Textile ATC swap

I think even slow blogging is too fast for me - maybe I should become a periodically-hibernating-through-the year blogger?

I have however been sewing a little and knitting (I've nearly finished a pair of socks - woohoo!). I even managed to knit on the Tube last week - no photographic evidence I'm afraid. I thought it might look a bit too weird, taking a photo of myself knitting a sock on the Tube.You know, there is an upside to a general lack of crafting in public - if I manage to lose a stitch marker or something at one of my children's swimming lessons, I always get it back. Apparently no other parent knits/crafts during the swimming lessons.

I've recently signed up for Ali of very Berry Handmade's Artist trading Card swap. It is my first ever swap and I'm very nervous. I also know that I can't guarantee crafting time, so a 2.5in x 3.5in textile card sounded a perfect way to dip my toe in the water. The theme is "New" and so I decided to try a new technique - foundation paper piecing. Actually make that miniature foundation paper piecing.

When I placed it under the machine to sew the first seam, I realised that maybe I should have thought about it a little harder. Gulp. This looks hard!

 Well I decided that I had nothing to lose except some time, a little thread and some small pieces of fabric. Nothing ventured, nothing gained as, mm, someone said.

Here it is in all it's untrimmed glory:

I'm not going to trim it until I marry it up with the other part of the front of the card - and I haven't made that yet. I'm also not sure about the fabrics - the green "tendrils" on the centre square look a bit like I've left loose threads on it, and the Art Gallery ovals don't seem to "go".

Stay tuned for part 2 - er to be broadcast on some unspecified date in the future.

FAL 2013 Q2

Only three things on this list - they really should be doable! (Hmm famous last words - having checked the calendar there is not a lot of spare time between now and June) They are all rollovers from Q1 - I'm not starting anything else until these are finished ( knitting a pair of socks doesn't count - I can't take my sewing machine to swimming lessons)

1 My City Lights Quilt

Fear of quilting is holding me back - just going to have to keep a Friday clear (that is harder than it sounds - this week for example I have the hygienist as well as trying to do the/some housework)

2. My daughters simple Quilt

Need the basting pins from 1 above and then I can get on with it.

3. The Swoon of Doom

It's not really, but those skinny quarters are holding me up. Just need to sit down one evening and work out a cutting pattern and then I get get another two blocks done.

So that's it - I am optimistic I might get it done! (Well if I get the first two out of the way quickly that is)

FAL 2013 Q1 round up.

I had a short list for this quarter, trying to be realistic ( I work 4 days a week and have 3 children - I'm usually too tired to sew when I finally have the time!) but my list of finishes is even shorter! Ah well, I am just pleased that there are some!

1. Christmas Tree Skirt

Finished! Bound with homemade bias binding. Super skinny bias binding! (Er, I didn't mean it to be super skinny. I definitely should not measure and calculate late in the evening....)

2. My Daughters simple Quilt.


Sadly no change - it's not even got as far as being basted. :-( So it will be a rollover into Q2

3. My Busy Lizzie Quilt

Finished! Binding all sewn down and in use.




4. City Lights Quilt


Backing sorted and all basted together - but that's it, so another rollover for Q2

 

5. Swoon Quilt

I didn't expect much progress on this one - and there hasn't been. I have made 2 more blocks, but am struggling with getting my points accurate. I have signed up for Camille Roskelly's Craftsy course which includes the Swoon Quilt, so I'm hoping to pick up some tips to improve my construction of the blocks.

It's also sitting in the naughty corner as when I got out the additional FQ's I bought for it, they turned out to be badly cut skinny quarters so cutting them is going to be a challenge. I need to spend some time working out if I can actually get all of the pieces I need from the fabric now I've trimmed it straight . I also should try and remember which online store I bought them from to make sure I don't order from them again. (they really were very badly cut)


6. My Dad's socks


Finished and gifted. Yay!

7. My Mum's jacket is still in the same pieces "sigh". I am going to have force myself to do this as it feels like a particularly nasty chore. I know I'll feel better when it's done - I just need to find a way to feel more positive about it.

Busy Lizzie

Well my first ever quilt is finally finished. I've finished some other things in the meantime but this poor thing has been living in the wardrobe with its binding half finished.

So I dug it out and finally finished hand sewing it down - and I now have a new lap quilt. :-)

Something  I can tick off on my Finish - A - Long list.

A Tah -dah! Finally!

Crafting time here seems to be in very short supply nowadays - I was starting to get seriously worried that I wasn't going to finish ANYTHING on my Finish - A - Long list, despite it being fairly modest.

But here is my tree skirt!

That bias binding was definitely a pig to sew on though - for some reason I made it 1.5 inches wide BEFORE I folded it over. I only realised this after I had started attaching it with a 1/4 inch seam and realised it was never going to flip over to the other side fully. Lots of unpicking and then a 1/8 inch seam. I only discovered that that hadn't fully caught both layers of the binding once I started machine stitching the binding. Cue lots more unpicking in various areas and stitching down (and then finding the binding hadn't caught on the back, and more unpicking and restitching). I quite like the very skinny binding:

But I'm never doing it again!

I ought to wash it, especially as I used spray baste, but as the (non quilting) backing fabric and binding did this to my machine:

I'm going to wait until it has been under my Christmas tree once! I'm not convinced that a box of colour catchers would keep the top from turning very pink.

This quilt is full of mistakes - but you know what? I have certainly learnt a lot from all those mistakes, far more than if it had gone right. So although I may have cursed many times whilst making it, I am kind of grateful for it (but only kind of - I am glad it is a get-it-out-once-a-year-and-lie-flat-on-the -floor-covered-in-stuff quilt!)

I also finally finished my Dad's socks

 (They have been washed and shaped, but they look a bit sad  - I can now see why people have sock blockers)

It was a good job too - it was his birthday at the beginning of the week, and I was madly weaving in ends on Saturday morning to make sure I got them in the post on time (I had 12 ends on one sock - not sure how I managed that one). What is really crazy though is that I actually finished them bar the grafting of one toe and weaving in the ends, at the end of January. A pattern seems to be emerging here. Hmmm.