shoo-flies...

The moment I finished my "leftovers" top I started playing around with some liberated shoo-fly blocks.

 

 Three inches square, it was fun to work with small pieces again, after the large pieces I quickly put together.  grabbing a handful of stash and just getting started without thinking too much about it was fun and very, well, liberating!

They're still up on my design wall, a bit unruly and needing to be pressed and trimmed, but I think they're kind of cute, no? 

Now I'm wondering how to put them together in a top ..... sashing or alternate blocks?  Hmm...

It's here!

I'm going to write this post real quick so I can dive back into the goodies I received today....

 

From Glorious Color , the Roseville Album Quilt by Kim McLean! Since I've been more of a "piecer" than an "applique-er", I not only got the pattern and the starter pack of fabrics, but some Rowan cotton thread in "Circus" to get me started.  My postman came just a few moments ago to deliver it and I'm really excited to get stuck into this project. 

I've been sewing on the machine for some time now trying to get projects done, and I was ready to get back to handwork.  As it happens I was fortunate to take an intensive three-day applique course with Ted Storm a few weeks ago and being the wonderful teacher that she is, inspired me even more to add applique into my work in the future.

Together with finding and now being part of the wonderful blog, Glorious Applique,  I hope my skills will continue to grow!

So what better way to dive into it than with this quilt? 

I'm off to get back to that box of goodies!

happy stitching,

Heidi

leftovers

What a fun quilt this was to make!
...and on my Featherweight too...
A simple nine patch and alternate block pattern, I cut lots of different fabrics, some of which that have been laying in my closet for years, and randomly threw them together.
It's not easy to work randomly, but once you get started, it's lots of fun and the quilt just makes itself.

leftovers, originally uploaded by Monkicat.

I'm not too sure about the results yet, so after taking this picture, I folded it away and will not look at it for a while. Maybe after a few days something new will come to me.

Thoughts that have crossed my mind:
- an appilque edge on the bottom? ( simple and folky)
- perhaps a thin border between the main part and the large red border?

Any ideas you may have?

Now off to do some quiet cross stitch...

a happy mess...

This is the reason why yet again I haven't been taking pictures and blogging.
I've been just so inspired by wonderful quilters making wonderful things that I've only wanted to sit behind my machine and get to sewing!

This past Thursday we've had our first Featherweight Friends Bee, where a group of us get together and sew with our Singer Featherweights.  Good fun seeing all those shiny little black machines humming and sewing away!  My quilting friend Diana and I decided to make a similar project based on a "privy bag "
with the "rules" that the fabrics really shouldn't match, giving the quilt a "make do" look.

Having started with a packet of fabrics, I ended up digging through my closet and pulling almost all of my collection out: it's spread out in my sewing room, the living room, and the dining room!  Ok, so things are a right mess at them moment, but my fellow home dwellers don't seem to mind all the colors scattered about.  It just doesn't make sense to tidy things up if I have to only go looking for stuff later!
( How's that for an excuse...?)

 

Normally I'm not this bad when working on a project, I like to keep things relatively tidy to keep my scattered self organized.  But I'm having so much fun finding 5, 6, 7, year-old fabrics that have been hiding in my dark closet.  I can still remember where each scrap came from!

Well, now you know what I've been up to, and why it's been quiet around here on the blog.  There's just so much going on at the moment, I'd rather just keep going sometimes that stop and go through ( what seems to be, but really isn't) the trouble of blogging.  Silly really, since I love to share things with all of you!

Anyhow, I'm off to play with fabrics and my Featherweight, and I hope you all are enjoying your weekend!  

some sun and sea air...

No stitching or quilting today, just a day filled with sun and sea air....

Hope you enjoyed your weekend...