add a tumbler border but having second thoughts now...may just leave it like this ....


[Because Hadley asked: this is 73 x 78 " big - including 2.5 metres of cerise border fabric]

Noah and friends!

Trying not to let the dust settle too much after finishing all four of the UFOs l committed to last quarter - mini GLOAT! 

I finished my first Finish-along project yesterday!

I admit I chose an easy one to start - it was a rather dated printed panel and some blocks for the backing but it has lain around in my cupboard since Noah's survival of the flood was recent news!

Ok maybe not quite that long but it feels like it!

I have sewn those blocks together as the back 

 And here is the panel all quilted up...

with an all over wave pattern ..doesn't look too bad ....and only had to unpick a little bit which shows that I do need to keep practicing my FMQ or my skill level will quickly revert to zero!

Part of the reason I hadn't finished was, that I didn't know what I was going to do with it, but now I realise it was destined to go to the toddler group I help out at, which is run by the church I go to.  They have a baby corner and the babies can sit, lie or roll on it.  

Close up of wave pattern - which works for wind too I think!

Close up of waves - as well er waves!

They will probably wee, dribble and puke on it too but it is in dark colours so won't show the dirt too much and can be easily washed in the machine!  Match made in - dare I say it - heaven!

My preferred label - FMQ onto the quilt top!  Remove that if you will!

Job done and first tick of my quarter.  That feels good!  It will be handed over next week when mayhem in the church hall resumes!   Argh!

In the meantime I have made a start on attaching Kona cerise borders to Fruity Polo and she likes them very much thank you.  

But I think I will wait to give you the full colour impact for another day.  She will also have a tumbler border round the outer edge as I seem to have so many leftover from that project - ha and I laughed at Carolyn when she revealed the surfeit of tumblers from her quilt - I should be eating humble pie right now!  Yum, yum!  Sorry too full as I just had breakfast!

Finish-along - bring it on - Round 2!

Rhonda is challenging us to sign up and deliver a list of projects - which have to have been started, you know UFOs - for the second quarter of the Finish-along!  


I have a lot of UFOs and need all the help I can get and so I signed up to deliver four in the last quarter and do you know what?   I actually got them done!


I have high hopes for this next quarter - April to end of June!


So what am I going to tackle I hear you ask...?


First up I desperately want to finish this quilt - 


The Fruity Polo quilt....

I got ready for the FAL by hand sewing lots of centres on the hexagons but am wanting to add a wide border all round this quilt and was waiting on an order of Kona cerise to do that.  


It has now arrived  - yipee!  I may add a further border but will wait to see how it looks.  Then I am thinking of coloured strips of Kona solids for the backing!   And some machine quilting round the hexagons....simple enough!




Second I want to finish this top Friendship's Garden - my oldest UFO dating back to 2005!  Two borders to applique on by hand and the top is done!  Then if I have time, layering and basting this biggy would be good - ready for a bit of handquilting in the next quarter!  I want this one finished in time for hubby and my silver wedding anniversary on 5th September this year!

Not sure if this qualifies as finished but if not this quarter then most definitely next!




Third I need to get this quilt completed The Jelly Roll Sampler - another one from a Carolyn Forster workshop....

This is made from thirties repro fabric and I had fun looking out lots of HST variants but I have only scratched the surface!

Those alternate plain squares are crying out for some quilting and I was thinking of this pattern...

Not sure whether that will be by hand or by machine...?  


I even have the backing fabric (I just need to sew it together) and the binding fabric ...but I hate basting quilts which is why this is still a top!






Fourthly this little baby quilt panel in dark colours has been hanging around forever and needs to be done and sent on its way - wherever that may be!


Noah and his animals...dated or what??  

I got four things done last time and I hope that I really can complete these three quilts and one quilt top.  Is that enough?  


It could be, but we can only count quilts/projects on our list and with no penalty for uncompleted projects I feel I should just get all my UFOs out there in the open...so here are a few more


My Strip plaid quilt top


This one was inspired by Juliekquilts.  If you do not know her and her lovely scrappy, often stringy quilts then I think it is about time you did!  She is also super quick at putting her quilts together...unlike me!

I need to add a border on but I seem to have thought of rather a complicated one which has put me off somewhat but the top should be done and soon.  Though what I will do on the back - I have no idea yet!   Suggestions are welcome....




The Churn Dash 9 Patch - again inspired by JulieKQuilts - oversized blocks in solids and using the red repro fabrics leftover from the Jelly Roll Sampler.  


I want to make a granny square top as the other side to this one in the other thirties fabrics I have left - not sure if that makes it a new start or a finishing off? 

Fright Nite - the top was completed in Quarter 1 and I have an idea for the back - I just have to get on with it!  Again - new start or finishing off?

And finally the Basket Weave quilt - another Carolyn Forster workshop!  

This is one panel of four I think!  Now I started this an age ago but decided to quilt this heavily by hand as-you-go and only got as far as this one square, which if you look closely isn't even finished.... 

Was I mad or what?  I think that crosshatching is about a quarter of an inch square!   I am tempted to take it out and start again only choose a quicker quilting pattern or machine quilt it!   What do you think!?  Would probably make a good FMQ sampler...?






Now when I say these are all my UFOs - they are all the 'more or less half done ones' .  I have a few more at the block stage but I shall parade them another day....enough already I hear you scream!


I doubt I will finish eight projects this quarter as I am doing a few other things too but I flag them up so you can nag me, and remind me, and stop me from starting too many new things!   Well you can try...

Funky Wonky Forest!

Here is the forest that I have grown in the last few days....

They are supposed to be wonky but I think they are more scrappy!   

I have strip pieced, curve pieced, appliqued, and reverse appliqued!  So much learnt - still lots to learn but I am taking steps forward....albeit wonky ones!

My forest will be flying off to the US and then distributed somewhere in the world.  I love that - a bit of my stuff ending up with someone else's stuff, somewhere on this round ball floating in space.  Awesome isn't it?

I have found this swap inspiring, challenging and fun!  The girls in the group are fun and supportive too and Jane our swap mamma is fabulous !  She manages to keep us in order - such a hard job!

The next round will be wonky four patches - nice and easy - and wonky stars - which I love too!  We have yet to decide whether the star blocks will be 9.5, 6.5, or 3.5 inches square! 

But I am not scared of this coming round as I have already done all these sizes on Cindy's choice of bee block in January - as you can see here....

- the Stargazer block which she is making into a great quilt!   Check it out!

We have the option to go for both blocks or just one, and we do a multiple of 4 - 4, 8 or 12!  It's that simple....!  If you want to join - here is the Flickr group! 

Oh and Happy Easter everyone!

The wonky world continues!

We are now onto wonky trees in the Wonky Swap and here is my prototype...

It started out with a quick sketch like this

I am trying out strip piecing the tree from scraps, curvey piecing the background and appliqueing the trunk.  It wasn't too hard though I'm glad my background was initially larger than it needed to be so I could trim down to a regular rectangle shape - still had to piece a bit in though! 


Am liking it so far but I need to make 16 trees altogether - 8 green and 8 any other colour.  As you can see I have my trunks and foliage - I just need a bit of background and some patience to finish my forest! 

 I am enjoying my playtime with these!   Bit Dr Seuss meets Edward Lear - wonder if the Quangle Wangle is in one of these or could it be the Lorax!?

Oh and once I finish trees I need to make a wonky house for my quilt and one for Bee Blessed.   Apparently all the Pippi's we made last month need homes poor things! 

The Wonkiness carries on here chez Mrs Sew & Sow!  Jump in - you know you want to!




Oh and just to make you a little bit green - I ordered and received the WHOLE COLOUR  RANGE OF KONA SOLIDS.  It has arrived !  Yippee!  




Want to see???

Impressive isn't it!?   Haha!  Did I get you going?