New projects

I think I've started a Garden Party quilt, from Bonnie Hunter's Addicted To Scraps book..

I have a huge box of 1.5" strips to use up, and I thought that this pattern would do the trick nicely. I've cut out a heap of blocks, kitted most of them and sewn some of them, but it's just not grabbing my attention.  It's in a project box waiting for me to decide whether to go ahead with a full sized quilt.

These 9-patches that I wasn't too keen on have morphed into my next project.  I just want to sew dozens of them and assemble them into these blocks.

I saw this Pinterest image, and really liked how dark the whole thing was, with the light squares of the nine-patches forming chains across the quilt.

I've sewn two blocks, and cut a heap of strips, and I'm itching to get this under way. 

It will use up a heap of dark and mid blue scraps, and maybe use up some of those dark blue FQs that have been in the stash drawers for far too long.

And then there's these little 4"blocks.

I really liked Mereth's blue chain quilt, but thought that I have many more green and brown scraps and strips, so that is the colour scheme for my quilt. These are dear little blocks to sew, they use even the smallest of scraps, and they're my new leader-ender.  Until they take over as the main project, some time in the future.

I'm having fun with all these new things, and not worrying about the UFO list right now. There are some stressful things to deal with in the next few months, and I need to just have fun in the sewing room. No duty sewing allowed.

Brickwork

I am SO happy with my Brickwork quilt, it turned out just the way I wanted it.

I love the warm, muted colours, the variety of scraps, the touch of pink before the borders.  It was a wonderfully easy pattern to put together, but it was never boring.

I did have to be careful applying the borders.  The whole centre is on the bias; the pink triangles were cut so that the edge was on the straight grain, but that wasn't enough to control the middle section.  It was really hard to get an accurate measurement, and I ended up removing the first border because it wasn't right.

In the end I put the top on the design wall, smoothed it out carefully and made sure it was square in every direction.  Then I placed the little inner strips across the top, pinned them into the design wall and marked the length they needed to be. That worked, and they were sewn on with no further hassle.  It's going to be fun quilting this and keeping that bias under control; I'll have to take my time and measure carefully as I roll it on. But it will be more than worth it.