I Hit My Goal!

I am very happy to report I am up to date this week, for a change.  In fact I am going great guns this month, oh what a good mood I am in, I'm just a simple girl at heart and it doesn't take much to make me happy.

So, what have I done to affect me so?  I finished the signature blocks for Tina and Stuart's wedding quilt!  This was also my One Monthly Goal for January, Happy Happy!

Here they are on my design wall, well some of them.  This won't be the final arrangement of course but when I finished them I couldn't resist putting them up to have a look, what do you think?

The background fabric is a Moda Bella solid in a warm white shade, I can't remember the exact name but it's not the bright one.  The coloured strips are from Alison Glass Sunprints 2018 range and I chose fourteen different shades, fourteen because I wanted bright happy fully saturated colours and so I didn't get any of the white, cream, or grey shades and I didn't get any of the dot and squiggle ones either, although I'm now warming to them.

I cut two 2 1/2 inch strips from each colour and  fourteen 3 inch white strips for the signature panels, then it was just a case of stitching two of the same colour together with a white strip in the middle and  giving them a press.  They measured at seven inches wide so I cut the strip sets into seven inch squares, I got six blocks from each strip set except the green which was a little short and I only got five.   I must say there is a fair bit of variation in the selvage, on some there is very little white edge and on others a good bit more, which is probably why I could only get five green blocks.  It doesn't matter, I only need 61 blocks and I still have 69.  I wanted extra in case anyone messed one up, or wrote an inappropriate comment Tina wouldn't have been happy for me to include.

Speaking of writing comments, thank you all so much for your advice on the pens, it was most helpful.

I decided to go with the Pigma in the end, some of you mentioned how Sharpies can bleed and others how Pigma ink has withstood many washings on older quilts.  I bought six, do you think that will be enough?  I didn't want to buy too few in case anyone went off with them and they all disappeared before everyone had signed them, but they are quite expensive so I had to take the cost into consideration too.  I have another wedding in May, my son Chris and his lovely fiancee Sarah, so they will be used again then.  I thought I might just put four out and keep the other two in my bag in case they are needed.

I will iron freezer paper to the back of the blocks as some of you also mentioned.

I have had this roll for over ten years, I don't use it often now but it is handy to have in.

I also need to put some quilters tape at the edges of the signature panel so people don't write in the seam allowance.  When it came I read the back and it said not to leave it on for longer than one day though.  So, I'm testing it to see how long I can leave it on for.  I will take one strip off after a week and the others at weekly intervals.  Not that it will be on that long, I just want to know if it will mark. Not that it matters really after all it is only the seam allowance, but it's nice to know.  There is loads on the roll, thirty yards, and I only need five inches for each block so it will do both quilts and then some.

That wasn't all I did this week though.

I took Baby out of her little bed in the table and raised it up so I had lots of room, then I cut out the blocks for my secret quilt.  I am so happy I started it, I'm just waiting for the extra fabric I need and then I can start sewing it together.  Want a sneak peak?

No, sorry, not allowed!  I'm sworn to secrecy and it's not my secret to tell!  But I can tell you it is wonderful and I can tell you a bit more next month.  Until then you will just have to wonder!

So that has been my week so far, AND I'm posting this today, late in the day, but not tomorrow.  Yes, it's been a good week, none of the oldies has been ill, Hubby finally got a new suit for his daughters wedding, and the sun has shone a couple of times, I'm happy.

So until next time,
With smiles from,
Kate x

Linking up with:
Let's Bee Social
Midweek Makers
Wednesday Wait Loss
Can I Get A Whoop Whoop?

Done it!

Yes I know, late again, but I haven't been able to sew much and as it is still less than a week since my last post I thought I would get away with being a day late rather than two days like last week.

I promised you I would show you the finished bookshelf bee block didn't I?  Did you guess what I would add to the shelf?

A Russian doll.  I have always loved them since I had one as a child and as my daughter collects them and has several on the shelves of her bookcase it was a no brainer.  If you have seen my Facebook page the header is a pic of the Russian doll mug rug and coaster I made her too.  Yes it is about time I changed it!    I used Heat 'n' Bond and stitched it with a buttonhole stitch and did french knots for eyes and a backstitch for the mouth.  However, Emily from The Darling Dogwood, for whom this block is intended, guessed it might be a bookworm, I asked what a bookworm would look like and Velda from Granny Can Quilt sent me a pic of 'Gloom'.   They both loved that idea, so I added Gloom as best I could.

You can see better here.  I added him the same as the Russian doll and stitched glasses, well. on the side of his face you can see, an eye, and a mouth in a sort of grimace.   If his name is Gloom then being gloomy he would probably grimace anyway.   I hope you like him Emily, I made him especially for you because you are so nice.

The only other thing I got done this week was to cut the fabrics for Tina's wedding quilt.

Only I just realised I missed the pink so I have that one left to cut.  I have decided to follow all your advice and make the autograph blocks the back and I am taking two of the colours through to the front along with the white solid background which I have cut but not photographed because I'm sure you have seen white solid fabric before, and another  neutral, maybe a grey, or a blue/grey.  I'm going to use the gold which I draped across the others, and probably the burgundy as I love the contrast they make, even though they won't be next to each other on the front.  The pattern?  Not telling.  Can't tell won't tell. Hehe, I love a secret.

The input you all gave for the autograph blocks was fantastic, thank you all so much it really helped, especially Anja from Anja Quilts, Karen from Karen Quilts and Linda from Scrapmaster who sent me pics of her lovely quilts and told me her thinking behind them.

Oh, I have to tell you I now have an outfit for the wedding, as it's in three weeks and I was starting to despair I would be going in my jeans.  I made an appointment with a personal shopper at Debenhams department store at my local shopping centre, it's a free service and I must say I would definitely recommend it if you are struggling for an outfit for a special occasion.  I was in a private room and my shopper, Karen, left me with a cup of coffee while she gathered lots of dresses, coats and jackets for me to try after taking all my details and discussing colour and the sort of things I like as well as the occasion.  Karen also found me shoes and a bag AND a fascinator, an alternative for a hat fastened on with a clip or a band.  Now I have an outfit all I need is to finish the blocks and I am all set for the wedding, and by the time it comes I will be able to wear make up again.

The only thing I haven't decided is should I use Pigma pens or Sharpies for signing the autograph blocks.  I have read that Pigma pens can wash out, then someone said not all of them have archivable ink and thats what you should use.  I then read something else that said not to use Sharpies because they were not acid free, so now I am totally confused.  What would you use?

Time to get on with my day, I have batch cooking to do for Jack who is still on pureed meals, minced beef with onions and mushrooms, potatoes, carrot and sweede mixed together and peas.  All pureed separately and frozen in individual meal boxes so he only needs to defrost them and heat in the microwave.  Oh and I also have to make pureed apple, Jack loves his puddings and he only needs to heat it up with an individual carton of custard, it's his favourite.

So until next time when I SHOULD have made all the signature blocks,
With smiles from,
Kate x

Linking up with:
Midweek Makers
Wednesday Wait Loss
Needle and Thread Thursday

Better Late Than Never

Well now, this is a great start to the year isn't it?  For all my procrastinating how I was going to get back to posting on my normal day, first week of the year and I am late, can you believe it?  Well, life happens and people are more important than blogging which I'm sure you realise, but that's just life.

Moving on, I hope you have had a wonderful Christmas and New Year, all the fuss and planning and it is over in a flash.  I did a round up of my Best of 2017 last week, you may have missed it as I didn't share the post at all,  but even though I felt I had had a bad year for quilting I was surprised to find I still had one or two nice finishes, and another couple I didn't include too.  I am hoping this year will be blistering and so I have set my goals for 2018 which I posted just before Christmas but if you missed, you can find it here.

The thing about goals is you need to break them down into manageable chunks, so I have made my small goals for this month, which are:

1. Make 61 blocks for Tina's wedding quilt.  I am making this my One Monthly Goal for this month.  The wedding is February 2nd and I finally know what I am doing but I need to buy some more fabric.

2. Make my Bee blocks for December and January and mail them by 12th January.

3. Cut out my secret quilt.

Yes that's all, these are my priority, I hope to get more done of course but this is my have to list.

The good news is I have got off to a good start by making one bee block and I am a good way through the second.

This is actually Januarys block, the Quatrefoil block for Sharon at Yellow Cat Designs.  You can see her request post and a link to the tutorial on the Bee Inspired blog post.

Decembers block is a Bookshelf block for Emily at The Darling Dogwood and there is a tutorial  on the  Bee Inspired blog.   I did mean to get this one made early but things didn't work out, then I decided to make it over Christmas and mail it first thing in January after the Christmas post, but I couldn't sew until a couple of days ago.  You may notice there is a lot of space on the right of the block, that's because it's not finished yet, there is an item to be added there.  What is it?  You will just have to guess, if you know me well you might get it...........
Tell you next week, in fact I should be able to show you.

Would you like to see my new fabric which came in the post today?

Alison Glass Sunprints 2018.  It's not the whole range but it is my favourites, I wasn't so keen on the design of the others.  Why?  To me they are solids with a small occasional squiggle on and to me you may even loose that when you cut them up.  As solids are cheaper to buy than prints I have decided to skip those ones and just buy the ones I like, after all, liking a range doesn't mean we have to slavishly buy all of it does it?  The grey one on the far left isn't a sun print of course, it's a Moda Muslin which was half price, and as I have very little grey I couldn't resist half a metre.

Going back to yesterday I was expecting the fabrics from Simply Solids but when a parcel came it was much smaller than I expected, and I opened it to find......

Five low volume fat quarters.  Back in April I took out a subscription for low volume fabrics, I received my parcel every month then after the October payment was taken I received an email from the payment company saying my monthly payment had been cancelled.  I thought it was for a year but assumed it was six months and a couple of weeks later my last bundle arrived.  No more money was taken, no fabrics came in December, so when I received yesterdays parcel I was confused, it was too early for a January delivery and I hadn't paid for any more fabrics.  I rang Simply Solids and explained the situation, I couldn't keep fabrics I hadn't paid for.  They hadn't cancelled my payment but the payment company had, they couldn't understand why, there had never been any problems.  I decided not to continue with the subscription, I have a fair few low volume fat quarters now and would rather self select, maybe in larger quantities in future.  I did offer to pay for the ones I have received though, I told her I hadn't paid for them, but she refused payment, it was their mistake and she didn't expect me to pay for them.  Wasn't that generous?  Being honest paid off.

Sorry about the poor pics this week, it is so dull just now it's hard to get a decent shot.

Thank you all for your kind enquiries about my second cataract op, it took place on December 21st.  That is the reason I haven't been sewing, unfortunately it didn't go as well as the first one, there were a couple of issues I won't go into and my sight has been very blurry.  Fortunately it is now much improved and I have an eye test in three weeks just before I see the consultant again.  Thank goodness for Poundland readers is all I have to say, I wouldn't have been able to see anything close up without them.  I am hoping to get caught up with my emails in the next couple of weeks so if I haven't replied to your comments yet my apologies.

So, that's all for my first post of the year, planning and a little sewing.  It's my first sewing group get together of the year on Saturday, I haven't a clue what I can take so I need to have a little rummage and a little think, I'll tell you what I come up with, and hopefully show you the finished bookshelf block, next week.

Until then,
With smiles from,
Kate x

Linking up with:
Can I Get A Whoop Whoop?