It's Slow Stitching Time

A beautiful sunny day for us here in the Outaouais Valley but windy and chilly.  Good weather to stay inside and stitch you say? Yes I guess. Although I would like to work on my chair a little bit again. Heck no it's not finished but I am happy with the progress I've made last week. It's back on my try-to-accomplish-this-today list. :D

On to quilty things: I finally manage to do the last of the Marcus Designer Sew-Along block. I tweaked it a little bit. (it looks wonky in the picture lol.)

The directions / instructions for the alternate blocks and settings were posted on the Marcus Fabric site. Like the good girl that I am, I followed the pattern and cut out the cream and the black fabric. I assembled part of the 9 patch blocks, I got on my knees and put the quilt "together" to get a feel of it and ... I don't like it.

My eyes keep going back to the 9 patch block and ignore the clolourful blocks.  I have worked so hard on for these blocks, I want them to be the center piece of the quilt not the simple 9 patch! So I am trying some different settings.

 

I bought this green fabric especially for this quilt and I don't like it. I've cut and sewn some black 9 patch blocks that I don't think I will use.  Ooohhh! Where is Rebel when you need her??!!

So I cannot finish this one. Fine, I can live with one more uncompleted project! I still haven't figured out what to do with the Spool quilt either. Okay so two uncompleted project to add to the list!! Maybe it's time to start something new!  YEAH!! Something new sounds delicious right now. Okay so what about a Jewel Box? (I've been wanting to do this one for a long time.) Or maybe, blue and red 9 patch for the playroom? Or maybe a string quilt à la JulieK? (Love her work.) Yes, that sounds fun. What about Attic Window in flannel? Or maybe ...  Okay enough already!! Personally, I need a cup of coffee after this. Anyone else has a looooonnng list of quilts to do? It would be faster to ask who doesN'T have a long list of quilts to do!

This morning (like every Sunday morning) I read Kathy's post,  and I will share a secret with you; I too keep track of progress. I do hand quilting on a frame that rolls the quilt so it is easy to lose track of where you are. Since I am the kind who gets discourage when a project is too long to finish, keeping track is very encouraging for me. So I do this on the old chalkboard:

It is a quick reference. I have the rows done on the Quilt of the Century (row 24 is almost done), the hand quilted blocks of Take 21, third row - fourth block is done and the number of blocks  done for the next crumb quilt. When I need a better reference, I go to the computer and open Excel. The Quilt of the Century is a particularly long project so I have made a spreadsheet with the upcoming fabric I want to use less I forget.

I also keep track of what needs to be done on my Uncompleted Fabric Objects (quilts). Oh oh, here comes the ugly truth lol! Well since it is pretty small, I guess you can't read how bad I am.  :) I will at least explain to you what the far left column means. The yellow highlights the uncompleted ones, the blue is for those I am working on (actively working on) and the green ones are, yes, the forever growing to-do list.  :)  (Yes, I am a colour coded person and the stats keeper at the office lol. )

Okay, enough of the ugly stuff! Lets get down to the REAL business: stitching! I will think of my  next project while hand quilting block 5 of row 3 on "Take 21".  Hope you can join Kathy and I in some Slow Sunday Stitching. Does it really need to be just ONE new project?

Enjoy!

Catch Up

We had another showing of the house for sale this Sunday.  So after the visits, I was able to catch up on a few things like Marcus Designer Sew Along.

The dark corners on this one do nothing to me so I made another one.

Oh yes! Much better wouldn't you say? Oops I switch the direction of the corners. Not paying much attention am I?

I took pictures of the blocks really quick between two showers. As you can see in the pictures, the deck is barely dry. It has been a very wet weekend. Anyway, on with the blocks.
Next is the block from week number 7.

Not much of a cheddar colour but the other fabrics I have kept stealing the show so I went with this one.
Then I did the block from last week which is week number 8.

Oh isn't it cute? I love this block.  For those of you who follow the Sew Along and those of you who have seen this block everywhere in blogland, did you notice something? Was Rebel playing in my sewing room again? No! It was pure lack of attention (again?). I sew it all up, looked at it and I was happy with my work. Then, while I was pressing it something was nagging me. I fired up the computer back on again and went back to the post from Homestead Hearth blog to see what was wrong. Oops. I was so sure I had it all memorized. Since I am not one to undo something when it is more fun to redo the same thing ...

sorry for the fuzzy picture

I made another one lol. Okay so out of the 8 blocks, I had to redo 3 of them. Not a very good score!  I seem to have some problems with the "picking the right fabric" part. I think I need more practice. Sew on I will continue.  ;^)   I don't think this one will end up as a mug rug. I think it will become the center block for ... something! I haven't thought it through yet .... but like, something with borders ... and ... well, yes, still pondering.
Anyway, I am all caught up on the Marcus Designer blocks and the laundry, and the mending and ... NOT at all on the hand sewing part. Poor little me, I have a big bunch of hand sewing to do tonight while I watch something on TV. LOL. I had so much fun and hope I can do this again tonight.  Hope you find some time to have fun too.

Until next time  ...   SM;^)LE  ...  it doesn't use up all of your attention.

Do you label a table runner?

Hellooooo!

Yes, I'm still here and I still sew ... kind of. I had an episode with some intense back/shoulder pain which kept me away, for the better part of the week, from my sewing room.  I did sew, (a few minutes at a time than on bed rest for the rest of the day) but had nothing worth showing ... until now.

First, I did the Marcus Designer Sew Along from last week.

This is NOT a block I would have tried on my own. So I am glad someone asked me to push my comfort zone up a notch and give it a try.  I am happy with the result but not happy enough to add it to the quilt. This one too will become a mug rug.   :^)
I am not in love with the blue and green 4 patch even though it does look good when looking at the fabric side by side, it is a different story when sewn into a 4 patch. I find it makes the corners too dark. Second, if you look at the bottom leg of the plus, it is not aligned. Don't like that. BUT I am happy with the exterior points of the PLUS.  Yes, I definitively have to redo this one; lighter green or lighter blue?

Because bending over my sewing machine or my quilting frame was torture, I sat in front of Pinterest and Blogland instead. Bad move. So much inspiration!! And fall is slowly coming, and orange is everywhere, and I ♥♥love orange♥♥, and ... well... I couldn't resist starting something new! I've never done a table runner before and Nicky had a sweet TRELLIS on her blog.  I was in love. So since July, I've been waiting for the right time to make this table runner. Sometime last week, I decided it was the right time ... of the year for a fall table runner.   ;^)

Chose some fall fabrics. Okay that's easy. Chose a colour for the "trellis".

Okay, that looks good.

... maybe not with all the fabrics I have picked.  Not in love with the bottom blocks but they'll have to do.

This morning, I am up since 6:00 am, I finished assembling it.  All done. It is sitting on a chair on a VERY windy Saturday morning.

Now, I have three, yes THREE projects to machine quilt.  The fall table runner, of course.

The "Speck of Colours" quilt and ...

have to finish "Where I come from" scrap quilt.  Only the borders need quilting. The middle was done a month or so ago and  I should have finished it before removing the walking foot from the sewing machine.  That was a bad decision on my part. Oh well, it will be done soon.  No more new projects Chantal, you hear?  Yes, yes!
Let's get back to the table runner please. I do have the fabric for the backing and the thin batting but should I make a label?

I will try to take a  better picture of it on a sunny day

Until next time... ssssSMiLE ... 

not every day is good but there is good in every day! 

Monday's Options

I have none! I still have to do some mending. Yuck!! (paste big sigh here)    :-6   Can you see my tongue sticking out at the pile of jeans waiting to be mended ?

Anyway, I did find some time to have some fun.  I did the Apricot Chutney (smells good all over the place) and finished the label for Antique Inspiration.

 So that one is back on the wall. Checked.

And also the Marcus Designer Sew Along is done too. Here is block 4 which I haven't posted yet.

And here is block 5

Oh look! Rebel came to play in my sewing room again. :D  The designer (I believe it is Gloria Parsons from Olde Green Cupboard) planned this block to be made using light/background, black, cheddar and green fabric only.  Oops! I guess I didn't read it right.  But I so love it. Oh I'm gonna do this block again for sure. For a mug rug? Maybe bigger for a placemat? I don't know but I will do it again. Too much fun and it is so cute.

Maybe the background of block 5 is a little too light ? We'll see when the others surround it how it will look then.
So this is it for this Monday, like I've said I have no option. I HAVE to go back to mending (a.k.a. punishment) and cleaning.  I'm half way done with one pair of jean so I think I deserve another piece of chocolate cake. Yea that seems fair!   :D

Until next time ... sssSMiLE ... because it IS pleasant !!

The rebel got the blues

I have worked on the Marcus Designer Sew Along.  I redid the first block which now looks like this:

My first try at this block is now a mug rug:

I am happy with my decision of redoing it. I much prefer the green in the first picture. The blues just leave me cold in both pictures. I hope it will look better when put together in a quilt. 

After finishing these, I sew the second block which is this one:

This one was easier to do. The background is a very soft beige but look too white in the picture. It is better in real life. The green is a nice celery green that I like a lot. 

Since all was going so well with the blocks, when they (wonderful ladies doing this sew-along) posted block #3 last night, I went for it. 

And I went for the blues!! Hush! Hush! Please don't tell anyone but sometimes I'm a little rebel and don't follow instruction to the letter.  Giggles! Not that it looks better in blue or in green, I just thought there was enough green in the last block for the two of them. Here they are: 

 

This is fun. I love it!! 

Did you join? You can find all the information here in case you wish to sew along too. I'm sure you will see these blocks popping all over blogland, they're so cute. The wonderful ladies who are responsible for this are Pam Buda, Paula Barnes, Sarah Maxwell, and  Pati Violick will give us the next block on Friday. Is it Friday yet??? 

Until next time ... SMiLE ... it won't rebel against you.     

Monday's Option

This week, I don't have an option. I just HAVE to redo it. No options!!


I will try to keep up with the Marcus Designer Sew- Along which started August first and I am already in hot water. Ha! ha! ha!
I followed the instruction but obviously messed up somewhere because...

it doesn't measure 9 inches!
I've cut off the cheddar triangles,
plus the black and green are not working very well together nor are the black and blue. So I have no options but to redo it. (In real life, the black and blue blends more than on the picture which was taken in full sunlight.)
And the second block is already out and I am still on block one. Oh yes, that looks so promising Ha! ha! ha!

I will not waste my humility block though. As you can see it is sitting on a little piece of batting and it will become ... a mug rug.
So this is my Monday night. Hope you find some time for sewing too.

Until next time... sssSSSMiLe ! ... it remains an option.