Newer Post Older Post

Rounding up quarter two


It's time to declare my finishes for quarter two of the Finish-A-Long - I feel a bit of a fraud writing a new blog post when I haven't replied to the comments from the previous one but instead of spending time on the computer (I'm also way behind with other emails and reading/commenting on blog posts) I've been spending a lot of time crawling around my front room floor, listening to/watching six episodes of 'Broadchurch' and a fair few of 'Party of Five' and tackling this:


I'd best get tacking...
Hexy quilt top, wadding and backing, ready to tack
and I'm pleased to say that late last night (with blisters on both index fingers!) I finished tacking my quilt and can now start to experiment with threads and choose which I want to use.  Oh, and I suppose I'd better give some thought to exactly how I'm going to quilt it - that very much depends on the threads I choose, though...

I'll reply to comments soon (honest!) but I need to post my FAL Q2 finishes so I can link up.


I had three things on my Q2 list (knowing full well that I didn't stand a hope in hell of finishing one of them - I've really no idea why I added it!), here's how I've got on:


1.  Make my first ever foundation pieced block into a block keeper/stitching book (using Cathi's examples as inspiration).  I managed to do this quite early on in the quarter.  FINISHED!  

I blogged about it here but here's a photo to prove it exists!

Block keeper - front


2.  Finish off the lovely cushion from Katy (I think this project is a veteran of the FAL list!).  I've just looked through Katy's FAL lists and as far as I can see this cushion has now been on three 'quarter' lists.  Well, no more because it's FINISHED!  It's not a cushion, though, it's a massive stitching/block book:

Block book - front


I decided that the first one I made was really useful but not quite big enough to hold all the pieces for one ET block on one page.  I think this will be big enough as the pages are just over 18" square.  You can see how much room there is for four 6.5" (unfinished) blocks so I think I'll just fit my next ET block on one page, once I've prepped it, that is!  Thank you, Katy, for giving it to me!


Block book - inside

The gorgeous chevron ribbon is from The Village Haberdashery.  I initially fell in love with the turquoise ribbon so Annie matched the Kona solid to it (I think it's 'cyan') but then I couldn't resist buying other colours.  I decided to use the orange for this (I used 1m in total because I decided two ribbons would be best for such a large book) and save the others for another time because there are more stitching books in my future, off that I'm sure!   You can see how it looks rolled up here.

3.  See how far I can get with a double bed-sized blue and white nine patch and snowball quilt.  

Well, it's nowhere near finished but I've gone from not having all the blocks made to this:


Progress on the nine patch/snowball quilt
1. Section B and the first two rows of section E, 2. Section C, 3. Two sections joined (A and D)
It may not look like much progress to the rest of you but just joining a section of ten blocks (like the middle photo) is all the machine piecing I can do on a good day so turning 255 blocks into a quilt top is always going to be a long-term project for me - definitely not something I can manage in a mere three months!  So it's a FAIL but I'm not disheartened, I just need to keep plodding - something I'm quite good at!


Thank you to Rhonda for setting up the Finish-A-Long, Leanne for running it this year (I think it's a lot of work!) and all the sponsors for this quarter.  There are some fabulous finishes this quarter, why not take a minute to visit a couple of them?


I still haven't decided which photo of Archie to have turned into 'wall art' - if you haven't voted please do, I need all the help I can get!


I'll leave you with a photo of the man dog himself watching the neighbours:

b--i-love-my-next-door-neighbours_9215402363_o
If I told you I loved you would that earn me another treat?
Please excuse the state of the garden - it's getting 'done' sometime this year so all I'm doing is chopping stuff down when the mood takes me and cutting the grass!

My neighbours are lovely: if Archie is in the back garden when they start a BBQ they cook a piece of chicken for him.  If he misses the start of the cooking but appears in time for the eating then they save some chicken from their meal and give him it.  If, like Friday, he misses tea altogether they give him a dog treat!  No wonder he loves them!



she can quilt

Comments

  1. That quilt is just WONDERFUL!!!! I feel overwhelmed just looking at it...."well done you" (said in my most genuine voice that won't come across well on here!)

    Superwoman! Love to Archie xxxx

    ReplyDelete
  2. You really have been busy!
    All of your list almost ready. What an achievement!

    I utterly adore your snowball quilt. I can perfectly picture myself making one as well. Thank you for sharing it. I copied the picture and put it in my 'gorgeous-things-others-made-and-perhaps-I-could-make-as well-sometime-later"-list.

    And your dog is quite something. He's problably getting rather fat in this hot weather with lots of BBQ's at the neigbours.
    He can come at ours anytime.

    ReplyDelete
  3. I loved Broadchurch and it was who I thought it was who murdered Danny too. Have you watched the whole series now?

    ReplyDelete
  4. Wow, great projects all of them, some great progress there, well done! :O)

    ReplyDelete
  5. You did great!! All your projects involve such hard work and precision, they are amazing xxx

    ReplyDelete
  6. He is such a cutie! Well done on your fabulous finishes

    ReplyDelete
  7. Lots finished, wll done! I really love the block book, and am looking forward to seeing the beginning of the quilting on the hexies. PS - love party of five too, are you watching it online?

    ReplyDelete
  8. Wonderful finishes. I so need a block book too, maybe I need to put one on my next list. I love both your quilts, they are so beautiful to see again, and I hope to see more of them as you work some more. I am glad you got to the link in time, and thank you for all your help and encouragement on the FAL too.

    ReplyDelete
  9. I love your hexy quilt - now, and tomorrow and forever! The block books are fab and the snowball quilt is such a beauty! As ever I love everything you do!

    ReplyDelete
  10. the hexi quilt is amazing and I love the block books - thanks for the inspiration there - just what I need ! love your layout of the snowball quilt and as usual Love the photo of Archie - wish he lived next door to me :)

    ReplyDelete
  11. Your hexie quilt is just so amazing! Archie is cute staring through the fence

    ReplyDelete
  12. Your first quilt is just amazing. Absolute stunner :)
    And your Archie. I just love him and his optimism that there's a goodie over there for him. Adorable.

    ReplyDelete
  13. Your hexie quilt is absolutely amazing! Well done with your other finishes. And I wish my Archie was as well behaved towards the neighbours as your Archie!

    ReplyDelete
  14. Ohh the flying geese, be still my heart! The hexie quilt is looking good!

    ReplyDelete
  15. Your hexie quilt is just gorgeous I love how peaceful the colours are. As for the flying geese? I think that turning them into a block book was just inspired!

    ReplyDelete
  16. Your block holders are a wonderful idea and I love the snowball and ninepatch. And of course your gorgeous hexies are going to take time. Everything is looking really beautiful :)

    ReplyDelete
  17. Archie seems to be in a trance . . . and I am too . . over your extraordinary piecing. That hexy quilt gets better and better . . . now with the white batting, the colours are so pretty . . . and those block keepers are exquisite! Love the blue and white snowball...might have to copy you (!) your corners and seam joins are so careful . . .hand pieced?

    ReplyDelete
  18. Your block books are wonderful! They do come in amazingly handy, don't they?
    Love the snowball/nine patch quilt. It is very peaceful in all those glorious blues!

    ReplyDelete
  19. Those block books are gorgeous! I am really tempted to make one...

    ReplyDelete
  20. Ah, so he isn't just being nosy, he's looking for food :)
    My cat likes to sit at the back fence and look under the gap in the gate. He's not looking for treats, for him it's all about nosiness.
    Love the new block book. The older one too, but you know that already from a previous post ;)
    And congrats getting the quilt all tacked. That will (hopefully) be me tonight - if my batting has arrived by the time I get home

    ReplyDelete
  21. Your quilt is lovely! How fun to have it complete....except for the quilting an binding! Ha! I love your blocks too!

    ReplyDelete
  22. Your hexie quilt looks stunning! I love it and boy have you been busy, it seems to have paid off to stay away from the computer. I'm not surprised the neighbours love archie, he's irresitable.

    ReplyDelete
  23. Yay, so glad your hexies are so close now, and glad you were able to rehome that rainbow windmill so well :o)

    You and Archie have the best neighbours!

    ReplyDelete
  24. Could look at the hexie quilt all day. I love those block keepers, might have to pinch that idea too.x

    ReplyDelete
  25. Your hexagon quilt is just spectacular, I look forward to seeing how you plan to quilt it...and the finished product!

    ReplyDelete
  26. Hi Helen-

    Now I'm missing reading about Archie and you again.....hope all is well.

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

I love comments, thank you for yours!!

P.S. I've had to activate comment moderation for older posts so if your comment doesn't appear, it's probably in my inbox awaiting my attention!
P.P.S. If you have a 'no reply' account (no blogger id/a wordpress blog/you aren't sure), please feel free to leave me a separate comment with just your email address in it (myemailaddress(at)wherever.co.uk to save any bots grabbing it), I shall add that to my address book so I can reply via email and then delete that comment. No worries if not, I shall reply within the comments!