Progress :)

We spent the morning skiing with the children for a few hours with it snowing on us. Was such good fun! We have all really gotten the skiing bug in the last year and the kids are doing so well with their lessons and now even hubbie has started to learn!! The thing with starting lessons at 8am is that by lunchtime everyone is done and we are home by 1.30pm! So whilst the kids relaxed with some game playing on the wii (the skiing game of all games!) I got some time to sew! 

To start with I finished off my flying geese for the Happy Quilting Starburst QAL. After some pressing of seams they looked like this:

Flying Geese for Starburst QAL

I then got a bit carried away. I first constructed the stars:

Center stars

and then put some of the other pieces together. So now on my design wall I have 4 starburst blocks awaiting final construction.

Four blocks that just need sewing together

I then checked out the Something New Sampler schedule to see what was planned for next week. Week #3 started a few hours early for me when I discovered one of the blocks had been posted! 

One of the blocks this week is a reverse appliqué block. I have done a fair amount of appliqué before, but not reverse appliqué. It went together rather easily.

Reverse Applique Block

The other block this week involves sashiko! Another technique I have never tried before, can't wait to see what that's going to be!

Now, back to sewing on the binding of a quilt I started months ago and should have finished by now.

Modern Folded Block

So week 2 of the Something New Sampler QAL. There are two blocks this week - a folded block and a scraptastic block. I have no scraps in my set of fabrics (yet) so I have put this one on hold for a minute. 

So to the folded block. I am not usually a fan of folded blocks, but I gave it a go all the same. Here is the end result:

Modern Folded Block

I think I should have used less fabrics. Not sure the turquoise and green strips should be there, or maybe it's the pink that should not be there. Anyway, it all seems a bit too busy for my liking. 

I like things to be equal and I found getting my strips to sit equal and straight was quite a challenge! I gave it a go, but I do conclude that I am not keen on folded blocks! 

A quilt-a-long catch up!

This is week 2 of the Starburst quilt-a-long by Melissa over at Happy Quilting. It is a lovely star quilt, go take a look at it. There are prizes along the way too, just for some added incentive :)

I had difficulty finding 12 fat quarters in my stash that I liked together so I opted for this rather lovely layer cake. The 10" squares are not quite large enough to make even the smaller size listed so I am making mine a little bit smaller to make it work. 

Fabric for Quilt-a-long

Having decided on the layer cake I then had to select just 12 of the squares. Oh the choices! Well, after some time this is what I ended up with:

Selected Fabrics

Week 1: The first week was relatively easy - to cut the required pieces. Ta da!

Cut Fabric!

Week 2: To make HSTs and Goose in the Corner. I like all this chain piecing, makes for some fast progress and I do love to see progress!

Oh my, it took an age to square up all the HSTs! But I got there. Can I wait a week for the next instalment. I half wish Melissa hadn't got the tutorial on the website, it's so tempting to move ahead! Although I do have a quilt I am supposed to have quilted by now. So perhaps I'll do that and leave all these lovely squares on my design wall to oggle.

Happy creating.

Modern Bargello Block

Now I wasn't really looking for something new to do just yet since I have so many other things to finish. But when I saw this fun looking blog hop called the Something New Sampler QAL at The Cute Life I couldn't resist.

There will be 9 different blocks using uncommon techniques over the next four weeks by a variety of bloggers. Information on the schedule and details can be found here.

So this week the uncommon technique is the Bargello Block. I have often thought it would be nice to give this pattern a go, but have never got round to it, until now. 

So here is my modern bargello block. I am not too sure about the colours I have chosen. The two turquoise fabrics blend in a bit too much to each other and I wish the fat section on the left wasn't quite so fat. 

I am impressed with myself that I have managed to finish this so early in the week. So I can now get back to finishing some other things! But I can't wait to see the next block. 

Phone pouch

Until recently I had an old hand-me-down Blackberry that really had seen better days. It spent more time on charge than me using it. Even so I was quite surprised to unwrap a new white iphone on my birthday.

Trouble is I now feel I have to take much more care of this new phone than I did of my old beaten up Blackberry. So the first thing I did was to pull out some fabric to make a cover for it. 

I used the tutorial by Amy Friend at During Quiet time, found here. And some fabric I fell in love with at the Houston Quilt Festival. I was generous when cutting out the pattern as I have a case on the phone for added protection! It is still rather a tight fit though. But I am pleased with it.

iPhone pouch

One of my new years resolutions was to improve my fitness. There is an app (since there is an app for everything, right?!) that we are using to get back to running 5km easily. The app tells you when to run and when to walk but to keep taking the phone out of this pouch was a bit tiresome. 

So I just had to make a slightly different pouch for when I go out running. I wanted to be able to see the screen whilst the phone was in the pouch.

In the cupboard I had some clear plastic vinyl. So I modified the pattern slightly and produced this little pouch with a strap to put on my wrist to prevent me dropping it!! 

The only thing I regret doing is putting the iron on the vinyl and marking it. But other than that it works just how I wanted it to. So now there is no excuse for keeping up with the fitness plan!!

Now back to completing some of my unfinished projects! 

Goodbye 2012

And another year comes to an end. Like many I was looking at my creative achievements this year. Not quite as many got finished as I would like but there is always next year.

A variety of pillows:

 

A baby quilt:

A table runner (that is finished, just forgot to take the final picture before giving it to recipient!):

Some random projects:

 

 

There are several quilt tops that got completed and are in the process of being quilted. 

But my final make of the year was a couple of luggage tags made this evening as a thank you gift for some neighbours. I used the tutorial provided by A spoonful of Sugar that was so quick and simple, just my kind of project!

I have a variety of things I want to achieve in 2013, many are sewing related but there are some other things too. I feel some lists may be in order. 

Wishing everyone a Happy New Year, may 2013 be a good year for all.