I'm sitting here trying to work out how to fit everything I want to do into the second half of the year. I'd hoped to be further forward with most of my projects but a busy work load and a fairly busy social life this month has eaten into my sewing and craft time. In addition, the very high temperatures recently really did slow everything down. Enough moaning, let's find out what I achieved and what I hope to complete this month.
Over the weekend I managed to finish the frog quilt. I needed to trim the stitched blocks to the right size and I also had to cut some blocks from the various tan fabrics to use as filler blocks alongside the smaller pieced blocks. It was supposed to be the same fabric used in the pieced blocks but I had used up some of those fabrics so I introduced some other tan colours. Anyway I'm very pleased with the end product. The sun was so bright when we took this photo that it drained the colours.
I decided to lay it over the dining table to give a different perspective. I love this quilt.We are away this weekend at a friend's 70 birthday celebrations so I won't get this quilt sandwiched for a couple of weeks. That will give me time to think about the quilting.I haven't done much work on the goldwork seahorse but at least I've made a start on it. It's not brilliant but I'm slowly remembering how I did it, many years ago. I'm sure I'll get quicker and neater as I go on.
I've been enjoying adding afew stitches or flowers over the week to my embroidered table cloth. I took it with me when visiting my older daughter and she would like to stitch one, so a possible Christmas present?
I'm also trying to use up some of my yarn. I do have full balls of some of the yarns but mostly it's left over from knitting and fairly small balls. I decided to crochet hexagons to make a blanket for donation. It makes a change from squares. I do have a pattern for a blanket that I want to make but I want a particular colour scheme so it will have to wait until I've used up the scraps.
I'm also working slowly on making fabric from scraps. I will be using the blocks to make a quilt. Like everyone, I do have a lot of scraps and need all the possible ways of using them up. All suggestions gratefully received.
I haven't done any knitting on my cardigan as it has been too hot to be holding the knitting as it grows.
So that brings us to July and the Chookshed Challenge. This month the challenge is number 5 and my number 5 is the double wedding ring quilt. I bought the fabric for this quite a time ago and I cut the fabric into smaller sizes rready to be cut further as I made each block.
All my fabrics are carefully numbered so I know where they will be placed.
Parts cut out for the rings. This was trickier than it needed to be!
I cut some of the pieces for going in the middle of the rings. These are cut folded so it speeds the process up.
This is the picture from the pattern.
The pattern was in Today's Quilter and the templates came with it.
I made some of the arcs up and eventually got the knack of stitching them together. Next job was to stitch the whole ring together.
This was my first attempt and it got unpicked until I got it right. The photo below is one of the early attempts. It took me a while to master the piecing.
So this is what I'll be working on this month and I have set myself a target to get done but I'm keeping that to myself because I know I won't achieve it. I think it's called dream big!
I will still do some work on the tablecloth over the month. I want this finished before Christmas and that is very doable. We are away this weekend so I will be taking the embroidery for the quieter moments.
I take my crochet to work with me as I can sit and make a couple of hexagons during my lunch break. I also work on it during Team's meeting. For some of the large meetings we don't have our cameras on and so lots of people are busy doing some form of craft whilst listening. It's a good use of time.
I also want to sandwich and start the quilting on the frog quilt. If it isn't finished this month, I will get it done at the beginning of August when I am on holiday. We have several trips out planned but we aren't going away.
I'm excited to see what I can get done this month. I should achieve more than usual as we are only away this weekend and the rest of the month is quiet. More time at home means more sewing. I'd better check for spelling mistakes and get this post uploaded as I promised my younger daughter I'd pick her up this evening.
Take care
Lyndsey
